Chapter 84 Stirring Up Trouble

"The former sect leader is getting married..." Music blurted out as soon as he saw Baolong.

"What???" Baolong exclaimed in shock.

Music curled his lips and said, "You mean you didn't know?"

"Ah, well, no, no, no." Baolong stammered, "I'm just worried about the wedding gift money, that's all, haha."

"Bang!" Suddenly, Lingmei slammed her hand down, shattering a table, startling everyone into silence.

"We are going to crash the wedding! We’ll storm into the human realm!" Lingmei’s command left everyone speechless. They all looked at each other, not daring to say a word.

"What’s wrong? Are you afraid?"

"It's not that we're afraid, we're just... worried," Baolong was the first to speak, clearly unwilling to follow Lingmei's orders.

"What are you afraid of?" Lingmei glared at Baolong, her expression fierce.

Baolong refused to meet the gaze of their new sect leader. In his heart, he considered himself the undercover protector of the sect, the true pillar of their order. If anyone threatened the leader, he would be the first to cause trouble.

"Leader, please, let me explain it to everyone." Baolong, still pretending to be earnest, pulled over a stool and sat down to begin an explanation.

"Stand up! Speak quickly! Don’t think you can still act as you please. Do you believe I won’t deal with you right now..." Xiaomei barked from the side, frightening Baolong so much he shot to his feet.

"Alright, I’ll speak standing," Baolong grumbled inwardly, feeling as if he were a criminal under interrogation. But for the sake of the sect leader, he accepted his fate.

"The thing is, if we crash the wedding, we'll become enemies of the Nine-tailed Fox. Moreover, we have no legitimate reason; after all, Wu, no, Wuming is no longer a disciple of our sect. We have no right. But perhaps we can outwit them."

"And how, exactly, do you propose we do that?" Lingmei asked with disdain.

Baolong replied, "Leader, the idea is to make it impossible for Wuming to attend his own wedding, while the Nine-tailed Fox is left with no recourse."

"Speak plainly! Stop beating around the bush!" Xiaomei snapped again, making Baolong feel like a perpetual scapegoat.

"In a word: stir up trouble! As for how to stir things up, it depends on what you’re willing to sacrifice—like... seduction..." Baolong hadn’t finished before Xiaomei slapped him so hard he saw stars, and he nearly blurted out everything that had happened in the hotel six months ago out of spite.

"Enough! All your ideas are trouble! I have my own plan. Baolong, listen to my command!" Lingmei’s authority as leader was unmistakable.

"At your command, Leader..." Baolong replied weakly.

Lingmei casually handed the Mirror of Mountains and Seas to Baolong and said, "Take this to Wuming. Ask him how it’s used so we can return. If he can explain it clearly, he may go ahead with the wedding. If not, we’ll make a scene and accuse him of being a spy for the Nine-tailed Fox, having stolen our sect’s treasure!"

"Yes, Leader!" Baolong was genuinely impressed by this woman's cunning. This move was ruthless. She knew full well that Wuming’s use of the mirror was instinctive, yet she insisted on putting him on the spot. Clearly, she meant to deal with Wuming once and for all.

...

"My love, do you think I’m beautiful?" Lingyue was overjoyed, unconcerned about anyone else nearby.

"Yue’er, you are the most beautiful..." Wuming was determined to marry Lingyue, for if he did not, he would die. Though he knew his end was inevitable one way or another, he intended to live each day he could.

"Really? I feel like I’m already old..." Lingyue pouted.

"Not old, not at all... My wife is the most beautiful..." Wuming’s sweet words intoxicated Lingyue. Outside the door, Yuanfeng was nearly driven mad by their conversation and turned to pace the courtyard.

Wuming soon dressed in his groom’s attire, marveling to himself, "These Nine-tailed Fox garments are truly splendid—stitched with gold thread and adorned with jade and emerald."

"Come, let me do Yue’er’s hair myself." With that, he interrupted the maidservant.

"Yes..." The maidservant handed over the comb and went to prepare the hairpins.

Lingyue gazed at Wuming in the bronze mirror, took his right hand in hers, and asked, "Do you really want to marry me?"

"Of course. I want to be with you for three lifetimes and seven generations." Wuming couldn't say otherwise, for if he did, he might die on the spot. He decided to keep up the charade for as long as he could; his body likely wouldn’t last much longer anyway.

"My lord, you are so good to me..." Those five words from Yue’er would haunt Wuming for a lifetime.

After an hour of preparations, the bride and groom were dressed and ready. The bridal sedan waited outside, and the festive music began to play.

...

"Leader, are we going together?" Baolong asked.

"Yes. Go on ahead and meet up with Wuming. I’ll be there soon!"

...

"Young master, someone is here to see Mr. Wu," a servant reported to Yuanfeng, describing Baolong's appearance.

"Hey, hey! Song Shao! Get out here! Someone’s looking for you!" Yuanfeng shouted irritably.

"Fifth brother! Mind your manners; he’s your brother-in-law!" The eldest sister happened to come by to check on her younger sister.

"Elder sister... I..." Yuanfeng, seeing his sister, was embarrassed.

As they spoke, Wuming came out, curious about what this so-called brother-in-law wanted.

"Ah, my dear Brother Song! I finally found you. I heard you’re getting married, so I brought a gift..." Baolong said, handing Wuming a wooden box.

"It’s you? I’m not Song Shao! Stop making things up!" Wuming immediately recognized Baolong, but Baolong persisted with his nonsense. Helpless, Wuming took the box and opened it—inside was the Mirror of Mountains and Seas.

"This...??" Wuming had a bad feeling.

"My lord, who is it? What gift did they bring?" Lingyue, now fully dressed, called from inside.

"Coming," Wuming replied, giving Baolong a glare before taking the mirror inside.

Outside, Baolong smiled and murmured, "Leader, forgive me. This is as far as I can help you. The rest is up to you and Senior Sister Lingmei. Good luck." With that, he turned and left. Yuanfeng had no interest in Baolong and didn’t pay attention, but Lingxuan took notice. With a casual gesture, she placed a tracking spell on Baolong.

The spell acted like a surveillance program, always following him. Baolong noticed, shook his head, but said nothing.

Back at the inn, Baolong, downcast, muttered, "Wuming, also known as Song Shao, tricked my beloved. We must win her back!"

He wept as he spoke, making Lingmei dizzy with confusion.

"What? What’s going on?" Lingmei asked.

"Leader, Wuming is about to get married. He deceived you and stole our immortal treasure. It’s a disaster. And... I know another secret!" Baolong put on an air of mystery.

"What secret? Out with it!" Xiaomei urged.

"Alright, alright," Baolong paused, "Try circulating your energy—see what happens."

At this, Music tried, and everyone was stunned.

"No wonder Wuming is so arrogant!! Hmph! Betraying his master and ancestors!! Today, I’ll kill him myself!" Lingmei was furious.