A Fool Takes a Wife!

Night lay still and silent.

Lu Changsheng, dressed in black, ran along a mountain path with the Pig-Slaughtering Blade in hand.

The overlapping shadows on either side sped backward.

Countless leaves brushed past his clothes, rustling softly.

Before long, he arrived at the valley the other party had mentioned.

The valley was not large. Lush trees filled it, blocking out the moonlight and making it seem dark and eerie.

Lu Changsheng stepped inside.

The moment he entered, a chill swept over his body as gusts of sinister wind blew toward him.

"Hmph... playing tricks."

His gaze flashed like lightning. His blood and qi erupted around him like a blazing sun, scattering all the yin energy nearby.

He continued forward and soon reached the center of the valley.

Looking around, he saw the ground covered in withered grass, along with several animal carcasses.

Other than that, there was nothing to be found.

Just as Lu Changsheng was preparing to investigate further before leaving, a sudden change occurred.

"Whoosh..."

Amid piercing sounds tearing through the air, four pitch-black figures lunged at Lu Changsheng with savage force.

They attacked from front, back, left, and right, trapping him firmly in the center.

Lu Changsheng focused his eyes.

Four bloodless figures with bulging eyes charged at him. Their fingernails were black, and Sha Qi churned around them.

"Corpse Puppets?"

A hint of confusion crossed his face as he drew his blade and slashed.

Slash...

A dazzling gleam flashed through the air, curving in an arc as it swept around him.

The four Corpse Puppets were cut in half at the waist. Green fluid splattered across the ground, filling the air with a foul stench.

These Corpse Puppets had only just entered the Muscle Refining realm. They were no match for him.

With his strength, he could naturally kill them in a single strike.

Afterward, Lu Changsheng searched the area for some time. Finding no useful clues, he headed out of the valley.

By his guess, the martial artists who had come seeking treasure had likely all died at their hands.

Or perhaps they had been refined into Corpse Puppets by someone lurking in the shadows.

As for the person who had spread this news, they certainly had some connection to wicked spirits. They might even be one themselves.

Now that he had a lead, he planned to begin investigating at daybreak.

Over the next few days.

Lu Changsheng spent his days gathering information at the tavern, but he found nothing.

The waiter only talked about filthy gossip—this one was having an affair today, that one would be sneaking around tomorrow.

The relationships between the men and women of the entire village were a complete mess.

Lu Changsheng was in no hurry and simply waited for the right opportunity.

Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

That day, at noon.

Lu Changsheng was eating peanuts and sipping wine when he suddenly heard waves of gongs and drums outside. It was exceedingly lively.

Many people poured out and moved forward in groups, creating quite a spectacle.

"What's happening outside?"

He turned and asked the waiter approaching him.

"You're from out of town, aren't you, sir? Matron Cao is marrying off her foolish son again."

"Anyone who goes can eat and drink for free, so of course it has drawn plenty of people."

Lu Changsheng's expression shifted slightly. "Matron Cao's foolish son?"

"That's right. There's a great benefactor's family in the western part of the village, surnamed Cao. The man died more than ten years ago, leaving behind a widow and an orphan. But that boy was unfortunate—he turned out to be a fool."

The waiter spoke in a low voice.

"To keep the family line alive, Matron Cao has kept marrying wives for her foolish son. This is already the second time this year, but unfortunately, none of them have been able to bear him a child..."

"Matron Cao is a pitiful woman too, and very kind. She often helps the villagers, and she dotes on her foolish son beyond measure..."

As Lu Changsheng listened to the waiter's detailed account, he learned the full story.

His interest was immediately piqued, and he decided to go have some wedding wine.

After all, he would not uncover anything anytime soon.

He then tossed down a few pieces of silver and rose to leave the tavern.

Once outside, he followed the crowd forward.

The streets teemed with people and laughter.

"Matron Cao is truly generous. Every time her son takes a wife, she sets up a feast that lasts for days."

"She often helps the villagers in ordinary times. The Cao Family truly is a family of great benefactors."

Passersby whispered among themselves.

Before long, Lu Changsheng arrived at a large open space in the western part of the village.

The grounds were already filled with banquet tables piled high with delicacies, their fragrance wafting through the air.

The surrounding seats were packed with people who had come for the feast.

Matron Cao is quite wealthy.

Lu Changsheng looked over the scene and thought to himself.

He casually found a table and sat down.

When he looked up, he could see straight into the main hall ahead.

An old woman dressed in black sat in the hall. Her face was ash-white, and she appeared listless.

At that moment, a man and woman clad in bright red wedding robes emerged from the inner hall.

The man's eyes were vacant, and strands of drool hung from the corners of his mouth. He had the look of a complete fool.

The woman's face was hidden beneath a large red veil, making her features impossible to see.

Yet strangely, she sat there like a puppet, utterly motionless.

A woman had to support the bride at her side, which seemed rather peculiar.

"First bow to Heaven and Earth."

"Second bow to the elders."

"Husband and wife bow to each other."

"The ceremony is complete."

As the loud calls rang out, the newlyweds quickly completed the rites and were led into the bridal chamber.

Lu Changsheng had no interest in staying for the banquet afterward, so he returned directly to the tavern.

The night was deep.

Outside a courtyard in the western part of the village.

Lu Changsheng stood at the corner of the wall, dressed in black and holding the Pig-Slaughtering Blade.

This was the very place where he had attended the wedding ceremony during the day.

Questions had lingered in his mind, so he had come to investigate under cover of night.

With a light leap, he vaulted over the wall and landed silently on the ground.

With his perfected Nine Spiral Transformations, he could move almost without making a sound.

He then followed the corridor, cautiously feeling his way forward.

After passing through a garden and around a rockery, he arrived outside a room.

Red candles glowed brightly inside, creating a festive atmosphere.

Lu Changsheng quietly approached the window, poked a hole through the paper with his finger, and looked inside.

"Hehehe... Mother is so good to me. She found me another pretty wife..."

The Cao Family's foolish son lay on top, staring stupidly at the beauty beneath him.

Soon, he began pawing at her and stripped away all her clothes.

Revealing a body with skin as smooth as congealed cream.

Only then did Lu Changsheng clearly see the woman's face.

She was the Li Family Woman who had lost contact, a clanswoman of Li Yunhua, whom he had slain.

A month earlier, she had come here to investigate and vanished. He had never expected to find her in this place.

He had only learned her information from the mission description.

But Lu Changsheng had no intention of saving a mortal enemy.

Instead, he observed carefully, trying to discover whether there was anything unusual about the foolish son.

The woman's body seemed bound in place, and pain filled her face as the Cao Family's foolish son soon moved atop her.

"Mm... mm..."

Only muffled whimpers remained in the room.

It was not until the time it took an incense stick to burn that the fool finally fell asleep.

Lu Changsheng had watched an entire live erotic spectacle. It had been quite stimulating.

Yet in the end, he found nothing unusual about the fool.

His body was entirely human; only his intelligence was sorely lacking.

That gave Lu Changsheng a new idea.

Since there was nothing wrong with him, the source of the problem had to be Matron Cao.

Lu Changsheng gathered his thoughts and slowly headed forward.

Crossing layer after layer of corridors, he arrived at a rear courtyard.

Just as he was about to poke through the window paper, a cold voice suddenly rang out.

"Friend outside, what important business brings you to this old woman so late at night?"

Matron Cao suddenly emerged from the room. Her face was utterly bloodless, making her appear grim and terrifying.

"The Corpse Puppets outside the village were yours, weren't they?"

"You really know how to hide. You even went out of your way to build yourself the image of a great benefactor in the village."

Lu Changsheng's face turned icy, his gaze sharp as lightning.

"Let me see what kind of thing you are."

He raised the Pig-Slaughtering Blade and slashed.

"Whoosh..."

A cold gleam flashed through the air, carrying a terrifying momentum.

He did not underestimate her. This strike contained all his strength, and its power was exceedingly fearsome.