chsdbacks Chapter 81 Invitation
Chapter 81 Invitation
Hu Tao never expected to hear such rumors after returning from closing a big deal. She didn't even have time to rest and fill her stomach before rushing to the Shengtang.
However, she was blocked on the bridge in front of the Hall of Rebirth.
Groups of girls surrounded the small shrine, angrily biting their handkerchiefs, trying to get an answer from the person involved, refusing to leave no matter how the officiant at the door tried to persuade them.
Hu Tao loved excitement more than anything, and for a moment she even forgot about questioning Zhong Li. She mingled in the crowd, joking and shouting for Zhong Li to come out and show his face.
The official felt ashamed and pulled the playful girl out of the crowd, then slipped back through the back door.
As soon as the door closed, the noise outside was immediately cut off, and the quiet made Yi Guan feel like she had just escaped a disaster.
Hu Tao then remembered what she had come for and hurriedly asked her where Zhong Liren was, and why she was left alone outside guarding the door.
"Mr. Zhongli initially tried to persuade them to leave with me, but he was surrounded as soon as he showed up, and quite a few people even took advantage of the chaos to try to lay a hand on him."
Yi Guan herself found it unbelievable and could only marvel at the boundless charm of Mr. Zhongli.
Hu Tao clearly thought so too, shaking her head and muttering, "He's such a femme fatale—"
"Is the sect leader talking about me?"
A man's voice suddenly rang out behind her, startling Hu Tao. She chuckled and turned around, saying, "No, no, you must have misheard. How could I, the head of this hall, possibly do such a thing as gossiping behind someone's back?"
Zhong Li looked at her with a half-smile.
Hu Tao's mind raced, and she decided to strike first.
She retorted confidently, "No! You haven't explained to me what's going on with the rumors outside! It's so crowded outside, why don't you go out and clarify things properly? Could it be that you're really getting married like the rumors say?"
Hu Tao didn't quite believe it. After all, Zhong Li had watched her grow up, and since she could remember, Zhong Li had always lived alone. There was no sign of her leaving home, so how could she suddenly have the idea of getting married?
Moreover, even if you wanted to, you wouldn't know where to find a marriage partner, would you?
She sat down at the other end of the table and, seeing the person opposite her nod, instinctively replied, "Right? I knew it couldn't be true—wait, were you just nodding?"
An incredulous expression froze on Hu Tao's face.
The atmosphere suddenly became extremely awkward. After a long pause, she cautiously asked, "Is it really that sudden?"
It was indeed sudden.
Zhongli himself knew this, but if he wanted to know what Mingxun was really thinking, he had to do this.
Based on Zhong Li's observations over this period, Ming Xun seemed to be constantly trying to get closer to him. So he couldn't help but wonder, if he manually sped up the process and brought their relationship to the point where it couldn't get any closer, what would she do?
If Mingxun were to actually grant him this abrupt request, the consequence of her having other plans would almost certainly be laid bare before him.
Zhongli disliked this guess, but reality often doesn't go as planned. Mingxun remained silent for a moment, then agreed, though the expression on her face was extremely strange...
Thinking of this, Zhong Li couldn't help but frown, but he calmly repeated the excuse he had prepared to Hu Tao: "Doesn't the head of the hall always say that I'm old and still spend money recklessly, and that I should find a wife to keep an eye on me?"
A rather perfunctory reason.
Hu Tao's lips twitched; she never expected the boomerang to pierce her in this way.
But since this concerned Zhongli's lifelong happiness, she still hoped that Zhongli could think it over carefully, and couldn't help but ask with concern, "Guest, you know I was just saying that. Marriage is a serious matter and cannot be taken lightly. Do you really like that person?"
"From a purely rational perspective, I've never experienced being in love, so I have no way of verifying whether my feelings are love, but—" Zhong Li smiled, "If I really had to choose someone to spend the rest of my life with, I wouldn't have a second answer except for her."
*
"Hey," Fu Jin flicked Ling Yuan's fishtail and whispered, "What do you think this guy is thinking right now?"
Ling Yuan looked at her blankly, then turned to look at Ming Xun, who had been lying there motionless for three days, and smacked his lips: "I don't know."
Fu Jin shook his head helplessly.
Just as she was still undecided whether to go over and wake her up, Mingxun, who had been lying still for several days, suddenly sat up.
"Are you going out to find the Rock God again?" Fu Jin couldn't help but ask.
Mingxun's expression was still a little dazed. She nodded upon hearing this, then added as if she remembered something, "By the way, are you free during this time?"
Fu Jin and Ling Yuan exchanged a glance, somewhat puzzled as to why she was asking this, but they still nodded honestly.
Mingxun said with satisfaction, "Ah, that's great. I should come back to deliver the invitations once the time is set over there. Please remember to come!"
"An invitation?" Lingyuan asked, puzzled. "Has something happy happened in Liyue Harbor recently? But why do they want us to go?"
"You are my family, so of course you have to attend." Mingxun said expressionlessly. "Of course, if you want to see me all alone at my wedding, that's fine too."
"Huh?" Fu Jin and Ling Yuan exclaimed in unison.
The former hurriedly pressed, "What did you just say? Getting married? Who are you going to marry? Is the other person reliable? Why so suddenly? And what will the Geo Archon do if you get married?"
Mingxun was getting a headache from all the commotion, so she waved her hand to calm her down: "Yes, we're getting married. The person I'm marrying is the Geo Archon you mentioned, but right now he's living in Liyue Harbor under the alias Zhongli as an ordinary human. He's the one I'm marrying."
Fu Jin was dumbfounded.
Lingyuan, however, exclaimed knowingly, "So the person who stopped me earlier was actually the Rock God?"
Mingxun answered yes.
Fu Jin suddenly realized, "No wonder Ling Yuan said she couldn't beat that guy. I was wondering why there were such powerful people outside now. If it's the Rock God, then it's not surprising. In that case, you can go without worry. I'll definitely bring Ling Yuan to the banquet that day!"
As Fu Jin said the last sentence, she had a mysterious smile on her face, just like a mother who felt she had gotten a great deal after seeing her eldest daughter, who had been struggling to find a husband for several years, finally marry a good man.
Mingxun suddenly felt a sense of indescribable unease: "...Aren't you going to ask me why I suddenly married him?"
Fu Jin, who was calculating whether her recent recuperation was enough for her to transform into human form and personally visit Liyue Harbor, was surprised to hear her ask this: "What's so strange about that? If you ask me, you two should have been together eight hundred years ago. That's what everyone thought back then."
Even their former master, the Dream Demon God, never thought he could actually recruit her when he extended an olive branch. Although he read from Mingxun's dream that all she wanted was immortality, and he seriously studied how to poach her, he never held out hope. After all, everyone knew how much Morax doted on her, and the most widespread rumor at the time was that the two had already secretly made love.
Fu Jin and Ling Yuan both thought her running away was foolish, and were naturally happy that things were now back on track.
Although this "right path" is what they believe to be the right path.
Mingxun suddenly wanted to see what kind of expressions they would make after discovering her plans, but unfortunately, if her plan really went smoothly, she probably wouldn't see that scene.
She was discouraged and gave up on the idea of continuing to talk to them.
According to the agreement and that person's habits, Zhongli is probably already waiting for him in Liyue Harbor. It's best not to dawdle any longer.
—Her guess was right. When she arrived there, the man had indeed been waiting there for some time.
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, sir." Mingxun quickly walked to his side.
"Miss Xunming, there's no need to rush. It's not the agreed time yet. I'm the one who's early." Zhong Li smiled and bent down to tuck the stray hairs that had fallen down her temples as she ran behind her ears.
The slightly intimate gesture startled Mingxun. She wondered if his attitude had changed too quickly, since he had initially treated her with the same aloofness and indifference as he had treated everyone else.
Is it because of the engagement?
Mingxun had no idea, because this was the first time the two of them had met since that day, and she had no way of knowing what Zhongli had been thinking these past few days.
She instinctively avoided Zhong Li's intimacy and reached out to straighten her hair.
Zhongli seemed oblivious to her attitude, simply withdrawing his hand naturally and beginning to explain the purpose of his invitation: "The sect leader said that the sixth day of next month is an auspicious day for marriage. Although it's a bit rushed, if you agree, setting the wedding there might be a good idea."
As a leading figure in the funeral industry, Hu Tao was extremely knowledgeable about the auspicious and inauspicious days according to the Chinese almanac. Realizing that Zhong Li was serious this time, she immediately began to painstakingly calculate auspicious days for him. In the end, at someone's request to be closer to the date, she recommended this day.
Mingxun had no objections to his arrangements, only belatedly asking, "So, do we need to buy some wedding supplies today?"
"Yes, the format of the invitations also needs to be finalized as soon as possible. I've already made an appointment with Xingxi, the owner of Mingxingzhai, and we can start choosing them as soon as we arrive."
"But isn't Mingxingzhai in the jewelry business?" Mingxun followed behind him towards Mingxingzhai. "When did they start doing this kind of business too?"
Zhong Li's smile deepened: "Miss Xun Ming knows that Mingxingzhai is in the jewelry business, but to be more precise, they are happy to take on any commission related to jewelry."
So, when Mingxun arrived at Mingxingzhai, he saw a table full of things inlaid with all kinds of jewels.
It's called a "trinket" because Mingxun simply can't believe that this exquisite, intricate, and obviously expensive thing is a so-called invitation that can be used once and then discarded.
However, Zhongli on the other side had already started selecting, and was even quite dissatisfied with the quality of the gemstones in Xingxi's proposal. "Boss Xingxi, don't worry about the price, just use the best materials."
...How should I put it, it's quite in Zhong Li's style.
(End of this chapter)