Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Xu Muchan had gotten word ahead of time and was waiting in the courtyard with Chunhua and Qiuyue.

Chunhua and Qiuyue had even dug out a brand-new set of clothes for him to change into. They were still that bright, festive red, his slender waist cinched by a gold-and-jade belt as wide as a palm. The vivid color made his already striking features even more eye-catching.

Chunhua and Qiuyue, who'd been scowling, looked at Xu Muchan's stunning looks, and even their smiles seemed to soften: "With the mistress this pretty, the young master's bound to be happy."

Xu Muchan shyly dropped his gaze, a faint blush creeping up his cheeks.

Wei Yao, hiding behind the roof ornament on the rooftop, saw this and gnawed at his paws anxiously. That ghost young master was about to show up, and Xu Muchan still hadn't snapped out of it—what the heck was he supposed to do?

Just as he was hesitating, wondering whether he should jump straight off the roof and startle Xu Muchan out of it, he saw a group of paper figures walking down the path.

In the lead was the steward, and right behind him was... the Ancestor!

Holy crap! It was actually the Ancestor! They were saved!

Wei Yao got so excited that he popped up abruptly, blowing his cover.

The Ancestor did spot him, lifting his gaze his way. Wei Yao wagged his tail like crazy at him: "Ancestor! It's me! Wei Yao!"

Wei Xilou frowned, stopped at the courtyard entrance, and turned to murmur something to the steward.

Wei Yao craned his neck, but they were too far away to hear what the Ancestor was saying. But no worries—since the Ancestor was here, they were totally safe!

These paper freaks were all doomed, heh heh!

Wei Yao perched proudly on the roof, not even bothering to hide anymore.

Chunhua, having gotten her orders, glanced up at the roof and immediately spotted him.

Wei Yao wasn't scared even when he saw the two paper figures turn to look at him. He even made a cocky face at them.

Nyah nyah, you dead freak, come catch me if you can!

Chunhua, provoked, her eyes flashed with murderous intent. She crawled up the pillar like some kind of bug in a totally unnatural way. Wei Yao, now face-to-face with Chunhua, was still dazed, stumbled back in fright, and instinctively looked toward the Ancestor.

The Ancestor had come through the gate!

Wei Yao arched his back and barked at Chunhua, all bluster: "Don't you dare come near me! If you touch me, the Ancestor will destroy you!"

"You see that down there? That's my Ancestor!"

He barked so loudly that Xu Muchan, lost in his own nerves, heard him and looked around: "Is that Little White barking?"

But by then, the steward had already led an unusually tall man in fancy robes inside. Qiuyue whispered: "Mistress, the young master's here. Hurry, bow!"

Xu Muchan couldn't think about anything else—his head was full of bowing. How did you bow? He had no clue!

Qiuyue saw him standing there like a statue, shot him a venomous glare, and bowed deeply herself.

"Achan."

Wei Xilou studied the elaborately dressed youth before him. His earlier anger had completely melted away, replaced by a secret, indescribable joy. His whole demeanor softened, and Wei Xilou praised: "Achan looks so beautiful dressed like this."

The man's voice was lovely. Xu Muchan's ears went tingly, and his heart started racing. He plucked up his courage and looked up, only to meet a pair of eyes full of smiles. He froze on the spot.

Wei Xilou stepped closer and reached out to trace Xu Muchan's brows: "What's the matter? Don't you recognize your big brother?"

What did "brother" mean? Xu Muchan was puzzled, but his nerves quickly took over again. He bit the inside of his lip and, swallowing his shame, stammered out awkwardly: "Hus... husband."

After saying it, his face flushed, and even his ears and the little bit of neck showing were bright red. He dropped his head, not daring to meet the other man's eyes.

Wei Xilou was caught off guard. When it hit him what Xu Muchan had called him, his eyes suddenly went dark.

Achan had actually called him... husband.

The second it sank in, Wei Xilou felt a jolt in his chest. His throat bobbed as realization dawned, and his breathing turned ragged.

But he hid it well. His face stayed a gentle smile as he took Xu Muchan's hand: "Achan must've waited a long time, huh?"

The man's hand was cool but huge, easily swallowing his whole. Xu Muchan shyly curled his fingers but didn't pull away, mumbling: "Not that long."

Wei Xilou glanced at the paper figures around them and asked: "Were you scared here all alone?"

Xu Muchan shook his head at first, then hesitated, and finally nodded honestly.

Even though it was his first time meeting his husband, Xu Muchan felt oddly close to and trusting of him. He spoke his mind hesitantly: "This place is too big, and there are so few people. It's a little scary at night; during the day it's just boring."

Wei Xilou smiled and led Xu Muchan out of the courtyard: "This place is too small, and there's nothing fun around. Let me take Achan out for a walk."

When he'd found out Achan's soul had been yanked away and followed the trail here, he'd been seething. But once he saw how cute this memory-less Achan was, his anger vanished in a flash. Wei Xilou suddenly felt that this dump, old and run-down as it was, had its own charm.

No rush to leave after all.

Wei Xilou led Xu Muchan out. Once they were gone, Chunhua finally let go of the little white dog's snout, gave it a nasty smile, and hauled it by the scruff toward the door, planning to hand it over to Miss Ling.

Wei Yao watched the Ancestor's back in despair, thinking, was heaven really out to get him? How could the Ancestor not recognize him?!

This was such bad luck!

All he could do was hope Xu Muchan would snap out of it soon and remember he still had two buddies in deep trouble!

Wei Xilou led Xu Muchan to the garden.

The only decent view in this whole place was this garden. It was packed with all kinds of ornamental flowers. They bloomed out of season, competing with each other, giving the gloomy, creepy mansion a spring vibe that didn't fit at all.

Xu Muchan leaned on the railing, admiring the pretty flowers, with Wei Xilou standing beside him.

He could feel the man's gaze on him the whole time, soft and warm.

Xu Muchan plucked up his courage, turned his head a little, and peeked at the man. But he got caught red-handed, whipped his head back around, face burning, and said in a lame attempt to cover: "These flowers are really pretty."

"They sure are." Wei Xilou nodded in agreement, his eyes fixed on him—whether he meant the flowers or the boy was anyone's guess.

Xu Muchan's heart started pounding again. He pressed a hand to his chest and was just about to say something else when he saw Miss Ling coming down the other end of the path with a big group.

The maid behind her was carrying a big cage, and inside were clearly two little dogs—one yellow, one white.

The two dogs spotted Xu Muchan and instantly acted like they'd seen family, shoving their heads through the cage bars, barking at him with big, wet eyes.

The cozy mood vanished. Xu Muchan stepped in front of Miss Ling and asked: "Where are you taking them?"

Miss Ling shot a wary glance at the man behind him, then said smugly: "To the kitchen, of course. These disobedient brats deserve to be skinned, gutted, and turned into dog hotpot."

Her sweet, pretty face was dripping with malice as she chirped at Xu Muchan: "Perfect timing—I'll add a dish for my sister-in-law."

Wei Yao and Wen Dajiang barked in a rage.

They barked viciously at Miss Ling, "You dumbass! Once the ancestor gets involved, you're screwed!"

The ancestor stood behind Xu Muchan, ignoring the two yapping little mutts, and instead tried to persuade Xu Muchan, "Does Achan like dogs? I'll get you two more another day. These two are clearly strays—ugly and dumb, not worth keeping."

Wei Yao and Wen Dajiang, still barking: ???

Wait, isn't the ancestor judging dogs by their looks a bit too much?!

Wei Yao and Wen Dajiang were scared that the ancestor might really abandon them, so they barked even harder.

Xu Muchan, however, felt bad for the scared little dogs. He turned to the man beside him, blinked, and tugged at his sleeve, saying, "But I like these two. Don't eat them, okay?"

Wei Xilou pressed his lips together, frowning like he was troubled.

Xu Muchan then looked at the maid holding the dog cage and reached for it, saying, "Give them to me."

The maid glanced at Wei Xilou, then Miss Ling, then finally at Xu Muchan, looking uneasy. "Madam, these are Miss Ling's dogs..."

Seeing she wouldn't let go, and Miss Ling was smirking triumphantly at him, Xu Muchan had no choice but to look back at the man who still hadn't spoken.

His eyes were watery as he looked at him, and he called out softly, "Husband?"

Wei Xilou's heart softened at the pleading look on his face. He let out a faint sigh, then turned to the maid holding the cage with a sharp look. "How dare you defy the madam's words?"

The maid flinched under his gaze, and her grip loosened. Xu Muchan quickly took the cage.

Miss Ling naturally wouldn't accept that and said angrily, "Brother, these are my dogs!"

Wei Xilou gave her a cold, blank look, and she immediately shut up in fear, stomped her foot hard, shot Xu Muchan a glare, and ran off.

"Thank you."

Xu Muchan watched Miss Ling's retreating back and smiled happily.

Wei Xilou nudged the dog cage with his toe, looking disdainful, then had a servant take it back to the courtyard. He turned to Xu Muchan and asked, "So how will Achan thank me?"

Xu Muchan was stunned for a moment—hadn't he already thanked him?

But Wei Xilou stared at him steadily, clearly not satisfied with just a thank-you.

Xu Muchan thought for a moment, looked around to make sure no one was watching, then leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. He quickly stepped back, looking at Wei Xilou shyly, and asked, "Is that enough?"

Wei Xilou froze, then slowly raised his hand to touch the spot that had been kissed, staying silent for a long time.

Seeing that he didn't speak and his expression didn't look happy, the blush on Xu Muchan's face faded. He looked at him nervously, wondering if he'd been too bold and scared him off.

Wei Xilou slowly raised his eyes and looked at the uneasy young man.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he pulled the young man closer, his palm covering his cheek, his thumb gently stroking the smooth, delicate skin. "Why wasn't Achan this proactive before?"

Xu Muchan was a bit confused but answered honestly, "I hadn't met you before."

"Based on what the steward and the others in the household said, I thought you looked scary and had a bad temper."

But when he actually met him, he found it was completely different from what they'd said.

Xu Muchan glanced at his face and felt his heart start racing again. He quickly lowered his eyes, not daring to look anymore.

Wei Xilou, however, had a strange look on his face. "Does Achan like me the way I am now?"

Xu Muchan blushed and nodded.

Wei Xilou smiled, wrapping Xu Muchan's hand in his palm and counting his fingers one by one, speaking slowly, "So Achan likes me like this."

Xu Muchan didn't pull his hand away or respond, instead pretending to admire the colorful flowers in the garden.

So he naturally didn't notice that beneath his feet, a dense shadow was surging, as if trying to climb up his ankle, but holding back for some reason.

Wei Xilou was still earnestly playing with Xu Muchan's fingers when the surging shadow beneath the ground seemed unable to hold back any longer. The thick, ink-like darkness formed into arms, fingers spread wide, eagerly grabbing Xu Muchan's ankle—

The cold, eerie touch startled Xu Muchan. The romantic mood was instantly replaced by a strange, terrifying feeling. Xu Muchan looked down at his feet, his face paling.

But there was nothing there, as if the hand that had grabbed him was just an illusion.

Wei Xilou asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

Xu Muchan frowned and stammered, "It felt like a hand grabbed my foot just now..."

As he spoke, his face grew even paler, but trusting his husband inexplicably, he moved closer to him and lowered his voice, "I feel like... there might be ghosts in this house..."

Wei Xilou's tone was playful. "Ghosts?"

"Is Achan afraid of ghosts?"

Xu Muchan was still warily scanning his surroundings and didn't notice the odd tone in his voice. He nodded without hesitation. "A little."

Frowning with his delicate brows, he began listing the strange things that had happened in the house over the past two days. "Don't you think the house is always dark and gloomy? The steward and Chunhua and Qiuyue sometimes act weird too..."

Xu Muchan got goosebumps just talking about it. He rubbed his arms vigorously and looked at Wei Xilou, only to see no expression on his face. He asked in surprise, "Why aren't you scared at all?"

Meeting his puzzled gaze, Wei Xilou curved his lips, pulled him into his arms, and patted his back soothingly. "Old houses are like this—poor lighting makes them look gloomy, but there's no helping it. It's been like this for years. I'll just have to ask Achan to bear with it. Even if there are ghosts and spirits, they won't do anything to you... Achan doesn't need to be afraid."

His words sounded strange, and Xu Muchan should have been confused, but at that moment, his mind was captivated by the broad chest. Leaning against him, he felt as if those ghosts truly couldn't get close to him anymore.

Feeling at ease, Xu Muchan couldn't help but rub his face against his chest and mumbled a soft "Mm."

They hadn't been in the garden long when the steward arrived. He seemed very afraid of Wei Xilou and didn't dare get too close, standing outside the pavilion and calling out, "Young master, madam, the auspicious hour is near. It's time to prepare for the wedding ceremony."

Xu Muchan suddenly remembered that today was their wedding day.

Stealing a glance at the man who was half a head taller than him, Xu Muchan bit the soft flesh inside his lip and said, "Then I'll go back to the courtyard to prepare."

This time, Wei Xilou didn't stop him. After watching him walk away, he turned to the steward and said, "Tell me about the wedding ceremony."

Xu Muchan entered the courtyard and saw the two little dogs rushing toward him excitedly.

He instinctively dodged and said seriously, "I'm about to have my wedding ceremony. You can't bite anyone anymore, or I'll really get angry."

Wei Yao barked, "The ancestor is here, who else are you marrying?"

At the mention of the person he was about to marry, a smile spread across Xu Muchan's face. He crouched down, stroking the dogs' smooth fur, and whispered to them, "My husband is even more handsome than I imagined. I thought he'd look scary and fierce."

"Now, every time I see him, my heart pounds."

Wen Dajiang grew more uneasy as he listened and came closer, cautiously asking, "Wait, this husband you're talking about—it's not the ancestor, is it?"

Xu Muchan couldn't understand the dogs' barks. He touched his chest and smiled shyly. "We're about to have our wedding ceremony soon. If you don't cause trouble, I'll take you along."

"Something's off."

Wei Yao said with a serious expression, "Something's off—twelve on a scale of ten."

Wen Dajiang nodded too: "Your good buddy's about to become your other ancestor. That's definitely off."

Wei Yao scratched his head with his hind paw, totally stumped: "Does the old ancestor have some big master plan? Like, maybe he has to do the whole wedding thing exactly the old way to break this curse or something?"

Wen Dajiang said grimly, "Beats me. Why don't you go ask him?"

Wei Yao ducked his head: "I don't dare."

The two stared at each other, not saying a word for a long time, until Wei Yao finally blurted out, heartbroken, "How could Xu Muchan do this? He's gotta be possessed! That's the freaking old ancestor!"

And during the day, he'd been calling him 'big brother' all along—now that brother was about to become his sweetheart.

Was that okay?

Wei Yao thought it was totally not okay.

He paced back and forth anxiously, but no one cared about the feelings of a little dog, and besides, there were no people here—only eerie paper figures.

Xu Muchan had changed into an elaborate, ornate wedding dress and was escorted by Chunhua and Qiuyue toward the front courtyard.

Wei Yao and Wen Dajiang, as the lady's beloved pets, were also allowed to watch the ceremony, but to prevent them from causing trouble, Chunhua and Qiuyue had locked them in a cage beforehand and hauled them over.

Xu Muchan walked behind the two maids, and when he reached the front courtyard, he realized the guests had already arrived before he knew it.

The courtyard was packed with tables, and every seat was filled, yet there was no sound of conversation—an eerie silence hung in the air.

When these people saw Xu Muchan enter, they all turned their heads in unison and stared at him with blank faces.

The excitement and shyness of the upcoming wedding were dampened by the creepy vibe the guests gave off. Xu Muchan took a step back. Perhaps it was because the light was dimming, but he felt that all the guests' faces were ghostly pale, their features oddly flat, as if painted on.

Just as he hesitated, afraid to move forward, Wei Xilou, dressed in a bright red wedding robe, came out from inside.

He walked down the crimson carpet toward Xu Muchan, smiling as he extended his hand: "Achan."

Xu Muchan's fear strangely faded a little, and he reached out to take his hand.

As if sensing his unease, Wei Xilou softly reassured him: "The wedding ceremony will be a bit different from ordinary ones. To keep things proper, these guests aren't allowed to make noise."

Xu Muchan suddenly got it—so that's what was going on.

He pursed his lips and looked at the guests again. Sure enough, he saw kind smiles on their faces. Though they didn't speak, they repeatedly nodded and folded their hands in greeting toward Xu Muchan, silently offering their blessings.

Xu Muchan's tense body relaxed, and led by Wei Xilou, he walked slowly into the hall.

The hall was decked out in festive red silk. At the center stood two chairs—one occupied by the old lady he'd met before, and the other empty but holding a portrait of the deceased, presumably the old lady's husband and his husband's dad.

But his husband looked nothing like the man in the portrait. His husband had dark, sharp features and was very handsome, while the old man in the photo—how to put it—had a square face, a flat nose, and thick lips... Xu Muchan disrespectfully thought, could his husband not be the old man's biological son?

As he was thinking this, his gaze accidentally swept over the portrait, and he noticed the man in it seemed to be glaring at him angrily.

Wasn't he making a different face just a second ago?

Xu Muchan found it strange and could only inch closer to Wei Xilou.

Wei Xilou cast a faint glance at the portrait, and the old man's fierce, glaring expression instantly softened into a kind, gentle look. Then he looked at Xu Muchan: "What's the matter?"

Xu Muchan wanted to say that the man in the portrait seemed to have moved, but when he looked again, the portrait looked exactly like it had at first.

The glare from before must have been his imagination.

Xu Muchan had no choice but to stay quiet. Just then, the ceremony began, and the master of ceremonies called out loudly: "First bow to heaven and earth—"

Xu Muchan instinctively tightened his grip on the red silk ribbon and glanced to the side, his heart racing.

The other end of the ribbon was held by Wei Xilou, who turned his head at the same time. Their eyes met, and he gave Xu Muchan a small smile.

Xu Muchan's fingers tightened, and he quickly bowed alongside him to heaven and earth.

The master of ceremonies called out again: "Second bow to the elders—"

Xu Muchan turned around and was about to bow toward the old lady when the person beside him stopped him, a low voice whispered in his ear: "No need to bow to the elders."

Xu Muchan straightened up in confusion, looking at Wei Xilou, then at the old lady seated at the head.

The old lady still wore a smile, but it looked stiff no matter how you looked at it.

A bunch of questions popped into his head, but since Wei Xilou said there was no need to bow, he didn't.

The master of ceremonies was quick to catch on and immediately sped things up, calling out again: "Husband and wife bow to each other—"

Xu Muchan had no time to dwell on anything else. He spun around quickly, facing Wei Xilou, and the two gripped the same red ribbon, bowing toward each other—

"The ceremony is complete—lead them to the bridal chamber—"