Chapter Complete (4,000 words)
“Ah?”
Liu Zining’s expression froze instantly.
“Sis… you’re not joking, are you?”
Her initial bewilderment and helplessness, which had now turned into utter confusion, made Qin Liu can’t help but smile.
How long ago it was that she also loved to tease her sister. Her reaction was almost identical to Liu Zining’s, both a beat behind, which was quite amusing.
However, it wouldn’t be very kind to continue playing tricks on her, and Qin Liu knew this, so she said,
“Ahem!” Qin Liu stopped teasing her, took out the red jade from her pocket, and placed it in Liu Zining’s hand.
“Of course, I’m not joking… Your sister is in the red jade in your hand, and my agreement with your sister is now completely over.”
As Qin Liu spoke, a voice familiar to Liu Zining sounded.
“Ningning…”
Hearing this voice, Liu Zining was stunned. She looked at the red jade in her hand in disbelief.
From heaven to hell, and then from hell to heaven, this back and forth several times made her feel as if she were in an illusion.
Liu Zining’s mouth opened and closed, like a fish out of water. Her safety helmet slipped off due to her extreme shock, and the wrench fell from her hand onto the ground.
“Sis…?”
“It’s me, it’s me…”
Qin Liu’s figure appeared clearly. Like Liu Zining, her expression was equally excited and at a loss.
Liu Zining finally couldn’t hold back, rushed forward, and successfully hugged Qin Liu’s body.
The two sisters, reunited after a long time, hugged each other tightly. Qin Liu looked at them, feeling a bit envious, but still chose to step back a few paces, giving them their space.
From the haunted house not far away, Liu Haoyu saw the commotion and walked over. He looked at the two sisters crying in each other’s arms, and then at Qin Liu, whose eyes were vacant, and roughly understood the situation.
“You went to the Underworld to get someone?”
“Yes… After all, I have a kind heart and can’t stand to see such partings.”
Qin Liu said indifferently, but her gaze never left Liu Zining and the other. She quietly watched the scene before her and suddenly felt someone holding her hand. She turned her head and found that it was Liu Haoyu who was holding her.
Liu Haoyu’s hands were a bit rough, but warm and strong. He gently squeezed Qin Liu’s cold fingertips and whispered,
“Envious?”
Hearing Liu Haoyu’s words, Qin Liu withdrew her gaze and also withdrew her guiding ability.
Her eyes returned to their clear state.
“I just feel that when I see others have what I’ve lost, I do get envious…”
Not far away, Liu Zining was excitedly showing off her graduation certificate and other items. Qin Liu’s spiritual body floated beside her, her brow full of affection.
“But don’t you still have me?” Liu Haoyu suddenly smiled, his tone firm, a stark contrast to his casual demeanor when they first met. “We’ll be family from now on, won’t we? Having a little princess or something, wouldn’t it be nice for the whole family to be happy together?”
Qin Liu froze for a moment, then turned her face away and mumbled.
“Go, go, go. If this body of mine were to have a baby, it would be the death of me…”
Although she said that, Qin Liu’s blushing ear tips betrayed her emotions.
“Let’s at least try to regulate my body first.”
“What are you muttering about?”
“Nothing!” Qin Liu turned around and walked towards their home without looking back. However, seeing that Liu Haoyu wasn’t following, she slowed down and finally couldn’t help but turn back and say, “Let’s go.”
Liu Haoyu followed along knowingly. Their shadows gradually lengthened in the sunset and finally merged.
“By the way, has my original bedroom been renovated yet?”
“That’s clearly our bedroom,” Liu Haoyu gently put his arm around Qin Liu’s shoulder, his warm breath brushing her ear. “I bought a large wardrobe and specifically replaced the bed with an extra-large double one.”
“Are there many white stockings in the wardrobe?”
“You understand me best.”
Liu Haoyu gave a thumbs-up.
“…You pervert who likes white stockings.”
——————
Time flew to midnight on the fifteenth of the following month.
The location was a brand-new mansion on the outskirts of Jiangliu City.
This had once been a dreaded haunted house, but now it was festive. Red candles burned brightly, and paper money flew, as both living and departed souls gathered for this unique wedding.
The moon was exceptionally round tonight, casting silver moonlight on the vermillion doorframe of the bridal chamber.
Liu Haoyu, dressed in a black Chinese-style outfit, stood in the center of the red carpet in front of the wedding hall doors.
Usually bold, he felt a strange nervousness at this moment.
“Nervous?” Wu Yixuan, the old man, stood beside Liu Haoyu. He smiled, his face crinkling with wrinkles. “When your father got married back then, he was even more nervous than you. He almost flew off your mother’s wedding veil.”
“You old sly fox, instead of gossiping about me, you should be helping out in the wedding hall.”
“Alright, alright, Old Liu, you should quickly go to the offering table.”
“…”
Liu Haoyu’s attention was firmly on the distance, so he naturally didn’t notice the chatter around him.
The midnight bells chimed then.
“The auspicious hour has arrived—”
The officiant of the wedding was King Yama. He wasn’t wearing his official robes but a very festive bright red wedding robe.
He looked towards the end of the red carpet, holding a jade tablet, and announced loudly.
“The bride approaches—”
As his deep, bell-like voice rang out, a cold wind swept from outside the courtyard. Eight ghost messengers carried a plain white sedan chair, floating silently and gracefully. The cold wind blew through the sedan curtain, and Liu Haoyu clearly saw the maiden inside wave at him.
The plain white sedan stopped, and Qin Liu, dressed in a wedding gown, slowly stepped out.
Unlike a normal wedding, she was wearing a red and white Chinese wedding dress, predominantly white, with a vibrant red hem. Even the veil was white.
But even with her face hidden by the veil, her exposed features made the living guests hold their breath, and the guests from the Underworld let out low sighs of admiration.
“Tsk tsk… I really didn’t expect this crazy girl to be so obedient today. And speaking of which, this outfit really suits her.”
Well, it’s best not to listen to those compliments.
Qin Liu selectively ignored the mumbling of some ghost messengers and walked up to Liu Haoyu.
Looking at the veiled maiden before him, Liu Haoyu’s heart skipped a beat.
“Let’s go into the wedding hall, why are you standing there?”
Qin Liu’s soft reminder, accompanied by a sweet smile, brought Liu Haoyu back to his senses. They entered the wedding hall side by side.
The guests here all focused their attention on the bridal couple. After they stood in place, King Yama announced the rituals loudly.
“First bow to heaven and earth—”
Liu Haoyu and Qin Liu turned to face the full moon outside the courtyard and bowed deeply. The night wind blew past Qin Liu’s veil, lifting a corner slightly, revealing her exquisite, porcelain-doll-like face.
“Second bow to the elders—”
The two turned towards the offering table, where the ancestral tablets of Liu Haoyu’s parents were placed. Beside the tablets, Liu Jianjun watched them with a smile.
Looking at his father’s spirit, Liu Haoyu’s throat tightened, and he bowed solemnly.
Qin Liu also bowed along with Liu Haoyu.
“Husband and wife bow to each other—”
Liu Haoyu took a deep breath and turned to face Qin Liu. Through the thin veil, he could vaguely see Qin Liu’s clear eyes, tinged with a trace of… innocence.
They both lowered their heads simultaneously, their foreheads almost touching.
“The ceremony is complete— escort the bride to the bridal chamber—”
As King Yama’s voice fell, the ghostfire lamps outside the courtyard suddenly brightened, the living guests applauded and cheered, and the guests from the Underworld also let out congratulatory laughter.
Ignoring the messy chatter, Liu Haoyu carefully took Qin Liu’s hand. Her touch was cold but very real.
“It’s time to lift the veil.”
Qin Liu didn’t speak, only nodded gently.
Seeing this, Liu Haoyu took a deep breath, grabbed her white veil with trembling hands, and slowly lifted it.
Under the moonlight, Qin Liu’s exquisite face was fully revealed. With minimal makeup, she now wore a light touch of makeup, making her already stunning beauty even more breathtaking.
Liu Haoyu was momentarily stunned, and Qin Liu softly said,
“We should go into the bridal chamber…”
Listening to the maiden’s gentle voice, Liu Haoyu’s heart warmed. Just as he was about to nod, a series of sinister laughter echoed from behind him.
“Where is the groom going?”
He turned around and saw a large group of people and ghosts standing behind him.
“Quick! Pour him a full glass [of wine]!”
Seeing the crowd of guests behind him, Liu Haoyu was dumbfounded. Even King Yama was holding two cups of wedding wine to join the fun.
“What is this?”
Qin Liu also didn’t react, but Deng Xiaolin pushed her into the bridal chamber.
“It’s fine, just let these men drink. Sister Qin, you just wait inside.”
Seeing their persistence, Qin Liu sighed helplessly and said to Liu Haoyu,
“Don’t drink too much.”
With that, she entered the bridal chamber.
The revelry outside continued.
Liu Haoyu felt a headache as cup after cup of wedding wine was handed to him.
“Why aren’t you guys teasing the bride, and just toasting me?”
“Heh heh~” In response, White Impermanence smiled and patted Liu Haoyu’s shoulder. “Teasing the bride? No, no, no, we wouldn’t dare provoke that crazy girl, so groom, bottoms up!”
“You’re clearly bullying the weak and fearing the strong…”
Although he said that, Liu Haoyu still accepted the wine glass with a wry smile. He rarely drank alcohol, but today he had no choice but to tilt his head and drain it.
The fine wine flowed down his throat, spicy yet with a lingering sweetness, much like his current mood.
“Good…”
“Alright, alright,” Liu Haoyu had lost count of how many cups he had drunk. Seeing that everyone was still egging him on, King Yama stepped in to ease the situation. “If you keep pouring, the bride will be waiting until the flowers wither.”
Hearing this, the guests burst into laughter and finally let Liu Haoyu go.
“Thank you, King Yama…”
“You’re welcome. Go, that girl is waiting for you inside.”
King Yama waved his hand. Liu Haoyu straightened his clothes, took a deep breath, and walked towards the bridal chamber.
He pushed open the door, and the bridal chamber was lit by flickering red candles, filling the room with radiance.
Qin Liu sat on the bed like a duck, her back to him. Her red and white wedding dress radiated a soft glow in the candlelight.
In fact, Liu Haoyu still felt that Qin Liu’s wedding dress… didn’t look like a wedding dress.
But undeniably, it was very beautiful.
Qin Liu heard the sound and turned around. She was holding a bouquet of blooming flowers, also in red and white, with white chrysanthemums and red camellias.
Looking at the slightly tipsy Liu Haoyu, Qin Liu’s voice carried a hint of teasing.
“Oh? Does the groom still know where the bridal chamber is?”
“I have no choice…” Liu Haoyu leaned against the door frame and sighed, “But drinking a little to build courage isn’t bad.”
He said this and walked to the bed, sitting down.
“How much did they make you drink?”
“Not much, I’m not drunk yet… *Hic*”
Seeing this, Qin Liu handed him the red and white flower bouquet.
“Here, take this first.”
Liu Haoyu looked at the camellias and chrysanthemums in his hand and couldn’t help but feel amused and a little dumbfounded.
“These flowers?”
Normally, wedding gifts wouldn’t be these kinds of flowers, would they?
Oh, wait, this isn’t a normal wedding, so it’s fine.
“What’s wrong?” Qin Liu sat beside Liu Haoyu and sniffed the flowers. “Don’t you like them? I think they suit me quite well, after all, I’m a ghost.”
As she said this, Qin Liu deliberately lowered her head and glanced at her wedding dress.
Liu Haoyu chuckled dazedly, stumbled off his shoes, and sat on the bed.
“You’re right, these two kinds of flowers do suit you.”
“You smell of alcohol, and you say you’re not drunk,” Qin Liu muttered, took out a talisman, soaked it in water, and handed it to Liu Haoyu’s mouth. “Drink this, it can sober you up.”
Taking the teacup, Liu Haoyu drank the talismanic water wholeheartedly. The warm talismanic water gradually cleared his muddled thoughts.
He looked at Qin Liu, especially the white stockings on her legs, and his gaze never moved away, causing the latter to raise an eyebrow.
“Have you seen enough?”
“I definitely haven’t seen enough.”
Liu Haoyu answered honestly and placed his hand on Qin Liu’s thigh. The touch was smooth and cool, but it made his heart burn.
“So, it’s time to get down to business.”
Before Qin Liu could react, Liu Haoyu pushed her onto the bed.
The jade hairpin in her hair fell off, and her platinum-blonde hair cascaded down like a waterfall. The maiden’s face flushed, and she mumbled,
“You…”
“Shhh~” Liu Haoyu placed a finger on her lips and said with a smile, “A moment of spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold.”
As the man leaned closer, the candlelight flickered, casting overlapping shadows on the bed curtains, and they gradually merged into one.
After an unknown amount of time, the guests dispersed, and the world returned to peace.
Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a silvery frost on the bedside.
Liu Haoyu leaned against the headboard, twirling Qin Liu’s hair between his fingers.
The maiden rested her head in the crook of his arm, her plain white wedding dress loosely draped over her shoulders, revealing faint red marks on her neck.
Looking at the man’s face, a sly glint flashed across the maiden’s face.
“Tired?”
“No…”
Before Liu Haoyu could finish his sentence, the maiden flipped over and sat on him, her voice laced with amusement.
“As a formidable fierce ghost, how can I be content to be subordinate?”
(The End of the Book)
