Chapter 63.1 Crazy Love Season
The Wandering Corpse really liked this stolen vertical harp. Unfortunately, except for that one time in the tunnel, he never had a chance to go on a music tour. Despite his limited intelligence, he was aware that today was a significant event, and he was excited to finally have the opportunity to perform on stage.
Uncle Li knocked on the door again, standing outside without leaving. “Young Master, there’s one more thing you need to prepare.”
Wen Shi glanced at the Wandering Corpse. Without needing much explanation, the Wandering Corpse took the harp and hid inside the wardrobe.
After the door opened, a mixture of fragrant rain drifted in at an angle. Uncle Li held a tray with a bright red veil, the color thick and rich as if blood was about to drip. A copper coin hung from each corner of the veil, traditionally meant to ward off evil. However, these coins were rusty with traces of yellow mud, as if they had recently been unearthed.
Wen Shi looked at Uncle Li, who was bowing and lowering his head in front of him. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Isn’t this thing for the bride?”
Uncle Li replied smoothly, “Master lost his beloved daughter. To him, you are a part of his beloved daughter. Today, when you put on this veil, it signifies both marriage and union.”
Wen Shi really wanted to lift the family members’ skulls and see what they were all thinking.
The steward’s gaze swept around the room. “Where is the child who came with you?”
Wen Shi didn’t know if the tea party was over. He was about to make up an excuse, when an empty box in the room suddenly opened from the inside. A child with an overly pale half face appeared and said, “Hide and seek, want to play?”
The production team didn’t mention the cause of Red Jacket Lady’s death. Even if they did, nobody would believe it. The host only mentioned the strange occurrences in the mountains, foreshadowing ominous circumstances for the Red Jacket Lady.
Normally, the Red Jacket Lady’s family would definitely investigate everything. But now, as the day of the Ghost Gate’s opening was approaching, all sorts of strange things happened at this time of year. One could easily offend some malevolent spirits. The people in the old house subconsciously thought that Red Jacket Lady might have clashed with some entity she shouldn’t have, leading to her misfortune.
“From now on, Young Master is also a member of our family,” Uncle Li said with a smile, “Let’s go together, the time has come.”
Under Uncle Li’s unchanging gaze, Wen Shi let out a cold laugh and casually placed the veil on his head from the plate. Almost at the same time, the system’s notification sound came—
【Side Quest One: Dark Wedding.
In a blind date program, after being single for a long time, you finally held hands successfully. But fate took an unexpected turn, and the unlucky girl remained stranded on the South Mountain Road. Thankfully, her family is understanding and willing to continue your relationship.
This is a special wedding, and the significant occasion’s procedures must not go wrong! Please adhere to the following three points:
1. Pay respects to the heavens and ancestors. Always remember the elders’ bestowed blessings, and never dare to decline.
2. Show reverence to the guests from all directions. The left hand is used for rituals, so be cautious not to hold the cup with your left hand.
3. Make a ruckus in the bridal chamber. The tradition of “three days without distinction” is also a rule for making a ruckus in the bridal chamber. No matter what happens during the process, you must not get angry. Remember, smiling is important. In the cheerful atmosphere, don’t forget about the time. Before midnight, you must successfully enter the bridal chamber.
The footsteps of the wedding are approaching. Go and enjoy this unique ceremony like never before!
Task reward: One Sealed Coffin Village calendar.】
To see the way clearly, Wen Shi covered his head, with the front shorter and the back longer.
A’Sang saw this and took the initiative to come over and hold his hand, helping to lead the way. The vial hanging around his neck swayed a bit with his movement. On a rainy day without sunlight, the eye in the vial seemed to plunder the last bit of light and shadow in the room, making the whole room even darker. Everywhere was the cursed red, a sea of red that stimulated the eerie eye inside the bottle. Thunder rumbled in the distant sky, lightning illuminated the small room. Under the red veil, the loud sound caused Wen Shi’s slender eyelashes to tremble slightly. His features were picturesque, and his lips curled up slightly amidst the thunder and lightning.
“Rainy days are suitable for extermination.”
This whispered words, meant for no one’s ears, had now all fallen into the eye in the vial.
The anger in the eye gradually dimmed. From outside, someone shouted, “Welcome—”
A line of servants stood in the rain, leaving the same space between each person. The protagonist of the grand wedding finally appeared. When Wen Shi stepped over the threshold and took the first step, everyone turned their heads together, with smiles appearing on their pallid faces. A cold wind blew, lifting the light veil slightly. Wen Shi saw the surroundings clearly. All the servants were dressed festively, but overly formally, as if they were the ones getting married today.
Uncle Li stood right in front, his aged face powdered and rouged. It was as if he, too, was one of the grooms, waiting for the bride to approach.
The veil fell back in place. Wen Shi walked straight ahead, passing through the door into another courtyard.
In the instant he appeared, four of them lifted the coffin. Many joss sticks burned on the ground, and numerous strands of green smoke intermingled, creating a deceptive illusion of lotus-like smoke.
They waited until Wen Shi approached, aligning with the coffin’s height, before the pallbearers finally started walking.
The coffin was held high, seemingly level with Wen Shi’s shoulders. As they passed through the final door, Wen Shi flicked his sleeve to shake off the overly long robe, his expression ice-cold.
“The groom and bride are here!”
Guests turned towards the door, where a young man with a red veil over his head appeared amidst the beating of gongs and drums. Uncle Li reminded him from the side, “You need to support the coffin as it enters.”
His pale hand rested against the edge of the coffin, contrasting starkly with the dark wood.
Wen Shi walked all the way to the main hall and finally met Red Jacket Lady’s father through the layer of red gauze.
The real master of this old mansion had graying temples, his spirit sharp. His pair of shining eyes seemed as if they were about to stick onto Wen Shi.
“Bow to the heavens and ancestors,” the chief attendant shouted.
In Sealed Coffin Village, things were different from the outside. Bowing to the heavens and ancestors counted as one bow.
Wen Shi half-heartedly bowed to the old man, silently murmuring, “Don’t get mad, don’t get mad. Consider it as funeral condolence money, funeral condolence money…”
His grumbling manner pleased the eye inside the vial.
After his bow, the old man handed Wen Shi a cup of tea.
Since entering Sealed Coffin Village, Wen Shi had been avoiding anything liquid. Emitting an unusual aroma, the tea was clearly not something good.
With the veil still on, he wouldn’t be discovered if he pretended to drink it. Considering the requirement of the elders’ bestowed blessing, Wen Shi hesitated for a second before he tilted his head and finished the cup in one go.
Only then did a hint of satisfaction flicker across the old man’s face.
“Salute the guests—”
There was no wine set on the table in front, and no one sat there. The chief attendant followed Wen Shi with a jug of wine in hand.
Wen Shi didn’t overlook the empty seats and paused in front of the main seat.
He wasn’t supposed to hold the cup with his left hand, yet he went ahead and used his left hand. Typically, relatives would sit in the front row, but the guests who ate rice mixed with incense ash were definitely not human. Holding the cup with the left hand symbolized paying respects to the deceased ancestors, and these several empty tables conveniently fulfilled that.
The chief attendant poured a glass for each empty seat after seeing him stop.
When toasting, Wen Shi deliberately lowered the glasses by a bit at each position, a gesture of respect.
Players witnessed this scene. Looking at the other players, Yan Yan meticulously noted each detail with a sneer. “So, what’s the point of setting up these archways? Fortunately, Pei Wenwei took the lead.”
If it were them, it would probably be hard for them to consider so meticulously.
“Exchange vows as a couple!”
Before Wen Shi could pay respects to the villagers and other guests, the servants wielded knives to slaughter chickens and geese. The pallbearers shifted the coffin’s direction, facing directly at Wen Shi, who then bowed.
The chief attendant’s lips twitched a bit. “Entering the bridal chamber—”
The wind made the wooden door creak, and suddenly, the red lantern began to sway violently. Except for the players, everyone present knew that the liveliest part was starting: the bridal chamber ruckus.
The visiting villagers all stood up and surrounded Wen Shi in a circle. The procession of musicians playing gongs and drums entered as well. People performing lion dances and tossing paper money happily entered the room, continuing to sing and dance. Amidst the singing and dancing, the outer layer of the red lantern gradually melted as the flames burned brightly. The lion dance performers put aside their lion heads and started playing with fire. Fire danced over their bodies, but they remained unscathed. Wen Shi couldn’t avoid getting some flying sparks on himself as well.
In an instant, his shoulder suddenly caught fire. Although Wen Shi extinguished it immediately, his shoulder was directly scorched. Even after taking medicine, the pain didn’t immediately subside.
Laughter and cheers surrounded him. The villagers with their wooden faces finally showed human expressions, clapping excitedly. Amidst the scattered sparks, a group of demons and monsters shook their shoulders and kicked their legs, performing eerie dances:
“Disturb the groom, tease the bride, don’t let the groom into the bridal chamber—”
The cameraman stood on a chair, refusing to miss any of Wen Shi’s embarrassed moments.
The host was even more enthusiastic as he introduced, “Ladies and gentlemen, let’s all shout together: three days without distinction, the new couple won’t cry, they’ll smile… Hahaha…”
He himself was laughing so hard that he was trembling like a flower branch.
Up on the raised platform, the old man smiled as he watched the uproarious scene. The entire wedding scene was chaotic. He clapped his hands, not sure who he was congratulating.
A candidate teared up, leaning on the player’s shoulder and taking their hand, saying similar words, “We will definitely have a grand wedding like this someday too.”
The player shivered involuntarily.
Suddenly, Zhou Lulu said, “There’s something wrong with the tea.”
After Pei Wenwei drank that cup of tea, he seemed as fragile as a piece of paper, ready to ignite at any moment. Surrounded by a group of fire-playing people, if this continued, he would eventually be burnt to ashes.
Zhou Lulu furrowed her brows, unable to come up with a way out for the moment. Not just her, all the players were racking their brains, as no one knew if the next Dark Wedding candidate might be them.
Ji Yuanzhi was considering whether or not to use illusions to help his son get an advantage, when a deep and languid voice broke through the annoying noise, “Is that all?”
Wen Shi had put up with them for a long time already. If it weren’t for completing the first two mandatory steps, he wouldn’t have waited until now.
Sensing a trace of annoyance in his words, the villagers playing in the bridal chamber grew even more enthusiastic. Hand in hand, they encircled him, while the lion dancers playing with fire made their flames shoot higher and wider.
Amidst the cacophony, Wen Shi lifted the red veil from his head and gazed at the group of demons and monsters. He spoke coldly, “Play the music.”
The person playing the suona, thinking he was talking to himself, wished he could blow into both of Wen Shi’s ears.
As these people spun around Wen Shi, their backs facing the main door, a tall and thin figure with stiff movements and eerie bearing silently appeared at the door. Following Wen Shi’s command, the long, green-nailed fingers of the Wandering Corpse began to pluck the harp strings.
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