Chapter 891: Chapter 681: Blood Adorns Your Brow
The spring rains of March fell all night and finally ceased.
The morning breeze still carried a hint of dampness, and in the paths of blue stones, the water of the channels gurgled. The flowers battered by the night’s downpour and wind sohow blood even more defiantly in the respectful light of the morning.
The large red paper decorations blown down were diligently replaced by the palace attendants who rose early.
The morning bell tolled several tis, and the wild geese and cranes flew back from afar.
In the ancient Royal Capital, the Array resonated with the tolling bell, rising in accordance with the heavens, while countless rivers, mountains, and atmospheric wonders rose around the city. The bell, solemn and majestic, sounded again with its everlasting reverberation, grand, dignified, and magnificent, stretching for a hundred li.
At the Divine Path’s ancient hall, myriad demons paid homage.
At the end of the Divine Path was a thousand-step staircase paved with white jade. Every hundred steps, there stood ancient pillars towering toward the sky, with golden dragons coiled around them, slowly exhaling clouds and fog, their scales and claws fiercely reaching upward to the Nine Heavens. The carvings on the pillars were not lifeless; the golden dragons seed to rove vividly upon them, their massive bodies rising and ebbing.
In the war between gods and demons during the Primordial era, the True Dragons had perished. Among the Six Realms, the True Dragon had beco a legend of the past.
Yet atop the heavenly pillars of this Demon World Royal Palace, the remnants of the True Dragons could still be seen; this wedding ceremony could truly be described as magnificent and grand.
The Demon Clan reveres black. Demon Lord Arao wore an opulent black robe with gold-edged trimmings, the golden phoenix tiara and step-shake echoing the heavy phoenix patterns embroidered on the mantle of her phoenix robe.
Underneath the golden bead tassels, the face they obscured was as enchanting and pure as snow. Her black hair flowed like ink, complented by the black and gold, exuding dignity and elegance, making her side profile alone as beautiful as a deity.
On either side of the Divine Path, the heavy bells tolled, and the horns buzzed sonorously. At the bottom of the long stairs of white jade, a thousand eunuchs and maid-officers were lined up on both sides, holding flower lamps and celebratory lights. Leading at the front was naturally the Phoenix Sovereign of the day.
For the Monarch’s grand ceremony, blessings ca from all directions.
On either side of the Divine Path, it was crowded with kneeling demon ministers and generals. Even Mohe Zangxin was among them.
The ceremonial black robe with gold edges swept over the three thousand stairs as Baili An arrived at the elevation, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Demon Lord.
Following closely behind, the thousand maid-officers orderly bent down and knelt at the bottom of the jade stairs. Only the maid who had long attended to the Demon Lord was qualified not to kneel, serving behind Baili An, holding an umbrella to shield him from the sun.
Unexpectedly, she bowed her shoulders even lower, and softly whispered: “Your Highness Phoenix Sovereign, the one before you is His Majesty, the highest sovereign of this realm. From today’s grand wedding until the completion of the ceremony, your position should always follow one step behind His Majesty, as the ceremony’s rites dictate, it is not permissible to stand side by side with His Majesty.”
Baili An fidgeted slightly, turning his gaze montarily to glance at this maid. Reluctant to be harsh on a small maid, he lightly lifted his robe, intending to step back.
But Arao softly spoke: “This evening’s Phoenix Sovereign was invited by with half of the kingdom as my betrothal gift. Since it’s a shared union of the realm between the two of us, naturally, there is no hierarchy between us. Standing side by side to receive the rites, I find, is not inappropriate.”
The maid quickly smoothed her expression, respectfully saying: “His Majesty is entirely correct.”
Baili An thus stopped his movent and was about to brush his palm against the folds of his clothing, which had been disarranged. But then his fingertips suddenly felt a warmth, as the Demon Lord clasped half of his fingers.
Beneath the golden tassel veil, Arao smiled gently, gazing at the sky-piercing pillars, her eyes alight with brightness, vibrant and compelling: “Under the sun and stars, the music and joy are shared. Once tonight is over, for the rest of my life, we will be like golden jade dragons bathing in endless glory, is that not ideal?”
Baili An withdrew his hand, his expression unchanged, continuing to tidy his hem, matching her gaze upward to the sky, calmly saying: “I fear it’s more likely golden jade as cages, eternity as prisoners. Why burden yourself with frustration, why dampen your own joy?”
Arao’s fingers, suspended in mid-air, slightly stiffened. Self-mocking words swirled bitterly at the tip of her tongue: “What a perfect analogy, golden jade as cages, eternity as prisoners…”
She withdrew her hand, smiled brightly, and said: “Baili An, will you allow to imprison you for two lifetis?”
Don’t worry about losing my temper, because you are the greatest joy of my life.
Baili An rubbed his eyebrow, sighing in slight exasperation: “From the sound of that, you don’t even plan to leave alone in the next life.”
Arao pondered that not just the next life, but the life after that, and the one after that, for all eternity, she would be that indelible bright-red ailnt in his Life Plate.
Even if they died, their bodies returned to Chaos, she would ensure their ashes were intertwined forever, eternally falling into the Abyss.
She lowered her head, chuckling softly. As the golden beads swayed, Arao seed to discover sothing and with a slight exclamation, reached out to touch the blood mark on Baili An’s brow, curiously asking: “What is this?”
This ti, Baili An did not avoid her touch, allowing her fingertips to fall.
He lowered his gaze slightly, looking at the golden embroidery on her sleeve, and lightly smiled, saying: “This morning when I was dressing, that maid at your side insisted on dotting this thing on my face, saying it complents Your Majesty’s red mark on your brow, fits the occasion. I think it’s utter nonsense, just an excuse to randomly fuss with my face. I’m not a girl; painting things like this is hardly appropriate.”
While Baili An spoke of its unsightliness, his gaze casually lifted, saying: “If you find it unappealing, I can just wipe it off.”
Though Baili An’s words were full of complaint and distaste, that maid’s eyes widened with terror, and she was about to kneel then and there: “I am wronged!”
When had she ever applied makeup to this Phoenix Sovereign?
Throughout the Demon World Royal Palace, who didn’t know of His Majesty’s intense possessiveness of this Lord? If His Majesty heard this, and a lowly maid dared touch the future Phoenix Sovereign’s face, wouldn’t His Majesty skin her alive?
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