Chapter 263 - 263 261 Re-entering the City

Words : 1468 Updated : Oct 7th, 2025

263: Chapter 261: Re-entering the City 263: Chapter 261: Re-entering the City Luckily, these paper mache men weren’t endowed with high spiritual wisdom. They just felt a slight awkwardness and surprise, but had no other thoughts. The short sedan chair bearer held Baili An’s hand, pulling him to the side with a laugh that was sharp, hoarse, and cold, “Young Master, please get into the sedan chair.” Baili An had an odd look on his face as he glanced at the delicate and beautifully red sedan chair, then at the imposing array of ghost soldiers. It seemed he was the one to ride in the sedan chair. Before he could raise any objections, he was pushed and prodded into the sedan chair by two paper mache men. The journey was bumpy and jolting. Soon, the bridal procession arrived at the Tao family’s house. At the deserted entrance of the mansion, no one was to be seen. A cold wind blew through, rolling up the withered leaves. The lead paper mache man struck a battered gong with a clang that echoed to the heavens, “The bride sets forth!” The empty mansion was devoid of people, who had long fled to avoid disaster. Baili An lifted the curtain to peek out, casting a strange gaze toward the Tao’s main gate, thinking perhaps Fang Geyu was not at the Tao family’s house. Dark clouds surged in the sky, growing sparser, revealing the contours of the bright moon, casting a pallid glow over the ghost Qi within the border city’s Immortal City. Yet from the leading two paper mache men, a chill, murderous intent began to emanate from their lifeless bodies. “Clang!” Another resounding gong strike, with the bronze surface of the battered gong reflecting a hint of blood-red light. “The bride sets forth!” The voice was stern and pressing, clearly foretelling the trouble of wild ghosts if a person wasn’t seen tonight. Still, no one came out. “Clang! Clang! Clang!” The gong’s sound grew more muffled, about to shatter, with even the moonlight taking on an ominous blood-hued cast. Right as two shadows on the ground were about to leave the surface, a fiery, petite figure appeared at the main entrance. Followed by a voice filled with exasperation, “Knock, knock, knock! It’s driving people mad, keep it up, and I’ll screw your head off!” Fang Geyu appeared in a red outfit, loosely dressed, with ties and knots in disarray, and her hair was also done up in a mess, her phoenix crown not on her head but held in her arms, certainly not disdaining its weight. It was because Miss Fang Da, accustomed to a life where food was brought to her mouth and clothes to her hand, lacked basic life skills. For her, even tying bootlaces was a challenge, let alone putting on her full bridal attire, harder than undergoing a tribulation. Woken abruptly, Miss Fang Da began to show her irritation upon getting out of bed, stepping forward and dragging the long red wedding gown behind her like the sweeping tail of a brocaded carp. She snatched the battered gong from the paper mache man’s hand and slammed it down hard on his head. It tipped his head to one side with a thunk. The paper-made cheek caved in deeply, hissing as air escaped, emitting an impolite fart-like noise. The paper mache man without facial features somehow conveyed a feeling of speechless grievance. In all the years of leading bridal processions, he had never seen such a brash bride. Baili An too was speechless. Just how tired must one be to still find sleep at a time like this tonight? Fang Geyu tossed aside the gong, dusted off her hands, and looked toward another tall, faceless paper mache man. Her delicate little face showed dissatisfaction and reproach, “This bridal procession is so incompetent. You placed the mark and said you would come for me in three days, but not the hour. I fell asleep waiting, and you arrive late, clanging that broken gong—is this a wedding or a funeral?” The paper mache men felt wrongly accused, thinking to themselves that a Yin ghost bridal procession always takes place at midnight. Now was the auspicious time, so where did this claim of being late come from? Clearly, the bride herself overslept and missed the timing. But was this the personality of the young lady from the Tao family? When Fang Geyu’s morning temper flared up, there was no reasoning with her. She lifted the curtain intending to crawl back in for more sleep. But before her hand reached it, a sedan chair bearer stopped her, pointing to a black horse as tall as two Fang Geyus, looming like a little hill, “Young lady, please mount the horse for the journey.” Fang Geyu was shocked, “You expect the bride to ride a horse?!” “It’s the custom.” Fang Geyu’s face changed with discontent, and the drowsiness in her eyes seemed ready to devour someone. But the spoiled Miss Fang Da, knowing that she must attend to important matters, suppressed her frustration and mounted the horse. Just as she approached the horse, Fang Geyu’s face darkened. The Yin horse stood over three meters tall. With her small stature, Fang Geyu’s head didn’t even reach the stirrups. Was she supposed to scurry up like a monkey, hopping and jumping onto it? Just imagining the scene made one wish for a sword to stab the horse and leave it with seventeen or eighteen gaping holes. What kind of ghostly tradition was this! Laughter sounded from inside the sedan chair, from Baili An. Fang Geyu became angry and embarrassed, “Laugh, laugh, laugh! What’s so funny? You’re sitting in a big red bridal sedan like some girl!” Miss Fang Da sure had a temper tonight. Baili An stepped out of the sedan chair, not hindered by the paper mache men. He approached Fang Geyu, the cold wind filling his sleeves, making his neatly dressed clothes flutter in dance. Above in the heavens was endless darkness. Within the Immortal City burned eternal lights. He smiled, taking the phoenix crown held in Fang Geyu’s arms and placing it on her head, slightly bending over to match her height. He then adjusted her coat’s collar and meticulously tied the sash of her robe. Fang Geyu, accustomed to a privileged upbringing and the attendant service of servants and maids, found Baili An’s gestures indistinguishable from theirs, yet inexplicably felt an odd and awkward discomfort. His fingers were measured and careful, never touching her skin or body. Yet as his bent figure and slender fingers deftly tied her ribbons came into view, why did it make one’s heart itch tantalizingly? She irritably rubbed his face, “Hey, I can’t get on.” Truth be told, with her cultivation, she could jump up on her own. Baili An chuckled again, “You should hurry and grow taller then.” A gentle and soft laughter reflected the city’s lights in his green eyes. Before Fang Geyu could become angry, he stepped forward, lifted her in his arms, and placed her atop the horseback. Baili An then straightened her clothes, and as he looked up, a flash of red reflected in his eyes, as if seized by a momentary daze. He didn’t know where this fleeting sense of familiarity came from, only that it felt strangely familiar. The odd thought passed, and he smiled again, “After all, this is a grand feast organized by Ghost himself; let’s just conform to local customs.” Indeed, as Baili An expected, this bridal party proceeded by water. Whether it was the grand red sedan chair or the tall black horse, it seemed they each possessed certain Water Control abilities. The black horse entered the river and spontaneously formed a spherical aura with a five-meter diameter around it, isolating itself from the outside water. Sitting securely inside the sedan chair, Baili An could lift the curtain to find himself untouched by water, a truly marvelous feat. Although he could hear the Wang Chen water outside, eerily, the solemn and depressing sound of the suona still lingered around his ears. Unknowingly, the sensation of floating and sinking in the water faded away, replaced by a solid and stable sense of being grounded. Ahead, two eerie green Ghost Fires hovered, seemingly guiding the way for the paper mache men. Baili An could distinctly feel a sudden surge in the Spiritual Power surrounding him, as the procession traveled deeper into the Inner City. The Spiritual Energy also grew denser. But with time, amongst the rich Spiritual Power, a subtle malevolent presence emerged. Some days ago, when Baili An had ventured into the Inner City, he hadn’t detected any such Yin evil presence.

Chapter 263 - 263 261 Re-entering the City

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