TRWSB – Chapter 229 A Wedding That Shakes the Capital

At the Qi Residence.

Qi Shaofu looked at the wedding invitation in his hand and said, “After all that fuss, Zhuang Hao and Fourth Brother are finally getting married.”

He thought to himself: now that things between Zhuang Hao and Fourth Brother are settled, Shen Yuan can probably finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“What’s with Zhuang Hao? He actually gave us an ordinary invitation? I heard Yi Fan received a VIP invitation! We are Qi Shaorong’s family, after all!” Qi Shaoru said with clear displeasure.

Qi Shaofu gave a wry smile and replied, “The invitations were sent by Zhuang Hao. Just be grateful—we got any at all. If it were Shaorong who sent them, Qi family might not even get a regular one.”

Qi Shaoru: “…”

Qi Shaofu took a deep breath. Zhuang Hao had already ascended to the Saint level, and Qi Shaorong’s status had risen alongside him.

Now, the Qi family no longer posed any threat to Qi Shaorong.

Qi Shaoru said gloomily, “I heard Zhuang Hao invited many people from other countries!”

Qi Shaofu nodded. “Yes, apparently he invited people from the Zuo family, the Sea Tribe, the Commerce Alliance, and the Elves. It’s also said that while in Dilan City, Zhuang Hao even befriended a few level-nine experts…”

That day, all the inns and banquet halls in the capital were fully booked by prestigious guests.

Qi Shaoru frowned. “Are all those people really coming?”

Qi Shaofu shook his head. “Who knows? But most of them probably will.”

Qi Shaofu took another deep breath and thought to himself: The Qi family only holds a bit of sway here in Yuan Nation, while Qi Shaorong’s connections include people who could shake the entire kingdom with a single stomp.

Preparing for the Ceremony.

Yi Fan looked at Qi Shaorong and asked, “Young Master, does this outfit look okay? Should I have it altered?”

Qi Shaorong waved him off. “No need. This young master is naturally dazzling—everything I wear looks good.”

Yi Fan: “…”

Mu Tingxuan looked at Qi Shaorong and said, “Young Master, being this excellent, everyone at the wedding will probably envy Zhuang Shao and want to chop him into pieces!”

Qi Shaorong chuckled. “That’s a given. But Zhuang Hao is more famous than I am. I bet there’ll be even more people jealous of me.”

Mu Tingxuan: “…”

“Zhuang Shao invited a lot of people,” Yi Fan remarked.

Qi Shaorong nodded. “Yeah, that guy must be out of his mind—he invited practically everyone he knows.”

“If something goes wrong during the wedding, he’ll be the biggest joke of the year,” Yi Fan muttered.

Mu Tingxuan gave Yi Fan a look. “What could possibly go wrong?”

“Oh, lots of things. Like Zhuang Hao getting drunk and throwing up all over himself,” Yi Fan said.

Mu Tingxuan tilted his head. “Zhuang Shao probably doesn’t get drunk easily.”

Yi Fan shrugged. “Who knows? It could be our Young Master getting drunk and puking all over Zhuang Shao.”

At that moment, a giant Earth Bear walked in carrying a gift.

Mu Tingxuan looked at the creature and laughed. “Zhuang Shao even brought this big guy over for the wedding.”

Qi Shaorong nodded. “Yep. He thinks having such a creature around makes him look important.”

“It really does.” When Zhuang Hao brought the Earth Bear back, crowds gathered to see it.

A Saint-level magical beast wandering around the capital—at first, it terrified many.

“Young Master, is this Earth Bear really Saint-level?” Mu Tingxuan asked.

Qi Shaorong nodded. “It is.”

Mu Tingxuan looked puzzled. “But it’s never taken human form.”

Saint-level beasts can transform into humans, but since this Earth Bear never does, many in the capital doubted its rank. Still, no one could deny its overwhelming presence.

“He’s shy. Doesn’t like taking human form,” Qi Shaorong replied.

In its human form, the Earth Bear appears as a chubby, pale man with stubborn dark circles under his eyes. He finds it embarrassing, so rarely transforms.

Mu Tingxuan nodded. “I see.”

The Capital Stirs.

Tang Tianfeng frowned as he looked at his invitation. “So Qi Shaorong and Zhuang Hao are finally getting married.”

Shen Manwu smiled. “Yes. After all that, Zhuang Hao is finally marrying Young Master Qi.”

“I heard Zhuang Wu is taking this wedding very seriously—he’s busy nonstop,” Tang Tianfeng commented.

“Wouldn’t he? He chased Qi Shaorong for so long. It wasn’t easy to get him to say yes,” Shen Manwu replied.

Tang Tianfeng looked down, his father always wary of Zhuang Hao. Zhuang Hao had kept a low profile for years, but this wedding was different.

Zhuang Hao had no reservations now—he invited guests from all over and even brought back the Earth Bear.

For some reason, he let the Earth Bear roam the city to buy wedding supplies. Some shopkeepers were scared out of their minds.

The Emperor received several complaints from the City Guard, but could do nothing. Zhuang Hao’s current strength made him untouchable.

The once-balanced four major families were no more—Zhuang family now stood far above the rest.

“Seems like a lot of strange people have entered the capital,” Shen Manwu observed.

Tang Tianfeng nodded. “Of course. I heard Yoda, the sea tribe’s Nightwalker, is here. The Grand Elder of the Commerce Alliance, and even the Elven Princess too…” Their arrival attracted a massive crowd.

Shen Manwu narrowed her eyes. “Zhuang Hao really has good connections.”

Tang Tianfeng gave a bitter smile. “How could he not? He reached the Saint level before turning twenty. With that kind of talent, even if I had ten more brilliant brothers, the Emperor wouldn’t hesitate to give me the throne—if only I were like him.”

Meanwhile, Qi Shaoru and Qi Shaoxuan strolled through the streets, with Qi Shaoxuan constantly turning his head to look around.

「What are you looking at？」Qí Shǎo Rú asked.

「The elves! There’ve been a lot of elves arriving recently. They really do live up to the legend of being beautiful,」Qí Shǎo Xuān said with great interest.

Qí Shǎo Rú rolled her eyes and said,「With Qí Shào Róng getting married, every strange creature and spirit seems to be showing up.」

「Sis, look, it’s the Earthbear! I heard it’s a Saint-level beast, but it’s pretty friendly,」Qí Shǎo Xuān said, pointing to the Earthbear loudly bartering at a shop counter.

Zhuāng Qiān stood at the counter, calming the Earthbear while bargaining with the shopkeeper.

A strange look flashed through Qí Shǎo Rú’s eyes.「Zhuāng Hào really is impressive.」

Being Saint-level himself wasn’t enough—he also had a contract with a Saint-level beast. Going up against him meant going up against two Saint-levels.

「Hey, is that Qí Héng? He’s back!」Qí Shǎo Xuān said in surprise.

Following her gaze, Qí Shǎo Rú saw Qí Héng and Zuǒ Yún Fēi walking side by side on the street, laughing and chatting easily.

「I heard Qí Héng and Young Master Zuǒ got married. They seem to be doing well together,」Qí Shǎo Xuān added.

Qí Shǎo Rú huffed and muttered,「Qí Héng really got lucky.」

「Young Master Zhuāng, such good fortune,」a voice said behind him.

Zhuāng Hào, who had been shopping for supplies, turned to see Corian of the Jialan Temple.

「What brings the Hall Master here?」Zhuāng Hào asked.

「Jialan Temple plans to set up a branch in Yuán Kingdom, so I’ve come in person,」Corian replied.

Originally, Corian didn’t need to come himself, but Jialan Temple’s higher-ups figured it was better not to offend Zhuāng Hào—especially with their prior conflict—so they sent Corian to ease tensions.

「I see. Would the Hall Master honor me by attending my wedding?」Zhuāng Hào asked warmly.

「That depends on whether you’re inviting me,」Corian replied with a smile.

Zhuāng Hào laughed,「You’ve been so generous, guiding me for over twenty days. How could I not invite you?」

Corian:「……」

Meanwhile, Qí Shǎo Kāng and Shěn Yuán were walking nearby and happened to spot Zhuāng Hào and Corian chatting.

Qí Shǎo Kāng looked at Shěn Yuán in confusion,「Didn’t you say Corian and Zhuāng Hào had a huge falling-out?」

Shěn Yuán frowned,「That’s what I heard. Apparently Zhuāng Hào clashed with some people from Jialan Temple, and Corian fought him for over half a month. It was said to be a real grudge match.」

Qí Shǎo Kāng chuckled,「Looks like they’ve turned swords into plowshares. At their level, it’s better to avoid lasting enmity. Corian probably realized Zhuāng Hào isn’t someone you can afford to provoke.」

「The Hall Master of Jialan Temple, the Grand Elder of the Commerce Alliance, the Sea Clan Nightwalker… quite a few Saint-level figures are attending this wedding,」Shěn Yuán noted.

Qí Shǎo Kāng nodded,「Yeah. With so many big names, the Qí family can barely hold a candle.」

Just then, Shěn Yuán spotted two approaching figures and looked surprised.

「Aren’t those Qí Héng and Zuǒ Yún Fēi? I’ll go say hi. Want to come?」he asked.

Qí Shǎo Kāng forced a smile,「Go ahead.」

Truthfully, he felt conflicted about Qí Héng. Originally just a servant of Qí Shào Róng, Qí Héng had married into the prestigious Zuǒ family and now had a higher social standing than many young masters—including himself. He knew that Shǎo Rú, in particular, envied Qí Héng intensely.

「Qí Héng, you’re back!」Shěn Yuán called out.

Qí Héng nodded,「Of course. I had to return for the Young Master’s wedding.」

「Congrats to you and Young Master Zuǒ on your marriage!」Qí Shǎo Kāng said.

Qí Héng shrugged,「Thanks, Young Master Kāng.」

Zuǒ Yún Fēi crossed his arms and coolly scanned Shěn Yuán and Qí Shǎo Kāng.

Looking at the items in Qí Héng’s hands, Shěn Yuán asked,「Helping with wedding shopping?」

Qí Héng smiled,「Yes, though there’s not much to buy. Zhuāng Hào has already taken care of almost everything.」

「Zhuāng Hào seems really excited,」Shěn Yuán remarked.

Qí Héng chuckled,「That’s obvious, isn’t it?」