The Bai Family

The woman in front of him had snow-white skin, almond-shaped eyes, and a rounded chin. She wasn't exceptionally beautiful, but she was certainly presentable.

What chilled Zhao Ke to the bone, however, was how this woman had appeared behind him.

When he saw that the clothes the woman wore were identical to the female paper figure from earlier, Zhao Ke's heart began to race. He quickly glanced back, and sure enough, the female paper figure he had been using as a coat rack had vanished.

Seeing this, a cold glint flashed in Zhao Ke's eyes. With one hand behind his back, he summoned the dark dagger from his Post Album, calculating his chances of taking her down without alerting the two flower children outside.

However, the woman's next words made Zhao Ke freeze. She gently took a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead, asking cautiously, "Master, why are you crawling?"

"Master!"

Zhao Ke was taken aback at first, then immediately understood. The "master" the woman spoke of was likely a male paper figure. Zhao Ke's eyes darted around, and he tentatively asked, "You're calling me master?"

"Master, are you confused? Besides you and me, is there a third person on this boat? Hurry and get up, we're almost there."

Hearing the woman's words, Zhao Ke's tension eased slightly, but he didn't let down his guard. He nodded, "I might have lost my balance earlier and fell."

As Zhao Ke got up, he subtly touched the woman's hand, finding it ice-cold, like a stone – both cold and hard.

Just as Zhao Ke sat up, he heard a commotion outside. Pushing aside the bamboo curtain, he saw that movement had begun on the other boats.

Zhao Ke paid close attention. He heard the noise from the surrounding boats, but it quickly died down. Without looking back, he asked, "You said we're almost there, where are we going?"

This horror space was completely different from the last. Coupled with the fact that two Postmen, just like himself, had so easily become corpses, Zhao Ke had a bad feeling.

"To home, of course. Don't you remember?"

"Home?"

Zhao Ke's expression remained unchanged, but his confusion deepened.

"Yes, I think I hit my head and can't remember some things," Zhao Ke said, rubbing his head and feigning a headache.

"Master, are you alright? It's okay if you don't remember, I'll tell you."

Upon hearing that Zhao Ke had injured his head, the woman immediately stepped forward with concern, whispering their identities to him.

It turned out they were all part of the dowry for this ghost marriage. Her name was Cui Lan, and Zhao Ke had an additional identity: Wang Gouzi, the steward among this batch of paper figures.

Originally, they were all paper figures, but having crossed the Yellow Springs River, passed Yang Pass, and arrived in the Underworld, they were neither ghosts nor humans, but spirit mediums to be commanded.

"Passed Yang Pass? Arrived in the Underworld!"

Zhao Ke's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected the setting for this horror space to be the Underworld itself.

Just then, Zhao Ke noticed a spark flickering in the pile of ashes used for roasting bear meat beneath his feet, and it began to burn again. Words gradually became clear within the embers.

[Mission: Prevent the Ghost Marriage]
[Mission Hint: The main family for the ghost marriage is the Bai Family of the Underworld. Find a way to stop this ghost marriage and leave the Underworld. However, be aware that you carry the Yang energy of the living. You can use the ashes of spirit mediums to conceal it.]
(Note: Consuming the paper ashes of spirit mediums can conceal Yang energy for three hours.)

Seeing the mission hint, Zhao Ke's eyes lit up. While Cui Lan wasn't paying attention, he quickly grabbed a handful of ashes and secretly transferred them into his Post Album.

"Master, look, the Bai Family is just ahead. How grand! Truly a prominent family."

Cui Lan parted the bamboo curtain and walked to the bow of the boat, pointing ahead. A look of joy appeared on her snow-white face.

Zhao Ke looked and indeed, by the riverbank ahead, an old mansion stood. Its white high walls and vermilion gate looked incredibly imposing.

What caught Zhao Ke's attention even more were the figures emerging from the smaller boats alongside them. Judging by their attire, they were clearly not spirit mediums.

Zhao Ke's eyelids twitched. "Postmen!"

He didn't know how many Postmen were participating this time, but he was certain they had all received the mission prompt. Otherwise, they wouldn't be walking out so openly. As for the spirit mediums in their boat sheds, although Zhao Ke couldn't see them, a faint smell of scorching in the air already gave him the answer.

Zhao Ke noticed them, and naturally, he was noticed by the others. Eyes fixed on him.

There was confusion, disdain, and Zhao Ke could even feel some hostile gazes sizing him up.

What puzzled them most was why a spirit medium was standing beside him.

"Jingle jingle..."

At that moment, a series of bell sounds made Zhao Ke's heart tighten. Following the sound, he saw the vermilion gate of the Bai Family slowly open, accompanied by the sound of gongs and drums. A dark sedan chair was being carried into the Bai Family.

Although it was clear their mission was to stop this ghost marriage, seeing the sedan chair carried through the Bai Family's gate, no one dared to make a move.

The fate of the two Postmen earlier was still vivid in their minds. Trying to fight them head-on would likely be suicide for a few Postmen.

"Cui Lan, do you know how to return to the living world?"

"Return? We can't go back. Our true bodies were burned. How could we go back? Master, why are you so confused?"

Hearing Cui Lan's words, Zhao Ke's brow furrowed, and he cursed inwardly, "Damn it!"

The true difficulty of this mission wasn't just about disrupting the ghost marriage. The real challenge was finding a way back to the living world first.

At least until they found a way to leave, they couldn't act. Otherwise... they would face endless pursuit and be trapped in this place for eternity, until they became wandering spirits.

Boat after boat began to dock at the pier near the Bai Family. Zhao Ke first ate a mouthful of paper ashes, then followed Cui Lan off the boat.

As soon as they disembarked, they looked back to see the small boats behind them sinking, disappearing into the river in an instant.

Clearly, the idea of using the boats to return was not an option.

"Hey, follow me."

At this moment, a person wearing white mourning clothes walked up to Zhao Ke. Their face was expressionless as they waved Zhao Ke over, signaling them to follow.

"Sir, that's the Bai Family's steward. Let's hurry and follow him."

Cui Lan, afraid Zhao Ke wouldn't understand, quickly urged him to follow.

As spirit mediums accompanying the dowry, Zhao Ke and the others naturally didn't have the right to enter through the main gate. Instead, they were led to a side entrance.

Upon arriving at a small courtyard, the Bai Family's steward pointed with his hand and said, "This is where you'll be staying from now on."

Cui Lan glanced at the courtyard and walked up to the steward. Without a word, she took out a stack of paper money and slipped it into his hand, saying with a fawning smile, "Esteemed steward, our master..."

"Your master doesn't lack servants like you. From now on, your task is to serve the masters and madams of each branch of the Bai Family here. If anyone dares to slack off or be lazy, I'll throw them into the Yellow Springs River."

Cui Lan was stunned. This wasn't what she had expected. She quickly said, "No, steward sir, isn't this... against the rules?"

"Rules?"

The steward chuckled coldly, his eyes scanning Zhao Ke and the other spirit mediums. With a fake smile, he said, "In the Bai Family, I am the rules."

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Cui Lan, though her face showed difficulty, nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"You'll stay here today. Tomorrow morning, we'll arrange your work. I'm telling you, don't wander around. If you go to the wrong place, even King Yama can't save you."

The steward spoke, then turned and left.

After the steward left, Cui Lan began to arrange the rooms. Zhao Ke looked back and saw that the other Postmen also showed no intention of gathering together.

Zhao Ke wasn't surprised by this. He had already confirmed this with Qi Liang before.

The more people involved in a mission, the fewer rewards they received. Rewards that he could have claimed entirely on his own would be divided among others, resulting in less for everyone.

Instead of that, it was better to separate for now and decide whether to join forces later, once the situation became clearer.

"Sir!"

At this moment, Cui Lan pulled Zhao Ke into a room. The room wasn't large, but it was quite clean.

Cui Lan closed the door and turned to Zhao Ke, saying, "Sir, it's time for us to rest." As she spoke, Cui Lan slowly unbuttoned her top and walked towards Zhao Ke with a seductive look.

Glad I made it. Starting tomorrow, I must wake up early to write and not stay up so late anymore.