Mana 5 Chapter 31

Lanhua hung off my arm as she handed her invitation to a guard, who looked at me strangely. He might have been the same one I met earlier, or maybe he was just confused seeing Lanhua so touchy.

But I wasn’t here to impress him.

Wenxi and her mother were right behind us. Unfortunately, the invitations were limited, and the Su Family didn’t have more than two spots. None of the families did. It was to keep the numbers down and the wedding small, or as small as it could be for the leaders of the city.

I looked around, noting how the estate had changed since my last visit. Gold medallions with rubies in them hung from the leafless trees, along with red sheer streamers.

I had to admit; it did liven up the otherwise dead looking trees.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Lanhua lay her head on my shoulder like a lover. “Too bad it isn’t going to go how they planned.”

“Hush.” I berated the woman. The last thing I needed was for her to be overheard and be stopped.

Powerful cultivators were everywhere, as leaders and heirs to their ancient families gathered for Ming Feng’s wedding. They were all polite within the Feng Family’s home.

Though they likely didn’t love the Feng Family maintaining their strength. There was little they could do.

I looked around, knowing I had to socialize.

“Oh, look. That’s the Yutu family. I didn’t know they got along.” Lanhua pointed out two figures. I recognized them as Jade and her aunty, the elder that looked like a small child. The elder was dressed in a frilly dress that made the hairs on my arms stand on end.

She looked too much like a doll. It was creepy.

Guests mingled and sipped drinks, staying clear of the seating area and the stage. I had a feeling the ceremony wasn’t brief, and people didn’t want to sit longer than was necessary. Plus, this was a prime opportunity to talk with other powerful cultivators.

I was sure more than a few trade deals were hatched and bartered here. That’s what Wenxi and her mother appeared to be doing.

“Isaac.” Jade stood behind me, startling me. She’d been across the space only moments before.

“Jade, I hope I don’t have to dodge those legs of yours this afternoon.” I joked, remembering our fight.

She squared her jaw and gave me a look that told me to shut up. “That was the shard. We were opponents there. I hope that you are above blaming me for anything that happened within it.”

“Oh, a rival?” Lanhua possessively draped herself over me. “How cute.”

Jade’s eyes narrowed at Lanhua. “I don’t remember you.”

“That’s because I’m special.” She only egged the younger woman on.

“Quit it.” I chastised Lanhua. “If you want to trade barbs with her, I’ll just go have drinks with Wenxi.”

Lanhua clung tighter to my arm and put on a saccharine sweet smile for Jade.

It would have to be good enough.

“I’m surprised Ming went through with the wedding.” Jade commented, watching my reaction.

“I only got to talk to her briefly after we got back. I’m hoping to get a chance to talk to her here. But I am surprised to see you here. When did you get friendly with Ming?”

“When it was three brutish men versus us two women.” Jade rolled her eyes. “While we were waiting for everyone else to finish the mirror challenge, those three were as thick as thieves. We quickly aligned ourselves to make sure they didn’t try to pull anything on us.”

I nodded. It would have been easy for the men to group up and deem her as ‘other’, making her a target.

“Then I’m assuming they aren’t invited here?” I joked.

“Doubt it.” Jade snorted. “They wouldn’t come, even if the Feng Family sent invitations to be polite. Heck, I had to wrestle my aunty into taking me.”

I had trouble imagining Jade wrestling with her aunt, who was half her size. “Good, you came. There aren’t enough familiar faces here.”

“So, which family do you belong to?” Jade pressed.

“I’m about to marry into the Su Family, and my father is a sword saint from the outer ring.”

Jade nearly choked on her drink. “You were serious. You aren’t some secret weapon made by the Feng Family?”

I wasn’t sure what sort of cracked up theories Jade had made up about me in her head, but I was about to shatter them. “Nope. I wasn’t even born in the immortal world. I was born in a mortal world and traveled here later in life.”

“Which mortal world, if you don’t mind me asking?” Jade leaned in, curiosity in her eyes.

“Don’t know if its name will mean anything to you.” I evaded the question and changed the topic. “Which city does the Yutu family reside in?”

“Moon City.” She squinted at me, realizing I’d changed the subject. But she seemed to let it go as she looked around. “It is much prettier than here.” Her eyes landed on the leafless trees.

“I know. Even Ming says they are ugly.”

Lanhua had been silent on my arm, but she finally laughed. “They really are. No one says anything about them, though, symbolism and all.”

A loud voice broke up all the ongoing conversations in the courtyard. “If I could have everyone’s attention. Please make your way to a seat; the first two rows are reserved.”

“That’s our cue.” I said, breaking from the conversation to go sit down. I made sure I got a spot on the aisle, giving me the ability to step in when I needed to.

After the general guests were seated, a procession of important figures from the Feng Family began walking in.

Five seventh level immortals floated through the room, sitting in the front row. It was an absolutely astounding display of power.

Even the Su Family only had a single elder at the peak of the sixth rank.

Ming’s family was truly a powerhouse, and they seemed to be interested in showing that at the wedding.

“Supposedly, they have seven in total.” Lanhua whispered in my ear. “But two of them haven’t been seen for over a hundred years. People say that they might have abandoned the world, wandering the void.”

“Things like that happen?” I asked, watching as the last of the Feng Family settled into seats in the front row. As soon as the last one was seated, music kicked off, and the groom came down the aisle, interrupting our conversation.

The man was in a gold robe that had the slightest splash of red. It draped around him, flowing down to his shins. It felt old and ceremonial.

I looked him over. He was rather unassuming. Not handsome or ugly, just… plain.

Lanhua clicked her tongue. “Not much to look at.”

“Do not start.” I chided her, keeping my voice at a whisper. The last thing I needed was for her to cause problems; I was already planning to cause enough of them on my own.

The music picked up into a new song, and a young girl danced down the aisle, sprinkling petals.

When she’d reached the end, the crowd turned, looking back. But I kept my eyes on the groom.

He was stiff, formal. I was disappointed to see no smile on his face as Ming appeared. If anything, that was the nail in the coffin. That he couldn’t smile when she appeared at the wedding was all I needed to see that he wouldn’t make Ming happy.

I turned just before Ming passed me. Her eyes were scanning the crowd with a polite smile on her face. When her eyes met mine, there was the briefest moment where her smile seemed more genuine.

She was so beautiful a faint red veil covering her face, but it couldn’t hide her beauty. But then she continued past me, looking over the other guests.

“Everyone, please stand and welcome these two young lovers at their wedding.” A man in dark red robes walked up to a podium at the front.

The whole crowd stood, and I bit the inside of my lip, barely containing myself as I tried to lock eyes with Ming again. I wanted some sort of sign that me interrupting was what she wanted.

But she and the groom were holding hands and looking towards the administrator as he gestured for everyone to sit.

“We are gathered here today to join these two together, uniting and strengthening the Feng Family. It is my great honor to tie their fates together.”

He held up a long red string and paused before he tied it to their fingers. “Before we join their fates, does anyone object?”

I cursed. I knew this was my chance, and I had prepared to do it, but now that the moment had arrived, it was terrifying.

This was going to be risky. I took a deep breath and stood. “I object.”

The wedding went completely silent, except for the Yutu Elder clapping happily. “Finally, a little excitement!”

Scornful looks were cast her way, but I was thankful for her outburst. It kept at least a few eyes off me.

But I still felt the immense pressure that suddenly enveloped me, as multiple seventh rank cultivators from the Feng Family glared at me and tried to make me sit down with their auras alone.

My legs started to give underneath me, but I spoke with purpose. “I was promised any reward from the Feng Family in return for the phoenix blood essence. I choose Ming.”

Gasps filled the audience, and I was slammed to a knee by the collective force of the Feng Family elders’ anger.

“I’ll handle this.” An elder appeared behind me and put a hand on my shoulder before leaning in and whispering. “We certainly owe you for the blood essence, but you should learn when something is out of your reach.”

Realizing he didn’t know, I quickly jumped in. “Wait.” He paused, but I knew I only had a moment.

My phoenix bloodline flared to life, so rich and pure that a massive phoenix appeared behind me, blazing in the air. “There was a second drop, and I used it.” I lied.

The elder’s hand became a bone crushing vice on my shoulder as he felt my bloodline. “Impossible.”

But others had seen it as well. Murmurs rose from the first two rows of the Feng Family.

The Yutu Elder was clapping again. “Bravo! Really, I am so glad we came now. Jade, this was a fantastic idea.” Jade was doing her best to burrow herself into her chair at her aunt’s outbursts.

“Not only is this my request, but I offer the boon of adding my own blood to your family tree, rich with the phoenix bloodline.” I pushed him further.

The elders of the Feng Family had paused, the pressure from them dissipating as they realized what I was offering. This had tipped the scales, and they went from angry to contemplating.

But beyond them, the groom was fuming. He laid his hand on Ming’s arm, pulling her next to him as if to claim her.

But Ming’s eyes didn’t leave mine. The groom’s face started turning red from embarrassment and anger.

“This is preposterous. Ming is mine.” He pushed up his sleeves and drew a sword, ready to fight me. I could feel sixth rank cultivation blooming from him as well.

He must have advanced before the shard was available.

Ming, for her part, was frozen as if she was just a leaf on the breeze, waiting to see which way it would blow.

“Hold on a second.” Elder Feng stated. He was the one who had brought us to the shard, and he walked over, pulling the groom a step away from Ming.

The elder’s aura was far weaker than it had been last time I saw him. I could only assume he’d sustained serious injuries while fighting Elder Long. Though certainly not enough to impede him here.

“We shouldn’t be too hasty here. We must consider all options for the good of our family’s line.” The elder continued to ponder.

“No. I was going to marry into the main family.” The groom shouted.

I tisked. “And that shows why you aren’t worthy. Ming is incredible, but all you care about is your status. I’m here to marry Ming rather than her family.”

He realized his mistake, and I could see it in his eyes.

Ming pulled away from the groom, disappointment brewing on her face.

“We brought everyone here for a wedding. To not have one would be disrespectful.” A female elder tried to reason with the others.

The one who had his hand on my shoulder had relaxed his grip, and I stood. “Ming. This is your life. What do you say?”

She held her head high. “Sufu is right. We promised everyone a wedding.” Her eyes shifted over to the groom.

My heart dropped down into my gut, and I desperately wanted to remove the shit-eating grin the groom gave me at her words.

I’d waited too long.

“But I think a last-minute change in the groom is more than acceptable. That would serve the longevity of our family and, most importantly, make me happy.” She turned to me with a brilliant smile as my heart soared. Then she turned, looking to the elders for their approval. I held my breath, hoping they would back her decision.

But the moment was broken when the groom screamed in rage and charged me.

The Yutu elder gleefully shouted, “Fight, fight, fight!”

I expected the elders of the Feng Family to step in, but they seemed baffled. Or maybe they were curious to see what I could do.

The groom swung at me and I blocked, careful to disperse the energy of his attack up and away from the crowd. The last thing I wanted was to wreck Ming’s family’s estate. That probably wouldn’t help my chances.

Expanding my domain, I tried to protect the surrounding area and the people around us.

The groom’s own domain locked closely around him, preventing my own from affecting him as his phoenix bloodline activated, creating a faint image behind him.

“Burn!” He screamed, throwing a flaming fist that screamed forward like a phoenix’s cry.

Blocking it, I scattered the flames as my own shirt singed. Then I grabbed his arm and rolled back with him, getting my feet under his chest and launching him up and away from the seating area, where I could really fight.

“Enough.” an elder stated, finally deciding to step in. He snatched the groom by his collar. “You’ll be thrown out of the family if you keep this up. Do not dishonor us in front of our guests. You may leave.” The elder threw him high into the air and he disappeared with a twinkle in the sky.

My jaw dropped as the groom flew over the walls to another part of the Feng Family Estate. It seemed harsh, but it had saved him from really feeling my wrath. The elder had actually saved him by doing that.

“What are you standing around for, boy? Can’t you see her waiting for you on stage?” The elder chuckled in good humor.

They all seemed happy. Their moods had drastically changed after I’d displayed my bloodline. It was that same flicker of hope Ming had shown, but I was also starting to accept that there was more between us than my ability to help her out of this situation. She was mine.

I just hadn’t seen it clearly before.

As I walked back down the aisle, I couldn’t help but notice Jade Yutu giving me skeptical eyes and mouthing ‘phoenix too?’

I winked at her, realizing my secrets weren’t going to be secret much longer.

“Well, that was more exciting than I’d been expecting. I’ve never actually had somebody object before.” The man officiating the wedding smiled as I took the groom's spot and got a moment to get a good view of Ming.

Everything else faded away as I stood there holding her hand. She was beautiful, her gold and red hair curled and pulled back by the thin red veil. She wore a red dress that was fitted above the hips and had a little flare to it, rounding out and hiding her legs.

I didn’t even hear the rest of the officiator’s words as he grabbed my hand and tied a red string around my finger and then the other end around Ming’s.

The two of us were in our own little world as he spoke about the binding of fates and how we were tied together.

The ceremony ended, and I was nudged back to reality.

“You two should kiss for the crowd.” He reminded us.

I didn’t need a second reminder, pulling Ming close and kissing her passionately. Something came over me as we stood in front of the sizeable crowd.

Dipping her back, I kept the kiss going even as the crowd clapped excitedly. As I pulled her back up, she gave me a beaming smile before we turned and faced the crowd, bowing to them.

I almost stepped down before I realized our fingers were still tied together.

Ming coughed gently to remind me. “We will keep the string until tonight.”

“Ah.” I said, looking at it strangely. There was a faint trace of mana passing between it, like it was really linking us together.

As we stepped down, my eyes caught on somebody standing in the back. Normally I would have ignored the latecomer, but I was in shock. I let out a small breath.

Ming paused before the red string pulled her taunt. “What is it?”

I had trouble replying to her, my brain still trying to process what I was seeing. I’d know her anywhere.

My mother stood in the back of the courtyard with tears running down her face as she watched me. She seemed fraught with indecision.

“Come.” I pulled Ming along, dodging several well-wishers. I knew it was probably rude, but I had tunnel vision at that moment. I had to reach her, afraid she’d slip away again.

“Mom.” I grabbed her and hugged her close. Our hug felt different from when I was a child. I was over a head taller than her now. But the warmth of her hug felt the same. My eyes began to well up, being in my mother’s arms once more.

It was a strange feeling. So much time had passed between us.

I realized what was fueling her indecision. She still wasn’t sure if I would resent her for leaving me. She had glimpses from the soul fragments she left behind, but she had no idea what to expect today.

“I get it mom. I don’t hate you.”

Tears poured out of her eyes as she squeezed me for dear life before opening the hug and including Ming in it, too.

“I love you so much.” She crushed both of us, using a bit too much of her strength.

My head spun as I realized she was a seventh rank cultivator. That realization came around the same moment I felt my ribs crackle.

“Mom, you’re crushing me.” I wheezed, suddenly still feeling like a little boy in her arms.

She stopped instantly, worry on her face as she searched me to make sure I was okay. “I’m so sorry.”

Ming put a hand on my mother’s arm. “He’s been looking for you. Why don’t you come and join us at the reception? I’m sure the two of you have plenty of catching up to do.”

My mother looked past us at the Feng Family elders, a strange look on her face. “You know, two people of the large ancient families haven’t crossed blood in ages. I’m not quite sure how this will go.”

“You can only try, and that’s all I ask.” I handled my mother with kind words. She seemed a little frayed at seeing me once again.

And I was still dealing with the shock of it as well. I’d been chasing after her and dreaming of this moment for years. Our reunion had finally arrived, and I had so many questions for her.