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"It's Ganny Zheng!"

 

The middle-aged man had a sly look on his face: "Kind sir, you are gifted with intelligence and deep in Taoist fate. Congratulations on your wedding tonight!"

 

"Damn! Such a foul mouth! Serves you right for being nailed here!"

 

I ignored him and hurried back to the other side, fearing that Pan Mudan would return and not find me.

***

Half an hour passed.

 

Finally, someone came!

 

"Sis Mudan!"

 

I hurriedly went to greet her.

 

But upon closer inspection, I realized something was wrong!

 

It wasn't Pan Mudan who came, but Sun Jiao!

 

"Why did you run over here? I've been looking for you! " Sun Jiao grabbed me: "Hurry back, the selection of the concubines is about to start!"

 

I wanted to resist.

 

But as an ordinary handsome man, I was no match for a female ghost!

 

Just like that, I was ruthlessly dragged back by Sun Jiao, standing in the hall with the other prospective male concubines, waiting to be chosen.

 

There were twelve of us in total.

 

Six of them had fainted from fear at some point.

 

The remaining five, although not fainted, had more or less lost control of their bladders!

 

It was only me, who had seen quite a few big scenes recently, who still looked somewhat presentable!

 

I looked around and thought this wouldn't do!

 

I stood out too much, like a crane amongst chickens!

 

So I let out a "burp" and lay on the ground, pretending to be dead.

 

"Granny!"

 

Just as I lay down, the 'main character' appeared.

 

I wanted to sneak a peek but didn't dare to open my eyes.

 

I was afraid that as soon as I did, I would lock eyes with the old lady!

 

Granny Zheng walked around us and finally pointed to some unlucky soul, saying indifferently, "Him!"

 

You wouldn't know it, but although Granny Zheng was three hundred years old, her voice was like that of a young girl!

 

Soon, the voice of the spirit channeler, Mr. Hu, echoed in the hall: "The union of two surnames, a marriage contract in one hall, today recorded in the mandarin duck register, as proof."

 

After the announcement, Granny Zheng asked, "Who brought this man?"

 

A maid beside her replied, "Granny, this male concubine was contributed by Sun Jiao from Fangshan Public Cemetery!"

 

Hearing the words "Fangshan Public Cemetery," my heart chilled!

 

Damn it!

 

Even playing dead, I was still chosen!

 

I hated myself!

 

Why did I have to be so outstanding!

 

After confirming that I was the unlucky one, I got up and tried to run!

 

But before I could move, my body was controlled, unable to budge!

 

Then Mr. Hu grabbed my hand and pressed it onto a piece of paper!

 

"Ouch…"

 

I felt a pain in my fingertip!

 

Opening my eyes, I saw that my fingertip was pricked and bleeding, leaving a handprint on the marriage contract!

 

The marriage contract was signed.

 

According to the procedure, the next step was probably the bridal chamber!

 

I quietly twisted my neck to look in Granny Zheng's direction.

 

Being pressed to the ground by Mr. Hu, I could only glimpse through the crowd a pair of red embroidered shoes.

 

It's said that the older a woman gets, the more eccentric her tastes become!

 

Some use dog chains to tie people up.

 

Some use steel wool pads to scrub people's backs.

 

There are even those who feed people urine!

 

Speaking of which, I wouldn't be played to death by this old lady tonight, would I?

 

While I was feeling anxious.

 

Someone seemed to run into the hall from outside.

 

Then, Pan Mudan's voice came through: "Granny, save me!" After that, there was a "thump," presumably Pan Mudan kneeling down.

 

Granny Zheng said, "Girl, get up and tell me, what happened?"

 

Pan Mudan sobbed and said, "Granny, the Red Chain Snake from Wangjia Village is seeking revenge on me!"

 

"How dare!"

 

Granny Zheng said, "A mere snake dares to cause trouble at Zheng Mansion, truly lawless! Girl, don't be afraid, Granny will take care of this for you!"

 

With that, the pair of embroidered shoes walked out.

 

The guests in the hall hurriedly followed.

 

After all, opportunities to show their faces in front of Granny Zheng were rare!

 

Mr. Hu hesitated for a moment, then followed out, paying no attention to me, probably thinking I was still fainted.

 

When everyone had gone far, I got up and ran outside.

 

But halfway through, I stopped.

 

At this moment, the old lady was leading people out to fight; running out like this would be walking right into the trap!

 

So I quickly turned around to look for a side door.

 

Zheng Mansion did have two side doors, but both were guarded.

 

After wandering for a long time, I reluctantly returned to the pile of rocks where I had hidden before.

 

As long as I hid here, Pan Mudan would surely come to save me!

 

After about ten more minutes.

 

There was no movement outside.

 

I didn't dare to run around, afraid that Pan Mudan wouldn't find me if she came back.

 

But I also didn't dare to stay too long, afraid that Sun Jiao would come and find me.

 

Just as I was hesitating whether to leave or not, the middle-aged man behind the rock spoke again: "The wedding is complete, congratulations, Kind sir!"

 

Something clicked in my mind!

 

This person who looked like a Taoist priest, whether he was good or bad, one thing was certain, he must be an enemy of Granny Zheng!

 

The enemy of my enemy is my friend!

 

Maybe he could help me!

 

I approached him: "Time is of the essence, let's cut to the chase, what do you want?"

 

The middle-aged man finally put away his smile: "I am Lu Chenglun, a Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain. I have a gourd and a letter on my waist. Please take them and deliver them to a Taoist priest named Zhao Chengkun on Longhu Mountain, and tell him that Lu Chenglun has taken care of the matter here!"

 

"Taken care of?"

 

Looking at his miserable state, about to perish, I said, "Are you sure you didn't mess it up?"

 

"Positive!"

 

Lu Chenglun said, "The gourd is made of pure gold. If you do this for me, the golden gourd is yours!"

 

I reached for his waist and indeed found a gourd and a letter.

 

The gourd was small, about an inch and a half tall, but the key point was that it was made of pure gold.

 

I had no idea how much it was worth!

 

Weighing it in my hand, it was at least several times heavier than the gold bracelet and necklace I had taken from Sun Jiao's house last time!

 

I secured the golden gourd and the letter: "Do you have a way to get me out?"

 

Lu Chenglun said, "From here, head north. When you encounter water, turn left; when you encounter a tree, turn right. Eventually, you will see a dog hole by the wall, crawl through it to get out!"

 

"Thanks!"

 

After hearing this, I turned to leave.

 

"Wait!"

 

Lu Chenglun called out to me: "It's easy to get out, but you've signed a yin-yang marriage contract with that female ghost. Your blood is connected, and she can know where you are at any time! If you don't believe me, you can check your back!"

 

Half-believing, half-doubting, I took off my clothes.

 

I took out my phone and snapped a photo of my back.

 

I was shocked by what I saw!

 

There was a tattoo on my back that had appeared out of nowhere!

 

The content of the tattoo was the marriage contract that Mr. Hu had just read, with my and Granny Zheng's handprints at the bottom!

 

I exclaimed, "What should I do?"

 

Lu Chenglun said, "Come here, turn your back to me!"

 

"Alright!" I did as he said.

 

Lu Chenglun struggled to extend his right hand, formed a seal with his fingers, bit his index finger, and drew two lines on my back!

 

Because his hands and feet were pierced with nails and iron chains, every movement was excruciatingly painful!

 

After doing all this, Lu Chenglun was already exhausted and weakly said, "This is the Longhu Mountain Cross Banishment, it will keep you hidden from that female ghost for ten days! You must hurry to Longhu Mountain within these ten days and find Taoist Priest Zhao Chengkun! Remember, you must hand it to Zhao Chengkun personally, no one else will do!"

 

I nodded, "What about the marriage contract with the female ghost?"

 

Lu Chenglun said, "You've done such a big favor for Longhu Mountain, Taoist Priest Zhao Chengkun will surely help you perform a ritual to dissolve this yin-yang marriage contract."

 

"Alright!" I finally breathed a sigh of relief, "If there's nothing else, then I'm off?"

 

"Wait a moment!"

 

Lu Chenglun thought for a bit and cautioned, "There are two things you need to be aware of! First, you cannot bathe within these ten days, or the power of the Cross Banishment will be weakened! Second, you should choose public transportation to go to Longhu Mountain, and avoid going alone!"

 

"I understand the first point, but why the second?"

 

Lu Chenglun said, "I am seriously injured at the moment, and I fear the power of the Cross Banishment might not be sufficient! Being in a crowded place is more conducive to hiding your aura and preventing the female ghost from discovering you!"

 

"I see!" I nodded.

 

Lu Chenglun said, "It's getting late, you should hurry!"

 

Following Lu Chenglun's directions, I headed north.

 

Turning left at water, right at trees, and eventually, I indeed saw a narrow dog hole by the wall.