SEC Chapter 338 - 336: Evil Ghost Takes a Wife
Chapter 338 - 336: Evil Ghost Takes a Wife
Chapter 338: Chapter 336: Evil Ghost Takes a Wife
Hu Ma swore he hadn’t expected this. In fact, he himself was stunned; that dumbfounded expression was no act.
As a stream of yellow liquid poured down, the brightly burning fire basin suddenly dimmed.
The surrounding air froze. Even Hu Ma, utterly dumbfounded, raised his head to look, completely dazed. Only the horse, having finished urinating, shook itself and then lifted its head slightly, as if anticipating something wonderful.
"You—!" Suddenly, an extremely furious voice erupted.
The kneeling figures scattered, all shocked, even horrified, by the scene before them. One had to admit, it was rare for any living person or creature to receive such focused attention from so many evil spirits in Mingzhou Prefecture. After looking at the horse, they suddenly realized and quickly turned their gaze to Hu Ma and Seventh Aunt at the table. What would a horse know? This must have been directed by a person!
Hu Ma himself was shocked. Noticing so many eyes on him, he reacted abruptly, his surprise growing as he looked at Seventh Aunt.
Seventh Aunt hadn’t reacted yet. She was puffing on her pipe when she suddenly found herself the center of attention. Confused, she turned to ask Hu Ma, only to see him also looking at her in surprise. This left her bewildered. "What are you looking at me for?"
Hu Ma hurriedly turned his head, a look of fear on his face. The others who had been looking at Seventh Aunt quickly averted their gazes, their hearts pounding, barely daring to breathe.
Was this the majesty of the Hall Officer?
The Wealth Evil Altar Envoy’s eyes looked ready to bleed. He abruptly raised his hand, intending to slap this audacious horse to death and avenge the Five Evil Master for this insult. This wasn’t just a passing thought; he genuinely intended to do it. However, when he saw the horse’s dark, apparently fearless eyes—which even held a hint of expectation—his heart jolted. A quick glance from the corner of his eye at the Life Evil Altar Envoy, still tied with a grass rope nearby, made him rapidly regain his composure.
"Good, very good..." he seethed. The insults and provocations we’ve faced today aren’t limited to this. Even an altar envoy was delivered as a gift, wasn’t he? Are they deliberately using this tactic to provoke me, looking for an excuse to kill me? I can’t fall for this. I still have to invite the Five Evil Master here... But to think the other party would resort to such a disgusting and provocative trick—that was truly unexpected. The most crucial thing is, I’m enduring it here, but I never expected that even after the Five Evil Master suffered such an outrageous insult, there would still be no reaction from the fire basin.
PHEW... He silently exhaled and made a sudden decision. Surprisingly, he ignored the horse, turned swiftly, and approached the table covered with red cloth, then kowtowed respectfully.
He kowtowed so forcefully that a THUD echoed, as if he intended to crack his skull open. By the second kowtow, his forehead was red; by the third, blood streamed down, blurring his vision and flowing across his cheeks.
Meanwhile, the flames of the torches flanking the wooden platform suddenly turned a sickly green, casting an even more eerie glow on the surroundings.
SQUEAK! SQUEAK! SQUEAK!
Those who had already knelt promptly prostrated themselves again, silently and frantically kowtowing towards the red-cloth-covered table.
The chickens and ducks in Yellow Dog Village suddenly grew agitated, then gradually curled up and died in silence.
The water in household jars turned muddy, emitting a rancid, bloody stench.
Villagers who had locked themselves indoors due to the strange wedding feast suddenly grew weak and coughed up blood, despite no prior illness. Those already sick or elderly emitted a muffled groan and died stiffly in their beds.
In the eerie atmosphere, several banners, each about ten feet tall, seemed to materialize, fluttering and surrounding the area. As they swayed, a black throne-like chair appeared among them, upon which sat a towering, imposing figure.
A pair of eyes, seemingly capable of penetrating one’s very soul, scanned the surroundings with an unnerving gaze.
All around was silent. Almost no one dared to meet its gaze. Only an invisible, ghostly wind caused the lanterns on either side to sway gently.
Only the horse, as if welcoming hope, once again raised its head high toward the wooden platform. But still, no one paid it any mind.
Instead, the nearby Wei Family servants and guards suddenly realized what was happening and hurriedly knelt. The old servant’s heart leaped into his throat. He opened his mouth, ready to cry out, begging the Old Master invited onto the platform to save their young master-in-law. It had been agreed from the beginning: once the seven-day period ended and this Old Master arrived, he could save their young master-in-law. Now that he had come, surely it was time to fulfill that promise?
Unexpectedly, before they could complete their three kowtows, the sound of suonas suddenly blared—ghostly and chilling to the soul.
The sound erupted strangely, seemingly without warning, startling everyone present—whether sitting or standing, human or otherwise.
Looking again, the surroundings had become utterly bizarre.
A single glance revealed that the village was now filled with little ghosts. Their expressions were stiff, their faces deathly pale, and all held suonas, cheeks puffed as they played an eerie, unearthly melody.
Yet, upon a second look, the surroundings appeared empty. Still, the faint, relentless sound of suonas and music persisted, accompanied by a chorus of high-pitched children’s voices shouting:
"Cleaned the stove and swept the ash, put on rouge and painted the lips!
The auspicious day has finally arrived, the Zhang family’s daughter is to be wed!"
Amidst the shouts, the sound of galloping hooves echoed through the deep night, mingling with muted, eerie music as a large group of faint shadows galloped into the distance.
「It’s time.」
At that moment, in a gully not far from Yellow Dog Village, an oil lamp on a table illuminated half of Ghost Walker Aunt Zhang’s face.
She had been plagued by nightmares for the past few days. Hearing the suona music earlier, she knew the time had come.
Currently, disasters were incessant throughout Mingzhou, and bandits were rampant. Consequently, several Ghost Walkers she knew were busy elsewhere and not at home. Besides, she knew what she was facing, so she hadn’t mentioned it to anyone in her own Path. She did, however, occasionally mention it to outsiders.
Thus, on this day, she remained alone at home. Waking early, she fed the chickens, tidied the yard, and cleaned her house.
As dusk approached, she lit incense for her deceased mother, offering no complaints or other words. Then, she cooked herself some broth and resumed her chores, preparing various items. These included Copper Coins, cracked black bones, newly-made banners, and most importantly, a jar polished to a shine.
She busied herself until nightfall. Then, she sat quietly on her bed, clutching the jar, as silence enveloped her. Ghost Walkers were accustomed to living alone outside villages. Her dwelling was far from the village, in a secluded spot. Tonight, it was even quieter; not even the chirp of an insect could be heard.
It wasn’t until midnight that she suddenly heard the distant sounds of music drifting through the night.
She let out a low breath, hugged the jar tighter, and blew out the oil lamp.
The room instantly plunged into pitch darkness. Outside, the wind grew stronger, whistling as it blew dry leaves from the trees. Then, it suddenly intensified, violently wrenching the door open.
A RUSTLING sound filled the darkness as countless strange, unseen things crept in. They giggled as they gathered around Aunt Zhang, their many hands touching her.
They seemed like Ghost Bridesmaids, applying makeup to her face, dressing her in red robes, and placing a wedding veil over her head.
Some even tried to pry her hands open to seize the jar she clutched. But while Aunt Zhang allowed them to do as they pleased otherwise, her grip on the jar remained unyielding, and they eventually gave up.
Soon, they finished dressing her and escorted Aunt Zhang out the door. Outside the small farmhouse, a red paper sedan chair waited, surrounded by a dense host of paper Blowers. Meanwhile, the chickens, ducks, and other livestock in the yard and the nearby village were dying in droves.
The Ghost Bridesmaids pushed Aunt Zhang into the sedan chair. Then, with another burst of music, they floated away.
Yellow Dog Village was deathly silent—or rather, only the living were silent.
But amidst the shadows, countless unseen things hopped about joyfully, a sight that would make one’s skin crawl.
The Wei Family’s old servant, having endured for days, was near his breaking point. Though a servant, he had lived comfortably in the Wei Family. He never imagined that accompanying his young master-in-law back to the ancestral home would involve dealing with such sinister entities. Especially since he had done everything the Five Evil Master had instructed. Now that the Master had descended, why hadn’t it saved their young master-in-law?
Just then, a gust of cold wind swept in from afar, and the sounds of music and celebration rang out around them once more.
Everyone felt as if their Divine Souls had been blown away. Their vision blurred, unable to perceive the world of the living, yet they saw a red paper sedan chair floating down from the distant sky, drifting softly towards the banquet table.
Below the red wooden platform, countless evil spirits surged forward joyfully to greet it, singing merrily: "Red Paper, scatter wedding money! The bride arrives, her smile so sunny! Cross the fire basin, lift the sedan curtain! The groom will cry out with joy tonight, that’s certain!"
The bizarre scene sent chills down the spines of everyone present, but Hu Ma was the most shocked. He had patiently stayed with Seventh Aunt all night, waiting for something big. Now that this Five Evil Ghost had finally arrived... was it really going to get married? This was the formidable Five Evil Gods! Who would have thought they had such a fascination with brides?