Wayfarer

Chapter 852: The Grand Wedding

Yanzhi walked through the old family estate where she had spent her childhood.

Her father, once a righteous and noble official, had lived a modest life despite being bequeathed a rural estate as a reward from the emperor. After her family was falsely accused of treason and executed, the estate had been abandoned and left to decay.

The old manor was overgrown with weeds, with cobwebs hanging in the eaves and moss covering the once-pristine floors. Her subordinates had done their best to clean it up, leaving Yanzhi to wander through its familiar halls. She arrived at the now-empty study, memories from her childhood flooding back.

"Yanzhi, did you draw little turtles on Father's papers again? Just wait until he comes back—you're going to get a beating!"

"Well, Father didn't buy me any peach blossom cakes! Sister, don't tell Father it was me, alright?" Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"You little rascal, you're always causing trouble! Here, I kept your favorite dish in the kitchen for you—chicken drumsticks."

"Yanzhi, try to stay out of trouble, alright? Here, I got you some candied hawthorns today."

"Next time, you can't scribble all over my papers, understand?"

Father, Mother, Brother, and Sister's voices seemed to echo in her mind.

Before she realized it, tears were streaming down her cheeks.

She walked through the manor, her gaze seeming to pierce the veil of time. She could almost see her younger self, running and laughing in this very place—a life once happy and carefree.

Now, however, she was the only one left.

Just as sorrow was about to overwhelm her, a warm hand gently clasped hers. She looked up to see Xiao Nanfeng standing beside her.

With tenderness in his eyes, he brushed the tears from her cheeks and said softly, "I'll be with you for the rest of your life."

A surge of warmth filled Yanzhi's heart. She threw herself into Xiao Nanfeng's arms and cried freely, letting his embrace soothe her aching heart. Gradually, her grief was replaced by a deep, fiery love.

When she finally calmed down, she tilted her head up and met Xiao Nanfeng's gaze. Unable to contain her emotions, she leaned in and kissed him.

Xiao Nanfeng, moved by her deep affection, returned her kiss.

The two shared a moment of passion, pouring their love and trust into the embrace. Time seemed to stand still until Yan Zhi, breathless, had to pull away.

"You must have appeared in my life thanks to Father and Mother watching over me from the heavens," Yanzhi murmured, her voice trembling with emotion.

Xiao Nanfeng gently stroked her hair and replied, "It's true. The heavens brought me here for you, just as they brought you to me. I don't want to go back to where I came from. Having you is enough."

Nestled in Xiao Nanfeng's arms, Yanzhi's eyes sparkled with gratitude and love.

After a long embrace, Xiao Nanfeng broke the silence. "I've already found the remains of your father, mother, brother, and sister. I've buried them all in your father's hometown—but we can't pay our respects right now. We have to leave immediately."

"What's wrong?" Yanzhi asked. Then, she belatedly noticed the turmoil in the sky above the capital. "The emperor—he's dead?"

"I killed him," Xiao Nanfeng replied matter-of-factly. "Before his death, I intercepted the edicts he was sending to the various feudal lords. In each one, I declared in his name that, in the event of his unexpected death, the recipient of the edict was to succeed him as emperor. Dahuang will quickly fall apart. Soon, there'll be no shortage of self-proclaimed emperors."

Yanzhi's eyes widened. "What?"

"Xuan Kun is too powerful for us to assassinate just yet. He's been consolidating his forces and will likely have military leaders swear fealty to him as the new ruler soon enough. I've created this chaos to pit the feudal lords against Xuan Kun's forces, buying us time to return to the Phoenix Army, rally our troops, and establish our own faction to contend for the empire."

"But isn't that going to plunge the realm into chaos?" Yanzhi asked, frowning.

"You're worried about the suffering of the people, aren't you?" Xiao Nanfeng asked gently. "The truth is, Xuan Kun has been planning this coup for years. Conflict between him and the feudal lords will be inevitable. The longer this drags on, the more the common people will suffer. I've only expedited the process—we'll make this end as quickly as we can. Besides, we've been preparing for this moment. With the Phoenix Army and our assassins' guild, we can end this war faster than anyone else."

Yanzhi hesitated, but then nodded. "You're more suited to lead than I am. Why not take the throne yourself?"

"This world belongs to you, and you have to be its ruler. I'll stand by your side and support you every step of the way. Don't let my efforts go to waste."

Yanzhi's eyes reddened with emotion as she nodded firmly. "I won't."

The two cultivators and their subordinates secretly left the capital.

As news of the emperor's death spread, Xuan Kun's plans to seize control of the empire were thrown into disarray. Everyone believed that he was responsible for the regicide. Before long, feudal lords across the land began to rise up in rebellion.

Emboldened by Xiao Nanfeng's scheme, each claimed to have received an imperial edict naming them the rightful heir.

"Damn it, who did this?" Xuan Kun roared, his face twisting with rage.

Though he quickly seized control of the capital and imposed his rule, the chaos had already reached a tipping point.

Rebellions erupted across the land, and the feudal lords clashed with the governors loyal to Xuan Kun.

Meanwhile, the Phoenix Army, under Yanzhi's leadership, grew into a formidable power.

Xiao Nanfeng worked in the shadows, assassinating key enemy leaders and sabotaging opposing factions.

Within three months, as Xuan Kun and the feudal lords exhausted themselves in bitter warfare, the Phoenix Army emerged as a dominant force. When the dust began to settle, the truth became undeniable.

"How is this possible?" Xuan Kun muttered, his voice trembling. "She's just a girl. How can she be so skilled at commanding armies?"

The feudal lords, too, were shocked. But by the time they realized the threat posed by the Phoenix Army, it was too late. Disorganized and weakened, they were no match for Yanzhi's united and disciplined forces.

The Phoenix Army quickly conquered one army after another as it swept across the empire of Dahuang like a rising sun.

"This is impossible. Where are they finding these assassins? How can they be so powerful? Are our men completely useless? The army hasn't even arrived, but our commanders are already dead! Someone explain this to me!" Xuan Kun roared in frustration.

Even so, no amount of shouting could change the situation. The Phoenix Army was simply too formidable. By the time another two months passed, the Phoenix Army had claimed a third of Dahuang's territory.

With the collapse of the feudal lords and Xuan Kun's forces, Yanzhi formally declared the rise of the new kingdom of Danan.

'Nan' came from Xiao Nanfeng's name.

Though Xiao Nanfeng avoided taking on an official position, Yanzhi wanted the world to know that this empire belonged both to her and to Xiao Nanfeng.

Xiao Nanfeng himself was deeply moved by Yanzhi's gesture.

Both Yanzhi and Xiao Nanfeng were driven by a shared goal: to bring peace to the land as quickly as possible.

The kingdom of Danan advanced like a storm. Yanzhi and Xiao Nanfeng were both extraordinary talents, and they wielded their expertise in both cultivation and military strategy with unparalleled skill.

The assassins' guild operated in the shadows, and Danan in the open. Together, their coordinated efforts swept through city after city.

In every region they conquered, the war-weary people were well cared for under Xiao Nanfeng's meticulous planning. Many came to realize that life under Danan was far better than it had ever been under Dahuang.

Within two months, nearly half of Dahuang's territory had fallen to Danan.

Xuan Kun smashed countless teacups in his fury; many feudal lords were paralyzed with fear.

Some chose to join forces with Xuan Kun, but many more defected to Danan. Within another month, two thirds of Dahuang's territory fell to Yanzhi's control.

The Phoenix Army fought battle after battle, crushing every opponent with devastating precision.

Three months later, Xuan Kun's remaining forces had been completely dismantled. The final confrontation took place at the former capital of Dahuang.

Standing atop her imperial carriage, Yanzhi glanced coldly at Xuan Kun, whose bloodshot eyes betrayed his desperation. "Xuan Kun, you finally know who I am, don't you?" Yanzhi said with a mocking smile.

Xuan Kun's expression twisted with regret and rage. "It's you, you little wretch? I should have spared no expense to hunt you down after killing your father, you wretched brat!"

With a furious roar, Xuan Kun charged forward.

"Kill him!" Yanzhi commanded icily.

With a loud battlecry, Dahan's generals surged forward.

It would be beneath Yanzhi's station to personally fight someone like Xuan Kun. There were plenty of generals serving under her who were eager to claim the glory of defeating him.

The battlefield erupted into chaos as Yanzhi and Xiao Nanfeng watched calmly from atop an imperial carriage.

The surrounding officials were no longer surprised by Xiao Nanfeng's presence. They all knew about the origins of the kingdom of Danan and dared not question his involvement.

After a fierce battle, Xuan Kun was gravely wounded, his tricks exhausted. He could no longer resist; Danan's forces closed in on him.

"No!"

Xuan Kun screamed as his head was severed from his body.

The battlefield erupted in victorious cheers.

"Enter the city!" Yanzhi declared.

"Enter the city!" the soldiers echoed, their voices thunderous.

Xuan Kun's remaining subordinates quickly surrendered, not daring to resist further.

At least, the entirety of Dahuang's lands fell into the hands of Danan.

At the same time, the kingdom of Danan began to amass power to elevate itself into an empire.

For the first time in years, Yanzhi and Xiao Nanfeng could breathe without the urgency and pall of war hanging over them. Together, they traveled to Yanzhi's family's ancestral home, accompanied by a host of followers, to visit her parents' and siblings' graves.

In the tranquil cemetery, the two carefully cleaned and tended to the graves as they burned incense and paper offerings.

Xiao Nanfeng knelt solemnly before the graves.

"Yanzhi's father, mother, brother, and sister, I humbly ask for your blessing. Please entrust Yanzhi to me. Allow her to become my wife. I promise to cherish her for my entire life. I will never let her suffer any harm or sadness. Together, we shall be forever united in love."

Xiao Nanfeng kowtowed deeply three times.

Yanzhi, her eyes red with emotion, knelt beside him. "Father, Mother, Brother, Sister, from now on, Nanfeng will take care of me in your stead. I will live a good life with him. Please rest assured."

The two kowtowed three more times before rising together.

Then, as they returned to Danan's capital, they held a grand wedding.

The ceremony was extravagant and drew admiration from the entire realm. Countless officials and civilians alike sent their blessings.

When the festivities concluded, the two finally retired to their bridal chamber.

Xiao Nanfeng lifted Yanzhi's red bridal veil, revealing her radiant beauty in the soft candlelight. Her elegance left him utterly captivated.

"My wife, from today onward, we'll walk through life together. Never shall we part," Xiao Nanfeng said tenderly, offering her a cup of wine.

Yanzhi's eyes glowed with affection as she took the wine. The two drank from their cups, sealing their union. Then, as they sat down their cups, Xiao Nanfeng scooped Yanzhi into his arms. Their gazes met, filled with love and longing.

The drapes on the bed were unpinned and the candlelight dimmed as their clothes were discarded. The ornate bed began to rock rhythmically, bearing witness to their consummated love.