Chapter 1342: Exceedingly Lively
The wedding procession went rather smoothly, with no incidents occurring midway. However, Xu Meijing still keenly sensed that Yang Haoran's mood seemed off. Although Yang Haoran's face still bore a faint smile and he appeared no different from usual, Xu Meijing knew Yang Haoran very well, and thus, the subtle shifts in his emotions could hardly escape her notice.
Regarding this, Xu Meijing asked Yang Haoran what was wrong, if something had happened, but Yang Haoran did not tell Xu Meijing the truth, because he didn't want Xu Meijing's mood to be affected as well.
Today was supposed to be their joyous wedding day, and his mood as the groom was already quite poor. He couldn't let Xu Meijing, the bride, be affected any further. Even with his mood affected, he could still force a smile to hide his inner vexation and worry. But if Xu Meijing's mood soured, he knew she wouldn't be able to manage the same level of concealment. Given Xu Meijing's personality, she would surely show her displeasure on her face, and then it would certainly be impossible for the wedding to proceed happily.
Currently, only Yang Haoran himself was in a bad mood. Once Xu Meijing became involved, from Yang Haoran's understanding of her, it would certainly sour everyone else's mood as well. Therefore, Yang Haoran did not tell Xu Meijing the truth; he simply found an excuse to gloss over it to temporarily keep Xu Meijing settled. After the wedding, he would explain the matter in detail to Xu Meijing and hear her thoughts on it.
Despite Yang Haoran's evasiveness, Xu Meijing, though somewhat puzzled inwardly, did not press for more questions. After all, today's wedding was the most important event. Therefore, she focused all her attention on the wedding. She wasn't particularly concerned with other matters, because today was an extremely important day for her, the most significant day of her life. She had never experienced a day like this before, and she believed she would never have another. Thus, she had no leisure to concern herself with other things.
Lecheng was exceptionally lively today. With the exception of a very small number of special groups, everyone in Lecheng was given three days off.
Not just Lecheng, but the entirety of the Ninth District, which Yang Haoran oversaw, was the same. The reason for these three consecutive days off was naturally because Yang Haoran, the Guardian of the Underworld Office, was getting married. On such a joyous occasion, how could he be the only one happy? He wanted everyone under his jurisdiction to share in the joy.
Although the chaos of the spirit realm had ended, the demons and ghosts of this world had not disappeared because of it. They still lived in the eyes of ordinary people. Even three-year-olds knew that demons and ghosts existed in this world, and incidents of demons and ghosts attacking ordinary people occurred daily, playing out across the New Beginning Realm.
Therefore, most leaders, to ensure the safety of ordinary people—or one could say, to protect the safety of their believers and protect their own greatest interests—all retained the model from the time of the spirit realm chaos. They integrated ordinary people for management, arranging their work and lives, while also better ensuring their safety.
It wasn't just Yang Haoran granting everyone in his jurisdiction three days off; Xu Meijing similarly gave everyone in her jurisdiction three days off. Ordinary people in their respective jurisdictions naturally couldn't attend their wedding, but giving the ordinary people in their territories a few days off to rest and share in the happiness was entirely within their capabilities.
Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing's grand wedding was set in Lecheng, thus, Lecheng was incredibly lively today. The streets were packed with people, making it impossible to move. The reason for such a crowd was that, besides Lecheng's local residents, a large number of outsiders had also arrived, which caused all the streets, big and small, in Lecheng to become thoroughly congested.
This situation, however, made the merchants, big and small, in Lecheng grin from ear to ear. Because the livelier the streets were, the better their business would be, and the more astonishing their turnover would become.
As for Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing's wedding, although the ordinary citizens of Lecheng couldn't enter the Guardian District to offer congratulations, they were all very happy. This was because under Yang Haoran's leadership, the lives of Lecheng's people had become increasingly prosperous, and their safety was absolutely guaranteed. No demons or ghosts dared to run wild in their Lecheng.
Therefore, the common folk of Lecheng held deep respect for Yang Haoran, their Guardian. Even if they weren't qualified to enter the Guardian District to congratulate Yang Haoran on his marriage, they were still immensely happy.
Furthermore, not only did Yang Haoran give them three days off, but he also specifically arranged a grand flowing feast in Lecheng Plaza. During these three days off, they could go to the plaza and eat and drink for free as much as they wished, eating as much as they wanted, drinking as much as they wanted, without paying a single coin. How could they not be happy? And how could there be few people on the streets?
Moreover, this three-day flowing feast was not just for the residents of Lecheng to enjoy; anyone who entered Lecheng, whether ordinary or non-ordinary, could enjoy it, with equal treatment.
As news of Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing's marriage had been circulating for some time, many people from outside Lecheng had traveled great distances to join in the festivities. Among them were those who came with sincere blessings and those who simply came to watch the excitement. Of course, it was not ruled out that some people arrived in Lecheng harboring ulterior motives.
Precisely because of this, Lecheng had seen a significant increase in visitors recently. Lecheng's population was already considerable, and with the addition of outsiders, the entire city naturally became very crowded. However, this crowding did not bother most people; instead, it made them feel incredibly lively and incredibly happy.
With the sudden influx of people, many of whom were outsiders, including both ordinary and non-ordinary individuals—a mixed bag of dragons and fish—safety concerns naturally increased. To maintain order and prevent anyone from stirring up trouble or intentionally creating incidents, the Administrative Courtyard not only dispatched the army to patrol the streets and alleys day and night, but even deployed the Spirit Police.
The army was perfectly capable of dealing with ordinary people, but dealing with slightly more powerful non-ordinary individuals would be tough. At such times, the Spirit Police were needed to intervene and resolve matters. That was why the Administrative Courtyard simultaneously deployed both the army and the Spirit Police.
In addition to these two forces, Underworld Office experts were secretly monitoring all the streets, big and small, in Lecheng, as well as those inconspicuous corners.
It can be said without exaggeration that although Lecheng currently had a large and diverse population, everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion. Even if someone wanted to jump out and create trouble, they would certainly be suppressed immediately. After all, Yang Haoran's trusted subordinates hadn't been idly busy during this time.
However, these individuals had been quite busy during this period and were unable to enjoy these three days of special holiday. Because they belonged to special groups, they were not among those who were granted the holiday.
As Lecheng was the location of Yang Haoran's Guardian District, it had experienced unprecedented rapid development. Before the chaos of the spirit realm, Lecheng was just an obscure small city. After the chaos erupted, Lecheng became riddled with holes and filled with lament.
But now, in a short period, Lecheng had developed into the largest city in Yang Haoran's Ninth District. Both its population and land area had expanded several-fold. Its prosperity could rank among the top in the entire Jingling Continent, and it was simply incomparable to the small city it once was.
Although many cities within Yang Haoran's jurisdiction had also experienced rapid development, the gap compared to Lecheng was not merely significant; it was immense.
Precisely because Lecheng was so prosperous now, even if outsiders couldn't enter the Guardian District to attend Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing's wedding, they still had a wonderful time in Lecheng and all felt that their trip was well worth it.
Yang Haoran's Guardian District was also very lively today, and it was the liveliest the Guardian District had been since its establishment. However, compared to the bustling activity in Lecheng's urban area, it was still far less crowded.
However, anyone who was invited to enter Yang Haoran's Guardian District today was almost certainly a person of strength and status. Unlike Lecheng's urban area recently, where anyone could enter, a huge disparity in numbers between the two was inevitable, and the disparity in status was equally vast.
Inside the Guardian District, Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing, both clad in celebratory red robes, warmly greeted every guest entering the banquet hall. Both their faces bore smiles; even the usually aloof Xu Meijing was also smiling on this occasion.
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