Inside the gates, the pce was brilliantly lit. The floor was white, but all the furniture was red—red tables, red chairs, red vases. Even the wine bottles and gsses were made of translucent red gss. On the crescent-shaped stage directly across the hall, a band was pying, with a blend of cello and Chinese flute, creating a lively atmosphere. The musicians, without exception, were dressed in red formal attire, holding red instruments.

  My gaze was nearly drowned in a sea of red.

  Yes, my first reaction wasn′t to see the color red, but blood-red.

  Countless "guests" who arrived earlier than us were dancing in the center of the hall, men and women, both young and old, all dressed in extravagant attire, shining brightly.

  Everyone was so immersed, so happy. Every face was adorned with radiant smiles, and their dance steps were graceful. No one paid us or Jiu Jue any attention, as everyone was fully absorbed in the sea of happiness.

  On either side of the hall, long buffet tables were den with colorful, extravagant food and drinks. Young waiters, each with identical faces, wore red vests and red bow ties, skillfully and eagerly adding food to the guests' ptes.

  Each window was adorned with the “Double Happiness", every stroke of which felt completely out of pce in this strange, neither old nor new, neither human nor yaokai, neither Western nor Eastern, ghostly pce. On the western wall, there was another massive screen nearly the size of the entire wall, broadcasting a live feed of everything happening in the hall. The swirling skirts, drifting music, and ughter all blended into a strange combination, continuously shifting through the camera′s view.

  My gaze fell to the lower left of the screen, and I was secretly startled.

  Next to the runway, there stood a spinning wheel that was as tall as two people, half golden and half bck, with an arrow-shaped pointer in the center. At the center of the wheel was a crystal-like, iridescent gem, flowing with enchanting rainbow lights, fshing in rings that spread throughout the entire hall. Under the wheel, there was an exquisitely crafted scale, with the pans and base engraved with unusual hieroglyphs. Based on my innate sensitivity to gold, I could tell that this scale was definitely made of solid gold.

  Moreover, judging by its structure and decoration, it was clear that this scale was ancient, not a newly made ornament.

  "Such a strong yaokai aura..." Jiǔ Jué looked at the glowing object in the wheel, coughing uncomfortably a few times, and then smiled softly. "This is the most unwedding-like wedding I've ever seen."

  "Yaokai aura..." Naturally, I couldn't smell anything. I just gestured toward the guests. "They probably aren't humans, right?"

  Jiǔ Jué shook his head. "Actually, they are all humans." He looked at the attendants and the Cheongsam girls passing through the hall, and added, "These ones are not, though. Silly tree yaokais."

  "I, of course, know these are not. No human would walk floating with their heels off the ground." I shot him a gnce, but then froze for a moment at my own words—non-human, with heels off the ground... I suddenly remembered a rumor. Looking again at the towering wheel and scale, they had no aesthetic beauty as "decorations" at all, only exuding a sense of harsh, almost cruel fairness and immense pressure. Standing before them, one would inevitably feel pushed toward an invisible judgment stage, awaiting a verdict.

  What an obvious yet strange sensation.

  In this hall, although the vish furnishings were everywhere and dazzling to the eyes, many of them were ten times more beautiful than the appearance of these two items, yet anyone with a discerning eye should be able to tell who the true protagonists were here.

  The wheel, the scale... the girl with her heels off the ground...

  I suddenly thought of someone. But could it be? Wasn't he always someone who existed in the "other world"?

  I instinctively tightened my grip on Jiǔ Jué's arm, about to speak to him, when I suddenly spotted two extremely familiar figures in the crowd—Pang Zi and Shou Zi, each holding a rge pte of food that was clearly overloaded, eating and ughing.

  When another beautiful woman walked by, Shou Zi's gaze stuck to her like super glue.

  What are these two ghosts doing here? Don′t they realize this is a dragon′s den and a tiger′s ir?!

  Oh right, today is “Sha Luo′s” wedding. Their boss dy is getting married, so their presence is only natural.

  It seemed they had also noticed me, and happily waddled over to greet me, saying, “Boss dy, invited Miss Mu as well? That′s great! Finally, a familiar face!”

  For these two, any beautiful woman was a familiar face, and I knew that all too well.

  But seriously, you two still have no idea you're about to meet your end!

  Shou Zi looked at Jiǔ Jué beside me, then asked curiously, “You′re Uncle Jiǔ Jué, right? Why aren′t you going in to see the boss dy? Are you afraid of neglecting the new love?” He pointed at me and smiled ambiguously.

  I spped Shou Zi's lecherous hand away, fuming, "Why don't you get lost right now?!"

  "Wow, why so fierce all of a sudden? You used to be such a graceful little girl." Shou Zi's compined, rubbing his reddened hand.

  At that moment, the wedding march suddenly began to py, and a cheer erupted from the crowd. Several rge beams of rose-colored light all shone toward the runway, which had been cking its main character.

  The lights dazzled my eyes, and the appuse tugged at my heart. All my attention was drawn to the door on the left side of the runway slowly opening.

  In that moment, I realized that the wedding dress truly is the most beautiful garment a woman will ever wear in her life.

  I stood there bnkly, watching another “me,” gently holding hands with the man who had stayed by my side for centuries, walking slowly out.

  The white wedding dress, with no excessive adornments, was simple yet exquisite. The only extravagance was the delicate diamond-encrusted waist chain, perfectly highlighting a radiance that was elegant yet not overbearing.

  The graceful body beneath the gown leaned shyly against the man beside her, slightly behind him, adopting a posture of complete submission to his lead. Her demeanor made it clear to anyone watching that, no matter what y ahead, even if it were a cliff with a sheer drop, as long as this man held her hand, she would leap without hesitation.

  Because of trust. Because of dependence.

  This kind of thought cannot be faked.

  But that woman is Mu; could she have reached such a level of refinement that she could "perfectly bance inner and outer beauty," even to the point of faking emotions so convincingly?

  Or... did something happen between her and Ao Chi that I don't know about?