Volume Two: A Troubled Autumn, Twists and Turns Chapter Ninety-One: Midnight Abduction, The Crimson Bridal Sedan

Phoenix Mountain was not particularly close to Shuangqu Village, requiring more than a day’s journey. By nightfall, Chen San and his companions naturally had not arrived, and so they lit a fire on the wild mountainside.

Deep within the heart of the mountain, inside a barrier, stood a magnificent underground palace. An elder, his face half-concealed by a black robe, sat cross-legged in meditation, his expression hidden except for a portion of his aged visage. His cunning eyes regarded the figure before him with feigned indifference, while wisps of a dark fragrance drifted around him. One hand stroked the head of a gray wolf, which lay contentedly at his side, its enormous body and razor-sharp fangs inspiring dread.

Before the elder stood another figure, also robed in black, his back turned as he gazed at the runes on the wall.

"That old man from Taiyuan is truly lucky; not even the demons and spirits managed to kill him."

"It’s not luck, merely fate’s design. I too believed the old fool was doomed this time, yet he sealed the demons without employing the Eight Divine Incantations."

"It was a bald monk who sealed them. I feared he would survive, so I sent Guang Ao and Ming Chu to finish the job. Who would have thought Ming Chu would arrive only to find Guang Ao torn to pieces, and even the foul Daoists of Dragon Tiger Mountain were drawn in." The black-robed figure turned to the elder as he spoke.

He, too, was veiled by a black robe, emanating a ghostly aura and a murderous chill, his face obscured save for those venomous eyes.

"Guang Ao surprised me. He was an elder after all, with many fierce ghosts and monsters at his command. Yet against a handful of children, he was utterly destroyed. I overestimated him."

"Four were disciples of Mount Mao, but one didn’t seem to be. When Ming Chu arrived, he was already lying motionless, apparently just an ordinary person."

"The chance to kill the old man has passed. Since they caused the chaos, let Ming Chu toy with them a while longer. The old man may survive, but losing a few disciples is hardly excessive."

"I’ve already sent Ming Chu after them. I never intended to leave any survivors."

"Come, let’s see how she fares."

The elderly figure rose, the gray wolf following behind, and they strode together into the depths of the palace.

Chen San and his group spent the night outdoors, with Linghu catching some wild game for their meal. Yang Chengzi munched on dry rations, gazing up at the stars. The celestial formation of ‘stars encircling the moon’ had faded, but the great array still lingered on Chen San’s body.

If a solution wasn’t found, another ‘stars encircling the moon’ would inevitably occur. Yet the phantom demon remained, each problem linked to the next, impossible to resolve quickly. Troubles piled upon troubles, and Yang Chengzi felt the headache intensify.

Chang Yu noticed Yang Chengzi’s distress and sat beside him, recounting tales from her childhood.

Chen Xin, having finished eating, warmed herself by the fire. Chen San, shameless as ever, scooted over to her; sensing his approach, she smiled brightly.

The four watched the flames and the moon, sharing their hearts and memories, while a gentle breeze accompanied the night.

Chen San added two thick logs to the fire, and the group soon settled down to sleep. Although Chen Xin wasn’t unaccustomed to sleeping outside, she still found it uncomfortable, clinging to Chang Yu’s arm and nestling beside her, unable to sleep for a long time.

As midnight deepened, the fire began to wane, the wood nearly spent, and the group slept soundly. Suddenly, the soul-warning bell Yang Chengzi had placed on a stone rang out, shaking the small rock.

Yang Chengzi’s eyes flew open, torrents of ghostly energy swept past, and soon the bell quieted.

He sat up swiftly, scanning his surroundings but found nothing unusual. Chen San and the two women still lay by the fire. Just as he was about to lie back down, Yang Chengzi sensed that Chen Wan’er was moving farther away from them.

Frowning, he looked to Chang Yu. Previously, when Chang Yu had been abducted, Chen Wan’er had pursued her, but now Chang Yu was here, and upon closer inspection, Yang Chengzi’s eyes widened in alarm.

He hurriedly stood, opened his celestial eye with a gesture, and kicked Chen San hard. Chen San tumbled several times, clutching his lower back as he staggered to his feet, cursing loudly.

"What’s your problem? Can’t a man get some sleep?" Chen San glared furiously at Yang Chengzi.

"Look at Chen Xin. If she’s asleep, you can go back to sleep." Chen San’s eyes widened instantly, his heart trembling.

Chen Xin lay on the ground, eyes open and staring at the sky. Chen San waved his hand before her eyes without any reaction.

"What—what happened to her?" All anger vanished from Chen San’s face, replaced by panic.

"Stay here and watch over them. Call Linghu. Their souls have been taken. Wan’er has already gone after them. I’ll retrieve them."

Yang Chengzi strode off, while Chen San, seeing Chen Xin and Chang Yu unresponsive, his hands trembling, took several deep breaths to summon Linghu and waited anxiously for Yang Chengzi’s return.

At that moment, Chen Xin and Chang Yu’s souls were trapped inside two large red sedan chairs, their beautiful faces pale with terror as they wailed in despair. They were already dressed in phoenix crowns and ceremonial robes, adorned for a wedding.

The red sedan chairs were like coffins with lids, offering no view of the outside world. The rushing wind seemed to tell them the chairs were moving swiftly, and fear had robbed them of all composure.

Chen Wan’er, her spiritual energy surging, chased after the two sedan chairs, leaving a trail of frost beneath her feet. The sudden chill covered the roadside flowers and plants in white.

The two sedan chairs floated eerily ahead, moving quickly. Chen Wan’er darted through the air, her frosty aura propelling her toward them.

With two sharp sounds, two white ribbons shot out, wrapping around the sedan chairs and pulling them down with a heavy thud.

The violent jolt nearly threw Chang Yu and Chen Xin from their seats. Eight ghostly bearers appeared, all clad in red, their grotesque smiles chilling to behold.

The chairs were turned to face Chen Wan’er, and eerie laughter echoed from all directions, striking at their very souls. The area was shrouded in darkness, mist began to spread, and under the moonlight, the place seemed especially sinister.

Chen Wan’er tried to drag the chairs back in one go, but the eight ghostly bearers were not so easily subdued. Dark ghostly energy crept along the ribbons toward Chen Wan’er, while her spiritual energy pushed back along the same path.

With a tearing sound, the two taut ribbons snapped under the clash of energies.

Eight ribbons, like tentacles, lunged at the eight ghosts. With barely any struggle, the ghosts were entangled, and Chen Wan’er’s spiritual energy exploded, covering them in frost. Before long, they were frozen solid, standing as blocks of ice.

With the ribbons gone, Chen Wan’er was about to step forward to pull the souls of Chen Xin and Chang Yu from the sedan chairs when, from the pitch-black sky, a sinister aura descended between the two chairs, bathed in moonlight.

Chen Wan’er halted, frowning at the apparition before her.

He had a handsome face, flowing hair, a cold and feminine smile, clad in a long red robe radiating an imposing air, and held a bizarre folding fan. This ghostly scholar, with a jade-like face, stood before Chen Wan’er.

No sooner had he landed than a torrent of ghostly energy spread out, causing the flowers and plants to wither. Soon, only the patch of ground beneath Chen Wan’er’s feet remained pure and vibrant.

"Why do you obstruct the marriage of my two brides and me?" the scholar asked, his ghostly energy swirling, hair wild, awaiting her reply.

"They are still alive. You dare defy heaven, taking living souls for your bride?"

He laughed coldly. "Alive or dead, that is none of your concern. I have chosen them, and I will marry them. If you are wise, stay out of this while I am in good spirits. Miss the auspicious hour, and you’ll find soul destruction is no pleasant fate," he said, each word slow and deliberate.

Chen Wan’er’s spiritual energy gradually faded; the ghost before her, with his overwhelming aura, was beyond her power to stop. She had to stall for time, awaiting Yang Chengzi’s arrival.

"Let them go, and I’ll return with you. The souls of these two are not yours to wed."

The ghost scholar gazed at Chen Wan’er, stroking his fan. "You are beautiful enough, but I desire the souls of the living. You, a ghost spirit, have no place here."

With that, he swept his sleeve, sending a surge of ghostly energy to crush Chen Wan’er. Unable to withstand it, she unleashed her spiritual power to resist.

Having restrained Chen Wan’er, the ghost scholar rose into the air, ghostly energy swirling around the sedan chairs, preparing to leave. Suddenly, meteoric fire fell from the sky behind him.

He looked back to see a tremendous shadow of a curse seal descending upon him. The surging ghost energy was instantly purified and scattered upon contact.

As if facing a dire threat, the ghost scholar unleashed his power, raising his fan to block the curse. The shadow of the North Star Divine Incantation landed on the fan, its force concentrated there.

The soul of the fan fractured like cracking ice, shattering with a brittle sound. The ghost scholar managed to withstand the divine curse using the fan’s soul, but resisting such power was not so easy.

With a heavy thud, the ghost scholar, who had been hovering in the sky, was struck by the divine force and crashed to the ground, staggering back two steps before stopping, his ghostly energy and meteoric fire spreading outward.

Sensing Yang Chengzi’s arrival, Chen Wan’er withdrew her spiritual energy, hiding within Yang Chengzi’s approaching consciousness.

The ghostly energy dissipated. Yang Chengzi, seeing the ghost scholar and the two sedan chairs, instantly understood the situation: the abduction of living souls for ghostly marriages, a bizarre phenomenon recorded only in rare texts, now encountered by a disciple of Mount Mao.

Yang Chengzi’s fury boiled. Who knew how many innocent lives had perished through such means? Had he not encountered it, he would have let it pass, but now, he could not let it remain in this world.

With determination, his fingers traced the Shangqing Sword, his hand forming seals as he began the Thunder Summoning Curse.

The folding fan in the ghost scholar’s hand was his ghostly artifact, its soul nearly shattered by Yang Chengzi’s attack. All his rage and ghostly energy poured into the fan. With a sharp sound, he snapped it open and swung it at Yang Chengzi.

As the fan swept forth, the soul of the artifact, riddled with cracks, swept at Yang Chengzi like a giant executioner’s blade.

"Gen is mountain, steadfastly defending Kaiyang. Qian is heaven, forcibly restraining Tianxuan." Yang Chengzi invoked the Eight Trigram Heavenly Array, instantly blocking the fan’s soul. He followed with an opening strike, shattering the already fractured soul into fragments, which drifted away as soul crystals.

With the soul gone, the fan became an ordinary fan, its overwhelming power vanished. The ghostly energy wrapped around the sedan chairs, attempting to flee.

"Xun is wind, sparrow seizes Tianshu." The Shangqing Sword sliced his palm, blood flowing.

"Qian is heaven, forcibly restraining Tianxuan." With the array shifting, Yang Chengzi appeared behind the ghost scholar.

His flowing hair had not yet settled when Yang Chengzi, palm bleeding, struck his back with the force of a falling star.

In an instant, the ghost scholar’s soul was annihilated, his fan dropping to the ground. As the ghostly energy vanished, the sedan chairs crashed down, and with a swipe of blood on them, they disappeared, leaving Chang Yu and Chen Xin’s souls to tumble to the earth.

Nearly half an incense stick had passed; their souls drawn out, delay any longer and their lives would be forfeit. With their souls in tow, Yang Chengzi sped back to Chen San.

Before he arrived, Yang Chengzi shouted, "Quick, take off their clothes and bare their backs!"

Chen San froze. Had he misheard? Or had Yang Chengzi misspoken? He was being told to undress them himself. No matter, Yang Chengzi’s orders were clear; he would comply.

He unbuttoned Chang Yu’s robe, pulled her hands from the sleeves, then turned her over so her back faced upward, her face down, and pulled her undergarments up to her shoulders. He did the same with Chen Xin.

Yang Chengzi hurried over, blood still dripping from his palm.

"Just like that. Move aside." He used his blood to draw soul-returning sigils on their backs, then turned his fingers. Before Chang Yu and Chen Xin’s souls arrived, they were drawn into their bodies.

Once their souls returned, Yang Chengzi finally relaxed and sat down heavily.

Chen San, seeing Chang Yu and Chen Xin’s souls restored, was overjoyed and, fearing they might catch cold, knelt between them to pull their undergarments down over their shoulders.

"Ah! Ah!" Two piercing screams echoed through the night, terrifying Linghu, who fled as a streak of white light.

Before Chen San could react, two crisp slaps landed on his cheeks.

Chang Yu and Chen Xin sat up, clutching their chests and hurriedly grabbing their robes beneath them. Chen San’s face burned, ten finger marks slowly appearing.

Chen San, his eyes wide and mouth agape, stared at the alluring scene, feeling something trickle from his nose.

"Turn around, or I’ll gouge your eyes out!" Chang Yu shouted, mortified.

Chen Xin blushed, lowering her head, unable to meet Chen San’s gaze. With Chang Yu’s rebuke, Chen San awkwardly wiped his face and turned away, still chuckling foolishly.

Yang Chengzi, to avoid any suspicion, leaned back, lying flat and gazing at the moon. Chen San, savoring the earlier spectacle, nearly drooled.

After a while, guessing the women had dressed, Chen San cautiously turned back, only to find Chang Yu’s murderous stare waiting for him.

"What did you just do to us?"

Chang Yu’s fury was palpable.

Chen San raised a hand to block her, stammering, "W-w-wait, listen, Yang Chengzi told me to undress you, your souls were lost, I was helping you return them, please, don’t make a scene."

"Don’t make a scene? You saw everything and still say don’t make a scene?"

Chang Yu attacked Chen San, but being much shorter, her flailing didn’t touch him. Chen San, bent over, explained while holding her at arm’s length.

"Why don’t you believe me? Ask Yang Chengzi!"

Desperate, Chen San looked to Yang Chengzi. Chang Yu, her head pressed by his hand, slowly turned to Yang Chengzi.

Yang Chengzi, now seated and wrapping his wounded hand, nodded.

"Yes, the clothes were removed at my request for soul retrieval, but I never told him to look."

Chen San stared in disbelief at Yang Chengzi. Chang Yu’s head slowly turned in his palm, a surge of killing intent directed straight at him.

With a scream, Chang Yu flew at him, kicking him squarely in the face. Chen San lost consciousness instantly, collapsing like a log.

"If it weren’t for the Young Master’s orders, you’d be dead tonight." Chang Yu, her anger dissipated, took on a gentle demeanor, walking to Yang Chengzi to help bandage his hand.

Yang Chengzi looked at Chen San lying on the ground, then at the now demure Chang Yu, shaking his head helplessly.

Chen Xin, though embarrassed, worried for Chen San after he was knocked out, turning him over and laughing at the red handprints on his face.

Yang Chengzi, bandaged, crouched beside Chen San. "He’s fine, girl. Chen San took a hard hit, but he’ll wake up tomorrow." He dragged Chen San back to the fire.

Chen Xin smiled and nodded, leaving Chen San alone to join Chang Yu, feeling a bit embarrassed herself.

"Was it too harsh?"

Chen Xin smiled shyly. "He was peeking; he deserved it."

"If he peeks again, I’ll kill him," Chang Yu added, making a threatening gesture.

Yang Chengzi had replenished the firewood. "Tonight’s troubles are over. The ghost is gone. Sleep peacefully."

Chang Yu seemed to have grown accustomed to this life, nodded, and lay down. Chen Xin obediently followed suit. Yang Chengzi, his face illuminated by firelight, closed his eyes and began to meditate, seated cross-legged.