When the hour of Xu (7-9 PM) arrives, the gates of hell open wide.
The moon was obscured by dark clouds, and the entire capital of Bianjing was plunged into a deathly silence of darkness.
The shops on both sides of the street were filled with all sorts of things: antiques, jade, hair, armor, dolls, leather ropes...
At the beginning, they even placed joss paper as a congratulatory gift.
On the empty street, souls, both white and black, slowly appeared, sometimes soaring high, sometimes playing mischievously, and sometimes taking mournful steps, creating a magnificent scene.
The ghosts looked at the gifts from the human world with great satisfaction, and drifted around. Whatever they saw that they liked, they simply waved their hands and put it into their pockets.
'Hehe, it's out, it's out!'
'Hehe, the human world is still the best, spacious and bright.'
"Yes, Brother Black, come on, let me show you my mansion..."
...
The chaotic sounds outside jolted Lin Wanwan awake from her sleep inside.
The ghosts roamed outside the door, darting around and occasionally banging on the tightly closed door.
Lin Rui'an hugged Lin Chang'an, who was terrified.
"Chang'an, don't be afraid, I'm here."
"Second brother, do you think those people might arrest us?"
"No, they're just sightseeing. We just need to ignore them."
"Okay." Lin Chang'an couldn't wait until dawn.
It will be alright once it gets light. As long as we get through tomorrow, we won't be afraid anymore.
Just then, from the Zhenbei Marquis's residence, a series of piercing screams, like sharp blades, tore through the quiet night sky.
Shiming cowered under the desk, his eyes wide open, staring in terror at the person who appeared before him.
The little girl, dressed in a bright red wedding gown, looked eerie in the dim light.
He stretched out his hand and pointed at the little girl: "You...you...who are you?"
The woman was petite, her wedding dress a fiery red, yet it carried an otherworldly, eerie quality.
"Young man, do you still remember the evil deeds you committed against me at the mass grave a few months ago?"
Lin Shiming's voice trembled as he stammered, "Don't come any closer! It's not me, you've mistaken me for someone else."
The woman pressed closer, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that her feet were not touching the ground.
“I did not mistake you. It was you. You took advantage of the moment my parents buried me and dug me out of the cold grave. Ignoring my pleas for mercy, you forcibly defiled me.”
"I am a woman of noble birth, how can I tolerate such insults from you!"
"Fortunately, you are also a legitimate son, so I won't be at a disadvantage. Tonight is our wedding night, and from now on we will be husband and wife!"
The woman, dressed in a red wedding gown, looked exceptionally eerie in the dark night.
Lin Shiming was so frightened that his lips trembled. He hurriedly recalled the women he had touched before, and fragments of the past flashed through his mind.
Suddenly, his shocked eyes fixed on the ghost bride not far away.
"You...you are the daughter of the Minister of Justice?"
The ghost bride's smile sent chills down Lin Shiming's spine; her pale and terrifying face was frightening in the darkness.
"Looks like you're quite clever!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Shiming was so frightened that he wet his pants. He fell to the ground with a thud, pleading, "Please, spare me! I'll never do it again!"
"That day was unintentional. I was captivated by your beauty when I saw it by chance."
"That's why I made such a big mistake. I'll give you as much silver as you want, please let me go."
"Humans and ghosts are different; we are not from the same world at all!"
Upon hearing this, the ghost bride's smiling face suddenly turned sinister, then became ferocious, a mixture of anger and grief.
She stretched out her bloodied hands and suddenly grabbed Lin Shiming by the neck.
"Not from the same world?"
"Lin Shiming, if you hadn't forced me and caused me to lose my body, I should have found a good match in the underworld. It was you who ruined everything for me."
"Today, you have no choice but to agree!"
After saying that, she lightly waved her wedding dress.
Suddenly, paper figures appeared all around, including paper people, horses, sedan chairs, and banners, creating a bizarre wedding scene.
Lin Shiming was so frightened that he almost fainted on the spot, but was jolted awake by the ghost bride's soul power.
"What...what are you doing?"
"Hahaha, what are we doing?" The ghost bride smirked. "We're getting married, of course!"
"What?"
Lin Shiming was so frightened he almost lost his soul. He staggered backward, but accidentally knocked over the paper figures behind him, making him even more terrified.
He turned around and saw a paper sedan chair behind him, with two paper figures standing beside it.
Enraged, the ghost bride slapped Lin Shiming hard across the face, blood trickling down his chin.
"Smack!"
"These are all part of my dowry, how dare you treat them so lightly!"
Lin Shiming's mouth was slapped and blood flowed from it, the blood stinging the ghost bride's eyes.
"Girl, please, we are separated by the divide between humans and ghosts, how can we get married?"
"I'll burn money for you, and I'll ask a high-ranking monk to perform a ritual to help your soul find peace, okay?"
Seeing his expression, the ghost bride instantly reverted to her delicate demeanor, reaching out her small hand, "Hold my hand."
A pale, terrifying hand appeared in front of Lin Shiming, whose face, devoid of color, resisted repeatedly.
No, don't.
Seeing that he still wouldn't listen, the woman flew directly onto Lin Shiming's back and then slowly blew a breath onto his face.
"Phew~"
A chilling aura made him feel cold.
Immediately, the yin energy invaded his body, his eyes gradually went from fear to emptiness, and finally he stopped struggling.
The ghost bride said in a sweet voice:
"That's right."
"Carry me into the bridal sedan chair."
Lin Shiming was like a puppet, completely at the beck and call of the ghost bride.
...
"Bang!"
The heavy vermilion gates of the Marquis's mansion were suddenly pushed open.
With a deafening crash, the silence of the night seemed to be torn apart, disturbing the lonely ghosts wandering in the dark with nowhere to go.
Souls, overwhelming and numerous, flew in from all directions in an instant to witness this extraordinary phenomenon, curiously gathering around to observe it.
When they saw a red bridal sedan chair being carried out of the Marquis's mansion, the ghosts all cried out in alarm and whistled.
Wow, is this a marriage between a human and a ghost?
'This is astonishing, truly unprecedented!'
The ghosts whispered among themselves, and an indescribable eeriness and excitement filled the air.
Lin Shiming on horseback seemed not to hear, staring blankly ahead.
Behind them, a group of paper figures in various shapes and sizes were playing drums, gongs, flutes, and other instruments, all enacting a poignant and terrifying wedding.
The joss paper danced in the wind, like black snowflakes, fluttering wildly in the night, adding a touch of gloom and eeriness to the wedding.
The bright red sedan chair, under the watchful gaze of the ghost, slowly traveled through the streets of Bianjing, making a large circle before returning to the Marquis's residence.
The terrifying music startled the people hiding inside their houses awake, and they all secretly peeked at the scene from their windowsills.
That night, Bianjing seemed to be shrouded in an invisible fear.
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