Chapter 54

Chapter 54

The sight of a bride in a red veil is unsettling no matter where one encounters it, especially on a dimly-lit village path.

The moment Xu Lu recognized the woman in the red bridal dress, her pupils constricted in sheer terror. Her body trembled uncontrollably, and her lips quivered open and closed —

"Ahhhhh—!"

Those walking ahead of Xu Lu were nearly startled out of their wits by the shrill scream, instinctively turning to look back. Those behind her, seeing Xu Lu's horrified expression as she looked back, were equally frozen in shock.

Yu Qinwen, trailing a few steps behind Xu Lu, gripped Li Luming's hand tightly. Not daring to look back, she asked, "Xu Lu... what’s wrong? Is there something behind us?"

"I..."

Xu Lu's lips moved, but she couldn't muster a complete sentence.

Li Hong, walking in front of Xu Lu, not only looked back but took a few steps rearward, stretching out to give Li Luming and Yu Qinwen a better view. Yet, apart from the shadowy path that seemed endless, he saw nothing.

Thus, Li Hong told them, "There’s nothing behind you."

"But I just saw…" Xu Lu took deep breaths, her racing heart gradually steadying, "a woman in a red bridal dress with a red veil, right behind us."

Xu Lu’s words made the already silent night even more eerily quiet.

The surroundings were soundless; no chirping of insects, no rustling of the wind, only their slightly labored breaths and racing heartbeats.

Liao Xinyang swallowed hard and asked, "Are you sure... it was a ‘person’?"

A woman, dressed in a red bridal gown with a red veil, following the living in the dead of night, sounds like a ghost bride from a spirit marriage.

"Don’t be scared, where is she?"

Liu Buhua, furrowing his brow, pulled a golden talisman from his sleeve, held it between his index and middle fingers, and chanted an incantation, "Let me confront her and see the extent of her spiritual power."

Li Hong whispered, "Mr. Liu, I think you're holding the talisman upside down."

Unfazed, Liu Buhua calmly responded, "The orientation of the talisman won’t affect its ability to suppress evil."

"She’s gone now, but I truly saw her behind us, and she almost...” Xu Lu glanced at Duan Ying walking beside Xu Chen, hesitating before continuing, “... brushed against Duan Ying’s shoulder."

Even Lu Ling couldn't help but rub his arm at that, "Xu Lu, your words are becoming more and more unsettling."

Duan Ying pressed her lips together, lowered her eyes, and whispered shakily, "She's not lying. I've felt... someone tapping my shoulder the whole time."

"Us too..." Li Luming and Yu Qinwen echoed Duan Ying's sentiments, "But we didn't dare to turn around and pretended to be unaware."

After the frightening incident during tonight's first rehearsal, especially for the girls like Li Luming, they were nearly scared to death. On their way back, they were so paranoid that even village residents appeared ghostly to them. Now, walking in the dark and feeling someone tap on their shoulders made their fear almost suffocating. Thinking of all the horror movies and stories they had seen, their legs grew so weak they could barely walk, let alone turn around.

"Huh? I felt someone tap my shoulder too." After hearing Li Luming's words, Li Hong paused in surprise, "I was just about to look back when I heard Xu Lu scream."

To everyone's surprise, Xu Lu quickly refuted with wide eyes, "That scream wasn't from me."

Liao Xinyang asked her, "It wasn't you? It sounded soft, like a young girl's voice."

"It really wasn't me." Xu Lu shook her head, "I was so scared I couldn't make a sound."

Lu Ling inquired, "Then who screamed just now?"

All eyes turned to the remaining four girls: Li Luming, Duan Ying, Yu Qinwen, and Ying Yishui. However, all of them denied screaming.

"When walking at night, never look back," Liu Buhua, holding the yellow talisman, cautioned everyone, "Humans have three flames on them; two on the shoulders and one atop the head. Every time you look back, one flame extinguishes."

"Once all three are gone, you become susceptible to malevolent entities."

The last line was spoken by Xie Yinxue.

However, as he said this, he moved from the front of the group to Liu Buhua's side, then took the yellow talisman from his hand. With a flick of his fingers, the talisman ignited without a match, producing a comforting glow in the darkness.

Then, Xie Yinxue tossed the ignited talisman onto the ground. As it landed, a wave of flames emanated from its center, spreading beneath everyone's feet.

Ying Yishui jumped back instinctively, scared by the flames. But she quickly realized these flames were not hot at all. Instead, they felt like a gentle breeze. Once the flame wave disappeared, several deep black footprints were revealed on the originally clean dirt ground.

"Are these footprints from the ghost bride?" Ying Yishui crouched down to inspect the footprints, frowning, "They seem... quite small."

Indeed, the footprints were surprisingly small, almost the size of a toddler's bare feet. However, they weren't near everyone; only near Li Luming, Duan Ying, Yu Qinwen, Li Hong, Xu Chen, and Chao Qinghe.

There were larger footprints behind Xu Lu, evidently left by an adult woman.

Liu Buhua couldn't help but comment, "It seems we had quite a few ghosts trailing us tonight."

Xie Yinxue raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over the faces of Li Hong, Li Luming, and the others. Without further comment, he softly advised, "Let's go back and sleep. I've reignited the three flames on each of you. Don't look back again."

Heeding Xie Yinxue's words, everyone stayed close to others in the group. About ten minutes later, they finally reached the village house.

Min Yuandan had already returned and lit the lamps inside. Seeing the group return so late, he scolded, "What took you so long? Did you get lost or did you encounter a ghost maze?"

The word "ghost" now felt particularly haunting to everyone, as if a cold draft had entered the village house with Min Yuandan's words.

Li Luming clutched Yu Qinwen's arm, "Qinwen, let's go to our room and sleep."

"Okay," Yu Qinwen responded quickly, eager to avoid lingering in the main hall any longer, and hurried into their bedroom with Li Luming.

Li Hong was still clinging to Liu Buhua's leg, deciding to share a room with him. Ying Yishui chose to room with Xu Lu as before. Although Duan Ying and Xu Chen had a disagreement, they didn't consider sleeping in separate rooms. Liao Xinyang, however, lost his courage to sleep alone and sought someone to share a room with.

Chao Qinghe had ghostly footprints beside him on the way back. Fearing that staying too close would attract the ghost to him as well, Liao Xinyang ruled out Qinghe. Lu Ling and Bu Jiuzhao, on the other hand, exuded an aura of aloofness, almost screaming, "Stay away!" Especially Bu Jiuzhao, whose expression seemed to spell out "Leave!". Left with little choice, Liao Xinyang turned his hopeful eyes to the gentle and approachable Xie Yinxue.

He asked Xie Yinxue, "Mr. Xie, may I share a room with you? I'm a bit scared..."

Xie Yinxue responded with a slight smile, yet his refusal was firm, "Sorry, I prefer to sleep alone."

Liao Xinyang looked a bit awkward, "Then..."

"Stay with me," Lu Ling interrupted, arms crossed, "Hurry up, I want to sleep."

"Thank you, thank you!" Liao Xinyang's eyes brightened, and he gratefully followed Lu Ling's lead.

As for the others, each took a separate room.

Xie Yinxue, hands clasped behind him, walked into his room. Once inside, he turned to close the door.

When sleeping outside his home, Xie Yinxue never shed his outer clothes. He'd only remove his shoes, placing them neatly by the bed before lying down to rest.

Unfortunately, not long after settling, Xie Yinxue discerned faint footsteps.

They began at the door and slowly approached the bed.

Suddenly, Xie Yinxue's eyes snapped open, but the room was empty.

It was likely around six in the morning. The sun hadn't risen, but the pre-dawn light was apparent. A candle was still burning on the room's table, casting a warm, bright light, which also illuminated a fleeting shadow outside.

The shadow was odd - it resembled a veiled woman, much like the ghost in the red bridal dress Xu Lu described.

Had this ghostly bride followed them back to the village house?

Rising from the bed, Xie Yinxue found that his shoes, which he had placed beside the bed, were missing.

Thus, barefoot, he walked to the door and opened it, peering into the courtyard.

There was no veiled figure, only Xu Chen holding a candle, returning from the restroom. He seemed oblivious to Xie Yinxue, perhaps due to nervousness. Xu Chen hurried back to his room, carelessly leaving the door ajar before hastily kicking it shut.

But because he didn't glance back, Xu Chen failed to notice that the door didn't shut immediately. It was as if an invisible hand held it open just long enough for someone to enter before it slammed shut.

Xie Yinxue arched an eyebrow at the sight.

He usually didn't use his spiritual vision to see ghosts, as their appearance could be unsettling. Xie Yinxue only used it when necessary.

But the scene he just witnessed indicated clearly: an "entity" had followed Xu Chen into his room.

Moreover, since their return to the village house, Xu Chen wasn't the only one who had encountered these entities. He himself had, too.

They had inadvertently committed certain taboos commonly believed to invite spirits — facing away from the door when entering or exiting and neatly placing shoes by the bed before sleeping.

If you enter a room and close the door without watching, you won't know if something unsavory has followed you inside.

As for shoes, if you place them too neatly by your bedside, they might be worn by a ghost during the night. It's better to place them haphazardly or one facing up and the other down. However, never point the shoes toward the head of the bed, or... a ghost might join you in bed.

Xie Yinxue, unafraid of evil spirits, never paid attention to these superstitions. Yet, in this situation, these taboos seem especially relevant, as any oversight attracts ghostly attention.

And now?

His shoes have been stolen.

With a sigh, Xie Yinxue approached Xu Chen and Duan Ying's room, knocking lightly on their door.

Sleep seemed elusive that night, and after only three knocks, their door was promptly opened.

"Mr. Xie," both Duan Ying and Xu Chen greeted, their surprise evident upon seeing him, "What brings you here at this hour?"

"I saw something enter your room," Xie Yinxue stated directly. "I believe it's best if you change rooms."

Duan Ying furrowed her brows, disbelief evident. "How can that be? Our door was securely locked."

Xu Chen interjected, "I did get up to use the restroom."

"Why didn't you wake me?" Duan Ying turned, questioning him, "Didn't we agree that if one of us got up at night, we'd wake the other?"

"I saw you were in deep sleep, and since dawn was approaching, I thought it'd be fine," Xu Chen tried to explain. "I did attempt to rouse you, nudging you a couple of times, but when you didn't wake, I let you be."

Xu Chen had indeed tried to wake Duan Ying.

Yet, when he sat up and opened the door, he noticed the light of dawn outside. Seeing someone with white shoes entering the restroom, he assumed he wouldn't be alone, deeming it unnecessary to disturb Duan Ying. So, he proceeded by himself.

The restroom in the village house was spacious, divided by gender and even having two stalls separated by a low wall, offering a clear view of its entirety.

However, upon entering, Xu Chen found no one inside.

Instead, he saw a neatly arranged pair of white shoes by the restroom door—the same he noticed earlier.

Chills ran down his spine. Instead of using the restroom, he dashed back to his room, finding solace only after lying next to Duan Ying. Yet, moments later, Xie Yinxue arrived with his unsettling news.

"It's not about not waking me," Duan Ying chided, "it's about you not taking my words to heart."

She continued with a bitter smile, "You left the door ajar. Didn't it occur to you that something could come in when you were gone? And I'd be there, unaware."

Xu Chen furrowed his brows, "I told you, everyone was exhausted. I wanted you to rest well."

Xie Yinxue had no interest in the couple's quarrel. Having delivered his warning, he turned and left, leaving the duo to their dispute.

From then till dawn, the night was uneventful.

Owing to the late night, everyone slept in, rising only when the sun was high.

Upon waking, Yu Qinwen and Li Luming went to knock on Duan Ying's door. After knocking for quite some time, the door that opened was from the room next door. Both were surprised to see Duan Ying at the doorway and questioned, "Ying, did you switch rooms? Weren't you staying here last night?"

"Couldn't get used to that room, so we switched," Duan Ying's eyes were shadowed with fatigue, and despite attempting a smile, it never quite formed.

Noting Duan Ying's discomfort and lack of desire to discuss the room change, Yu Qinwen and Li Luming didn't press further. After a quick breakfast of porridge and pancakes in the village house, they were hurried by Min Yuandan to the village square to rehearse their lines and get familiar with the fighting scenes.

"You guys messed up the scenes last night. You need to get it right today. We have the official performance in a couple of days, and I won't be able to save you if something goes wrong then!"

Min Yuandan held a slender stick in his hand. Although he didn't use it to strike anyone, the swishing sound it made as he brandished it was quite intimidating.

Still, everyone seemed distracted—most were thinking about Yang Ruolan and Xue Sheng, wondering how they could get an opportunity to meet with them.

After all, as Xie Yinxue had pointed out the previous day, it depended on the bride and groom's intentions whether they should support this marriage or obstruct it.

During a break, Lu Ling gathered everyone and shared his plan: "It's tough to approach the Xue family and meet Xue Sheng. However, getting to Yang's house to see Yang Ruolan should be easier. We'll split into two groups—one group will distract Yang Ruowen and Yang Ruoming, while the other scales the wall to find Yang Ruolan."

"That sounds like a plan," Liao Xinyang agreed. "So, who will be scaling the wall, and who will be distracting Yang Ruowen and Yang Ruoming?"

Xie Yinxue spoke up gently, "I'll scale the wall."

It seemed unavoidable. Concerning the vital clues, Xie Yinxue felt that it was essential to meet Yang Ruolan in person rather than sending someone else.

However, since Lu Ling, Liao Xinyang, and others weren't very familiar with Xie Yinxue and given his delicate appearance and elegant demeanor, they didn't believe he'd be adept at scaling walls. They suggested, "Maybe someone should go with you."

Xie Yinxue didn't object and was about to suggest that Liu Buhua accompany him.

But a deep voice beside him interrupted, "I'll go."

Lu Ling promptly agreed, "Then you go with Xie Yinxue."

Bu Jiuzhao's proposal was precisely what Lu Ling had in mind. Since Bu Jiuzhao wasn't talkative, if they were to distract Yang Ruoming and Yang Ruowen, they would need someone more conversational. How could someone as reticent as Bu Jiuzhao help?

Without further ado, Lu Ling decided, "We're short on time. We don't know when Min Yuandan will return. We should go while he's away!"

With that said, the group headed towards the Yang residence.

Xie Yinxue and Bu Jiuzhao, however, took a different route, heading to the rear wall of the Yang's house to part ways with the rest.

"I had a glimpse of the interior layout when the Yang's gate was open yesterday," Xie Yinxue pointed at the wall, "Climbing from here should lead us directly to Yang Ruolan's room."

"Alright, go ahead then."

Basking in the sunlight with his arms folded, Bu Jiuzhao responded to Xie Yinxue without any objections, "I'll keep a lookout for you."

Xie Yinxue nodded, "You'll need to crouch for that."

Raising an eyebrow, the man questioned, "Crouch down?"

"How else am I supposed to step on your shoulders to get over the wall?" Xie Yinxue responded with a soft smile, playfully coughing twice and saying, "A-Jiu, you know my health isn't the best. I can't scale the wall on my own."

The affectionate call of "A-Jiu" from Xie Yinxue caused the man's gaze to linger on him.

Yet the young man looked innocent, his gaze clear and untainted, as if he knew nothing at all.

Upon hearing this, Bu Jiuzhao chuckled. He strode up to the youth, grasped Xie Yinxue's chin, forcing him to look up into his eyes and sneered, "A-Jiu?"

"Did I get it wrong?" The young man didn’t resist, and in this vulnerable posture responded, "Or would you prefer I address you as Mr. Bu?"

"Not in good health?" Bu Jiuzhao didn’t answer the question but emphasized each word in return, "Yet you volunteered to scale the wall?"

Xie Yinxue couldn't nod due to Bu Jiuzhao’s grip, but he confidently replied, "Yes, I'm not in the best shape. I initially thought I’d have Buhua's help. But since you offered, I figured, why not? Can't you do it?"

“……”

Bu Jiuzhao, momentarily at a loss for words, released Xie Yinxue’s chin, scoffing, "You look just fine to me."

However, saying so, he still crouched down in front of Xie Yinxue, instructing gruffly, "Climb on."

He really crouched down?

A smirk appeared on Xie Yinxue’s face, ready to climb, but the man added, "Take off your shoes."

"They're new, not dirty at all."

"Even so, take them off. I don’t want you stepping on my head."

"Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

Sighing, Xie Yinxue reluctantly removed his shoes. Barefooted, he gently pushed off Bu Jiuzhao's head, vaulted over, and landed within the Yang family courtyard.

The man stood emotionless, snickering, "I knew it."

By the third instance, shouldn’t he have figured out what Xie Yinxue was like?

Author's Note:

Xie Lao: Be clear. What exactly am I like?

NPC: Those who know, know. No need to elaborate.

Xie Lao: ?