Volume One, Chapter 11: The Madman Li Jize
Yan Anxun was momentarily stunned upon hearing this. Upon reflection, the “groom” he had seen earlier at the teahouse indeed did not seem like an ordinary person.
“But what if he is from the Li family and forces you into it?”
“I’m not a child; I have my own ways to handle it!”
Their conversation had just reached this point when suddenly, outside the Wang family residence, there erupted a burst of firecrackers and suona horns.
This meant one thing…
The bridal procession had arrived!
Wang Yuanya looked flustered. Gazing out the window at her senior fellow apprentice Yan Anxun, she sighed, “Senior Brother! Yuanya is leaving now. Take care of yourself.”
Yan Anxun grew anxious, desperate to speak his heart. “Go! Junior Sister! Let’s forget all this. I’ll take you away to a quiet place where you can live the life you desire.”
Yet…
In the end, he could not bring himself to say it. Only these words escaped his lips, “Junior Sister! You must protect yourself well!”
Yan Anxun would never have imagined that by not speaking this sentence today, he would never get another chance.
…
Amid the lively crowd, bustling and jostling, Li Jize finally appeared in Wang Yuanya’s bridal chamber.
At this moment, the two were rather peculiar: Li Jize seemed indifferent to the bride, absorbed in whittling a piece of wood.
Meanwhile, the bride also showed no interest in the groom, even sitting with her back to the door, facing the window instead.
The ceremony had to proceed, and with the matchmaker’s guidance, the two disinterested parties had to follow the prescribed rituals for marriage.
Li Jize squatted beside Wang Yuanya as the matchmaker and several female relatives helped the bride to her feet. She was then carried on a back, shaded under a red umbrella, and led outside.
Outside, preparations were underway. Upon seeing the newlyweds emerge, firecrackers were lit immediately.
Amid the crackling sounds…
Wang Yuanya was carried into the bridal sedan chair, while Li Jize mounted a stately horse. With drums resounding and firecrackers blazing, the procession formally set out to return to the Li family.
If all went as planned, the two would return home and complete the wedding ceremony.
Thus, a marriage each harboring their own schemes was to be finalized.
But the trouble was…
The Li family’s grand wedding caused an uproar that was far too great!
Setting out along Chongwen Road, the wedding procession had a strict rule: the bride’s party was not allowed to retrace their steps.
Therefore, their return route was not the same; instead, they detoured via the northeast of the city.
…
Along the way, one could see, scattered here and there, many famished disaster survivors lying by the roadside, like walking corpses.
Upon spotting the bridal procession, these survivors mechanically and numbly shuffled forward.
Those who understood the custom would seize the chance to say a few auspicious words.
“A match made in heaven, may you soon have noble offspring!”
The unknowing survivors merely repeated their pleas, begging over and over, “Have mercy! Please give us something!”
Li Jize’s personal servant, responsible for leading the horse and advising him, sneered upon seeing this, “Bad luck! If I’d known, we wouldn’t have come this way.”
Then, impatiently waving his hand at the survivors, he spat out curses with disgust, “Get lost! Scram! Do you know whose wedding procession this is? Open your eyes! The eldest young master of the Li family is getting married. You’d better move aside or don’t blame us for being ruthless!”
The Li family’s men were mostly military veterans, fearless by nature.
However, the unfortunate part was that the relatives from the Wang family accompanying the bride didn’t understand this.
A girl walking beside the sedan chair saw the pitiful survivors and simply said, “They’re too miserable! Let’s give them something to eat.”
She then opened a basket she was carrying and tossed out a piece of wedding cake.
At the moment the cake flew out…
Li Jize, who had been feigning ignorance and indifference atop his horse, turned deathly pale!
Damn it!
Is this woman crazy? At a time like this, one should keep wealth hidden. Throwing wedding cake away is tantamount to throwing one’s life away!
Sure enough, after the cake was thrown, the starving survivors began to scramble wildly for the pieces.
To get hold of the cake, the old shoved aside the young, and the young kicked the old.
Only the fiercest and most ruthless would snatch the cake.
Those who failed to get any redirected their hunger and anger at the girl who had thrown the cake and at the basket she carried.
“She still has more cake!”
“They must have plenty more!”
Someone shouted, and suddenly all the survivors transformed into glowing-eyed fiends, charging madly forward.
Li Jize cursed under his breath, “Damn it!”
Seeing the endless crowd surging from all directions, he gritted his teeth and, resolute, decided to stop worrying about the “idiots” around him.
He planned to rely on his horse and charge through the crowd.
However…
Just as he was about to whip the horse’s flank, a servant grabbed the reins, preventing the horse from panicking, and shouted, “Protect the young master and young mistress!”
…
Li Jize: “…”
If you want me dead, just say it!
The Li family men were veterans, strong and battle-hardened, so dealing with these survivors should have been easy.
But this was a wedding day—who would carry weapons?
Empty-handed, even the strongest man would be overwhelmed by a large group, especially one driven mad by hunger.
Before long…
The protective troop they formed was quickly broken apart by the survivors!
Among the survivors, many were simply after the wedding cakes, but a few strong men with ill intent exchanged glances and then set their sights on the bride and groom.
Cake could only satisfy hunger for a moment, but the fine attire of the Li family’s eldest young master and the bride was truly valuable!
Seeing these sinister men lunging toward him, Li Jize glanced back at the grand bridal sedan chair.
Then…
Gritting his teeth, he resolutely slid his hand into the wide sleeve of his garment.
Indeed! The Li family retainers had no weapons!
Who brings weapons to a wedding?
But…
Unexpectedly, Li Jize was an exception!
Since his previous life was ended by the Empress, he had developed severe paranoia.
To protect himself, he feverishly crafted firearms and could only sleep holding a gun’s grip.
Though his firearm was not yet complete, for self-defense, he had gone to extremes…
Beneath his clothes, he wore chainmail armor; his sleeves concealed hidden arrows; even his boots harbored a dagger!
For a military force, these were mere toys, utterly insufficient.
But…
Against these desperate, unarmed survivors intent on robbery, they were more than enough!
Just as Li Jize was about to make an example by raising his arm to shoot a hidden arrow at the ringleader…
A whistling sound pierced the air—a longer arrow, even faster than his, came flying from behind.
It struck the leader squarely in the eye socket, killing him instantly before he could even scream.