Yunzhou City Lord

Qin Bo had wondered whether he should simply deal with her and increase his lifespan.

But after seeing the strength of this female ghost, he lost his nerve.

Besides, judging by the situation, this female ghost did not want to harm anyone. Otherwise, the few of them would probably already be dead.

"All right. I can help you, but from now on, you have to listen to me."

"Thank you, Young Master. This little girl will follow your lead."

Luo Qingyan said this with a delighted smile.

"All right, then. Take out your marriage contract and let me have a look!"

The next moment, Luo Qingyan raised her hand, and a large red marriage contract edged in gold appeared in it.

Qin Bo took one look and was stunned. Why did this marriage contract look so high-end?!

Its background was a deep red, while the gilded characters shimmered with an uncanny light beneath the moon.

The patterns on the marriage contract seemed almost alive, with faint streams of light wandering through them.

Qin Bo took the marriage contract. It was warm to the touch, and although the writing was clear, it carried a mysterious power. He could not fully understand it.

"What does this say? Why do some of the characters look as though they can change shape on their own?"

Qin Bo asked in confusion.

Luo Qingyan explained, "This marriage contract is a treasure this little girl sought out in the Ghost Realm.

"It says: Heaven and earth shine bright; Chaos First Opens, and Heaven and Earth are first established. Yin and yang unite, and all things come to life.

"Since the dawn of primordial chaos, it seems that, in the unseen darkness, fate has ordained a bond, linking

[Luo Qingyan].

[...]

"Today, with heaven and earth as witness, this marriage contract is written to establish a lifelong alliance.

The more Qin Bo listened, the more something felt wrong.

Why did this even involve heaven and earth as witnesses? If he abandoned this female ghost in the future, would he be struck by five thunders from heaven?!

"Then why did you choose me in particular?!"

Qin Bo thought for a moment before asking. There were several men there, so why had only he been chosen?

"To be honest, Young Master, it was not this little girl who chose you. It was this marriage contract that chose you! It was also what brought me here."

"What?! It chose me? This marriage contract can do that?"

Forget it, forget it. Once fate arrives, nothing can stop it!

Does this count as being assigned a ghost marriage from the very beginning?!

Qin Bo gritted his teeth and made up his mind. Once again, he carefully examined the marriage contract.

The strange patterns on it seemed to come alive, shimmering and drifting wherever his gaze fell.

"I'll sign! But you have to keep your word."

Qin Bo stared at Luo Qingyan, his eyes holding both helplessness and a trace of resolve.

Luo Qingyan nodded lightly, gratitude flashing in her eyes. "Young Master, I will remember your great kindness forever."

Qin Bo stopped hesitating. He bit his fingertip, and crimson blood dripped onto the marriage contract.

In an instant, the marriage contract shone with overwhelming radiance—but the light was not dazzlingly bright.

Instead, it was a mysterious and gentle ghostly glow.

Within that glow, the patterns on the marriage contract seemed to awaken, weaving and intertwining into a dreamlike image.

The light vanished in a flash, but Qin Bo clearly felt it.

An indescribable bond had formed between him and Luo Qingyan, as though threads of fate had bound the two of them tightly together.

Qin Bo raised his head and looked at Luo Qingyan before him.

For a moment, he was completely entranced.

Luo Qingyan's face, meanwhile, was flushed red, and she no longer dared to look at him.

This is bad. Arranged marriage hurts both sides!

Qin Bo screamed inwardly.

This was a marriage blessed by heaven and earth, no less.

However, before Qin Bo could sigh any further, a sharp, ear-piercing cry suddenly rang out in the distance.

It sounded as though countless strange beings were howling at once, their voices like blades stabbing straight into his eardrums.

Qin Bo abruptly came to his senses, his expression instantly turning grave.

Luo Qingyan looked flustered and hurriedly said, "This is bad. These are the Netherworld Ghost Crows sent by my father. Once they are dispatched, they will expose my whereabouts."

"Can't you hide inside the marriage contract? Get in quickly."

Qin Bo held up the marriage contract and opened it. Luo Qingyan entered it in an instant.

Qin Bo, meanwhile, quickly returned to the City God Temple.

The moment he stepped into the City God Temple, Qin Bo rapidly shook Old Taoist Songhe and the others awake.

Without Luo Qingyan's power controlling them, the few of them soon regained consciousness.

"Wake up! Those people have disappeared!"

"Hm?"

The old Taoist drowsily looked toward the group where Luo Qingyan had been.

When he discovered that they had vanished, he hurriedly scrambled to his feet.

"Could the strange beings they came into contact with have chased them here?"

Chen Song and Du Sanniang also got up and drew their weapons.

"That girl already had the aura of a strange being on her before. Maybe she was a strange being herself?!"

"Be careful."

At that moment, the old Taoist took out a compass. The needle on it was pointing frantically toward the outside of the City God Temple.

"Something big is coming!"

Before his voice had even faded, a series of "caw, caw" sounds entered the temple.

"That's... the sound of the Netherworld Ghost Crows?!"

"What?"

"How could those things appear here?! Don't they only appear in strange lands?"

Chen Song's face was full of disbelief.

Qin Bo, meanwhile, did not know what to say.

Only he knew about the marriage contract in his arms. If he told them, Luo Qingyan might be taken away by the people above.

At that moment, the old Taoist spoke.

"Nothing could have happened to the strange land! The Chief Director is stationed there."

"Then what's with these Ghost Crows? Once the Ghost Crows appear, it means the strange beings are attacking humanity."

Chen Song disagreed.

"Go out and take a look. Perhaps they're only the vanguard scouting the way?!"

The few of them grabbed their weapons and charged out of the City God Temple.

Just then, a blood-red streak of light shot over from the distant sky.

The moment the few of them saw the flock of Ghost Crows, they watched as a blood-colored hand slapped them out of existence.

"This..."

A figure descended and landed before the City God Temple.

The few of them froze.

"City Lord Zhou?!"

"Hahaha... Old Taoist Songhe, it's been a long time. Have you really forgotten me so quickly?"

The newcomer let out a hearty laugh.

"It's all right. This is the City Lord of Yunzhou City, Lord Zhou Yunxuan."

Old Taoist Songhe hurriedly explained to Qin Bo and the others, the tension on his face easing somewhat.

Qin Bo looked up. Zhou Yunxuan wore a luxurious blood-red robe, its hem embroidered with golden talismans that fluttered fiercely in the wind.

His brows were sharp and his eyes bright, his face firm and resolute.

His black hair was loosely tied up, and a powerful, imposing aura radiated from him, making people instinctively shrink back.

"Chen Song, descendant of the Chen family, pays his respects to City Lord Zhou."

"Du Sanniang pays her respects to City Lord Zhou."

"Qin Bo pays his respects to the City Lord."

Zhou Yunxuan gave a slight nod, his gaze sweeping over the group.

At last, it paused on Qin Bo for a moment.

"Are you all unharmed? I never expected Netherworld Ghost Crows to appear here. It seems another Netherworld entrance has appeared at that location."

"City Lord, could this affect the Human Realm in any way? And since it appeared within Yunzhou City's territory, could it affect the seal we're establishing this time?"

The old Taoist's expression was grave.

"What you said is highly possible! Nothing can go wrong with this sealing operation. It is very likely that the Netherworld is coming to rescue the great evil sealed beneath Yunzhou City."