Jiang Zhen was jolted into alarm.
From beneath the colorful scraps of paper scattered across the center of the courtyard came the Vicious Ghost's laughter once again. It sounded as though it came from deep underground, muffled by several layers of earth, yet it was unbelievably clear.
"Hee hee hee!"
"Hee hee hee!"
"Hee hee hee!"
One laugh followed another, unhurried and steady.
The Double Happiness Bride remained in that deep bow, the hem of her wedding dress spread across the ground, red as a pool of blood that had already congealed.
Her body did not move.
But her veil swayed back and forth in a rhythmic motion.
Jiang Zhen stood by the window, his eyes wide. Before he realized it, his palms were already damp with sweat.
He wanted to ask Jiang Qiao about it.
But he did not know how to begin.
All he could do was watch the courtyard warily, locking onto every minute change.
"Hee—!"
Suddenly.
The Vicious Ghost's laughter stopped abruptly.
The scraps of paper bulged upward violently, as if something were about to burrow out from beneath them. Soon, the mound grew higher and thicker, far exceeding the amount of debris that should have been in the courtyard.
At last, with a loud rustle, the scraps scattered, and the Vicious Ghost in the form of a Lucky Baby appeared in the courtyard once again.
Its posture was ramrod straight.
From head to toe, it was like a perfectly straight line.
It still wore that colorful outfit, with its rouged cheeks, large ears, strange hairdo... and that mouth curling all the way up to its ears, along with those eyes, one higher than the other, as if they had been pulled askew.
It stood there intact, as though nothing had happened just now.
The Vicious