Chapter 55

Chapter 55

However, not three minutes after Xie Yinxue entered the Yang's courtyard, he was back atop the wall.

"Bu Jiuzhao."

This time, he neither called him "A-Jiu" nor "Mr. Bu", but addressed the man at the wall by his full name.

At the sound, Bu Jiuzhao looked up, seeing the young man's snowy silhouette.

In the next moment, the youth seemed to fall towards him. Bu Jiuzhao made no move to catch Xie Yinxue. Instead, he quickly stepped aside, fearing that Xie Yinxue might brush against his clothes when landing.

However, seeing this, Xie Yinxue's lips curled into a smirk, as if he had anticipated such a reaction.

He lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Bu Jiuzhao's neck, and whispered into his ear, "The Yang brothers are coming. Run."

"Run?" Bu Jiuzhao stood still, "Aren't you going to get off me first?"

Xie Yinxue unabashedly replied, "I'm not feeling well, can't run on my own."

“……”

"Remember to grab my shoes for me."

Bu Jiuzhao: "..."

Thinking he'd ever pick up shoes was wishful thinking. The mere fact Bu Jiuzhao didn't toss Xie Yinxue off his back was already a great favor. He couldn't fathom Xie Yinxue's audacity to dictate terms – and this wasn't even the first time.

"Bu Jiuzhao."

The young man now dropped all pretense of courtesy, directly addressing him, "If we don't run now, the Yang brothers will catch up."

Bu Jiuzhao, often rendered speechless by Xie Yinxue, did hear the footsteps approaching from behind. Taking a deep breath, he dashed into a narrow alleyway with the youth on his back.

Clearly still frustrated, he took his irritation out verbally, "Where are your fool of a godson and the rest of those incompetents? Didn’t they say they’d hold off the Yang brothers?"

"I don't know." Xie Yinxue leaned gently against him, his voice as light as his touch, "I had barely spoken two words with Yang Ruolan when the Yang brothers barged in. I had to flee through the window."

Soon after their escape, they rendezvoused with other participants from another route.

Frowning, Bu Jiuzhao questioned the leading Lu Ling, "What happened?"

"Damn, we miscalculated!" Panting, Lu Ling cursed, "We didn’t expect the Xue family to have guards on the Yang's side. As soon as we knocked, before we could even speak, they came at us with sticks. I even got hit!"

Pointing to the swelling on his left temple, Lu Ling exclaimed, "It’s bloody symmetrical now!"

He had been hit on the right side of his forehead by a stone thrown by Yang Ruoming the day before. Now, with another lump on his left from the Xue family’s stick, the two bulges resembled horns.

Xie Yinxue lifted his head from Bu Jiuzhao's back, glanced at Lu Ling's head, then shifted his gaze behind them, asking slowly, "Are you sure... the ones chasing you are from the Xue family?"

"I saw them wearing the attire of Xue family's servants."

As Lu Ling turned to confirm, the sight left him speechless.

For those pursuing them weren't servants of the Xue family, but rather a group of mourners dressed in funeral attire, their complexions pale and swollen, their eyes eerily dark. Carrying a coffin bearing the character “奠”, they moved with a sorrowful demeanor, scattering paper money with each step. Despite their seemingly slow pace, they closed in on the group with alarming speed.

Before Lu Ling could react, Xu Lu, who was running behind him, wore an even more horrified expression.

In the next moment, the pace of the others began to slow down as well.

Their eyes widened in disbelief, fixated on the scene ahead, as if they were witnessing something utterly terrifying.

"Th-that woman..."

Xu Lu's shaky finger pointed behind Lu Ling, "It's the same bride from last night."

Following her gesture, Lu Ling saw an approaching bridal procession. The bearers of the palanquin donned sinisterly red garments, their cheeks adorned with exaggerated festive rouge, their lips curling up in eerie grins and eyes vacant. Atop the palanquin sat a bride, her face concealed under a red veil, her shockingly bright red fingernails the only visible part. The pallor of the skin near her sleeves was ghostly, not the hue of the living.

The ghostly entourage in red and white steadily approached, effectively cornering the group on a straight path with tall yellow walls on either side. Trapped, they could only watch the spectral procession draw near.

"What's happening?" Liao Xin Yang's soul felt as if it had left his body, panic evident in his voice, "What do we do?"

Liu Bu Hua informed him, "We've encountered the Red-White Specters."

Liao Xin Yang might not have understood the term "Red-White Specters," but he remembered Liu Bu Hua's fearlessness the previous night when facing the ghostly bride. Rushing to him, he clutched Liu's arm, "Liu! Your talisman, where is it?"

Liu Buhua fumbled in his sleeve pocket and, finding nothing, sheepishly said, "Oh? It seems I only had one, and I used it last night."

Upon hearing this, Liao Xinyang's face fell in despair. However, Liu Buhua quickly reassured him, "Don't worry, my godfather is here."

But when Liu Buhua glanced up and saw Xie YinXue leaning on Bu Jiuzhao's back, he froze in surprise, "Godfather, why...?"

Li Hong, following Liu Buhua's gaze to Xie YinXue, hesitated for a moment, "Mr. Bu, are you injured?"

Bu Jiuzhao, with Xie YinXue on his back, couldn't see Xie's face. Noticing the concerned expressions of Li Hong and Liu Buhua, his brow imperceptibly furrowed. He then gripped the wrist Xie YinXue had around his neck and pulled him to his front.

"Gently, that hurts."

The young man frowned, rubbing his wrist, shooting him a reproachful glance.

"You attacked an NPC?" Bu Jiuzhao sneered, gripping Xie YinXue's chin and wiping the blood from his lips with his thumb, raising an eyebrow, "The Yang brothers?"

Aside from this reason, Bu Jiuzhao couldn't fathom how Xie YinXue could sustain such severe injuries in the mere minutes he spent inside the courtyard.

Xie YinXue coughed twice, fresh blood oozing from the corner of his lips. He sighed, "I just wanted to knock them out and question Yang Ruolan."

Lu Ling interrupted their conversation urgently, "Forget about Yang Ruolan for now! We need to figure out what to do!"

Lu Ling had been through many instances before, but he was completely at a loss when faced with a supernatural backdrop. He wasn't familiar with various folk taboos, otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to collaborate with the others.

"Everyone, move to the corner of the wall. Do not touch them; just wait for them to pass."

After saying that, Xie YinXue once again wrapped his hands around Bu Jiuzhao's neck.

The young man's fingers were cold as snow, and his body felt devoid of warmth. Bu Jiuzhao wasn't fond of this cold sensation. Just as he thought of pushing Xie YinXue away, the young man tilted his head closer, his blood-stained lips moving, voice unusually soft and gentle, "Ah Jiu, could you help me over to the wall?"

Inhaling the crisp, pear blossom scent from Xie YinXue, Bu Jiuzhao inexplicably obliged, holding the young man close as they moved to stand against the wall.

The others followed suit. Liu Buhua, Li Hong, Ying Yishui, Lu Ling, Xie YinXue, and Bu Jiuzhao grouped to the right, while the remaining seven moved to the left.

Each person pressed themselves tightly against the wall, doing their best to avoid contact with the spirits parading in the red and white procession.

Li Luming, Duan Ying, and Yu Qinwen all closed their eyes, unwilling to meet the gaze of these malevolent spirits. Even those who didn't close their eyes looked down at their feet, fearful of accidentally locking eyes with one of the spirits and being taken away.

Only Xie Yinxue confidently lifted her eyes, her gaze sweeping over them.

At this moment, the two groups clashed head-on.

Strangely enough, while both groups seemed to be charging at them, Xie Yinxue felt more and more that... they weren't interested in them at all. They were charging at each other.

In local traditional customs, red and white events clash. If they occur on the same street, the red event yields to the white. But in this collision of red and white spirits, the red spirits showed no intention of yielding to the white.

The ghost in the bridal palanquin leapt out, landing atop the black coffin, stepping on its lid. This act deepened the sorrowful expressions of the mourning ghosts carrying the coffin, tears of blood streaming from their eyes. Their mouths agape as if wailing heartrendingly, yet no one heard a sound.

"Ahh!"

A girl's scream pierced the surrounding silence.

Li Luming and Yu Qinwen quickly opened their eyes, only to see Duan Ying, who somehow ended up in the middle of the road, surrounded by the red and white spirits.

Yet, Duan Ying's face showed no fear. Sitting stunned, her eyes full of shock, despair, and confusion, she finally fixed her gaze on Xu Chen.

Xie Yinxue, who had been watching all along, clearly understood why Duan Ying looked at Xu Chen that way: he had pushed her into the road.

"Ying!"

Li Luming and Yu Qinwen reached out to Duan Ying, ready to rush in among the spirits to pull her out.

A loud crash sounded as the coffin, stepped on by the ghost in bridal attire, could no longer bear her weight and smashed onto the ground. With the violent impact, all the red and white spirits vanished, leaving only the corpse with tears of blood on its cheeks lying in the middle of the road.

Li Luming and Yu Qinwen, holding Duan Ying, stared in bewilderment at the scene.

Xie Yinxue, barefooted, walked slowly over to the corpse. After staring at it for a moment, she remarked, "Quite handsome, indeed."

"How handsome?" Liu Buhua, curious, left his corner and approached the corpse, glancing over and commenting, "Indeed, he's quite the looker."

The corpse lying on the ground had fine features, a delicate and elegant face, appearing to be a young man around twenty-five.

Even though he had rolled out of the coffin carried by the white spirits, he was dressed in a bright red wedding attire. His face painted with makeup to mask the pallor of death. However, the tears of blood on his cheeks completely ruined the illusion, revealing at first glance that he was a long-dead body.

Xie Yinxue stepped forward and touched the corpse's tears, surprised to find that the blood was still fresh.

Suddenly, many villagers appeared on the previously deserted street, seemingly drawn by the sound of the crashing coffin. Recognizing the face of the corpse, their eyes widened in surprise and they began to murmur amongst themselves.

"Hey, isn't that Xue Sheng?"

"Why is he here?"

"Did the Xue family place him here?"

The villagers all looked shocked. However, it seemed they weren't surprised by the fact that Xue Sheng was dead, but that his body appeared in this small alley.

"The young master is over there!"

A few minutes later, the Xue family's servants, armed with wooden sticks, arrived.

Upon seeing them, Lu Ling felt a dull pain on his forehead, "It was them who hit me earlier."

Liu Buhua also vouched for Lu Ling, saying, "Yes, after knocking on the Yangs' door, they came to let us in."

Li Hong glanced at Xue Sheng's corpse on the ground and hesitated, "Do you think... they might believe... that we stole Xue Sheng's body?"

After a moment of silence, Lu Ling responded, "Let's run."

Not wanting another beating, Lu Ling took the lead and bolted.

Bu Jiuzhao glanced to his side, only to realize that Xie Yinxue, who was just next to him a moment ago, had already started running. Turning his head, he saw the young man pulling Liu Buhua away, their white-clad figures rapidly receding into the distance.

Xie Yinxue and Liu Buhua headed towards the square's theater stage.

They were swift, so by the time they reached it, no one else had arrived—except for Bu Jiuzhao.

Bu Jiuzhao had arrived even earlier, leisurely seated on the rocking chair that Min Yuandan usually used for supervising rehearsals. At first glance, the expression on his face seemed even more malevolent than when Min berated them.

He looked at the swiftly returning Xie Yinxue and sneered, "So much for being frail."

His annoyance intensified upon noticing Xie Yinxue's new white shoes and gold bracelet. Pointing at them, he asked coldly, "Two pairs of shoes in one day, and flaunting a gold bracelet – is this your idea of poverty?"

Faced with Bu Jiuzhao's interrogation, Xie Yinxue remained calm and responded with a smile, "All my gold coins went to you, so how could I have any money left? If that's not poverty, what is?"

If Xie Yinxue's previous reference to Bu Jiuzhao as "A-Jiu" could be interpreted in other ways, this statement left no room for doubt. It was as if he was openly acknowledging that he recognized Bu Jiuzhao once again.

Bu Jiuzhao's reaction was a blend of rage and amusement, his smile growing more pronounced.

Li Hong, rushing backstage and lifting the curtain, was taken aback by the sight, "Mr. Bu, why are you sitting there? I thought Min Yuandan had returned."

Following Li Hong, others also arrived backstage seeking refuge.

Catching his breath, Lu Ling said, "There's no need for doubt now. Xue Sheng is dead; we've seen the body. Old Master Xue agreed to let Yang Ruolan marry into the Xue family for a posthumous wedding."

After speaking, Lu Ling turned to Xie Yinxue, "Have you seen Yang Ruolan today?"

"Yes."

Settling himself into an armchair, Xie Yinxue began, "When I saw her, she was in tears."

Just as Xie Yinxue had mentioned to Bu Jiuzhao before scaling the wall, upon entering the courtyard, he saw Yang Ruolan's room directly to his left. The door was slightly ajar, so he went in.

At that moment, Yang Ruolan was sobbing at her desk. Startled by the entrance, she looked up with swollen eyes and asked, "Who are you?"

Considering his identity in this scenario, Xie Yinxue replied, "I'm from the Jin Yuanbao Theater Troupe."

Yang Ruolan queried further, "Why are you in my house?"

Instead of answering, Xie Yinxue posed his own question, "Did you know that Xue Sheng might already be dead? Old Master Xue agreed to your marriage to hold a posthumous wedding with Xue Sheng."

Upon hearing the words "Xue Sheng is dead," Yang Ruolan's pupils contracted, her body shuddering violently. Tears she had held back once more surged forth, streaming down her face as she cried uncontrollably.

Even though Xie Yinxue knew Yang Ruolan was likely just an NPC in the instance, not a real person, he still felt the anguish, regret, and sorrow in her cries.

Xie YinXue stepped in front of Yang RuoLan, crouching slightly to meet her gaze. He spoke softly, "In four days, our theater troupe will be setting sail from FengNian Village. If you're unwilling to undergo a ghost marriage, we can take you with us when we depart."

The concept of a ghost marriage is a violation of human decency.

Though Xie YinXue had only experienced two scenarios, he noticed that the primary objectives of the previous two were all about unity and camaraderie, not brutal rivalry. All promoted positive values. Thus, Xie YinXue speculated that in this scenario, "saving the destined relationship" likely means thwarting the ghost marriage and getting Yang RuoLan out of FengNian Village.

But upon hearing his words, Yang RuoLan broke into uncontrollable sobs, exclaiming, "I know... I'm aware... I know Ah Sheng is gone. On the day he left, it was raining... he always hated rainy days... I'm completely aware..."

At that moment, Xie YinXue had not yet seen Xue Sheng's body. He had mentioned "Xue Sheng is dead" with a tone of uncertainty, for he wasn't sure if Xue Sheng had truly passed away.

Yet to his surprise, Yang RuoLan confirmed it for him: Xue Sheng was indeed gone.

She might even have been by Xue Sheng's side on the day of his death, witnessing the last breath of her beloved.

Upon hearing this, Xie YinXue was momentarily stunned.

"I don't want to leave!"

"You're from the Jin YuanBao Theatre Troupe, right?"

As Xie YinXue was lost in thought, Yang RuoLan got up from her chair and knelt before him, pleading, "I want to marry Ah Sheng, to be with him! I beg you, you must perform well in the upcoming show. Whether or not Ah Sheng and I can be together rests on your shoulders!"

"Wait a minute—"

Ying YiShui interrupted Xie YinXue's account, her eyes filled with confusion, "Mr. Xie, are you saying Yang RuoLan begged us to help her with the ghost marriage?"

Xie YinXue nodded lightly, "Yes."

"Has she... has she lost her sanity due to grief?" Liao XinYang couldn't comprehend such behavior, "A ghost marriage means death. Isn't she afraid?"

In a ghost marriage, there are no living participants.

Typically, both the bride and groom in a ghost marriage are deceased.

If one party is still alive, they will be killed after the ceremony to be buried alongside the deceased.

This brutal custom persists despite bans. Some ruthless individuals, enticed by high bounties for corpses, even resort to murder, providing bodies for families to complete the ghost marriage.

"Have you ever heard of the term 'love martyrdom'?" Xu Lu asked Liao XinYang, "Perhaps Yang RuoLan's profound love for Xue Sheng is driving her towards a ghost marriage."

"I don't buy it," Yu QinWen countered, stepping forward. "What if she's being coerced? Haven't the Yang brothers kept her locked away, refusing to let us see her? Don't you find that suspicious?"

"I understand the heartbreak of losing a loved one," Li Hong stated. "But I also believe that if Xue Sheng were still alive, he'd never want Yang RuoLan to take her own life out of grief."

"Yet Yang RuoLan wants to go through with the ghost marriage. If we don't assist her, we won't be able to clear this scenario."

The one who spoke was Xu Chen, who continued, "As I mentioned before: what if Yang Ruolan has long known that Xue Sheng was on the brink of death and still wished to marry him? Now, after meeting Yang Ruolan, Xie Yinxue also says she willingly wants this posthumous marriage. So, why are we so torn? Let's just perform our play diligently, and after four days, we'll leave Fengnian Village by boat. Isn't that simple?"

Author's Note:

NPC: This person is full of lies.

Xie Lao: I love you.

Liu Buhua: My godfather is lying.

NPC: No, this is the truth.

Liu Buhua: ?