The morning sun rose, casting the entire Li Clan estate in a warm glow.
Crimson lanterns fluttered, suspended from intricately carved wooden beams and bronze chains.
Silk banners unfurled, embroidered with auspicious dragons and phoenixes.
The courtyard had been swept thrice already.
Rows of servants and maids bustled, laying out red satin carpets across the stone pathways.
Musicians from the imperial city arrived before dawn, tuning their zithers and flutes with practiced hands.
Inside the bride's quarters, Li Xue sat before a bronze mirror, staring at her image a bit too much. No one knows what's going on in her head.
A pair of maids carefully applied rouge to her cheeks, and another combed her long black hair, coiling it into an intricate bun adorned with golden pins shaped like twin dragons.
As a final touch, a phoenix crown was set atop her head.
"Ahh, Lady Xue looked like a celestial maiden descended from heaven in her wedding robes," said a maid.
"Why does she look sad, though?" whispered another maid.
"Don't you know that no one likes this marriage apart from the Patriarch?" Another maid scolded her in a hushed tone.
Meanwhile, Li Xue's fingers curled slightly in her lap as she stared at her reflection. "So this is what it means to become someone's wife," she murmured under her breath.
Down in the outer courtyards, the clan grounds grew crowded as important guests began to arrive.
The ministers of nearby cities, envoys from prestigious clans, and cultivators from neighboring sects passed through the gates under fluttering banners.
The atmosphere brimmed with pride and political undertones due to the fact that it was an alliance sanctioned by the Emperor himself. So, especially those from the capital city ought to arrive.
And then came the guests from the groom's side, the Qin family of Yongzhou, arguably one of the top three most powerful families in the Empire of Great Liang, after the Imperial family.
Their entourage was distinct from the others.
Tall men in cloud-gray robes, embroidered with silver thunder motifs, descended from sleek spiritual beasts and jade carriages.
At their head was the grandmaster swordsman who fought beside the emperor and married his only sister.
Qin Zhenhai, the Patriarch of the Qin Clan, walked with a dignified step. His long beard was neatly combed, and his eyes gleamed with profound qi. Rumors say that he is on the doorstep to becoming a half-deity.
To his left was Elder Qin Jian, the Second Elder, stoic and scholarly, a grand sorcerer known for sealing the scarlet river with his ultimate brush technique in order to punish a Duke. He was Qin Zhenhai's first cousin.
On his right stood Elder Qin Mo, the Third Elder, short-tempered but fiercely loyal, clad in tiger-hide armor. Just as the other two, he too was a grandmaster Martial Artist.
As the Qin Clan greeted the Li family with perfunctory bows and customary gifts, the guests watched with silent awe.
The Li Clan had money, the Qin Clan had might. It's a dangerous alliance, someone whispered.
But just as the final preparation call rang through the estate and the procession prepared to escort the groom to the ancestral shrine, a maid stumbled into the courtyard, face pale as parchment.
"Y-Young Master Qin is missing!"
At first, no one moved. The flute players faltered; the dancers froze. Patriarch Li Yujin slowly turned his head, brows twitching as if he hadn't heard correctly.
"What did you say?" he asked with almost a growl.
"The young master is not in his room! And not in the bath! We… we've searched the entire inner hall! He is gone, my lord!"
A ripple of murmurs spread through the crowd like wildfire. The wedding bells had yet to chime, and what he feared the most just happened.
"Fools!" Li Yujin roared, his voice like a whip cracking through glass. "Mobilize the entire household! I want every corner, every rooftop, every shadow searched! If this is a prank, someone will lose a limb!"
Maids scrambled. Guards dashed off in every direction at once. The bridal music was silenced, and the estate plunged into chaotic tension.
Qin Zhenhai's face remained composed, but the faint flicker of qi at his fingertips betrayed his irritation. "Li Yujin," he said slowly, "your household allowed my son, your future son-in-law, to vanish under your nose?"
"We will find him!" Li Yujin growled. "I swear on the ancestors of the Li Clan, whoever is behind this will be punished severely!"
"No need," Qin Zhenhai said calmly, reaching into his sleeve. "If I'm right, that infilial brat of mine would have escaped on seeing an opportunity."
He withdrew a soul crystal, clear as spring water and etched with crimson runes.
A moment later, his fingers glowed with gentle light as he poured his qi into the crystal.
The gem pulsed once… twice… then shimmered with an internal glow. Within its depths, a tiny dot began to flicker, a moving light along a trail.
Qin Zhenhai's eyes narrowed. "That's odd. He is moving at high speed. That foolish son of mine doesn't have the strength to move at such speed even on a flat pathway, much less in a mountainous region."
He pressed deeper into the crystal's energy, reading its faint spiritual link. "He's at Mount Wudang. Heading down the trails."
Li Yujin's jaw clenched. "Mount Wudang? That's almost 800 li west! I'll kill whoever dared to abduct him and bring him back."
Li Yujin then turned to his captain of guards. "Prepare a flying treasure! I want my best warriors on this! Elders, assemble a tracking unit! Bring him back safely or don't come back at all!"
The elders bowed and vanished in streaks of light.
Qin Zhenhai held the crystal, still glowing softly in his palm. "I'll leave it to you, Patriarch Li," he said quietly.
"You have my word," Li Yujin replied.
Back in the bride's chamber, Li Xue stood at the window, her phoenix crown tilted slightly forward from leaning.
She had heard the news.
The groom was missing.
She didn't know whether to feel relieved or betrayed. However, she couldn't help but wonder where her fiancé had gone.
Meanwhile, on Mt Wudang, a lone figure could be seen descending the rugged path at high speed.
Qin Wei trudged forward at a steady pace, his boots scuffing against gravel and damp earth.
A translucent holographic screen hovered silently before him, his eyes changed, one turned pitch black, and the other turned radiant white.
The screen displayed an Emergency Mission in bold, golden characters:
EMERGENCY MISSION: ESCAPE THE MARRIAGE
Time Remaining: 00:53:18
Objective: Exit Li Clan territory and descend Mount Wudang.
Reward: +10 Talent Points, Wood Element Affinity
Qin Wei let out a long sigh, dragging a hand through his disheveled hair. "Tch. If only it had mentioned ten talent points, I wouldn't have taken this risk to run away, but the wood element… C'mon, for that, forget about Li Clan, I would offend even the damn Emperor. With the wood element, I would get natural energy manipulation with ease, and with Heaven's Eye, I wouldn't have to go through Void Eye evolution either. I would be able to earn the qualifications to directly awaken the God's Eye. Who would dare to punish me then?"