Huí Guāng Fǎn Zhào - 回光返照

Chapter 10 - Promises, Promises, Promises

Jiang Yuming could see the large fluffy flakes of snow drifting off the mountain side. He could see the endless forest below the base of the mountain with the illumination of the full moon behind him. The air was heavy and crisp as it entered his lungs, chilling him down to the bone. He brought his hands up to his face trying to warm them with his breath, however he felt something wet upon touching his face.

Glancing down at his hands, he saw they were covered in dark red blood. Startled he stumbled backwards, before tripping on his own feet and felt himself falling into the deep snow drifts. Above him the beautiful large white moon began to turn red basking the land below in an eerie red hue.

He let out a scream as his body hit the floor, a pain blossomed from Jiang Yuming's head clouding his vision. He could hear someone calling out to him before his mind sunk back into the darkness.

-

The cultivation plane was divided into the Four Great Cardinal States and was managed by The Overseers. Each state was governed by a major sect with many different smaller sects located within each state. Songshu Pavillion in the North, Fulan Woods in the West, Ziyun Mountain in the East, and Xinghong Plains in the South. Conglong Valley was situated along the mountain range that Ziyun Mountain was located and often seen as a subsidiary by many outsiders due to their proximity.

However, everyone in the Eastern State knew that the Ziyun's Sect Master had idolized Conglong Valley's Sect Master when they were both young. The relationship between the two were like siblings and was harmonious. The students of both sects would regularly mingle together over the years.

Songshu Pavilion's Grand Elder was once saved by the founder of Ziyun Sect and both sects had tentatively engaged their children to one another. However neither side enforced this promise and it was pushed to the next generation and almost forgotten. It wasn't until recently, when Songshu Pavilion brought up the engagement that anything was done.

Ziyun's Sect Master Fu Lian had only one daughter, Fu Rourou, and was not inclined to have another child just to fulfill this promise nor did she want to marry her only daughter away. Thus, Songshu Pavilion had given way and stated that they would marry their Second Young Master into Ziyun. Ziyun's Sect Master had agreed, announcing to the world that her child was getting married. At the same time they announced that it would be Yan Lixue, Ziyan Sect Masters direct disciple that would be inheriting Ziyan Sect.

The news astonished the masses and put Songshu Pavilion in an awkward position. After all, once they were married, it would be as if Ziyun Mountain had been handed to Songshu Pavilion if Ziyun had been left to Fu Rourou. This had delayed the marriage as Songshu began to regret bringing up the engagement promise, however in a rare turn of events, both sides came to an agreement. The wedding would still proceed, only the husband would be changed to a branch family member.

This wedding had been a hot topic and the official announcement of who exactly the husband would be was still unknown. Ziyun Mountain also did not care, only stating that as long as Songshu sent some they would state that the promise was fulfilled. With such a lax attitude towards the wedding and the rarity of a husband marrying into the wife's family, all invited parties found themselves in a predicament.

One one hand, it was Ziyun Mountain's Young Miss getting married. Even if she was not going to become Sect Master, she was still a talented cultivator with many accomplishments under her belt. On the other side as an unknown branch family member from Songshu Pavilion. In the last 100 years, only one person from Songshu's branch family had possessed cultivation talent and much was unknown about the rest. Even if it was two juniors getting married and thus did not require the elders to come, they still had to give Ziyun Mountain's Young Miss some face.