The great hall was packed with Open Heaven Realm cultivators from the various Great Cavities and Blessed Lands, all there for the spectacle.
Upon hearing the Six Wood Divine Lord's words, many of them couldn't help but muse inwardly. The Three Bows ceremony was a time-honored tradition, unchanged since antiquity — could something really be amiss here?
Sure enough, the Six Wood Divine Lord turned to Yang Kai and continued, "However, one of your wives has spoken up. She says you still have a few other companions who are occupied with urgent matters and can't make it in time. If they all bow to you in ceremony today, it wouldn't be fair to those who are absent."
The moment these words left his mouth, numerous shocked gazes snapped toward Yang Kai.
These Open Heaven Realm cultivators from the Great Cavities and Blessed Lands didn't necessarily know Yang Kai well, so how could they know how many partners he had? But just standing beside him right now were six — and apparently there were still more who hadn't arrived?
This kid was truly blessed when it came to fortune with women! What was even more remarkable was that these partners actually considered each other's feelings. Did this fellow really possess that much charm?
"Besides," the Six Wood Divine Lord went on, "your parents are not present either. So today we'll skip the Three Bows ceremony altogether. We'll just go through the motions — bring the brides over, and you can properly organize the wedding yourselves later!"
No ceremony? Yang Kai was momentarily stunned. He had been completely in the dark about today's arrangements and had simply been going along with things up to now. But with his parents absent and Su Yan and the others not here either, holding the ceremony in this place really wouldn't be quite appropriate.
As for the Six Wood Divine Lord's mention of one of his wives speaking up, Yang Kai suspected that was Jade Ruyi. It was likely the consensus of all the others as well.
"What say you, young man?" the Six Wood Divine Lord asked, looking at Yang Kai.
"Naturally, I shall comply!" Yang Kai replied respectfully.
The Six Wood Divine Lord nodded. "Good. Then come, come — escort the brides to the bridal chamber!"
Skipping the ceremony and sending the couples straight to the bridal chamber — even Open Heaven Realm cultivators who had lived for countless ages had never witnessed such a novelty. Cheers erupted from all sides, and Yang Kai could only cup his hands in a plea for mercy.
After settling each of the six women down one by one, Yang Kai — dressed up like a boiled crab — was dragged back out. At the Lingxiao Palace grounds, a grand banquet had already been laid out. Everyone still in the Black Domain, regardless of their origin, was welcome to attend.
The feast stretched across hundreds of tables!
The moment Yang Kai showed his face, Yang Xue pulled him away to make the rounds with toasts.
There was no helping it. The number of High-Rank Open Heaven cultivators from the Great Cavities and Blessed Lands in attendance was considerable, and every single one of them was his elder. Especially the masters of the sects that Jade Ruyi and the others had joined — even those Divine Lords had come in person. As the junior, it would be completely inappropriate for him not to face them and offer a toast.
There was no way to be slipshod under the watchful eyes of Open Heaven Realm masters, so he drank every cup clean without hesitation.
One table after another, toast after toast — even with Yang Kai's profound cultivation, his head began to spin and stars danced before his eyes.
In the end, out of desperation, the Great Emperors stepped in to help, shielding Yang Kai from a fair portion of the alcohol.
It took the better part of the day before everything was finally wrapping up. The Six Wood Divine Lord walked over and patted Yang Kai on the shoulder. "Alright, there's nothing more for you here. Go keep your wives company. A wedding night isn't something you should let the newlyweds spend cold and alone. But you'll certainly have your hands full today."
As he spoke, he shot Yang Kai a cheeky wink, wearing an expression that said everything without words. Yang Xue, who had been standing by Yang Kai's side the whole time, flushed crimson.
"Ah, the Divine Lord speaks truly! I'll go, I'll go!" Yang Kai slurred in his drunken haze, then cupped his hands toward all around and called out loudly, "Elders, please make yourselves at home! This junior is off now to tame dragons and subdue tigers!"
Laughter erupted all around.
Yang Xue hastily grabbed Yang Kai's arm and dragged him away at a run. She could see that her big brother was genuinely a little drunk — perhaps it was the joy in his heart, because he never would have let himself go like this otherwise. But he really couldn't stay any longer. Who knew what other inappropriate words might slip out if he lingered here?
At the Lingxiao Palace grounds, within the inner hall — Yang Xue led Yang Kai inside, thought for a moment, and then asked, "Big brother, who first?"
It was a fair question. After all, he had brought back six of them at once. The order was something Yang Kai would have to decide for himself.
Yang Kai wiped his mouth, brimming with heroic ambition. "Your Sister Ruyi Dream, of course!"
That woman had been talking about packing up her things and remarrying. Today, he'd let her know exactly what he was capable of!
"Oh!" Yang Xue acknowledged, and led Yang Kai toward Jade Ruyi's quarters.
When the six women had been settled in earlier, Yang Xue had been right there, so she naturally knew where Jade Ruyi was. Six courtyards stood in a row, all decorated with festive splendor — this was where the six brides would be temporarily staying.
The first courtyard belonged to Jade Ruyi. They walked through the gate and up to the bridal chamber, where someone stood guard outside. After all, it was the bride's wedding day, and her movements would be somewhat restricted — someone needed to be on hand to attend and serve.
Standing outside Jade Ruyi's door was none other than Yue He.
Yang Kai let out a drunken burp, his eyes widening. "What are you doing here?"
Yue He offered a graceful curtsy, smiling sweetly. "Reporting to Young Master — today, I am Madam Ruyi's handmaiden."
Yang Kai clicked his tongue in surprise, but considering that Lingxiao Palace was currently short-handed, he could understand the arrangement.
"Thank you for your trouble!" Yang Kai said, and moved to step inside.
But Yue He didn't move aside. She blocked the doorway.
"What's this?" Yang Kai looked up and studied her.
Yue He dipped in another curtsy — acting the part of a maidservant to perfection — and replied in an unhurried tone, "Madam Ruyi says she is in a poor mood today. If the Young Master has come, she requests that he go somewhere else and look around!"
Yang Kai stared in disbelief. "How could anyone be in a bad mood on such a joyous day? What kind of joke is that?"