The Long-Cherished Wish (20)-Mourning White

To the sound of suona horns, the bride and groom straightened up and stood facing each other.

"Husband and wife bowing to each other"

Two people who had no connection before completed the most intimate ceremony after death, the ritual concluded in the glow of red candles.

Yu Xing and Zhao Yijiu, still sitting on the special wooden chairs in the main hall, tried their best to remain still so as not to arouse any suspicion. Zhao Yijiu had already realized that Yu Xing had placed him on the right because she was unwilling to suffer any loss.

In the late Qing and early Republican periods, the left side was considered more honorable for weddings, while the right side was considered more honorable for funerals. The wedding ceremony currently underway is a wedding, and the left side is where the groom's father is seated. Correspondingly, the seat he is currently sitting in is where his mother is seated.

Zhao Yijiu found Yu Xing boring.

It's nothing more than a false identity in the eyes of two corpses; it's not a big deal.

Moreover, modern young people like him no longer care much about left and right or superiors and inferiors. To him, any chair is the same. He doesn't understand why Yu Xing is so sensitive to such old-fashioned ideas and even apologized to him.

Honestly, someone with a different, more deeply ingrained mindset might actually be angry, but he doesn't care about any of that, whether it's the symbolic meaning or the implications. He'll forget about it once the funeral and wedding are over.

Zhao Yijiu looked at the two corpses facing each other, stiffly bowing down, then her gaze passed through them and landed on the open coffin.

The coffin itself was nothing special; what he was looking at was the coffin lid lying on the ground. The bloodstains on it seemed to have dried and aged in a very short time, and the coffin itself carried the aura of age, as if it had been buried underground for many years.

An invisible ghostly aura emanated from the blood array on the coffin lid. Zhao Yijiu eased the tension of sitting beside the powerful corpse and cleared her mind.

He knew that staring at the corpse at this moment might give him away, so thinking about something else would probably be safer.

For example, this kind of formation.

The diviners come in all shapes and sizes. Some are like him, skilled in fighting and adept at using weapons; others are like Zhao Ruru, physically weak but with highly sought-after abilities for support; still others prioritize intelligence and use dice as a secondary tool; and many rely on a particular sacrifice as their primary ability, and once they get used to it, the sacrifices they acquire in the future will also tend to gravitate towards that direction, forming an ability system that suits them.

... Although the vast majority of divination users did not collect all six offerings, and some only had one or two, their abilities were like a scattered pile of sand.

Zhao Yijiu thought of someone skilled in drawing arrays.

He was born into the Zhao family. Although he officially entered the field of divination at the age of twenty-five, he had already learned some basic related knowledge before that. These were things that his elders had tried their best to reveal to him, without the divination system punishing them, such as the formations in divination.

Formations can appear randomly in different types of deductions. With various styles and backgrounds, Western and Eastern formations have been developed, giving rise to many different systems of formations, including Bagua and Qimen Dunjia.

Leaving aside the methods of drawing arrays, experienced divination practitioners generally classify all arrays into several categories according to their functions: binding, illusion, killing, movement, summoning, cursing, and communication. Most arrays, once created, do not have a single function; they often combine multiple functions.

The red silk array in the courtyard is meant to bind people, but if an ordinary person with no strength were to enter the array and provoke Liu Xue, they might also meet the fate of being strangled by the red silk.

What is the purpose of the array on the coffin lid?

After the two corpses finished bowing to each other, they turned around at the same time.

The inaudible voice, in a flat, drawn-out tone like that of a dead eunuch, announced, "The bride and groom will drink the nuptial wine."

Young Master Fang and Liu Xue walked forward slowly. Young Master Fang picked up the wine pot and poured wine into the cup. Liu Xue stopped almost in front of Zhao Yijiu, her big eyes staring straight at Zhao Yijiu's face, a hint of confusion appearing in her eyes.

Zhao Yijiu stared straight ahead, his focus fixed on a single point in the void, remaining motionless, transforming himself into a statue.

As long as he doesn't respond, he won't make a mistake in front of the corpse!

When he caught a glimpse of Yu Xing doing the same thing, he became confident in his judgment and used his usual habit of staying silent and lost in thought in the shadows to maintain his expressionless face.

He was still thinking.

The Master drew a small circular array, which made Young Master Fang's corpse move. Presumably, Liu Xue and Young Master Fang's souls were also trapped inside the corpse at this time.

So, is this array a unique form of restraint and communication? Or a curse?

Xu family and Luo families have people skilled in formations, but their focuses differ. The Master's underhanded methods are more in line with the Xu family's style of formations.

Although Si and Fangpian are not originally from the Xu family, they have always lived in the Xu family and should have been influenced by it. Now that the two of them are peeking from under the table, one on the left and one on the right, they might notice.

He was very interested in this circular formation.

Because...

He was certain that it was this formation that triggered the indistinct murmurs he had heard earlier.

Thinking of this, Zhao Yijiu's eyelashes trembled. He hadn't heard this in a long time. The master of ceremonies for bowing to heaven and earth and to the elders was something everyone could hear, which made sense. But that kind of rambling was different; it must have been something only he could hear.

What does this mean? Does it mean that after suppressing it for so many years, he might still encounter some ghosts or evil formations during his deductions, causing those things to make a comeback?

Yu Xing had no idea what Zhao Yijiu was thinking; Zhao Yijiu's secrets couldn't be revealed during the live simulation.

Yu Xing's attention wasn't on the formation, but on the people. He watched with great interest as Liu Xue and Young Master Fang each took a wine glass. The jade on the glass reflected a red light, illuminating the faces of the two corpses and adding an eerie touch to the endless paleness.

The two corpses crossed their arms, brought the cups to their lips, tilted their heads back, and swallowed a cup of wine.

Alright, the Master's scheme has a flaw.

It felt pretty good, like pulling off a prank that would utterly defeat the enemy.

The two corpses put down their wine glasses, and the resentment between them intensified. Yu Xing was close enough to almost see wisps of black smoke rising from their faces. The suona music reached its climax, exciting and joyful, and Liu Xue's face showed a smile that was more like a grimace.

The ceremony is complete.

The voice in my head announced loudly.

As soon as the two words were uttered, a sudden gust of cold wind blew up, the candles in the room flickered incessantly, and the windows and doors trembled. All the diviners in the hall felt a chill in their hearts, knowing that a crucial change was about to occur.

Young Master Fang staggered a few steps and fell onto his own coffin. He seemed to want to climb in, but he forgot to let go of the red silk flower in his hand, and the other end was tied to Liu Xue, which made it impossible for him to lift his hand. In his anxiety, he made a guttural sound that was not human, which was full of sorrow and misery.

Liu Xue was pulled to the side by him, her lips turning even redder. She stretched out her free hand and suddenly realized that she was holding a paper cutter.

The moment Liu Xue saw the paper cutter, she screamed, and old wounds reappeared all over her body. She screamed like a madwoman, her hair blown about by the cold wind. Yu Xing carefully tried to understand her words and could vaguely hear a sentence or two.

Why me?

Why am I the only one?!

She raised the paper cutter in her hand, as if reliving the scene of her death, and knelt down, the blade plunging into her wrist again and again.

Yu Xing's brows gradually furrowed.

A chilling wind blew in gusts, showing no sign of abating; on the contrary, it grew stronger and stronger. With a loud bang, the doors and windows finally gave way and were flung open.

The scene outside came into Yu Xing's view.

The red silk fluttered wildly, and the lady waiting outside was caught in one of the ribbons. She screamed, and perhaps because she had some special ability protecting her, the red silk suddenly broke apart.

The woman fell to the ground in a disheveled state, shouting, "Master! Where are you!"

"Master! You didn't say that the power here would start to surge!" The lady couldn't open her eyes because of the wind, so she could only shield them with her hands and barely look at the Xitang Hall.

Upon looking at each other, their eyes met those of Yu Xing, who was sitting on a wooden chair.

That eye contact finally happened.

The lady froze, then shouted sternly, "Xiao Jin!! You're not dead!?"

Because the wind was so strong, and accompanied by the persistent sound of the suona horn, the lady could only hear herself shouting at the top of her lungs.

Yu Xing didn't reply; instead, her pupils contracted.

Because, in his sight, the red silk suddenly faded.

Yes, it faded; the blood-red hue, like something out of a black and white film, suddenly lost all color, turning into strips of white silk.

Not only the red silk, but all the red things in sight turned white in an instant. The trend of change continued to spread and soon entered the temple. In a trance, all the red candles turned into white candles, the word "" was replaced with "", the fire in the brazier was extinguished, and piles of remains of the ghost money flowed down.

Even the wedding dresses of the two corpses were as white as snow, as was the lady outside. She suddenly froze, her specially chosen red dress turning deathly white, making her look like a paper doll from a funeral.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the whole world had turned into a funeral scene. The coffins no longer felt out of place there. The two corpses looked up at the change. Young Master Fang continued to climb into the coffin, while Liu Xue frantically stabbed her wrists.

The scene became chaotic.

[Slay all evil spirits, special mission complete]

Just then, a system notification suddenly popped up, and Yu Xing's eyes flashed with understanding.

The Master is not outside; he's most likely out hunting down Luo Liang and his teammates. The fact that those two have the leisure to catch evil spirits suggests they've found a way to evade the Master, so their safety is not a concern.

The white transformation hasn't stopped yet.

Yu Xing stood up and discovered that, apart from the original red items, other colors were also affected. The tables, chairs, benches, flowers, and plants were all gradually turning white. Moreover, once they turned completely white, they would appear dilapidated and fragile, as if they would break at the slightest touch.

The small book kiosk that book lovers used before.

Is this the situation the Master wanted to see?

Liu Xue and Young Master Fang were shrouded in ghostly energy, and no changes could be seen except for their clothing. As soon Yu Xing moved, Si and Fang Pian, who were under the white tablecloths on both sides, hurriedly emerged.

Fang Pian asked in a panic, "What happened? These two... corpses getting married, how could it be so destructive?"

"It's probably the Master's doing. He wants to get something. Isn't the Fang Mansion a place of great misfortune? If nothing unexpected happens, it seems the whole place will become a haunted house from now on." As Si spoke, she involuntarily looked at the madam. Seeing that the madam's movements were stiff and she was still affected by the white, she looked worried. "Madam..."

Although she was the second or fifth wife in rank, she still did not want her mistress to die.

It seems that after turning white, living people are in a state of near death. The lady wanted to rush over and question Xiao Jin, but she froze on the spot, and every move she made was filled with a strong sense of stagnation.

Yu Xing noticed that Si and Fang Pian's leg clothing had also begun to turn pale, with the white spreading upwards little by little. It seemed that because they were "outsiders," the spread was particularly slow.

He was the same way, so he wasn't too worried; they had plenty of time.

He asked, "When you were with Madam, did she and the Master discuss how long this marriage would last?"

Si hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'm not quite sure either. As you saw, the lady was also tricked by the Master. The Master never intended for her to live, so how could he possibly tell her the truth?"

Yu Xing hummed in response, then suddenly felt something was amiss and turned around.

The Poisonous Wedding Wine lay on the aging white wooden chair. It was also a foreign object, and its effects were slow to manifest; at this point, only the bottom of the bottle had changed color.

Something's not right... With all that commotion, and Si and Fangpian crawling out, why is Zhao Yijiu still sitting there!?

Zhao Yijiu was still sitting there, covering his eyes with his hands. Most terrifyingly, the white on his body had spread to his chest!

"Brother Jiu!"

Yu Xing immediately grabbed Zhao Yijiu's wrist. To be honest, the unexpected turn of events didn't frighten him, but Zhao Yijiu did. "Brother Jiu, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing..." Zhao Yijiu noticed Yu Xing trying to pull his hand away, but he stubbornly held on, insisting on covering his eyes. He took a breath and whispered, "This wedding ceremony probably won't end until everyone is covered in white."

"How did you know?" Fang Pian and Zhao Yijiu had spent some time together in the same room, so Fang Pian wasn't as distant as Si and asked directly upon seeing this.

"I heard it..." Zhao Yijiu murmured, "They were saying..."

"Them?" Yu Xing didn't speak, but Fang Pian frowned, his eyes flashing with confusion and suspicion. "Who are they?"

Kishiya asked worriedly, "Have you been affected by a ghost? Can the white spreading cause hallucinations?"

Yu Xing silent, his gaze darkening.

"What they said..."

Zhao Yijiu didn't explain. He muttered to himself as he opened his eyes to peek at Yu Xing. When he found Yu Xing staring at him, he nudged Yu Xing and said, "Go check on Zhao Ruru. I'm fine."

During this process, Yu Xing saw Zhao Yijiu's eyes.

Those were dark red eyes, the eyes of a vengeful ghost.