Chapter 16

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The Wu family was wealthy, and the patriarch, Wu Jiuding, was a man who cared deeply about appearances; the wedding banquet was grandly arranged.

The wedding hall was decorated with exceptional festivity—red silk drapes, walls plastered with double happiness characters, and thick celebratory candles burning on the tables... The bride wore a red gown, with faint golden patterns shimmering under the candlelight, clearly embroidered with gold thread.

In the midst of this joyous scene, the groom lay sprawled lifeless, his tail feathers dulled and tattered, rendering his pitiable state even more tragic against the backdrop of festivity.

Truly pitiful, utterly heartbreaking!

Wang Chan’s nose tingled with sorrow.

She was an unfilial daughter; before she could even recall her father clearly, he had already become just a fleeting memory in her mind—merely one or two faint recollections.

What a human tragedy!

Father—

She had come too late!

Wang Chan lifted her foot, ready to ascend the steps and approach those large roosters.

“Cough, cough, cough-cough—” The matchmaker coughed violently, clutching her neck, struggling to speak, “Scholar Gong isn’t here. Master Wu said he’s very ill, unable to rise, so they used the big roosters to stand in.”

“You are Scholar Wang’s daughter, called, called Achan, right? Auntie has seen you!”

The matchmaker grabbed Wang Chan’s hand tightly, her eyes gleaming with hope, unwilling to let go no matter what.

This girl was extraordinary!

Just moments ago, the matchmaker thought she was doomed!

Falling wasn’t the worst; at most, she might break a limb or hand, but her life would be spared.

But the spirit’s breath was terrifying; one breath and she felt icy cold, teeth chattering uncontrollably, her mouth and nose seemingly sealed... At that moment, she truly believed she was going to die!

Dead like a fish out of water.

Yet this little girl was tough! She managed to wipe herself clean with a handkerchief.

Seeing signs of life, the matchmaker clung to her, ransacking her memory for clues.

A mere acquaintance is still fate, still an old connection! The two were kin!

“My father’s not here? Then where is he?”

Wang Chan quickly sniffed and rubbed her nose, pretending the chill had made it cold.

That was close—if tears had fallen, it would be undeniable proof she’d mourned the wrong grave.

The matchmaker said, “I heard Master Wu mention he’s in the back courtyard. I think he might be in the bridal chamber; if not, it doesn’t matter much. The back courtyard only has a few rooms—we can look around there.”

“Ah, the bridal chamber.” Wang Chan’s eyes dimmed with disappointment.

At first, upon hearing that the big roosters in the wedding hall were the grooms, Wang Chan was overjoyed.

If the groom was a rooster, then her father was not the groom—that is, he hadn’t remarried.

Suddenly, Wang Chan felt as subdued as a cat being stroked the wrong way.

No matter the substitution or the so-called ritual to dispel evil, in Wang Chan’s eyes, without herself dressed in red and adorned with a red flower, there was no true groom!

But upon hearing “bridal chamber,” her bright eyes drooped again, moisture gathering at the corners, resembling a village dog adding an air of pitifulness.

Very well, as long as father was all right.

“Achan, I’ll take you to the back courtyard; let’s find Scholar Wang.” The matchmaker was clever, noticing the girl’s dislike of the bridal chamber, quickly changing her words and volunteering to accompany her.

“Ha—she just said she’d go, and off she goes.”

Wu Fugui watched Wang Chan and the matchmaker head toward the back courtyard. Whether from pain or flattery, the matchmaker twisted her waist coquettishly. Seeing this, he smirked beneath his mustache.

Is it really that easy to leave here?

It’s like a ghost wall—a haunted maze!

He saw the courtyard bustling with guests running hopelessly in all directions, stopping only to realize, astonishingly, they hadn’t moved an inch!

Next moment, Wu Fugui’s eyes widened.

“This, this—”

“I told you there was something strange about Wang family’s girl!” Shi Yinuo slapped Wu Fugui excitedly. “Look, the steward, she’s gone out, taking the matchmaker to the back courtyard!”

“Is she really not a ghost?”

The last words carried a hint of fear.

Wu Fugui gritted his teeth, making up his mind.

He dashed after them, shouting as he ran.

“Wait for me, Miss Wang! I’m the steward here, I know this way better than the matchmaker. Let me guide you.”

With sharp-eyed Zhao Yang and a few others following eagerly, Shi Yinuo trailed behind.

The tall man was stunned, dumbfounded when he looked over.

Shi Qianjin had already taken a few steps ahead, cursed under her breath, then turned back, grabbing people to follow.

Half running, she muttered,

“Don’t you remember what Grandma Qian always said in our village? You’re such a blockhead.”

“What?”

“Big one’s new, second one’s old, third one mends, fourth one breaks... You, why are you so clueless about everything, can’t even catch up with warm excrement!”

Shi Yinuo fell silent.

He endured it.

…

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Wang Chan found Wang Boyuan in a guest room. The door was locked with iron, the window barred with wooden planks. In the chilly autumn night, no thin quilt lay on the bed. A pot of water sat on the square table, long since cold.

“Father!” Wang Chan rushed over.

Wang Boyuan lay motionless on the bed.

The matchmaker and Wu Fugui exchanged glances. Goodness, was he really so ill? Judging by the barely rising quilt, there was almost no breath left.

Could he truly have died from illness?

Wang Chan was terrified.

She looked closely, then pressed her ear to his chest. When she heard his heartbeat, her anxious heart eased somewhat.

“He’s alive. My father is still alive.”

The matchmaker and others rejoiced, “That’s wonderful!”

In their haste, the matchmaker and Wu Fugui clasped hands, smiling at each other; then, regaining their senses, they immediately let go.

Pah!

Wang Chan ignored them, staring at Wang Boyuan on the bed, calling him again.

Compared to the scholar she remembered, who used to stomp and curse the local thieves, he looked thinner, lips chapped, and it was unclear how long he had been unconscious. His face was pale, but he was asleep, brow deeply furrowed.

“You were supposed to be the groom, weren’t you? But who acts like this, such a pitiful groom!” She sniffed, “I can speak now, get up and talk to me... I’m not dumb anymore, really not dumb. Uncle even said I have the ancestral talent for nurturing stones; I’ll be amazing someday.”

Wang Chan pressed her cheek against Wang Boyuan’s cool hand, tears falling unconsciously.

“…If you truly marry again in the future, I won’t secretly curse you in my heart.”

“Such wickedness!” The matchmaker stomped, eyes glancing at the discarded iron lock.

There was no doubt now—Master Wu had committed bride kidnapping!

“Already have a dead ghost son-in-law and still not satisfied! Look at Scholar Wang, so handsome, they don’t lock him up like this or substitute roosters as groom! This is no different from forced marriage, we must report this to the authorities! We must report it!”

Luckily, after more than twenty years of work, her reputation was nearly ruined.

At this moment, the matchmaker absurdly thanked the blue-faced ghost. Thanks to it, the Wu-Wang marriage hadn’t succeeded.

“Miss Wang, look—” The matchmaker glanced outside, fear flashing in her eyes, “Should we take Scholar Gong away first? I’m sure he wants to leave with you.”

“Yes, my father wouldn’t want to be this groom!”

Even in this state, Wang Chan couldn’t support Wang Boyuan on her own. Fortunately, several servants from the Wu household arrived. After looking them over, she instructed them to carry Wang Boyuan out.

“We’re heading to the docks. Find a boat and send my father to Rouge Town. No slacking off, and don’t lose my father! If anything happens, I’ll be watching!”

“Of course not.” Wu Fugui quickly replied, “We owe our lives to Miss’s kindness. Scholar Gong’s matters are ours to manage—we will handle everything properly.”

Shi Yinuo chimed in, “Yes, don’t worry. Remember when you had that coffin? We transported it safely to Rouge Town. Scholar Gong is alive, so we’ll be even more careful—guaranteed safety.”

Others glared at him: shut up! You always bring up the wrong thing!

“What coffin?” The matchmaker was puzzled.

After understanding, her eyes grew wide.

How insane—ruining a girl’s life and forcing a marriage. Such beauty—so ruinous!

Looking again at Wang Boyuan, the matchmaker kept clicking her tongue.

A blue-faced calamity—indeed a blue-faced calamity.

…

At the gate, Wang Chan turned around.

The group followed her and stopped.

They all looked back and were frightened.

Though standing in one place, it seemed as though there was a dividing line ahead.

The candles lit throughout the Wu estate were cold. The houses twisted, ghostly shadows everywhere. Though the buildings were lifeless, they seemed alive. Inside, the guests running and crying looked like prey caught in a monster’s mouth.

They were like insects caught in a spider’s web, struggling in vain.

If not eaten now, they’d be consumed tomorrow.

“What if we stayed inside? What would happen?” Wu Fugui’s legs went weak.

Wang Chan considered and guessed, “If things are better, you might keep your life, but with evil spirits in your heart, you’d go mad.”

This place was thick with ghostly energy, cold and sinister like maggots gnawing at the bones. Countless ghostly energies tangled chaotically, obscuring sight and suffocating breath... Eventually, one loses courage, and the mind becomes clouded.

The celestial array of the seven luminaries was far away; this place was a playground for evil spirits.

“Madness is the better outcome?” Wu Fugui nearly collapsed.

“Then let’s leave quickly! It’s too frightening!”

This time, urged onward, Wang Chan did not move forward.

Another guest ran frantically through the thick ghostly energy—a thin old gentleman with graying hair and a goatee. Compared to others, he was calmer and helped a crying child to his feet.

The child cried for a long time but was ignored; his voice hoarse and broken.

The old man squatted, hands on the child’s shoulders, eyes scanning around. He no longer fled.

“Child, don’t be afraid. When the sun rises, it will be fine. Don’t be afraid, I’m here with you.”

He did not realize that though he spoke words of comfort, his eyes were filled with despair.

Through the dense ghostly energy, he locked eyes with Wang Chan outside the boundary. He was unaware, but Wang Chan saw it.

That gaze pierced her heart, rooting her feet to the spot, unable to lift them.

She touched her chest, heavy and dull, feeling deeply uneasy.

…

“Achan, are we not leaving?” The matchmaker whispered.

Wang Chan replied, “Wait a moment longer. I want to try something.”

Try?

Try what?

The matchmaker was puzzled, but the next moment, the young girl closed her eyes.

Wang Chan calmed her mind. Gradually, the noise faded, leaving only the sound of her heartbeat. Countless stone boundaries she had crossed flickered before her eyes.

Time passed—perhaps only an instant.

She found it!

Feeling it in her heart, she used her hands like a brush, the world as stone, guiding energy to outline the energy field of that stone boundary.

In just a moment,

Wind and clouds surged.

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“Is it the wind? Ah, no, it’s rain?” The matchmaker was surprised.

Before she could lift her skirt to shield from the rain, the young girl opened her eyes. With her hand movements, the wind and rain in midair transformed into blades, sharp and crisp, carving something.

Wind has its path, water has its flow.

Energy moved, forming the characters for wind and water.

“Exorcise evil, break!”

With the final stroke, Wang Chan pushed the energy forward, and the crowd saw a giant mirror appear in the dark sky, like a bronze mirror, reflecting starlight from the celestial array onto this misted realm thick with ghostly energy.

Three lights converged, evil spirits recoiled.

Instantly, the sinister ghostly energy contracted as if burned, recoiling moist tendrils backward.

The twisted house returned to normal, as if the beast had closed its mouth.

“The door can open now, the door can open!”

“Hurry—there’s the door, quickly, let’s go!”

“Go, go!”

The Wu family’s main gate opened, and many people stumbled out, all disheveled.

Shoes lost, clothes askew, hair undone... Seeing passersby, they muttered, “We’re saved, we’re saved...” then broke into tears and dashed toward home.

Halfway, they stopped.

No, they couldn’t go home!

What if they brought the trouble back to their elders? Worse yet!

They had to go to the temple, the monastery! Buddhas and immortals are compassionate and would surely protect them. The great monk and half-immortal would forgive them for diverting calamity. Besides, they paid their incense money regularly!

Thinking of the incense money paid over the years, everyone felt less burdened.

Jianxing Prefecture was a large city, lively even at night, with many passersby curious about the bizarre scene.

“What’s going on?” someone asked, stopping a person and examining them carefully, concerned. “It’s autumn, no shoes, stones hurt your feet, and it’s chilly.”

Chilly or not, they were running for their lives! Looking up, they recognized the person as the district’s attending physician on Gubron Street.

“Hurry, the Wu family is haunted!”

“Yes, something’s wrong at the Wu family. The groom wasn’t seen, only big roosters. Then suddenly a blue-faced ghost appeared, strangling a brood of chickens and calling Master Wu father-in-law, claiming he’s the real husband of Miss Wu, forbidding her from marrying again.”

“Right, that ghost is unreasonable. Every grievance has its source; why look for the Wu family and detain us?”

“Shh—quiet, or we’ll attract more trouble.”

“Let’s go quickly.”

…

“What—there’s a ghost?”

“Really?”

“Why lie? If you don’t believe me, go see for yourselves. Don’t lose your lives and say I didn’t warn you!”

Kind words couldn’t persuade those damned ghosts. The people who fled the Wu estate were terrified, muttering a few words. Seeing curious onlookers, they looked like fools marching to execution, shaking their heads, pulling their sleeves free, and running wildly.

People were curious but wouldn’t believe without seeing it themselves.

Soon, more people at the Wu gate shrank back cautiously.

…

Meanwhile, atop the wedding hall, the blue-faced ghost saw the giant bronze mirror in midair, sensing the dissipating ghostly energy. Its eyes stung, and it covered its face with its sleeve.

“Damn it! Damn it!”

Losing patience, it drew its fingers in; under the wide sleeve, its pale blue hand was wrapped in black energy, nails suddenly lengthening. It bared its teeth, revealing a cold tongue tinted black and red.

“Come with me!”

Like strangling a rooster, it unleashed its energy, suddenly lunging at Wu Jiuding and Wu Pingting, grabbing one with each hand, bringing its mouth close to suck their life force.

Next moment, the ghost recoiled in alarm as if seeing something dreadful.

“How do you have this? No, impossible!”

Wang Chan’s gaze was drawn there. Wu Jiuding held a mushroom-like object, instantly pinching the ghost’s face, causing it great shock.

Wu Jiuding sneered, “Wen Qian, my son-in-law? No—should I call you Wu Zhen, my nephew? You dared to ruin my son’s wedding. Looks like I let you die too easily.”

…

At the gate, Wu Fugui was stunned.

“It’s Zhu Wenqian? No, it’s Zhu Wuzhen? How could it be?”

Wang Chan curiously asked, “Who are those two?”

Wu Fugui looked surprised by her question, “You really don’t remember?”

Wang Chan shook her head.

Wu Fugui said, “The injury on your head was caused by Zhu Wuzhen. As for Zhu Wenqian, I only remembered the name after staying long at the Wu household. Miss Pingting’s previous suitor’s family name was Zhu; Zhu Wenqian was Miss’s fiancé.”

Wang Chan suddenly realized, “The young master and his elder brother!”

The one who hit her was the Wu family’s young master—or rather, the younger brother of the family originally betrothed to Wu family, whose family had died out, and who was brought by a servant to seek refuge with Master Wu.

Wang Chan was puzzled, “Then how are these two the same person?”

Wasn’t he only three or four when brought here? There was quite an age difference...

“Steward Fugui, you know, right?”

Wu Fugui: ...

Don’t look at me like that—I don’t know either.

…