To give, or not to give?
Xie Lian remained expressionless, still undecided as to whether he should continue to sit there unmoved or feign timid retreat like a panicked bride. However, the owner of the hand was quite patient and graceful. He didn't move, and neither did he, as if waiting for his answer.
After a while, as if possessed by some mysterious force, Xie Lian reached out his hand.
He stood up and tried to lift the curtain to get out of the sedan, but the other person had already taken the first step and lifted the red curtain for him. The person shook his hand, but not too tightly, as if afraid of hurting him, giving the illusion of caution.
Xie Lian lowered his head and let him lead him slowly out of the sedan chair. At this moment, he caught a glimpse of the corpse of a wolf strangled by Ruo Xie Ling lying at his feet. His mind shifted slightly, and he stumbled slightly, gasping and falling forward.
The person who came immediately reached out and caught him.
Xie Lian reached out to shake the hand he had been given, and felt something cold. It turned out that the man was wearing a pair of silver wristbands.
This wristband was ornate and exquisite, with ancient patterns. Carved with maple leaves, butterflies, and ferocious beasts, it was quite mysterious, not something from the Central Plains, but rather an ancient artifact from a foreign race. It barely grasped the man's wrist, appearing refined and neat.
Cold silver, pale hands, lifeless, yet filled with murderous and evil spirit.
His fall was a pretense, a deliberate attempt to test him. Ruo Xie Ling had been slowly entwined beneath the wide sleeves of her wedding gown, ready to strike. However, the person who came simply took his hand and led him forward.
Xie Lian, partially covered by his veil, couldn't clearly see the road, and partially intent on stalling for time, so he deliberately walked extremely slowly. The man actually matched his pace, walking extremely slowly, occasionally reaching out to hold his hand, as if afraid he'd fall again. Although Xie Lian was extremely wary, being treated this way, he couldn't help but think, "If this really is a groom, he's incredibly gentle and considerate."
At this moment, he suddenly heard a very light, tinkling sound. With every step the two took, the sound became clearer. Just as he was wondering what the sound was, he suddenly heard the suppressed growls of wild beasts.
Wild wolf!
Xie Lian moved slightly, and Ruo Xie Ling suddenly tightened around his wrist.
Unexpectedly, before he could even move, the person holding him gently patted the back of his hand twice, as if to soothe him and tell him not to worry. The two pats were so light they could almost be described as gentle. Xie Lian was startled for a moment, and the low growls had subsided. Listening more closely, he suddenly realized that these wolves weren't growling, but whimpering.
That was clearly the whimper of a wild beast in extreme fear, unable to move, and struggling to death.
His curiosity about who the newcomer was grew stronger. He wanted to lift the veil and take a closer look, but he knew that was inappropriate. He could only peek through the gap under the red veil. All he saw was the hem of a red dress. Beneath the red dress, a pair of black leather boots were walking slowly.
The black leather boots were tightly fitted, revealing a pair of slender, straight calves. They looked quite attractive as she walked. Two delicate silver chains hung from the sides of the boots, and with every step they swayed, making a pleasant, tinkling sound.
His steps were careless and brisk, more like those of a teenager. Yet, each step was calculated, as if no one could hinder his progress. Anyone who dared to stand in his way would be crushed to pieces. This made Xie Lian unsure of what kind of person he was.
Just as he was thinking about it, suddenly, something white on the ground caught his eye.
It was a skull cap.
Xie Lian paused for a moment.
He immediately noticed something was wrong with the skull's placement. It was clearly part of a formation; if it were disturbed, the entire formation would instantly attack that point. But judging by the young man's pace, it seemed he hadn't noticed the object was there at all. He was just considering whether to warn him when he heard a gruesome "crack," and saw the young man's foot strike the skull, instantly shattering it.
Then, as if he felt nothing, he walked past the pile of dust indifferently.
Xie Lian: “…”
He actually, with just one kick, crushed the entire formation into a pile of waste powder...
At this moment, the young man paused. Xie Lian's heart stirred, wondering if he should make another move. But the young man paused only for a moment before continuing to lead him forward. After taking two steps, there was a sudden "drip drip" sound from above, like raindrops hitting an umbrella. It turned out that the young man had just held up an umbrella, shielding them from view.
Although it was inappropriate, Xie Lian couldn't help but praise him for his thoughtfulness. However, he was still quite puzzled. "Is it raining?"
Dark black mountains, vast wild forests. Far away, deep in the mountains, wolves howled at the moon. Perhaps because of the recent battle in the mountains, the cold air was still filled with the faint smell of blood.
This scene was extremely strange and enchanting. But the young man, holding his hand with one hand and holding an umbrella with the other, walked slowly forward, and there was an inexplicable charm of boundless romance and tenderness.
The strange rain had come and gone strangely. After a moment, the dripping sound of the raindrops hitting the umbrella disappeared. The young man also stopped, seemed to put away the umbrella, and at the same time, finally withdrew his hand and took a step closer to him.
The hand that had been holding his all the way gently grasped a corner of the veil and slowly lifted it up.
Xie Lian had been waiting for this moment the entire way, standing still as he watched the lingering red curtain slowly unfold before him.
Aya moves!
It’s not that the young man is murderous, but we must take the initiative and subdue him first!
Unexpectedly, the Ruo Xie Ling flew out, bringing with it a gust of wind. The bright red veil left the young man's hand, flew up and down again. Xie Lian only had time to see the afterimage of a young man in red before the Ruo Xie Ling passed through.
The young man was broken into thousands of silver butterflies, which scattered into a brilliant star wind with shining silver light.
Although it was still inappropriate, Xie Lian couldn't help but marvel at the scene after taking two steps back. It was truly a dreamlike beauty. At that moment, a silver butterfly flew past him. He was about to take a closer look when it circled him twice before merging into the butterfly wind, becoming part of the silver light that filled the sky, flapping its wings and soaring into the night sky.
After a while, Xie Lian came back to his senses and wondered, "Is this young man a ghost groom?"
He didn't think it was likely. If they were, the wolves in Yujun Mountain must have been his subordinates. Why would they be so frightened upon seeing him? And the formation on the road should have been set by the Ghost Bridegroom, but he had just casually... crushed it.
But if not, why would this young man come to rob the bridal sedan?
The more he thought about it, the more strange it seemed. Xie Lian tossed Ruo Xie Ling over his shoulder and thought, "Never mind. Maybe she's just passing through. Let's put it aside for now. Business is more important." He glanced around and exclaimed, "Huh?" There was a building not far away, standing there sullenly.
Since the young man brought him here and this building was painstakingly hidden in a maze, he had to go in and take a look.
Xie Lian took a few steps, then suddenly stopped, thought for a moment, and turned back. He picked up the veil from the ground, patted it, and held it in his hand before continuing to walk in that direction.
The building, with its red walls and tall courtyard, and slightly rusty bricks and tiles, resembled an ancient City God Temple. And based on Xie Lian's experience, it was most likely a Martial God Temple. Sure enough, he looked up and saw three large, steely characters on top of the gate:
"Minguang Hall"!
General Mingguang, the Northern Martial God, was the same General Pei Lingwen had mentioned in the spiritual array, who was highly worshipped in the north. No wonder they hadn't found the Mingguang Temple nearby, but had found the Nanyang Temple instead. It turned out the Mingguang Temple was located within Yujun Mountain, but had long been sealed off by a maze. Could this ghost groom have some connection to General Mingguang?
However, General Mingguang was a highly sought-after high priest, his position in the north secure. Xie Lian personally doubted that such a priest would be willing to be associated with a creature as ominous as the Ghost Bridegroom. It wasn't uncommon for him to be unwittingly possessed by a vicious creature. We'll have to wait and see what the truth is.
He walked forward and found the temple door closed but not locked, so he pushed it open. After he pushed it open, a strange smell hit him in the face.
It was not the gray smell of years of no one, but a faint stench of decay.
Xie Lian closed the door behind him, making it look as if no one had been there before, and stepped into the temple. In the center of the main hall stood a statue of the Martial God, naturally, the Northern Martial God, General Mingguang. Many human-shaped objects, such as statues, dolls, and paintings, were susceptible to being tainted by evil spirits, so Xie Lian first went up to examine the statue carefully.
After examining it for a long time, he concluded: This statue is exquisitely crafted. Holding a sword and wearing a jade belt, it possesses a handsome, imposing presence. There was no problem, and the stench wasn't coming from the statue itself. So, Xie Lian ignored it and headed towards the back of the hall.
Xie Lian froze at this turn, his pupils shrinking instantly.
A group of women wearing bright red wedding gowns and veils stood upright in front of him.
That faint stench of decay emanated from these women in wedding dresses.
Xie Lian quickly regained his composure and counted one by one, one, two, three, four...all the way to seventeen.
They were the seventeen brides who disappeared in the Yujun Mountain area!
Some brides' gowns were faded red, very old and worn, likely from brides who had disappeared earlier. Others, on the other hand, were brand new, with a new style and the faintest odor of decaying corpses, likely from brides who had disappeared recently. Xie Lian pondered for a moment before removing the veil from one bride.
Beneath the bright red veil lay a pale face, so pale it tinged with a faint greenish hue. Illuminated by the dim moonlight, it was a terrifying sight. The most terrifying thing was that the woman's face, already distorted with muscles as she lay dying, still wore a stiff smile.
Xie Lian took off the veil of another woman, and the corners of his mouth curled up in the same way.
The dead people in this room were all wearing wedding clothes and smiling.
Xie Lian seemed to hear the strange song sung by the child again: "Bridal bride, bridal bride, the bride in the red sedan chair... tears welling in her eyes, as she crosses the hills, do not smile beneath her veil..."
Suddenly, he heard a strange sound coming from outside the temple.
It was a truly bizarre sound. It was so strange it was hard to describe. It sounded like two sticks wrapped in thick cloth, pounding violently against the ground, or like something heavy being dragged across the ground. The sound came from far away, approaching incredibly quickly, and in a moment, it reached the entrance to the Minguang Temple. With a long, drawn-out "creak," the gates of the Minguang Temple were pushed open.
Whatever it was, a person or something, it was most likely the ghost bridegroom. And now, it had returned!
There was nowhere to escape or hide in the palace. Xie Lian thought for only a moment, then saw the row of brides and immediately put his veil back on and stood inside, motionless.
If there were only three, four, five or six corpses standing here, it would be easy to tell at a glance that the number was wrong. But now there were seventeen corpses of brides. Unless he counted them one by one like he had just done, it would be difficult to immediately detect that someone had sneaked in.
As soon as he stood in, he heard the strange sounds of "dong dong" and "dong dong" and "walked" in.
Xie Lian stood still, pondering, "What on earth is that sound? The long and short pauses sound a bit like footsteps, but what kind of footsteps sound like that? This definitely isn't the young man who brought me here. He was so relaxed and at ease, his steps making a tinkling sound."
Suddenly, he thought of something and his heart tightened: "Not good, the height is wrong!"
These corpses were all women, but he was actually a genuine man, naturally taller than women. Although it was not obvious at first glance that there were two more people, it was obvious that there was one person who was particularly tall among the corpses!
But, on second thought, Xie Lian quickly regained his composure. He was indeed tall, but the girl Xiaoying had simply tied his hair up and not done much else. Meanwhile, these brides were all dressed up in their finery, with their hair buns soaring skyward. Some even wore phoenix crowns, with a large bulge perched high on their heads. Some of them, combined, were probably no shorter than him. Even if he was tall, it probably wouldn't be very eye-catching.
Just as he was thinking this, he heard another "swish" sound, two meters away from him.
After a while, there was another "swish" sound, and this time, it was a little closer to him.
Xie Lian finally realized what this ghost groom was doing.
It lifted the bride's veil one by one and checked the faces of the corpses one by one!
"Bang!"
If he didn't strike now, when would he? Ruo Xie Ling suddenly flew out and hit the ghost groom squarely.
With a loud crash, a black mist blew in. Xie Lian didn't know if the demonic mist was poisonous or not. He had no spiritual energy to protect him, so he immediately held his breath, covered his mouth and nose, and simultaneously urged the Ruo Xie Ling to dance out a gust of wind, dispersing the black mist. "Dong dong," "dong dong!" Xie Lian squinted and saw a small, dark figure flash past the temple gate. The temple gate opened wide, and a black mist rolled towards the woods.
Xie Lian acted decisively and gave chase. Unexpectedly, after only a few steps, he saw flames shooting up from the woods and heard shouts of killing in the distance: "Charge!"
A young man's voice boomed, "Catch that ugly monster! Eliminate this pest for the people! Catch that ugly monster! Eliminate this pest for the people! The reward will be divided equally!" It was that little Pengtou. Xie Lian groaned inwardly. These people had said they were going up the mountain, and now they had actually gone up. It would have been fine if they hadn't been able to find it because of a formation, but the formation had just been stomped to pieces by that young man. They'd actually found it by sheer luck. Looking again, they were coming from the exact direction the ghost bridegroom had fled!
Xie Lian rushed over, clutching Ruo Xie Ling, and shouted, "Hold still!" Everyone was stunned. He was about to speak when Little Pengtou eagerly asked, "Miss! Were you kidnapped into the mountains by that ghost bridegroom? What's your name? We're here to rescue you. Don't worry!"
Xie Lian was startled, and then he remembered that he was still wearing women's clothes. There was no mirror in the Nanyang Temple, so he had no idea what he looked like now. But judging by his reaction, Miss Xiaoying must have very skillful hands. This group of people were so surprised that they actually mistook him for a real bride. This little Pengtou was probably hoping that he would be the seventeenth bride so that he could collect the reward. In any case, this situation could not let these villagers run around, but he could not guarantee that the ghost groom would not continue to flee. At this moment, two young men in black rushed over, and Xie Lian immediately called out: "Nanfeng Fuyao, come and help me!"
Unexpectedly, the two men, following the sound of the voice, were startled and took two steps back. Xie Lian had to ask them several questions before they realized what was happening. Xie Lian asked, "Which way did you come from? Did you encounter anything on the way?"
Nan Feng said: "No!"
Xie Lian said, “Alright. Fuyao, immediately search this path and the surroundings to make sure the ghost groom isn’t on the loose.”
Fuyao listened, turned around, and left. Xie Lian added, "Nanfeng, you guard this place and make sure no one leaves. If Fuyao didn't find the ghost groom in the mountains, then he must be among these people now!"
Upon hearing this, the men were in an uproar. Little Pengtou also realized that he was not a woman and was the first to jump up: "No one can leave? What gives you the right? Is there any law left? Everyone, let's not listen to them..."
Before he even touched the ground after his leap, Nanfeng slashed out with his palm, snapping a tree so large it could be hugged by a man. Everyone immediately remembered that this young man would chop things down at the drop of a hat. If they used him as a pillar, there would be no point in paying him any compensation. So, they fell silent. Little Pengtou said again, "You said the ghost bridegroom is among us, so he's among us? Everyone here has a name. If you don't believe me, shine a torch on everyone's face and see!"
Xie Lian said, “South Wind.”
Nanfeng took the torch from Xiao Pengtou and shone it over one by one. Every face was covered in sweat, some nervous, some bewildered, some excited, each one vivid and lively. Xie Lian couldn't figure out what was going on, so he walked over to the crowd and said, "Everyone, I apologize for the offense just now, but I injured that ghost bridegroom, and it escaped, and it definitely can't get far. My two children didn't encounter it on the way here, but I'm afraid it might have mixed in with you. I'd like you to take a good look at each other, carefully examine everyone's face, and see if there's anyone you don't recognize among them."
When everyone heard that the ghost groom might be among them, they were terrified and didn't dare to be careless. They looked at each other in confusion. After looking at each other for a long time, someone suddenly shouted, "Why are you here?"
Xie Lian's eyebrows jumped, and he rushed over and asked, "Who?"
Little Pengtou grabbed someone else's torch, shone it into a corner, and said, "This ugly thing!"
The person he was pointing at was Xiaoying. Xiaoying's face, with its crooked nose and slanted eyes, looked a little distorted in the firelight. She seemed unable to bear being exposed in such a bright spot. She raised her hands to shield her face and said, "I... I was just worried and wanted to come up and take a look..."
Seeing her terrified expression, Xie Lian took the torch from Little Pengtou and said to the group, "How are you all doing?"
A group of people shook their heads and said, "There's no one I don't know." "I've seen them all."
Nan Feng asked, "Will he possess someone?"
Xie Lian pondered for a moment and said, "Probably not. It's a solid one."
Nan Feng said, "But since it's already 'evil', it's hard to say whether it can change its form."
As they hesitated, Little Pengtou was the first to shout, "The ghost groom isn't among us. Did you see clearly? Even if you saw clearly, why are you still not letting us go?"
The crowd sparsely echoed the sentiment. Xie Lian glanced at them and said, "Please everyone stay in front of this Mingguang Temple for now. Don't leave even a step."
Everyone was about to complain, but seeing Nan Feng's stern expression, they didn't dare to. At this time, Fu Yao also came back and said, "There is no one nearby."
Looking at the sea of heads in front of Mingguang Temple, Xie Lian said slowly, "Then, it must be among them now."
The author has something to say:
The one who walked with our prince all the way was of course the top! I won’t show his face for now, nor will I reveal his identity, but I can reveal that he is not a butterfly spirit!
You can also guess who the ghost groom is or where he is hiding. I can also give you a spoiler: the statue in the temple is innocent!!!
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