Above the Great Dao

At dawn, two suns hung in the sky, with the moon also shining brightly, emanating a radiant glow.

Though it was the celebration of the top scorer, everything was kept simple. By noon, Little Dun Fairy was placed in the sedan and carried into the gate of the Chen Family. Then came the banquet for the guests, with the opera troupe performing vigorously. As dusk approached, it was the time when Yin Yang Qi intermingled, thus it was called a wedding; this was the auspicious hour for the ceremony.

Chen Shi went to the sedan to hold Little Dun Fairy's hand but was slapped on the hand by Granny Wu Zhu, who handed him a piece of red silk, instructing him to use it to guide the Fairy out of the sedan to the ceremony.

The ceremony involved bowing first to the heavens, then to the parents, then bowing to each other, and finally entering the bridal chamber—simple as that.

Chen Shi and Little Dun Fairy were ushered into the bridal chamber, which was indeed a moon gate with a red frame, draped with red silk.

Inside the moon gate, the bridal chamber was arranged with a bushel of grain representing a bountiful harvest. In the corners by the window, two copper mirrors were placed—one was the Demon Mirror, and the other the Evil Mirror—to reveal the true form if an Evil Spirit or Demon disguised as the bride or groom.

Granny Yu Zhu took down the bow and arrow hanging on the chamber wall and instructed the groom to bend the bow and shoot the white tiger, chanting: "One shot to ward off Heavenly Disaster! Two shots to avert warfare! Three shots to startle Evil Spirits and Ghost Gods! Four shots for the officials to find peace!"

Chen Shi shot four arrows, someone took them, re-hung the bow on the wall, and said: "Hang it here for Evil Exorcism."

Then the village children dashed in, jumped onto the bed, and grabbed the wedding sweets, red dates, and peanuts off the big red mandarin duck quilt, shouting: "Offspring soon, happiness and sweetness!"

After the joyous chaos, the village elders started ushering people out, clearing out the outsiders from the bridal chamber, and Granny Wu Zhu stayed to the last, secretly handing Chen Shi a yellowed book, whispering: "If the lord doesn't know what to do, follow the method taught in the book! Remember, remember!"

Chen Shi laughed: "I'm the top scorer, what is there I don't understand?"

Granny Wu Zhu put down the curtain on the moon gate and closed the outer door, leaving only Chen Shi and Little Dun Fairy in the bridal chamber.

Chen Shi looked at the Fairy sitting beside the bed in the phoenix coronet and red robe, his heart racing, feeling his lips dry and mouth parched.

"My Peng Jue, surely casting spells behind my back..."

He sat by the bed, with the beauty beside him, dressed in red, only her snow-white jade-like hands exposed.

However, as Chen Shi looked over, he could still see the neck and face beneath the red veil tainted with pink.

Little Dun Fairy's body was somewhat stiff, her heart pounding, feeling the top scorer lord's seat inching closer to her.

"From today, I am his wife," she thought, feeling both sweet and anxious.

Her tense mind was dizzy, the red veil covering her face and obscuring her view of what Chen Shi was doing.

Suddenly, Chen Shi's face appeared under the red veil, startling her.

Chen Shi smiled broadly, revealing two rows of white teeth: "Are you nervous?"

Little Dun also burst into laughter, nodding her head.

She almost pulled down the red veil, but remembered Granny Wu Zhu's instructions that the bride shouldn't remove her veil herself; it was unlucky and against wedding customs for the groom not to unveil it.

She pointed at the veil, and Chen Shi realized, using both hands to grasp the drooping corner of the veil, and gently lifting it, revealing a pair of red lips.

Chen Shi's heart pounded wildly again, as he continued to lift.

The face beneath the veil was so beautiful, her skin like cream, pure and flawless, with a delicate and upright nose, reminiscent of the fabled Immortal, with no visible skin texture or pores.

She, shy and timid, lowered her gaze, only slowly opening her eyes and meeting Chen Shi's gaze once the veil reached her eyes.

Their gaze met, and Chen Shi felt his heart skip a few beats, then suddenly pounding.

In this moment, the beauty was exquisite.

Surely it's Peng Jue, crazily knocking on his heart, making his heartbeat so fast.

Surely it's Peng Jue whispering seductively in his ear, tempting and beguiling him, making him easily forget the impending great evil change in the world, forget cultivation, forget the mystical way.

He stared for a long time, suddenly kissing the girl opposite on the red lips, soft and warm, like carrying a hint of sweetness, a taste never indulged before.

Little Dun's body softened, her breathing difficult, feeling she gradually lost all strength, unknowingly falling onto the big red mandarin duck quilt.

"Heart... fast... dying..."

She gasped, saying, word by word.

The heartbeat was too fast, so fast it felt like dying. That's roughly the meaning.

Chen Shi climbed on top of her, Little Dun made an effort to push him away, but remembering that when panicked in the Upper Realm she once pushed Chen Shi, who lay recovering for days, dared not push again.

"I don't know what comes after."

Chen Shi suddenly lay beside her, laughing, "Scholar Zhu never taught me this in those books. Do you know the next step?"

He turned sideways.

Little Dun also turned sideways, their faces facing, very close.

"Book." Little Dun said.

Her breath steadied, showing an unfathomably powerful cultivation. Chen Shi admired her immensely, his heart still racing.

"Right! The book Granny Wu Zhu gave me!"

Chen Shi fetched the yellowed book, noticing half the cover was frayed, uncertain whether from frequent browsing or eaten by pests, it bore the words "In the room," likely still having one or two words that got worn away.