Xie Lian just had his third ascension and heard of the case of the ghost groom and is using this opportunity to get merits to pay off some debt. Right now he is in a shop. He suddenly felt like someone was watching him.
"A crow?" He said as he walked up to it.'Normally birds would fly away by now, it's cute, but a lot different than other birds' he thought as he reached out to pet it. It leaned into his touch.
"Wait, I think I have some bread on me." He said as he reached into his sleeve and pulled out some bread "Here, you can have it" he said as the crow took it willingly after giving it more pets it suddenly flew away,he was left there confused when a sudden voice called out to him.
"Your highness" Ling Wen calls out
"Ling Wen?" I respond with my fingers at my head "Good news your highness, there are two junior officials from Middle Heaven as well as a heaven official, Mei-Xing coming to your aid"
"They should be there now" She said as I turn around and see three people who weren't there before sitting down at the table with one drinking tea which I assume is Mei-Xing.
"Ling Wen... It looks like they've come here to kill me instead of helping me.
Ling Wen... Ling Wen" I say turning back to them
"So who are you?" I ask as the one responds. "Fu Yao" and the one with the bun responds "Nan Feng".
"And you?" I ask since she has been sitting there in silence this whole time. "I'm Mei-Xing " she responds still drinking her tea until she finished it.
(MY ART DO NOT COPY)
(So this is the famous god that ascended 3 times) Mei-Xing thinks as she brings a fan to her face covering her mouth, hiding a smile. (He still looks the same as he did all those years ago)
The sound of bells ringing woke her out of her deep thoughts as she realizes she missed something that was happening while she was in deep thought. Everyone starts walking out of the shop.
"A wedding, after all these disappearances. They must be either foolish or stupid" Mei-Xing says with a sigh at the end.
"Let's check it out" Xie lian says but a young woman starts running toward the people carrying the 'bride' as she starts shouting "Miss, They just want to use you as bait to get the Ghost groom.Don't fall for it!" When all of a sudden the 'bride' falls out onto the ground
'It's fake huh' Mei-Xing thought still holding her fan at her mouth.
A man starts yelling and the woman getting up close to her face" you always mess things up! If you agreed to dress up as a bride, we wouldn't have had to make a fake one!"
" What an ugly girl"Fu Yao says as Mei-Xing hits him in the back of his neck with her fan. "How rude!" She yells
"Fu Yao. That's not a nice thing to say about a girl" Xie lian says with Mei-Xing nodding her head. A spectator says"Isnt that Xiao Pengtou and Miss Ying? "
" Mount Yujun is too dangerous. Don't go there! "The lady called Miss Ying shouts." We'd eliminate that ghost groom for good! We should uave charged them more! "
" But isn't it suicidal! "She says. " I asked you to be the bride, but you refused! Now when we're on our way to get the bastard, your here to stop us. What do you want! Are you getting lovey-dove with the ghost groom? "
" That's nonsense! "she retaliate." You went to Mount Yujun every few days. We've all seen it! "
'OMG they're stupid. Blaming an innocent person just like that since they didn't cooperate with you'
" So tell us! Where your babe! "He says stepping closer" I don't know! Stay away! "She shouts fearfully when he steps on her skirt and it tears as she is pushed to the ground by that same person
'Has he no shame!'
Just as I was about to step in xie lian beat me to it hitting him sending the dude flying. I start walking toward them.
"Im glad you did it your highness. I was not going to be as merciful as you were just now." Mei-Xing says as xie lian sweat drops.
Suddenly everyone of his men started to attack but Nan Feng scared them off and at the same time Mei-Xing swung her fan knocking them all backwards as they start running away along with their leader.
The shop behind us suddenly broke down...
Sigh
"...I'll pay for it..." Mei-Xing says. Xie lian walks up to the girl and suddenly starts taking off his robe. But she must've taken it the wrong way since she slapped him while screaming pervert at him while she ran away.
" You should've said your intentions before you started taking off your robe your highness! " Mei-Xing scolded while xie lian is still in the ground on his knees looking down "If you had said it first she would've understood your intention"
'It feels like I'm getting scolded by guoshi....' Xie lian thought
"You four, we need to handle your payment for my damaged shop" The owner said
When we get inside Mei-Xing gives the money to payback for the damages while the others are talking. They head to the temple of Nan Yang since there was no temple of Ming Guang and head to the alter.
"I have a question..." Xie lian began but was interrupted by Fu Yao "Is it about the naming of Nan Yang temple?" Mei-Xing starts to chuckle seemingly trying to hold in her laughter.
"You Shut up!" Nan Feng yelled but Fu Yao only continued " Long ago he was called Duke Yang. But a careless king had misspelled Duke with and 'i' instead if a 'u' and then all the Duke Yang temples had changed their names into Dick Yang Temple." Fu Yao started laughing
"The spelling has been corrected!" Nan Feng defended "And! Aren't frequent visitors still women. And quite a lot of them would blush while making wishes" It see a that was the last straw for Nan Feng as both him and Fu Yao started fighting
A steamed bun seemed to hit xie lian as it fell to the floor and he picked it up and was about to eat it but Mei-Xing grabs it out of his hands. "Your highness, don't eat stuff that falls to the ground. It's dirty and that's unhygienic."
He nodded and Xie lian suddenly shouted "Stop!!" They stopped and he continued "Firstly, I'm the Highness you were talking about. I remained silent all the time. Please don't use me against each other. Secondly your here to aid me, so who should calm the shots here?"
"You should" They said in unison. "Now let's get down to business."
"Which one of you can lend me some mana to contact Ling Wen?" He asks
"What about your own mana" Fu Yao asks "I don't have enough"
"Your highness!" Mei-Xing calls out and he turns her way "I can lend you some of mine" She says with her hand outstretched and grabs it.
After a while since he was talking to Ling Wen they sat down and started discussing
"This ghost is a wrath. We can't underestimate it"
"We can't let this thing roam around. We need bait. " Mei-Xing says "And it can't be a mannequin. It won't work it's got to be a human" Fu Yao says "Not all brides went missing, so there's got to be requirements" Nan Feng suggested
"Let's try it out with a girl and see" Fu Yao suggested
"Alright let's go find someone that's willing to help us" Nan Feng says "We can't, if we fail the girl would die" Xie lian says " So it needs to be one of us"
"But which one of us-" Nan Feng says but cuts himself off as he and Fu Yao realized something Fu Yao and Nan Feng point at Mei-Xing and then look each other. They move to get a closer look at her.
'What happened to personal space!'
Xie lian seems to catch up on what they're planning to do and without thinking he shout " I'll do it!"
All eyes are on him now. "Are you sure your highness? I am here to aid you"
Mei-Xing says. " I know but you've already done so much, I can't ask you to do this"
"Hey! what about us!" Fu Yao asks " What about you?" she asks with a raised eyebrow.
"Do you want to dress up too? I can help with that" She asks with a sly grin. "Let's get you dressed Your Highness!" He says grabbing xie lian.
'This is actually working in our favour'
Xie lian walks out in a brides attire.
'Too much makeup but even without the makeuo he still looks as elegant as ever'
"If I were the Ghost groom and got a bride like her... " Fu Yao begins "You would wipe out her village? "Nan Feng adds but Fu Yao says" I would kill this woman"
"Good thing I'm not in that position" Xie lian says
"I think your highness looks wonderful" Mei-Xing says as Nan Feng and Fu Yao stare at her with a blank face.
"Sir..." we hear a voice and we all look to where it came from.
'It's that girl from yesterday'
"Your.. that girl.. from.. yesterday" He says as he realizes what he is wearing. He raises his hands in defence
"
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of cross-dressing, this is for luring the Ghost groom out"
She looks down as if she is sad "Sir, I got it all wrong yesterday, I'm sorry. I brought food as a token of my gratitude." but xie lian just waved it off"its nothing, your welcome".
"Sir, I know how to alter clothing and dress up, how about I help you dress up as a bride?"
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"Wait where will I be?" Mei-Xing asks. "ummm, you can be inside here with me" Xie lian says with his outstretched hand as Mei-Xing grabs it and climbs on, xie lian moves to make space since it's tight and sits next to him trying to hide from peoples view. And they start to move
"Hey is everything ok Mei-Xing?" Xie lian asks, "Yeah why would it be?" She says turning towards him "It's just you've been eyeing that bush for a while"
"Oh.. I thought... I saw something, turns out it was nothing but a rabbit" she says looking at him with a smile on her face. "OK" was all he said.
After hours of walking it's already night time. "How does it feel to finally get married?" Fu Yao asks jokingly. "Something important is missing so I'm a bit disappointed" Xie lian says "Whats missing" Nan Feng asks.
"Two maids for the bride" Mei-Xing says "Her family is too poor to afford maids!" Fu Yao says while looking away. "Where are we?" We've been on Mount Yujun for a while" He says
Xie lian suddenly jumps a bit. "Is something wrong?" Mei-Xing asks. "Have you heard giggles?" he asks
"I haven't heard anything" Nan Feng says. Mei-Xing and Fu Yao also agree
"Keep going, act as if nothing is going on." He demanded
"it's singing" He says "About what" Fu Yao asks"In tears, crossing the mountains... Never ever smile... the Ghost groom... "
" So it's warning you not to smile? "Mei-Xing asks." It might be a set up, perhaps something bad happens when you cry. "Fu Yao suggested
" What would be the worst scenario "he asks and Nan Feng responds" You will be kidnapped. "
" I have something to tell you"he says. "I've been smiling since I got on the sedan chair" he confesses. We suddenly hear howl's. Mei-Xing suddenly changes attire
"Stay here your highness!" Mei-Xing shouts standing up preparing to jump out but she puuls out a weapon out of no where, xie lian just admires the weapon. "What, you didn't think that fan was my weapon did you?"
"No, but I never expected it to be a scythe, it looks so detailed" He says fighting the urge to touch it.
She chuckles, "you can look at it later right now I've got to fight some pests" She says jumping out immediately slashing and killing them.
Suddenly there was one in the sedan with xie lian. He kept trying to get it away from him but this one was very strong. The ribbon on his arm starts to unwrap itself and grab the thing by the neck throwing it out of the sedan. It starts slashing and beheading all of them.
"You go first, if you surround the sedan, the beast would keep coming"
"What about you?" Nan Feng asks with concern in his voice "I'll see who this ghost groom is" Xie Lian responds "Go! His highness will be fine!" Mei-Xing says. "Just bump them off, stop dawdling! Let's go"
After a while, it's silent and a silver butterfly makes it way to xie lian. A hand suddenly appears seemingly wanting xie lian to take the hand. He hesitates but seems to comply and take the hand.
He seems to be a tall, handsome man wearing all red. They continue walking in the quite as another wolf appears but with just a glance from this man has the cowering away in fear.
He suddenly pulls out an umbrella as blood drips down like rain. They can still be seen walking through the forest with an umbrella.
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The End