After the wedding ceremony, she was escorted to the room by two maids.
Hearing a knock on the door, Ye Ziling quickly hid the silver hairpin in her sleeve.
Under the flickering white candles, she could only see the smooth curve of a jawline and the subtle upturn of lips.
This man possessed a pair of peach blossom eyes, his narrow eyes exuding a subtle, enchanting allure, and the smile at the corner of his lips was captivating.
Ye Ziling felt her entire body stiffen, her palm closing slightly, the silver hairpin hidden in her sleeve stirring restlessly.
The man remained silent, chuckling as he lifted her veil. To his surprise, the bride acted uncharacteristically, suddenly producing a sharp sword from nowhere, its tip pointed directly at herself.
The moment the veil was lifted, Ye Ziling was stunned. The white gauze curtain, the white silk… Everything around them, except for her and the man dressed in red, was white.
A strange wind blew open the window, stirring up a haze of misty fog.
Seeing her face, the man showed no surprise, his expression one of expectation. A flicker of admiration even crossed his luminous eyes, and the corner of his lips curled slightly.
As if anticipating her move, he dodged sideways, his two fingers expertly catching the tip of her sword. His smile was wicked and enchanting, his wedding robe accentuating his appearance, making him seem like a blooming Lycoris radiata. “My wife has such a cruel heart.”
Upon hearing this, a familiar image flashed through Ye Ziling’s mind.
This tone, this expression, overlapped with a scene from her memory.
Just then, the main door was blown open by an eerie wind, a cascade of white paper swirling into the room. A group of people with vacant expressions drifted in from outside.
The leaders, one in black and one in white, held a white wedding placard, their chilling wails seeming to emanate from the underworld.
Seeing this, the man frowned, flicked his sleeve with a flourish, and the eerie wind outside instantly dissipated. He closed the door, shielding the falling white paper from view.
The sandalwood incense wafted upwards in the room. With the surroundings a blur of white, even the scent felt extraordinarily eerie.
Was this a folk wedding?
She had no time to ponder, reaching out to strike the man. He deftly dodged, grasping her wrist. The immortal energy he had gathered dissipated once more.
She frowned, looking at him in disbelief. The man continued to gaze at her with a half-smile, his red robe exuding even more arrogance and boldness, the tear mole by his eye enhancing his seductive charm.
This feeling was becoming increasingly familiar.
“Ling Xi?” Ye Ziling asked, half-doubtingly.
The man smiled without speaking, covering her lips with one hand and pushing her against the door. The door closed again, the howling wind once more blocked outside.
Li Fuhua’s face gradually faded, replaced by an extraordinarily handsome countenance. Dressed in a fiery red groom’s robe that framed his face, his every glance was imbued with boundless charm.
Ling Xi’s brow furrowed, and he whispered to her, “Yin Formation.”
Ye Ziling suddenly understood. No wonder the maids had such strange expressions earlier. It turned out that the Li Mansion had been set up with a formidable Yin Formation, and those maids were not human at all.
And the spirits outside were here to escort the bride back to the underworld.
“The souls of the underworld can operate within the range of the Yin Formation. As soon as the door opens, those souls will come to take people away.”
Ling Xi released his hand, turned, and sat on a chair. “I discovered Li Fuhua’s corpse at the alley entrance. The body had already decomposed. He died at least five days ago.”
Ye Ziling was taken aback. It was no wonder she had found the people in the Li Mansion so peculiar since she first entered – their complexions were dark and sallow, they remained silent, and all of them were draped in white cloths.
With such a grand display, this being was no ordinary demon, but the King of Ten Thousand Ghosts from the underworld.
No wonder even Jade Rabbit was no match for him.
“So, Li Fuhua died a few days ago, and a demon possessed his body?”
Ye Ziling’s gaze deepened as she asked him.
Ling Xi nodded, picked up a wine pot, and poured a cup. The liquid flowing from the spout was red.
Ye Ziling was no longer surprised and continued, “Then, where did the King of Ten Thousand Ghosts go?”
She was now only interested in the demon core of the Ghost King.
Ling Xi shook his head, gazing at the blood on the table, his eyes profound.
“Also,” Ye Ziling’s expression tightened slightly, leaning closer to him, her eyes fixed on his face, a deep confusion and curiosity flashing within them, far more serious than usual.
Ling Xi put down the wine cup, noticing her uncharacteristic lack of composure. He thought she was frightened by the imposing presence of the spirits and said with a faint smile, “What? Miss Ye, are you scared too?”
Ye Ziling shook her head, staring at him with a serious expression, scrutinizing his face as if investigating. “Where did you learn that face-changing technique?”
Why did this guy have so many evil arts? It made her want to learn them too.
Ling Xi was slightly taken aback, then smiled with mock seriousness. “It’s an ancestral art, not passed down to outsiders. What, Miss Ye, are you interested?”
He raised an eyebrow, appraising her, his gaze overtly bold, a wicked curve forming at the corner of his lips. He did not forget to tease, “However, Miss Ye has already married me, so you’re not an outsider anymore.”
Ye Ziling: “……”
[System: ……]
Ye Ziling was speechless, but she had indeed married him just now.
[System: Good heavens, when did my face-changing technique become your family’s ancestral art?]
Ling Xi sat casually to the side, his fingers incessantly turning a teacup, looking as if it had nothing to do with him.
After they chatted for a long time, the spirits outside the door grew more numerous. Ye Ziling’s face finally showed some impatience, and she snorted, “It seems Scholar Ling also doesn’t know how to break this formation. There’s no other way now, why don’t we force our way through?”
Ling Xi did not want to force his way through. He had not yet discovered the reason for the Ghost King’s actions, and alerting him would be detrimental.
“If we force our way through, I fear we will alert the serpent. I guess Miss Ye wouldn’t want the demon core she’s after to disappear into thin air, would she?” Ling Xi’s smile was meaningful, having already guessed her intention for coming to the Li Mansion.
However, the elite had already collected hundreds of demon cores, far surpassing the disciples taking the immortal examinations. Their martial examination pass rate was 100%. Why was she still not satisfied?
“What are Scholar Ling’s insightful opinions?” Ye Ziling narrowed her eyes, a smile flashing within them.
Ling Xi toyed with the red blood in his cup, glancing at her indifferently, smiling calmly, and uttering a single word: “Wait.”