Chapter 57: Betrothal Gifts

Chapter 57 Betrothal Gifts

With the scattering of the ghostly wind, tranquility returned to the hall. The candles burned mutely, their flames flickering faintly as the dense yin energy cloaking the chamber dissolved away.

Xie Lingxi and the others lacked the sensory perception of a Night Wanderer, yet by sheer intuition, they could feel that the main hall had become safe.

The Fire Demon’s gaze was sharp and probing, his tone laced with a touch of astonishment and a hint of pleasant surprise as he asked, "You are a Night Wanderer? You are actually a Night Wanderer..."

To drive away a resentful spirit with a mere reprimand—the profession of this Wang Tai was entirely self-evident.

"Is it that strange? Jinshui Amusement Park features supernatural elements, so matching with a Night Wanderer is perfectly normal," Zhang Yuanqing replied with a smile. "Everyone, I cannot guarantee success for the other attractions, but in this haunted house, before we meet the Ghost Bride, I can still offer you some protection."

The four teammates exchanged glances, all seeing the joy in one another's eyes.

They had not expected to have a rare profession within their ranks.

In a supernatural instance swarming with ghosts and monsters, having a Night Wanderer to escort them was far more reliable than most items.

After all, the Night Wanderer was perfectly suited for this specialty.

All at once, the way the four teammates looked at Zhang Yuanqing became filled with a sense of dependence.

"We only have an hour, so let us not delay. Let’s see if there are any clues here." Zhang Yuanqing’s gaze swept across the hall. Blessed with night vision, he quickly locked onto the offering table behind the grand armchair.

Lifting his feet and walking to the table, he found a sheet of red paper pressed beneath the bottom of a blue-and-white porcelain plate piled high with peanuts and longans.

Zhang Yuanqing picked up the red paper and examined it beneath the candlelight:

"Betrothal Gifts: Steelyard, Gold Hairpin, Medicinal Wine, Wedding Quilt."

The others gathered around as well.

Xie Lingxi pinched her chin, her bright eyes flashing as she said, "These things are not typical betrothal gifts, but since it is written this way on the paper, it should mean we need to find these four items and treat them as the betrothal gifts."

Finding these four items was equivalent to becoming a groom who possessed the betrothal gifts.

Great Sage Equal to Heaven asked, "What happens if we do not find them?"

The Fire Demon replied, "Death, of course. After finding the betrothal gifts, will the Ghost Bride choose one of us?"

Zhang Yuanqing said, "Why choose just one instead of everyone entering the bridal chamber together?"

Seeing his teammates staring at him expressionlessly, Zhang Yuanqing shrugged. "Just a joke to lighten the mood. You all possess absolutely no sense of humor."

His teammates looked even more expressionless.

Xishi rolled her eyes, and Xie Lingxi continued, "The outline of this task is becoming clear. In one hour, the Ghost Bride will select a husband. The criterion for selection is a groom who possesses the betrothal gifts. Therefore, we need to find the four betrothal gifts within this grand mansion.

"However, whether the chosen lucky one will gain a slim chance at survival or face certain death, that remains unknown."

The Fire Demon looked the young girl up and down. "Do you really not remember the contents of the guide?"

Her analysis was perfectly logical and methodical.

Xie Lingxi pouted, putting on a wronged expression. "I really do not know."

Zhang Yuanqing glanced at the number of people in the team, his heart tightening.

If things proceeded according to the current clues, two outcomes would emerge. First, finding the four betrothal gifts would be deemed as the entire team fulfilling the requirements, and they would then wait for the Ghost Bride's favor.

Second, the four betrothal gifts could only guarantee that four people met the requirements, and those who failed to do so would undoubtedly die.

The first outcome was manageable, but if it were the second...

Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself:

"If it is the second outcome, then once the instance reaches this stage, infighting will inevitably break out within the team. When that time comes, the number of survivors might not even exceed four. No wonder items and skills were not sealed; this is forcing us to kill one another. An S-class instance truly holds deadly perils at every step..."

If it really came to that scenario, how many members would be left in the team?

As the captain, he possessed a hidden quest, and the team size could not fall below three people.

Furthermore, the aspect of selecting a husband also served to delude human minds, giving people the impression that only the person chosen by the bride would have a slim chance of survival. By force of habit, the fortunate one is always granted preferential treatment...

But Zhang Yuanqing was certain that whoever was chosen by the bride would face a dead end.

The reason was simple: first, the old version operated this way; second, if only the chosen one could live, then the hidden quest would be meaningless.

No matter how hard one tried, only one person would be left by this point.

Whether members were lost or not, what would be the difference?

Of course, if the Ghost Bride were a fickle, unfaithful soul, that would be a different matter entirely.

The Ghost Bride phase might only kill one person, but the danger within this haunted house phase was definitely not limited to the Ghost Bride. First, there was the crisis of team infighting, and second, there were the other resentful spirits within the haunted house... As the captain, this instance was truly too difficult. If there was no high reward upon final completion, it would be downright unreasonable. Fortunately, I possess the divine artifact, the Demon-Subduing Pestle; even if I face the Ghost Bride directly, I am not afraid... Thinking up to this point, Zhang Yuanqing subconsciously scanned his teammates, only to find their gazes dark and brooding, already beginning to guard against one another.

No one was a fool.

Zhang Yuanqing coughed once:

"Time is short. Let us find the betrothal gifts first. Everyone keep close to me and do not separate. Ordinary resentful spirits will find it difficult to approach me."

On such an occasion, his words carried the most weight, as everyone still had to rely on his profession.

Promptly, the group bypassed the screen wall behind the main hall and arrived at the inner courtyard. Looking out, the corridors wound in twists and turns, hung with red lanterns whose deep crimson candlelight cast the shadows of trees, flowerbeds, and rockeries.

In the distance, one could faintly see arched doorways connecting to other courtyards, with ridge-roofed houses standing in an orderly alignment within the night.

The Ghost Bride truly is the daughter of a wealthy family... Zhang Yuanqing lamented in his heart.

Judging by the scale of this mansion, it was at least a three-entry residence.

He gazed over the layout of the buildings, turning back to urge the others, "The yin energy here is very heavy, keep close to me..."

His voice stopped abruptly. Behind him was completely empty, without a single figure in sight.

The teammates had vanished.

This is getting a bit terrifying... Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath, but without pausing his steps, he continued forward.

He had to find them as quickly as possible. None of these people were Night Wanderers, and though their skills and items were not sealed, their means of dealing with spiritual bodies were limited. If they encountered a troublesome resentful spirit, they could die at any moment.

He passed through the garden and saw a candle burning inside a room ahead. The candlelight was very dim, projecting eerily through the lattice window.

Meanwhile, the other rooms were cast in pitch darkness.

Zhang Yuanqing walked into the corridor with cautious care, approaching the room. He focused his senses; the interior was chillingly gloomy with yin energy, but no resentful spirit was entrenched within.

Stealthily pushing open the lattice door, the scene inside met his eyes.

This appeared to be a lady's bedchamber. To the east lay a bed, its curtains hanging low. In the center stood a round table, and by the window was a dressing table, with a bronze mirror aimed directly at the doorway.

A steelyard rod forged from pure gold lay quietly in front of the dressing table.

Zhang Yuanqing stepped over the threshold, turned around to close the door, and walked up to the dressing table to pick up the golden steelyard. It was barely half an arm's length, about the thickness of a thumb.

This contraption was used to lift the bride's red wedding veil, symbolizing "as one's heart desires."

"It is not that difficult after all, finding one right away..."

Just as Zhang Yuanqing was about to leave the room, he suddenly heard a crackle of static current. From the Elvis speaker tucked in his pocket, a voice drifted out:

"On that day, she came to Jinshui Amusement Park..."

This wretched thing always makes sounds at the wrong time. Hmm, what is it trying to say? Come to think of it, it’s also part of the amusement park, so maybe it knows something… Zhang Yuanqing shifted his attention to the Elvis speaker, hoping it would say something.

This time, the Elvis speaker did not disappoint; the voice continued:

“The spirits in the haunted house tremble and prostrate themselves on the ground. The great being did not trouble the weak resentful ghosts; she instructed the bride to find a young man. That young man’s name is: Yuanshi Tianzun!”

Zhang Yuanqing’s mind buzzed, as if struck by lightning, and he stood completely frozen.

Looking for me? Looking for me!!

Who wants to find me, and why?

Shock and confusion surged up, and then he understood who it was.

The Lady of Sandao Mountain!

“The official announcement from the Taiyi Sect said that a powerful Boss triggered the changes in the spiritual realm. The introduction of Jinshui Amusement Park said that after sleeping for ages, that being was astonished by all the novel little things in the world. These details all match the Lady of Sandao Mountain…

“I awakened the Lady of Sandao Mountain. She’s looking for me because the Demon-subduing Pestle contains half of her Yang soul… Fuck, this old hag’s ghost won’t let me go. Can’t she just leave me alone? I’m still a child…”

Deep down, Zhang Yuanqing knew the score: if he kept leveling up, he would inevitably face the Lady of Sandao Mountain sooner or later.

But that should have happened after he became a high-level spiritual realm walker, using the Yang soul in the Demon-subduing Pestle to negotiate a deal with the Lady.

Never did he imagine that the old hag had power reaching the heavens, able even to influence low-level spiritual realms.

“Damn it, I knew the mission couldn’t be that simple. Now it seems that taking out the Demon-subduing Pestle would only expose my identity?”

The Lady was looking for him, precisely for the Demon-subduing Pestle.

“In a spiritual realm influenced by the Lady, as soon as I take out the Demon-subduing Pestle, the old hag will come charging over. What would happen to me then? Who knows if the boss in this spiritual realm has any moral standards—what if it casually crushes me like an ant?”

After weighing his options repeatedly, Zhang Yuanqing decided to hide his identity and continue the mission without using the Demon-subduing Pestle.

The consequence of exposing himself could be facing the terrifying deity of the Lady of Sandao Mountain directly—too many variables.

If he kept going with the mission and could clear the haunted house, nothing would happen. If he truly reached a dead end, he could still take out the Demon-subduing Pestle.

Having thought through the pros and cons, he no longer panicked. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he suddenly saw in the bronze mirror that the door had been pushed open.

Startled, he spun around quickly, only to find the door closed, not open.

What’s going on? Zhang Yuanqing turned back in confusion, returning his gaze to the bronze mirror. At that glance, his pupils contracted.

In the bronze mirror, a woman in a white dress with disheveled hair appeared. She stepped over the threshold and entered the room in a bizarre posture.

The room reflected in the bronze mirror seemed different from the room he was in.

The woman in white walked to the dressing mirror in that strange posture and sat down.

At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing finally understood why her gait was so odd—she was walking backward.

The next scene could frighten an ordinary person to death: the woman in the mirror raised her hand, removed her head, and cradled it in her arms.

Her hand had bluish-black skin, with long, pitch-black, sharp nails.

The hair of the head spread out, revealing the woman’s face: a pair of eerie white pupils, a deathly pale complexion, and black lips. She stared fixedly at the bronze mirror, as if gazing at Zhang Yuanqing in another world.

This female ghost lacks looks… Zhang Yuanqing quickly backed away, intending to retreat from the room.

But the disheveled hair in the mirror seemed to come alive, rising like tentacles and thrusting violently into the mirror’s surface.

The bronze mirror rippled. Clusters of hair strands pierced through, winding around Zhang Yuanqing’s wrists and body, tightening relentlessly, as if to drag him into the mirror.

“Hmph!”

Viscous black light surged in Zhang Yuanqing’s eyes. He opened his mouth and sucked with all his might.

Soul Devour!

This skill, which could suppress resentful spirits, only slowed the hair’s entanglement; it could not devour the female ghost in the mirror.

This female ghost is strong, not an ordinary resentful spirit… Zhang Yuanqing’s feet slid forward bit by bit, drawing closer to the bronze mirror.

He quickly thought up countermeasures: avoid using the Demon-subduing Pestle if possible; Bloodthirsty Blade was a physical-damage item, useless against spirits; Red Dancing Shoes’ attacks were also physical, stomping ineffective on spirits…

After racking his brains, I choose you, Xiaodoubi!!

Zhang Yuanqing exhaled a stream of Yin energy and summoned Xiaodoubi.

“Aba…” The round, adorable infant spirit landed on the dressing table, lazily stretching its limbs. Then it saw the female ghost in the mirror.

In an instant, like a startled cat, the infant spirit rolled off the dressing table with a speed unbefitting its age, scrambling and tumbling, and cowered behind Zhang Yuanqing, wailing in terror.

…Zhang Yuanqing cursed, “Useless thing, get it!”

He transmitted the attack command to the infant spirit.

“Aba Aba!”

Obeying orders was the nature of a spirit servant. The infant spirit raised its faint eyebrows, let out two ferocious cries, grabbed Zhang Yuanqing’s pant leg, climbed up to his shoulder, and lunged with all its might.

Its round, chubby little body pierced through the bronze mirror and plastered itself onto the female ghost’s face.

Zhang Yuanqing immediately calmed his emotions, shifted his consciousness into the infant spirit, and swapped away the female ghost’s perception.

The female ghost’s eerie face went blank, as if she had suddenly lost her mind.

The deadly hair, like steel wires, lost its sustaining power and drooped limply.

Well done!

Zhang Yuanqing instantly recalled Xiaodoubi, let it perch on top of his head, and turned to flee.

The infant spirit’s ability lasted only three seconds, but it was enough for him to escape the room.

Bursting through the door and leaping over the threshold, Zhang Yuanqing had just returned to the garden when he heard a “bang” behind him. Looking back, the candlelight in that room had gone out, leaving utter darkness.

In the inner courtyard, eerie winds blew. Many resentful spirits lurked in the distance, craving the aura of the Night Wanderer but also fearing its pressure, not daring to approach.

“I need to find them quickly, before they all die…”

Zhang Yuanqing swiftly left this garden, passed through an arched gate, and entered the next courtyard. He soon saw Xie Lingxi.

The little girl was standing in front of a vat in the corner, her upper body plunged into it, hands gripping the rim as she struggled fiercely. Something inside seemed to be pulling her.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t pull herself out of the vat.

Gradually, her struggling grew weaker and weaker…

Zhang Yuanqing approached slowly, catching a strong smell of alcohol. He bent down to look: the vat held dark liquid, and an infant spirit trailing an umbilical cord was swimming inside. The cord was wrapped around Xie Lingxi’s neck, dragging her under.

Zhang Yuanqing cupped Xiaodoubi in both hands, ignored its struggles, and dropped it into the vat.

Seeing a fellow spirit enter, the umbilical cord infant spirit immediately released the cord and bared its teeth at Xiaodoubi.

Zhang Yuanqing grabbed Xie Lingxi by the shoulders and yanked hard, pulling her out of the vat.

“Cough, cough…”

Xie Lingxi coughed violently, her face reddening. Her bangs and side hair were wetly plastered to her forehead and cheeks.

After a dozen seconds, she calmed the discomfort in her lungs and, seeing Zhang Yuanqing’s face, burst into tears of joy:

“Brother Wang Tai, you came to save me! Boohoo, I never want to enter a spiritual realm related to the Night Wanderer again—it’s too, too scary…”

This was her first time in a copy with supernatural elements.

“How did you end up here?” Zhang Yuanqing stared at the vat.

Two infant spirits fought in the wine, biting and grappling with each other, sending ripples through the dark liquid.

Xie Lingxi stood on tiptoe, peered into the vat, and recalling how much she had just drunk, she retched: "So disgusting, so disgusting..."

After expressing her disgust, she finally answered Zhang Yuanqing:

"Brother Wang Tai, I was following you out of the main hall when a fog rolled in, and I found you all gone. I went to look for you, and before I knew it, I ended up here. Then I smelled the wine and followed the scent to this vat.

"I thought this must be one of the betrothal gifts. Just as I lifted the wooden lid, a rope reached out from inside the vat and pulled me into the water."

She looked at the umbilical infant spirit in the vat, thought about the liquid she had just choked on, and her face turned deathly pale: "So disgusting, so disgusting..."

Zhang Yuanqing silently calculated the time and studied the girl: "You can hold your breath for quite a while."

Xie Lingxi shook her head and said in a sweet voice: "I have a tool that restores vitality. Without it, I would have drowned in that vat long ago."

As she spoke, she raised her fair wrist, where a green jade bracelet was worn.

A bracelet that restores vitality... Is this girl also a wood elemental? Her aura doesn't seem like it... Zhang Yuanqing grunted in acknowledgment, not paying much attention to the bracelet, and said:

"Come with me to find them. I hope we're not too late."

Xie Lingxi collected some of the liquid, while Zhang Yuanqing recalled Little Dobi, who had for the first time in his life fought someone his age. They walked along the cobblestone path deeper into the mansion.

"By the way, give me that card."

"Huh? What card?"

"Don't play dumb. The card you took from the parking lot. I saw you put it in your back pocket."