Chapter 83.2 The Other Shore
Meng Wan, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, along with the Four Great Judges, were overwhelmed with work. The single dogs, having no divine authority, were left to handle the preparations for the wedding. Except for the Black and White Impermanence who were mercifully let off by King Yan to go on their honeymoon a few days ago, all the other subordinates were roped in to help arrange the wedding, making sure to pull off an extravagant affair.
Meng Wan, though exhausted, was gratified. The cp she had been shipping was finally getting married. This was the ultimate achievement for any shipper.
The night before the wedding, Thanatos received his wedding attire.
Yanluo presented a brocade box and told him to open it. When Thanatos lifted the lid, he found a neatly folded red robe inside.
He unfolded the garment and was struck by the sight of a traditional Chinese wedding outfit. The fabric was soft and luxurious, while the design was breathtakingly elegant. The clothes felt heavy in his hands because of the detailed embroidery.
The large sleeves and the back of the robe were embroidered with vivid, blooming red spider lilies, while dragons danced among clouds on the shoulders.
What amazed him further was that if he flipped the garment over, there were no loose threads anywhere. The red spider lilies transformed into luxurious peonies, and the golden dragon in the clouds turned into a phoenix. It was actually a double-sided embroidery.
Thanatos was momentarily speechless from the shock. Poseidon had once asked Yanluo to purchase many traditional Chinese wedding robes, each beautiful in its own right. Thanatos had also wanted one, but had been too shy to ask. But the robe Yanluo had gifted him was far beyond any of the ones he had seen before.
“The best, of course, is for our little reaper,” Yanluo said with satisfaction, watching Thanatos’ awestruck reaction. “I sewed every stitch myself. Beautiful, isn’t it?”
Thanatos was even more astonished. “Y-you sewed it?”
“You didn’t remember my words again. Didn’t I tell you that I know how to embroider and that I would embroider one for you? You think I would lie to you?” Yanluo raised an eyebrow. “In ancient China, brides would sew their own wedding garments. But since you can’t sew and I couldn’t bear to let you prick your fingers, I made this for you instead. I even helped you with your wedding shoes. So, what do you think? Aren’t I the most considerate husband?”
A pair of exquisite red wedding shoes appeared before Thanatos. The day Yanluo had taken him to the shopping mall to buy shoes, he had personally helped Thanatos try them on and learned his shoe size. Since then, after holding him every day, Yanluo had become so familiar with his body that the clothes and shoes he made were a perfect fit.
Thanatos was overwhelmed with surprise. He was unable to even respond to Yanluo’s self-proclaimed title. “But where did you find the time……”
The dress was so beautiful, and the craftsmanship involved was an enormous undertaking. He and Yanluo had been practically inseparable, but he had never seen Yanluo do any needlework.
“How could I not have time?” Yanluo replied. “Every night, after you fall asleep, I’ve been embroidering clothes for you.”
Thanatos: “……”
At night, he would usually fall into a deep sleep after being thoroughly exhausted by Yanluo, but Yanluo still found the energy to embroider……
Thanatos could only muster one word: Impressive.
—
The next day, the grand wedding took place.
No one would dare to not show respect for Yanluo’s wedding. The guests attending were even more numerous than those at the Black and White Impermanence’s wedding, and each one was more distinguished than the last. The gifts they brought were equally extravagant.
Yanluo spared no expense. The wine served at the banquet was a millennium-old vintage, the fruits served before the meal were nine-thousand-year-old flat peaches, and the ingredients for the dishes had all been grown in spiritual paradises filled with auspicious energy. Not only was the underworld hosting a lavish feast, but the whole Yanluo community also laid out a three-day banquet. The spirits and demons who attended found their cultivation enhanced by the feast, and they all expressed their gratitude to King Yan for his rare generosity.
The underworld lacked the sun and moon, its light dim and cold, but it was adorned with luminous pearls. Large, glowing night pearls filled every corner of the underworld, and even the roadsides of Yellow Springs were lined with streetlights made from these glowing jewels, illuminating the eternal night as bright as day.
The evil spirits in the river had recently been fiercely suppressed by Yanluo, not allowing them to wail on this joyful occasion. Now, the river was dotted with floating lanterns, and the ferryboats were decorated like painted pleasure barges. The streets were paved with white jade, and the ancient, charming city radiated the splendor of a prosperous golden age. Every palace in the underworld was draped in red silk and adorned with lanterns, filling the realm with an air of festive celebration.
Hypnos’ golden eyes reflected the festive scene of the underworld. “King Hades, I think we’ve lost.”
They had worked hard on the Western-style wedding for Thanatos, but it couldn’t compare to Yanluo’s indulgent opulence.
Hades remained silent, tacitly agreeing.
Hypnos sighed with relief. “It’s great. Thanatos will surely be happy.”
On the other side, Nyx’s gaze was both reassuring and tinged with sadness as she wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye.
Erebus gently patted her shoulder in comfort.
—
Just when the gods thought they had seen enough, the most stunning scene unfolded before them.
Yanluo and Thanatos appeared, hand in hand, both dressed in magnificent red wedding garments.
Yanluo’s handsome features were bewitching and enchanting against the backdrop of the crimson robe. But it was the sight of the young man in red beside him that truly stunned them.
The combination of Chinese attire and Greek features created an unexpectedly stunning effect. The wedding robes, adorned with large blooming red spider lilies, draped over the silver-haired youth, blending the cool elegance of the East with the vibrant brightness of the West. The sight was an indescribable visual shock.
Yanluo held Thanatos’ hand as they walked into the grand hall to perform the wedding rites.
Yanluo didn’t bow to the heavens and earth. Instead, he gave a slight nod to Nyx, and then, together with Thanatos, they performed two bows to each other.
Thanatos had watched the wedding rites of the Black and White Impermanence before. He had quickly learned the traditional Chinese customs without needing to be taught. The only issue was that during their rehearsal, the long hem of his wedding robes kept tripping him up, causing him to fall into Yanluo’s arms.
Thankfully, there were no mishaps this time.
None of the gods dared to toast Yanluo excessively, nor did any have the audacity to make a scene in the bridal chamber. Once the ceremony was complete, Yanluo happily pulled Thanatos to their bridal chamber, while their subordinates took care of the guests at the banquet.
Bridal chamber. Warm lotus-flower curtain.
Thanatos looked at the wine that Yanluo handed him, intending to down it in one gulp, but Yanluo gently stopped his hand.
Holding the cup, Yanluo smiled and said, “Little Reaper, the nuptial wine in the East isn’t meant to be drunk like this.”
Thanatos froze, a trace of confusion flickering in his eyes.
Then how should it be drunk?
Yanluo slipped his hand through Thanatos’ arm, pressing his lips to the wine cup as his eyes locked onto the young man. His voice was low and husky as he whispered, “……like this.”
The distance was so close that the warmth of Yanluo’s breath made the young man’s face and ears burn. Thanatos, mimicking Yanluo, drank the ceremonial wine, but feeling awkward, he muttered, “Okay, okay, it’s done.”
Yanluo’s lips curled into a smile. “Still so shy on our wedding night? How will we spend a candle-lit night in the bridal chamber later?”
Thanatos clenched the hem of his wedding robe. “……It’s not the first time.”
As for spending a candle-lit night in the bridal chamber, Yanluo had already achieved it many times under the guise of teaching.
Yanluo’s eyes sparkled. “Then your husband won’t hold back.”
……
“Little Reaper, let me teach you a word: ‘Husband.'” [夫君 (fū jūn) is a traditional and respectful term used by a wife to refer to her husband, often carrying a tone of affection and reverence.]
“H-Husband?”
“Yes, now say it again.”
“Mm, husband……”
The wedding robe, embroidered with large red spider lilies, had slipped partially off, revealing the smooth, pale expanse of the young man’s back. Yanluo kissed the back of Thanatos’ neck, his voice soft as he murmured, “Little Reaper, humans have spun many tragic tales about the flower of the other shore, but it holds no real meaning.
“It is merely the incarnation of karmic fire. Although I have tamed it now, whenever I recall the torment of being consumed by that fire, the pain still lingers.
“I suddenly want to give it a different meaning. From now on, whenever I see red spider lilies, I won’t think of my suffering but rather of my fortune.”
Thanatos asked, “What do you mean?”
“I once struggled against the Heavenly Dao, and I was destined to live a life of solitude. It could no longer interfere with my marriage, nor could I write a love story for myself out of thin air. Yet how fortunate I am—”
Yanluo leaned down and kissed his red lips.
“To meet a lover from across the ocean.”
Thanatos was an unexpected twist in his fate.
He had never believed in destiny. But when the Western God of Death traveled thousands of miles to China and met the Eastern King of Hell on the night of Zhongyuan Festival, two immortals who were never meant to cross paths now stood side by side for eternity.
For the first time, he believed in fate.
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