Chapter 21

To celebrate the wedding, the entire stronghold had been freshly decorated.

Red lanterns and colorful silk ribbons hung everywhere, while enormous double-happiness characters had been pasted onto the windows. Every bandit walking back and forth wore a joyful expression.

Because the ceremony had not yet taken place, custom dictated that the newlyweds could not see one another beforehand. Xiao Yuanzhi and Wei Zisu were therefore taken to separate rooms to wash and dress.

Although several of the more complicated procedures had been omitted, their hair still needed to be combed in the traditional bridal ritual.

Xiao Yuanzhi had already finished applying her makeup and changed into a red wedding robe. She sat properly before a bronze mirror while an elderly woman blessed with a complete and fortunate family lifted a lock of her dark hair and began combing it.

“With the first stroke, may your hair be combed smoothly to the very end.”

“With the second, may you grow old together until your brows turn white.”

“With the third, may your hearts remain forever joined as one.”

At that same moment, Wei Zisu was undergoing the same ritual in the room opposite hers.

Unlike Wei Zisu, whose brows remained tightly furrowed, Xiao Yuanzhi stared intently at the bronze mirror.

The reflection showed a face that looked nothing like her original one, yet her eyes shone with novelty and fascination.

This was the first time she had ever seen a phoenix coronet and ceremonial bridal robe with her own eyes.

There were museums in the modern world, of course, but she had never visited one. She certainly had never imagined that a genuine phoenix coronet and bridal robe would one day be worn by her.

Xiao Yuanzhi stroked her sleeve again.

It was incredibly smooth.

The texture felt wonderful!

In the elderly woman’s eyes, everything Xiao Yuanzhi did next made her look like a complete idiot.

Who touched their headdress, then their waist, then even lifted their skirt to peer underneath?

Of course, Xiao Yuanzhi was merely looking at her shoes.

Noticing the elderly woman’s strange gaze, Xiao Yuanzhi withdrew her hands and smiled in explanation.

“It’s my first time getting married. I’m a little excited. Just a little excited.”

The elderly woman nodded, barely accepting the explanation.

At that moment, music sounded outside.

The auspicious hour had arrived.

The bridal attendant pushed open the door, took an apple from the tray, and handed it to Xiao Yuanzhi.

Xiao Yuanzhi looked at the apple in her hand, turned it around several times, then held it beneath her nose and sniffed it.

The action frightened the bridal attendant.

She hurriedly reached out to stop her.

“Hey, Bride, you mustn’t eat that!”

Knowing she had been misunderstood, Xiao Yuanzhi replied, “I was only smelling it.”

Although Xiao Yuanzhi had never married before, she had watched plenty of historical dramas.

She understood what the apple represented. She would never eat it.

Besides, apples happened to be the fruit she hated most.

“Bride, the auspicious hour has arrived. It’s time to go out and perform the wedding bows.”

The bridal attendant picked up the red bridal veil and prepared to place it over Xiao Yuanzhi’s head.

Xiao Yuanzhi stopped her.

“Don’t cover me. What if I can’t see the road and fall? Would we have to hold the wedding all over again?”

“Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!” the bridal attendant exclaimed. “Bride, you mustn’t say anything so unlucky on your wedding day.”

Xiao Yuanzhi pursed her lips, looking completely fearless.

The bridal attendant could do nothing with her and simply gave in.

Fine. No veil, then.

A marriage between two women already broke convention. Ignoring one more rule hardly mattered.

The bridal attendant supported Xiao Yuanzhi as she walked outside.

Perhaps the two attendants had coordinated the timing precisely, or perhaps it was pure coincidence, but the moment Xiao Yuanzhi stepped through the doorway, Wei Zisu emerged from the room opposite hers.

Xiao Yuanzhi naturally looked over.

Wei Zisu was not wearing a bridal veil either, allowing Xiao Yuanzhi to see her face clearly.

Her makeup was not heavy. Her eyebrows had been carefully drawn, and only a light tint had been applied to her lips.

Even so, a single glance was enough to make Xiao Yuanzhi’s heartbeat accelerate continuously.

A flash of amazement crossed Wei Zisu’s eyes.

She had never imagined Xiao Yuanzhi would appear so different after applying makeup.

The fresh, charming air she usually possessed had disappeared.

Now, there was a trace of seductive allure about her.

Yes—seductive.

She looked as seductive as a fox spirit.

Wei Zisu could not think of any pleasant words to describe Xiao Yuanzhi.

She looked away, refusing to meet Xiao Yuanzhi’s gaze any longer.

After taking a deep breath, her expression became even colder than usual.

Xiao Yuanzhi rolled her eyes.

Wei Zisu had not looked like that a moment ago, yet she had instantly put on that foul expression again, as though someone owed her silver and refused to repay it.

The Sichuan Opera should invite Wei Zisu to perform face-changing onstage.

She would make a fortune within minutes.

The bridal attendants handed them a red ceremonial ribbon.

Each woman held one end.

Accompanied by the wedding music, they walked side by side along a length of red cloth.

Flower petals had been piled along both edges, and blossoms formed a path stretching all the way to the entrance of the main hall.

Against the darkness of night, the scene looked exceptionally beautiful.

After looking around, Xiao Yuanzhi clicked her tongue in amazement.

It had not even been very long, yet everything had been prepared so thoroughly.

With that kind of efficiency, what kind of job could these people not handle if they accepted outside commissions?

Why insist on being bandits?

They should simply run a full-time wedding business. They could earn quite a lot of money.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Wei Zisu’s expression unauthorized copylooked even worse than before.

Xiao Yuanzhi became displeased and moved a little closer to her.

“Eldest Senior Sister, we’re getting married, not visiting a grave. Could you stop looking so serious and act a little happier?”

Wei Zisu glared at her.

The remark also startled the bridal attendant, who secretly wiped away a bead of sweat.

Whose troublesome little ancestor was this?

How could a bride repeatedly speak so recklessly during her own wedding?

Seeing Wei Zisu unhappy delighted Xiao Yuanzhi.

Her smile became even brighter than before.

Unfortunately, her happiness did not last long.

The sudden crackling explosion of firecrackers sounded beside her.

Xiao Yuanzhi’s scalp went numb.

The apple fell from her hand, and the smile vanished entirely from her face.

A wave of panic surged through her, making her desperately want to escape.

As soon as the thought appeared, her body acted upon it.

She swiftly moved closer to Wei Zisu.

Because there had been no warning, Xiao Yuanzhi nearly knocked her over.

Fortunately, Wei Zisu grabbed her in time.

Wei Zisu gave Xiao Yuanzhi a questioning look, but Xiao Yuanzhi kept her head lowered and did not look at her.

Wei Zisu was still holding on to her and could even feel Xiao Yuanzhi’s entire body trembling.

Pain spread through Wei Zisu’s left arm, making her brows draw together tightly.

She looked down.

Xiao Yuanzhi was gripping her arm with such force that it hurt.

Could Xiao Yuanzhi be afraid of firecrackers?

For some unknown reason, Wei Zisu did not push her away.

She did not make a sound either.

She simply allowed Xiao Yuanzhi to clutch her arm, even though her fingernails were already digging deeply into Wei Zisu’s skin.

At last, the firecrackers stopped.

The surroundings finally became quiet, and everything returned to normal.

Wei Zisu watched Xiao Yuanzhi slowly raise her head.

But the moment she saw those wet, glistening eyes, something trembled within her heart.

This Xiao Yuanzhi looked entirely different from the aggressive, fearless woman who normally bared her claws at everyone.

The sight stirred an instinctive tenderness.

Xiao Yuanzhi released her.

When she noticed the five deep fingernail marks on Wei Zisu’s arm, guilt entered her expression.

“I… I didn’t do that deliberately. Are you all right?”

Wei Zisu hurriedly pulled her sleeve over the marks, once again wearing her usual cold expression.

“I’m fine.”

“I don’t believe you.”

With the amount of force Xiao Yuanzhi had used, there was no possibility she had not broken the skin.

Wei Zisu replied flatly, “Then don’t believe me.”

Xiao Yuanzhi ignored her words.

She grabbed Wei Zisu’s arm and, disregarding her struggles, focused all her attention upon it.

Her expression became more serious than ever before, making others reluctant to disturb her.

She examined the arm inch by inch.

Slowly, her brows knitted together.

Concern and nervousness entered her voice.

“You said you were fine, but I broke the skin. Who knows how much bacteria is underneath my fingernails? Do you want the wound to become infected?”

Wei Zisu was left without any idea how to answer.

She could only allow Xiao Yuanzhi to continue.

“Wei Zisu, do you think your skin is especially thick?”

Wei Zisu stared at her.

Was Xiao Yuanzhi becoming more unreasonable simply because she had remained silent?

Did she truly think Wei Zisu could be bullied however she pleased?

Wei Zisu had just opened her mouth when Xiao Yuanzhi began blowing gently over her arm.

The warm breath brushed across her skin, creating a faint itch.

Strangely, the wound no longer hurt as much.

“Are you stupid? Why didn’t you throw me off?”

When Wei Zisu turned her head aside, Xiao Yuanzhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, she had noticed that Wei Zisu was about to lose her temper.

Otherwise, Xiao Yuanzhi would have been in serious trouble.

After that small interruption, the bridal attendant retrieved the apple and placed it back into Xiao Yuanzhi’s hands.

The ceremony continued.

The two women stepped over a brazier together [read the original at bailiantales.com]and entered the main hall while still holding opposite ends of the red ceremonial ribbon.

The bandit leader sat in the seat of honor with a beaming smile, watching the two of them.

Xiao Yuanzhi released a long breath and began worrying about him.

Even she, one of the actual brides, was not this happy.

Look at him.

He was smiling so hard that his face was nearly convulsing, as though he were the one getting married.

After Xiao Yuanzhi rolled her eyes several times, the marriage registrar announced loudly, “The auspicious hour has arrived!”

“First bow—to Heaven!”

The two women turned together and knelt on cushions wrapped in red cloth, bowing toward the sky.

After they rose, the marriage registrar called again, “Second bow—to Earth!”

They knelt once more and bowed toward the ground.

“Husband and wife bow to each other!”

As they turned, their eyes accidentally met.

Wei Zisu’s gaze contained far too many emotions.

But Xiao Yuanzhi knew one of them was not willingness.

For some reason, although Xiao Yuanzhi had not cared before, seeing that expression made her mood turn heavy as well.

They bowed to one another.

When Xiao Yuanzhi raised her head, she caught sight of the bandit leader wiping away tears from the corner of her eye.

A trace of suspicion appeared in her heart.

Had he become too emotionally invested in the yuri couple?

Was he crying because the couple he shipped had finally married?

The marriage registrar’s face was overflowing with happiness.

Some of it came from officiating the first marriage between two women.

Most of it, however, came from completing his assignment.

He could finally go home.

His head was safe!

“The ceremony is complete! Escort the newlyweds to the bridal chamber!”

Amid the bandits’ loud cheers, the bridal attendants led the two women back to the bridal room.

They sat beside each other on the bed.

The bridal attendant picked up a tray and held it before them.

“May the brides share the nuptial wine and remain together for all eternity!”

Wei Zisu picked up one cup of wine.

Xiao Yuanzhi readily took the other, and their arms crossed around one another.

With all the boldness of a jianghu hero, Xiao Yuanzhi raised the cup and swallowed the wine in one mouthful.

“Pfft—!”

She immediately sprayed it out.

Then she fanned her tongue frantically with one hand.

“Ah! What kind of wine is this? Why is it so spicy?!”

“It’s burning me to death!”

The bridal attendant’s expression became extremely unpleasant, but she knew she could not lose her temper.

She forced out a smile, wiped the wine Xiao Yuanzhi had sprayed across her face, then picked up the wine jug and poured another serving.

She squeezed the words through clenched teeth.

“This is Daughter’s Red.”

“Since the bride cannot hold her liquor, I’ll pour you less.”

The bridal attendant took a deep breath, suppressing the anger surging within her.

She repeated, “May the brides share the nuptial wine and remain together for all eternity!”

The moment she finished speaking, she swiftly dodged to the side, preventing Xiao Yuanzhi from spraying another mouthful of wine into her face.

Because the new serving was smaller, Xiao Yuanzhi did not spit it out this time.

She forced herself to swallow.

The bridal attendant then took out a pair of scissors tied with a red cord.

Before she could even reach Xiao Yuanzhi, Xiao Yuanzhi demanded, “What are you trying to do?”

The sudden outburst nearly destroyed what remained of the bridal attendant’s patience.

Had she known this assignment would be like this, she never would have accepted it!

At this point, Wei Zisu only wanted the ceremony to end quickly so she could treat her injuries.

She explained, “She will cut a lock of hair from each of us and place stolen content them together inside a brocade pouch.”

“Oh.”

The bridal attendant cut one lock of dark hair from each woman, tied them together, and placed them inside a red brocade pouch.

With that, the marriage was complete.

“Bound together by your hair as wife and wife—may your love remain forever free of doubt.”