The Bridal Sedan Was Seized

In the main hall, Mingzhu was bidding her parents farewell. Seated above, Madam Liu's face was full of reluctance to part.

When Pei Zhe led Mingzhu away by the hand, Old Madam Liu could not help rising from her seat and following them a couple of steps.

The matron beside her hurriedly held her back.

"Madam, you mustn't. The bride's family cannot leave the hall."

Madam Liu wiped her tears with a handkerchief as she murmured, "My Mingzhu... From now on, it'll be hard to see you even a few times a year..."

Pei Zhe stepped out from beneath the eaves, and the attendants he had brought immediately fell in behind the couple.

Among them, Zhu Lianqing suddenly noticed two whose bearing stood out. They looked very much like cultivators.

As it happened, someone in the crowd recognized them.

"Aren't those the Moon-Gazing Sect master's two nephews? The Pei family certainly has some clout, to have invited people from the Moon-Gazing Sect."

"Pei Zhe is the son of Zhuolu City's city lord, after all. The Moon-Gazing Sect is an immortal sect in the Western Region. Surely he'd have those connections."

"But why did the nephews come? Doesn't the Moon-Gazing Sect have a young master? For an occasion like this, having the young master come would lend them more prestige."

Zhu Lianqing glanced again at the two disciples in dark blue outer robes. Seeing that they did indeed resemble each other, she understood.

These two young disciples were most likely Liu Yanbai and Liu Nanzhi, the two nephews of the Moon-Gazing Sect master, Liu Yun. As for the young sect master someone in the crowd had mentioned, his name was Liu Yunzheng.

Liu Yunzheng's reputation in the cultivation world was that of a bona fide wastrel, idling away his days, ignorant and unskilled.

He had been born into one of the thirteen great top-tier sects, and his father was among the foremost figures in the cultivation world. His circumstances were a hundred times better than other people's, yet at seventeen, he still had not reached Foundation Establishment.

Rumor had it that Liu Yun had initially tried every possible method, offering rewards and meting out punishments, even confining Liu Yunzheng for a time. Yet the first thing Liu Yunzheng said upon being released after his punishment was, "I'm just mud that won't stick to a wall! Beat me to death if you've got the guts! Kill your own son!"

Thus, whenever people in the cultivation world mentioned Liu Yun's son, they all sighed-the Moon-Gazing Sect's unique cultivation method, passed down for centuries, was going to have its lineage severed by this mud that would not stick to a wall.

Judging by things now, however, Liu Yun seemed intent on grooming the brothers Liu Yanbai and Liu Nanzhi.

While Zhu Lianqing pondered this, the bridal escort left through the gates. Only the hundred and eighty loads of dowry were still being carried out of the courtyard in an unbroken stream.

Jiang Tingxue had also squeezed into the crowd to see Mingzhu off.

Once the bridal escort had left, the formerly bustling Liu residence instantly grew much quieter and lonelier. Even the festive red silk could not make up for it.

Zhu Lianqing also looked at the two large lanterns she had hung with her young disciple. A few days ago, they had looked as festive as could be; now, looking at them again, she could not help finding them desolate.

Madam Liu sat inside the hall, overcome with grief, while Master Liu comforted her beside her.

"Senior Brother Xie, I think it's time we left as well. We stayed these past few days for our hosts' wedding, but it wouldn't be right to impose on them any longer."

Xie Lingchuan nodded. "Yes. Let's go bid them farewell in a little while."

After a while, Jiang Tingxue, Song Wensheng, and Yan Qing returned from outside the residence. Shen Ji went forward to take his leave of Master Liu and Madam Liu, but the couple insisted that they stay one more night.

Shen Ji looked at the sky. After the bustle of the entire morning, it was indeed no longer early, so he could only agree.

That night, while Zhu Lianqing was enjoying a comfortable bath, a sudden flurry of frightened, unsettled voices arose in the courtyard. Someone seemed to be crying out.

She instinctively felt that something bad had happened. Without even finding time to dry her hair, she merely tied her inner robe, draped her outer robe over herself, and pushed open the door.

Xie Lingchuan stepped out of the neighboring room almost at the same moment as Zhu Lianqing.

The two exchanged a glance. With no time for pleasantries, they headed straight out of the courtyard toward the main courtyard.

Halfway there, they encountered a group of panicked servants hurrying toward their guest rooms.

"What has you so frightened?" Xie Lingchuan asked gravely.

Seeing Xie Lingchuan and Zhu Lianqing, the maidservants hurriedly dropped to their knees, so panicked they could hardly catch their breath.

"Dao Lords! Please, both of you, save our young lady!"

Zhu Lianqing frowned.

Mingzhu?

"What happened to your young lady? Stop crying for now and tell us exactly what happened."

The maidservant at the front hastily scrubbed away her tears and choked out, "You must have seen it during the day, Dao Lords. Our young lady was happily taken away by the Pei family. They said they couldn't reach Zhuolu City tonight and would have to spend the night in the mountain woods, so they invited people from the Moon-Gazing Sect to protect the wedding procession. It should have been foolproof, but who could have known... who could have known..."

"Who could have known they'd encounter such a powerful foe tonight? Somehow, the ghosts in Pingjiang City actually got out and seized our young lady's bridal sedan!"

Zhu Lianqing's heart tightened, and she looked at Xie Lingchuan.

"Pingjiang City? Aren't the malevolent ghosts there suppressed inside the city by the Moon-Gazing Sect's guardian treasure? How could they get out?"

"This servant doesn't know either. I only heard that our young lady had been abducted. Madam fainted when she heard the news, and Master sent us to the rear courtyard to ask you Dao Lords to step in. Please save our young lady!"

Footsteps sounded behind them. Shen Ji and the others had also heard the commotion and hurried over.

Xie Lingchuan said, "Don't worry. We won't stand by and do nothing. Let's go to the front courtyard first and hear what the person who brought the news has to say."

"Thank you, Dao Lords. This way, please!"

The front courtyard was brightly lit. Master Liu paced beneath the eaves, utterly at a loss.

Seeing Xie Lingchuan and the others approach, he immediately hurried to meet them.

"Please, Dao Lords, save my daughter!"

Shen Ji reacted swiftly, catching Master Liu and holding him up just as he was about to kneel.

"Tonight's situation must be urgent, so there's no need for further words. Please tell us what happened, Master Liu."

"Yes, yes, of course! Hurry, bring him up here! Tell the Dao Lords what happened!"

Amid the chaotic crowd, a man was carried forward on a stretcher. He looked covered in wounds, his expression still haunted by fear.

"I was one of the porters carrying the young lady's sedan. The Pei family arranged for us to spend tonight in a mountain god temple on the road from Yunxi to Zhuolu City. Everything was fine at first, and the two Dao Lords from the Moon-Gazing Sect were keeping watch outside the temple. But before bed, we counted everyone, afraid someone might run off in the night with the young lady's valuables. We never expected that, as we counted, we'd find... there was an extra person in the procession!"

"At first, we thought we'd counted wrong, so we counted again. But this time, there were two extra people! We checked everyone one by one, and only then discovered two unfamiliar faces among us. We thought thieves had slipped in, but halfway through questioning them, someone shouted that those two had no shadows! The moment that shout went up, the two of them revealed their true faces!"

"They weren't human at all! They were female ghosts with no eyeballs! They wounded more than twenty of us and snatched the young lady away!"

Xie Lingchuan asked, "What about the two from the Moon-Gazing Sect? Didn't they stop them?"

"The two Dao Lords immediately gave chase and fought those two ghosts outside the mountain god temple. But the ghosts only wanted to abduct the young lady and had no desire to get tangled up in a fight. They wounded people and ran! The young master went up to try to get the young lady back, and one of the ghosts grew angry and tried to kill him. The two Dao Lords fought with their lives on the line to save him, but the young lady was taken away!"

Hearing this, Master Liu grew agitated again.

"Why did something so vicious have to happen on such a joyous day? My poor Mingzhu was perfectly fine just this afternoon! Pingjiang City has been abandoned for so many years, and the ghosts inside have been suppressed by the Moon-Gazing Sect for centuries, never seeing the light of day. Why did they have to come out today?!" He broke into a fit of coughing.

Seeing that Master Liu was already struggling to breathe, Shen Ji stepped forward and pressed his acupoints to ease his breathing, then reassured him, "We understand how you feel, sir. But from what we've heard, those ghosts only wanted to abduct her and didn't take Miss Mingzhu's life. That means we still have a chance to save him."

Zhu Lianqing thought for a moment, then asked the messenger, "How did you determine that those ghosts came from Pingjiang City?"

"The two Dao Lords from the Moon-Gazing Sect went after them! When they fought those ghosts, even we could tell they were very skilled. We thought they'd be able to bring the young lady back. Who could have known the Dao Lords would return and say those ghosts had gone straight into Pingjiang City!"