The wedding was livestreamed by the sister, revealing his identity as a Taoist priest.

"Gentlemen."

Master Xuanmo sighed.

"When the Celestial Master gets married, we're sending betrothal gifts not to compete in wealth or treasure."

"Then what do you suggest as a gift?"

All twelve pairs of eyes turned to stare at them.

Master Xuanmo did not respond, but turned to look at Chen Shidu in the main seat.

Chen Shidu remained silent.

He sat quietly on the sandalwood throne from beginning to end, listening to the entire debate with a slight smile on his face.

It's like watching your elders scrambling to pay the bill during Chinese New Year.

"Celestial Master".

Master Xuanmo bowed.

"Do you have a plan in mind?"

The side hall fell silent.

Chen Shidu lowered his eyes, his fingers unconsciously stroking the red string on his left wrist.

"She loves music."

Four words, spoken very softly.

"I started learning piano in elementary school, and later I also learned the guqin. During my three years at MIT, I went to the Boston Symphony Orchestra every week without fail to listen to live performances."

He paused for a moment.

"The fourth step is to give her something related to music."

Master Xuanmo's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly.

"Choose what they like! Yes! What's the point of giving them mountains of gold and silver if you don't give them something that touches their heart!"

The twelve elders looked at each other and began to search their minds for any treasures related to music.

"Taoist musical instruments..."

The head of the Golden Register Institute counted on his fingers.

"Heaven and Earth String? No way, that thing is for setting up formations and killing enemies. Giving it to a girl would be unlucky."

"The Heart-Clearing Bell?"

Elder Wu Lei shook his head.

"Too petty, far inferior to the top three."

The group whispered among themselves for a while, but none of them came up with a decent solution.

The Purple Mansion Elder, sitting fourth from the left, suddenly stroked his beard.

"actually……"

He spoke slowly, his tone carrying a hint of smugness.

"Our Taoist sect possesses a supreme treasure of music."

Everyone looked at him.

The Purple Mansion Elder stood up, put his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth for a couple of steps.

"The Phoenix's Cry in the Nine Heavens"

He spoke slowly and deliberately.

"The instrument is made of ancient paulownia wood and has strings made of black iron from the heavens. The body of the instrument is engraved with thirty-six mantras for purifying the mind. When this instrument is played, it can cleanse the mind of demons, suppress evil and purify the environment. Wherever the sound of the instrument reaches, all evil will be driven away."

The elder of the Purple Mansion got more and more excited as he spoke, pointing his finger in the air.

"This zither is 1,200 years old. It was handcrafted by the Daoist partner of the third-generation Celestial Master, and its creation was entirely for love! It would be the perfect gift for Miss Shen!"

He glanced at the crowd in the side hall, waiting for applause.

However, no one spoke.

The air in the side hall seemed to be held captive by an invisible hand.

The twelve elders, who had been arguing heatedly just moments before, all fell silent.

The head monk of the Golden Register Temple lowered his head to drink tea, the tea lid clinking against the rim of the cup.

Elder Wu Lei looked up at the carvings on the roof beam, as if that lotus flower was the most exquisite thing he had ever seen in his life.

Elder Danfang went even further, closing his eyes and feigning sleep, even snoring.

The Purple Mansion Elder's smile froze on his face.

"Why are you guys making those faces?"

No one replied to him.

"Hello!"

The Purple Mansion Elder was in a hurry.

"Did I misspoke? What's wrong with the Nine Heavens Phoenix Melody? In terms of specifications, it surpasses the top three! In terms of symbolism, it's a perfect match, a harmonious union! In terms of quality..."

"cough!"

Master Xuanmo coughed loudly, interrupting him.

The Purple Mansion Elder looked at True Person Xuanmo.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Master Xuanmo's forehead.

"Junior Brother Zifu."

His voice was a little dry.

"The zither is a good zither, there's no problem with that."

"But where is that zither now? Have you forgotten?"

The Purple Mansion Elder opened his mouth.

Then his face turned pale at a visible speed.

"Heaven... Heavenly Sound Pavilion."

The three words were squeezed out of his mouth as if he had used all his strength.

The temperature inside the side hall seemed to drop by another three degrees.

The head monk of the Golden Register Temple trembled as he drank tea, spilling some tea all over his front.

Elder Wu Lei turned his gaze away from the ceiling, a twitch appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Elder Danfang's "snoring" stopped abruptly, and he peeked open one eye a crack.

"That person from Tianyin Pavilion..."

Master Xuanmo carefully considered his words.

"The Pavilion Master borrowed the zither a few years ago, saying he wanted to use the spiritual spring in the pavilion to nourish the zither and restore the spirit of the strings."

He wiped his sweat.

"The process of picking up the instrument might be a bit complicated."

Chen Shidu glanced at him.

"What's the procedure?"

Master Xuanmo's smile was more like a grimace.

"this……"

He looked around, trying to find someone to chime in.

All eleven elders bowed their heads in unison.

Someone found an invisible speck of dust on the shoe and was vigorously wiping it off.

Someone is studying their own fingernails.

Some people even started counting the embroidery threads on the robes.

The atmosphere was incredibly awkward.

Chen Shidu took in all of this and remained silent for two seconds.

Then he sighed softly.

In that sigh, there was helplessness, and a hint of something indescribable... indulgence?

"This is the one I'll give you."

Chen Shidu spoke, his tone flat and even.

"She'll like it."

Master Xuanmo's heart skipped a beat.

The Celestial Master said, "This is the one I'll give you," so it's a deal.

Once you've placed the order, you have to go pick it up.

He took a deep breath and slowly turned his head.

His gaze precisely locked onto Elder Zifu.

The Purple Mansion Elder froze.

"Junior Brother Zifu."

Master Xuanmo revealed a kind smile.

"It was your brilliant idea."

"So... I'll trouble you to make this trip to Tianyin Pavilion."

The Purple Mansion Elder's pupils suddenly dilated.

"The First Seat!"

"The Celestial Master has already been chosen."

Master Xuanmo spread his hands, his expression innocent.

"Junior brother is very talented and eloquent; no one but you can do this kind of thing."

The Purple Mansion Elder turned to look at Chen Shidu.

Chen Shidu was looking at him, his gaze calm and gentle, even carrying a hint of apology.

"Thank you for your hard work, senior."

Those four words, like a seal, nailed all of the Purple Mansion Elder's excuses to his throat.

His lips moved a few times, but he ultimately didn't dare to say the words "I won't go".

"...I accept the order."

The Purple Mansion Elder's voice sounded like it was being squeezed out from between his teeth.

Chen Shidu stood up.

"The fourth betrothal gift is settled. I'll go write her a letter."

He turned and walked out of the hall, but after taking two steps, he suddenly stopped.

There was no turning back.

"Be nicer when you go to Tianyin Pavilion."

His voice faded.

"She has a bad temper, but she's not a bad person at heart. Don't argue with her."

After saying that, he disappeared from the entrance of the hall in his plain Taoist robe.

There was a five-second silence in the side hall.

"thump!"

The Purple Mansion Elder's legs went weak, and he collapsed into the chair, grabbing his three-foot-long white beard and wailing.

"Chief! You're sending me to my death!"

He pointed in the direction Chen Shidu had left through the doorway, his face turning green.

"If that little brat from Tianyin Pavilion knew that Mr. Chen was using this zither to marry someone else, wouldn't he tear my mansion apart?!"

Master Xuanmo shrank his neck and put his hands behind his back.

That's why I let you go.

"Why don't you go yourself!"

"I'm old and my legs aren't very strong."

"Bullshit! You flew three hundred miles on your sword yesterday to buy wine!"

Master Xuanmo ignored him and stepped out of the hall.

The Purple Mansion Elder lay slumped on the table, utterly despondent.

Beside him, the head priest of the Golden Register patted him on the shoulder with a gloating expression.

"My condolences to my junior brother Zifu."

"roll!"

The head of the Golden Register Academy withdrew his hand, while the elder of the Five Thunder Academy winked at him.

The two exchanged a smile, their expressions of relief evident.

Thankfully, it wasn't my idea that was bad.