Chapter 58

Next, they found the Fire Demon beside the stage in the western part of the inner courtyard.

The stage had been abandoned for many years, with curtains hanging down, tattered and worn. Both on and off the stage, a thick layer of dust had accumulated.

He sat motionless on a bench, his eyes vacant as he stared at the stage, as if a grand play was being performed on the empty stage.

Zhang Yuanqing's face darkened. In his vision, the Fire Demon was enveloped in a dense aura of yin, his soul on the verge of leaving his body, already in a state of near-death.

He hurried over, placing his hand on the Fire Demon's shoulder. The blackness in his eyes surged, continuously drawing the yin energy into his palm, consuming and digesting it.

The Fire Demon shivered, his hollow eyes regaining a glimmer of life. He instinctively called out:

"So cold, so cold."

The Fire Master, shivering, looked around and saw Zhang Yuanqing and Xie Lingxi not far away. He shouted:

"Damn, where were you? You disappeared as soon as we left the main hall."

"Everyone got separated," Zhang Yuanqing waved his hand, interrupting the other's questioning. "How did you end up here?"

"After we split up, I ended up here without realizing it, and then I heard someone singing," the Fire Demon said, recalling. "I followed the sound and found this stage. A woman was singing on the stage, so I watched for a while, and then... then I don't remember anything else."

At this point, he shuddered, seeing the long-abandoned stage in the distance. "Where did that singing woman come from?" The Fire Demon looked at the Night Walker beside him with gratitude. "Did you save me?"

"This is obvious," Zhang Yuanqing smiled.

The Fire Demon felt a great relief, recalling his recent experience, and felt a lingering fear: "My skills and tools were useless against the vengeful spirit. Brother Wang Tai, thank you."

While each profession has its unique characteristics, the vengeful spirit could control the Fire Demon silently, mostly due to the level difference.

The "monsters" in the supernatural world are unpredictable. If you're not in the right profession, dealing with them can be very troublesome. However, they also have a drawback: their methods of harm are not very direct.

They're not as efficient as stabbing with a knife.

The three found a golden hairpin in a dressing room covered in spider webs near the stage.

Holding the hairpin, the Fire Demon's heart settled, and he asked:

"Where are Xi Shi and Qitian Dasheng?"

Xie Lingxi shook her head: "We haven't found them yet. I hope they're as lucky as you."

The Fire Demon glanced at her: "Do you want them to die?"

Xie Lingxi looked pitiful, her face full of grievance: "How can you say such things, we are teammates~"

The Fire Demon ignored her. They had had a quarrel before, and he was annoyed by her pretentious attitude, not liking her much.

Of course, it was also because the girl didn't fit his type; otherwise, it would have been a different story.

The three left and moved to another courtyard. The mansion was larger than they had imagined, with the back garden divided into several small courtyards, some used as gardens, others with stages.

After walking for a while, Zhang Yuanqing, with his night vision, saw a figure staggering towards them in the distance.

The person was wearing tight pants and bean shoes, looking like a spirited young man—it was Qitian Dasheng.

"How did you end up here?" he asked in surprise as he approached.

Zhang Yuanqing's eyes turned black as he examined him for a moment, confirming it was the real person.

The four met up and shared their experiences. After getting separated, Qitian Dasheng had wandered into a courtyard where a room was lit by candlelight. He pushed the door open to check, but the room was empty, with a neatly folded wedding quilt on the bed.

Qitian Dasheng guessed it was one of the gifts but followed his heart and quietly left.

He then met up with Zhang Yuanqing and the others.

The Fire Demon listened in amazement: "The most cowardly person is the safest?"

"What are you talking about? I'm cautious, not cowardly," Qitian Dasheng defended himself.

That makes sense. Sometimes, the ones who survive aren't the smartest or the most capable, but the most cowardly. Zhang Yuanqing interrupted their pointless argument, looking at Qitian Dasheng and asked:

"Where is the wedding quilt?"

Qitian Dasheng looked behind him.

Under his lead, the four arrived at the courtyard and indeed saw a room lit by candlelight.

Zhang Yuanqing saw the team members' fearful expressions and sighed:

"I'll get it for you."

This was the Night Walker's domain.

He entered the room, and as he stepped over the threshold, the lattice door closed automatically.

Outside, Xie Lingxi and the others saw the lattice door close, and 'Wang Tai's' figure disappeared. The dim candlelight inside did not cast his shadow.

After a few anxious minutes, the lattice door was slammed open, and 'Wang Tai' emerged, holding the wedding quilt.

He looked disheveled, with his clothes torn and bloodstained.

"Dasheng, catch!"

Zhang Yuanqing threw the quilt to Qitian Dasheng, who caught it in surprise and held it tightly. Just as he was about to ask what happened inside, Zhang Yuanqing said:

"Let's go, we need to find Xi Shi."

Qitian Dasheng didn't press further and continued exploring the inner courtyard with his teammates.

The night was dark, with no stars or moon, and the only light came from the red lanterns hanging from the eaves, casting a blood-red hue over the silent world.

Occasionally, a cold wind blew, causing the lanterns to sway, making the scene even more terrifying.

"Come over, I'm here."

Suddenly, a soft, alluring voice came from ahead.

Zhang Yuanqing and the others looked and saw Xi Shi standing under a lantern at the eave, waving at them.

She stood there, motionless like a statue, her hand waving stiffly, her smile rigid and eerie.

"Xi Shi!"

Qitian Dasheng, seeing she was unharmed, breathed a sigh of relief and was about to go to her when his shoulder was held back by the Fire Demon.

At the same time, he heard Zhang Yuanqing's voice: "Look at her shoes."

Shoes? Qitian Dasheng focused and his pupils dilated slightly.

She was wearing a pair of red embroidered shoes.

She's not Xi Shi!!

"Come over, come over."

Xi Shi continued to wave, her smile rigid and eerie.

"Go past her, ignore her!"

Zhang Yuanqing whispered.

Seeing the Night Walker's serious expression, Qitian Dasheng quickly averted his gaze, feeling nervous and not daring to look again.

The group continued walking for a moment, and Zhang Yuanqing looked ahead and said:

"Do you remember when Xi Shi entered the mansion and said she saw a woman standing under a red lantern?"

Hearing this, the Fire Demon couldn't help but look back and faintly saw the woman standing in the same spot, no longer waving, but quietly watching them.

"Really creepy," the Fire Master spat.

Xie Lingxi asked, puzzled: "Why did she take on the appearance of Sister Xi Shi?"

Zhang Yuanqing looked at a certain spot ahead and sighed: "You'll see for yourselves."

What did he mean? The three didn't understand at first, but as they walked a bit further, they faintly saw a figure hanging from the eave ahead.

"Sister Xi Shi?" Xie Lingxi exclaimed in shock.

It was indeed Xi Shi, hanging from the eave, her beautiful face contorted in suffocation, her eyes wide and bloodshot, her face pale and her lips slightly parted.

Her death was tragic.

Qitian Dasheng and the Fire Demon were both shocked and frightened, not expecting her to die silently here.

Zhang Yuanqing, with his night vision, had already seen this and was past the stage of shock. He led the three, with complex expressions, closer to the body.

Xi Shi hung motionless, and Zhang Yuanqing touched her hand, which was icy cold, indicating she had been dead for over half an hour.

"It's Sister Xi Shi's wedding invitation."

Xie Lingxi pointed to a red invitation that had fallen at the body's feet.

Zhang Yuanqing glanced at the invitation but ignored it, his eyes turning black as he communicated with the residual spirit in Xi Shi's body.

He needed to verify whether Xi Shi had been killed by the vengeful spirit or by other factors.

His forehead suddenly swelled, and memories not his own flooded in.

He saw fragments of Xi Shi's past. This sister was a Level 2 water ghost, a spirit realm practitioner from Nanhang City, Tong Province, an unofficial member of a civilian spirit realm organization.

In real life, she was a nurse and maintained relationships with several men, including the head of her department, a wealthy businessman, and the manager of the spirit realm organization.

She was a non-marriage advocate, not believing in love, and saw men as resources.

She was a very successful socialite.

In the last memory, Zhang Yuanqing saw a figure in a wedding dress appear, and the scene abruptly ended.

She was killed by the ghost bride?! Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes, stunned, a chill running down his spine.

He thought it was impossible. Why would the ghost bride act prematurely? Wasn't she waiting to choose a husband?

If the ghost bride could act at any time, how could they play the game?

Moreover, if the ghost bride personally killed someone, why only Xi Shi and not the others? Or had she not acted yet?

At this moment, he heard Xie Lingxi and Qitian Dasheng discussing:

"Why is her gender crossed out?"

"Maybe it gets crossed out after death?"

Zhang Yuanqing was taken aback and immediately said: "Let me see."

Xie Lingxi handed him the invitation.

Zhang Yuanqing looked closely and saw that Xi Shi's "gender" was crossed out with a thick line.

Xie Lingxi's eyes widened, "Brother Wang Tai, what did you see in Sister Xi Shi's spirit body?"

Qitian Dasheng and the Fire Demon immediately looked at him.

"She was killed by the ghost bride!"

"What?!"

The three were horrified, looking around warily.

If the ghost bride acted, no one present would survive. Logically, even for an S-level mission, the difficulty was high, but they should still have a chance to survive.

"I have an idea, but the logic is flawed," Zhang Yuanqing pondered, looking at the alert Xie Lingxi, "Can I see your wedding invitation?"

"Oh!"

She was very cooperative, pulling out the invitation from her waistband.

Zhang Yuanqing took it and unfolded it, his expression strange: "Gender: Male?"

The Fire Demon and Qitian Dasheng leaned in and saw "Male" written in the gender field.

Qitian Dasheng was distressed: "You look so delicate, and you're a guy?!"

"What?~" Xie Lingxi blushed, explaining: "I thought the ghost bride was looking for a husband, and a husband must be a man. If I wrote 'female,' it wouldn't fit the rules, and I'd be eliminated, right?"

The Fire Demon and Qitian Dasheng fell into deep thought.

Xie Lingxi's gender was written as male, confirming his theory. In the old version, women could pass directly, but in the new version, women were eliminated directly. This was an S-level spirit realm, and passing directly was too easy. Zhang Yuanqing's theory was verified.

Xi Shi was directly eliminated by the ghost bride because she didn't fit the groom's criteria.

He shared his reasoning, and after hearing it, Xie Lingxi said sadly:

"I was just guessing and didn't dare to say it. I should have warned Sister Xi Shi."

You say what you want! The three men thought in unison.

Now, the team was down to four. The ghost bride could kill one more, but only one more. Zhang Yuanqing gently placed Xi Shi's body on the ground and looked at the remaining three teammates:

"Time is running out. We need to find the bridal chamber."

Although they hadn't counted the time, they could roughly estimate that they had been in the mansion for about an hour.

Xie Lingxi, the Fire Demon, and Qitian Dasheng quickly put Xi Shi's death out of their minds and braced themselves.

The four, each holding a gift, continued deeper into the mansion, silently moving through different gardens, accompanied only by the red lanterns.

After a long time, they finally saw a courtyard ahead, with upturned eaves and windows adorned with the character for "happiness," and a warm candlelight shining through.

A red carpet led from the courtyard to the main house.

"The bridal chamber appears when the time is right," Zhang Yuanqing said, seeing his teammates' tense expressions. "Let's go."

He had wanted to joke, "Don't be so nervous, the ghost bride might be a well-endowed, mature woman," but seeing the serious faces of his teammates, he wisely decided against it.

So far, they still didn't know the ghost bride's method of choosing a husband. Would she choose one out of four, or all of them?

Similarly, they didn't know if they would survive.

Entering the courtyard and walking on the red carpet, Zhang Yuanqing stopped at the door, took a deep breath, and pushed open the lattice door.

"Bang!" The two lattice doors swung open, and Zhang Yuanqing stepped over the threshold, his muscles tense as he scanned the room.

The room was decorated in festive red, with the character for "happiness" on the walls, a round table in the hall, and two candle stands on the table, with half-arm-long red candles flickering. Below the candles were several blue porcelain dishes with dates and peanuts.

On the east side was a large bed, with red bed curtains and sheets, but no bedding.

The bed was empty, with no bride in a wedding dress and a red veil.

The ghost bride wasn't there. Zhang Yuanqing's tense nerves relaxed, and he exhaled deeply. He turned to speak to his teammates but found that they were gone.

"Only I entered the bridal chamber?" Zhang Yuanqing was startled, then realized, muttering: "The ghost bride is good at playing games, giving each of us a bridal chamber."

Given the current situation, it matched his second theory: the four gifts correspond to four grooms, and the rest will die.

"Next, we wait for the bride to come. I wonder who she will choose."

Zhang Yuanqing closed the door, summoned the little imp to perch on his head, and prepared.

He stroked the infant spirit's head, looking at the festive room, and thought of a joke he had seen online: "Just got married, with a husband and a son, the ghost bride has reached the pinnacle of life!"

And the son isn't a black sheep.

The candles burned brightly, illuminating the room, but they didn't seem to consume any wax.

After an unknown amount of time, the door was blown open by a cold wind, and the candles instantly went out, the cold wind howling through the bridal chamber.

The room was pitch black, and Zhang Yuanqing's heart raced. The infant spirit on his head trembled violently, filled with extreme fear, as if facing the end of the world.

He stiffly turned his head to look at the open door, where the darkness was as deep as ink. With his night vision, he faintly saw a figure in a wedding dress, with a red veil, stepping on the red carpet, approaching the bridal chamber.

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