Chapter 20: The Ceremony Begins

The ten-day deadline was drawing ever closer, yet Duan Fengyun was completely at a loss; he simply could not find a way to break the deadlock.

Right now, Xiongba had not yet officially made a move against them, and if he were to tell Qin Shuang and the others the truth, they would never believe him.

After thinking it over, he wondered if he should try to get Bu Jingyun to elope with Kong Ci; perhaps this would create a rift between Bu Jingyun and Qin Shuang, but at the very least, it could preserve Kong Ci's life.

No sooner said than done, he hurried to Feiyun Hall to find Bu Jingyun.

Having been deeply distressed these past few days, Bu Jingyun was drinking heavily in Feiyun Hall every day; what Duan Fengyun saw upon arriving at Feiyun Hall was merely a drunkard trapped by his own emotions.

Duan Fengyun knocked the wine pot from Bu Jingyun's hand and, looking at the drunkard before him, mocked:

"The dignified Uncrying Death God, about to have his beloved woman snatched away—how truly laughable."

Hearing this, Bu Jingyun flew into a rage and cursed directly:

"What business is it of yours? Get to the side and stay there."

Seeing that Bu Jingyun was not in a right state of mind, Duan Fengyun stopped joking and said with a serious expression:

"Yun, I know you love Kong Ci very much, but things have reached this point—what other options do you have?"

Bu Jingyun raised his head, stared at Duan Fengyun, and said with resonant conviction:

"Until the very end, I will not give up easily. Never!"

Duan Fengyun clapped his hands and gave a thumbs-up in response: "That is the Yun I know. Yun, you must be brave in pursuing love; if there is truly no other way, see if you can take Kong Ci and elope, far away from the World Association, to live the life of a blissful couple that belongs only to the two of you."

Bu Jingyun stared fixedly at Duan Fengyun; he had not expected Duan Fengyun to say such things.

Feeling that he had said all he needed to say, Duan Fengyun patted Bu Jingyun on the shoulder and left Feiyun Hall.

After Duan Fengyun left, Bu Jingyun stopped drowning his sorrows. The words Duan Fengyun had spoken kept repeating in his mind.

He still bore the blood feud of his foster father's family; if he took Kong Ci and eloped, he would never have another chance to take revenge in this lifetime.

If he chose to endure the humiliation, watching Kong Ci marry his senior brother, he would likely go insane.

At this moment, Bu Jingyun was conflicted; Duan Fengyun had only considered Bu Jingyun's love for Kong Ci, forgetting the blood feud Bu Jingyun carried on his shoulders.

Bu Jingyun decided to talk to Kong Ci; if she were willing to elope with him, he would cast everything aside for her.

Ignoring the smell of alcohol on his body, Bu Jingyun ran straight to the door of Kong Ci's room.

Although he was not yet fully sober, he knew that the current situation did not allow him to push open Kong Ci's door at will.

He stood at the door for a while, then lightly knocked on the door knocker.

Upon hearing the knocking, Kong Ci opened the door to see Bu Jingyun, reeking of alcohol, standing outside and staring at her.

Seeing Kong Ci come out, Bu Jingyun asked: "Kong Ci, do you have a moment? I want to tell you something."

Kong Ci thought for a moment and replied: "Young Master Yun, please speak."

Bu Jingyun stepped forward, grabbed Kong Ci's hand, and said slowly:

"Kong Ci, I cannot live without you. Why don't we elope to a place where no one knows us and live the life of a blissful couple that belongs only to us? As long as you are willing, I am willing to put down my blood feud and give up everything."

Kong Ci pushed away Bu Jingyun's grip, shook her head, and replied:

"Young Master Yun, please be rational. It is impossible for me to elope with you."

Bu Jingyun immediately asked indignantly: "Why?"

Kong Ci answered him: "There is no why, Young Master Yun. I am a bit tired and need to rest; Young Master Yun, please return."

Kong Ci stopped paying attention to Bu Jingyun, turned around, entered the room, and closed the door.

Watching Kong Ci's back, Bu Jingyun's conviction began to collapse; it turned out that everything had been his own wishful thinking. He walked back to his Feiyun Hall in a daze.

Through the crack in the door, Kong Ci watched Bu Jingyun leave and murmured:

"Young Master Yun, it is not that Kong Ci is unwilling. Now that Kong Ci is betrothed to Young Master Shuang, if I were to elope with you, it would cast you into a place of injustice. If we defect from the World Association, we will also face constant pursuit by the World Association. Young Master Yun, I am sorry."

The next day, Duan Fengyun went to Feiyun Hall again to check on the situation and found that Bu Jingyun was no longer drinking, thinking that the matter had been resolved.

When he saw Bu Jingyun looking as if his heart had turned to ash, he felt that things had not developed in the direction he had imagined.

He hurriedly asked: "Yun, have you and Kong Ci settled things? When are you leaving?"

Bu Jingyun replied in despair: "Leaving? Kong Ci is unwilling to leave with me; she is very heartless."

Duan Fengyun excused her: "Yun, Kong Ci must have her own hidden difficulties; you must believe in her."

Seeing that things had not developed in the direction he had thought, Duan Fengyun did not want to stay with Bu Jingyun any longer; he had to go back and think of a way.

"Yun, I hope you believe in Kong Ci and believe in your feelings. I am leaving first, take care."

After feeding Bu Jingyun some "chicken soup for the soul," Duan Fengyun took his leave.

Returning to his Tianwen Hall, Duan Fengyun kept thinking of ways to avoid the subsequent events.

But the wedding ceremony was unavoidable, and Bu Jingyun would certainly cause a scene at the ceremony; he only hoped that this time, it would not be like the original story, dragging Nie Feng into a melodramatic four-person romance.

What he was thinking about now was how to save Kong Ci's life; in the original story, Kong Ci died while blocking a fatal blow from Bu Jingyun intended for Nie Feng during the fight between the two. If things really developed to that point, he would step in to save Kong Ci; things having reached this stage, he and the others would have to defect from the World Association.

Soon, the day of the wedding ceremony arrived, and the World Association was decorated with lanterns and streamers, full of a festive atmosphere.

Qin Shuang was dressed in red, with a large red ball tied across his chest. Indeed, happy events bring a refreshed spirit; today, Qin Shuang had also shed his usual reserve, warmly and generously receiving the guests who had come to offer their congratulations.

Nie Feng and Wen Chou Chou were playing the role of the World Association's best stewards, both of them busy inside and out.

Knowing that something major would happen today, Duan Fengyun was a bit distracted, his eyes fixed on Bu Jingyun.

Youruo looked at Duan Fengyun, then at Bu Jingyun. She stretched out her hands and waved them in front of Duan Fengyun, asking:

"Why are you looking at Yun? You don't look at the groom, but you keep staring at Yun; is there a flower on Yun's face?"

Duan Fengyun raised his head to look at Youruo and withdrew his focus; the ceremony was about to begin, and he needed his full attention.

In Huiting, Xiongba looked at the guests below the stage and smiled slightly:

"Today is the day my beloved disciple Qin Shuang and my foster daughter Kong Ci are joined in marriage; I thank you all for coming to my World Association to offer your congratulations. Now I announce that the ceremony officially begins."

Following Xiongba's command, firecrackers sounded in unison, and the ceremony officially began.