The journey back to Crimson Iron City was nothing short of an agonizing blur.
The core disciple rode his spirit-steed like a man possessed, pushing the beast past its physical limits until it literally collapsed and died of exhaustion right outside the Cao Clan's secondary gates.
Covered in mud, sweat, and the heavy stench of despair, the disciple dragged his bruised body through the estate, bursting into the grand council hall without even announcing his arrival.
"Patriarch... Patriarch!" the disciple choked out, falling flat onto his face, the crimson-sealed marriage scroll slipping from his weak fingers and rolling across the marble floor.
Cao Yan, who had been pacing the length of the hall for a full day without a single wink of sleep, lunged forward.
He snatched the scroll, his eyes scanning the unmarred, intact seal.
