Laryana didn’t mind either way. She had been accompanying him the whole time and there didn’t seem to be much of a difference following him into this estate even if there was a wedding going on. Anyway, this was merely an illusion. Thus, she just silently followed Ying Zhen up the steps to the gate.

The servant greeting the guests gave them a strange look but still motioned inside. "Mister Ying, please."

Ying Zhen nodded and gently led Laryana inside. He couldn’t help but wonder about that gaze they had received. If he hadn’t known that hundreds of years had gone by since this day and it was merely an illusion, he could have believed he had returned to the past and this was indeed Chun Hua’s wedding. That gaze … clearly, it had meant that he wasn’t welcome. Not that he was surprised. This was exactly what he had expected. Even if he took Laryana along, that likely wouldn’t change.

Ying Zhen was indeed right. As soon as he and Laryana had stepped inside, the servant waved for one of the others to come over and whispered a few words, making her rush inside as well.

Laryana did not notice but Ying Zhen did. As a warrior, he always took note of his surroundings, what more when he had already been aware of the servant’s gaze before. He had even managed to catch the words that had been exchanged. Once again, they did not come as a surprise: He had told that servant girl to find Chun Hua’s soon-to-be husband.

Back then, when he had thought of stopping by to give his congratulations despite his feelings for her, he had wondered if something like this might happen. He had been friends with Chun Hua before and surely, some people had wondered if they had feelings for each other. It wouldn’t be strange for her fiance to not want him to appear before the ceremony had not been finished. After all, however unlikely it might be, he could still try to crash the ceremony and make her marry him instead.

Thinking of that, Ying Zhen couldn’t help but wonder if maybe he should also use this opportunity to inquire about her feelings. If he could catch her alone for just one moment to ask if she would have married him had he just asked, he might get his answer.

This wasn’t what kept him from moving on but it would be interesting to know nonetheless. After all, this was the woman he had wanted to propose to. If he found out that there never would have been a chance for her to accept, it might also make this easier for him because he could tell himself that he hadn’t had anything to do with her. Then again, if she hadn’t been killed that day, they might have stayed friends.

Ying Zhen wasn’t quite sure what to think when that thought hit him. Yes, he had loved her. But first and foremost, he had been her friend. To stay away on her wedding day, had it hurt her? And if things had turned out differently and she had survived, would he still have continued that relationship with her?

If it was now, he wouldn’t hesitate for a moment to say that yes, he would. But back then, he had been young and proud. The woman he loved marrying another man … he wasn’t too sure if he would have been able to deal with that. In fact, he doubted it. Yes, he probably would have stayed away. At most, he would have found a high-sounding reason as to why he did so instead of just disappearing from one day to the other and letting her know that it was her wedding that drove him to do so.

Thinking of that, he couldn’t help but smile to himself. Some kind of friend he had been. Her wedding actually would have changed everything about it. But then, he also didn’t think that her husband would have appreciated her spending time with him so maybe he wouldn’t even have needed to make a decision.

While he was lost in thought, laughter like bell-chimes sounded to the front, followed by an all too familiar voice. "Now, this is a guest I did not expect."

Ying Zhen looked up and found Chun Hua and her husband coming over, both clad in red robes. Seeing her alive, his smile turned softer. Yes, around this time, she had probably still been alive. She had probably managed to finish the ceremony as well, finally dying as his wife. But right now, that hadn’t yet happened, at least not in this illusion.

When the two of them stopped, Chun Hua looked him up and down. "I see you’ve returned in one piece. Why didn’t you come by sooner? I was worried about you."

Ying Zhen gave a hum, not quite sure how to answer this. To hear her say that in front of the man she was supposed to marry … Well, if she had already made her decision, she might not feel the need to hold her true feelings back. Otherwise, maybe she was waiting for him to question it?

He didn’t know for sure but somehow, he didn’t want to do the latter. He hadn’t seen Chun Hua that day since he had never gone in and because she had been busy with the preparations, he hadn’t seen her in the days since his return either. No, the last time he had seen her alive, had been even before he left for the battle with the gods. The next time he saw her, she had already been killed.

Now, she stood in front of him again, looking splendid in that wedding robe and the jewelry for the occasion, the bright smile and her eyes full of life and happiness. He felt as if any word about maybe not marrying this man next to her would invite the possibility for strife and he couldn’t bring himself to do that.

He knew that this wasn’t real. She wasn’t actually alive, she wasn’t actually here. It was merely an illusion. But when he left here, it would a memory of his and he wanted it to be a positive one. Yes, he wanted to remember her like this.

His smile eased and he shook his head. "You’re saying that but you were busy preparing your wedding. How could I have come to disturb you? Anyway, I’m sure your servants told you as soon as I returned. The Chun family does not stay without news for long."

Chun Hua laughed again and nodded. "You’re not wrong. I knew you were back before you had even entered the city. I was merely surprised that you did not come by but if you say it like this, I understand. I was indeed quite busy."

Ying Zhen nodded and looked around, taking in the beautiful decorations. "Well, it looks like it was worth it. I am sure this will be the kind of event everyone will be talking about for the next ten decades."

Chun Hua chuckled, probably feeling that he was just trying to humor her.

Well, it wasn’t like that was wrong. While people had talked about it for a long time, it hadn’t been out of the reason his words suggested. But then, she didn’t know. Maybe she would have thought of it in her last moments if this was reality.

Ying Zhen almost sighed when he thought of that but he kept that smile plastered on his lips as if nothing odd was going on. Yes, in this illusion, her death had not yet happened.

While he pondered, Chun Hua turned to Laryana, her eyes widening a little. "Zhen, are you not going to introduce us to your company?"

Ying Zhen was pulled out of his thoughts and turned to look at Laryana. Introduce her … "Oh, this is Laryana. I met her on my travels outside." This was the truth in a sense even if not in the way Chun Hua might expect.

Ying Zhen continued to look at her, not sure what else to say. Originally, he had figured that he should bring somebody so he wouldn’t be thrown out immediately. But come to think of it, bringing Laryana was … eye-catching.

She looked just like a demoness would but at the same time, there was a quality about her that was not from this world. Well, of course, it wasn’t. She came from the underworld after all. In fact, she was pretty sure that she hadn’t been born like a normal person. No, she had been … created. Created by Heidan himself for a purpose that he probably shouldn’t speculate about but that still gave him pause when the thought crossed his mind.

In any case, it showed. It showed in the way she carried herself, in her beauty and kindness, in the way she was dressed, and also in how she spoke. Even a woman like Chun Hua who came from a large and influential family couldn’t compare.

For a moment, he just stared. He hadn’t thought much about it but, yes, Chun Hua could not compare to her. No matter what he looked at, this woman next to him seemed superior. Bringing her to the wedding … would that be construed as a taunt?

Ying Zhen was not the only one who stared. Chun Hua and her husband also had some trouble wrapping their heads around this situation. Even though this might only be an illusion, the soul path was based on reality, on memories, and the imprints the past had left on a soul. Because of that, it was true to life and what happened here was exactly what might have occurred had things been allowed to play out differently in life.

In this case, both Chun Hua and her soon-to-be husband had known Ying Zhen and his situation. While his feelings for Chun Hua might not have been a certainty, many people had at least guessed at them. To see him come to her wedding was odd but it was even stranger to bring another woman. The thought that he might do the latter to not seem as awkward was close but there weren’t many women who would allow something like that and Laryana didn’t look the part in the least.

Just like Ying Zhen who had stopped to look at her several times on his soul path, noticing how her status should have been high, Chun Hua and her fiance noticed the same. Clearly, she was at least of their own status if not higher. In fact, the latter seemed more likely. Such a woman, she obviously wouldn’t agree to be somebody’s company for just a day and then go to a lower demon’s wedding ceremony. No, if she accompanied him, then there had to be more to this. Most likely, some feelings were involved.

Laryana did not understand what was going on and just smiled back faintly before turning to Ying Zhen. Since this was his soul path, he had to decide how to go forward. Thus, she didn’t want to say or do anything that might detract from his journey.

When she turned away, Chun Hua finally caught herself and looked back up at Ying Zhen as well. "My, I did not expect this. Laryana … that name sounds quite strange."

Ying Zhen faintly raised his brows. Right, he had not thought about that. Even though he hadn’t traveled with her for long, he had already gotten used to it so it hardly registered anymore. "She is not from Kishin, hence the name."

"Oh. I did not know there were demons on the other continents as well." Chun Hua looked back at her, wondering how that continent compared to them. Right now, she felt awkward. She couldn’t have felt less prepared if the demon king Yaarak suddenly dropped by with his wife. This woman’s appearance, it seemed to be of the same order of magnitude.