Martial World Teyvat

Getting ready for my wedding the following day was fucking hell... Ningguang had several of her retainers come dress me up in traditional Liyue attire, and they were fucking vicious old ladies.

Telling me to sit up straight like an arrow at all times, teaching me how to properly sit cross-legged on a palanquin that was in motion... Did you know that sitting inside a small carriage being carried by four strong men was bumpy as all fucking hell when they went to walk up stairs?

Did you know it was even fucking bumpier when the heights of the strong men were lopsided as hell with one corner being half a foot taller than the corner on the other side?

Thankfully that bit was just training for the wedding in case one of the carriers stumbled a bit. And actually funny enough I recognized my official palanquin carriers as members of the Millith that had taken to keeping the oversized magnums I made for the officers of the Mililith that saw Keqing kill a beast who had the same level of cultivation she had with it.

Said officers knowing the value of being able to pop a spirit beast, or abyssal monster in the face with a single shot and cripple or even kill it. Knew that my guns could be used to great effect... If they had the spirit stone-enhanced bullets anyway for hardier targets.

After a while with the training of the event done, to make sure I didn't make a fool out of myself, Keqing or the Liyue Qixing who was hosting this event. Ningguang herself arrived at my home clad in a red dress that signified her precipitation in the wedding.

"Hmm, you do clean up well." She complimented me as she took in my robe-clad form that had the images of several famous Adepti embroidered over its body.

I bowed my head and said more formally. "Ningguang, thank you for standing in for Keqing's family. Are you ready to come in?" 

She nodded and following behind me with a couple more of her retainers and a dozen guards for the image, she entered my house and we went to the sitting room which had a small shrine setup.

We both sat in front of the shrine with myself lighting a stick of incense inside the shrine with Ningguang quietly saying. "Liyue has so many orphans that the saying. 'Friendship, and mentorship is equal to bloodlines' is a legal statement... I will pray for Keqings ancestors to bless this union while you do the same for your own line."

I silently held my hands together in prayer. And mentally prayed that the parents I had in my previous life had the chance to see this day wherever they were and that they would be happy with wherever they were now.

After the brief prayer, I bowed my head to the ground in a kowtow to the shrine to seal the deal in my humility to my bloodline and Ningguang did the same beside me before we sat up and then faced each other. "Are we ready for the procession?" I asked quietly.

Ningguang nodded with a gentle smile that was filled with joy as she said softly. "Yes. Keqing herself is looking absolutely beautiful in her dress."

I couldn't help a matching smile as I held a hand over my chest as I realized I was fucking getting married. It was only dawning on me, that as I was dressed in a robe that was a cultivation artifact itself and worth more than some families made in a century.

I was getting married as I was stepping into the highly decorated palanquin that would take me to the wedding site. With the palanquin also being a cultivation artifact that could project a barrier to stop anything below a Nascent soul from attack it.

With the wedding location itself being located on the outside terraces of the Jade Chamber which had temporarily lowered itself to its landing dock to allow people of note onto its hallowed ground.

All so that once the wedding began in earnest, the Jade Chamber would take back into the sky and begin a tour of Liyue Harbor for people to watch between the events of the wedding.

"Are you nervous Jake?" Ningguang asked curiously as she sat in the seat next to me as I watched as her retainers handed out spirit stones to the well-wishers and children who watched the small parade for my wedding procession that was taking us to the Jade Chamber.

I exhaled and then spoke with a wry smile. "Of course I am, but I promised to make an honest woman out of Keqing. And this isn't nearly as scary as Arlecchino sneaking into my bedroom." I finished with dry humor.

Ningguang had no answer to that and we remained in silence until we reached the Jade Chamber with the only minor incident being a young master throwing a challenge at me for Keqing's honor...

And Ningguang just broke his legs by flexing her spiritual energy to crush him with the weight of her cultivation.

She wasn't fucking around obviously.

From there, we reached the Jade Chamber without any more issues, and once we were there the wedding truly began. As, when I came aboard the Jade Chamber, the musicians began playing and from there Keqing came out of the main door of the Jade Chamber to show herself finally.

And after three days of not seeing Keqing I felt a burning in my chest as I saw her dressed in a tight-fitting beautiful red dress that was covered in artistic and very beautiful golden embroidery.

"Jake Bariss, please come and sit beside Keqing for the tea ceremony." Ningguang spoke with more authority as befitting her who was orchestrating this whole wedding basically.

I walked over to Keqing who was likewise walking toward me and we met in the middle of a small patio that had two cushions on the ground with a small table that had a pre-made tea set with everything we needed for the ceremony.

"You are stunning Keqing." I whispered as we sat down across from one another.

And I saw a small hint of red enter her cheeks with her eyes brightening with unshed tears of happiness with her giving a soft hum in agreement as she swallowed.

From there the tea ceremony began, to signify the unification of our households and bloodlines in holy matrimony and already I could feel the powerful spiritual senses of... Dozens of powerful beings hovered over the patio as they watched with interest as Keqing first made me a cup of tea.

Once she finished the cup of tea, with both hands I quietly accepted it into my hands. And then after taking a breath, I began drinking the tea and had to hold in a shudder as it wasn't just mundane tea.

It was made out of two cultivation herbs that had a brief surge of emotional energy coming in two layers of the tea. The top layer of tea, was sweet and filled with warmth that felt like the hours I would hold Keqing in my arms and we would whisper sweet nothings to one another.

And the other half of the tea was bitter, bitter cold, filled with flares of spicy hate and frustration. Which signified the inevitable arguments people, even married ones would get into.

With the bitter layer serving as a test, should the groom or bride be unable to drink the bitter layer of emotional tea, then how could the family of the other side allow their family to be married to someone with such weak wills.

The tea itself ritually had to be drank in four measured takes from the tea-cup. Twice for each of the different flavors to make sure the message was fully received, as rushing through the tea was seen as rushing through the wedding itself.

I gently put down the tea and bowed my head to Keqing who smiled and bowed her head in turn. Then after receiving her bow I used the practice I had for the last couple of days to smoothly make Keqing her own matching cup of tea.

With her picking up the tea and likewise drinking it in measured sips and once she hit the bitter part... She drank it without a smile in her eyes as she looked at me with love in her diamond-shaped pupils.

Clapping filled the air as the wedding goer's clapped in celebration of the tea ceremony ending with the traditional Liyue music picking back up. And Keqing and I both stood up with smile as Ningguang approached for the last major part of the wedding.

Keqing and I were going to have our wrists tied together by red wedding threads taken from the same cloth Keqing's dress was made from, and then we would mingle with the guests and pay our respects.

Before we were sent to my home in another procession where we were not allowed to leave or be disturbed for three days to ensure we would have plenty of time to seal the deal as it were.