When Chu Danfeng went back to comb his hair, he found that the Painted Skin Ghost's attitude had changed drastically. He no longer kept muttering, but was as respectful and cautious as if he was serving the Empress Dowager.
However, this was a good thing - when changing clothes, the female ghost did not suddenly stick her head out through the wall and say something embarrassing like "Your skin is so white", so Chu Danfeng breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally, the Painted Skin Ghost covered him with a red veil and reminded him according to the custom: "Don't lift the veil before entering the bridal chamber."
Chu Danfeng was covered with a veil and could not see anything. He only felt that there were two strange female ghosts supporting him. They were not as lively as the Painted Skin Ghost. They kept muttering dully, "Once the veil is lifted, there will be trouble", "When going east or west, don't take the same path", which were exactly the same as the whispers he heard on the way to the hot spring pool.
I don't know how long I walked, but I was probably out of Youquan Palace - because the neat blue bricks under my feet turned into soft ground - a maid handed me a bowl of milky white soup and said calmly, "Bride, drink the soup to urge the sedan chair!"
The soup was extremely thick, and no one knew what was in it. Chu Danfeng took the bowl, quietly stirred it with a spoon, and found some dark red lumps of unknown texture in it. When the spoon stirred it, the milky white soup was mixed with a few red threads like blood.
Chu Danfeng's stomach churned.
"Bride, drink the aphrodisiac soup!" the maid raised her voice and repeated it again.
Chu Danfeng couldn't help but quietly lift the veil a little and steal a glance at the maid, then he loosened the veil in fear and immediately raised the soup bowl in front of his eyes to block his sight.
—This is too scary!!!
The maid's face was whiter than the putty used to scrape the wall, with two red cheeks on her cheekbones and a pair of dark dead fish eyes. It seemed that she had just stared at Chu Danfeng.
"Bride, drink the aphrodisiac soup!" she urged again.
How could Chu Danfeng dare to drink it? But he still gritted his teeth, raised the bowl, and pretended to drink. In fact, he just touched his lips and didn't really open his mouth. However, the ghost waitress was easy to fool and didn't force him to finish the drink. Seeing the drinking action, she took the bowl.
Chu Danfeng breathed a sigh of relief, this was considered a pass.
"The bride is getting on the sedan!" This time it was a man's voice.
A male ghost who looked like a servant spread a felt mat on the ground. Two ghost maids supported Chu Danfeng as he walked on the mat. Finally, they got into the sedan chair and lowered the bright red curtain. The first thing Chu Danfeng did was to wipe his mouth desperately.
I don't know what the soup that touched my lips just now was made of, but it felt sticky and greasy, and it made me feel creepy.
However, the skill of the Painted Skin Ghost was really good. Even after wiping it like that, not even a bit of the lip balm was wiped off.
The sedan chair was carried very steadily. Someone was singing outside the sedan chair—perhaps a chorus of ghosts, sobbing and chanting loudly: "Red sedan chair, green scarf, milimali walking in front."
The drum band also played the music out of tune, forcing the joyous music to sound like the tragic return of the soul on the seventh day after the death.
Chu Danfeng hid in the sedan chair, shivering and shrinking himself into a quail.
It’s so fucking scary qvq.
If he had known that ghost marriage was so terrible, he would have slapped Fang Qingya away and let the "man in the bamboo hat" take him away!
I'm scared to deathqvq.
At this moment, the curtain of the sedan chair was lifted. Chu Danfeng heard the noise and was so startled that he almost cried out, but then he heard a familiar voice, "Junior Brother, it's me."
Chu Danfeng was concerned about the folk song "Once the veil is lifted, trouble will arise", so he only quietly lifted it a little, and as expected, he saw Hua Tingxuan in wedding clothes.
The boy has fair skin, which looks particularly good in red. He has an upright figure, broad shoulders and long legs. A waist belt with a black edge and gold embroidery shows off his slender waist. His black hair is tied in a golden crown, and he is extremely handsome.
Chu Danfeng had no intention of appreciating it. He lowered his voice and said anxiously, "How did you get here? Go back quickly. This place is too weird. Don't break any taboos."
Hua Tingxuan: "It's okay, I used a trick, no one can find it."
Chu Danfeng covered his veil like a thief, poked his head out, and looked in the direction of Hua Tingxuan's finger. He saw that the wedding procession was so long that there was no end in sight. They had already left Youquan Palace and were now circling in the vast mustard seed space of Hengha Lane. There were at least twenty or thirty couples in sight, and in front of each sedan there was a groom riding a tall horse.
In front of his sedan chair there was also a "bridegroom" phantom that looked exactly like Hua Tingxuan. Sixth Junior Brother had been with him for so long, yet the ghost sedan bearers and ghost maids around him didn't notice anything was wrong. That must be his trick.
In the secret realm, using spells consumes more energy than outside. Hua Tingxuan went to such great lengths to come to him. I wonder if there is something important? Chu Danfeng barely suppressed his fear, sat back in the sedan chair, and said seriously, "What's the matter?"
"Yeah." Hua Tingxuan responded, then stretched a hand into the sedan chair, "Hold it."
Chu Danfeng: “?”
Hua Tingxuan smiled gently: "Hold my hand, then you won't be afraid."
"… "
It would be a lie to say I wasn't moved.
But as a man, as a half-elder who raised him, Chu Danfeng could not bring himself to admit that he was scared and needed to hold his hand to relieve his fear.
"What are you talking about? Who, who is scared?"
Hua Tingxuan: "I am afraid, little brother, please help Xuan'er."
Then... okay.
For the rest of the journey, Chu Danfeng tightly held the big hand that Hua Tingxuan extended to him. The young man's palm was broad, warm and dry, slowly conveying a reassuring warmth. As expected, he gradually calmed down and was not so scared anymore.
The open-air banquet hall was already full of people before the brides' sedan chairs arrived.
Lin Shu'er tied Li Yunyi with a rope and sat at the same table with Yulou. There were ten guests at the table. Except for two ghost NPCs, the rest were cultivators who participated in the sect competition.
The way to distinguish the ghost NPCs is very simple - only these two can calmly pick up the food with chopsticks and put it into their mouths to chew with enjoyment.
It was nearly midnight, and the sky was as dark as ink. There was not a single star. Only the white candles on the table provided dim lighting, reflecting the dishes: mostly sticky and bloody raw food, except for the small stew pot in front of each person, which contained a cooked eyeball.
… A normal living person definitely cannot eat these things.
Lin Shu'er felt nauseous and suppressed her nausea while whispering, "I don't know how Fifth Brother and the others are doing." They had truly infiltrated the group of ghosts.
Yulou was also worried, but Li Yunyi was concerned in a different way. He was so scared that he was shaking like a sieve with pimples all over his face, but he still bravely stretched his neck to look around, muttering to himself: "Where is the heavenly treasure 'Soul-Choosing Pearl'?"
"Why don't Uncle Douli and his fellow apprentices come to rescue me?"
"Is the Young Master of Bixia Pavilion in the bride's team? She is the daughter-in-law designated by my parents. Will the wedding night turn into a real one? Then, no matter how rich this daughter-in-law's family is, I don't want her."
Lin Shu'er was so annoyed after hearing this that she wanted to slap him unconscious and be done with it.
Lin Shuer gritted her teeth and said, "If you don't shut up—"
"The wedding procession is here!" someone shouted at this moment.
"Get off the sedan!"
Twenty or thirty sedan chairs descended at the same time, and the ghost maids helped their brides down from the sedan chairs. When the curtains were opened, Hua Tingxuan also quietly returned to his seat. Chu Danfeng was covered with a veil and could not see the guests. He could only see the felt mat still laid out under his feet.
It is a taboo in weddings that the bride cannot see the sky above or step on the ground below.
The ghost marriage ceremony also follows this set of rules.
Lin Shu'er couldn't help but stand up, trying to find her fifth senior brother among the twenty or thirty grooms, but after looking carefully for a long time, she didn't see his shadow, only her sixth senior brother Hua Tingxuan.
Yulou also said: "Why don't I see Brother Chu... Even the brides have come out, it seems like it's time to jump over the fire basin."
Some people were whispering, "Is the ceremony officially about to begin? After jumping over the fire basin, we will worship heaven and earth, right?"
"That treasure is said to be at the ceremony? It should be revealed by now."
"This is the first time I've seen so many brides. Many of them are beauties from various sects. I hope it doesn't become real."
Regardless of the purpose, all the guests stood up and watched with interest as the brides lined up to jump over the fire basin, but the banquet became chaotic.
A ghost screams:
"This is mine! Where's the Yasha on duty? Why did you let the two-mouthed woman in?"
"The second girl is here, eat quickly! It will all be gone soon!"
Some people were also panicked:
“Ahhhh there’s a ghost!”
"Don't make a fuss. Aren't there ghosts everywhere here?"
The ghosts and people were in chaos. Lin Shu'er looked in the direction of the sound and saw a middle-aged woman who picked up a plate and poured it on her back. A huge mouth as deep as the abyss was opened at the back of her neck. She could swallow a plate of bloody food with one mouth. She accepted everything and did it at an incredibly fast speed.
She swept through several tables like a whirlwind before a yaksha finally stepped forward to stop her, but the noise still alarmed the newlyweds.
Not only did the grooms wait to see, but even a few brides lifted their veils to look over secretly.
A warning like a ghost crying in the night suddenly resounded throughout the place: "Once the veil is lifted, disaster will occur."
The brides were so frightened that they quickly covered their veils.
However, the strange things at the wedding banquet did not end there. There was a "weird man" dressed in mourning clothes, all white, wandering around the room with a sad expression. From time to time, he would stop and stand in front of a guest, not saying a word, just staring at the person sadly.
Someone shouted, "This is a depressing ghost. It only appears at wedding banquets. Don't look it in the eye. Pretend you can't see it, or you'll get haunted!"
"Exactly, this thing is extremely vicious, everyone be careful!"
Some people were quite strong-willed. After being stared at by the ghost for a long time, they managed to pretend nothing happened and wait until it left. However, most of them were young cultivators with no experience in the martial arts world. Soon, a young disciple from the Nine Star Sword Sect could no longer withstand the harassment of the discouraged ghost and drew his sword in fear.
The ghost with a sad face suddenly grew in size and opened his bloody mouth towards the young disciple.
"Junior brother!" A bride threw away her red veil and rushed over recklessly. In an instant, the shrill cry of ghosts resounded through the sky again: "Once the veil is lifted, disaster will surely occur."
The young disciple and the bride sister joined forces, but they died after just a few rounds. The depressed ghost quickly devoured the body of the young disciple, and the sound of gnawing on tendons and flesh made a crackling sound, which was clearly heard by everyone and made people shudder.
Then, a number of mourning ghosts emerged from the red veil of the bride, but the bride was not afraid. There were traces of tears on her face. She drew her sword to avenge her brother.
The death of that junior fellow disciple was so tragic that more people from the Nine Star Sword Sect drew their swords and stood up to avenge their fellow disciple. The young monk from the Xumi Temple chanted the Buddha's name, "If I don't go to hell, who will?" and then he rushed towards the dejected ghost.
A melee ensued.
The newlyweds preparing for the ceremony were unwilling to stand by and watch. The grooms jumped off their horses and rushed towards their fellow disciples, who cooperated by handing them swords - the newlyweds preparing to get married were not allowed to carry weapons.
The brides were no less brave than the men, throwing away their red veils and preparing to join the battle to protect their fellow apprentices. Chu Danfeng was also worried about his own apprentice sister. Her cultivation was not high, and she was in the battle. What if she got into trouble? And Li Yunyi, his death was not a pity, but Fang Qingya had not been brought back yet!
But as soon as he threw away the veil, Chu Danfeng felt a chill in his heart - the scene before him was like the Shura of hell. Below, evil spirits were tearing living people apart, and in the air, there were small purple crystal bottles hanging, flashing from time to time, emitting a strange and dark blue light.
It's like sucking souls.
The flying smoke bottle that can absorb souls, the evil spirits all over the place... Chu Danfeng couldn't help but think of Fang Qingya's words, "What kind of heavenly treasure is this? A net of heaven and earth is more like it!"
"Newcomers, go back!" Thinking of Cao Cao, Fang Qingya used the Lion's Roar Technique, and his voice resounded throughout the venue, "Once the ceremony begins, it cannot be stopped! No step can go wrong! Otherwise... the evil spirit will appear, and everyone will have to sacrifice their souls!"
Fang Qingya also tried his best to use the Lion Roar Technique in this secret realm with many restrictions. After saying this, he seemed to be exhausted and stopped talking.
But fortunately, someone listened to the advice.
The Shuangji Sect disciples present at the scene were the first to recognize Fang Qingya's voice. Led by disciples from several major sects such as Shuangji Sect, Shengru Sect, and Xumi Temple, the newcomers gradually returned to their positions, and those evil ghosts that appeared out of thin air really slowly dissipated.
After the melee, corpses were everywhere. Chu Danfeng was worried about Lin Shuer and the others, but he did not dare to lift the veil without permission, for fear of breaking the taboo and implicating others.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here." It was Hua Tingxuan who spoke in secret.
Habits are really mysterious things. When Chu Danfeng heard his voice, he subconsciously felt relieved, but he felt that the intimacy in the words was a little overwhelming. Finally, he replied dryly: "It seems that the ghost marriage ceremony is indeed a trap..."
Hua Tingxuan: "I guess there is no such thing as a natural treasure. I just don't know why so many sect leaders believe in it."
Chu Danfeng smiled bitterly: "For now, I'm afraid I can only go through all the procedures before I can get out of Hengha Lane."
As all the newlyweds returned to their seats, amid the floating corpses, the absurd drum music began to play again, with an absurd solemnity and joy. The faint chanting sounded again:
"The bride steps over the fire basin when she enters the house, the man is as tender as honey and oil, the husband and wife follow each other and are happy together, a pair for life."
Stepping over the fire basin, stepping on tiles, burning incense and worshiping in the hall, the complicated and solemn rituals are all there, giving people the illusion that they are really getting married.
Chu Danfeng, with his veil covering his head and supported by a ghost maid, re-entered the Youquan Palace. His vision was limited and he could only see the hem of Hua Tingxuan's wedding dress and his pair of bony hands.
"Bow to heaven and earth!"
Chu Danfeng felt the ghost maid push him and had to kneel down.
"Bow to your parents!"
Chu Danfeng thought to himself: There are no parents here, they are just a group of ghosts. A man's knees are made of gold. If it weren't for the situation, these chosen ones who are qualified to enter the secret realm would probably want to overturn this pretentious Youquan Palace.
However, his sixth junior fellow apprentice, who was considered the "chosen one" by his side, did not feel the humiliation of flipping the table and leaving. Instead, he cooperated by lifting up his clothes, kneeling solemnly, and bowing all the way.
"Husband and wife bow to each other!"
Although he complained in his heart, Chu Danfeng did not dare to disrupt the ceremony. He just bowed down, his head almost touching Hua Tingxuan's, and he heard the other party's almost affectionate "Danfeng".
… He never calls me by my name! He always calls me “little senior brother”, so obedient.
Chu Danfeng felt something strange in his heart, but now was not the time to worry about it. With a high-pitched and vague voice of "Let's enter the bridal chamber together", he let Hua Tingxuan hold his hand and enter the bridal chamber.
They thought the ceremony was over, but the ghost maids, ghost grandmothers, and ghost servants were still serving them step by step, without the slightest sign of "a successful conclusion and escape".
Especially the ghostly old woman, who took out a white towel, handed it to Hua Tingxuan, and said ambiguously: "Groom, after you are done, don't forget to use it to wipe the blood and give it to me."