Kunlun Mountain Part 4 - The Return

Chapter 70 - Matrimony Part 3 - The Doors

The trip to Qing Qiu was a long one, and tradition stated that it must be walked, but according to Di Jun, they could cloud jump to the three quarter mark and walk the rest of the distance, but they would have to walk the entire way back.

This was because it would be evening by the time they returned and the Nuptials could not be held at night, though the banquet could.  Seeing as it was still very early morning, and it would take an hour on foot to reach her while allowing an hour for whatever might meet them when they arrived, then approximately four hours to return, they would still be back in plenty of time for the Nuptials.

Quickly turning to Die Feng, Mo Yuan asked if he had the envelopes.

"Yes Shifu. " he replied patting his robe to ensure they were there.

"How many did you make." he asked.

Unsure of how many bridesmaids would be meeting them, he chose to be cautious.  "Twenty." he replied with a grin.

"And if there are twenty one bridesmaids?" he asked straight faced which threw his first Disciple who looked back at him in horror.

"Then I guess you're going to have to get down on your knees Shifu." Zi Lan replied with a snort which earned him a round of laughter. 

Cloud jumping ahead , they all met up at the outskirts of the Ghost Lands where they then set about walking the rest of the distance.  And with that, the band struck up the grooms march while the rest set off fire crackers and loud jostling which was all aimed at Mo Yuan.

The walk was set at a brisk pace, and to the beat of several drums which the Celestials army kept up the entire way.  And with the sounds of crackers, laughter and then fireworks, the noise was horrendous, but Mo Yuan was calm and taking in the jokes and songs with as much patience as he could muster, despite the backward glances that Di Jun threw his Disciples who were all mingled in with the band and leading the singing.

To the onlookers who came out to wish him good luck, the sounds of their merriment and the sight of the banners and beautiful gowns, they all knew then who was passing them by.  Throwing handfuls of rice, the children surrounded the happy group for a while while Chang Shan handed out Kunlun candies which had them all surrounding him and joining the Disciples among the band, until Die Feng had to step in to send them home before they wandered too far away.

The closer they got,  the noisier they became.  For many of them, it would be their first visit to Qing Qiu so the excitement was building and the songs began to get raunchier even though by that stage Mo Yuan was finding it easier to block them out.  

Walking stoically and purposefully keeping his steps to the rhythm of the beat, Mo Yuans heart began to swell as the first flutterings of the wedding banners came into view.

And as the remnants of Blue Mountains rose up over the low valleys, with the banners spread far and wide, the sounds increased until it was deafening.  Fireworks exploded above their heads and fire crackers were thrown in every direction completely drowning out the band until finally they arrived at the entrance to Qing Qiu, where almost a hundred little girls were there to greet them.

Creating a guard of honour, the little girls all dressed in Forest green dresses with pastel yellow trim and looking absolutely beautiful created a path for them to follow.

Quickly taking the envelopes from Die Feng, Mo Yuan took one last look at his Disciples who were all drunk but steady on their feet.  

"Shifu, we got your back." Zi Lans eyes twinkled at him.  Whatever the bridesmaids had planned, they would help him if they could.