Chapter 86

"Young Master! Young Master! ……" The clumsy shout and footsteps came from far to near; Qiran couldn't help laughing and shaking his head, then rose to his feet.

Just as he was about to reach out and pull open the door, he saw a small figure leap into his arms, hurried breaths rising and falling against his chest; Qiran couldn't help sighing, yet he couldn't bear to blame him: "Qianxuan, didn't I tell you not to be so rash? No matter what, you are the esteemed household attendant in charge of Ice Spirit's finances!"

Qianxuan hurriedly steadied himself, sheepishly scratching his head before grinning: "Young Master! You can't blame me for being rash; I'm only hurrying to come tell you the good news!"

"What good news?"

Qianxuan raised his eyebrows proudly and announced loudly: "Just now the Emperor announced your wedding date with Miss Shui, and the Ice Spirit's imperial clothing weaving team has just arrived. You'd say this is good news, right?"

Qiran's heart jolted violently; for some reason he could barely stand. He felt he should be happy, yet a sense of illusory emptiness like a flower in the mirror, moon in the water struck his thoughts strongly.

"Young Master! What's wrong?" Qianxuan hurriedly supported Qiran, whose face had suddenly turned pale, his voice almost choking with tears.

"Qianxuan," Qiran looked at him, difficulty speaking, "you said…… who am I to marry?"

"Shui Bingyi, Miss Shui!" Qianxuan stared in astonishment: "Young Master, you've always longed to be with Miss Shui forever; even the Emperor and Empress couldn't sway you, yet they finally compromised……"

Qianxuan kept muttering something aside, but Qiran couldn't hear a word, merely repeating over and over that phrase—"forever and ever".

Suddenly he rose to his feet, urgently asking: "Where is Bingyi now?!"

"At the Arrival Ceremony Pavilion…… alas, Young Master! The bride and groom cannot meet before the wedding……" Qianxuan watched the figure already disappear down the corridor, only able to give a helpless, wry smile.

Qiran weaved left and right, avoiding anyone he might meet on the way, and with difficulty reached the Arrival Ceremony Pavilion in the shortest time. Unexpectedly, outside the pavilion he saw his elder brother, Xiao Qixuan.

"Elder brother." Qiran lightly smoothed the unexpected vigilance and anger rising in his chest, smiling as he spoke.

Xiao Qixuan returned him a deep yet gentle smile, then suddenly said: "Father the Emperor said tomorrow he will announce me as Regent Crown Prince, restoring my status as Ice Spirit's Young Master."

"Really?!" Qiran jerked his head up, his voice unable to conceal his soaring joy. He would no longer be Ice Spirit's Young Master, while his elder brother could fulfill his childhood dream.

All of this seemed like a dream, making him unable to believe it had actually become reality.

"Only now do I truly believe you are sincere, that you have never cared for anything of Ice Spirit." Xiao Qixuan's face showed a faint bitter smile, yet he felt relieved; his expression turned to the care and gentleness hidden deep in Qiran's memory, and he said lightly, "Bingyi is right—I cannot ask for too much, after all, the only one she loves is you."

"Go on in." Xiao Qixuan's face bore a tranquil, elegant smile; his gestures seemed to command the world, yet his eyes revealed sincere joy and faint sorrow, "And congratulations to you both!"

……

Again I think of your face, morning and evening, along the long road of life.

At all times I see the tenderness like water in your eyes.

In this life we are destined; in the next we will continue our affection—what could bind life and death?

With you by my side, I envy neither mandarin ducks nor immortals.

……

As Qiran entered the Arrival Ceremony Pavilion, he unexpectedly saw Bingyi with a mischievous expression and Bu Sha with a dark face. He couldn't help shaking his head, feeling amused, wondering why Bingyi liked to tease Bu Sha so much.

"Bu Sha, I tell you, if you don't be the groomsman, I won't marry!"

Qiran couldn't help but burst out with a "pfft" laugh; perhaps others didn't know what a groomsman was, but he and Bu Sha had heard Bingyi explain it. Just imagining Bu Sha wearing the bright red wedding attire, following closely behind, he couldn't suppress the smile tugging at his lips.

Bu Sha obviously had already noticed his presence, gave him a fierce glare, then turned to Bingyi with a cold face: "I absolutely won't do it!" Having said that, he strode out the door, practically fleeing in defeat.

"Haha……" The two left in the room couldn't help bursting into laughter.

After all, Bu Sha would likely eventually agree to Bingyi's request. After all, he bears such severe internal injuries that even he cannot heal, yet Bingyi's ingenious idea resolved them. After all…… the three of us are essentially one, wandering the world together, never parting.

As Qiran stepped forward, he gently embraced the girl in red, unadorned by powder or paint; his heart brimmed with tenderness and happiness, yet also a faint emptiness and bewilderment lurking deep within.

Qiran cupped the girl's crystal-clear face, gently stroking it over and over, his voice trembling: "In ten days, it will be you and me who marry—no one else?"

"It is you and me who marry, no one else." Bingyi leaned softly into his embrace, arms wrapping around him, her voice calm and tranquil yet utterly resolute: "In ten days I will become your wife. This feeling will not change, this resolve will not waver; for a lifetime, I love only you."

Qiran trembled all over; in a daze he thought: even if this is false, I must seize it, hold fast to my happiness. He held the girl in his arms tightly, his voice low: "Me too. For a lifetime, I love only you."

Again I think of your face, seeking and meeting in dreams.

At all times I see myriad entwinements in your eyes.

……

Ten days later, the bustling capital of Ice Spirit was unlike any before. The people of Ice Spirit and the subjects of Yuan Yi state all gathered in this mysterious ancient capital, all for one purpose.

Because on this day their Young Master was about to wed his beloved wife; because after this day, their Young Master ultimately still decided to relinquish the authority within his grasp and drift away into seclusion.

But regardless, at this very moment the crackling of firecrackers resounded, and the bustling excitement was still that of joy. Everyone could see on the face of the Young Master, revered like a heavenly deity, a genuine, blissful smile of happiness and contentment.

Qiran wore a groom's festive attire; his originally loose long hair was bound behind him with a gold-thread cord, his peerless visage, filled with the deepest longing, displayed openly before all without any concealment.

Thus, in this bustling, joyful capital, whenever the groom on his white horse passed, all voices fell silent; people merely gazed longingly, silently at that face whose joy could not be captured by brush or ink, bowing low in reverence.

"Miss! Miss! They've said you cannot wander about at will……"

Having just dismounted his horse, Qiran stared in astonishment at his soon-to-be bride, clad in rosy robes, wearing a phoenix crown, rushing out from the Arrival Ceremony Pavilion, followed by a worried-looking Xinhui.

"Bingyi!" Qiran seized the newcomer's fair wrist, suddenly feeling a headache, his brows slightly furrowed, his eyes already brewing a hint of danger: "You wouldn't be thinking of fleeing the marriage, would you?"

"How…… how could it be?!" Bingyi's face showed embarrassment, then she shook the wrist he held, her expression turning anxious: "Qiran, my necklace is missing!"

"Necklace?" Qiran's expression twitched slightly; his face showed no change, but his heart gave a soft thump. He felt that the emptiness and bewilderment that had vanished sometime ago had suddenly returned around him.

"Yes!" Bingyi vexedly stomped her foot, then said dejectedly, "It's that cross necklace. My brother gave it to me; it's my most precious treasure. Today is my wedding day; even if I can't let my brother see it, his gift should accompany me."

"Young Mistress! Young Mistress!" a maid's shout came from the inner hall; seeing her approach, she first gave Qiran a bewildered bow, then realized something and hastily opened her right hand, saying, "Young Mistress, take a look—is this the item you're seeking?"

Only see in her palm hung a dazzling, crystal-clear necklace, from its bottom dangled a pendant shaped like a cross.

Qiran felt his formerly joyful, calm heart suddenly clench tight.

Bingyi's face lit with delight; she exclaimed joyfully, "This is it, thank you!" As she reached to take it, however, a pair of crystal-clear, slender hands like beautiful jade intercepted her midway.

Qiran took the necklace into his hand, gripped it tightly, gazed at the somewhat doubtful girl, and after a while steadied his emotions, speaking softly: "Before we marry, let me keep this necklace for you, all right?"

Bingyi's lovely brows furrowed slightly, her eyes showing difficulty: "But…… this after all……"

"Let me keep it here." Qiran lowered his head, staring deeply into her; his eyes unconsciously revealed a pleading look, and he repeated in a dark, low voice: "Could…… it be all right?"

Bingyi's body trembled slightly; she suddenly reached out to embrace him, urgently yet softly saying, "All right!"

Bingyi loosened her grip a little, her body still leaning against him, and she murmured: "Qiran, you must believe, in this world, no—in all worlds, you are the most important person to me. More precious than the most precious things. Therefore I could never abandon you to live alone. That is why I wish to marry you, to stay by your side for a lifetime, to look only at you for a lifetime."

Qiran's lips trembled faintly; he wanted to say, I believe you; he wanted to say, I am the same. Yet his throat…… could not emit a single sound. This scene had been imagined in his mind over and over; these words had been longed for in his heart again and again, until finally they became reality.

But what is the unease surging in his heart, what is the emptiness rising in his chest? Flower in the mirror, moon in the water…… could it ultimately be empty?

In the Hall of Eternal Peace of Ice Ling City in the Wind Capital, hundreds of influential figures from the Tianhe Continent were seated. Emperor Xiao Yifei and Empress Leng Qingya of the Ice Ling Kingdom sat at the head, their faces bearing auspicious smiles.

Beside them stood an official in charge of rites, who at that moment was heard chanting to the pair of jade-like figures standing side by side below: "First bow to heaven and earth, sun, moon, and stars; second bow to the eastern Jia-Yi wood; third bow to the southern Bing-Ding fire; fourth bow to the western Geng-Xin metal; fifth bow..."

After finishing the tedious heaven-and-earth memorial, the drowsy looks on everyone's faces in the hall vanished completely. Then the master of ceremonies cleared his throat, paid his respects to the emperor and empress seated above, and turning back, sang loudly: "The newlyweds are in position, pay respects to the emperor and empress! First bow—heaven and earth!"

The bride's head was covered with a red cloth, hiding her face, while the groom's peerless appearance was fully revealed before everyone. The bride first knelt on the red carpet before her, the groom's motion paused slightly, then he followed and knelt as well; they both kowtowed, then rose.

"Second bow—to the sovereign!" The rite was completed.

"Third bow—to the parents!"

The bride had already knelt, about to kowtow, when she noticed the groom beside her standing dazed, not kneeling. She instinctively tugged at the hem of his robe and whispered, "Qi Ran, what's wrong?"

Qi Ran lightly furrowed his brows, gazing somewhat blankly at the two kind-eyed, smiling figures above whom he knew extremely well. Then his gaze slowly shifted, falling upon the inscrutable Xiao Qixuan, then upon the aloof Bu Sha as before… looking over them one by one.

Finally, he heard that familiar voice in his ears, lowered his head to see the maiden whose face was covered, his heart softened, and he still knelt down. Just… just…

"Husband and wife—mutual bow!" The bride and groom stood facing each other, no longer kneeling, as joyous clamor rose from the hall.

Qi Ran's expression slowly shifted from bewilderment to sorrow, then gradually eased from that sorrow. His blue eyes deeply fixed on the bride opposite as she slowly bowed, the red silk scarf on her head rippling like water; his countenance was utterly tranquil, yet within that tranquility lay a hint of resoluteness.

"Ran'er, are you going to perform the rite, or are you still dazed?" Xiao Yifei's amused voice came from beside him.

Qi Ran slightly lowered his head, the slanting brows at his temples gently unfurling, and he unconsciously laughed out loud.

At this moment, those who had thought the groom was merely overly nervous were somewhat shocked. Not because his smiling face was particularly dazzling, but because his laughter carried too much mockery and resolve.

"Qi Ran..." Bing Yi had already torn off the red veil on her head; her eyes, which had originally glimmered with amber light, were now utterly dim, looking at him filled with anxiety and panic.

"I hope that father emperor and mother empress have always been as kind as in my memory, never scheming against me, so…" Qi Ran lifted his gaze to the two seated above, his voice soft and gentle, "I therefore created you in this dream."

His gaze shifted to Xiao Qixuan: "I hope my elder brother can give up Bing Yi, inherit this Ice Ling Kingdom, let me stay clear of worldly power and hatred, and also fulfill your childhood wish—thus you are as you are now."

Then he turned his gaze to Bu Sha, whose features were becoming indistinct, his voice tinged with faint bitter sorrow: "Bu, what I most wish for is to heal your wounds, so that the three of us may roam the world as before, or retreat to the countryside."

Qi Ran let out a faint sigh, blue light flickering lightly, finally settling upon the red-clad, black-haired maiden before him wearing a phoenix crown, his expression unconsciously softening: "The person I love, her heart hides too many secrets, buries too many feelings, yet I wish she would look only at me, her heart holding only me."

"The person I love clings to too many obsessions, too many… obsessions unrelated to me and unwilling to let go of feelings, making me constantly fear that she will ultimately abandon me and choose another."

"Oh, the person I love!" Qi Ran's face broke into a gentle smile like a spring breeze, as if gazing through void at this most precious moment in time, "Just like the wind, she longs for freedom, longs to fly, and will never utterly compromise and stop for anyone. Perhaps in this lifetime I should not hope to keep her firmly in my grasp."

"So I imagined such a you in this dream." Qi Ran reached out, lightly brushing the maiden's jade-like cheek, "To marry me, loving only me, looking only at me, staying only for me—such a you."

"But… I have deceived everyone, yet I cannot deceive my own heart." Qi Ran withdrew his hand, gave a light laugh, his smile plain yet resolute.

"No one can take her place in my heart." Qi Ran's hand lightly touched the buttons of his grand red wedding robe, undoing them one by one, his voice firm as a rock, calm and traceless, "Even you, the perfect Shui Bing Yi in my heart, are no exception."

The grand red wedding robes swirled across the hall, which seemed both noisy and silent, like a curtain suddenly unfurled or a red mist instantly spreading, veiling this originally joyous yet illusory world.

Clad in a moon-white long robe, Qi Ran raised his hand to pull off the gold thread binding his hair, step by step walking toward the vast, blank world outside the hall. Each step felt as if he were personally crushing one of his own dreams; each step brought him closer to that cruel, cold-blooded reality. Yet his footsteps never paused in the slightest. His voice, without a hint of hesitation, calm and low, echoed again and again:

"In this life and this world—no! Across all my existences, I, Xiao Qiran, will love only that one person, whether she is like wind or sand, whether she departs or stays—this feeling will not change, this resolve will not waver!"

……

In this life, destiny brings us together; in the next life we will continue our love—what could bind us even in life and death?

If I have you by my side, I envy neither mandarin ducks nor immortals.

(End of chapter)