Chapter 146. Do you love me willingly?
A cold wind swept through the hall, the temple gate was wide open, and two paper lanterns hung under the eaves, their wicks elongated and flickering weakly.
The tattered window paper rattled, and outside, withered branches intertwined, creating an eerie atmosphere. The atmosphere inside the temple was also quite strange, devoid of any joyful spirit.
No matter how you look at it, this scene has absolutely nothing to do with a wedding hall where people get married. It would be more appropriate to put a few paper figures in the corner and scatter some paper money.
Traditional wedding items such as bridal sedan chairs, wedding robes, embroidered shoes, and nuptial wine were naturally nowhere to be found in this desolate wilderness. There was neither a wedding procession nor guests coming to offer congratulations or drink wine; thus, a hasty and absurd drama began.
Despite lacking many things, Duan Lansheng still used what was available to make some arrangements on site.
He patiently smoothed out the faded double happiness paper-cut and pasted it onto the window frame. It had probably been pressed on the table for a long time; Lu Yuanyuan noticed that it had left a dark red paint stain on the tabletop, with blurred edges that seeped into the wood grain, like old blood seeping into the surface.
Lacking a golden cup for the nuptial wine, they used a porcelain cup and water instead. Duan Lansheng even found a few red candles in the back room, removed the incomprehensible statue in the temple, wiped the table clean, and lit the red candles. The golden light spilled into the darkness, the shadows of the branches swayed rustling, and joy and gloom appeared contradictorily together.
Bathed in candlelight, Duan Lansheng's snow-white face regained a rosy hue, unlike the frighteningly pale complexion he had displayed on the journey. He stood before the offering table, calmly turned his head, and looked over, holding a bright red sash in his hand, the silk slipping from between his fingers.
Although he didn't say anything, Lu Yuanyuan understood what he meant.
She overcame her surging tension and trembling, and stepped forward.
After all, it was just a substitute; compared to the real red embroidered ball sash, this belt was much thinner and longer. With each person holding one end, there was still plenty of room to move around; you could easily squeeze three or four light bulbs into the middle.
However, when Lu Yuanyuan grabbed the dangling end, she found that she couldn't get too far away.
It turned out that Duan Lansheng had only released a small portion of the red ribbon, keeping the distance between them firmly under his control. The remaining length was wrapped around his palm in circles.
Even if you want to stay away from him, you can only be an arm's length away at most.
Noticing the other person's deep gaze lingering on her face, Lu Yuanyuan's heart pounded. Suddenly, the red ribbon in her palm was yanked without warning.
Seemingly feeling that the two were still not intimate enough, Duan Lansheng suddenly exerted some force, twisting his wrist again to tighten the red ribbon. Lu Yuanyuan was slightly startled, staggered, and was pulled forward a step, her forehead almost touching his chest.
A hand caught her elbow just in time, stabilizing her body.
The auspicious time has arrived.
Duan Lansheng first lifted his robe and knelt on the ground. His kneeling posture was also very graceful, his back straight, his robe spread out on the ground like flower petals. Beside his knees was the only prayer mat in the temple.
Lu Yuanyuan composed herself and knelt down as well, her knees sinking into the soft cushion.
First bow to Heaven and Earth, second bow to the parents, and then the husband and wife bow to each other.
The dilapidated temple was empty, with no elders present and no memorial tablets in front of it.
Lu Yuanyuan's forehead was pressed against the cold ground, and her breath exhaled a small puff of mist onto the bricks.
Throughout the entire ceremony, her heart was filled with turmoil, anxiety, unease, absurdity... a multitude of indescribable complex emotions surging within her.
In her past life, she stubbornly insisted on marrying Duan Lansheng, refusing to back down even when faced with a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. In this life, however, she's the one being forced into the marriage by Duan Lansheng. Isn't this a case of fortunes turning around?
What is Duan Lansheng thinking? Why must he perform this simple ceremony tonight, in this place?
On the surface, Duan Lansheng's sudden suggestion to perform the ritual stemmed from seeing the double happiness character paper-cut under the candlestick. However, she felt that even if they hadn't passed by this temple tonight, Duan Lansheng would have steered things to this point anyway.
Amidst her jumbled, chaotic thoughts, the three bows seemed to be completed in the blink of an eye. Lu Yuanyuan slowly lifted her forehead from the ground, but just then, an unexpected change occurred—a flash of white light appeared in the air ahead.
Lu Yuanyuan opened her eyes in surprise and saw a white sphere of light appear between her and Duan Lansheng, within which slept a small nine-tailed fox. It was clutching its own tail, curled up like a shrimp, its belly rounded, like an unborn baby. The light, like a pair of gentle hands, cradled the little fox as it slowly descended. Lu Yuanyuan quickly reached out her hand.
A fluffy, heavy little fox landed in her hands. The moment she felt its weight, the light went out. Lu Yuanyuan's hands sank down under the pressure of gravity. But beneath her, a larger pair of hands were already waiting, steadily cradling her hands.
Thinking it was some serious emergency, Lu Yuanyuan quickly checked on the little fox. Fortunately, it was just sleeping and breathing steadily. Lu Yuanyuan breathed a slight sigh of relief and asked in confusion, "How did Tangyuan suddenly run out?"
Compared to her, Duan Lansheng seemed to have anticipated this, showing no surprise whatsoever. He lowered his head, looking at the little fox in her arms with her, raised his hand, and gently stroked Tangyuan's fox ears with his fingers, lingering for a moment: "He can now live independently in the world without my care."
Lu Yuanyuan was stunned.
As if sensing her innermost thoughts, fate, on its final day, offered her a helping hand.
During this time, she had hesitated to feed the Soul-Crossing Thorn to Duan Lansheng because Tangyuan was still parasitizing him. Now, on the eve of the great battle, on the last peaceful night, her concerns were thus removed.
The time is ripe for action.
If she misses tonight, she may never have another chance to go home.
The tension caused Lu Yuanyuan's adrenaline to surge wildly, even making her stomach churn and feel nauseous. She had to forcefully suppress the trembling in her wrists.
At the same time, amidst this overwhelming commotion, a faint doubt also began to linger.
Last night, Duan Lansheng clearly said that Tangyuan would soon be able to exist independently of him. His tone at the time gave the impression that this matter wouldn't be resolved immediately.
By the way, Duan Lansheng also clearly stated that there were "the last few days".
As the saying goes, "Nothing is complete without three." Why are the glutinous rice balls ready in just one day? Isn't that too fast?
Perhaps she's overthinking it; these things can't be predicted with perfect accuracy anyway.
At that moment, a cup was placed in front of her.
The little fox had already been placed aside by Duan Lansheng, with clean clothes placed beneath it. Duan Lansheng turned his gaze back to her and smiled slightly: "Yuanyuan, the ceremony isn't over yet, let's continue."
Lu Yuanyuan's gaze fell on the liquid in the glass reflecting the candlelight.
According to wedding custom, after the ceremony, the couple should drink nuptial wine. However, there's no wine to drink at this time. The porcelain cup contains only a pool of water.
Duan Lansheng did not urge her, but his hand holding the cup remained motionless.
Lu Yuanyuan pursed her lips and raised her hand. When she took the cup, she inevitably touched Duan Lansheng's fingers.
His hands were extremely cold, as if they, like the porcelain cup, were lifeless objects.
Just as she was about to tilt her head back and drink the water in the glass, her wrist was suddenly grabbed.
The other person was very strong, and she could no longer move an inch. The cup was suspended in mid-air, and the liquid swayed a few times.
Lu Yuanyuan's eyelids twitched suddenly.
Just now, she had been avoiding looking at Duan Lansheng's expression, but now, looking up, she realized that he had stopped smiling.
The gentle smile that seemed like a mask welded to his face tonight has vanished.
Despite having forcefully led this absurd wedding, at the very last moment, he pressed the pause button, simply staring intently at her face as if he were seeing her for the first time.
Lu Yuanyuan's neck was stiff.
Being stared at like that for so long, she had the illusion that he could see right through her.
After a long silence, Duan Lansheng finally spoke, his eyes dark and gloomy: "Are you doing this willingly?"
"..."
Answer him quickly, say yes.
Deep within her mind, a voice urged Lu Yuanyuan to respond, as if calling for her life.
It's okay, this isn't the first time. If you tell a lie countless times, you'll even fool yourself. You can make vows of eternal love without even thinking about them.
But this time, under his gaze, her tongue seemed to be pressed down by a heavy iron weight, unable to move an inch.
She did it willingly.
She couldn't predict what future she would choose without other influencing factors. But at least for now, her acceptance of Duan Lansheng was tainted by too much exploitation and could hardly be called voluntary.
Seeing her remain silent, Duan Lansheng's eyes darkened, as if a storm was brewing. He tightened his grip on her wrist, but his voice became even softer: "Yuanyuan, do you love me, choose me, and accept me willingly?"
"..."
With a crack, the porcelain cup sprang to life, and water seeped through the gaps between the fingers, like some kind of ominous premonition.
Duan Lansheng's expression changed. But the next second, he was tackled by a figure, and his lips pressed against a warm touch.
Lu Yuanyuan didn't answer his question. She simply closed her eyes, cupped his face, and kissed him.
...
Lu Yuanyuan could feel that Duan Lansheng's lips trembled noticeably when she suddenly attacked him.
This was the first time she had kissed him proactively in many years. Perhaps it had been too long since he had been treated like this, for Duan Lansheng was pushed to the ground by her, only managing to stay upright by supporting himself with his hands behind his back. His entire body was stiff, as if he couldn't quite react.
After an unknown amount of time, he seemed to finally break free of the spell, slowly wrapping his arms around her waist and responding to her passionately, their lips and tongues entwined, as if he were drawing breath from her.
Noticing that he was becoming engrossed, Lu Yuanyuan steeled her heart, gritted her teeth, and silently activated the incantation she had already memorized.
Her limbs gradually warmed up, as if something was burning gently and slowly inside her stomach. Soon, the heat surged to her chest, and along their intertwined lips and tongues, it reached Duan Lansheng's mouth.
The moment the Soul-Crossing Thorns were delivered, Duan Lansheng seemed to pause for a second. In that instant, a chilling shiver ran down Lu Yuanyuan's scalp, and her heart nearly leaped out of her chest.
Fortunately, Duan Lansheng didn't push her away. After a brief pause, the kiss continued.
Was that just my imagination? Was she too guilty, seeing threats everywhere?
Sure enough, Xiao Ruo's system hadn't lied to her.
Duan Lansheng is a native of this world, and he cannot see through the existence of the system items.
He ate the Soul-Crossing Thorn.
.
The next day.
Lu Yuanyuan opened her eyes with a splitting headache and found herself lying on her side on the ground, fully clothed. A fluffy ball of fur was nestled comfortably in her arms, snoring softly.
Duan Lansheng was holding her from behind; she was still unconscious. He was tall and broad-shouldered, and from behind, it was unlikely anyone would have known he was holding someone in his arms.
He used one arm to let her rest her head on, while the other arm tightly encircled her waist. He leaned forward, enveloping her completely, making it unclear whether he was protecting her, imprisoning her, or both.
Lu Yuanyuan turned her head and saw that he still had his eyes closed, and the sunlight fell on his brow like a cicada's wing.
Last night, with Tangyuan by his side, Duan Lansheng naturally couldn't do anything to her. He just kissed her repeatedly like a traveler who had just received rain after a long drought.
Lu Yuanyuan's gaze lingered on his lips for a moment before returning to it.
She wasn't sure if doing this would make up for her embarrassment. However, it at least had some effect—Duan Lansheng didn't press her further about the question she hadn't answered, regarding whether she was willing.
Lu Yuanyuan tried to move as quietly as possible, sitting up and carefully removing the little fox's arms from her waist. However, the moment she moved, the little fox in her arms woke up. Upon opening its eyes and seeing her, its round eyes went from being drowsy and confused to shining with surprise in just a second.
Lu Yuanyuan quickly extended her index finger and thumb to cover the little guy's mouth, and made a "shh" gesture with her right hand. Tangyuan blinked and obediently stopped, not rolling between her and Duan Lansheng to act cute.
Having rested her head on Duan Lansheng's arm all night, her neck was a little sore. Lu Yuanyuan got up, walked around him, and tiptoed out.
As soon as I stepped out of the temple gate, I was dazzled by the bright sunlight.
One reason why Ghost Prison Mountain was chosen by the Ghost Emperor as his hiding place was because of its poor lighting and damp, gloomy atmosphere.
Today is quite unusual; the clouds have cleared and the sun has finally come out.
Under the bright sunlight, the dilapidated temple no longer seemed as eerie as it had the night before. A path, hidden among the knee-high weeds, led to the back of the temple.
Lu Yuanyuan walked along the path, and behind her, a fluffy little creature followed her like a little shadow, hopping and skipping on the stones of the path.
Behind the temple was a desolate garden, where a swing made of wood and vines hung from the thick branches of a large tree. The tree canopy was sparse, and the swing swayed slightly in the wind.
Lu Yuanyuan touched the tree trunk, then tentatively sat on the swing. The wood beneath her was warm from the sun, making a soft creak, but it was more stable than it looked. With a gentle push of her feet, the swing began to rock back and forth.
She grabbed the rope, stared at the sky, and remained in a daze for a while.
Her calves were a little itchy; it turned out Tangyuan was tugging at her. Lu Yuanyuan hugged him onto her lap and scratched his chin.
A fallen leaf drifted down and landed among the little fox's nine blooming tails, making him shiver with ticklishness. Lu Yuanyuan removed it for him, looked into his round eyes, and couldn't help but lower her head to kiss his furry forehead.
Tangyuan paused for a moment, then suddenly raised its two paws to cover its eyes, shyly snuggling into her arms a few times, its tail wagging rapidly.
Lu Yuanyuan kissed him again before straightening up and gently combing his snow-white soft fur with her fingers.
Bathed in sunlight, the little fox gradually slowed its tail wagging, let out a coquettish cry, and stretched out its paws to play with another falling leaf, looking carefree.
Lu Yuanyuan took a deep breath, slowed down her swinging motion, and gazed at him.
This was the last time she spent with Tangyuan.
On Mount Mang, Duan Lansheng asked her if she wanted to give Tangyuan a formal name, and even enthusiastically suggested several, all with the same surname as her, Lu. But she made excuses to decline, saying that she would wait until Tangyuan settled down before discussing it.
In reality, she simply didn't want to leave too many traces of herself because she knew that they would eventually part ways, and she also felt that she didn't have the right to name herself.
Besides, once she gets home, Duan Lansheng will hate her to the core and will almost certainly rename Tangyuan. He might even cut all the names she chose out of the dictionary and burn them to ashes.
Oh, no, there is no Xinhua Dictionary in this world.
She was thinking about something inexplicable.
The sun was warm and pleasant, and the little fox was also warmed by it, its gleam dazzling. Lu Yuanyuan's eyes seemed to have absorbed too much intense sunlight, and she didn't blink for a long time, making it difficult for her to see clearly.
After an unknown amount of time, Lu Yuanyuan heard the sound of the temple door being pushed open. She then snapped out of her daze, like a despicable thief worried about being exposed. She quickly touched her face, composed herself, and returned to her usual self.
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