"So, do the rumors say who is marrying my sister?" Aether forced down his anger, squeezing the words out through gritted teeth. He had just met Lumine yesterday, and now there was suddenly news of her getting married. It was obvious that the little girl was just trying to provoke him, her older brother.
"Your Highness, forgive my incompetence. I have not been able to find out who exactly is marrying the Princess."
"Is that so? Hmph! Then think carefully! Are there any other clues? If you've missed anything, I'll hold you accountable!" Aether snorted coldly. When it came to his beloved little sister, he couldn't afford to be careless.
"Your Highness, please forgive me! I'll think again, I'll think again…" The Abyss Mage trembled at Aether's words and quickly went over the information he had gathered in his mind. A few minutes later, just as Aether was about to lose his patience, the mage finally remembered something.
"Your Highness, I recall now! The Princess is currently staying at a funeral service agency in Liyue Harbor called Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. While observing the parlor, I saw the Princess interacting closely with a silver-haired young man. It's highly likely that he's the one."
"A silver-haired young man?" Aether was slightly stunned, and the image of Yun Fan's punchable face involuntarily popped into his mind. Could it be… that his sister was going to marry him?
At this thought, Aether couldn't sit still anymore. Although he could guess that Lumine was deliberately provoking him, and the marriage was probably fake, he still had to find a way to deal with this situation. Aether trusted his sister, but he couldn't bet on whether Yun Fan would take advantage of the situation to cause trouble.
After all, that guy had shamelessly called him "brother-in-law" the moment they met, clearly having ulterior motives toward his sister. What if he took the opportunity to turn the fake marriage into a real one, making it a done deal? By then, Aether wouldn't even have a place to cry.
The thought of his sister, who had traveled through countless worlds with him, abandoning him and snuggling up in another man's arms made his heart ache.
"Where is Enjou?" Aether clenched his fists, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot that had been burned for decades. A divine-level aura unconsciously radiated from him, enveloping the entire church hall.
"Your Highness, I am here." Enjou, the Pyro Herald, stepped out from the ranks and bowed toward Aether on the throne.
"Enjou, I order you to take on a human form and head to Liyue Harbor immediately. Confirm who exactly is marrying Lumine in three days, and report back to me at once. Do not fail!"
"As you command, Your Highness. I will complete the task you have assigned, even at the cost of my life!" Enjou bowed slightly, making his promise to Aether.
"Hmm." Aether nodded expressionlessly. It wasn't that he had any issues with Enjou or was dissatisfied with him, but he had just been infuriated by Yun Fan, and it was too much to ask for him to show any happy expression.
"By the way, the Divine Sovereign of Liyue has recently appeared. Be careful when you go about your tasks. Don't die there!" Before Enjou left, Aether reminded him. After all, Enjou was one of the Abyss Order's key strategists. If he were to perish in Liyue over this matter, it would be a great loss.
"Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness!"
"Sigh—" Aether exhaled heavily. He had thought that after Morax's death, Liyue would no longer have any powerful figures. But now, such a powerful Divine Sovereign had suddenly appeared. The aura emanating from that figure was no less intimidating than the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, who had once trapped them both on the continent of Teyvat.
If this Divine Sovereign also intended to resist the Heavenly Principles, that would be excellent. But what if the Divine Sovereign was aligned with that woman…
"Ah, these troubled times… my centuries-long plans…"
——————
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor… in Yun Fan's room…
"Yun Fan, isn't this a bit too much?" Lumine pricked up her ears, listening carefully to the discussions on the street about the golden-haired traveler. She then glanced at Yun Fan, who was leisurely sipping tea at the table, and spoke with a hint of unease.
"It's fine. I've already informed Keqing about this. The Qixing won't interfere, so there's no need to worry."
Yun Fan smiled and shook his head, then picked up a cup of hot tea and handed it to Lumine, who was looking a bit awkward.
As he had said, he had already given a heads-up about this matter—not just to the Qixing, but also to the adepti of Jueyun Karst.
Initially, he had only asked someone to spread the rumor at Heyu Tea House that "the golden-haired traveler who helped Liyue defeat the evil god is about to get married." Since he had given prior notice, the Qixing turned a blind eye and allowed the rumor to spread.
But to the people of Liyue, this behavior seemed different. It was as if the official Liyue institutions were tacitly approving the matter!
Thus, without official suppression, the rumor spread like wildfire. In just a day or two, it had spread throughout Liyue Harbor. Now, even three-year-old children playing in the mud knew that the golden-haired big sister who saved Liyue was about to get married.
Of course, Yun Fan had also considered the follow-up effects of this matter.
For the "fake wedding" three days later, the overprotective Aether would definitely not sit still. He would surely lead the Abyss Order to "crash the wedding." At that time, Yun Fan would deal with his underlings first, then tie up Aether himself and hand him over to Lumine for a good interrogation.
After the event, Keqing would simply issue an announcement stating that "the traveler's wedding was purely a rumor, and the culprit has been apprehended."
——————
Heyu Tea House…
"Hahaha, there's always something exciting happening in our Liyue Harbor. Just the other day… ahem, I didn't expect that golden-haired traveler to be getting married."
"Exactly! I heard that the traveler is not only powerful enough to fight evil gods but also stunningly beautiful!"
"Ah, I wonder who the lucky one is, to have the honor of marrying the traveler…"
"Hey, I'm curious too. There are only a handful of people in Liyue Harbor worthy of the traveler. I wonder which young master it is?"
"Haha, it couldn't be the Divine Sovereign himself, could it?"
"You! Didn't you just get locked up by Lady Keqing the other day? Can't you keep your mouth shut? Do you want to go back in?"
"Uh… haha…"
In an inconspicuous corner of Heyu Tea House, a black-haired man dressed in simple Liyue attire was listening intently to the discussions of the tea guests around him.
The man appeared calm and composed, his movements elegant. Even the way he poured tea was done with the highly ornamental and skillful "Phoenix Three Nods" technique.
"Hmm…" The man brought the tea to his lips, took a sip, and a strange glint flashed in his eyes, as if he were pondering something.
Indeed, this man was none other than Enjou, the Pyro Herald sent by Aether.
As one of the Abyss Order's key strategists, Enjou was quite experienced in gathering information. Generally, places like tea houses and taverns, with their dense crowds and mixed clientele, were the best places to gather intelligence.
With this in mind, Enjou had used his illusion magic to take on a human form early in the morning and headed to Liyue's most prosperous tea house—Heyu Tea House—to gather information. However, to his disappointment, it was now noon, and he hadn't obtained any useful information.
Most of the tea guests seemed completely unaware of who the traveler was marrying. Even those who claimed to know were just making things up to save face, which couldn't fool Enjou, a centuries-old fox.