Chapter 109

Chapter 109

Tang Liu sat bored on the wedding bed, unable to hold back a yawn.

To be honest, he was a bit sleepy.

These past few days had been filled with rules and rituals, one after another, making him feel quite constrained. Last night, he had barely fallen asleep when he was woken up again. If it weren't for having to complete the wedding ceremony, he would have dozed off in the sedan chair.

"Can I put this down now?" He gestured to the red silk in his hand. "...De Qi?"

"Y-yes, you can."

"Oh, then what's next? Lift the bridal veil, drink the wedding wine? Is it inappropriate for me to just sit here waiting for your young lady?"

"No! There's no need for any of that. My... my young lady will be here soon."

Tang Liu paused. "Why are you stammering?"

Wang Deqi felt like crying but had no tears. "No reason. It's just... seeing my young lady getting married and finally recovering from her illness makes me so happy."

Heaven only knew what kind of place he was in now. After the ceremony concluded, Master Wang and Yuan Song had hastily packed their things and left, leaving only his father, him, and Yin Mei behind. Before leaving, they had thrust a talisman into each of their hands, telling them they must never be without it.

Now, his father and Yin Mei had gone off to do who-knows-what, leaving him alone in this side room decorated as a bridal chamber.

"Is your young lady's health alright?" Tang Liu reached behind him and grabbed a handful of red dates and longans, popping a date into his mouth. Chewing, he continued, "Since we don't need to lift the veil or drink the wedding wine, and your young lady must be tired too, why don't we all rest early? Look at all this stuff on the bed; it'll be lumpy to sleep on. Your young lady definitely won't be used to it. How about we set up another room for her to rest comfortably? We can discuss everything else after everyone has had enough rest. You've been busy for so long; you must be tired too, right?"

Normally, Wang Deqi would have cursed Tang Liu out for daring to suggest his young lady spend her wedding night alone. Even if he wasn't worthy of consummating the marriage, it should be Tang Liu rolling up his bedding and finding somewhere else, not his young lady being sent away.

But now, he hadn't even seen a trace of his young lady. The excuse that she'd suddenly taken ill and needed to rest was just something he made up on the spot to fool Tang Liu.

Tang Liu waited a moment but received no answer. "That's not acceptable either?"

"Of course not."

The one who answered was not Wang Deqi, but Yin Mei.

She entered from the outer room, holding a pair of golden scissors. Walking to the candlestick, she trimmed the wick as she spoke. "Please wait a moment, son-in-law. The young lady will be here shortly. She has been frail since childhood, but with the meticulous care of everyone in the Wang family, she never fell ill. Now that she has taken ill, her body naturally can't bear it."

Tang Liu: "I understand, I understand."

Yin Mei put away the golden scissors and smiled slightly. "The spring night is short, so De Qi and I won't disturb you any longer."

Tang Liu: "Huh?"

Why was this suddenly becoming real?

The candlelight in the room grew brighter after the excess wick was trimmed. However, the sky outside was already growing light, making the candles unnecessary for illumination. Tang Liu remained oblivious, but Wang Deqi felt deeply that something was wrong.

Holding the wedding ceremony at night and lighting candles during the day—it all went against common practice.

He was dragged out by Yin Mei without a chance to protest. Before the door closed, he took one last look at Tang Liu, sitting on the canopy bed in his heavy wedding attire, and actually felt a bit sorry for this beggar.

"What kind of *thing* did Tang Liu marry?" he asked, trembling.

"Shh!" Yin Mei glared at him sharply. "Do you have a death wish, daring to ask such a question here?"

Wang Deqi froze. Whether influenced by Yin Mei's words or not, he felt an increasingly bone-chilling cold. Even though the sun was already halfway above the horizon, the mansion was still creepy. He glanced around roughly and saw that aside from the cleanly swept path from the main hall where the ceremony was held to the bridal chamber, intermittently lit with red candles, everywhere else appeared desolate and dilapidated. Even the weeds looked wilted and lifeless. Beyond where the candlelight reached, a dense, grayish darkness enveloped everything, making it impossible to see clearly.

Wang Deqi shivered and averted his gaze, not daring to say more. He and Yin Mei walked faster and faster, leaving the mansion directly.

The moment he stepped over the vermilion gate's threshold, warmth suddenly washed over him. Wang Deqi looked up and realized it was actually a clear, sunny day. Even in the early morning, sunlight bathed the bluestone slabs of the street.

Wang Deqi's legs immediately went weak. Trembling, he turned back and finally saw clearly the two characters faintly written on the rotten plaque above: "Sui Residence."

He was shocked. "Th-this... this place isn't supposed to be inhabited, is it?!"

Sui Residence was a famous abandoned mansion in Tushui County. It was said to have been deserted for several generations. No one in the county knew when this mansion was built here, who lived in it, or why it was abandoned. A few educated scholars in the county knew a little, saying its structure seemed to be from a previous dynasty, but nothing more could be discerned.

Although the mansion was very old, it was large and magnificent. People had certainly eyed the place before. Not only merchants with some money, but even homeless beggars in the county had thought of using it as shelter. However, anyone who moved in or tried to buy it would invariably come down with a sudden, severe illness.

Gradually, rumors spread that this mansion was an inauspicious place, and the county's residents all dared not approach it. If someone accidentally wandered in, they would rush to the City God Temple to pray.

The previous county magistrate had once considered demolishing Sui Residence to build tiled houses. The day before construction was to begin, he lost his official post unexpectedly. It was said to be due to factional strife in the imperial city, but the county folk believed it was because of this mansion. The current magistrate, upon hearing the rumors after taking office, also didn't dare to touch it.

Yin Mei only whispered, "During the Lantern Festival, the young lady took a wrong turn and passed by the front of this mansion. She fell ill after returning. Don't concern yourself with whom that beggar inside married. Just know that all of this is for the young lady's sake."

With that, she turned and closed the vermilion gate, locking it with a padlock on the door ring.

Wang Deqi watched her actions. "We're just leaving Tang Liu alone inside like this? Won't something happen to him?"

Although he had looked down on Tang Liu at first, after spending three or four days together, there was some camaraderie between them.

"There's no danger to his life." Yin Mei handed him the key. "In two hours, come with me to bring food. You must not let him notice anything amiss."

Wang Deqi immediately took a big step back. "I won't do it! I'm never coming back to this ghostly place a second time!"

Yin Mei's face changed dramatically. "Shut up! Who told you to mention that word!"

Wang Deqi was stunned by her shout. Seeing her face rapidly pale, he knew he had said the wrong thing again. He instinctively looked at the locked vermilion gate. Suddenly, his chest felt scalding hot. He hissed, reached into his robe, and pulled out a talisman that was half-burned. Within moments, the talisman completely turned to ash.

He flung it away as if it were a hot potato, feeling extremely uneasy. Suddenly, Yin Mei dragged him off, pulling and hauling him along.

"If you want the young lady to recover quickly, then work with me to properly look after Tang Liu. As for the rest, there's no need to be overly afraid. As long as you keep the talisman with you and don't speak recklessly like you just did, nothing will happen."

Wang Deqi was still shaken. Hearing this, he asked, "Who exactly are you? How do you know so much?"

"I grew up with the madam in a Taoist temple, so I know a little about these matters," Yin Mei said.

The two hurried eastward. Just half a street away, they saw the housekeeper sweeping with a large broom, piling up colorful, folded white paper in various shapes and sizes.

Wang Deqi looked closely. Many of these objects were exactly like the paper figures from last night's wedding procession. Besides the paper figures and paper suonas, there were also many paper coins scattered along the road.

So, it wasn't that no money was scattered during the wedding procession last night; it was just that the money was too light, falling silently, so he hadn't noticed.

Wang Deqi let out a yelp, broke free from Yin Mei's hand, and took off running toward the City God Temple.

*

Meanwhile, inside Sui Residence.

Tang Liu, of course, had no idea what shocks and emotional turmoil Wang Deqi had experienced in just a few hours. He only felt hungry and sleepy, and his wedding attire was thick and heavy.

Didn't they say she was coming soon? Why isn't she here yet?

He leaned against the bedpost, drowsy. Just as his consciousness was fading and he couldn't help but fall asleep, something cold suddenly brushed against his lips.

He jolted upright. "Miss Wang?"

He could sense someone standing in front of him. Without a doubt, it should be Miss Wang.

Strange, when did Miss Wang come in? He hadn't heard a thing. Had he actually dozed off for a moment just now?

Then hadn’t Miss Wang seen how utterly unconscious he’d been, clutching a few dates and longans even in his sleep?

Tang Liu felt profoundly ashamed. On their wedding night, Miss Wang—despite being unwell—had still managed to attend the ceremony, yet he, the groom, had fallen fast asleep before the bride had even arrived. He truly shouldn’t have.

Miss Wang remained silent, likely somewhat upset.

Yet from the sound of it, she hadn’t moved an inch—still standing right before him.

Tang Liu hesitated briefly, then decided not to rise or reach out to feel for her. Instead, he patted the space beside him and said, “Miss Wang, please sit down.”

He waited a moment—but she still didn’t move. It suddenly struck him that his words could easily be misconstrued, so he hastily added, “Please don’t misunderstand—I mean no disrespect. I fully understand the nature of this marriage. I’m a man of simple needs: good food, good sleep, and good clothes. That’s all I ask for—no further desires, certainly no illusions about us being a genuine couple. I only asked you to sit because I feared you might be tired. After all, you’re still recovering; now that you’ve improved slightly, you mustn’t fall ill again.”

If her condition worsened, wouldn’t the blame fall squarely on him?

“……”

“Miss Wang—do you have anyone attending to you?”

“……”

“……”

Miss Wang remained silent for a long while, puzzling Tang Liu. What, exactly, did she mean by this? If she refused to speak, he wouldn’t press further.

Just as he was about to ask again, a sudden chill brushed his lips.

Startled, Tang Liu immediately felt a cool, slender fingertip glide lightly back and forth across them. He parted his lips slightly—but the other person gave him no chance to speak. The fingertip pressed more firmly against his lips, then, after a pause, gently tapped the tip of his nose before gliding upward along his nasal bridge like a dragonfly skimming water. Finally, with a slightly bent knuckle, the eye veil was hooked and lifted away.

The soft fabric brushed past his temples and eyelids. Instinctively, Tang Liu reached out a hand to feel before him. “Miss Wang?”

To Tang Liu, the eye veil was no different from clothing to an ordinary person. Its removal left him feeling exposed—as if stripped bare. *Has Miss Wang’s illness clouded her judgment? Without a word, she’s already touching me.* Immediately afterward, he heard a delicate, enchanting laugh.

It was ethereally beautiful—like a jade bell ringing in an empty valley stirred by a gentle breeze—or as if it hadn’t sounded in many years, carrying a faint rustiness from disuse. Yet, listened to closely, it was utterly captivating.

A jolt ran through Tang Liu’s entire body, and his face burned hot.

“Husband Liu…”

Then came another voice—unbelievably sweet. Tang Liu had never before been addressed so lingeringly, so tenderly. Every part of his body turned to jelly, tingling with indescribable restlessness; his heart itched with unbearable agitation. Enchanted by the title “Husband Liu,” his mind spun dizzily—and by the time he regained his senses, someone was already lying atop him.

This person possessed a slender, supple figure, with soft, boneless hands resting on his shoulders, their necks pressed close. Tang Liu stiffened completely, torn between pushing them away—or not.

“Miss Wang…”

“Shh.” Miss Wang breathed softly beside his ear. “Call me Wei Wei.”

“…Oh—oh… Wei Wei—is that your childhood name?”

No sooner had Tang Liu spoken than he suddenly felt weight settle upon his legs, and a long, slender arm looped around his neck and shoulders. At the same time, a subtle fragrance drifted into his nostrils.

“It’s a nickname. From now on, you may call me *only* that. I detest the name Wang Guiyu. Dare utter it, and I’ll kill you.”

This statement was deeply suspicious. Under normal circumstances, Tang Liu would have bristled with doubt—but now, with a warm, fragrant, yielding body nestled in his arms, he could barely restrain himself from moving, let alone think straight. Moreover, Wang—no, *Wei Wei*—spoke in a light, lilting tone, like humming a lullaby, utterly devoid of menace.

“Wei… Wei Wei—I’ll call you that from now on,” Tang Liu stammered. “But please sit up first. Whatever you wish to say, let’s speak properly. We’re… rather too close right now.”

“Does Husband Liu dislike it?” Sui Lanwei raised a hand to stroke Tang Liu’s jaw. “Tonight is our wedding night. Doesn’t Husband Liu wish to do something?”

Had Tang Liu been able to see, he would have been petrified. Though the person in his arms wore bridal robes and possessed a delicate waist, their skin was deathly pale—utterly unlike that of the living. Dark energy radiated from their entire being. Though their features were exquisite, blood seeped from all seven orifices—and especially their pupils, pitch-black voids reflecting not a single glimmer of candlelight, as if capable of swallowing everything around them.

Yet their words flowed honey-sweet and soft—while their expression remained icy cold.

Unfortunately, Tang Liu was blind. At this moment, he was utterly entranced, his mind filled with tales from fellow beggars about the pleasures of intimacy with a woman.

Tang Liu swallowed hard, wholly unaware that the person in his arms gazed at him intently, greedily inhaling his scent.

“Husband Liu—you smell so good.”

“No—it’s *you* who smells good,” Tang Liu replied instinctively, scarcely knowing what he said. Only after speaking did he bite his tongue in dismay. “Wei Wei—it’s growing late. I think we—”

His words cut off abruptly. Feeling the sudden wet, soft touch against his neck, his mind dissolved entirely. Not until a hand slipped beneath his collar, slowly loosening his belt and untying his sash, did he snap back to awareness.

He sprang upright from the bed as if pricked by a needle. Mid-leap, realizing something heavy was slipping from his arms, he hurriedly reached out to catch it. After a flurry of clumsy fumbling, he managed to hook his arms beneath the person’s waist and knees, securing them firmly. Once steadied, he turned and, relying solely on touch, placed them gently onto the bed. When the back of his hand brushed the round objects scattered haphazardly across the bedsheets, he recalled the pile of food still lying there. So, halfway through setting them down, he lifted them again, freed one hand to sweep aside the scattered snacks, and only then laid them down properly. He pulled the quilt over them, turned sharply away—and finished his earlier sentence.

“Wei Wei—it’s growing late. I think we should rest early. Look how cold you are—you must still be unwell. Don’t overexert yourself.”

He tightened his belt and wiped the cold sweat from his brow.

*That was close—I nearly lost control.*

If Wang Deqi found out tomorrow, his life would likely be over.

He had no idea what was wrong with Miss Wang—why she behaved so unrestrainedly.

“You rest well. I won’t disturb you here any longer.” As Tang Liu spoke, he raised his voice and shouted, “De Qi! De Qi!”

He called for a long time—but no one answered. Instead, his waist was encircled once more.

A cold body pressed against his back from behind, and he heard Wei Wei’s plaintive voice murmur, “Husband Liu—on our wedding night, will you abandon me and leave me alone in an empty room?”

How could he possibly withstand this?!

No one had warned him before the wedding that Miss Wang possessed such a clingy nature.

Tang Liu suffered in silence but could only reply, “That’s not it at all. It’s simply that I’m an extremely restless sleeper—I toss and turn constantly, and snore loudly. Staying here would surely disturb your rest.”

“I don’t mind,” Sui Lanwei said. “Husband Liu—stay with me. Don’t leave me alone. I’m afraid.”

Tang Liu still wanted to resist. “Why not ask a maid or nurse to stay with you? They should have arrived by now, shouldn’t they?”

“No,” Sui Lanwei said, rubbing their forehead against Tang Liu’s back. “I want *Husband Liu* to stay with me.”

“…Alright.” Tang Liu thought to himself, *This isn’t my fault.* He turned, grasped Sui Lanwei by the arms, and tucked them securely beneath the quilt. “But let’s be clear—we’re only sleeping. If anyone asks tomorrow, you *must* tell the truth—I didn’t do anything.”

“I’ll do whatever Husband Liu says.”

Only then did Tang Liu feel at ease. He sat down, kicked off his shoes, and lay down beside them—fully clothed. The moment his head touched the pillow, drowsiness washed over him, and he soon fell fast asleep. Half-asleep, half-awake, he suddenly heard someone whisper, “Husband Liu—why aren’t you covering yourself with the quilt?”

Overwhelmed with sleepiness, Tang Liu mumbled drowsily, “You’re cold—cover up more. If I take the quilt, we’ll end up fighting over it.”

The person beside him fell silent for a moment—then suddenly began to sob softly.

Tang Liu jolted awake and turned his face toward them. “What’s wrong? Did I crush you?”

He hadn’t yet fallen fully asleep—so he couldn’t possibly have been tossing and turning, right?

After crying for a while, the person beside him finally whispered, “…Husband Liu must despise me for being sickly—and unwilling to share a bed with me. Earlier, when I tried to be intimate with you, you resisted repeatedly. I imagine it was for the same reason.”

Tang Liu fell silent for a moment, then silently spread his arms. "Absolutely not."

Sui Lanwei pulled half the quilt over to him and nestled his head against Tang Liu's arm, about to speak when Tang Liu seemed to sense something and said, "Alright, time to sleep." With that, he patted his back, tilted his head, and quickly fell into a deep slumber.

Sui Lanwei propped himself up, resting his chin on his hand, and watched him with keen interest.

He had been trapped alone in this mansion for who knows how long. A few days ago, he had merely felt inexplicably annoyed by that Wang woman and decided to play a trick, never expecting it would result in a new bride being sent to him.

Even though it was a man, he was far more interesting than the living people who had entered this place over the past century, most of whom cried and wailed at the slightest provocation.

He had taken a liking to teasing him, and the Little Blind One's reactions were quite amusing.

Moreover, this Little Blind One was brimming with yang energy, making him a great tonic. Keeping him around to occasionally absorb a bit of it wouldn't be bad.

Sui Lanwei lay back down, resting his head on Tang Liu's arm, deliberately pressing his body close. When Tang Liu unconsciously tightened his arms around him in response to the cold, he smirked mischievously.

He didn't need sleep, but lying beside Tang Liu, enveloped in his yang energy, felt like soaking in a hot spring. A few hours of this were quite nourishing.

Seeing Tang Liu slowly wake up, he leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Husband Liu, you're holding Wei Wei so tightly. Wei Wei feels very uncomfortable."

Tang Liu's sleep had been restless. Just as he was groggily waking up, he heard this complaint. Realizing his hand was indeed resting on someone else, he jerked it away as if stung, forcing out a dry laugh. "I told you I'm restless when I sleep."

After withdrawing his hand, there was no movement from beside him. Tang Liu shifted slightly and belatedly noticed that Wei Wei was half lying on top of him, with no intention of moving. However, Tang Liu couldn't worry about propriety between men and women right now. Shivering, he said, "Wei Wei, don't you think it's a bit cold at night?"

What kind of cheap fabric was this wedding bed made of? It felt colder than the stone slabs in Beggar's Alley.

Sui Lanwei glanced sideways at the daylight filtering through the gauze window, adjusted his posture, propped his hand on Tang Liu's shoulder, and rested his cheek against it. "Husband Liu, it's already dawn."

"Have I slept that long? What time is it now?" Tang Liu asked while shivering uncontrollably. He was freezing. Reaching out to feel around, he found the quilt on his free side was neatly in place, but the other half was tangled between them due to Wei Wei's prone position, leaving him essentially uncovered.

He pulled out the quilt from that side, trying to subtly nudge Wei Wei aside in the process. However, for some reason, the quilt came free, but Wei Wei didn't budge an inch. He had no choice but to wrap both Wei Wei and himself tightly in the quilt. Feeling slightly warmer, he said, "Wei Wei, you're so cold. We should call a doctor to check on you later."

*Ancestors, please don't fall ill. If you get seriously sick, the blame will surely fall on me.*

Sui Lanwei, now wrapped up like a cocoon, glanced up at him. Seeing his pale, pitiful face from the cold, he mercifully reined in the cold emanating from his body and replied, "I'm not cold. I've just had a naturally cold constitution since childhood, so my body is always cooler than others'."

Tang Liu: "Then maybe we should each have our own quilt from now on..."

"But with Husband Liu holding me as I sleep, I feel much better. In the past, I often slept restlessly at night due to my cold body, frequently having nightmares. Last night, I didn't have a single dream. Why aren't you saying anything, Husband Liu? I know—you must dislike my weak constitution and find it hard to sleep sharing a pillow with me. I'll have someone prepare another room right away. From now on, we can sleep separately to spare you any trouble."

Tang Liu: "...Wei Wei, rest assured, that's absolutely not the case."

Tang Liu lay still for a while. As his body warmed up, his stomach began to growl loudly. He was just worrying about how to disentangle himself from the clinging Wei Wei when he heard three knocks at the door, followed by Wang Deqi's voice.

"Tang Liu, are you awake? I've brought you breakfast."

"Awake, awake!" Tang Liu exclaimed. "Wait a moment, I'll open the door right away. Wei Wei, time to get up and eat. Are your clothes on properly? Do you need me to call a maid?"

Sui Lanwei was reluctant but knew Tang Liu, unlike him, needed to eat to survive. So, he got up grudgingly. "No need. You go open the door. I won't leave the inner chamber."

*That person at the door smells terribly foul. I refuse to share a room with him.*

Tang Liu was taken aback. "Then I'll bring the food in."

Sui Lanwei flopped back onto the bed lazily. "No, I don't have much appetite."

*He didn't eat anyway.*

"Eat a little. It's not good to starve," Tang Liu urged.

"No."

"Alright then." Tang Liu gave up. "Where's my eye bandage from yesterday?"

Sui Lanwei pulled the eye bandage from under the pillow and handed it to him.

Tang Liu tied it over his eyes, felt his way along the wall to the outer room, and opened the door.

After a moment of waiting, he finally heard Wang Deqi say, "...How did you sleep?"

"Quite well. Hurry up and set the food out. I'm starving." He turned and walked back into the room, feeling his way to sit at the table. After a long pause without hearing Wang Deqi's footsteps, he grew puzzled. "De Qi?"

"Co-coming."

Wang Deqi took a deep breath, kept his head down, and entered the room. He unpacked the food box, placing the dishes, rice, and utensils in their familiar spots for Tang Liu. Then, he handed Tang Liu the bundle from his back. "I brought all your belongings. Except for that set of tattered clothes, which really couldn't be kept, everything else is here."

Though called "belongings," it was merely a clay bowl and a bamboo cane. Tang Liu took them, felt their familiar texture, set them aside, and began eating. Only after filling his stomach halfway did he remember the important matter.

"By the way, later, could you take me around the mansion and help me learn the way?"

Hearing this from the inner chamber, Sui Lanwei spoke up. "Why have someone else take you? I'll show you around the mansion myself."

Tang Liu said, "You should rest in the room to recover from your illness."

Sui Lanwei retorted angrily, "...How can my illness improve if I'm not with you?"

Tang Liu suddenly understood.

*So this is how the 'auspicious wedding' works. No wonder Miss Wang insisted on sharing a bed with me at night—it's for treating her illness.*

*That was close. I almost got the wrong idea.*

He patted his chest in relief when he suddenly heard Wang Deqi ask in terror, "Who are you talking to?"