Side Story One: The Grand Wedding (End)
Mr. Dragon took her hand and pushed open the main doors.
The interior was even more beautiful than it appeared from outside. Every corner seemed unfamiliar, yet each one also seemed to preserve traces of the life they had once shared.
“This area is the spiritual field.”
—Madam could grow spiritual plants here without having to painstakingly cultivate them from the beginning each time.
“This courtyard receives plenty of sunlight.”
—A large reclining chair had been placed inside, and he had not thrown away his old wheelchair either. Whenever Madam wished, she could sit with her dragon in the courtyard and bask in the sun.
“This room is much larger than our previous one.”
—The warm-jade bed was also far larger than their old bed. The curtains had been replaced with new ones in a bright, festive red.
“This is my study. The pill-refining room is a little farther ahead.”
A certain dragon glanced subtly at Mu Wanwan. Seeing that her expression remained natural, he secretly curved his lips.
He would never admit that he had designed it this way because he wanted to “cultivate” together with Madam in the future.
He looked away and continued forward with cheerful steps, resembling a shy yet proud young man displaying his treasures to the woman he loved.
Mu Wanwan allowed him to lead her from the entrance and up the spotless stone steps, where even the gaps between the stones had been meticulously cleaned. With light footsteps, they toured their entire “new home.”
Everywhere had been arranged with extraordinary care. Even the corners that only occasionally entered her field of vision were far from bare, decorated with unfamiliar flowers and plants. At several cleverly designed turns, there were even glittering golden gemstones embedded as ornaments.
It was unmistakably Mr. Dragon’s taste.
After looking at it for long enough, she unexpectedly found it rather beautiful.
It was his gift to her—a peculiar, mismatched fairy-tale castle.
“This is Mengyu’s room.”
Mr. Dragon led her a few steps inward from their wedding chamber, which was covered in bright-red brocade and scattered gemstones, then pushed open a small door.
Mu Wanwan fell silent before the room full of pink decorations. She watched Mr. Dragon place Mengmeng, who was still an egg, in the middle of the bed.
“I’ve installed a formation. This room contains abundant spiritual energy, and the temperature is also suitable.”
He blinked somewhat bashfully, then softly called to her with a slightly teasing expression.
“Madam… there’s another room next door.”
For a dragon, this was already an exceptionally direct hint.
Mu Wanwan understood him as well. Her face turned slightly red as she answered vaguely,
“Mm…”
“Will we be able to use it in the future?”
Mr. Dragon bit his lip, held her hand and asked her with complete seriousness.
Mu Wanwan: “…P-probably.”
He leaned closer and kissed her cheek. His lips brushed past her ear, leaving behind a tingling sensation.
“Your dragon… will wait for Madam.”
Mu Wanwan’s ears grew warm. She was slightly surprised by his rare initiative today.
“Mm…”
Mr. Dragon chuckled and drew her into his arms.
Mu Wanwan did not resist, wrapping her arms around his waist.
They no longer had anything to fear or worry about.
…
Time always passed swiftly when spent with the person one loved. In the blink of an eye, only two days remained before the grand wedding.
Mu Wanwan had assumed that they would hold the wedding ceremony on the island. She had even wondered why Jiu Qing and the others, who had promised to come, had not yet arrived. She had wanted Jiu Qing to help her decide which of the wedding dresses Mr. Dragon had bought looked best.
Mu Wanwan stood helplessly inside the room a certain dragon had specially cleared out to store wedding clothes and jewellery.
Whenever she asked Mr. Dragon, he merely said that every outfit looked beautiful.
Mu Wanwan agonised over the decision for a long time before eventually succumbing to sleepiness and falling asleep.
When she awakened the following morning, she was astonished to discover that she was no longer in their island home.
“You’re awake?”
Mr. Dragon was reclining against the bed, his robes in disarray as he tilted his head towards her.
Mu Wanwan froze. She climbed out of the crook of his arm and looked around the somewhat familiar room in surprise.
“Is this the capital?”
“Mm.”
Mr. Dragon sat up. His thin clothing could not conceal the attractive lines of his muscles.
“The grand wedding is tomorrow.”
His eyes were filled with laughter. Perhaps because he was nervous, he remained close to her and spoke far more than usual.
Only after listening to his explanation did Mu Wanwan realise that Mr. Dragon was, after all, still a dragon who liked showing off a little.
The ceremony would be held in the newly constructed capital, and each stage of the wedding proceedings was more complicated than the last. Mu Wanwan became slightly dizzy merely listening to him describe everything.
In truth, after the great battle ended, Mr. Dragon had already discussed his plans with her.
He would temporarily assume control of the dragon race. Once everything had stabilised, he would step down as their leader and take her travelling across the continent.
Mu Wanwan had no objections.
What she desired had always been simple.
She wanted a life without the constant threat of death.
She wanted to work hard and become a little stronger.
She wanted to live for a very long time.
And she wanted to remain by his side.
As for power and status, she did not care whether she possessed them or not.
“Tomorrow is the day of our grand wedding.”
Mr. Dragon rarely spoke so much. In truth, the two of them had already shared a bed for so long that, in everyone else’s eyes, they had probably done everything long ago. →_→
But in reality, they had not.
He was clearly looking forward to it as well.
“We’ll be taking part in the ceremonial procession today.”
Mu Wanwan nodded. She felt all right—merely a little nervous inside—but she was nowhere near as unusual as a certain dragon.
After she had simply dressed and washed, Mr. Dragon pulled her over and helped her change into an elaborate ceremonial outfit—
It was a rather beautiful set of bright-red wedding robes.
She had originally wanted to ask why he had not summoned a maid to help, but after thinking about it, she realised that Mr. Dragon probably did not want anyone else approaching her, even if that person was merely a maid.
At some point, he had even learned how to draw eyebrows. Standing beside her, he carefully applied her makeup bit by bit.
Mu Wanwan found the sensation rather ticklish, but she allowed him to continue. His hands were remarkably steady, and the final result was unexpectedly good.
She examined her reflection in the mirror—long lashes and crimson lips—and felt extremely satisfied with her husband’s handiwork.
However…
Mu Wanwan’s gaze swept over the rouge on the table. She stood, pressed a certain dragon down into the chair and, under his puzzled gaze, dabbed some red pigment onto her fingertip before smearing it across his cheek.
Mr. Dragon had not expected her to do that. He looked slightly stunned, his long, curling lashes lowered and his rosy lips pursed. The vivid streak of red upon his cheek only made his unrivalled handsomeness even more striking.
Below it were his elegant neck and brilliant-red groom’s robes.
He was almost prettier than the bride who was about to bow with him at the wedding ceremony.
Mu Wanwan did not know whether to laugh or cry.
Light flashed at Mr. Dragon’s fingertip. He wiped his cheek, and the crimson mark immediately vanished.
He took the delighted Mu Wanwan into his arms and lifted her.
“Jiu Qing and the others are waiting outside.”
Mu Wanwan instinctively wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, somewhat surprised.
“When did they arrive?”
Mr. Dragon rubbed his cheek against hers.
“The day before yesterday.”
Mu Wanwan: “…………”
They had arrived the day before yesterday? How could this dragon shamelessly keep them waiting for so long?
“It doesn’t matter. I told them you were tired and resting,” Mr. Dragon explained with a perfectly solemn expression.
Mu Wanwan: “…………”
Yes, she had cultivated a little too intensely the day before yesterday and had indeed become exhausted enough to require rest.
But the way Mr. Dragon phrased it made the situation extremely easy to misunderstand!!
Sure enough, when Mr. Dragon carried Mu Wanwan outside, she met Jiu Qing’s teasing gaze as the latter stood before the door.
Jiu Qing was dressed in pale-purple robes today. The moment she saw Mu Wanwan being carried out, she gave her a meaningful *you know what I mean* look. With the little princess’s devastating beauty, Mu Wanwan was momentarily left dazed.
Once she recovered from being dazzled, however, she felt terribly embarrassed.
She cast Mr. Dragon a slightly reproachful glance, only to discover the dragon staring back at her with an even more aggrieved expression.
He did not seem to care how many people were watching them. Pressing close to her, he said,
“I’m better-looking than Jiu Qing.”
His voice was not loud, but everyone heard him clearly.
Jiu Qing: “……”
Wu Jin, who stood beside Jiu Qing looking rather alluring and had only just managed to come here in Uncle Chen’s place: “……”
He had previously heard that the Dragon Lord regarded the little princess as a romantic rival, but he had not believed it. Now, he certainly did.
Still, whenever he saw Jiu Qing and Mu Wanwan constantly clinging to one another, he also felt somewhat displeased.
Back when Jiu Qing had insisted on rescuing Mu Wanwan, he had already been unhappy.
Although he had never shown it.
Jiu Qing sighed helplessly and did not argue. She merely clapped her hands, and two spirit horses appeared before the couple.
They first had to circle the capital, then retrieve a pearl from the deep sea, and finally pluck a thread of lightning from the sea of clouds to use as a ring. Every one of these exhausting, time-consuming and torturous rituals had been meticulously designed by Mr. Dragon.
He truly was a dragon who placed extraordinary importance on ceremony.
By the time Mr. Dragon had carried Mu Wanwan on his back to collect a strand of what was supposedly the purest moonlight and they returned to the residence, it was already late at night.
Yet before she could rest properly, the energetic Jiu Qing dragged her away to meet Aunt Yun and Uncle Zong.
Seeing that Aunt Yun’s complexion had recovered made Mu Wanwan feel somewhat more spirited. However, she had barely exchanged a few words with her before they pulled her away for another series of elaborate cleansing and dressing rituals.
The wedding robes she wore this time were even heavier than the set she had worn during the procession.
Mu Wanwan was tormented for a full four or five hours before the ceremony was finally completed.
While the others were adding gifts to her bridal trousseau, Jiu Qing entered from outside and brought back news that restored some balance to Mu Wanwan’s heart—
Perhaps because this was their official grand wedding, her master had also arrived and had brought several friends with him.
Admittedly, none of them could defeat Mr. Dragon.
Fortunately, that dragon had behaved very respectfully and obediently allowed them to lecture and test him throughout the entire night.
Even now, they had not finished.
Mu Wanwan imagined Mr. Dragon obediently enduring a lecture, and her eyes curved with amusement.
A faint ache rose in Jiu Qing’s heart, but it was quickly swept away by joy. Today was a day of celebration. She should be happy for Wanwan.
“All done.” Aunt Yun fastened the final button, which had been fashioned from a sixth-rank sea pearl. “It’s almost time.”
Aunt Hua pushed open the door and extended her spiritual consciousness, discovering that the dragon had already been waiting in the courtyard for quite some time.
“Go on.” Jiu Qing smiled at her and placed a long length of red spiritual silk in her hands.
Mu Wanwan held the silk and, for the first time, truly felt as though she was about to be married. Although she had always regarded Mr. Dragon as her husband, something seemed to become different from this moment onward.
She smiled at everyone in the room before turning around. Her gaze met Mr. Dragon’s from a short distance away.
She found it amusing how unnaturally tightly he had clenched his fists. Light flashed through his phoenix eyes from time to time, while the red silk beside him trembled and fluttered slightly, as though reflecting the emotions he was struggling to restrain.
Mu Wanwan did not hesitate. Holding one end of the spiritual silk, she surrounded herself with luminous spiritual energy. The silk lifted her forward, and the hem of her bright-red dress billowed like waves.
While he stood there momentarily stunned, she flew straight into his arms, completely skipping the ceremony Aunt Hua had spent so long instructing her about.
Mr. Dragon also forgot the lesson he had been taught—to “take her hand first, then make his vow.”
He merely caught her securely and held her tightly against him.
“This brat.” Beside Mo Teng, the Alliance Leader—who had, for once, used an illusion to disguise his skin colour—blew out his beard in irritation. “Why hasn’t he made his vow?”
The moment those words left his mouth, a dazzling golden light suddenly erupted around the two young people embracing one another.
Almost instantly, heaven and earth changed colour.
Jiu Qing stared somewhat dazedly at the light descending from the sky.
Aunt Hua covered her lips and smiled. The others also watched silently—Jiu Qing, Chi Yan, who had quietly set down her wedding gift and was preparing to leave with a relieved heart, and the surviving dragons who remained in the capital…
Within everyone’s hearts resounded an ancient, lingering melody, as though it were the voice of all creation.
There were no distinct words, yet everyone understood clearly—
This newlywed couple had received the blessing of the Great Dao.
After a brief silence, everyone recovered and stared in bewilderment.
According to the plan, the two of them merely needed to exchange vows before the assembled witnesses. Yet this woman and dragon had gone one step further and sworn directly upon the Great Dao.
How ruthless.
“Forget it.” The Alliance Leader waved a hand, a smile appearing on his face. “It seems this dragon truly will never wrong my disciple.”
Uncle Chen, who stood nearby, looked at him rather speechlessly.
Of course there was no need to worry. Should that dragon ever dare mistreat Wanwan in the future, the Great Dao itself would be the first to punish him.
However…
What none of them knew was that Mu Wanwan had made the very same vow to that sensitive, meticulous dragon.
**Never to leave him, never to abandon him, and never to regret it—until the end of her soul.**
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