That glance had offered only an instant of opportunity—the sole chance left behind by past fate and present struggle.
Nothing ever unfolded as one hoped it would.
No matter how strong a person's will was, no matter how unwavering a ghost's obsession, there was always a more terrible force that destroyed everything.
The Red Veil drifted softly in the wind, filling Ji Li's vision and imprinting that smile upon his mind.
Beneath the thick white powder, the horror of a hanged corpse could no longer remain concealed. The painted smile carried joy and tenderness, yet it squeezed through layers of makeup, revealing dense patches of livor mortis.
At the instant the bridal veil was about to be lifted by the wind, the Time Ghost's third manifestation completely emptied Ji Li's mind and occupied his consciousness.
That Red Veil seemed to float from the Bride's head toward the groom's face.
Ji Li tilted his head back slightly. The estrangement between body and soul seemed to return to normal beneath the cover of the veil, yet the Bride, who had been right before him, had vanished.
The lingering scent of rouge was faint and light, as though no one had ever stood there—yet also as though she had always been there.
When his gaze shifted beyond the main hall, the sky there was still red, but it had become motionless. There were no longer viscous strands stretching through the air, no longer the rolling Li Residence, and certainly no longer fourteen unleashed ghosts.
Silence and deathly stillness became the only tone within and beyond the Li Residence.
All the ghosts had vanished, becoming a dream of the past. In the vast wedding hall, in the vast Li Residence, it seemed that only Ji Li remained.
He had become the one wearing the