After Miyashiro and the groomsmen filed into the Liyue embassy, the commotion within the embassy never ceased for the next half hour.
The bridesmaid group, led by Ningguang and Miko, set up heavy obstacles on the only path to Shenhe's room. Only after Miyashiro had gone through immense hardship to finally see Shenhe did he truly realize that he seemed to have found Itto's true employment market; a reckless brute of a groomsman like him was absolutely a rare yet vital existence in the groomsman world.
It was just a pity that, after this battle, the tall and mighty Itto had already collapsed on the ground unconscious, having triggered an allergic reaction after being tricked by Miko into eating fried tofu, and was eventually dragged away by a helpless-looking Kuki Shinobu.
As for Gorou, due to his fox phobia, he suffered a series of stress reactions and ended up being teased at will by Miko with a look of despair on his face.
In the end, Miyashiro had to deploy the "nuclear weapon": making Cyno tell cold jokes. Alhaitham, who knew the truth, immediately put on his noise-canceling headphones upon seeing this, doing his best to block his hearing.
At first, everyone didn't take it seriously, thinking, "What kind of nuclear weapon is a cold joke? What can it do to me?"
But after a few cold jokes, not only did they obediently surrender, but the lively atmosphere in the venue instantly turned cold.
It was truly a disastrous move that killed ten thousand enemies while losing eight thousand of one's own. To avoid affecting the subsequent proceedings, everyone unanimously decided that Cyno must absolutely not be allowed to continue.
However, truth be told, all the difficulties and obstacles encountered along the way were worth it the moment he saw Shenhe, who was dressed in his finery.
Shenhe's beauty was innate, primarily driven by his temperament, with makeup being secondary; even when meeting without makeup, there would be a fresh sense of beauty.
Now, with the addition of his attire and makeup, combined with his exquisitely cold face, Shenhe instantly gave people a sense of unapproachable nobility. Yet, the moment he saw Miyashiro, the slight curve of his lips and the affection revealed in the corners of his eyes seemed to pull him down from the distant, unreachable horizon into the mortal world.
Even the groomsmen on the side nodded slightly when they saw Shenhe's appearance, as if acknowledging that this was the image and temperament that the Regent's wife should have—dignified, elegant, and fully displaying the demeanor of a Matriarch. Compared to Shenhe, the flashy bridesmaids on the side immediately fell behind.
After all, he was considered to have the role of a Matriarch of the nation; one could be beautiful, but one couldn't look like someone who would bring disaster to the country and the people.
Miyashiro looked at Shenhe infatuatedly and walked slowly towards him unconsciously. Just then, a figure blocked Miyashiro's path—it was Cloud Retainer, who had taken on a human form.
This was also the first time Miyashiro had seen Cloud Retainer in human form with his own eyes. It had to be said that Cloud Retainer's human appearance... hmm... was still quite charming. Moreover, one could tell at a glance that her relationship with Shenhe and Ganyu was very deep, especially the sight of one outfit being worn by three people, which left a deep impression on Miyashiro.
Miyashiro hurriedly cleared the unhealthy thoughts from his mind and bowed respectfully, saying, "Junior Miyashiro greets Master Cloud Retainer."
Cloud Retainer crossed her arms, pressing the pair of Slimes on her chest, making them look even more magnificent. The look in her eyes as she gazed at Miyashiro was slightly complicated—containing both relief and unwillingness, reluctance to part with Shenhe, and resentment towards Miyashiro. But thinking of her disciple's lifelong event and the child in his womb, she finally sighed.
Cloud Retainer: "Miyashiro, you are here. I am entrusting this child, Shenhe, to you. You must take good care of him. Although I am not your match, if I ever find out that you dare to bully my disciple, I will definitely request the Geo Archon to come forward and seek justice for Shenhe."
Miyashiro hurriedly replied: "Master Cloud Retainer, please rest assured. My feelings for Shenhe are witnessed by heaven and earth, and I will definitely take good care of him."
Cloud Retainer finally revealed a smile and said: "Good, that is good. When your child is born, remember to let me see him. Aside from anything else, I have quite a bit of experience in taking care of children. Back in the day, when Shenhe and Ganyu were small, it was I who..."
Ganyu, standing to the side, became anxious. Losing face once was bad enough, but twice? Who could handle that? He hurriedly said: "Master, there are outsiders here!"
After speaking, Ganyu grabbed Cloud Retainer's hand and forcibly dragged her to the side. Seeing the surprised look on the groomsmen's faces, Cloud Retainer huffed arrogantly: "Hmph, if you don't want to hear it, fine. I won't say it."
Just as Ganyu was about to drag Cloud Retainer away, Shenhe, who was behind them, spoke up to stop them: "Master, please wait. Please accept this item."
Shenhe knelt respectfully on both knees, holding something high above his head with both hands. Everyone witnessing this looked at the item in Shenhe's hands in surprise. How did it look like a comb?
Others might not know the origin of this comb, but Cloud Retainer naturally did, because this was the first gift she had given to Shenhe—a green-inlaid white jade comb made of adeptal stone. After Shenhe used this comb to brush his hair three times, his original black hair had turned into a head of white snow. For so many years, Shenhe had kept it on his person, and it had long since become a testament to Shenhe's status as an Adepti.
Now, Shenhe actually wanted to return this comb to her, which surprised Cloud Retainer. She asked: "Shenhe, what is the meaning of this?"
Shenhe said with slight apology: "Back then, Master once told me that if I wanted to sever mortal ties and enter the Adepti gate in the future, I should use this comb to brush my hair three times as a master-disciple ceremony. It meant: the first comb brushes away sorrow, the second comb brings freedom from joy and sorrow, and the third comb signifies no regrets until white hair."
"Now that Shenhe has married into a family and returned to the mortal world, it counts as breaking the agreement with Master. Please, Master, take this item back."
Cloud Retainer said somewhat dissatisfiedly: "Shenhe, do you intend to sever our master-disciple relationship?"
Upon hearing this, Shenhe hurriedly denied it: "A teacher for a day is a father for life. Master saved me from evil spirits and painstakingly raised and taught me for over ten years. Shenhe would absolutely never have such rebellious thoughts. I just feel that I have failed Master's great grace of raising and teaching me, and I feel much guilt in my heart."
Cloud Retainer immediately retorted: "Foolish! Who said that entering the Adepti gate means one cannot marry? What I practice is not the way of forgetting all emotions. Giving birth to children is the righteous path of the mortal world and conforms to natural laws. Where does this guilt come from?"
Cloud Retainer took the jade comb from Shenhe's hand and toyed with it—it had long since developed a patina from use. Her heart was filled with mixed feelings. Finally, under Shenhe's surprised gaze, Cloud Retainer handed the jade comb to Miyashiro.
Miyashiro stared at the jade comb in his hand, surprised, not understanding Cloud Retainer's intention. Miyashiro asked: "Master, what is the meaning of this?"
Cloud Retainer showed a smile and said: "Hmph! You are already Shenhe's husband, do you still want to let Shenhe comb his own hair? From now on, the task of combing Shenhe's hair will be handed over to you."
Upon hearing this, Miyashiro and Shenhe looked at each other, smiled at each other, and then said in unison: "We will strictly follow Master's teachings!"
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