Chen Yan glanced around and sighed, then took a pile of items from the box.
Black satin cloth, arranged in three folds stacked in character formation.
A plate of gold foil papers folded into ingots and gold and silver utensils.
A black-background dragon and phoenix wedding invitation, sprinkled with silver powder.
Neatly arranged ingot candles.
First, he carefully placed a prepared plaque that read [Chen Sect’s Seventeenth Generation Only Son Jue].
Then Chen Yan offered the ingot candles, facing the southwest eye of the formation, holding a candle, and with a flick, a flame arrived, igniting the candle.
Once the plaque was properly worshipped, Chen Yan solemnly kneeled and bowed.
"Chen Family’s descendant, Chen Yan, offers worship to Father Venerable!"
After three bows, Chen Yan stood up and took out a stack of paper from the box.
Upon closer inspection, they were all black-paper cutouts of double happiness!
He proceeded south along the spirit tablet, his sleeve lightly waving, and aided by the Primordial Qi, the fallen leaves and dead branches on the ground automatically parted, placing the black double happiness cutouts on the ground.
One step one meter, one meter one paper.
He walked thirty-three steps, sticking thirty-three pieces of black double happiness on the ground.
This path nearly led into the deep forest.
Chen Yan turned back and looked at Gu Qingyi.
Gu Qingyi took a deep breath and took out a written record of her birth Eight Characters from her bosom, handing it to Chen Yan with both hands.
Chen Yan took it and walked to the spirit tablet, taking a deep breath.
"Harvest Auspiciousness!"
"A Gu Family’s daughter, Chen Clan’s lad, thus united and perfectly matched!"
Having said that, Chen Yan placed Gu Qingyi’s Eight Characters between his right index and middle fingers, then sent it toward the candle flame.
With a flicker, it turned to ashes.
Chen Yan shouted in a low voice.
Gu Qingyi took a deep breath and suddenly turned to walk into the forest.
The silent forest was thick with mist, the sun had set, and the sky had darkened.
Chen Yan solemnly stood in front of the spirit tablet, then took out a wine bottle, pouring it into the prepared porcelain bowl.
He dipped his fingers into the wine.
First pointing to heaven, then to earth, and then to man, respecting the three spheres of Heaven, Earth, and Man.
He reoffered the wine bowl before the spirit tablet, then Chen Yan took out the last item from the box!
It was a roll of black long silk.
He tied one end of the silk at the plaque, pressing it with his hand, holding the other end in his hand, and forcefully flinging it!
The Primordial Qi surged, the far end of the silk flew straight into the forest, appropriately aligned with the path marked by the thirty-three black double happiness!
After finishing this, Chen Yan exhaled and slowly sat down, sitting on the ground, silently waiting.
The night was inherently silent, and within the foggy forest, the air seemed thick enough to drip water; a fine layer of dew coated Chen Yan’s down jacket, even his hair was slightly damp.
It is believed that at midnight the ghost gate opens.
Although this saying is unfounded superstition, the midnight hour happens to be when the Yin Qi is at its peak and the Yang Qi is at its weakest.
Midnight, in today’s time, is between eleven p.m. and one a.m.
Chen Yan kept track of the time and stood up just after twelve o’clock.
As soon as the time passed midnight, the date turned to March 4th.
Day of the broken moon!
For great consumption, inauspicious separations!
Inauspicious for marriage, inauspicious for burials.
Foreboding misfortune!
With a whooshing sound, the long black silk that had been lying on the ground lightly floated up.
One end was tied to the plaque; along the way, it passed the thirty-three black double happiness cutouts.
One could see the other end deeply extending into the forest, and the floating black silk gently swaying.
Soon, a figure slowly emerged from the forest.
A bright red wedding dress, phoenix crown and cape, walking gracefully.
Gu Qingyi, dressed in a red wedding outfit, at this moment looked like a stunning ghost bride emerging from a film!
Gu Qingyi, in her wedding attire, gently stroking the black silk, slowly emerged from the forest, walking toward the spirit tablet.
With each step she took, the black double happiness cutouts on the ground spontaneously ignited and quietly burned to ashes...
When all thirty-three black double happiness cutouts had burned up, Gu Qingyi stood before the spirit tablet.
Chen Yan took a deep breath, unfurled the dragon and phoenix wedding invitation before the spirit tablet, and handed the Fox Tail Brush to Gu Qingyi.
Gu Qingyi received it, swiftly writing a line:
[Seventeenth Generation of the Gu Family’s Legitimate Daughter Gu...]
But before Chen Yan could see clearly Gu Qingyi’s name, she had already closed the invitation.
Chen Yan had no choice but to take the Fox Tail Brush from Gu Qingyi’s hand and pick up the other half of the wedding invitation.
"Chen Family’s descendant Chen Yan, as the Chen Sect’s offspring, witness by the law!"
After he finished speaking, he lightly bit his own index finger, dipping the pen’s tip into his blood!
Gu Qingyi had already extended her hand; a translucent golden marriage contract floated out, quietly hovering above the plaque.
Chen Yan held the Fox Tail Brush and lowered his wrist, writing on the dragon and phoenix wedding invitation:
[Seventeenth Generation of the Chen Sect’s Legitimate Son Chen...]
But as soon as he wrote the character "Chen" before writing Chen Jue’s name...
Suddenly, the translucent golden marriage contract, said to be written personally by a Great Celestial Venerable, emitted a thick surge of Primordial Qi.
This Qi weighed heavily upon Chen Yan’s wrist!
The Fox Tail Brush in his hand instantly felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, making his hand pause!
Immediately, Chen Yan’s entire Primordial Qi rapidly depleted, as if being siphoned off like a tidal wave!
Chen Yan’s face turned pale; he took a deep breath and forcefully lowered his wrist, yet he felt the Qi rapidly draining from him, and the pen in his hand grew increasingly heavy, causing him to be unable to complete the character "Jue" after writing just two strokes!