Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Before the red-clad bride could notice, Su Ximu and Team Leader Lan 242 found a hidden spot behind a rockery and concealed themselves.

During the dozen-odd seconds they crouched there, Su Ximu frantically racked his brain for every curse he could recall—only to realize he knew shockingly few.

*You never have enough curses when you need them most.*

He whispered softly to the person behind him: “Team Leader Lan 242, do you know any curses?”

Su Ximu explained, “I’ve heard that some weaker spirits are frightened by curses.”

Though this red-clad bride hardly seemed weak, cursing was still preferable to waiting helplessly for death.

Lan 242 lowered his voice to match, whispering back, “I know a few—but nothing too vulgar. There’s rarely ever a need for them.”

As the words left his mouth, Su Ximu glanced at Lan 242, struck by the coincidence.

*So what now?*

Su Ximu couldn’t help but wonder.

But before he could devise a clever escape, the airborne red-clad bride had already acted again.

In an instant, a piercing shriek tore through the air—hysterical, weeping, wailing—so raw it threatened to bring tears to one’s eyes and so unbearable one instinctively clapped hands over ears.

Su Ximu wasn’t especially disturbed—just found the sound overwhelmingly loud, as if someone had placed a massive speaker directly behind him. He covered his own ears and immediately felt better.

The next second, another hand gently settled on the back of his.

Lan 242 reached out to help cover Su Ximu’s ears, then silently gestured with his eyes for the boy—who’d been about to speak—to look outside.

In the compound’s deathly silence, as the red-clad bride charged headlong, the entire pocket dimension began fracturing like a mirror.

It resembled a shattered transparent glass dome—just one more impact away from total collapse.

In her final collision, the streaks of bloody tears on her face grew starkly vivid. Then—the dome shattered completely.

*Crack.*

Dazed, Su Ximu felt as though a single drop of water had fallen into a still pond, sending ripples across its surface.

After the dome shattered, the mansion remained unchanged—yet something *felt* different.

Just as he’d casually suspected, they had stepped out of a hidden mirrored world and back into reality.

The Tourism Park’s public address system crackled to life, and the announcer’s voice echoed overhead once more: “Wang Family Compound—puzzle progress: one-fifth complete. Keep up the effort, all staff.”

Hardly had the broadcast ended when ripples reappeared in the air above the mansion.

From within them emerged another woman in bridal robes.

Her skin was unnaturally pale—never touched by sunlight—making the crimson rouge on her lips appear supernaturally vivid.

To the east of the mansion, the air shimmered similarly.

From rising flames emerged a charred human figure, features entirely unrecognizable—though the scorched skirt suggested it was likely a woman.

In the western corner, two more women in bridal attire stepped out of the rippling mirrored world into reality. They appeared the most intact—but their resentment ran no less deep than the others’.

Behind them, Rao Fei—clutching grave-opening tools—tried to make himself as inconspicuous as possible and slipped out swiftly alongside them.

Once outside, Rao Fei froze.

The mirrored world he’d entered appeared to be an ancestral hall.

Before the hall, in open space, two black coffins adorned with double-happiness (囍) characters lay motionless.

Before the grand hall, beneath the open sky, two ebony caskets adorned with scarlet double-happiness symbols lay in solemn stillness.

How does one arrange a yin marriage with the living?

By turning the living into the dead, of course.

He’d originally assumed that, after releasing these two vengeful spirits, three further trials awaited him.

He had no idea that the moment he emerged—having narrowly escaped death—he would lift his gaze to find all five brides already assembled.

The Ninth Concubine, with bound lotus feet.

The Sixth Concubine, who perished in fire.

The young lady awaiting marriage in the embroidery chamber.

The two maidservants destined for the yin marriage.

Years of pent-up resentment had long erased any distinction between who deserved death and who might be spared—they knew only that everyone standing in their path deserved to die.

Fortunately, everyone present was no novice; all concealed themselves expertly.

Su Ximu, having already removed his hands from his ears, signaled to Team Leader Lan 242: *Hold your breath.*

He demonstrated—inhaling deeply, then holding it without exhaling.

This was life or death.

Lan 242 nodded, signaling understanding—but first whispered softly, “These methods seem designed to repel ghosts.”

“But what if they’re *not* ghosts?”

They are *gui*—born of obsession.

Ghosts and *gui* are not the same.

“Ghost” is a concept passed down across diverse human cultures.

Once the concept of “ghosts” took root in this world, certain supernatural entities were indeed influenced by it—and developed traits associated with ghosts.

But fundamentally, *gui* are a distinct yet parallel form of existence.

At the very least, even the weakest *gui* feel no fear of sunlight—unless their specific nature dictates otherwise.

Su Ximu puffed out his cheeks, tilted his head back, and felt he didn’t quite understand.

Lan 242 watched him for a few seconds, found it so cute he couldn't help but laugh. So he didn’t continue the explanation, instead following the young man’s lead and mimicking him by puffing his cheeks and holding his breath.

***

This day in the Wang Mansion wasn't going to be peaceful, that's for sure.

Rao Fei and Xu Mu, restricted by the dungeon’s power, couldn’t leave the Wang Mansion.

Other employees of the Tourism Park, however, had no such restrictions.

They were, after all, supernatural beings, not actual players.

Seeing how far behind they were in progress, the employees whose strengths lay in speed decided to resort to outside-the-box strategies. They egged on the five newly freed creatures and led them out of the Wang Mansion.

They planned to take them to Lord Wang.

The likely locations were limited—Guo Juren’s residence, the Ma Family Compound, the Liu Mansion… all former allies of Lord Wang.

When they finally found Lord Wang with the five creatures in tow, witnesses said the scene was too bloody for words.

Ninth Concubine said, "I want you to bind your feet every day until they become delicate, tiny lotus feet, then cut them off to be my most cherished collection."

Sixth Concubine said, "I want you to be assaulted by scoundrels, yet still be called shameless for craving men, and finally suffer in flames."

The maid said, "I want you to be locked in a coffin, listening to the pounding of nails outside, scratching at the lid until your fingers are scraped down to bare bone."

The young lady said, "I want you to crawl through a ‘dog hole’ into the boudoir, never seeing daylight again, growing so weak that even a fall could break your bones, only to be praised as a refined young lady from a good family."

"And then? What happened to Lord Wang in the end?" Su Ximu and Green 132 pressed.

Green 132 shrugged. "Lord Wang couldn’t be split into five pieces, so they had to take turns having him for a day each."

Su Ximu nodded, figuring this ending worked out okay for Lord Wang.

At least, he didn’t actually die, right?

Rao Fei and Xu Mu had vanished without anyone noticing, along with the three others following them.

After that day, a park-wide announcement notified everyone that all employees’ contributions had been recorded on their badges and would be tallied within the next two days.

Once the new management of the Tourism Park took over, reforms would be implemented.

During dinner, Team Leader Lan 242 specifically brought a cup of calming tea and handed it to Su Ximu.

"You’ve worked hard today. Drink this calming tea to help you sleep better tonight."

Su Ximu blinked, couldn't think why he'd need calming tea. Still, he had been quite tired that day.

He took the tea from Team Leader Lan 242 but didn’t drink it right away. Instead, he asked, "Team Leader Lan 242, could I get your contact information?"

"Why do you want it all of a sudden?" Team Leader Lan 242 asked.

The young man smiled, his eyes curving. "I want to be friends."

Team Leader Lan 242 smiled back. "Sure. I’d like to be friends with Xiao Xi too."

They exchanged smiles, reaching an agreement. Team Leader Lan 242 took out his phone and exchanged contact information with Su Ximu.

Just as Su Ximu looked down to save the information, he suddenly felt someone come up beside him—their shadow falling across his phone screen.

He looked up and saw "Third Bro," who he hadn't seen in days.

"Third Bro, what are you doing here?"

Su Jianglou only had eyes for his younger brother, ignoring everyone else. He took a seat beside Su Ximu and said, "I came to see you."

"Big Brother is here too, in meetings all day."

Su Ximu nodded.

He remembered the crazy expensive videotape Third Bro had mentioned earlier. It was always hard to explain clearly over the phone, but now that Third Bro was sitting right in front of him, he couldn’t help but ask for more details: "Third Bro, has Second Brother returned home recently?"

"Was he really angry when he found out I ruined his videotape?"

Across from them, Lan 242 slowly raised an eyebrow.

Resting his chin on one hand, he asked, like a regular supernatural being worried about his buddy, "What videotape?"

Su Ximu sighed miserably, "A very, very expensive videotape. I accidentally ruined it when I was drunk."

Lan 242 switched hands propping up his chin. "Oh, so that's what happened."

Author's Note:

Third Bro, who's blind to everyone else: Xiao Mu, you ruined Second Brother's videotape—you should watch your back! Terrified.jpg

Team Leader Lan 242: Oh, I see.