SEC Chapter 339 - 337 Zhensui Mansion Order
Chapter 339 - 337 Zhensui Mansion Order
Chapter 339: Chapter 337 Zhensui Mansion Order
"Hahahahaha..."
Just as the red sedan chair arrived, everyone was terrified. But suddenly, amidst the joyful sounds, a wild shout erupted, causing everyone to turn their heads.
Looking over unexpectedly, it was indeed Son-in-law Wei. Originally, he had been sitting absentmindedly in a corner of the banquet. Suddenly, he changed his demeanor, stood up with a wild laugh, and spread his arms. A group of little ghosts rushed forward to straighten his clothes.
In everyone’s eyes, he had seemed just like a new bride, but now he had transformed. Malicious energy emanated from him, and his voice became rough and thick, as if imbued with an unspeakable, perverse force, his gaze locked directly on the sedan chair. He began speaking with a sinister sneer:
"A marriage contract to seal our vows, an eight-carrier sedan to wed my new spouse."
"..."
As he spoke, he suddenly shook his arms, pushing away the little ghosts that had crowded around to adjust his collar and accessories. Then, dressed in red, he strode towards the sedan chair, laughing loudly, "You kept saying there was no marriage contract, no word from a matchmaker, claiming it was improper and unjust, just making excuses to put me off...
"But now, I have found a pair of lovebirds and borrowed their legitimate status. Surely, I can finally bring you into my home now, can’t I?"
"..."
As he spoke, he had already reached the red paper sedan. He stretched out a large hand, intending to tear away the curtain hanging silently at the front.
Around them, countless little ghosts were joyfully playing music and singing.
It was at this moment, as Hu Ma sat silently to the side, that he suddenly understood the intention in Son-in-law Wei’s eyes.
Borrowed marriage!
The Five Evil Gods had their incense-burning subordinates come over to perform Biebao and Evil Creation, plunging Mingzhou into chaos. Yet this one had arranged a wedding banquet here. Not until this very moment did Hu Ma fully comprehend his true intentions.
He actually intended to marry. He was marrying a Ghost Walker and holding the celebration right in front of the Hu Family’s descendants. Even the procession he claimed was an overstep of his rightful status.
His earlier use of the divine title "Five Profits" was already a provocation to the Hu Family.
The actions that followed were an outright insult, practically a slap in the face.
Yet, he didn’t challenge them openly. Instead, he made calculated moves, one by one. Even this marriage, on the surface, seemed to follow the rules, yet it was brimming with provocation.
He was a ghost, and Aunt Zhang was human. Forcing the marriage broke the rules, not to mention his claims to a procession were an unlawful overreach.
Thus, he had set his sights on Son-in-law Wei. Son-in-law Wei and the bride from the well were a pair bound by a tragic karmic entanglement, their marriage formally arranged and witnessed by the villagers. No matter who Old Mr. Zheng had married, her claim as the rightful wife stood.
The reason she, a mere wisp of a vindictive soul, could entangle the otherwise formidable Son-in-law Wei to such an extent was precisely because of this karmic bond.
The Wei Family desperately wanted to rid their Old Master of this affliction but were helpless. They could only pray for someone from the higher echelons to intervene, dispel this karmic entanglement, and free their Old Master.
It was because of this that they eventually sought the help of the Five Evil Master.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the Five Evil Master appeared, he resorted to such a tactic. He intended to use this karmic entanglement to forcibly marry Aunt Zhang. While not entirely legitimate, it did, in a way, adhere to half the rules.
The marriage contract was borrowed, true, but those outside this particular lineage wouldn’t oversee it. Superficially, it was enough to deceive some.
But after all these seemingly pointless acts, what was his ultimate goal?
Hu Ma suddenly understood. It was actually quite simple: His ultimate aim was solely to provoke the Hu Family.
The Path of the Ghost Walker has its rules. For someone from the altar, like the Five Evil God, to forcibly marry one who performs the rites of setting up an altar, like Aunt Zhang, is a major taboo.
That wouldn’t be Ghost Walking; it would be Negative Spirit possession.
Yet, he insisted on marrying her. He wanted to do it blatantly, in front of the Hu Family, using this insidious Method. Although the legitimacy was borrowed, the Hu Family couldn’t interfere. So, he wasn’t just taking a wife; he was claiming a legitimate status for himself!
There was no better way to make the Hu Family lose face. The entire Path, all its rules, were thrown into chaos because of this.
As for Son-in-law Wei...
"Oh, please, Master, spare us! Let our son-in-law go..."
The old servant was terrified, rushing forward to kowtow.
The Five Evil Master had said that upon his arrival, he could blow away the karmic affliction attached to Son-in-law Wei with a single breath. Looking at it now, his words seemed true.
The affliction that had troubled them for seven long days, which no one in Mingzhou dared to address, was indeed seized by the Five Evil Master the moment he descended and tossed aside. But the crucial part was... he had actually let it possess him!
Their Old Master, entangled by this affliction for so long, was already utterly drained, hanging on by a mere thread.
Now, with such a ferocious entity possessing Son-in-law Wei, how many more days could he possibly survive?
But no one paid him any mind. Son-in-law Wei, now possessed, strode toward the sedan chair. Seeing the old servant rush over, the Five Evil God, speaking through him, flung his wide sleeve and sneered, "You asked me to expel the affliction for your master. Now I have taken this affliction upon myself. Isn’t that help enough?"
With a flick of his sleeve, before the old servant’s hand could even touch his hem, tendrils of black energy wrapped around the servant. Instantly, blood flowed from the old man’s eyes, nose, and ears. He stood frozen, speechless, and then collapsed, lifeless.
The guards on either side had also intended to kowtow, but witnessing this, they scrambled away in terror, rolling and crawling, too frightened to move.
"WHOOSH..."
But just as Son-in-law Wei reached out, intending to tear open the sedan curtain, a burst of flame suddenly erupted from within.
His outstretched hand paused, allowing the fire to lick at it, yet it remained completely unharmed.
However, as the fire consumed the curtain, it quickly spread, engulfing the entire paper sedan. The abruptly ignited blaze even set the nearby paper men and little ghosts aflame. They shrieked and leaped about, scattering in panic, sending countless sparks flying.
Their panicked flight spread the fire to more of their kind, throwing them into an even greater frenzy. They ran wildly, shouting, "Oh no! Oh no! The bride refuses to marry! She’s setting fire to the house!"
"Evil Ghost..."
Once the paper sedan burned to ashes, Aunt Zhang was revealed, sitting inside.
She ripped off the bridal gown she wore, clutching a clay jar to her chest. She simply stared coldly at the figure before her. Hu Ma, who had traveled with her for a month, had only ever known her gentle eyes and soft-spoken manner; he had never seen her wear such a frosty, indifferent expression.
Facing Son-in-law Wei—or rather, the Five Evil God possessing him—she clutched the jar tighter and declared in a stern, resonant voice: "You are not the Five Evil God! You are an Evil Ghost!
"I am not here to marry you today! I am here to capture you!"
"..."
Her words were met with dead silence. Everyone stared blankly, unable to comprehend how this new bride could suddenly utter such defiant words.
Even Seventh Aunt, who was gnawing on raw pork, was startled. She looked up, gasping, her eyes filled with admiration.
"This girl is splendid! So imposing..."
"..."
If Seventh Aunt had seen Aunt Zhang’s current demeanor earlier, perhaps she wouldn’t have ended up in her current state.
At that moment, Hu Ma also looked at Aunt Zhang with deep admiration, then quietly nodded to Little Hongtang beside him.
Despite Aunt Zhang’s furious denunciation and the crowd’s shocked and terrified stares, Son-in-law Wei’s face still wore an exaggerated smile.
His facial expression seemed lifeless, frozen, yet the smile was so broad it was unsettling. His voice, however, still carried a mocking amusement. "The marriage contract was settled long ago. Are you telling me you intend to break it now?"
"My mother invited you because you are an altar protector. But you were the one who broke the rules first!" Aunt Zhang declared, meeting the Five Evil God’s gaze unflinchingly.
She continued sternly, "Since you broke the rules, you must face the punishment of the Ghost Walkers!"
As she spoke, she suddenly raised an object: a black bone, riddled with cracks. This was the betrothal gift that had been forced upon her years ago. It was also the signal she used whenever she needed to summon the Five Evil God during her rites of expelling evil.
Now, she abruptly tossed the bone into the jar she held. Then, looking directly at the Five Evil God, she began to chant loudly: "Dusk is the boundary, dividing yin and yang.
"Life divides the boundary of yin and yang; humans and evil spirits must all abide by the rules. The Zhensui Mansion opens with an Imperial Decree: executions and bestowals are carried out without mercy!
"Now, with the Zhensui Mansion Order present, all in Heaven, Earth, and the Netherworld shall keep to their own domains! Those who cause chaos..."
"..."
It was less like chanting a spell and more like she was reiterating a fundamental law. Her voice grew heavier, more resonant, each word and phrase vibrating through the air, seemingly imbued with a solemn, weighty power.
The surrounding Wandering Souls and solitary evil spirits seemed terrified by the incantation and scattered in all directions.
Even the Five Evil God’s expression changed drastically. As she chanted, an invisible force seemed to bind him, compelling him to move forward involuntarily, as if the incantation possessed a strange power capable of sucking him into the jar.
However, just as he was being pulled towards the jar, his head about to be drawn inside, he suddenly reached out and seized the jar in Aunt Zhang’s grasp.
Aunt Zhang gasped, her eyes wide with disbelief as she looked up at him.
"The Zhensui Mansion’s Imperial Decree?"
The grin on the Five Evil God’s face was grotesquely exaggerated, revealing boundless mockery. "Is this what you’ve been preparing for so long? This is your Method for dealing with me?
"You found a broken earthenware pot left behind by the Zhen Sui Mansion somewhere, and by reciting the Zhensui Mansion’s Imperial Decree, you thought you could make me crawl into it myself? You thought you could use the Zhen Sui Mansion’s methods to suppress me?"
"HAHAHAHA..."
He suddenly exerted force, and the earthenware pot in Aunt Zhang’s arms instantly shattered into countless pieces.
Shards flew in all directions, knocking Aunt Zhang back several meters. One fragment gashed her cheek, drawing a line of blood.
The Five Evil God’s voice thundered, shaking the surroundings. "That entire family was wiped out! The Zhensui Mansion is long gone! And you dare to use their Imperial Decree to try and intimidate me?"
As he spoke, he reached out towards Aunt Zhang. Though it was Son-in-law Wei’s hand, in her eyes, it grew impossibly large, as if to blot out the sky and sun. At that moment, only utter despair remained in her gaze. Her lips trembled as she murmured, "Is there truly no way?"
Is there truly... no one who can subdue this Evil Ghost?