Newlyweds

After hearing those three words, Li Changqing turned to the girl beside him and asked in a lowered voice, "Sister Lingling, what's going on? Has your mother ever mentioned something like this?"

Ye Lingling looked equally bewildered. Shaking her head, she said, "No. I've never heard my mother mention that there was a residence inside the Ancestral Land."

After a pause, she looked at the manor that had appeared out of nowhere and asked hesitantly, "What do you think? Should we go in?"

Li Changqing shrugged, looking unconcerned. "At this point, we don't really have a choice but to go in, right? We can't just stand here and wait."

Ye Lingling thought about it and found that reasonable. Smiling, she said, "True. In that case, let's go."

The two exchanged a glance, then walked side by side toward the manor.

Pushing open the vermilion gates, they found themselves facing an antique courtyard.

Several crabapple trees had been planted in the courtyard. It was their flowering season, and their branches were covered in blooms, their fragrance filling the air.

The ground was paved with bluestone slabs and swept spotlessly clean.

Beyond the courtyard stood the main hall.

The hall was furnished with simple, ancient-style furniture—tables, chairs, and stools all neatly arranged. Several paintings and calligraphy pieces hung on the walls, making the place resemble the residence of a wealthy family from antiquity.

Yet strangely, there was no one inside.

Ye Lingling looked around and asked quietly, "What do we do now?"

After some thought, Li Changqing said, "Let's look around first. Since your ancestors let us in, they must have had some purpose."

Ye Lingling nodded, and the two split up to explore the manor separately.

Li Changqing passed through several corridors and opened a number of doors, only to find every room empty.

Some rooms contained bookshelves covered in dust.

Others held dressing tables, their bronze mirrors already mottled with age.

Still others displayed paintings of elegant ladies, but the women's faces in the paintings were blurred beyond recognition.

The entire manor seemed to have been forgotten by time, its silence eerie and unsettling.

Meanwhile, Ye Lingling unknowingly arrived at a side room.

Unlike the other rooms, this one was completely empty except for an oil painting hanging on the wall.

Ye Lingling stepped closer and studied the painting carefully.

It depicted a wedding scene.

A bride dressed in a bright red wedding gown, her head covered with a red veil, was being escorted into the bridal chamber.

The scene was festive and lively, yet for some reason, Ye Lingling felt a strange daze wash over her as she looked at it.

She stared at the painting, momentarily lost in thought.

Just then, the oil painting began to change.

The scene within it seemed to come alive. Colors flowed, and light and shadows shifted.

Ye Lingling felt the world spin before her eyes as the entire space began to twist and distort.

She wanted to scream, but no sound came out.

She wanted to flee, but her body seemed frozen, unable to move.

At the same time, Li Changqing, on the other side of the manor, was struck by an intense wave of dizziness as well.

The world spun, his vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Changqing slowly opened his eyes.

He found himself lying on a soft bed.

He sat up, looked down at himself, and immediately froze.

He was wearing a bright red wedding gown.

That was right, a wedding gown.

The red silk was embroidered with golden dragons and phoenixes, and a golden sash was tied around his waist. He looked absurdly festive.

Li Changqing's mind went blank.

What the hell is this?

And what am I even wearing?

He looked around and realized he was in an antique room.

Red candles burned within it, double-happiness characters were pasted everywhere, and the bed was covered in red bedding. The entire room brimmed with a celebratory atmosphere.

Just then, the door was pushed open.

An elderly man entered from outside. Upon seeing Li Changqing, he smiled and said, "Young Master, it is time to enter the bridal chamber."

Without waiting for Li Changqing's response, he turned and led the way.

Li Changqing stood there in a daze, with only one thought echoing through his mind.

The bridal chamber?

Me?

I'm entering the bridal chamber?

With whom?

Carrying that question, Li Changqing hurried after him.

He wanted to see exactly what the Ye Clan's ancestors were up to.

Li Changqing left the room and entered the courtyard outside. The sight before him made him stop in his tracks.

The courtyard was packed with guests.

Those guests wore festive red clothes and sat smiling as they all stared at him in unison.

Yet no matter how he looked at them, those smiles seemed eerie and terrifying.

Their faces were paper-white, devoid of any blood, while their eyes were hollow and vacant, as though they were merely puppets being controlled.

Though the entire courtyard was full of people, not a single sound could be heard. The silence was terrifying.

Li Changqing drew in a sharp breath.

What the hell is going on?

Weren't we here to solve the Ye Clan's curse?

How did things turn into this?

Does this make any sense?

Suppressing the shock and unease in his heart, he followed the old man across the courtyard and down a corridor, eventually stopping outside a room adorned with large red double-happiness characters.

The old man turned around, wearing that same eerie smile, and said softly, "Young Master, we're here. You may go in."

Without waiting for Li Changqing to respond, he bowed and retreated. His figure quickly disappeared around the bend in the corridor.

Li Changqing stood at the door and took a deep breath, calming himself down.

He wanted to see what the Ye Clan's ancestors were trying to pull.

He had already come this far. There was no point in backing down now.

He reached out and pushed open the door.

Red candles burned in the room, their flames flickering and casting everything in crimson light.

The room was decorated in an antique style, festive cheer permeating every corner.

And seated on the bed covered in bright red bedding was a woman.

She wore a crimson wedding gown embroidered with exquisite golden phoenixes, which glimmered faintly in the candlelight.

A red bridal veil covered her head, completely concealing her face and revealing only a fair, delicate chin.

She sat upright at the edge of the bed, her hands folded over her knees, poised and elegant.

Li Changqing closed the door and swept his gaze around the room, finding nothing unusual.

Then he walked up to the bride. After hesitating for a moment, he finally reached out and gently lifted the red veil.

The veil fell, revealing a face of breathtaking beauty.

Li Changqing froze on the spot.

Because the bride was none other than Ye Lingling.

She wore exquisite makeup today, with lightly painted brows and crimson lips.

Her already graceful, ethereal features had gained an additional touch of charm and radiance beneath the wedding gown and makeup.

She raised her head. In her clear eyes were traces of shyness, panic, and an indescribably complicated emotion.

"Sister Lingling?" Li Changqing called uncertainly.

Ye Lingling nodded gently, her voice as soft as a mosquito's hum. "Mm."

Li Changqing's mind went blank once again.

What exactly is going on?