Journey Through Realms: Fulfilling Last Wishes

Chapter 28: The Demonic Sect’s Innocent Lotus

Recently, the Demonic Sect has been incredibly busy. First, there was a need to rearrange defenses, then summon people to eliminate the City Lord of Qingcheng and the Sword Sea Manor. Now, they had an additional task—-preparing for the Young Master’s wedding. This was a major event and could not be handled carelessly.

After seven days of preparation, they finally managed to buy everything needed for the wedding. They also prepared the bride price for the Young Master’s wife, and the invitations were sent out. Although the subordinates couldn’t understand why invitations were sent to the City Lord of Qingcheng and the Sword Sea Manor—two people they initially planned to kill—they delivered them anyway. Whether those two dared to attend was another matter.

“Brother Shen Yu, am I really marrying you tomorrow?”

An Ran was trying on her wedding attire. Even now, she found it hard to believe. Seven days ago, Shen Yu had taken her aside, confessed his love for her, and said she was the only one he would ever love in his life. He promised to prepare a grand wedding for her and to give her a special gift during the ceremony—a gift that would free her from the burden of being treated as a medicinal catalyst. He had detailed his plans to her and explained how he intended to carry them out.

She thought the plan was risky and felt it might be simpler just to wipe out their enemies. However, she knew that wasn’t realistic. The matter involved too many parties, and killing them all wouldn’t be as straightforward as it seemed. Many more would rise to take their place.

So Shen Yu invited them all, planning to crush their hopes on the spot. He wanted to show them that immortality was nothing but a foolish dream—completely unattainable.

“Ran Ran, what’s wrong? Are you scared?”

Shen Yu was worried that An Ran might regret her decision. His confession had been impulsive and rushed, leaving An Ran little time to think it through.

He often felt her agreement was too good to be true, as though it might all disappear like a dream. Hearing her question now, he panicked, fearing she might say she didn’t want to marry him after all.

“No, it just feels so sudden. I’m about to become Brother Shen Yu’s bride—it doesn’t feel real. Will you always stay by my side, Brother Shen Yu?”

An Ran had been feeling unsettled lately, as though she had forgotten something important. Perhaps her previous life’s wedding had left a bad impression on her. Either way, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to happen.

“Yes, I will always be by your side and never leave you. Ran Ran, you must promise me the same—don’t leave me, okay?”

Hearing An Ran’s words, Shen Yu felt a wave of relief. He stepped forward, embraced her, and earnestly made his request.

“Alright, I’ll always stay by your side, Brother Shen Yu.”

Being held by Shen Yu made An Ran feel safe. Her anxiety subsided, and she happily promised him.

She had no idea what consequences marrying him might bring, but she didn’t want to think about it now. All she wanted was to marry Shen Yu. The tasks she had to complete could wait.

“Don’t worry, Ran Ran. I’ll make sure you never regret this. Once this matter is resolved, I’ll take you across the land to see its beauty and taste its finest foods. How does that sound?”

Shen Yu was overwhelmed with emotion, unsure how to describe his feelings. All he wanted was to give An Ran the best of everything and show her the sights and flavors she loved.

“Alright, Brother Shen Yu, you said it, so you must keep your word. I’ll be waiting for you to take me across the land to see all its wonders and taste all its delicacies.”

An Ran joyfully responded to Shen Yu’s promise, already looking forward to their adventures. She couldn’t wait to get married now.

While the atmosphere between Shen Yu and An Ran was warm and pleasant, the City Lord of Qingcheng and the Sword Sea Manor were in turmoil.

“How could you mess this up? You didn’t even investigate properly when the ancient elder was captured. Now what? The Demonic Sect knows. What do you think will happen to us?”

The Sword Sea Manor’s master looked at the kneeling shadow guard, his voice filled with fury as he shouted.

He was on edge every day, terrified of hearing that the Demonic Sect would come to annihilate them. What baffled him was how the cunning Gu Lao had slipped up, gotten exposed, and subsequently captured. He had thought their plan was foolproof, especially with an insider in the Demonic Sect.

The Demonic Sect never recruited disciples—not even gatekeepers—yet they never seemed short of manpower. Infiltrating a spy was practically impossible, let alone turning someone from within. Their members seemed trained like death warriors, never revealing information even under capture. The mole they planted had been a rare opportunity, a woman he had fancied but sent out for the sake of the grand plan.

But now, ten years of planning were undone in one move. Word had it that the imperial city’s Xiang Mansion was already in chaos, and the Qingcheng City Lord had clashed with the Demonic Sect leader. However, it seemed the leader had been in a rush to return with Gu Lao, leaving the City Lord unharmed for the time being.

Only at Sword Sea Manor had things remained quiet, which unnerved the master even more. The silence made him anxious, unsure of what to expect.

“Master, someone from the Demonic Sect has delivered an invitation. Should I bring it in?” A servant asked respectfully from outside.

“The Demonic Sect? What are you waiting for? Bring it in quickly!”

The Sword Sea Manor’s master breathed a sigh of relief at the mention of an invitation. If it were an extermination notice, it would have been a ‘blood letter’ instead.

“Yes, sir.”

The servant promptly entered and handed over the invitation. The master opened it, growing increasingly puzzled as he read. It was an invitation to Shen Yu and An Ran’s wedding. The Demonic Sect had sent him an invitation to something like this?

“Fetch the young master for me,” the master ordered, seeking someone to help him analyze the situation.

Meanwhile, in Qingcheng, a similar scenario was unfolding.

“Advisor Jiang, what should I do? It’s the Shen family! Now that they know I tried to harm them, they won’t let me off lightly.”

The Qingcheng City Lord paced nervously in his study, pleading for a solution to escape his predicament. He had expressed regret countless times already. All he wanted now was a way to survive.

“My Lord, I advised you back then: while immortality is tempting, it’s nothing more than a distant myth. You shouldn’t have trusted it completely. Now that it’s exposed, we can only wait to see how the Shen family will respond.”

Advisor Jiang sighed helplessly. He had warned the City Lord before, saying that immortality was just a legend and Gu Lao himself was unreliable. Everything Gu Lao promised was empty talk, with no actual results.

“Of all my advisors, you are the wisest, Jiang. My life now depends entirely on you,” the City Lord said, bowing deeply with an earnest plea.

“It’s not that I don’t want to help, my Lord, but aside from targeting Xiang Mansion, the Shen family hasn’t made any other moves. Without knowing their plans, I can’t devise a counter-strategy,” Advisor Jiang replied honestly.

At that moment, a servant outside announced, “My Lord, someone from the Demonic Sect has delivered an invitation.”

“Good! Bring it in!”

The City Lord’s spirits lifted slightly. Finally, some movement from the Shen family. Anything was better than a surprise attack. The servant quickly entered, delivering the invitation to the City Lord. As the City Lord read it, he grew as perplexed as the Sword Sea Manor’s master. It was an invitation to Shen Yu and An Ran’s wedding.

“Advisor, what do you make of this? What is Shen family planning?”

The City Lord handed the invitation to Advisor Jiang, hoping for insight.

“My Lord, this could be your only chance at survival. Attend the wedding,” Advisor Jiang advised after reading.

“Attend? Wouldn’t that be walking into a trap? I’m not going,” the City Lord objected vehemently, seeing it as marching to his doom.

“If the Shen family wanted to kill you, my Lord, they wouldn’t bother with such theatrics. This invitation is proof they don’t plan to take your life right away,” Advisor Jiang reasoned.

“I understand. Leave me for now—I need to think this through,” the City Lord said weakly.

“Very well. I’ll take my leave,” Advisor Jiang said, turning to leave. He felt certain the City Lord would attend, fear left him with no other choice.

On the wedding day, the Demonic Sect was alive with festivities. Red silk and lanterns adorned every corner, creating a vibrant and joyous atmosphere.

“Miss An, please wake up. The auspicious hour is near, and the groom will arrive soon. You must be ready,” a maid urged anxiously.

She had been tasked with dressing and preparing An Ran, who remained half-asleep throughout the process.

“What auspicious hour? What’s happening today? Why drag me out of bed so early?”

An Ran, having gone to bed late due to wedding nerves, grumbled groggily as she was roused and fussed over.

“Miss An, it’s your wedding day! You can’t sleep any longer!”

The maid’s urgent explanation finally drew a reaction from An Ran.

“My wedding day! Why would—wait, my wedding day!”

The realization hit her like a bolt of lightning. She had forgotten the most important day of her life!

“Yes, Miss An, you’re finally awake. The groom will arrive shortly, so please stay alert,” the maid said, relieved that An Ran was now fully conscious.

Before long, Shen Yu arrived to escort An Ran. Since An Ran had no family, the ceremony was simpler, requiring only her readiness to leave with Shen Yu.

“Ran Ran, hold on to me. Don’t be afraid—just follow me, and leave everything else to me,” Shen Yu reassured her.

Having barely slept himself, Shen Yu felt no fatigue. Instead, his energy grew with the morning light. Holding An Ran’s hand, he felt content but mindful of the challenges that lay ahead.

“Alright, Brother Shen Yu,” An Ran replied, her heart racing with excitement. Words failed her, and she could only nod in agreement.

Hand in hand, they headed to the grand hall where the wedding would take place.

Inside, the Sword Sea Manor’s master, Qingcheng’s City Lord, and representatives of the Shen family were already gathered, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

“Here come the bride and groom!”

As Shen Yu and An Ran arrived at the hall’s entrance, the bustling crowd fell silent. All eyes turned to them, especially to An Ran, as everyone was curious to see the legendary ‘medicinal catalyst’ for immortality.