Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 577: Life is a Show; It All Depends on your Acting Ability

The wind from heaven blows, bringing a fragrance like a bouquet.

Lovely music plays, bringing happy guests to the wedding day.

Xu Qing’s heart raced as he kept pace with the bridal procession. He was no longer looking at the Captain. Xu Qing had witnessed strange behavior from the Captain ever since they arrived in the Unfinished Mountains. And he had done some experiments.

Whether it was by means of conversation, or the action of giving him an apple, Xu Qing had confirmed that there was something unusual going on with the Captain. And it wasn’t something he was doing subconsciously. He was intentionally doing things to attract Xu Qing’s attention.

He’s warning me.

His senses were telling him that the Captain wasn’t doing anything to harm him. That was evident based on everything that had happened so far. The two of them had done so many big jobs together that Xu Qing had long since grown used to the Captain’s general style.

It’s not a cry for help. More like he had some things to say, but it’s not convenient to say them. So he’s sending a message this way.

Xu Qing pondered the situation, especially what happened with that bird. When he grabbed the bird, everyone in the bridal procession had turned to look at him.

That bird was a real, living being. Living beings are unpredictable. Yet it flew right back to where I’d taken it from, then continued on its way. It almost seemed like it wasn’t in control. As if its actions had been predetermined.

Xu Qing frowned and checked D-132. The god’s finger was sleeping as usual, which seemed to indicate īt hadn’t noticed anything unusual.

And why did everyone look at me just now? Is it that my action broke the coordination of the group? Or is it that... the person I’m disguised as just wouldn’t do something like that normally?

Everything had gone so smoothly after entering the Unfinished Mountains that, if he hadn’t specifically thought about it in that way, everything would have seemed completely normal.

It’s the normality that’s the most gruish.

His eyes narrowed as he continued moving with the procession and prepared to see how the wedding ceremony would play out.

Time passed as the procession flew through the sky. About two hours later, they were nearing the Darkfate Sect. Even from a distance, it was possible to see that the place was decorated with lanterns and colored banners. Magical techniques had been used to decorate the mountains. The trees were festooned with red lanterns, and magic was also used to send fireworks shooting up into the sky.

Representatives of sects and clans from throughout the Unfinished Mountains had responded to the invitation, and were gathering outside the sect. There were men, women, young, and old, and everyone was smiling. The sound of happy conversation rose into the air, filling the area with the clamor of activity. Laughter and chatting could be heard everywhere. It was a very joyous atmosphere.

As the bridal procession neared, the buzz grew louder, creating sound waves that spread through the clouds.

The Darkfate Sect was clearly prepared for a special event. The main headquarters glowed with seven-colored light, and atop the highest mountain, the sect’s grand hall had been turned into a wedding chapel. Countless red lanterns were hung everywhere, and there was even more sunlight in the sky than normal. The disciples of the Darkfate Sect were all very excited, and were out in full force to welcome the wedding guests. A colorful band of silk had been laid on the stairs from the top of the mountain to the bottom.

As the wedding sedan approached, bells tolled in the Darkfate Sect, and a solemn atmosphere spread out. People stopped talking, and all eyes came to focus on the sedan.

“Immortal Fairy Sweetfrost, please, come in.”

“Yes,” a melodious voice responded, and the Captain, looking eager, with his cheeks flushed, stepped out of the sedan and onto the stairs leading up into the sect.

Looking elegant and charming, ‘she’ started walking.

Most of the members of the bridal procession dropped to their knees to kowtow. Only Nethersprite’s personal handmaidens and a few special guards followed along.

Xu Qing was one of them. As he watched the Captain swaying along, he sighed inwardly at how amazing the Captain’s acting abilities were. If Xu Qing hadn’t personally seen the Captain’s hairy legs, he would never have guessed that he wasn’t in the presence of the real Nethersprite.

As the bells tolled and the sound of singing filled the sect, the Captain slowly walked up to the summit. It was his big day. Everything was about him. All the Darkfate Sect disciples that he passed dropped to their knees to kowtow.

As Xu Qing watched all of that, some of the joyous spirit started to infect him a bit.

After the bells rang for the twenty-first time, the Captain reached the top of the stairs.

The Captain’s past-life body stepped out of the grand hall. He looked different than the last time Xu Qing saw him. He was dressed in all red, and looked very festive. That said, the noxious odor and rotting bits of flesh were just the same as before. And the black energy he exhaled was downright ghastly.

He’s marrying his past self. Xu Qing was slightly disappointed that Wu Jianwu wasn’t around. If he was, he would definitely have come up with some amazing poetry.

With that, the formalities began.

“As cultivators, heaven bears witness to us, while earth solemnly observes. We are joined as one by means of the dao. And now, the couple will pay respects to each other!”

The Captain bashfully ducked his head down and bowed to the groom. The groom also bowed his head and clasped hands. After bowing to each other, to heaven, and to earth, the crowd roared its approval. Colorful fireworks exploded, the sky shivered, and the lands shook.

Amidst the joyous uproar, the Captain was led to the bridal chamber. That was where the bride would burn incense while waiting for the groom.

It was also time for the banquet to begin. All the important people from the big sects and organizations gathered in the main square of the Darkfate Sect. Only these people who had been specially invited had that privilege. That said, the lower-ranking members of those organizations weren’t treated poorly. There was an even larger banquet underway outside the sect where the other guests were entertained. Before long, the sounds of rejoicing filled the air.

As one of Nethersprite’s guards, Xu Qing didn’t qualify to join the banquet. Instead, he was assigned to work with Darkfate Sect guards to keep the banquet orderly. As he watched the guests toasting each other and laughing, he thought back to the blank expressions on the faces that had looked at him when he grabbed that bird. It was quite a contrast to what he was seeing right now, and it made the strange sensation in him grow even more intense.

There’s another way I could try to figure out what’s going on in the Unfinished Mountains.

He looked at the bridal chamber off in the distance.

As of this point, the entire plan came down to what the Captain did.

Xu Qing looked away and focused on the crowd.

What if all the people here are like that bird...?

Eyes narrowing, he reached out to the shadow and told it to try to take control of one of the cultivators. A moment later, his shadow stretched out across the floor toward a Gold Core cultivator. The possession was complete in an instant. However, the cultivator in question continued to behave as before, eating, drinking, and chatting.

Xu Qing’s eyes glittered as he sensed the intense emotional fluctuations coming from the shadow.

“Can’t... interfere... forcing would be fatal... weird....”

Xu Qing told the shadow to try again with someone else. And it did. Every single time, the result was exactly the same. Xu Qing was starting to come to an understanding of what was going on.

He wasn’t done testing things out though. Next, he told the shadow to try to forcefully take control. Shortly after, the shadow possessed a Foundation Establishment cultivator and tried hard to do just that. The cultivator shivered as, instead of reaching out to grab his drinking vessel, he used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of food. The laughter and chatting nearby stopped as countless guests turned to look at that cultivator.

Xu Qing’s pupils constricted, and he instantly told the shadow to relinquish control.

The cultivator in question didn’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. He put the piece of food back in exactly the same spot, returned his chopsticks, and then picked up his drinking vessel. After he took a drink, everyone in the area went back to talking as if nothing had happened.

Xu Qing closed his eyes. Now he understood.

Everyone is on a fixed track. It’s just like that bird. They have to follow the set arrangement, and if anything interferes with that, they’ll correct their own course and go back to what they were supposed to do. All of this gruish phenomena started when we entered the Unfinished Mountains....

It seems all the living beings in these mountains have had their fates tampered with. Someone else is pulling the strings. It’s like a big show. And I’m stuck in it. Without even realizing what happened, my thinking and actions have made me part of the show. I suppose that’s even more the case with Wu Jianwu and Ning Yan.

And that’s why I’ve been having those strange episodes. There are things inside me such as the god’s finger or the violet moon that are rejecting the force of influence. That’s why I was able to see what happened with that bird, and it’s also why I can sense that something unusual is going on.

But the Captain.... He looked up toward the mountain summit.

He probably knows what’s going on. He joined the show intentionally....

Xu Qing looked down and waited.

Time slipped by slowly but surely. The banquet began to wrap up, and as evening fell, guests began leaving. But then, a bloodcurdling scream rang out from the bridal chamber at the summit of the mountain. The scream caused wild colors to flash in heaven and earth.

What was more, Xu Qing experienced that sensation of vertigo again. At the same time, all of the guests turned and looked woodenly toward the top of the mountain. Apparently, something was happening there that did not conform to the script!

Meanwhile, all living things in or near the Darkfate Sect, whether it was birds, blades of grass, or anything else, all turned in the direction of the mountain summit.

The screaming ended, to be followed by the sound of footsteps. Then the Captain walked out, still clad in red. He was leading his past-life body behind him by the hand. Stopping outside the hall, he looked around.

Ignoring the blank expressions on the faces of everyone looking at him, he found Xu Qing in the crowd and smiled.

“Did you figure it out, little Junior Brother?” As the words left his mouth, a peach appeared in his free hand. He took a bite.