Chapter 104 - if: Ghost King x Little Taoist Priest
The lanterns were led by the hand, weaving through the rapidly changing scenery.
Gradually, the familiar human settlements and houses receded into the distance, and the scene became increasingly gloomy and cold, indicating that they had arrived in the realm of ghosts.
The landing felt almost unreal; beneath her feet lay a soft, dark shadow that seemed ready to burst forth and engulf her at any moment.
But Shen Zhou held her hand and walked steadily. His cold temperature came through her palm, and Hua Deng slowly got used to it, taking small steps to follow behind him.
After walking a distance, the surroundings are no longer desolate mountains and fields, but have turned into towns and neighborhoods.
However, this seemingly bustling town is more terrifying than the desolate wilderness.
The scene before my eyes was a mix of figures: some were setting up stalls to sell goods, others were wandering through the streets and alleys, and the restaurants were steaming and looked quite impressive.
But there wasn't a single real person here; they were all writhing paper figures.
Sensing someone approaching, the paper figures turned around in unison, their pale faces and dark pupils revealing a wide grin as they laughed at the lanterns.
There was no malice in the laughter, but Hua Deng couldn't help but pause. Chen Zhou stopped at the right moment, pulled her into his arms, and scooped her up in his arms.
Hua Deng struggled for a moment, then gave up.
She leaned against his chest. Shen Zhou's body and hands were as cold as ice, but she didn't seem to be in that much pain. Perhaps the aura of the ghost realm had affected her, making her accustomed to the cold.
He led her through the shadows to the mountain estate. Here, the trees were evergreen all year round, and the bright lights suddenly reminded her of the dreams of the past two years. No wonder every time she saw him, it was the same scene, with no leaves falling.
The manor was vast, and rustling sounds could be heard all around. Hua Deng turned his head and glanced at it.
This time there were no paper figures, but the strange ghosts and monsters were no better than the paper figures.
They eagerly peeked out from the corner, clapping and praising the gesture.
"It's the king! The king has brought people back alive!"
"It's a living person! Could that be his bride?"
She didn't hear the last part about the lanterns clearly; her attention was entirely focused on how the ghosts addressed Shen Zhou.
The Ghost King has four generals under his command. Hua Deng previously thought that he was at most one of them. Could it be that he is actually the Ghost King himself?
Is he trying to imprison her, or does he want to get something from her? He probably doesn't want to kill her; why would he go to such lengths to kill her?
The ghosts, emboldened, floated over, their necks elongating in an extremely contorted arc.
"What does the bride look like? Let me see, let me see... Ah!"
Its eyes flew out, and it covered its face, crying.
"Your Majesty is so stingy!"
The surrounding ghosts chuckled, "Yes, how stingy, our king!"
"Now that Wang has found the bride, how can he not let us see her?"
Chen Zhou continued walking, and the noisy sounds gradually faded away.
The lanterns were brought to a room and placed on the ground.
When she saw the furnishings in front of her, she was horrified, because they were exactly the same as the room she had in the Qingxu Sect!
Her wide-eyed expression seemed to please Shen Zhou. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and asked with a light smile, "Are you surprised?"
Hua Deng stared in disbelief: "How did you know...?"
“I’ve been watching you, Hua Deng.”
His voice was low, soft, and lingering.
The streetlights made my limbs feel cold, but my heart was beating very fast.
After a long silence, she swallowed hard and asked, "Since when?"
"One year ago."
"You've been here all along?"
“I’ve always been here.”
The streetlights suddenly reminded him of the unusual events of the past.
The lights suddenly went out at night, the spirit compass malfunctioned inexplicably, and someone whispered in her ear and called her name while she was asleep.
And he encountered many attacks from evil spirits, but each time he was unharmed.
Because he has always been there.
I can't quite describe my feelings about the streetlights. Is it disgust? It doesn't seem so. But do I like them? Of course not... I guess.
His arms around her waist tightened, making it hard for her to breathe. She turned around, pushed him away, and raised her chin.
"What does the mighty Ghost King want with me here?"
Her resistance was quite obvious, but Shen Zhou was not annoyed at all. Instead, he chuckled and said, "I said I would marry you."
Hua Deng: "I won't marry."
Shen Zhou tilted his head and said, "Why?"
Hua Deng: "Because I don't like you."
"Nonsense! How come I don't know?" Hua Deng didn't believe it.
But Chen Zhou seemed unwilling to explain. He lowered his head and kissed her forehead: "Let's get some sleep first. I'll take you somewhere tomorrow."
The moment the words left his mouth, the streetlights were swept away by drowsiness and fell asleep.
She slept through the entire night.
When he woke up the next day, Shen Zhou sat on the edge of the bed and stared at her for an unknown amount of time.
Hua Deng: "..."
How should I put it? I've actually gotten used to it.
As he had promised yesterday, he took her to a place that was the very place where they always met in their dreams.
This time, however, they did not linger in the stream. Instead, they waded through the water, passed through the trees, and with a flick of Shen Zhou's hand, broke through the barrier and arrived outside a dark cave.
For the first time in two years, Hua Deng learned that there was a barrier in this place, and this was the scene inside the barrier.
Shen Zhou did not lead her into the cave, but turned back and said, "My remains are buried here."
A casual remark caused the streetlights to suddenly look up, as if they couldn't believe what they had just heard.
He chuckled faintly and sighed, "Become my bride, and then, if you want to kill me, you can do so anytime."
Every ghost hunter has heard the same legend.
Legend has it that the Ghost King is invincible, able to command all ghosts and establish a separatist regime against the human race. He has only one weakness: the remains of the deceased. If the remains are lost, the Ghost King will also vanish.
Countless people tried every means to find the Ghost King's remains, but when they finally found them, they discovered that they had no way to destroy them; the remains were as indestructible as the Ghost King himself.
Only those who are recognized by the Ghost King and become his bride can ignite the purifying fire to completely destroy his remains.
Now, he has personally presented this fatal weakness to her.
Hua Deng's throat tightened, and she stared at him intently: "Why?"
He answered casually, "Because I love you."
Hua Deng opened her mouth and said, "You have no idea what love is."
“I know.” His eyes shone with an unusual light in the sunlight, causing Hua Deng to momentarily lose his composure. “It’s just that you don’t understand, Hua Deng.”
He held both of her hands, intertwining his fingers with hers, intimately close.
Hua Deng was stunned by his sudden confession, and uncontrollably recalled every moment they had spent together. Was it really that she didn't understand? But could a ghost understand love better than her?
Her upbringing forbade her to admit this, yet she couldn't help but want to believe, to believe in him, rather than the Qingxu sect's declaration of exterminating evil spirits.
Just as she was in a state of great distress, she heard Shen Zhou say with a smile, "I love you. It doesn't matter if you don't love me, as long as we are together."
Hua Deng: "..."
Do you think this makes sense?
The lingering doubts vanished instantly, and Hua Deng silently withdrew his hand.
He was relatively normal when he was pretending to be the senior disciple, but when he became a ghost, it was just as annoying as a dream.
Hua Deng couldn't understand why, even though she disliked him so much, she felt no resistance when he held her hand, hugged her, or even kissed her.
Could this also be a spell used by the Ghost King to bewitch people?
Hua Deng stayed at the manor for a few days, while Chen Zhou took charge of preparing for their wedding.
He would come to keep Hua Deng company every day, and they would sleep in each other's arms at night. At first, Hua Deng couldn't accept it, but later she realized that he just liked to hug her, so she treated him as a pillow and ignored his existence.
"Being a ghost probably won't work, right?" With that thought, Hua Deng strangely felt relieved.
On this day, when Shen Zhou returned, he brought with him a pile of counting rods.
"Should we pick an auspicious day for our wedding?" he asked, picking up a counting rod.
Hua Deng glanced at him and said, "Humans and ghosts are different; divination won't yield good results."
Even so, for some inexplicable reason, she actually did cast a divination.
Pick up a handful of counting rods and randomly distribute them between your left and right hands, with your left hand on top and your right hand on the bottom, your left hand vertical and your right hand horizontal.
After removing the number three, Hua Deng said, "In the Yin direction, an ominous hexagram."
She looked up at Chen Zhou: "You might suffer a bloody disaster."
Although this guy was already a ghost.
Shen Zhou's expression remained unchanged. He reached out and fiddled with the counting rods, saying with great interest, "Indeed, you are the first person to divine for me."
Hua Deng joked, "Should I charge you for saying that?"
Shen Zhou laughed and said, "Everything I have is yours."
With a flick of his finger, all the counting rods turned to dust. He used his blood to stain the dust and wrote the character "吉" (auspicious) on the table.
"You're going to marry me eventually, so it doesn't matter what the divination result is."
He spoke so casually that it dispelled Hua Deng's worries and made her forget the ominous divination she had just received.
Without realizing it, she seemed to be looking forward to the wedding in a few days.
Their wedding was set for seven days from now.
Early that morning, Hua Deng, dressed in a crimson robe and covered with a black gown by the paper doll girl, her black hair tied up in a bun and secured with hairpins, gracefully stepped out the door.
Two lifelike paper girls, one on each side, held her hand and moved with incredible speed, landing at the foot of the mountain as if flying.
The ground was still the same dark shadow she had come from, but the moment she stepped on it, the shadow transformed into azure waves, and countless ghosts and spirits emerged from the towns on both sides, showering her with flower petals and laughing and singing to celebrate her.
A small ark rises from the clear water, carrying bright lights as it slowly moves forward, with paper figures dancing gracefully to protect it.
The sky was without sun, yet it was daytime. Lights were lit, and lanterns swayed in the air, each lantern inscribed with the blessings of ghosts.
The clear water meandered for miles. Halfway down the river, the boat stopped abruptly. A figure emerged from the thick fog ahead, dressed in a magnificent crimson wedding gown.
A boat sails on the clear water, as the Ghost King welcomes his bride.
The surrounding ghosts and monsters cheered loudly, and Hua Deng couldn't help but smile slightly.
Chen Zhou stepped on the fierce yet docile water monster, which resembled both a fish and a whale, and swam gracefully to the lanterns.
Amid cheers and blessings from the crowd, Shen Zhou reached out his hand to her. She hesitated slightly, then lightly touched the ground with her toes and jumped into his arms.
She is going to become the Ghost King's bride.
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