Xiao Chi"s body involuntarily trembled a little after listening to what Kun Xueyi had to say. The man let out a long sigh. "You silly master has come and look for you at the expense of troubling our future Devil Queen. You should go back now and tell your master that the jade statue has been securely hidden by Yun Yanli. I need more time to find it. However, be sure to tell them that they must be in the city tomorrow to save the jade statue. There is a bigger mastermind behind Yun Yanli that is coordinating everything with him through his dreams. Tomorrow, I will work with the forces from within." Kun Xueyi then noted his plans down on a small piece of paper and handed it over for Xiao Chi to swallow it.
Everything was well planned, and it all depended on their execution now. Kun Xueyi could not sleep from the anxiety, so he got up and circled the room a few rounds to kill time. Out of boredom, he touched every piece of furniture in the house as he walked from corner to corner. When he finally had the chance, he opened a gap in the wizardry barrier to release Xiao Chi, while blocking the surveillance camera with his back.
He had always been cautious and made no mistake with the procedure this time as well. Yun Yanli would not be able to suspect anything. Feeling more relaxed, he went straight to bed.
…
It was yet another long day for Yun Yanli. At night, he sat in his own room and stared blankly at the images that were broadcasted from the crystal. The images were taken from inside the golden house. "Gu Xijiu" seemed tired and was sleeping soundly on the bed.
Yun Yanli felt that something was not quite right. At first, he always had the irresistible impulse to get s.e.xually engaged with Gu Xijiu whenever he saw her, just like how a man would naturally feel about his beloved woman. The first thing he had always wanted was to make love to her. However, he stopped feeling that way since yesterday.
He felt a strange feeling about everything. In fact, he somehow felt as though he had turned from a predator to a prey, as if one wrong move could get him into terrible danger. Was it because of the grudge in her eyes? Was it true that the best thing in his life would always be the one he could never have? Or had he stopped appreciating the woman because everything was too easy?
He shook his head in an attempt to stop himself from overthinking and covered himself with a blanket to try to get some sleep. Tomorrow would be the big day. They were going to get married. He would make the most of their first night together, even if he had to force her. "Tomorrow will be a wonderful day," he thought.
Every bit of his plan was already in place. All he needed to do was to wait for his prey to emerge and surrender themselves.
…
It was an unusually fine day. The dark clouds had cleared, leaving only some visible white ma.s.s floating in the bright sky.
Meanwhile, the sun was partially hidden behind the clouds. It finally made its appearance after so long, gracing the land with its warm rays of suns.h.i.+ne. It had been a very long while since the people of the city last saw the sun. Astonishment aside, the people were actually glad for the sunny day.
Needless to say, Yun Yanli took the opportunity to publicly announce that it was a very good sign for his wedding; that even the heavens were happy to bless his wedding.
The wedding would be held at Zhengde Square. It used to be a place where people gathered to practice martial arts. The square was paved with bluestones and equipped with several weapon racks. In preparation for the wedding, two stages were built with one side facing the south and the other facing the north.
The two stages were only 50 feet away, but their decorations were totally different. The southern stage was made with purple sandalwood that actually looked more like a pavilion. It was further decorated with bright red ribbons that fluttered in the wind and some jade porch railings that shone with sparkling light under the sun. The stage was the place where Governor Yun would host the official ceremony.
As for the northern stage, it was built from a kind of sandalwood that was enriched with five different elements. The stage itself was octagonal, where every point was placed with a big, bronze metal pot that carried different liquids of many colors. No one seemed to know about the liquids in the different pots.