The mood in the imperial capital soon began to change. From uncertainty over the disappearance of a great expert, enormous excitement was born.
While the elites gathered in the luxurious palace rented by the Gold King, the common people were not left out either, with several establishments in the Five Colors Pavilion preparing barbecues and celebrations of their own, focused on the local population.
Among the dozens of weddings already celebrated by the children of the Gold King, none had been so luxurious, and none had ever even come close to receiving the Emperor himself as a guest.
All of the Gold King’s children were in a separate area, right next to the section where theGold King’s wives and Qingyi’s wives were together, chatting animatedly.
They did not want to intrude on Meilin’s party. However, like Isabel, she insisted that they participate and be there at that moment.
Qingyi received many envious glances and even murderous intent from some of his brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law. However, he could not care less about them.
He was focused only on welcoming the guests alongside the Gold King. Meilin would soon arrive with her mother, and the ceremony would begin in a few minutes.
While greeting a new group of experts from a powerful noble family in the capital, Qingyi raised his head, hearing a long, unusual, yet beautiful sound.
The clouds above the palace parted, and four experts from the Astral Body Realm tore through the skies, landing with a crash.
Among them, a carriage descended, considerably small by the standards of this world, but of unparalleled wealth and power.
The moment it touched the ground, its doors opened, revealing a figure.
It was a man, clearly an expert from the Astral Body Realm. He was wrapped in golden robes covered with solar patterns, his powerful body standing a few inches shorter than Qingyi’s.
His hair was light blue, and his face was covered by a golden mask.
The woman beside him, the Enlightened Empress, was no different.
She was in the early stages of the Astral Body Realm and had a silver mask covering her beautiful face.
Qingyi couldn’t help but feel strange at the sight, immediately activating his draconic eyes.
’This is...’
Qingyi struggled not to show his shock, deactivating his draconic eyes immediately afterward and calming his breathing.
Both the Emperor and Empress had mana hearts beyond their Dantians. They were hidden and suppressed, but still there.
With the Emperor’s appearance, everyone fell to their knees. The musicians, servants, cooks, nobles.
The only ones left standing were the Emperor, the Empress, the Gold King, and, of course, Qingyi.
Despite this, no one seemed offended.
The Emperor’s eyes fell on Qingyi, and he took a step forward, extending his hand to the beautiful young man.
"It is not common for us to receive dragons as visitors here, let alone one as powerful and talented as this."
The Emperor smiled beneath his mask as Qingyi shook his hand.
Immediately, he sent out a small stream of Qi, probing Qingyi.
This was a special technique of his; not even experts from the Astral Body Realm were able to detect it.
But Qingyi not only detected it, he blocked it instantly.
Ignoring the shock in the eyes beneath the golden mask, Qingyi returned the Emperor’s handshake, lowering his head.
"Your Majesty does not need to praise me so much. This is just a junior who has just begun his path in cultivation." He spoke, his voice humble and low.
The Empress beside them tilted her head, looking at her husband with confusion.
Suppressing his shock and hesitation, the Emperor nodded, releasing Qingyi’s hand and motioning for everyone to rise.
"Don’t disappoint me, young man." He said, shifting his attention to the Gold King.
Qingyi just nodded, retreating and allowing his father-in-law to take care of the Emperor’s seats.
His heart was beating fast and his breathing was unstable.
The Emperor and Empress of the Enlightened Empire had mana hearts next to their Dantians, just like the Emperor of the Rose Empire.
Were they demonic cultists too? How far had the Heavenly Demon’s influence reached?
Naturally, Qingyi was concerned about all of this. He needed to get rid of this influence as soon as possible, no matter what.
But he also couldn’t make any missteps.
’First, the fox people.’ Qingyi repeated to himself, closing his eyes and walking through the guest corridors.
Powerful nobles, wealthy merchants, and great aristocrats. All of them had their eyes fixed on him, a newcomer of great talent who had not even knelt before the Emperor of these lands.
No one dared to despise him there.
Qingyi felt the gazes of all of them, and he also felt the gazes of his wives, warm and excited.
He only stopped walking when he arrived at a large platform where the ceremony would be performed by the bride and groom’s families.
In this case, as Qingyi had no family, the Gold King asked the Emperor himself to stand beside him. To everyone’s surprise, the monarch accepted.
There Qingyi waited, the hall falling silent as the band hired by the Gold King began to play, the sweet and soft chords of a skilled guzheng master dominating the ears of all spectators.
Slow and elegant footsteps echoed, and from the gates leading to the palace ballroom, two figures appeared.
One of them was the White Heron, Meilin’s mother and wife of the Gold King. At her side was Meilin.
Her face was covered by an elegant white veil, her eyes closed as she was guided by her mother.
Her dress was light blue with shades of pink and golden dragon patterns, similar to those that dominated Qingyi’s robes.
The fabric modestly hugged her perfect curves, her pale shoulders slightly exposed.
She walked up the steps leading to the platform, her eyes opening and her cherry lips parting elegantly.
With slow steps, she climbed up, stopping beside Qingyi and then kneeling in front of her father, her mother, the Emperor, and the Empress.
The time had finally come. She would finally be officially married to her beloved husband!