After a while Sukuna watched silently from beneath a cherry blossom tree as the red gates opened. Xia Qingyue, veiled and dressed in ceremonial red, entered the estate beside Xiao Che who, though frail in spiritual presence, carried an oddly stable soul.
Sukuna smiled faintly. 'Interesting indeed, so that's what it feels like to have a layered soul?'
His eyes scanned the manor's defenses, and it looked Weak and traditional. Nothing a serious threat would respect. But for a small city like this, it would do.
'But then again that could also be a trap'.
'The true cultivation world lies far beyond this city. And I have no intention of lingering in the shallow end… And yet it is precisely this shallow end and the inhabitant that will lead me to a much more satisfying conclusion.'
"Too bad the ROB didn't refresh my memories of this reality and my reverse cursed technique doesn't seem to be able to retrieve them. Only bits and pieces can be recalled." Sukuna sighed as he continued to watch the ceremony from his position.
Sukuna continued to watch from beneath the low-hanging branches of a cherry blossom tree, arms tucked into his snow-white kimono, the black tattoos on his face and arms peeking just faintly beneath his sleeves. His eyes surveyed the entire scene measuring every single individual he gazed at before moving to the next. After a while he focused back on the scene below him with a cold and calm expression that remained on the figures beneath the decorated canopy.
The Master of Ceremonies raised his voice, snapping Sukuna from his thoughts.
"First bow to heaven and earth!"
Xiao Che and Xia Qingyue moved in sync, turning to bow toward the doorway. Sukuna's eyes briefly traced their forms. 'So, that's how a wedding in a cultivation world is done, seems almost normal if you ask me".
"Second bow to the elders!"
They turned again, bowing to the seated Xia Hongyi and Xiao Lie.
Sukuna's gaze paused for a second longer on Xiao Lie. 'A decent man,' he thought, 'for someone living in a world of wolves and his energy is… strong.'
"Husband and wife, exchange bows!"
As the two turned to face each other, the crowd's silence grew heavier. Sukuna could feel the bitterness in the eyes of the younger Xiao generation, their disdain toward Xiao Che clung to the air like spoiled incense.
He narrowed his eyes slightly. 'Typical cultivator arrogance. Respect only comes when strength is proven.'
And yet, what intrigued him was Xia Qingyue.
Her motion was smooth and without hesitation or resistance and yet her gaze… cold. Frigid eyes, hidden behind the bead curtain, peeked out at Xiao Che. Empty, emotionless and unreadable.
'So even she accepts this farce… or is she simply masking her thoughts? How cruel' Sukuna mused.
Around them, sparse applause sounded half-hearted and laced with discomfort. The congratulatory remarks from the elders were anything but sincere.
"Indeed the Fifth Elder should be congratulated."
"Getting such a talented granddaughter-in-law has added glory to the Xiao Clan. As for the Xia Clan getting such a son-in-law, haha, is also quite acceptable. Congratulations."
Every word was like poisoned honey. Sukuna heard the derision clear as day, they weren't even trying to hide the mockery in their voice, 'Would they still speak so confidently if their throats were crushed and tongues ripped out of their mouths I wonder.'
But then a voice pulled him out of his… curious thoughts.
"Hey you!" a gruff voice barked suddenly.
Sukuna slowly turned his head to look at the one that dared to disturb him.
A guard Xiao Clan robes, probably a servant of the First Elder's household had spotted him standing beyond the ceremonial boundary under the cherry blossom tree. His tone was aggressive, his presence clearly more bark than bite.
"What are you doing there, lurking? This is a clan ceremony. Move along, peasant before I move you."
A few heads turned. Some guests glanced toward the commotion. The guard puffed out his chest, emboldened by the attention he was receiving.
Sukuna said nothing at first. His eyes didn't even blink. He simply stared at the chattering animal.
"…Oi, are you deaf trash? I said move alo—"
He didn't get to finish whatever nonsense he was about to utter as a blur of motion sped up to him.
One breath later, Sukuna stood directly in front of him.
'Too fast.'
No one had seen it, Not the guards or the cultivators. Only the elders.
Sukuna's voice came out low and quiet but layered in dangerous authority.
"Lower your tone you simpleton."
The guard's eyes widened. A cold sensation crawled across his throat and a thin red line appeared around his neck.
Blood gushed as the the man staggered, grabbing his neck, falling to his knees with a bubbling scream as blood pooled on the paved stone.
Sukuna stood upright and unfazed by the dying trash. He didn't even glance at the fallen man.
From the main platform, several elders narrowed their eyes. One of them muttered, "He didn't even circulate profound energy…"
Another whispered, "Was that… movement technique? No. No I didn't feel any fluctuation from him at all."
From his seat beside Xia Qingyue, Xiao Che's gaze sharpened. 'He has no cultivation like me… but that movement… was absurdly fast.'
Even Xia Qingyue's icy composure cracked a little. Her eyes, hidden beneath her veil, narrowed and lingered on the strange boy in white.
Sukuna turned his gaze slowly toward the guests. His voice cut through the silence.
"How rude… to insult the groom and grandson of an Elder in the middle of his wedding."
It was stated plainly but it held weight which made some of the elders narrow their eyes at what he was insinuating.
Xiao Lie burst into laughter, breaking the tension.
"Well met!" the old man said heartily. "A sharp tongue and sharper blade! Tell me, young man, what is your name?"
Sukuna scoffed softly before replying in his regal, composed voice:
"Ryomen Sukuna."
The name settled over the crowd like a drop of black ink in water. What a peculiar name that was.
Xiao Lie nodded. "Sukuna… I'll remember that. Come, come this is a day of celebration, not for fools to interrupt."
He waved at the stewards. "Clean up the blood. We'll not let simpletons ruin a ceremony honoring my grandson."
The crowd murmured, and the ceremony returned to motion, though the air now carried tension like a drawn string not yet loosed.
As the music resumed and the rituals continued, Sukuna stepped back toward the back to draw less attention but somehow it was proving to be the opposite. He folded his hands once more into his sleeves, his expression unreadable.
From her seat, Xia Qingyue continued to observe him. Her curiosity was hidden behind the veil, but her eyes didn't leave the marked stranger not even once.
Patreon.com/Fredozy