54 Heaven and Earth Witness
With the old nanny leading the way and the maid supporting Hua Lang, the group passed through the overgrown wilderness and finally arrived in front of the temple.
The threshold of this dilapidated temple was as high as the knees. Four or five maids bent down and lifted the folds of Hua Lang's wedding dress so that she could step in smoothly.
The front door was open, and a faded red silk satin hung askew on the lintel with peeling red paint, with a long section hanging down, obscuring the view inside the temple.
Soon, a skinny old hand covered with blue-black veins pushed the red silk aside.
"We're here," the old maid's voice was hoarse. "My lady, the wedding hall is full of guests. When you bow in the hall, remember—you must not break the rules!"
Hua Lang gripped the sword tightly in her hand. The undried blood on the hilt stuck to her palm. She still felt something was wrong, but her dizzy head seemed to be filled with lead, and her thoughts dispersed as soon as they came together.
The maid bowed her head and supported the bride. As the sound of firecrackers rang out from the distance outside the temple, the group finally stepped into the temple...
Incense and candles were burning, and music was playing. The mournful tune gave people goose bumps.
As Hua Langfang stepped into the wedding hall, the palace door behind him was suddenly torn open by a strange wind, and the wooden boards made a loud "cracking" sound.
The lingering wind blew the wedding dress, and the veil swayed for a moment. Hua Lang took the opportunity to look up and saw that the surroundings were full of people, while the high hall illuminated by the wide-open palace door... was empty, with only two tablets standing quietly on the table of heaven and earth.
Dozens of figures dressed in the uniforms of disciples from various sects sat quietly on both sides, their postures as stiff as puppets.
Beside her stood a slender figure, wearing a wedding dress of the same color as hers. Before she could see his face clearly, the veil fell again in a blink of an eye, separating Hua Lang from the others.
Heaven and earth bear witness, and the gate is bright.
The attendant opened his mouth in satisfaction, and the chanting sounded empty and hollow, "The incense smoke is hazy, the candles are brilliant, the bride and groom are together in the wedding hall——"①
As soon as she finished speaking, someone gave Hua Lang a shove. She was forced to take a few steps forward, dragging her sword with her. Before she could stand still, the ritual attendant hurriedly sang again: "Bow to Heaven and Earth—"
As if pulled by an invisible force, Hua Lang turned outside the hall and bent down involuntarily.
After the ceremony, the attendant's voice started again: "Bow to your parents twice—"
This time, Hua Lang turned around consciously and bowed in order.
"Husband and wife bow to each other—"
Hua Lang bent sideways, but after a long while, he did not hear the next salute.
What's going on?
Hua Lang straightened up and was about to lift the veil, but then he remembered the old nanny's last warning.
To lift or not to lift?
As the atmosphere grew quieter, a very subtle "clicking" sound became noticeable.
The surroundings fell silent, and the unusual noise, as if moving, gradually became clearer and closer to Hua Lang. A chilling wind blew up, and now, standing in the center of the wedding hall, Hua Lang, with the help of the wind, glanced sideways and finally made out the two divine tablets on the Heaven and Earth Table.
On the tablet that should have been engraved with the deceased, all that remained in Hua Lang's eyes were two glaring scarlet names:
【Hua Lang】【Xie Hanjing】
!
Hua Lang tore off her veil. In the strong wind, the hanging beads and jade tassels on the phoenix crown swayed constantly. She looked across.
The man who looked strange yet familiar was looking at her in a daze.
“Master…”
His knuckles, which had been clenched white, loosened, and he subconsciously withdrew the strength to resist the illusion, and was about to take a step forward.
Suddenly, there was a gust of wind, and all the guests who were sitting quietly stood up at once, as if to bear witness!
Before Xie Hanjing could get close, an unstoppable force pressed the two defenseless men down hard.
The high-pitched tone, which seemed both happy and sad, sounded again——
"Send her to the bridal chamber!"
As the sound fell, the surroundings suddenly turned dark!
Hua Lang only felt that his nail-dyed fingertips brushed against someone's skin, and then, one of his hands was grabbed by someone randomly, and the slightly cool touch on the other side was so real that it was scary.
A sudden feeling of weightlessness...
The ground beneath my feet was ripped away, and in an instant, the world spun around. Like a kite with its string cut, my body plummeted into the bottomless darkness. Waves of tense pain shot through my hand, and a sharp wind like a blade blew past, as if countless evil spirits were gnawing at it.
As if sensing Hua Lang's pain, the person opposite suddenly let go of his hand. Before Hua Lang could breathe a sigh of relief, five fingers as cold as a dead person forced their way into her fingertips, so tightly that there was no space left.
The pain in his wrist came again, Hua Lang became completely angry and began to struggle.
But she couldn't pull her hand back until the darkness faded.
With a "clang", the sword in Hua Lang's hand fell.
Hua Lang's body suddenly hit something like a thick wooden board, and the hairpin on her head fell onto the bed. When she came to her senses, she saw that she was lying on her side in an extremely small space, and Xie Hanjing was staring at her without blinking opposite her.
The interplay of light and darkness on his face created a countenance as majestic as the bright moon. The blood-red wedding robe made his complexion appear even colder. He lay quietly on the bed, as if it were a real wedding night.
"Please sleep peacefully, my dear daughter and son-in-law."
His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice. Hua Lang followed the voice blankly and looked towards the direction where the light came from.
An old face as wrinkled as tree bark looked down at her. Hua Lang finally saw the old nanny's appearance in its entirety. The old nanny's cloudy green eyes were staring at her!
The "wedding bed" was surrounded by thick wooden boards painted with embracing mandarin ducks, which circled the light above into a long square shape.
The more Hua Lang looked, the more familiar it seemed. Suddenly, her pupils trembled.
The so-called "bridal chamber" is a red coffin!
The nanny laughed, and her two strange green eyes were completely hidden in her wrinkles.
"The auspicious time has arrived, it's time to close the coffin!"
As the light faded away again, Hua Lang finally realized one thing clearly - this was not a wedding, it was a living burial!
She let go of the sword and subconsciously wanted to reach out to stop the coffin lid from being closed.
At the same time, a cold hand touched her face.
After being startled, Hua Lang quickly realized whose hand it was. She shouted angrily, "Xie Hanjing!"
One of her hands was still tightly held by Xie Hanjing, and she was unable to free her hand to stop him. In the moment she was distracted, the coffin lid was completely closed.
Hearing the sound of nailing the coffin outside, Hua Lang became anxious. She turned over and sat up. Just as she was about to push the coffin, the person next to her also sat up. Before she could wonder, Xie Hanjing pushed her.
Hua Lang's back hit the wooden coffin. Just as she was about to stand up again, a pair of cold and soft lips pushed her back down. The person in front of her was like a ghost, in the darkness, with almost no breath.
Hua Lang was plundered inch by inch until she was completely wrapped up. As time passed, the ghost still did not let her go. It seemed as if it was waiting for an opportunity and was in a stalemate with Hua Lang.
Hua Lang knew what he wanted to do, but she refused to say anything. She just backed away, trying to escape the suffocating feeling that was like a tide.
As the coffin nails were hammered tighter and tighter, Hua Lang's back was shaking, like a coffin urging her to die, and in front of her was Xie Hanjing, who was always holding her down tightly.
There was no way to retreat. Hua Lang relaxed for a moment and was found with the opportunity. She struggled subconsciously and didn't know whose tongue she bit.
The blood and energy filled the air and became even more entangled. Hua Lang's fingertips, which were supporting his side, retracted and touched a cold and hard object.
It was that sword, Hua Lang remembered slowly.
At this moment,
【Host! 】
Like a loud bell, the system's voice instantly woke Hua Lang up!
The sound of nailing the coffin faded away, and apart from the embarrassing sound of water, a subtle "clicking" sound rang in the ears again.
[Draw your sword!]
The "clucking" sound was so close that it seemed to have sounded inside the coffin!
Hua Lang was completely clear-headed, and she grabbed the sword without hesitation.
The restrictions brought by the coffin no longer existed. With a twist of her wrist, she easily drew the sword from behind her back.
“Zheng——”
The sword was unsheathed, and the cold light illuminated the features of the person in front of her. A pair of black eyes as cold as a pool were fixed on her. These eyes had not changed in nine years.
However, Hua Lang then discovered that Xie Hanjing had kept his eyes open from beginning to end. After biting him hard again, Xie Hanjing finally let go of his mouth.
Hua Lang took a deep breath upon regaining contact with the air. Her tongue was broken, so it was no wonder her mouth was filled with blood. Then, she heard Xie Hanjing whisper in her ear, almost in a whisper, "Master, let's be buried together..."
[Host, kill him!] 001 said decisively.
Hua Lang clenched his sword tightly, and Xie Hanjing seemed to have never noticed it, and even moved forward again.
The air in the coffin was getting thinner and thinner. Hua Lang lowered his eyes and could see his brows furrowed and the tip of his tongue sticking out.
Something licked the side of her face gently, and Hua Lang's chest rose and fell. Before 001 could speak again, her demonic energy surged, and she swung her sword neatly.
The daylight was blinding, and the nailed coffins were shattered by the sword energy, with broken wood flying everywhere and even deeply embedded in the tombstone!
Countless puppets around were affected by the sword energy, and deep wounds were cut into their bodies!
But soon, a green light flashed and the wound healed again.
Hua Lang raised her eyes. Except for the coffin board with the wedding mattress under her, the rest of the coffin had been shaken open by her. Now, they seemed to be kneeling in a cemetery.
In the distance were densely packed tombstones, and nearby were countless familiar faces, all of whom were staring at Hua Lang intently.
Hua Lang looked and saw "Ming Jinshu", "Mo Jinghong", "Murong He"... and even "Wutingque" among them.
"Why not bury them together?"
"We've already chosen the best cemetery for you!"
"You broke the rules, so you'll stay here forever!"
Everyone used familiar voices to issue condemnations, but their resentful expressions almost distorted the entire puppet's face.
Hua Lang pushed away Xie Hanjing who was sitting in a daze. She picked up her sword and looked around. This illusion was obviously much stronger than before.
The puppet was swaying and was about to grab Hua Lang. Hua Lang didn't have time to think about it. She was about to draw her sword to fight, but she saw "Ming Jinshu" approaching her -
Xie Hanjing, who was standing quietly by, seemed to be stimulated. He didn't even care whether the sword in Hua Lang's hand would hurt him accidentally. He stood up suddenly and wanted to grab Hua Lang.
Hua Lang dodged to the side, and the knuckles of countless puppets passed by her eyes. Before she could attack again, an extremely bright white light pushed them all away.
Several fox tails appeared from behind Xie Hanjing. The scene seemed like a dream. The dazzling white light almost covered the sky and the earth!
Hua Lang was entangled by countless fox tails and was forcibly pulled towards Xie Hanjing——
"Crackle, crackle!" The strange sound that had never disappeared sounded again, so close that it seemed to be almost right next to Hua Lang's ear!
【Host! ! 】
It's a nightmare demon!
Hua Lang's grip on the sword loosened and tightened. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Xie Han reached out to her impatiently, and saw the fox tail about to wrap around her...
Hua Lang still hadn't made up his mind, "001..."
As if knowing Hua Lang's question, the system said urgently, "He is not the male protagonist. The male protagonist has not entered the illusion at all!"
By the way, the only ones trapped in the illusion were myself and the disciples of Yunfu Sect.
Accompanied by the smell of ashes, Hua Lang handed over the sword in his hand——
She had only one thought: a sword is sharper than a knife.
The "doll" was broken open with almost no effort.
Hua Lang followed the force of the fox's tail and pushed the sword to the end, and his fingertips touched the fake yet real Xie Hanjing in front of him.
She raised her head. Although she knew it was an illusion, when she saw that Xie Hanjing's eyes were still filled with trust and astonishment, unlike the other puppets that revealed their ferocious faces after being pierced, she was still possessed by her own will and spoke softly:
“…Don’t be afraid.”
...It will be fine soon.
Then, a drop of bright red blood finally overflowed from the wedding dress of the same color and dripped onto the back of Hua Lang's hand.
【Author’s words】
①Source: [Baidu Encyclopedia] Chinese Wedding Worship Process
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