Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
At that moment, I found it hard to believe. Originally facing the door, Xiao Xiao slowly turned around to face me. I mustered the courage to turn and face Xiao Xiao as well. The distance between us was less than thirty centimeters. Looking at Xiao Xiao's purple-tinged face made me feel uneasy, even though his eyes were closed. The aura of death emanating from him sent chills down my spine. Just as the corpse turned around, people began to murmur softly, their voices filled with disbelief and a hint of fear, which made my heart race. A couple of timid individuals had already exited the Main Hall, clearly unable to bear the sight.
I forced myself to remain calm, not out of fear, but because the atmosphere was so strange. I wasn't afraid of Spirit Gods, but interacting with a corpse was something I wasn't used to at all. Just as I managed to steady myself, Master Wu uttered a word that left me bewildered: "Open your eyes." My heart sank; before I could even think "not good," as soon as Master Wu finished saying "open your eyes," Xiao Xiao, now a corpse, suddenly opened his eyes wide and stared directly at me.
It was truly astonishing; that single moment almost made me cry out. You can never imagine how terrifying it is when a face that clearly belongs to a corpse suddenly opens its eyes. The gaze was filled with nothing but death and resentment—nothing else. I had seen many Spirit Gods' gazes before, but this was my first encounter with a corpse's stare.
I held back my scream, but many of the mourners around us couldn't handle it. Some screamed and ran outside, including Little Wu's Mother. After the command to open his eyes was given, chaos erupted in the room. Within just a few seconds, there were hardly any people left inside. Aside from both fathers, only Xiao Xiao's Mother and Grandfather of Xiao Wu remained, along with two elderly individuals. In the center of the room, I locked eyes with Xiao Xiao's corpse, as if two old friends were confirming each other's identities.
Master Wu then exclaimed: "Recognize each other!" The way he dragged out the last word felt prolonged. As soon as he finished speaking, something unbelievable happened: the corners of Xiao Xiao's mouth began to curl upwards slowly, as if he wanted to smile.
To be honest, I didn't know what to do at that moment. The fact that Xiao Xiao was smiling meant he confirmed it was indeed him. I understood this and wanted to respond with a smile too; however, I found myself frozen in shock and unable to smile at all.
Seeing Xiao Xiao smile prompted Master Wu to shout: "Good offering to heaven and earth." After he said this, Xiao Xiao's body slowly turned again to face the door. A few brave souls who had been peeking from outside screamed and ran away when they saw his body turn.
At this point, I couldn't help but chuckle inwardly; I had seen too many people act curious yet fearful in such situations before. It was my first time witnessing so many people together feeling this scared. I turned around as well and caught a glimpse of Xiao Xiao gradually bending at the waist like a slow-motion bowing gesture. This shocked me once more; I looked up at Headache Nightmare—she would surely carry this shadow for years to come because that scene was simply too bizarre. Standing next to the corpse felt entirely different from being an observer; the palpable aura of death and eerie atmosphere were not something an ordinary girl could withstand.
Many things are always different from what we imagine. When Master Wu called for the bowing ceremony for marriage, instead of turning slowly like before, Xiao Xiao suddenly whipped around quickly. Clearly, this was the moment he had been waiting for; it startled me.
I stared in disbelief at Xiao Xiao's corpse-like face; his smile widened grotesquely as if it might become deformed. His eyes opened wider still, seemingly about to pop out of their sockets—this alone was unsettling enough. Even more astonishingly, his head began to tilt slightly to the right as if he were curiously examining me. After a few seconds, he started bending down again slowly; this movement lacked the previous speed and returned to its earlier sluggish pace.
Just when I thought we were nearing an end, Master Wu shouted: "Not good! Xiao Liu, quickly bow down!" Hearing this left me stunned and conflicted. Bowing down wasn't something to take lightly; an inner voice warned me against it—absolutely do not bow down! When Master Wu urged again: "Hurry up, Xiao Liu," I made my decision then and there—I felt that even if I didn’t bow down now, whatever consequences arose could be dealt with later. So I stubbornly refused to bow.
But then something unexpected happened.
After smiling at me while bending down for several seconds without straightening up again, just when I was puzzled by this delay, he suddenly shot back up straight again. That smiling face was replaced by one filled with rage; his eyes widened even more than before—now they seemed almost exaggeratedly large—and instead of emptiness in his gaze, there was pure anger radiating from him. It didn’t take much thought to realize something had gone terribly wrong. Seeing this reaction from Master Wu only confirmed my fears: we were in trouble.
Master Wu's words sent a wave of panic through the remaining few in the room, including Xiao Xiao's parents. "Everyone, get out!" he shouted. I knew that Xiao Xiao's spirit was about to become restless. Quickly, I pulled a compass from my pocket and checked the spirit's reaction. It was indeed agitated. With Master Wu ordering everyone outside, I raised my hand and pressed a Soul Fixation Talisman onto Xiao Xiao, then began to chant the Soul Requiem. Once everyone had exited, Master Wu immediately shut the door and released the rope he had been holding, letting it sway in the air.
What had started as a Yin Marriage had suddenly turned into a Ghostly Affair. I realized this was mostly my doing; I had thought that burning that talisman would eliminate the need for further rituals. But now that the situation had unfolded, I had to clean up the mess I had created. Even though Master Wu had closed the door, without sealing it with a talisman, it was still unsafe. I called out to Master Wu, "Master Wu, can you give me your other talisman? Can I send it away directly?"
Master Wu replied tersely, "At this point, what else can we do?" He then pulled out another talisman and called Little Wu back inside.
As I completed the chanting of the Soul Requiem, the spirit's agitation within the compass gradually subsided. I set up a Soul Calling Array and summoned Xiao Xiao's spirit once more. When it saw Xiao Wu, its struggling body slowly relaxed; perhaps in its heart, Xiao Wu was the only one who could bring it peace.
Master Wu approached Xiao Wu and whispered something in her ear. Afterward, Xiao Wu slowly walked in front of Xiao Xiao's spirit and began to speak softly, "Xiao, we are already married; you can rest now." She repeated this phrase twenty-one times. As she began speaking, I ignited the talisman Master Wu had given me.
This time, I refrained from continuing because my goal was simply to change Xiao Xiao's perception: they were already married. That was enough. The moment Xiao Wu finished speaking, Xiao Xiao's spirit dissipated on its own. Throughout it all, a faint smile remained on Xiao Xiao's lips; she seemed to leave in peace.
I improvised a one-way ritual for worship; only Xiao Wu could perform this act as she was the sole connection to this matter. It was only fitting for her to complete this final step—providing herself closure and giving an explanation for her devotion to Xiao Xiao while also addressing this ill-fated union that should never have existed.
After some busy work, it became clear that only the person who tied the knot could untie it. Perhaps this was the best outcome; although it was ultimately a deception, it yielded the most favorable result.
Deceiving the living into finding peace and comforting the dead’s soul—what reason could there be for such deception not to exist?
After everything was done, Master Wu showed no signs of anger; instead, he treated me with unexpected courtesy. Perhaps he wasn't disappointed with how things turned out. Once we finished our tasks, we proceeded with dinner as usual. When the door opened, everyone set up tables in the small space outside. Xiao Wu and I sat facing a spot in the main hall where Xiao Xiao still stood in silence. According to Yin Marriage customs, she was meant to remain there for one night.
Although the issue had been resolved, the atmosphere lacked its previous liveliness; dinner felt heavy and somber. I thought that aside from a few individuals genuinely preoccupied with their own matters, most attendees likely felt uneasy with a corpse still standing in the Main Hall—yet regardless of how they felt, this situation had reached a satisfactory conclusion for everyone involved. Throughout it all, Xiao Wu hadn’t taken a single bite; she kept her gaze fixed on what remained of her beloved—Xiao Xiao—or rather, on Xiao Xiao’s Corpse.
That night, I didn’t return to Xiao Wu’s home because there wasn’t enough space; instead, I stayed at the Xiao Family residence. They arranged for me to sleep in the room where Xiao Xiao had lived—a clean space devoid of clutter except for some photos of her and Xiao Wu. In one drawer lay a diary that began with: "The happy times I spent with XX." I didn’t continue reading; instead, I quietly put away that diary—it might have been something for Xiao Wu from Xiao Xiao. Now that Xiao Xiao was gone, it should be preserved by her instead.
The next day, I went to find Xiao Wu early and handed the diary to her. After she accepted it, she thanked me again. I told her I was going to continue with my plans. Xiao Wu asked where I was going, and I replied that I was heading to Crane Crying Mountain, the birthplace of our Taoism.
Xiao Wu said, "Can I go with you? I want to pray for Xiao Xiao and truly do something for him." I nodded, and after having breakfast, Xiao Wu and I prepared to set off for Crane Crying Mountain. On the way, we stopped by to visit Master Wu. He gifted me a handwritten book with the title: "Soul Marries Ghost: The Fate of Underworld Marriage." He casually remarked, "You're a good kid. I don't have any disciples, so take this book and have a look. It contains a lot of things you might want to understand." After thanking Master Wu, I officially left the charmingly named town of Tianxing Town.
A thousand-mile relationship is connected by a single thread; the Yin Marriage between Xiao Xiao and Xiao Wu is more than just a thousand miles, yet that connection is merely a fleeting thought. And in that thought, how many people are worthy of it, and how many know how to cherish it?
Comment 0 Comment Count