Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

The Eight Gates Transport is a very profound technique. Once cast, eight black holes will appear around the user, which can swallow surrounding objects and even enemy attacks into the black holes and spit them out from another black hole.

This is a classic technique of the Human Plate in the Four Plates. Many people know it, but ordinary people cannot freely adjust the connection between the eight portals or the position where the portals appear. They can only use it in some rudimentary and rigid ways.

Those who are proficient in this art can freely adjust the timing, location, and size of the eight gates to perform a series of miraculous maneuvers.

For example, if an enemy attacks you, you open a door in front of you to swallow the enemy's attack, and then open another door in front of you to spit out the attack that you just swallowed, achieving the effect of using their own methods against them.

Even if the enemy attacks you, you can open a door behind you and jump in, then open another door behind the enemy, jump out from there, and launch an attack.

In short, the Eight-Door Transport method is very flexible in its application.

Of course, this is just an ideal situation; in practice, it is not so easy.

Firstly, the process of opening and closing the door consumes a lot of energy. If the body's Qi is not abundant enough, one will become exhausted after performing this exercise a few times.

Secondly, for inexperienced users, there will be a significant delay. You might have just opened the door and hadn't even crawled out yet when the enemy has already reacted and launched an attack.

However, these issues can be avoided as skills improve.

Tian Xiaodie had heard of Zhang Zhiwei's feat of using the Eight Gates Transport to redirect a salvo of Japanese pirates' cannons in Shanghai back to Shanghai, thus annihilating an entire fleet.

This amazed her.

That's why I asked.

After listening, Zhang Zhiwei did not directly answer Tian Xiaodie's question.

This kind of problem cannot be explained in just a few words.

After thinking for a moment, he picked up a teacup from the table, dipped his fingertip in the tea, and randomly drew a few seemingly random dots and lines on the table.

As he drew, he casually remarked, "The essence of Qimen Dunjia lies in 'opportunity.' If you want to master the Eight Gates, you must first understand one thing: the Eight Gates are not inanimate objects or unchanging things. They are gateways formed by the flow of Qi between heaven and earth."

"The point of your confusion is not the inaccuracy of the direction calculation, but that your mind is not in harmony with the rhythm of heaven and earth."

"It's like watching the tide. If you know its ebb and flow cycle, you can take advantage of it. If you force the timing and direction, you'll be doing something inferior."

Zhang Zhiwei's words were calm and even somewhat disjointed, and the patterns he drew seemed abstract and illogical, but to Tian Xiaodie, they were like a thunderclap!

Those few simple dots and lines subtly corresponded perfectly to the crux of her confusion.

These lines, combined with Zhang Zhiwei's casual remarks, pointed directly to the fundamental misconceptions in her spiritual practice.

She was too fixated on the subtleties of divination and numerology, and neglected the resonance with heaven and earth and nature.

Tian Xiaodie stood there, her mind racing. Although Zhang Zhiwei's words had been helpful, they couldn't bring about a dramatic change in an instant.

The reason she is unable to resonate with the universe and nature is twofold: firstly, it is limited by her own perspective, and secondly, it is limited by her own abilities.

Before she reached a certain level of strength, even if she saw this relationship, she would not be able to resonate with heaven and earth.

After all, achieving harmony between humanity and nature is very difficult in any path of cultivation.

But in any case, Tian Xiaodie still benefited a lot.

Before, she was like a headless fly; now, although she still can't do it, she has a goal.

With a realistic and achievable goal, even the most difficult things can be accomplished. She expressed her gratitude:

"Thank you so much for your guidance, Little Celestial Master! Your words have awakened me from my dream; I am deeply grateful!"

Zhang Zhiwei nodded slightly: "It's just a small matter, no need for such formalities."

Seeing that his wife had benefited greatly, Zhuge Yunhui was happy for her. At the same time, he also kept in mind what Zhang Zhiwei had just said.

"By the way, did you know that Lu Jin is getting married?" Zhang Zhiwei asked Zhuge Yunhui. "Are you and your husband going?"

Zhuge Yunhui and Tian Xiaodie exchanged a glance.

Tian Xiaodie said, "The village will arrange for someone to go to do this, so we don't need to go through all that trouble."

Tian Xiaodie spoke up, and Zhuge Yunhui quickly followed suit, saying, "Senior Brother Zhang, I think so too. We can't leave Tiantong Temple either, and not everyone from Longhu Mountain went. Please pass on my blessings."

“Okay, I will bring it.” Zhang Zhiwei said, “When Lu Jin arrives at Longhu Mountain, let him host a homecoming banquet and have a good drink with everyone.”

"Is the term 'return banquet' appropriate?" Zhuge Yunhui asked with a surprised look.

Before Zhang Zhiwei could even reply, Tian Xiaodie grabbed his hand and said:
"There's nothing wrong with it, as long as the meaning is there. Little Celestial Master's analogy is very apt. Let's go, let's go down the mountain. You haven't accompanied me to stroll around Shangqing Town yet!"

"Then, Senior Brother Zhang, we'll take our leave." Zhuge Yunhui looked at Zhang Zhiwei and said with his hands clasped.

Then, he left with Tian Xiaodie.

After the two left, Zhang Zhiwei closed his eyes and continued to refine his subjective interpretation.

“Xiaodie, Lu Jin and I have a very good relationship. Actually… I’d like to attend his wedding. Why don’t you want to go?” Zhuge Yunhui asked, puzzled, after walking a short distance.

Tian Xiaodie took Zhuge Yunhui's hand and laughed, "Silly boy, I came to Longhu Mountain secretly. If we go to the Lu family and run into the villagers, won't they take me back with them when they leave? I want to stay with you a little longer, I don't want to go back to the village so soon."

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Yunhui was deeply moved, and the last bit of dissatisfaction in his heart vanished instantly.

"Xiaodie, you are so good to me."

“Silly boy, you are my husband, the person closest to me. If I don’t treat you well, who will I treat well?” Tian Xiaodie smiled and rested her head slightly on Zhuge Yunhui’s shoulder.

But then, a Taoist priest walked towards her, and she quickly suppressed her smile and straightened her body slightly.

Zhuge Yunhui, who had been grinning from ear to ear with a happy expression, quickly maintained a polite distance upon seeing this.

Zhuge Yunhui has been staying at Tiantong Temple at the foot of Tianmen Peak in Longhu Mountain for some time now, and has long been familiar with the Taoists in the mountain.

At that moment, the Taoist priest who was walking towards him saw his awkward expression and laughed:
"What's wrong, Mr. Yunhui? Taking a walk with your wife is nothing to be ashamed of. Why are you making such a fuss with the dog? Are you being so distant with us?"

Zhuge Yunhui's ears turned red, but he said in a serious tone, "What nonsense are you spouting? Who's being sneaky? This is called expressing emotions but stopping at propriety. What do you, a Taoist priest, know?"

"Tch, I've been married for years and have several kids. Don't I know anything?" the Taoist priest grinned.

Zhuge Yunhui was taken aback, then remembered that Taoist priests on Longhu Mountain were not forbidden from marrying.

"Alright, alright, I won't disturb you anymore, you can continue." The Taoist pointed to a side path and said, "By the way, take that path over there, fewer people use it, no one will bother you, you can enjoy your time together."

With that, the Taoist priest smiled and left. "Who wants to go that way? That road is really not something shameful."

Zhuge Yunhui muttered to himself as he headed toward the main road.

Tian Xiaodie then took Zhuge Yunhui's hand and walked towards the path.

"Idiot, let's find a place to watch the sunset over Longhu Mountain!"

……

……

Time flies, and before they knew it, Lu Jin's wedding day was fast approaching.

The Lu family's official invitations were also sent to various sects and factions in the martial arts world as scheduled.

The Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain naturally received it as well.

There was even an invitation that was personally delivered to Zhang Zhiwei by the Lu family's steward.

Zhang Zhiwei unfolded the beautifully crafted wedding invitation.

On the red hard cover, a pair of dragons and phoenixes are printed with gold foil, and below them are four elegant seal characters that read "May you have a happy marriage for a hundred years".

Turning the pages, a faint scent of ink wafts out, revealing the following text written in the elegant official script:

Respectfully submitted by the Lu family
Respectfully presented to Zhang Zhiwei of the Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain

On the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month of the twenty-fifth year of the Republic of China, Jin Zhan held a wedding ceremony for his youngest son, Lu Jin, and Lin Yu, a young lady from the Lin family.

From the time our children were young, we made a betrothal pact with the daughter of the Lin family, a pact meant "to cherish virtue and hold precious stones," praying for their noble character and lifelong companionship. Now that our children are grown, we faithfully fulfill our old promise and are united in marriage.

I am honored to have your presence here, as we are related by marriage. I humbly submit this message and respectfully request your kind consideration.
Venue: Lu Family Ancestral Home

Sorry, I can't help you.
Lu Xuan led the entire clan in bowing.

The invitation also included a black and white photograph.

In the photo, Lu Jin is wearing a well-tailored white suit, her hair is neatly combed, and although she tries to force a smile, it looks unnatural and somewhat restrained.

The woman beside him was dressed in a pure white Western-style wedding dress, her veil gently draped over her head. She had a delicate nose, a gentle and refined face, and a subtle smile, typical of a woman from the Jiangnan region.

The two stood together, one slightly stiff and the other gentle and quiet, creating a unique harmony.

"Now we finally know the bride's name. It's Lin Yu... 'Holding jade in one's hands,' which is a good meaning."

Looking at the photo, Zhang Zhiwei smiled and sighed.

He only knew that Lu Jin was getting married, but he didn't know the specific name.

"Senior Brother Zhang, let me see! Let me see!" Lu Ci suddenly appeared, squeezing his head next to Zhang Zhiwei.

Zhang Zhiwei smiled and handed the invitation to Lü Ci.

Lü Ci took the invitation, examined the photo carefully, and clicked his tongue:

"Tsk tsk, Old Lu is still as dapper as ever! But the bride is quite pretty!"

"Speaking of which..." Zhang Zhiwei suddenly remembered something, turned to look at Lü Ci, and teased, "Erbi, Lu Jin got married, didn't he invite you to be his best man?"

"Best man?" Lu Ci was taken aback and asked in confusion, "What's that?"

Zhang Zhiwei then remembered that Western-style weddings were not yet widespread at that time, and explained:
"The best man, as the name suggests, is the man who accompanies the groom. His main tasks are to support the groom, accompany him to try on his suits, hand out invitations, help out, or 'take the drinks' for him when he's being pressured to drink..."

After hearing this, Lü Ci suddenly realized and said with a sneer, "Hey! I thought it was something new! Isn't this just like the 'charioteer' in our old etiquette?"

The charioteer is responsible for driving the car and assisting with various ceremonial duties when the groom goes to the bride's house to fetch her.

In addition, they also have to stand in for the groom at the wedding, socializing with guests and acting as "anti-drinking" agents.
Typically, the groom's nephew, younger brother, or other younger relatives, or close friends of the same generation, will serve as the groom's nephew or younger brother.

The poem "Magpie's Nest" in the Book of Songs (specifically the section on the south) states: "When this young woman goes to her husband's home, she is escorted by a hundred carriages."

Here, "御" refers to the charioteer. Unlike Western weddings, which typically have only a few groomsmen, wealthy families may have dozens or even hundreds of charioteers at their wedding banquets.

"That's pretty much the gist of it." Zhang Zhiwei nodded, then laughed and said, "Hey Hedgehog, you and Lao Lu are such good friends, why didn't he invite you to be his best man?"

Lu Ci rolled his eyes and said irritably:

"Senior Brother Zhang, please give me a break! Me, good to Lu Jin? We're mortal enemies! He wouldn't invite me no matter who he invites!"

"Even if he invited me to be his best man, I, Lü Ci, would rather die or jump off this mountain than be his best man."

He paused, then added, "That kid's smart enough to actually ask for it. Let's see how I 'help' him out' at his wedding!"

He spoke fiercely, but his eyes darted around for a moment.

Zhang Zhiwei reasonably suspected that if Lu Jin really asked for help, Er Bi would be completely won over and would eagerly go to assist.

Zhang Zhiwei didn't point it out, but simply smiled and said:

"Really? I thought you'd be happy to join in the fun."

"Of course I wouldn't want to!" Lü Ci retorted stubbornly, then changed the subject: "But, Senior Brother Zhang, why didn't he invite you to be his best man? Logically speaking, you should be the one he most wanted to invite, right?"

Zhang Zhiwei frankly stated, "As a monk, that kind of occasion is inappropriate for me."

Lu Ci thought for a moment and nodded, "That's true. With your current status in the martial arts world, even if you don't care, the Lu family would never dare to agree to you being his best man."

"If you were to serve as his foil, that would be too disrespectful to you. If word got out, the entire martial arts world would laugh at the Lu family for not knowing the rules. Besides, Old Lu himself is probably terrified."

"But then again, if Lao Lu really went out of his way to invite you, would you go?"

Lu Ci winked and asked with a smile.

Zhang Zhiwei laughed and said, "It's just an empty title. I've never cared about such things. If Lu Jin really needs it, I'd be happy to be his best man."

“You don’t care, but Lao Lu does!” Lu Ci laughed. “He’s just a hypocrite. He’s always cursing, but he’s actually very principled! He would never do something so presumptuous.”

Lu Ci stroked his chin and chuckled, "He's perfectly suited to have a best man who's just as hypocritical as him, hmm... probably someone from the Trinity Sect." (End of Chapter)