"Wedding date: 'I'm different from you, stop talking nonsense.'"
The long street was deserted under the moonlight. The two men continued walking forward with the child whose head had just been reattached.
The waning crescent moon in the sky was occasionally obscured by light clouds, casting a gloomy and unpleasant glow.
Yan Huanyue walked ahead, holding a horizontal sword, while Zhou Jiao, carrying the child, kept an eye on what was behind them.
Suddenly, Yan Huanyue stopped in her tracks, listened intently, and asked, "Did you hear anything?"
Zhou Jiao's sleeve was being bitten by the child. He tore at his sleeve, held his breath and listened, but seemed to hear nothing. He asked, "What?"
Yan Huanyue strode quickly into a small alley. Zhou Jiao, who had placed a spell on the child that prevented him from moving, caught up with Yan Huanyue immediately, carrying the child in his arms.
The eaves of the alleyway extend extremely long, and many lush, dim branches climb over the walls, leaving only a thin, eerie ray of moonlight intermittently casting its light onto the smooth bluestone slabs.
As you venture deeper into the alley, the faint sounds of sheng, drums, xiao, and flutes drift on the wind, reaching your ears from afar.
Zhou Jiao said softly, "There really is a sound. Senior Sister Yan, have you heard this tune before?"
Yan Huanyue shook her head. She had never been particularly fond of music in the past and rarely went to listen to music. She would only join in and listen when her fellow disciples were in the mood to play the zither or sheng.
With the Spirit Sensing Technique completed, the spiritual energy around him slowly spread outwards, blowing in all directions. Perhaps because the distance was still far, the Spirit Sensing Technique had a limited range and could not detect the situation in the distance.
Zhou Jiao said, “This is the Song of Lamenting Spring. ‘Pity the youthful spirit, never to meet the spring breeze. If you do meet the spring breeze, the wind will blow away the glory and decay of your life, and you will be bound by fame and fortune until death.’ This is an old song that originally spoke of worldly obsessions. Later, because the melody was so sad and the meaning was somewhat understandable, it was used in the funerals of people who died young.”
Yan Huanyue glanced at the child in his arms, who shook his head blankly.
Listening to the melody drifting in the wind, Yan Huanyue said, "But what I just heard seems to be the Erpai Yangchun Tune. It's the one that Senior Brother Gu lost a bet with and you forced him to play once. Do you still remember it? The melody is very light and cheerful, I remember it very clearly."
I heard it again later in Yunjing.
Zhou Jiao asked in surprise, "Are you sure?"
As she spoke, she hummed a tune in a low voice, and then said, "This is the tune."
"But this is for wedding ceremonies."
After saying this, the two looked at each other, both seemingly understanding, and immediately flew through the alley under the heavy shadows of the trees, heading in that direction.
"Young lady, the opera troupe is all ready..."
At the crossroads, the stage lights flickered, and the braziers erected in all directions illuminated the four streets as if they were engulfed in flames.
There were only two nanmu chairs under the stage, with two people sitting on them.
One of the young women, dressed in a brocade robe embroidered with gold, turned to the trembling troupe leader beside her and said, "Let's begin then."
With the sound of a gong, the people gathered behind her all shuddered.
Despite it being midsummer, the resounding gong seemed to dissipate some of the yang energy in people, sending chills down their spines.
On the stage, the actors, their eyes, made most conspicuous by the makeup, were filled with suppressed fear.
Yan Huanyue stood to the side of the crowd and glanced forward. She saw two women sitting on the two nanmu chairs, one dressed in brocade and the other in crimson.
Zhou Jiao squeezed into the crowd and looked at the back of each person's ears, but found none. Dejected, he squeezed out of the crowd and muttered to himself, "It's just a play, why are you all so scared?"
Yan Huanyue put her index finger to her lips to signal him to be quiet, and transmitted her voice: "Of those two women, one of them has already passed away."
"Huh?" Zhou Jiao stood on tiptoe, but then, afraid of being noticed, he immediately bent down while holding the child. "If they're so afraid of watching a play for the dead, why don't they run away?"
Yan Huanyue withdrew her spiritual sensing spell. "The malevolent energy here is indeed towards the stage. We need to check the people on the stage, and also see if there's anything behind the ears of those two women..."
Before the words were finished, a martial arts actor leaped out from the "general's appearance" position on the stage. After performing several somersaults with his spear, he landed with a sword-finger gesture, making a spirited entrance, and then began to sing along with the gongs and drums.
"I once followed my lord to conquer the Central Plains, my loyalty is as clear as heaven. I know not when slander arose, causing my heart to feel like it's being fried in oil. I wish to end my life and proclaim it before my lord's temple..."
Although he was covered in paint, Yan Huanyue recognized him at a glance.
Seeing this, Zhou Jiao perked up. "I was really wrong to say he used to be a beggar. This old rascal has some tricks up his sleeve... No, is he trying to steal our thunder?"
On the stage, Li Ji sang three times, expressing the desolation and bitterness of a loyal minister who was wronged.
No one in the audience was in the mood to cheer. Only the woman in the brocade took off her hairpin, threw it onto the stage, and shouted a cheer.
Yan Huanyue conjured a barrier and brought in a woman who looked honest and simple, asking, "May I ask, elder sister, what is the reason for this today?"
The woman was terrified and dared not utter a sound. Yan Huanyue raised her voice and said, "Sister, don't be afraid. I am a Taoist priest from the north. I have a few wonderful methods. You can speak with me without being overheard by others."
Upon hearing this, the woman timidly looked around, and seeing that no one was indeed watching them, she covered her mouth and cried out as if she were holding back her tears:
"This Rakshasa, whoever she is, insists that the sons of our families marry her dead sister. After we finish singing on this stage today, we will all have to go over and kowtow to her sister and be included in the family genealogy."
Yan Huanyue asked, "Then why would you young men be allowed to marry her sister?"
The woman's eyes immediately darted away.
Yan Huanyue pursed her lips and said, "If you don't tell me the truth, I'll leave now. Congratulations on your son's wedding."
The woman panicked, grabbing her sleeve and sobbing, "Don't go, don't go! Please, fairy, quickly cure this wicked spirit! Her sister is a jinx; she caused her husband's death and committed suicide out of shame. Now this evil star is here, and she's going to cause trouble for the neighbors..."
Yan Huanyue smiled slightly, "Sister, you're being too kind. Was her sister driven to her death by your spittle?"
"This...this..." The woman lowered her head and retorted in a low voice, "What can we say? We've just told the truth, so why is she blaming us when she can't even make a living herself?"
Yan Huanyue roughly guessed that the woman who was no longer alive had died because of rumors, and her sister had come to avenge her.
Didn't they say you'd bring misfortune to your husbands? Then let's take in all the sons from the families who said that, and see how many of them we can kill.
Yan Huanyue placed a restriction on the woman and placed her against the wall.
On stage, the martial arts performer committed suicide, and the woman raised her hand, causing the gongs and drums to suddenly stop.
She stood up, pulled out a booklet, and addressed the crowd:
"Come on, it's a joyous occasion and things can't be perfect. Please forgive us, dear in-laws. Let's get through the formalities early so we can make this a success. Let me see, first is my second sister's husband, Qiao Shan."
A man dressed in auspicious attire was pressed down by two paper figures cut from yellow paper, who then shoved his head at the feet of the dead man and made him kowtow three times.
"The idea that you're cursed to die was first said by your mother, Aunt Qiao. She specially took you in as her second wife. If you also die from this curse, and you go to the underworld to meet my short-lived and useless brother-in-law, you must listen to him and serve my sister well together."
Zhou Jiao clicked his tongue and said, "Heavens, this woman is really vicious. She even uses the Xuanjiang technique. If she's not a Jiazi Sha, then who is?"
Yan Huanyue said, "That's hard to say. She wasn't the one who started this whole thing. So far, it's just a form of revenge."
"Next up is the second son of the Chen family. Peach Blossom, we're practically neighbors. Before I went to learn Taoism, you often came to my house to play with my sister. That year you fell into the river, and it was my sister who pulled you out. Ah... After tonight, our two families will be even closer."
Suddenly, a heart-wrenching cry erupted from the crowd as a woman rushed toward an unseen barrier behind a nanmu chair.
"Sister Yu'er, my Erlang is only three years old, please don't ruin his life! I'll repay you with Yunnu's life, just don't ruin my son!"
Liao Yunu looked at the ignorant child who had been led up by the paper figure, pointed at the lifeless Liao Yunu, and coaxed, "Third brother-in-law, kowtow to your wife."
The child was frightened and opened his mouth to cry, but the paper figure immediately covered his mouth, pressed him to the ground, and made him kowtow three times.
The wailing woman watched helplessly as her son kowtowed to the dead, completely losing control of her emotions, and cried out in heart-wrenching sobs:
"Ah! Liao Yunu! You slut! You slut! You still think you're some high and mighty young lady? When we were kids, the fortune teller said that you and your sister were born with bad luck, destined to lose your father, mother, and husband. You two are a menace, and you're the one who'll be struck dead by lightning!"
Liao Yunu!
Yan Huanyue's eyes widened. Wasn't this Liao Yunu, the traitor of the Xuanjiang faction whom everyone wanted to kill?
Liao Yunu expressionlessly twirled the list in her hand. "Next, Zhang the Butcher's Third Son, hmm... Zhang the Butcher, bullied my sister because she was a widow, he's uglier than a pig, and he even went around saying my sister seduced him. I've already killed him. This Third Son... well, he's a bit of a jinx..."
Amidst the increasingly heart-wrenching cries, Yan Huanyue listened quietly to Liao Yunu's words.
When the fifth name was called, she and Mu Huage from behind the stage flew to Liao Yunu's side, each taking half and tearing the list in two.
The list of names was torn apart, and the entire crossroads was split in two, with raging fire rising from beneath the cracks.
Everyone else disappeared, leaving only the four of them facing off amidst the scorching flames.
Mu Huage said, "The fifth person is Zou Jia, with ear-shaped armor. This list was probably later turned into a soul-summoning artifact. Senior Sister Yan, if you don't give me that half, not only will the four of us not get any points, but we might really be burned to death by this fire."
Yan Huanyue stood on the other side of the fissure in the ground, looking at Mu Huage through the heatwave, and smiled faintly:
“Junior Brother Mu, you have ears over there, and I have Jia over here. There are three Jia-character evil spirits missing. If we go to find them now, it will be difficult to find them. Why don’t we kill one together? That way, we won’t make a wasted trip. At least we won’t have to pay a spirit stone.”
If you don't agree, then I'll have to...
Mu Huage nodded and said, "We agree, let's do as Senior Sister says."
Li Ji remained silent, while Zhou Jiao, taking advantage of the situation, was quite pleased with himself.
The four men put the list together, the fire on the ground dissipated, and the stage that had been broken in the middle at the crossroads was crookedly put back together.
The first child to arrive, whose head had been severed, cried loudly, and many evil spirits struggled to crawl out of the list.
Zhou Jiao and Li Ji fought against the evil spirits, while Yan Huanyue and Mu Huage quickly set up the Taihui Formation at the crossroads.
The two joined hands to draw in a wisp of spiritual energy, and the entire crossroads was enveloped in a bright halo of starlight.
.
"Senior Brother Zhou, not bad! You and Senior Sister Yan both got average scores in this mid-year test."
"That's right, that's right. We couldn't even find where the Jiazi Sha was. We just wandered around aimlessly for a while. Luckily, Junior Brother Mu gave us some pointers and we went to Taihui Cave to memorize the Taihui Formation. Otherwise, we wouldn't even have been able to get past it."
At the foot of the white jade steps outside the library, the dashing Zhou Jiao humbly cupped his hands in greeting and said with a cheerful smile:
"I'm ashamed to say that I carefully analyzed the test questions today and guessed that it might not be the A behind the human ear. I took this opportunity to give Senior Sister Yan some guidance. It's nothing."
Then he called to the pageboy following behind him, "Ah, Ah Yuan, write a letter to Xiling, just to greet my parents and tell them not to disturb my grandparents and maternal grandparents, and just to invite my teachers for a couple of drinks."
Finally, he added a special note, "Tell my dad not to show off everywhere, to keep a low profile, and just to have Mr. Wang take a look at this half of the Blood Spirit Stone. He criticized me a lot back then, and my dad could never win an argument with him..."
Turning around, I was drawn to the golden light emanating from the edge of the window at the highest point.
Zhou Jiao strained his neck to look at the window, and waved to the figure propping up his chin on his hand and reading a book by the window, calling out:
“Brother Xuanzhi, you’re still sitting here? You’re young, and you always do things without thinking. Why don’t you go and congratulate Senior Sister Yan? No matter what, it’s not as easy for her to get an average grade as it was for me.”
This caring sentiment resonated throughout the library.
The boy inside the window quickly leaned out halfway out, holding a book. His snow-white clothes shone brightly in the blazing midday sun of summer.
He quickly put his index finger to his lips to signal Zhou Jiao to be quiet. Sunlight bathed the black jade bracelet on his wrist and the longevity lock on his lapel, giving him a relaxed and leisurely air.
Zhou Jiao shook the two jeweled gold rings on his wrist, pursed his lips, and muttered, "What's with the smugness? You two are really alike."
Finally, she whispered, "Ah Yuan, do you think I'm prettier, or is Xuanzhi prettier?"
"Young master, what are you comparing yourself to a succubus for?"
"So he's good-looking then. So tell me, am I better looking or is Senior Brother Yu better looking?"
"Of course, you look better, young master."
Zhou Jiao sighed, "In the end, it was Senior Sister Yan who benefited. Otherwise, we should have introduced Brother Xuanzhi to Zhou Shanyi."
"Huh? You're telling the Fifth Sister of the Back Street? Young Master Pei isn't..."
"What do you know? The Zhou family's vision is not that narrow. Xuanzhi is the sect leader's son. So what if he's a succubus? As long as the heart contract is changed, he can no longer go out and have debauchery with others. At most, my fifth sister will suffer a little. The patriarch will naturally be happy about this... Sigh, never mind, let's not talk about it."
.
Yan Huanyue absorbed the half of the Blood Spirit Stone that she had shared with Zhou Jiao, and her spiritual sea and veins became even more abundant. She then went into the Heavenly Stele and advanced another place.
She glanced at the bottom of the rankings, then turned and left the stone tablet.
Today, the sect leader sent the marriage certificate and had many betrothal gifts brought over. Her dowry in her previous life was given by the sect leader, and she doesn't know how to raise it in this life.
However, the sect leader personally visited her and told her that she didn't need to be bound by old customs. Her parents had passed away, and Tianyan Sect was where she grew up. This marriage was only arranged because she had saved someone. He would handle all the wedding ceremonies.
The wedding was scheduled for her mid-September break, which didn't interfere with her classes at all.
She walked in the cool summer night breeze, the wind rustling through the mountains and forests, the chirping of insects and the croaking of frogs. When she reached her small courtyard, a small shadow leaped down from the eaves towards her.
Yan Huanyue reached out and scooped it up; it felt soft and fluffy to the touch.
The golden kitten meowed and snuggled into her arms, instantly putting Yan Huanyue at ease.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, she scooped up the kitten and went into the yard, then bent down and gave it two deep breaths on its fluffy head.
"Didn't you run away? Couldn't you find food in the mountains?"
The kitten struggled for a moment, but soon gave up resisting.
A round, chubby face nestled obediently against her cheek, a furry paw gently rubbing her chin, a pair of large, moist eyes staring blankly at her, and a fluffy tail swaying back and forth in front of her collar.
Yan Huanyue carried it back and put it on the table, then looked for food for it. But in the time it took to turn around, it was gone.
She ran outside and searched far and wide, even using its scent to track it, but she couldn't find it.
.
On a dark forest path, a boy with a gloomy face carried a cat that was scratching and clawing at him.
"Stop embarrassing yourself in public."
The kitten protested, meowing loudly.
The boy calmly replied, "I am different from you, so stop talking nonsense."
The kitten continued to meow, angrily digging at his sleeve while clinging to his hand.
With a wave of his hand, the kitten flew backward, transforming into a golden snake that bit his wrist and turned into a wisp of golden mist that burrowed into his wrist.
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 23:21:04 on November 6, 2023 and 00:56:10 on November 8, 2023!
Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines: Xiaomanyi and 1 update urger;
Thank you to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: 20918265 20 bottles; Wei Zhen 17 bottles; the stimulating expert 11 bottles; Gargamel (, Yang Erniu, Bu Jie, Lan Ci, Zhou Man's Sword Bone, 42293163 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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