Gongs and drums thundered, red banners and decorations everywhere.
The manor’s front courtyard was filled with red lanterns, curtains, candles, window flowers, and pasted papers, just like a household about to hold a wedding.
The only incongruity was that this red was not festive bright crimson, but a dark red like blood, and there was always a faint sense of black qi swirling around.
Of course, there was another key point: the three rode horses in, yet the entire front courtyard had no human figures, well, no ghost shadows either.
The Zhang man had sharp eyes, protected his mount with sword qi, and charged straight to the back courtyard.
“Where did this ignorant fierce ghost come from, daring to act recklessly in the yang world? Open for me!”
Sword qi rampaged, tearing a huge gap in the yin qi enveloping the entire manor.
“Ghost king new wedding, yang people come to congratulate!”
“Evil guests enter on their own, come but never return!”
“Ha ha ha!”
“Hee hee hee!”
“Ge ge ge!”
“Ga ga ga!”
Music and strange laughs were everywhere, then yin qi scattered, revealing the front hall of the front courtyard. The hall’s front and back doors were wide open, leading straight to the central courtyard.
The three looked over and saw pitch black beyond the front hall’s back door.
“More tricks to frighten! Go!”
Human and ghost paths differ, qi senses keen. This ghost’s cultivation was not weak. From the moment the three approached this forest ghost manor, they had not planned to sneak in unnoticed.
Since that was the case, they would go boldly, face to face, drum to drum, hard clash. See if the ghosts sneaking from the netherworld into the yang world were stronger, or if the Daoist and sword cultivator’s teamwork was superior.
The three spurred horses through the hall, then…
They saw the central courtyard set with over a dozen round tables, each with ten hard dishes, all bloody hearts, livers, and organs. The fishy smell mixed with yin qi assaulted the nose.
The main hall was arranged like a wedding chamber, golden red curtains, flowers and candles everywhere.
Hand drums, copper gongs, suona horns, flutes, bamboo sheng, pipas, moon lutes, zhongruans, yao qins, gu zhengs, bian zhongs, all played in unison. Clearly festive music, yet heard as eerie terror.
The key point was…
The central courtyard still had no one.
“What’s the situation?”
Even the Zhang man was a bit baffled. His sword qi was invincible, but it had to hit the enemy to count. “Could the wedding already be over, and they’ve returned to the netherworld?”
The Ning scholar panicked at the words. “What! Qianqian’s already been taken to the netherworld by him?”
“No!” Rong Song said. “The food on the tables is untouched, the wedding banquet hasn’t started!”
“But where are the ghosts?” the Zhang man asked.
“The ghosts are right…”
Rong Song’s face darkened. “What a powerful mind-bewitching array. Pity you met me.”
“Golden Palace Treasure Mirror, disperse!”
Rong Song uttered a clear shout, and a spirit treasure mirror appeared above his head. The mirror circled in the air, its face shooting golden light. Where the light shone, scenes shifted, fierce ghosts emerged.
“Eh?”
“Ah!”
“Ah!?”
The many ghosts in the central courtyard, who had been looking at them with mocking eyes, were all surprised. They had not expected Rong Song to break the ghost manor’s mind-bewitching array.
The next moment, without the array’s blocking and shielding, perhaps sensing crisis, the wooden slip in the Ning scholar’s hand emitted golden light, protecting him at the center. Then, where the gold light shone, several shrill screams came.
The Ning scholar looked around and saw several black ghost shadows retreating from the table beside him, hiding near other tables not far off, glaring at him viciously.
“So many ghosts!”
Over a dozen round tables in the central courtyard actually seated fifty or sixty ghosts.
There were ashen-faced zombies, dishevelled corpse ghosts, big-headed sharp-toothed ghost infants, and hanging-browed tongue-lolling lost souls.
Though numerous, their auras were not very strong. The weak had twenty or thirty years cultivation, the strong only sixty or seventy. At most, city god temple patrol envoy level.
No wonder even the Ning scholar’s Buddhist wooden slip could not fully withstand them.
“Qianqian!”
The Ning scholar turned his gaze to the main hall and saw a woman in phoenix crown and rosy clouds robe, held down by two ghosts, about to bow with a ghost in red groom’s robe.
“Hee hee hee! I originally wanted to wed right in front of this scholar, tumble in the clouds and rain. Did not expect another capable Daoist.”
The groom turned back, also a handsome young man in appearance, but face pale as snow, pupils pure black without light, clearly not human.
The bride, now limp all over, supported by two female ghosts behind, looked at the Ning scholar with eyes full of anxiety.
“Qianqian don’t fear, we’ll definitely save you!” the Ning scholar shouted.
Rong Song and the Zhang man wasted no words and immediately acted!
“Golden Palace Heart Sword, slay!”
The Zhang man leaped off his horse, body surging forward. His great sword four-fingered, fierce sword qi instantly enveloped the groom from all sides.
“Come well!”
The groom waved, ghost qi billowing, meeting the Zhang man head-on.
“Take Qianqian down, I…”
Words unfinished, he felt two sharp swords pierce his mind, could not help a muffled grunt, the latter half unsaid.
Capture the thief first capture the king. Rong Song and the Zhang man both targeted the groom. Once this ghost was destroyed, the lesser ones would scatter like birds and beasts?
But even prepared, the groom’s strength somewhat exceeded expectations.
Soul stable, ghost qi dense. One against two, yet slightly gaining upper hand.
The three fought fast with fast, quickly over a dozen exchanges. Only then did the ghosts react.
The two female ghosts supporting the bride tried to take her to the back hall, while the courtyard ghosts approached the main hall with vicious, ill-intentioned eyes.
“Young Master Ning, you have scripture scroll protection, unafraid of ordinary ghosts. Quickly save Miss Qianqian. If they retreat to the back courtyard and hide in the array, it’ll be hard to find!” Rong Song shouted.
At that moment, the Ning scholar held the wooden slip, standing guard at the main hall’s front door alone, blocking ghosts from entering to help.
Hearing Rong Song, seeing the two female ghosts about to take the bride away, he grew anxious. But looking at the many ghosts blocked in the courtyard, he hesitated deeply.
“These lesser ghosts can’t touch us. Go save her first!” the Zhang man shouted.
The Ning scholar steeled himself at the words. First, he charged out a few steps more, the golden light from his wooden slip forcing the hall’s outer ghosts back several zhang. Only then did he withdraw, rushing toward the two female ghosts dragging the bride to the back courtyard.
“Seeking death!”
The groom’s figure flashed, dodging the great sword, soul hard-taking a Golden Palace Divine Palace strike, then appeared beside the Ning scholar. Ghost hand extended, seizing for the wooden slip.
The slip’s golden light blazed, yet could only dispel yin qi, not harm the ghost’s true body.
“Bad, Young Master Ning retreat quickly!” Rong Song shouted, then another Golden Palace Heart Sword, encircling Wei to rescue Zhao.
The groom paused from the influence. The great sword behind already stabbed at his back heart. He had to abandon the Ning scholar, turning to fight again.
But delayed by him, the Ning scholar was flung flying, crashing into a row of chairs, unable to stop the two female ghosts anymore.
But when he looked up, he saw a green-robed scholar suddenly appear at the back door.
