Double happiness (10)

"Hm?"

Suddenly, two figures darted out of an alley beside the wedding procession, looking utterly out of place alongside the deathly procession. They hastily glanced at the bridal sedan, then quickly vanished into the depths of the alley.

"Living people?"

A trace of surprise crossed Yang Jian's face. Two living people had abruptly appeared in this deathly silent village, which clearly defied common sense.

Yang Jian and the others had only been able to enter this village safely because of Zhang Wei's earlier identity as the "groom." Any ordinary person who entered would face certain death.

Yang Jian could almost confirm that these were not ordinary people who had stumbled into a supernatural incident. They were very likely two ghost handlers. Yang Jian would not allow any mistakes in what came next, and he followed them at a brisk pace.

Following the two figures, Yang Jian reached a low building. Two dark red lanterns hung from the eaves on either side, two large "double happiness" characters were pasted on the door panels, and a red carpet lay at the entrance. This seemed to be the bridal chamber.

Dim red light spilled from inside the house, and he could faintly make out two people pacing anxiously back and forth in the room.

Bang!

Yang Jian kicked the door open and strode inside.

Yang Jian was drenched from head to toe, his pale face utterly bloodless. His lifeless gaze and the scarlet Ghost Eye on his forehead sent chills down the spine. He looked like a malicious ghost.

The two people inside froze at the sudden intrusion. A man instinctively took a step back, the expression on his face rapidly shifting from terror to wariness. His hand darted toward a red bracelet on his wrist, clearly preparing some sort of defense.

The scarlet Ghost Eye swept over the two of them. Yang Jian wasted no words.

"My time is limited, so I'll only ask once. Who are you, and what are you here for?"

The two people standing inside were clearly frightened by Yang Jian's appearance, cold sweat seeping from their foreheads. But after Yang Jian spoke, their expressions eased a little.

Yet neither seemed willing to talk to Yang Jian. They merely watched him warily, keeping their mouths shut.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

Silence filled the room.

Suddenly, red light flashed, brief and blinding. The next instant, a headless male corpse lay sprawled on the floor. There was not a trace of blood on the severed neck, making it an exceptionally eerie sight.

Yang Jian stood where he was, an old billhook gripped in his hand. Cold water lingered on the blade, trickling down its edge.

Yang Jian had no time to waste here. He could only choose the most direct way to make them talk: kill one of them outright.

Yang Jian raised his head and quietly watched the woman, waiting for her to speak. The woman felt an oppressive force wash over her.

"We're tenants on the post office's third floor!"

The woman suddenly spoke, her voice trembling with tension, but her words came so quickly that she finished the whole sentence in almost a single second.

"We received letters ordering us to come to this village and deliver them to the bride after she entered the bridal chamber."

With that, the woman pointed to a dark red coffin in the corner of the room.

Only then did Yang Jian turn and examine the house, which was suffused with dark red.

The room was sparsely furnished, as though someone had hurriedly moved most of the furniture away, leaving only a few scattered items. A battered dressing table leaned askew against the wall, its mirror so thickly coated in dust that reflections were barely visible.

An oil lamp stood quietly on the tabletop. The dark red light was coming from within it.

A dark red cabinet stood in a corner, its surface covered in cracks, looking ready to topple.

The most conspicuous thing in the room was the dark red coffin in the corner, placed there so abruptly that it seemed utterly out of place with its surroundings.

All the furniture was a deep, dark red, and an oppressive chill filled the entire room.

"The letter? Give it to me." Yang Jian held out his hand.

Trembling, the woman handed a letter to Yang Jian.

Yang Jian examined the letter. The black envelope felt icy in his hand, and its material seemed more like human skin.

"Keep talking." Yang Jian's icy tone brooked no resistance.

"We shouldn't have received letters from the post office at this time, but a man appeared last night."

The woman swallowed and continued.

"He was carrying a large saber. He killed everyone on the third floor, leaving only the two of us. He was the one who gave us these two letters. We had no choice at all. We were forced to come here..."

Just then, the man Yang Jian had beheaded suddenly stood up. The wound on his neck had vanished, as though Yang Jian's blade had never fallen.

There was a somewhat complicated look in the man's eyes. He glanced at Yang Jian but made no attempt to resist. His lips moved slightly, as though he wanted to speak, but in the end, he fell silent.

"Was it because of that bracelet...?" Yang Jian's gaze quickly locked onto the man's wrist, just as a drop of vivid red fell from the bracelet onto the floor.

"Keep talking."

Yang Jian stood between them with the billhook in his hand. He did not attack the man again. After all, he was no deranged murderer.

The woman's name was Liu Qingqing, and the man's name was Li Yi.

From the two of them, Yang Jian learned of the existence of an eerie post office in Dahan City...

Yang Jian stood there quietly, listening carefully and analyzing every detail.

Time passed, second by second. Yang Jian silently kept track of the time while quickly organizing his thoughts in light of Liu Qingqing's information. His expression did not change, but inwardly, he grew increasingly decisive.

"Enough. That's about it."

Yang Jian suddenly spoke, turning to look at the man named Li Yi.

"Give me the bracelet. You two stay here."

Li Yi said nothing. He silently took off the bracelet and handed it to Yang Jian. He knew that any negotiation would be useless under these circumstances. If he resisted, he might well take another slash from Yang Jian.

Then Li Yi walked over to the dark red wardrobe in the room and opened it.

Yang Jian vaguely saw Li Yi take another identical bracelet from the hand of a headless wooden puppet whose build was much the same as his.

"This bracelet can transfer a malicious ghost's attack on you to someone else wearing a bracelet. Once you've done what you need to do, I hope you'll still remember the two of us."

After that, he said nothing more.

Li Yi was a smart man. After Yang Jian killed him in an instant, he could be certain that the three-eyed man before him was not someone he could defeat.

Since he could not resist, he might as well take the initiative to seek cooperation. Perhaps that way, he could still secure a thread of hope for survival.

Yang Jian glanced at Li Yi and said:

"I'm a man of my word. From now on, as long as you stay here, I guarantee that at least one of you will be able to leave safely."

With that, Yang Jian turned and strode away, quickly disappearing into the cold morning light.