"..."

"..."

Time was silent, just like this.

The oppressive atmosphere spread in the air, making the room feel exceptionally stifling.

It was supposed to be a joyful scene, after all, the four of them were dressed festively, yet the serious and oppressive mood was enough to overwhelm any ordinary person's mind.

This was a pressure with substance. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

It wasn't something self-imposed through psychological suggestion or wild imagination.

Probably feeling that things weren't going well this way, Gu Mo touched his nose, feeling bored. He sighed, glanced around, and noticed that the situations of the three "brides" beside him were varied—

Miss Tamamo no Mae looked dejected and defeated, as if she had suffered a huge blow, appearing completely greyed out, with drooped ears and tail, almost drawing circles on the ground;

Meanwhile, Hidechika sat there hugging her knees quietly, burying her face in them, trying to minimize her contact with the outside world, her smooth black hair falling around her like silk.

This was quite normal, after all, she was innocent in this aspect, meaning she had a weak psychological endurance for such matters and no experience in dealing with them. Thus, for the black-haired girl, this was an enormous mental impact, and now she could only silently curl up.

——Through the smooth, shiny black hair, one could see that although she was hugging her knees and burying her face in them, her ears were completely red.

——Even though so much time had passed, it still hadn't subsided.

Gu Mo pondered this and then looked towards Kikyo, the witch's reaction seemed to be the calmest as expected. Although her expression was somewhat unnatural and clearly changed at that moment, now she had basically calmed down, merely sitting there quietly.

She lowered her eyes and said nothing, seemingly no different from her usual quiet self.

There was a faint coldness emanating from her, but when Gu Mo glanced over thoughtfully, it seemed to be just an illusion.

Probably that's all it was, and this situation, it seems... isn't really much of a problem, is it? Gu Mo felt a sense of relief as if a great stone had fallen to the ground, he lightly exhaled imperceptibly, and gently rubbed his brow with a slender forefinger.

There's no problem at all with Ah Xiu, Miss Tamamo no Mae is more just disappointed, and although the witch is a bit unhappy, she's not as angry as expected, and her points of anger weren't as imagined... At least it's much better than the original outcome.

Indeed, this is the right way to find life after facing death, really if it was only tying the knot alone with Miss Tamamo no Mae...

Hmm, better not entertain such frightening assumptions.

Gathering his thoughts, Gu Mo surveyed the three girls again, a sudden thought flashed through his mind, somewhat belatedly considering the era and beliefs they hailed from... Burying this thought deeply, he sighed softly again, and carefully spoke—

"Well, if none of you want to speak, then listen to me, about the earlier wedding..."

As he spoke, none of them seemed to react much, but judging from the fox spirit's ears on top of her head being the most noticeable...

Even Hidechika, still hugging her slender, beautiful legs and burying her face between her knees, seemed to instinctively concentrate, quietly perking up her ears.

"I'm sorry to have involved you two as well. Although the cause of all this was Tamamo's power, this part indeed stemmed from my own will, so... I'm really sorry for causing you trouble and fright. This is actually my fault."

Gu Mo calmed his emotions, explained the earlier incident as calmly as possible, and at the same time tried to sincerely express his apology.

At least for the intelligent and perceptive Kikyo, the real reason behind such chaos couldn't be hidden from her. However, he didn't simply pass the buck and blame the fox spirit entirely, but honestly admitted that he also acted recklessly.

"Are you saying this was from... your own will?" The witch slightly raised her brow and, after a moment of silence, asked this.

"Yes, mainly my own will." Gu Mo nodded without hesitation and reiterated seriously. He gazed into the eyes of the witch who had turned to glance at him, at this moment he must not be guilty, his sincerity must be adamant... although he wasn't lying in the first place.

This matter is both trivial and significant, mainly because the wedding itself was not special, but the ceremony bore extraordinary significance, symbolizing various profound meanings, so it's important to grasp the key points to address.

"..."

"..."

The witch's expression was somewhat strange, she instinctively looked away, not meeting his gaze. When he thickened his skin like this, it really was... infuriating.

For some reason, she recalled the incident from that time on Penglai Island.

"Ugh..."

Watching the interaction between the two, Miss Tamamo no Mae beside them felt a surge of grievance again, hoping Master would rather put all the blame on her than see this development, didn't it make it seem as if she was creating an opportunity for them?

What a frustration, the fox felt immensely depressed.

Forget it, forget it, let it go, let it go. After all, there's plenty of time in the future, let's see who laughs last... Taking several deep breaths, Miss Tamamo no Mae kept advising herself like this, although it seemed more like self-consolation. By the way, did she forget something?

"Although it is my wish, I indeed didn't consult your opinions, so I'm really sorry."

Kikyo did not speak, but Gu Mo was still thinking very seriously and, after careful consideration, said: "Moreover, this was somewhat ridiculous and not solemn enough; we can add a true ceremony later..." This was the best strategic action he could take after thorough deliberation.

Things have developed to this point; trying hard to explain isn't a good choice.

Instead, going with the flow, a kind of confession, turning passive into active, and striking directly can turn the current situation around, achieving a decisive effect!

"You...!"

Kikyo, as a matter of course, was startled, turning her gaze back at him in surprise.

What is this person saying!

At this moment, her anger was completely replaced by panic and astonishment, probably not expecting things to suddenly turn into such a situation, the other party seemed to want to make the fake real, pushing the relationship to that level all at once...

This made her feel a bit dazed and helpless, the previous thoughts were immediately squeezed out by the rising chaotic thoughts, unable to find a trace of feeling back.

"What is there to be surprised about, didn't I just say? This matter now has a big part originating from my own will." Gu Mo seriously reiterated again, eyes bright and directly looking at the shocked witch, as if he were gazing at a beam of white moonlight.

"I... this..."

The witch didn't know what to say, exhibiting rare signs of unease, eventually lowered her head in confusion, the long eyelashes drooping lightly trembling, showing her panic and inner unrest.

"Well, since Ah Xiu doesn't have any objections either, then it's decided like this!" Gu Mo blinked, jokingly said decisively, aiming to sever the tangled mess quickly, expressing his determination now, the proper firmness and resolve were precisely the manifestation of his will.

The shoulder of the black-haired girl not far away also trembled slightly, but she still did not raise her head.

"Master!" But at this moment, Miss Tamamo no Mae finally angrily interrupted the peculiar atmosphere between them, staring at Gu Mo intently, and puffing her cheeks to show an obvious look of anger, "I was first, clearly I was first..."

"At this time, let's not act like babies, Tamamo."

Gu Mo felt a sudden stomachache, the emotions and atmosphere he meticulously brewed were instantly thwarted by classic quotes.

He tugged at the corner of his mouth, looking over at the extremely annoyed Miss Fox Spirit.

"And who was first or second, perhaps that's still up for discussion..."

After hesitating, he still said in such a suggestive manner, subtly reminding Tamamo that it might not be like that. Not to mention whether this really concerns who came first, even if it was about determining priorities based on sequence, Tamamo probably wouldn't have much advantage.

Perhaps indeed this Fox Elf sneaked in first, but she didn't come over immediately and was secretly preparing to "execute a grand plan"...

But it just so happened, in such a time gap, his secondary projection was sent to more than three hundred seventy years ago by the Power of Transcending Space-Time of Anma Tengu, from the day of the Genpei War until Minamoto no Yoshiie was hunted down to Pingquan and fiercely retaliated at the tipping point, more than two months had indeed passed by.

During this period, let alone the Hidechika sisters.

Even Kikyo and Hiri were over there, either fighting monsters to level up or training and honing skills.

Visiting the non-existent Thirteen Sakura Village, reminiscing about that huge Purple Nether Cherry Blossom; went to Minamoto no Yoshiie's hometown Anma Mountain, visiting the learned demons there, such fulfilling two months passed by...

"Hmm... I wasn't talking about who met you first, I mean the order in this world." Miss Tamamo no Mae said angrily, at least she should have sneaked over the earliest, at most... at most just a tiny bit slower than this nasty ghost.

She glanced vigilantly yet morosely at the black-haired girl playing ostrich over there.

"I was talking about that too..."

Gu Mo gave a dry laugh, moreover, even if the Nine-tailed Spirit is counted under Tamamo, Ah Xiu was still the earliest one, right.

He sighed, actively shifting the topic: "Alright, leaving this aside, let's discuss how to resolve the current situation... Speaking of which, it's somewhat troublesome." Saying this, he sighed with extreme headache while staring at Miss Fox Spirit.

This is the time to continue holding the conversational dominance, which he just did; only now, in dealing with Tamamo, needs switching the topic from another angle.

In short, swift and decisive action, no entanglement...

"What, what trouble..."

It's also the case now, Tamamo no Mae doesn't cling to the previous topic anymore, she turns and shifts her gaze with some guilt, her eyes wandering around in this spacious and slightly dimly lit room under candlelight, suddenly seeming interested in the surrounding paintings, carved screens, vase decorations, etc.