A few days passed by in a blink of an eye, with only a day before the grand marriage. The entire city was decorated in red and gold. There was a row of flowers on each side of all the streets. The excitement was self-evident in the faces of the people.
......
The next day.
Sun shone brightly in the sky, spreading its warmth to the city below. Today's temperature wasn't high, and the weather was pleasant. It was as if the surrounding nature itself came to witness the wedding.
A raised platform was prepared for the occasion outside Queen Medusa's palace. Two giant thrones in the center and three smaller ones near the corner. The elders sat on the smaller ones after they showed up.
A large crowd is gathered around the platform at its center. Even so, there was no noise in the surroundings.
No one was impatient, and everyone waited for the couple to come. The elders were the same.
Soon, two figures in the sky attracted the crowd's attention, and, under the public's gaze, they landed on the platform.
Xiao Ning and Medusa wore red-colored matching wedding clothes. A five-clawed dragon was engraved on his clothes, and a dragon-shaped crown on his head in gold. A snake akin to her seven-colored heaven swallowing python was printed on Medusa's clothes.
Their eyes swept through the crowd before Xiao Ning and Medusa sat on their thrones. As they did, the one-hour-long ceremony began.
It was only natural for the eldest among the three elders to perform the ceremony.
As the ceremony continued, an elderly snake-person caught Xiao Ning's interest. But, unlike others around him, he didn't have reverence in his eyes. Instead, there was only kindness and love that only a parent has for his child.
How sharp were Xiao Ning's senses? He knew it was directed at him and not towards Medusa. This confused him. Yet, at the same time, it also reminded him of the person who used to look at him like this.
'Old Lin?' Xiao Ning thought. Although Xiao Ning kept denying it; still, he couldn't shake off the possibility.
Xiao Ning shook his head and smiled the way he used to back then.
Medusa discovered his changes, and the corner of her lips rose. She knew that old Lin had a special status in his heart. But, curiously, she also glanced from the corner of her eyes, and a trace of surprise flashed on her face.
Medusa, a dignified Dou Ancestor, couldn't check a person's strength; how could it not surprise her?
Only a handful of Dou Ancestors are present in this barren region; even in the central plains, a Dou Ancestor wouldn't be underestimated.
A trace of anxiety rose in her heart, and as she was about to make a move, "Little doll, don't worry. Today, no one can disturb your wedding."
Medusa's pupils shrank after she heard a hoarse, old voice. She looked at the feeble-looking old snake-person standing in the crowd, only to see the latter nodding.
She glanced at Xiao Ning beside her and gently shook her head.
Xiao Ning was immersed in his past and didn't pay much attention; otherwise, he would have noticed the difference.
......
It was old Lin, who posed as a snake-person. For the people with his rank, it was a piece of cake.
He followed Xiao Ning like a shadow for a long time and marveled at his growth rate.
After seeing that, Xiao Ning possessed a certain strength enough to protect himself; he quietly left to check on his sister Xiao Yu.
But how could old Lin know that the moment he left, an incident took place! Only after returning did he find out the traces of the battle.
As he was about to be consumed by his rage, old Lin sensed a trace of Xiao Ning's qi. Although it was feeble at the time, it was no doubt Xiao Ning's qi.
Since then, he has been living among the snake-people tribe. After learning that Xiao Ning and Medusa were marrying, joy replaced the anger in his heart.
......
Presently, watching his young master sitting on the throne, old Lin was reminded of the old days.
'As sharp as ever,' he commented in his heart after receiving Xiao Ning's gaze.
Xiao Ning's and Medusa's actions were not concealed from him. Even if he was willing to, old Lin couldn't step out of the shadows. 'It is not the right time,' he murmured in his heart.
......
As the ceremony ended, both the bride and groom stood from their thrones and a wave of excited cheers spread throughout the city.
Next, they stepped down from the platform, and the crowd separated in the middle giving Xiao Ning and Medusa the way. The couple walked through the central path decorated with flowers.
They reached the front of Xiao Ning's palace in no time and stopped outside. In front of them, nine people stood in a line. one after another, in a sequence, they stepped forward and fired a shot into the sky.
'Bang!' Nine dou qi shots, each taking the shape of a snake, moved elegantly in the sky. Finally, the nine snakes merged and formed a dragon, whose roar sounded throughout the city.
In the end, the dragon bursts, leaving behind many small lotuses of different colors.
No one was not mesmerized by the scene in the sky. Even old Lin in the crowd enjoyed the fireworks.
As the fireworks finished, the tribe leaders, Hua She Er, separated into two groups and bowed toward the couple.
Xiao Ning smiled. He extended his arm, took Medusa's soft hand, and slowly walked through the palace gate.
When they entered the decorated chamber, Xiao Ning and Medusa were stunned. They glanced at each other, and a trace of red flashed on their cheeks.
......
On the other side, old Lin vanished from the crowd like he never existed in the first place. He stood on top of the Xiao Ning's palace and smiled like an aged father, but his expression turned icy cold the next moment.
"It is time for me to exercise my old bones; otherwise, I am afraid I will get rusty," old Lin sneered as his figure vanished into the wind.
