Chapter 24: A Small Wedding Celebration

This was exactly what she had been waiting for!

Su Changling’s brows arched slightly. With a flick of her wrist, she channeled a gentle gust of spiritual energy, skillfully escorting the Cheng sisters away from the collapsed veranda.

The dark greenish compass hovered above the woman and the ghost, casting a faint, spectral glow. To her surprise, the young girl found that she could now make physical contact with her cousin, who had turned into a vengeful spirit. She hurriedly reached out to embrace the woman’s thin, gaunt frame.

"Miss Cheng, please stay here with your sister for a while. Do not wander outside the perimeter of the compass’s light," the young woman said, leaping into the void and glancing back over her shoulder. A rare, gentle smile flickered in her eyes. "Tonight, I fear I have a difficult battle ahead against this specter. Wangchun Garden is teeming with baleful energy; that compass can ward off all worldly malice and keep your and your cousin’s souls safe."

"Understood, Sister Su, please go," Cheng Yingxue replied with a nod, clutching even tighter to Cheng Yingrou, who had fainted from the outburst of resentment. "I will not wander off."

"I will return as soon as I can." With a slight nod, Su Changling turned and struck her sword directly at the spirit’s vital point.

Having clashed with her for several days, the ghost was well-acquainted with her usual techniques. It did not dodge or retreat; instead, it casually raised an arm, dissolving her fierce, sharp sword aura with a surge of malevolent energy.

This spirit... it had grown even stronger than it was two days ago.

Su Changling’s heart sank, and her expression grew noticeably more solemn.

Unexpectedly, the creature that had neutralized her attack did not rush to counter. It merely gave a cryptic, mocking laugh, turned, and plunged headlong into the ink-black night.

"Running away again!" Su Changling gritted her teeth, feeling an uncharacteristic flare of exasperation.

Consumed by fury, she did not hesitate to give chase, pursuing the slender, fleeing shadow. The ghost toyed with her like a cat with a mouse, leading her from the front courtyard to the stage, then leaping over to the Cheng family ancestral hall, before finally circling back to the east side of Wangchun Garden.

Wangchun Garden.

This place again... this Wangchun Garden, which had claimed who knows how many lives!

Just how obsessed was this wretched thing with this spot?

Su Changling’s temples throbbed. After several deep breaths, she finally stepped into the desolate garden. The front hall of the small courtyard remained as dilapidated and empty as the day she had first arrived. Every time the ghost came here, it seemed to dissolve into the gaps between the bricks and walls, leaving no trace behind.

"For three days in a row, you have gone to great lengths to lure me here—"

Standing with her hands behind her back, her sword held ready, Su Changling spoke in a cold, low voice. Her eyes, scanning the surroundings, hid a layer of faint killing intent. "What exactly is it that you want?"

***

"…What is it that you want?"

"…What you want!"

Heavy echoes reverberated through the empty courtyard, followed by a guttural, wheezing sound that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once.

In the attic, the rotted window lattice suddenly snapped, and a lacquered vanity case with mother-of-pearl inlays fell from the small window for no reason.

*Clatter—*

The rusted lock shattered, and the broken mirror instantly sliced through the crown of filigree, kingfisher feathers, and embedded pearls. Countless tiny pearls scattered across the floor like raindrops, rolling into the corners until they vanished from sight.

The fallen pearls reflected a lustrous glow under the moonlight, and the kingfisher-feather flowers, untarnished by dust, shimmered with brilliant color. Suddenly, the joyous sounds of gongs, drums, and *suonas* drifted from outside the courtyard.

Where was this festive music coming from?

"Haha, Brother Cheng! You passed the provincial examination just last month, and now tonight you celebrate your 'small bridal night'—you truly are riding the crest of success lately, one happy event after another! Congratulations, congratulations!"

"Hey! Who could deny it? During the autumn examinations, I saw that Brother Cheng had the most auspicious countenance. Now that I look, he is truly the luckiest among us brothers!"

"Come, come! Let’s drink!"

Waves of congratulations, whether sincere or feigned, flooded into Su Changling’s ears. The young girl gripped her sword hilt and spun around, only to see that the once-rotten and faded carved wooden beams had vanished without a trace—in their place, nothing but eye-catching, vibrant red silk.

Is this... the wedding that took place in Wangchun Garden all those years ago?

Su Changling frowned, clutching her longsword as she carefully observed the bustling courtyard. The servants and maids walking to and fro were all filled with palpable joy, while the guests looked on with envy, longing, or, occasionally, flashes of fleeting disgust and jealousy.

"Come, come, Brother Cheng! It’s not often we encounter such a grand occasion, we won't go easy on you—drink!"

"That's right, we can't go easy—we must get Brother Cheng drunk before the bride arrives... drink!"

The toasts at the banquet grew louder and louder; many of the guests already showed signs of intoxication. The scenes of the past had been projected into the present by the ghost using some unspeakable method, while the girl, dressed in a plain, simple garment, stood out like an anomaly.

This was an illusion woven from ghost energy and resentment.

***

It was also the scene that the vengeful spirit remembered most vividly before its death.

Su Changling watched emotionlessly as the guests exchanged toasts. The bright lamps and candles obscured the moon above. A child, having slipped inside, jumped up to grab candies and pastries from a small porcelain plate before being shooed away by the maids, leaving the courtyard with lingering reluctance.

"The bride is here—"

A loud cry from the matchmaker suddenly rang out from outside the courtyard. Before long, a woman draped in red silk and wearing a phoenix coronet and ceremonial robes was carefully led into the hall.

In the main hall, the bridegroom’s parents were already seated, and in the corner, a small incense burner emitted a ghostly, curling smoke.

"Oh—the bride is here, look, the bride!"

The guests laughed, casting curious or malicious glances at the woman. The Cheng couple, sitting in the place of honor, maintained the stern air of elders.

Su Changling listened to the cacophony of noise, feeling an inexplicable and growing irritation.

She wanted to draw her sword.

She wanted to slash through the entire wedding hall.

She wanted to slaughter every single one of these things that plagued her mind.

An alien, rootless killing intent climbed from her spine into her brain, causing a sharp, throbbing pain. Her heart beat like a drum the moment the bride appeared; she stood there, able to hear her own heartbeat, which had lost all rhythm—

*Thump... thump—*

*THUMP!*

A sudden surge of sword intent whipped up a violent gale. The wind tore the red veil from the bride’s head and shattered her magnificent crown in an instant.

Hairpins and ornaments fell to the ground, and her dark hair, freed from its restraints, cascaded down, instantly obscuring her fair and gentle features.

Su Changling approached the frail woman in the wedding dress, step by step, her eyes cold and piercing.

"Who... exactly are you?"