The reason why Gu Zhisang went straight to this courtyard without any guidance after entering Tianyun Village was because with her spiritual perception, the direction of this courtyard was exactly the place with the most yin energy in the entire village.
If Tianyun Village is the 'upside-down underworld', then this courtyard is the hole where yin and yang meet. It is the place with the most evil in the village which is already shrouded in a layer of gray-black fog.
From afar, the howling wind looked like a huge cocoon wrapped in evil.
This was indeed the case. The closer Gu Zhisang got to the house, the more evil spirits appeared hidden in the yin energy.
Finally, the place where the evil energy continued to spread outward was the master bedroom.
When he pushed open the bedroom door, Gu Zhisang was prepared for a fierce battle if there was an evil spirit inside.
The door was kicked open with a bang, hitting the moss-covered wall, and the dim yellow candlelight from inside overflowed, completely illuminating the gloomy interior.
The master bedroom is strangely decorated.
The walls and windows of the room were covered with upside-down "囍" characters and decorated with cheap red candles.
On the innermost bed, there was a figure in a red wedding dress sitting upright.
The moment he saw the person in red wedding dress, Gu Zhisang subconsciously clenched the peach wood sword in his hand, and with the vigilance he would face against evil spirits, he was ready to strike with the sword and kill at any time.
She had sharp eyes and could tell at a glance that the wedding dress was engraved with the marks of a deceased relative and was stained with dried, smelly, rotten blood.
The spread-out bed on which the figure sat was made of thin coffin boards, and the 'curtain' hanging on it was a layer of red gauze paper.
Looking from a distance through the window, it is difficult to see any clues, but after removing the sleight of hand and taking a closer look, you will find that the wedding bed, suites and other items in the room are not real furniture, but simulation objects made in paper-making shops.
The most crucial thing is that this 'bride' in red is full of murderous aura, which is the cause of the gust of wind that attracts Gu Zhisang.
The last time Gu Zhisang felt such a strong evil spirit from a ghost was eight hundred years ago when she strangled a ghost king-level ghost who escaped from the ice hell.
The 'bride' in red clothes with an evil look on her face, coupled with the eerie scene of red candles and paper beds in the house, it was no wonder that she mistook this person for an evil creature causing trouble in Tianyun Village at first glance.
But after being alert for a few seconds, the red-clothed 'ghost' sitting on the bed remained silent and did not react at all, nor did it pounce on her to deal with this uninvited guest.
Gu Zhisang frowned slightly, feeling a little strange.
She didn't seem to detect much resentment in this room.
When the atmosphere was tense, she suddenly thought of something.
In fact, she had encountered this kind of evil not long ago, but it was not from a fierce ghost, but from the Yan family, and from Yan Cheng who almost lost control and exploded to death.
Thinking of this, Gu Zhisang couldn't help but come up with an absurd guess in his mind.
Could the 'bride' sitting on the bed be Yan Cheng?
She herself chuckled at this ridiculous guess, but she did not let her guard down at all.
She raised the arm holding the peach wood sword, and used the tip of the sword to pick up the pottery jar on the table beside her. She swung the heavy hemispherical porcelain and smashed it directly at the red-clothed figure in front of the couch.
Gu Zhisang used a subtle and precise angle, allowing the porcelain to pass by the veil of the "bride". The airflow caused by it blew the red cloth crookedly, causing it to hang by her ears and precariously fall.
At the same time, the porcelain smashed hard against the innermost wall of the coffin bed and shattered into a handful of broken pottery pieces.
A sharp whistle came from the pottery jar, and a cloud of gray mist emerged from it, instantly expanding into a ghostly figure with a human upper body and a blurry lower body.
Seeing this, Gu Zhisang was a little surprised.
She didn't expect that there was such a slow-witted ghost hidden in the pottery jar.
It seems that it is a "jar ghost" that ran up from the hole that opened up between the Yin and Yang worlds after Tianyun Village became the "hell" on earth. This is a kind of ghost that specializes in living in jars and tubes, and its ability is not strong;
Just like the evil spirit she had just killed outside, they were all minions guarding this yard.
It must have been sleeping in the jar, and the loud noise outside did not attract its attention. It was only when the jar it was hiding in was broken that the ghost woke up.
The ghost who seemed to be furious with fangs and claws bared, rushing towards Gu Zhisang, was actually just bluffing.
Although the 'jar ghost' is slow, it is not stupid. When it saw Gu Zhisang appear in the master bedroom alone with a stern aura, and there were no other ghosts guarding him, it was obvious that he was a strong man.
After roaring twice, it quickly ran out of the bedroom, close to the ground, and escaped into the dark night.
"Boss, a living person from the mortal world has come to snatch your bride!"
Gu Zhisang: ...
Before she could react, the red cloth veil that was originally half hanging on the 'bride's' earlobe and was about to fall off was completely scraped off by the fleeing ghost and fell on the figure's legs.
The appearance beneath the veil was completely exposed.
When he saw the face of the person in the red wedding dress, Gu Zhisang's narrow eyes widened in surprise:
"Yan Cheng?!"
The man lying stiffly on the bed, wearing a bloodstained red robe, was none other than Yan Cheng, who was abducted by the deputy leader of the Qianqing Sect and disappeared in Tianyun Village!
When their eyes met, the pale young man did not expect that the intruder was Gu Zhisang. When he realized his situation, he subconsciously wanted to raise his hands to protect himself from such a miserable state, but his limbs were heavy and he could not move. He could only let the extremely surprised Gu Zhisang look him up and down.
Soon, the young man's face, which had turned pale due to blood loss from long-term torture and pain, began to show a thin layer of red, and even the corners of his eyes were covered with faint red marks.
Realizing that Yan Cheng was unable to speak or move, Gu Zhisang hurriedly took two steps forward.
As soon as she got closer, she felt the strong evil aura coming from Yan Cheng. Several acupuncture points of the young man in front of her were opened up, and the evil aura from all directions was madly gathering.
The pain of having his tendons, veins, blood and flesh corroded by the evil spirits made Yan Cheng, who was used to years of suffering, break out in a cold sweat.
When Gu Zhisang broke the confinement spell and the silencing spell on him, the exhausted young man fell forward and was caught by Gu Zhisang who was quick-eyed and quick-handed.
"Are you okay?"
As soon as her palm touched the young man's shoulder, Gu Zhisang pursed her lips. She took advantage of the situation and grabbed one of Yan Cheng's arms and pressed her palm against his.
The moment their skin touched, the evil spirit that was about to tear Yan Cheng's veins apart and on the verge of collapse seemed to have found an outlet for venting, and was completely dissolved and absorbed by Gu Zhisang.
The power of thunder and fire mixed in it tempered Gu Zhisang's bones, which was equivalent to strengthening her body.
About ten minutes later, the out-of-control Yin Sha in Yan Cheng's body was finally stabilized below the out-of-control line.
His thin, pale lips also had a faint red color, his red clothes were as red as fire, and with his jade-like face and straight nose, he looked like a handsome male ghost crawling out of hell.
After taking a closer look and touching it twice, Gu Zhisang understood what was wrong with the 'bride' covered with a red veil at first sight.
Yan Cheng has a slender figure, almost 1.9 meters tall, and is also quite tall when sitting.
He looked thin in his clothes, but when Gu Zhisang picked him up after he exhausted himself, he could clearly feel that underneath the thin wedding dress, the young man had broad shoulders and a narrow waist.
The muscles in his shoulders and arms are bulging but not exaggerated, and the muscles in his waist and abdomen are tough and firm.
She really doesn't look like a girl who was married off on behalf of others.
“Sangsang…”
Yan Cheng hadn't had water for a long time, so his voice was low and hoarse. When he subconsciously called out, both of them were stunned.
The first two times we met, he was dressed in a well-ironed suit, with a pair of serene eyes, and he called me "Master Gu" in a distant but businesslike manner.
Fortunately, Gu Zhisang was only stunned for a moment, and did not think too much about it. He responded and asked:
"How could you ..."
How could she be wearing a wedding gown and a red veil, and be forbidden to speak or be tied up in this empty room?
Yan Cheng understood the meaning of Gu Zhisang's unfinished question.
His almost fragile and embarrassing side was seen by the people he cared about, which made it even more difficult for this young man, who already had a strong self-esteem and an introverted temperament, to accept.
The redness on his ears never faded, but became even darker.
Gu Zhisang glanced at it, pretending not to see it and asked:
"Didn't someone from Xuanmen bring you in? Where are they?"
When it comes to Xuanmen, Yan Cheng's eyes showed some anger, and he said helplessly:
"We did come in together. That Xuanmen senior kept saying that the ghosts here were nothing to be afraid of, but they all fell after a short while."
According to Yan Cheng, he was handling company business at home when he was taken away.
After the large formation at home sounded the alarm, he looked up and found an old man with long eyebrows standing in front of him. He looked arrogant and took him away without any explanation.
Those people along the way didn't treat him very well, but Yan Cheng was already used to the people of Xuanmen treating him as a scourge;
Who would have thought that after arriving at the place, the old man from Xuanmen would actually let him be the center of the formation to absorb the negative energy outside the village.
For this reason, the spiritual team that was protecting him even came into conflict with the people from Xuanmen.
But the old man didn't listen at all. He stubbornly led his group into the village.
As soon as he entered, he was surrounded by hundreds of evil spirits.
At that time, Yan Cheng's body was still in the process of having its acupoints opened and was madly absorbing evil spirits. The old man who made him like this was busy dealing with hundreds of ghosts coming from all directions and had no intention of closing his acupoints.
Two hours later, all the people from the spiritual group and the Xuanmen who entered the village with him disappeared.
只留一个还在疯狂吸收阴煞的晏承留在原地，周围是一圈圈面色铁青、死状各异的鬼魂，把他里三层外三层围起来、像观摩动物一样盯着他看稀奇。
晏承说到这儿有些无奈，道：
“好像正是因为那位老先生打通了我的穴位，让我这具躯体不受控制地吸收阴气，那些鬼魂都没有办法离我太近。
也算是因祸得福、变相地保护我了。”
因为阴魂的魂体，也是由阴气和魂气组成的。
道行浅的鬼魂靠近晏承，自身的力量反而会被扯走一波、都被晏承吸收掉。
察觉到这一情况的阴魂们自然不敢轻举妄动，同时也倍感新奇，这才围着晏承反复打探。
可以说那一天，是晏承这辈子见鬼最多的时候。
他继续说道：“我听到那些鬼魂们似是误把我当成了很厉害的存在，说我是鬼王转世……”
顾之桑了然。
这是非常正常的，因为晏承的体质太特殊、身体中又有太多阴煞了。
就连玄门的人在他一出生的时候，都将他当成了凶兆转世，更何况是地府的阴魂们。
它们既怕自己的能量被晏承吞噬，又怕晏承去世后重新变成大鬼会记恨它们，所以并没有伤害晏承。
顾之桑问道：“然后呢？你是怎么沦落到现在这样的？”
晏承薄唇微抿，说道：
“再然后一个女鬼忽然出现，它一出来，四周其他阴魂们似乎都对它很忌惮，对它的态度也比较恭顺……”
之后的一幕他难以启齿，但顾之桑已经猜到了。
那女鬼出来后，应当是看上了晏承，指着他要同他结缘，让几个小鬼扛着晏承来到了院子里。
无论他乐不乐意，都反抗不得，像个提线木偶似的被换上了红喜服、盖上了红布被看守在院子里。
听到这儿，顾之桑已经有了诸多猜测：
“那忽然出现的女鬼应该就是这个村子变成人间‘地狱’的关键，你对它还有印象吗？”
仅凭晏承的三言两语，有些信息便很明了了。
天云村因为某种大凶之物出世，破坏了此处的风水、逆转了阴阳，让地府中的厉鬼跑到了村中作祟。
风城之下是地狱入口。
地狱中大都是厉鬼恶鬼，哪怕在十八层地狱之下，也是会互相撕咬、吞噬的，怎么可能同时对一个鬼物尊敬退避。
除非那个阴魂本身有什么特殊之处。
比如说它是形成‘倒吊地府’的原因。
正因那些地府的鬼魂们清楚这一切，所以才对它的态度比较微妙。
除此之外，在进入天云村这一路上，顾之桑就一直在观察。
看到满地红纸钱、以及一些门户外倒挂的‘囍’字，她便明白这个村子里不久之前发生过的事情是什么——
有人在村里办了一场非常盛大的‘白囍’仪式。
也就是民间俗称的‘冥婚’。
'冥婚’属于阴婚中的一种，同时也是非常特殊的一种。
一般结阴婚都是合算八字，魂魄结契。
但还有一种更为古早的传统糟粕形式，需要用到结阴魂对象的尸体。
阳间所说的红白事分别是‘红事结婚’、‘白事办丧’，这种架着死者尸体去拜堂成亲的阴损婚事，就叫做‘白囍’、‘冥婚’。
看村里地面上被踩烂的纸钱币、以及种种痕迹，可以推测在玄门之人进入村子之前，这场‘白囍’便办了起来，而且是大办。
酒水席面，村民给脸祝福，还专门找作白事纸扎的匠人给一对‘新人’打了棺材板做的婚床、纸糊的柜子和帷幔等等。
这样的排场一般村民办不起。
很显然这个村子中的祸事，也和这场‘冥婚’有关。
村中形成‘倒吊地府’的凶物厉鬼，很可能就是被配‘冥婚’的对象。
诸多推测，最终都指向了指名道姓要把晏承绑了的那名女鬼身上。
晏承想了想形容道：“我没记错的话，那个女鬼看起来年龄也就二十来岁，个子不算高，但非常非常瘦……”
顿了片刻，他又有些认真地解释道：
“我是第一次见到这个鬼魂，我也不清楚它为什么、为什么要把我关在这里，还要和我结亲。”
青年解释的时候明明神情冷淡，可从他发白的面色中，顾之桑分明感觉到了一点委屈。
她道：“它应该不是真的想和你结亲，而是看上了你的身份。”
无论是在玄师还是在阴魂的眼中，像晏承这样一身煞气比地府大鬼还浓郁的人，定然是什么鬼王再往上的级别转世投胎。
那女鬼应当就是这么以为的。
它虽然怨念深重能力强大，但它的出现恰巧让天云村变成了被结界困住的‘倒吊地府’
结界内的阴魂出不去，它自然也被困在其中，无法往人世间外兴风作浪。
很显然这个阴魂并不满足于此，它想要找方法捅破这层结界。
恰巧这个节点，晏承被玄门的人掳到了村子里。
阴魂看上的是晏承鬼王转世的身份、以及他可以聚集阴煞的体质。
只要同晏承结了亲，它便能够借助晏承体内的阴气、简单来说就是把晏承给吸干，用来突破更高的道行。
届时它就能冲击村子的结界，并逃窜到村外。
之所以晏承已陷到村子里两天整了，也没有被阴魂拖去‘拜堂’，应该是那女鬼在等自己的头七。
新死亡魂的头七夜又称‘回魂夜’，届时它们的能力会再一次翻倍，威胁大增。
理清大概思绪后，顾之桑将怀中的通宝钱币摸了出来，抛出后又拍在手背上。
两阴一阳，凶。
她凤眼微眯，拉着晏承的手腕：“走，我带你出村。”
此处不能再待了。
晏承喉头滚了一下，垂眸看了眼被纤白指尖拉住的手腕，问道：“不用去找其他人吗？”
顾之桑神情严肃，说道：“玄门人的死活轮不到我管，等把你送出村子后我会再进来一趟，把灵组的队友找出来带走。”
“但是你不能留在这儿了，你陷进鬼窟里他们才会死得更快。”
刚刚她算了一卦，卦相不太好。
她算出今天晚上零点一过，应该就是那女鬼死后的第七天，从那一刻开始它的能力就会暴增！
如果这个时候晏承再被它抓走去结了亲、被吸干了气血，那此鬼便更会威力大增，甚至有可能超过鬼王、直逼皇级！
届时不说这个村子里人，恐怕整个天云村的结界都将破灭。
万鬼外泄，阳间会生灵涂炭。
听她这么说，晏承虽然不懂玄学，但也正色点头表示都听她的。
顾之桑看看青年因受阴煞折磨、且两天未曾进食而显得虚弱的脸色，“要我搀扶你吗？”
晏承倒也没为了自己的面子强撑，“我自己能走，但如果特别赶速度，我不一定能走得很快。
“没事。”顾之桑站起身。
由于那给晏承换衣的小鬼嫌他肩宽，很难把上身扣上，所以晏承上面的衬衣和外套是被扒掉了的。
起身跑路时，原本能拖到新娘脚踝的裙摆只到他的小腿弯，露出一截穿着西裤的小腿。
上半身因为女性嫁衣肩窄，他也不能完全扣上盘扣，歪歪扭扭勉强扣住了两枚，露出一片肌理好看的锁骨和脖颈。
两人刚刚从院子里出去，往出村的路快速移动。
顾之桑一手拉着身着红嫁衣的晏承，另一只手紧握着桃木剑，准备强行使用雷咒、像进来时那般把阴气都炸散。
可还不等她找打结界薄弱之处，周遭的空气一下冷了许多，就像是忽然降温似得，呼吸间仿佛空气中都凝结着一层冰渣。
她脚步猛地一顿，停在了漆黑寂静的村路上，握着桃木剑柄的手指收紧。
感受到她周身的气势一凝，晏承也已意识到了什么，小声问道：
“怎么了？”
顾之桑冷声道：“它来了，我们走得有些晚了。”
尽管她没有掏出手机看时间，但感受着四周飞快变得不正常得冷的空气，以及那种令人起鸡皮疙瘩的、如有实质的注视感，她便知道现在应该已经过了零点。
新的一天到了。
那女鬼的头七也来临了。
显然它并不想放过晏承，也不太想放过顾之桑，在头七刚刚到来的瞬间，便冲了过来试图围堵顾之桑二人。
因为四周的阴气太重了，现场的气温骤降，吹在晏承的面庞上皮肤上让他有种刺刺的感觉。
或许是他本就招惹阴煞的体质、外加冷到极致的阴气，让他的五感也受到了较强的影响。
四周分明什么都没有，可他就是听到了一阵飘忽悲戚的唢呐声，似乎在由远及近。
“桑桑，你有没有听到……”
“听到了。”顾之桑声音发冷，“你一会儿不要离我太远，三步以内，实在不行就抓着我的袖子。”
她有些上挑的凤眼一直在注视着某个方向，有所意识的晏承也跟着看了过去。
视线中原本空无一人的村路上，不知何时出现了一抹白影。
It was a tiny dot at first, and as the white shadow got closer, Yan Cheng could see that it was not a 'human figure', but seemed to be a piece of blindingly white banner fluttering in the wind, and the desolate and chilling sound of a suona was getting closer and closer.
It was a team of about a dozen ghosts.
Their feet were light and fluttering, as if they were invisible, and they were coming towards him and Gu Zhisang from a distance.
The most bizarre and terrifying thing is that every ghost is covered in white linen, with their faces painted pale, two lumps of solidified blood on their cheeks, with a crying face and a smiling mouth.
The four ghosts in the front were jumping and floating, carrying four long logs on their shoulders.
On top of the long wooden beam, there was a pitch-black coffin.
Gu Zhisang: "Water ghosts carrying coffins."
The moment she finished her words, another cheerful drumbeat that cut through the darkness came from the other side of the night.
Yan Cheng was slightly shaken by the sound of the drums and music. He turned his head and his pupils shrank slightly.
At the other end of the village road, a blood-red shadow appeared at some point.
A slightly smaller number of ghosts dressed in red wedding gowns, carrying a red lacquered sedan chair, beating gongs and drums, also came towards them.
These two waves of completely different ghosts suddenly appeared in the silent night and came towards each other, trapping Yan Cheng and Gu Zhisang in the middle.
"Five ghosts welcome the bride."
Gu Zhisang spoke in a cold tone, raising his sword:
"Red and white collide."
The author has something to say:
I went out to eat with my roommate again today, so it was even later. qwq I really won’t go out tomorrow, and I will start writing during the day to make up for the word count.
Sorry for keeping you waiting for a long time, I wish you all a happy National Day!