CH 52

(Someone has disappeared!)

Edited by Silver Wind 

Zhou Wenyan felt a slight itch in his throat.

He lowered his eyelids, gazing at the figure that was standing a short distance away.

Perhaps by virtue of his character setting, Shen Dongqing appeared a little frailer in this copy; his black hair fell softly on his forehead and his distinctive eyes seemed to have gained a layer of mist, making it hazy and unclear.

Zhou Wenyan coughed lightly and managed to suppress the itchiness in his throat. The itch in his heart, however, was another matter altogether. 

“Say it again.”

Shen Dongqing was puzzled but he still fulfilled Zhou Wenyan’s heartfelt wish: “Older brother.”

His voice had just landed when Shen Dongqing heard a string of warnings in his ear.

【 Player, please stay in character 】

【 Maintain your character design!!! 】

After hearing the consecutive “older brother” resound, the game was so angry it wanted to vomit blood.

How did they manage to change every copy into a love game?

However, the game was utterly powerless; because even as the two of them laid waste to each copy they played, it could not stop them entering another game. 

That stemmed from the fact that the Infinite Nightmare Game was restricted by its own rules as well.

As long as the actions were lawful, it could only watch with wide eyes as they broke the copy and it could not interfere. Thus, even if it wanted to injure the two players’ lives, it could only borrow the rules or let the other players deal with them.

But it did not expect that these NPCs and players would not be of any use at all.

What character design? 

Although Zhou Wenyan could not hear the game’s warning, he could guess most of it from Shen Dongqing’s expression alone. Hence, he stood out and changed the topic.

“Is there something that requires our help?”

Shen Dongqing replied in an exceedingly straightforward manner: “I don’t know.”

Feebly, the game reminded him: 

【 Tell them to cut the double happiness (囍) character 】

Shen Dongqing changed his tune immediately after: “Cut the double happiness character.”

Probably because Four Water Village was secluded from the real world, there were hardly any modern elements inside. The architecture was all old-fashioned timber structures and it was short and dim, giving people the sensation that it was hard to breathe when they entered.

The group of players walked into the main hall they were initially facing, and they immediately noticed the scissors, white paper, and red paper that had long been prepared. 

JK Belle asked strangely, “Don’t weddings use red double happiness characters?”

“Red double happiness characters are for the living,” An aged voice rang out from the corner, “While these are for the dead.”

A gust of cold wind brushed past, blowing across the white paper on the table and making them rustle.

The players could not help but shudder and stared at each other, only to discover that the person who had spoken was not part of their group of players. 

“Who?”

“Who said that?”

The players searched for a long time before they saw a human figure walk out from the shadowed corner of the room.

It was an old man getting on in his years; his back was bent over, his face was wrinkled all over but he lacked the characteristic affability and kindness that old people had. Rather, a certain negativity clouded over him. 

When that pair of eyes looked over, it was like they were being preyed on by a dangerous snake.

“Second young master,” the old man called out to Shen Dongqing.

【 This is Uncle He. 】

【 He has always kept watch over the old house and he is most faithful and true to the Shen Family, you respect him immensely as well. 】 

Shen Dongqing nodded, “Uncle He.”

Uncle He shifted his cloudy pupils and caught a glimpse of Zhou Wenyan who was standing beside him. The strange thing was the attitude he gave the two brothers were complete opposites because he directly ignored Zhou Wenyan.

Tottering, he walked to the front of the players and knocked the cane he was holding on the ground. “A posthumous marriage is between one living and one dead, and correspondingly, one red and one white have to be used. Ensure that you do not make a mistake, or else…”

Uncle He revealed a smile, squeezing the overlapping folds of wrinkles together, “Something bad will happen.” 

Done speaking, Uncle He held onto his cane and walked out slowly.

Before he completely left the main hall, he twisted his head back and said: “Before the skies darken, the people who received the bride will be back. You should have everything done before then, or else… the bride will get angry.”

Fcmif Lf mbeutfv ragfceberis jcv tlr rtbga oluegf ugjvejiis vlrjqqfjgfv ogbw atflg ilcf bo rluta.

Ktf qijsfgr fzmtjcufv ujhfr yea atfs vlv cba vjgf ab mjrejiis abemt atf atlcur tfgf. 

Ktf Dfrelafv Fcmif qeiifv ja tlr alf, “Ofa’r ufa ab la, kf vbc’a tjnf wemt alwf.”

Ktf mibmx tjculcu bc atf kjii kjr almxlcu jkjs jcv la kjr qgfrfcais atgff b’ mibmx lc atf joafgcbbc jcv atfs kfgf ecjkjgf bo ktja rfjrbc la kjr. Dea pevulcu ogbw atf mbibeg bo atf rxs bearlvf, la kjr ilxfis atja atf rxs kbeiv yf vjgxfclcu ys olnf bg rlz lc atf fnfclcu.

There was only one problem…

Most of the people here were big men, and they did not seem like people who would come in contact with the trade of paper cutting. 

Their gazes collectively landed on JK Belle’s person.

JK Belle: “I don’t know how to.”

Shen Dongqing lifted up a pair of scissors and said with much interest: “We’re doing handicrafts? But I’ve never done it before.”

He was extremely interested in anything he hadn’t experienced before. 

Zhou Wenyan went silent for a moment, “…… I don’t know how to cut it either.”

This was one of the few things he was not capable of.

The number of scissors on the table – not more or less – was exactly six which matched the headcount of the people in the room. Thus, everyone had to contribute in cutting out the double happiness characters.

Thankfully, having many hands made the work lighter; the group fumbled about for a while and managed to cut out a crooked character that had the appearance of “happiness” in the end. 

Shen Dongqing looked at the paper cut out he had done: “I’m done cutting!”

Zhou Wenyan stretched his hand out to brush away the sweat at the tip of his nose and said: “Very impressive.”

Seeing the pair’s behaviour, the players at the side started muttering amongst themselves.

“Aren’t they brothers?” 

“According to the setting, that is the case.”

“But it doesn’t seem like it, could this be the ‘German orthopaedics’ from the legends?”

The sky deepened bit by bit. 

The players cut the papers with single-hearted devotion and it was highly likely that they were not this concentrated even when they were studying and taking examinations back when. In the entire main hall, only the snipping of the scissors could be heard.

“Ah!” A noise of surprise sounded all of a sudden.

Everyone ceased their movements and looked over.

Hipster had been a tad careless and he accidentally placed his finger near the scissors and it cut open a big wound, causing blood to drip on the ground which even stained the white paper he was cutting red. 

The pain made Hipster suck in a cold breath.

Fortunately, JK Belle had brought some plasters so she took it out and helped Hipster wrap up the wound.

Due to the injury on his hand, Hipster did not have sufficient strength to help and he could only sit at the side and watch. As a result of him sitting out, however, everyone had to do his portion and that forced the others to work even harder, and they only finished cutting all the white and red papers right before the skies darkened.

As if it had been scheduled, Uncle He limped back into the room just as the players put down their scissors. 

Uncle He examined the double happiness characters placed on the table, stopping at the half-cut, bloodstained red white paper for a brief moment before he opened his mouth to say: “The group fetching the bride are about to arrive, everyone please withdraw for the time being.”

A group of people followed Uncle He to enter the side hall.

The main hall and side hall was separated with a mahogany folding door and it was possible to see the movement in the main hall between each section of the door.

The wait lasted for roughly ten minutes.

All of a sudden, the sound of beating drums and gongs travelled from the door.

Hipster leaned against the window and took a peek, seeing the bride’s escorting team walk in.

Saying that they were escorting the bride was not entirely accurate; the people in the group were wearing hemp clothes made for mourning and the sole embellishment of red was the sash at their waists.  And as they were walking, they tossed paper money, and each and every one of them were completely expressionless. 

Dong—

Six burly men carried a heavy red wooden coffin over their shoulders as they walked in and placed the coffin in the centre of the main hall.

From Hipster’s perspective, he could see that the coffin was not covered with a lid and as a natural consequence, the figure clad in wedding clothes was discernible to him as well.

Hipster swallowed his saliva, “That, that’s a bride?” 

JK Belle thought of a question as well: “Previously, Uncle He said that the posthumous marriage is between one living and one dead, the bride is here but who is the groom?”

Leathered Man recalled his characters’ settings and looked towards Zhou Wenyan. He said jokingly, “Old Zhou, the bridegroom isn’t you, right?”

Although he appeared to be joking, it was apparent that he was trembling upon closer observation.

Zhou Wenyan chose to ignore the Leathered Man. 

Ever since the coffin was brought inside, his state of mind had worsened slightly, causing his brows to knit together tightly and his complexion paled.

However, the other players had the same reaction and a second glance only made them believe he had been frightened.

Shen Dongqing asked him a low voice: “What’s wrong?”

Could it be that he was actually scared? 

Zhou Wenyan shook his head. “It’s nothing, I just feel…”

That this scene looks a little familiar, as if he had experienced it before.

After the coffin was placed down, the bride escorting team left.

Then, Uncle He walked into the side hall and said: “The bride has just arrived. She is unfamiliar with the place and the people, thus being afraid is unavoidable. Hence, I’ll be troubling everyone to take vigil for one night until we conduct the marriage tomorrow.” 

Truth to be told, the players did not want to stay here at all.

But the NPC had spoken, what else could they do?

Uncle He asked: “I’ll go and prepare some food for everyone, what would you like to eat?”

With their hearts being on tenterhooks, how could the players possibly have the appetite for food? Thus, everyone did not say a single word. 

Shen Dongqing looked left and right, and seeing as  how no one suggested anything, he raised his hand and said: “Hotpot.”

Uncle He could not believe his ears in the moment. “…… What?”

Shen Dongqing: “Hotpot ah, you don’t have it here?”

Uncle He: “We do have it, but…” 

Smiling with crinkled eyes, Shen Dongqing replied, “Then I’ll be troubling Uncle He.”

Had the request been made by any other player, Uncle He would have rolled his eyes to the whites at them, but the person who was currently speaking was Shen Dongqing. According to their character settings, Uncle He had no choice but to agree.

Four Water Village did not have any electricity and they could only rely on candlelight. 

The candle’s illumination was dim, and it would brighten and darken with the night wind. In addition to the corpse lying in the coffin, it completely mimicked the atmosphere of a horror movie.

Under normal circumstances, all these players would have long worked up a tremble from fear.

But right now… the hotpot was too fragrant!

Due to the remoteness of Four Water Village’s location, its equipment was not up to par and they had to use the outdated copper stove hotpot. While it lacked the modernised aspect, the surface of the prepared soup stock bubbled excitedly, emitting a densely packed aroma of fresh ingredients. 

The freshly picked vegetables from the village were evergreen, and the recently butchered mutton were thinly sliced before they were placed in the soup, the taste of it was capable of making mouths move quickly.

Shen Dongqing clipped up a piece of mutton, dipped it in a sauce and stuffed it into his mouth, allowing the rich flavour of the meat and gravy to burst out on his tongue.

“Delicious!”

He picked up another piece of scalded mutton and placed it in Zhou Wenyan’s bowl. 

But Zhou Wenyan was a little absentminded.

It was only when Shen Dongqing held the meat in front of his mouth that he snapped back to his senses.

Thus, Shen Dongqing began scalding thin pieces of meat and feeding him simultaneously, and he found great joy in eating that way.

Besuited Uncle: “Is it really okay to eat hotpot in such an atmosphere?” He glanced at the numerous white lanterns hung under the eaves of the doors, and the fact that red double happiness characters were pasted on the lantern did not help matters either because it only served to make it look odder. 

Hipster nodded his head: “It doesn’t seem right…”

Leathered Man: “But it smells good.”

JK Belle could take it no longer: “Who cares, I’m eating!”

The four people were akin to hungry tigers pouncing on their prey as they took up one side of the table and happily scalded their pieces of mutton. 

And because the hotpot was too delicious, it even made them forget that there was a coffin just next door.

When the meal concluded, the group had eaten their fills and they sat paralysed on their seats.

As Shen Dongqing wiped his mouth, he suddenly heard a game prompt sound by his ear.

【 You have always stayed in Four Water Village without leaving ever since you were young and you have witnessed several posthumous marriages. Thus, you are aware that if no bridegroom enters the coffin, the ghost bride will go insane 】 

【 Please choose a bridegroom for the ghost bride, and escort them into the coffin before midnight 】

After listening to the game’s words, he could not resist muttering to himself: “Why do I feel like I’ve picked up the villain script.”

He was an upright young man with five good qualities and he definitely was not the sort who would do bad things.

Furthermore, he felt a little sleepy from all the food he ate….. 

Shen Dongqing’s head nodded intermittently and he leaned against Zhou Wenyan’s shoulder before he fell asleep in a muddled manner.

Shen Dongqing had a dream.

He heard an aged voice there speak: “During Mrs. Zhou’s pregnancy, she had inadvertently offended a supernatural being and it resulted in an early childbirth that occurred in the ghost month, and that in turn, caused this child’s eight characters to lighten severely, allowing the yin energy to tangle with his body. I  fear he will not live past eighteen years.” 

Originally, Shen Dongqing’s vision was overcast, but when the voice was done speaking, a small ray of light abruptly appeared further in front. Curious, he floated over and saw a beautiful and imposing villa.

A pair of husband and wife had grief-stricken expressions as they looked at the small child lying on the bed.

Standing at the side was a Taoist priest, with the horsetail whisk in his hand, and he had a demeanour of a transcendent being.

“I beg the great master to save my son,” Mrs. Zhou’s face was streaming with tears and she leaned on Mr. Zhou’s embrace weakly. If it were not for Mr. Zhou supporting her, it was very likely she would have collapsed to the floor right then and there. 

The Taoist priest stroked his beard and he pondered for a long while. “This Taoist priest has a plan, it’s just that…”

Mr. Zhou: “Great master, there is no harm in saying what you think.”

The Taoist priest stated, “This noble prince’s allotted fate being suspended and halted in the yin brings its own riches and honours, since it is the sort of allotted fate that lonely and wild ghosts like to seize and possess the most. If he is not careful, he will lose his life, and this Taoist priest can leave him a protective amulet that will ensure this noble prince will live free of worries for eighteen years.”

Mrs. Zhou: “And after eighteen years?” 

The Taoist priest shook his head: “Being able to live peacefully until he is eighteen is already in defiance of the natural order, unless… he marries a ferocious ghost.”

Mrs. Zhou stilled, “What?”

The Taoist priest explained: “Ferocious ghosts desire to possess is the strongest amongst them all, if he can marry a ferocious ghost, it will protect this noble prince’s life from worries. Apart from it, no other person can harm this noble prince.”

Mrs. Zhou was slow to react, “But a ferocious ghost……” 

The Taoist priest said: “With the union of their yin, it means that the two become husband and wife. The ferocious ghost will only wait for its marriage partner to exhaust their lifespan and it will not take the initiative to hurt them. However, there is one point to note, which is that this noble prince cannot be too intimate with any other person, no matter if it’s male or female.”

Mrs. Zhou exchanged gazes with Mr. Zhou: “We’ll take it under consideration, after all, Wenyan is still young.”

Shen Dongqing initially thought that this was a Taoist priest swindling and bluffing programme but when he heard the two characters “Wen Yan”, he felt that that it was not quite possible.

He floated over and looked at the small child lying on the bed. 

The child was probably seven or eight years old and his facial features had yet to open but the resemblance to Zhou Wenyan himself was distinguishable.

This was Zhou Wenyan when he was young?

Shen Dongqing stretched his hand out, wanting to poke the baby fat on Little Wenyan’s cheek.

However, before he could poke it, the scene before his eyes changed again and he arrived at an isolated antiquated building. 

Shen Dongqing turned his head to scan his surroundings and noticed that all the windows were pasted with red and white double happiness characters, and there was an empty coffin placed in the middle. Slightly older, Little Wenyan had changed into a wedding garment and was holding onto a huge red silk fabric belt that was attached to the coffin at one end.

Mrs. Zhou’s mood was restless with anxiety. “Great master, is this considered done?”

The Taoist priest touched his beard, eyebrows furrowing. “It has succeeded, it’s just that…”

Mrs. Zhou asked quickly, “Just what?” 

The Taoist priest replied, “It’s just that the ferocious ghost that married this noble prince seems to be in another dark and abstruse world, and he cannot be by the noble prince’s side.”

Mr. Zhou: “Then is this even of any use?”

The Taoist priest nodded: “Of course, it is useful. The two of them are already a married couple. No matter what, the ferocious ghost will always protect the noble prince.”

Mrs. Zhou heaved a sigh of relief. “That’s good, it’s good that it is not by his side. If it was really by his side, it would be strange and horrifying to think about.” 

As he watched Mrs. Zhou and Mr. Zhou hug Little Wenyan up joyously, the Taoist priest’s worried frown remained. He calculated for a method and the feasibility of it, and even after counting with his fingers for a while, he could not help but shake his head.

A marriage with a ferocious ghost had never been simple, there would come a day where either the ferocious ghost would come out to find its person or Little Wenyan would be pulled into the other world.

But……

Everything was uncertain. 

“AH—”

Shen Dongqing was rudely awoken by a scream.

He was still thinking about the dream he just had, and when he came back to his senses after a long while, he turned his head to meet Zhou Wenyan’s sober and calm eyes. 

Meanwhile, JK Belle had collapsed to the ground as she screamed: “It’s all blood! There’s blood all over the ground.”

The limestone floor tiles had flowed with blood and after one night, it had already dried into a deep brown and it emitted a fishy stench.

The fresh blood had poured all over the ground, spreading from the side hall to the main hall, and it disappeared at where the coffin was placed, as if the person had been captured and placed in the coffin.

“Someone has disappeared!”