As the ghostly wind dispersed, peace returned to the hall. The candles burned quietly, their shadows swaying faintly, and the thick Yin energy that had blanketed the room faded away. Though Xie Lingxi and the others lacked the spiritual perception of a Night Wanderer, their intuition told them the main hall had become safe.
Huo Mo studied him with a look of scrutiny, his tone laced with surprise and delight. "You're a Night Wanderer? You're actually a Night Wanderer?"
Scaring off resentful spirits with nothing more than a shout made this Wang Tai's profession glaringly obvious.
"Is it that strange? Jinshui Amusement Park has supernatural elements, so matching with a Night Wanderer makes perfect sense," Zhang Yuanqing replied with a smile. "Everyone, I can't make any guarantees about the other attractions, but here in the Haunted House, I can keep you safe until we see the Ghost Bride."
The four teammates exchanged glances, all seeing the sheer joy in one another's eyes.
None of them had expected to have a rare class in the party.
In a supernatural dungeon teeming with ghosts and monsters, having a Night Wanderer to watch their backs was more reliable than most items.
After all, dealing with spirits was the Night Wanderer's specialty.
Instantly, the four teammates looked at Zhang Yuanqing with deep reliance.
"We only have an hour. Let's not waste time—search for any clues here." Zhang Yuanqing's gaze swept across the hall. Blessed with night vision, he quickly locked onto the offering table behind the grand armchair.
Walking over to the table, he spotted a sheet of red paper tucked under a celadon plate heaped with fresh longans.
Zhang Yuanqing picked up the red paper and read it under the candlelight:
"Betrothal gifts: steelyard beam, gold hairpin, medicinal wine, wedding quilt."
The others gathered around.
Xie Lingxi pinched her chin, her bright eyes turning thoughtfully. "These items aren't traditional betrothal gifts, but since it's written this way, it probably means we need to find these four things to serve as betrothal gifts."
Finding these four items would make one a groom bearing betrothal gifts.
Great Sage Equal to Heaven asked, "What happens if we don't find them?"
Huo Mo said, "Death, obviously. Once we find the betrothal gifts, will the Ghost Bride choose one of us?"
Zhang Yuanqing chimed in, "Why just choose one? Why can't we all enter the bridal chamber together?"
Seeing his teammates stare at him expressionlessly, Zhang Yuanqing shrugged. "Just a joke to lighten the mood. You people have no sense of humor."
His teammates looked even more deadpan.
Xi Shi rolled her eyes, and Xie Lingxi continued, "The structure of this quest is becoming clear. In an hour, the Ghost Bride will select a husband, and the criteria will be grooms who possess betrothal gifts. Therefore, we must find the four betrothal gifts in this mansion.
"However, whether the chosen lucky one gains a sliver of hope or faces certain doom remains unknown."
Huo Mo eyed the young girl up and down. "Are you sure you don't remember the walkthrough?"
Her analysis was remarkably thorough.
Xie Lingxi pouted, playing the aggrieved innocent. "I really don't know."
Zhang Yuanqing glanced at their team count, feeling a chill run through him.
Following the current clues, two outcomes were possible. The first was that finding all four betrothal gifts would count as fulfilling the requirement for the entire team, after which they would merely wait for the Ghost Bride's favor.
The second was that the four gifts could only secure safety for four people, meaning anyone left empty-handed would face certain death.
The first scenario was fine, but if it was the second...
Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself, *If it's the second, then by reaching this stage, the team will inevitably tear itself apart. When that happens, fewer than four people might even survive. No wonder our items and skills weren't sealed. It's forcing us to slaughter one another. An S-rank dungeon truly hides lethal traps at every step...*
If it truly came to that, how many would remain in the squad?
As the captain, he had a hidden quest: the team could not drop below three members.
Moreover, the concept of "selecting a husband" was inherently deceptive. It gave people the impression that only the one chosen by the bride would have a chance to survive—a cognitive bias assuming the lucky one always receives preferential treatment.
Yet Zhang Yuanqing was certain that whoever was chosen by the bride was marked for death.
The reason was simple. First, that was how it worked in the old version. Second, if only the chosen one could survive, the hidden quest would be meaningless.
No matter how hard he tried, only one person would be left standing here.
What difference would team casualties make then?
Of course, if the Ghost Bride happened to be an unfaithful woman seeking a harem, that would be another matter entirely.
The Ghost Bride segment might only claim one life, but the dangers of the Haunted House went far beyond her. First came the crisis of internal strife, followed by the other resentful spirits lurking inside the mansion. Being the captain in this dungeon was absurdly difficult. If clearing it did not offer massive rewards, it would be an absolute outrage. Fortunately, he had the Demon-Subduing Pestle, a divine artifact; even if he faced the Ghost Bride head-on, he had nothing to fear.
With this thought, Zhang Yuanqing subconsciously glanced at his teammates and noticed their eyes had grown dark and guarded. They had already begun watching one another.
No one was a fool.
Zhang Yuanqing cleared his throat. "We don't have much time. Let's find the betrothal gifts first. Everyone stick close to me and don't split up. Ordinary resentful spirits can't get near me."
In circumstances like this, his words carried the most weight. They still had to rely on his profession.
Without delay, the group bypassed the spirit screen behind the main hall and stepped into the inner courtyard. Stretching before them was a winding corridor hung with red lanterns, their deep crimson glow casting eerie silhouettes over trees, flowerbeds, and rockeries.
In the distance, moon gates faintly connected to other courtyards, while single-ridge buildings stood in neat rows against the night.
*The Ghost Bride really was the daughter of a wealthy family,* Zhang Yuanqing mused inwardly.
Judging by its scale, this compound was at least a three-entry courtyard mansion.
He surveyed the layout of the buildings, then turned around to remind the group, "The Yin energy here is very heavy. Stay close to me..."
His voice cut off abruptly. Behind him lay total emptiness. Not a single soul remained.
His teammates had vanished.
*Now this is getting creepy...* Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath and, without pausing in his steps, continued forward.
He had to find them quickly. None of them were Night Wanderers. Although their skills and items were not sealed, their methods for dealing with spirit bodies were limited. If they ran into a troublesome resentful spirit, they could die at any moment.
He traversed the garden and spotted candlelight flickering in a room ahead. The glow was faint, casting an eerie gleam through the lattice window.
All the other rooms, by contrast, were pitch-black.
Zhang Yuanqing walked cautiously along the corridor toward the room. Focusing his senses, he felt a chilling Yin energy inside, but no resentful spirits were lingering within.
Tiptoeing forward, he pushed open the lattice door, and the interior came into view.
It appeared to be a lady's bedchamber. To the east stood a bed with lowered bed hangings, a round table rested in the center, and by the window sat a dressing table, its bronze mirror pointed straight at the door.
A steelyard beam crafted from pure gold lay quietly before the dressing table.
Zhang Yuanqing stepped over the threshold, shut the door behind him, and approached the dressing table. He picked up the golden steelyard beam; it was barely half an arm's length and as thick as a thumb.
This was the implement used to lift the bride's red veil, symbolizing that everything would go according to one's heart's desires.
"Not that hard after all. Found one already..."
Just as Zhang Yuanqing prepared to leave the room, he suddenly heard the crackle of electrical static. A voice emerged from the Cat King Speaker in his pocket:
"On that day, she came to Jinshui Amusement Park..."
*This damned gadget always speaks at the worst times. Wait, what is it trying to say? Come to think of it, it's part of the amusement park, so maybe it knows something.* Zhang Yuanqing shifted his attention to the Cat King Speaker, curious to see what it would reveal.
This time, the Cat King Speaker did not disappoint. The voice continued:
"The spirits in the Haunted House trembled in terror, prostrating themselves on the ground. The great entity did not make things difficult for the weak resentful spirits. She instructed the bride to search for a young man on her behalf. That young man's name was: Yuanshi Tianzun!"
Zhang Yuanqing's head buzzed as if struck by lightning, and he froze on the spot.
*Looking for me? Looking for ME?!*
*Who's looking for me? Why look for me?!*
Shock and bewilderment surged through him. A split second later, he realized who it was.
Lady Sandao!
*The Taiyi Sect's official announcement stated that a powerful boss caused the anomalies in the Spirit Realm. The introduction to Jinshui Amusement Park said that after slumbering for countless ages, that entity was astonished by the novel little gadgets in the mortal world. All these details match Lady Sandao!*
*I was the one who awakened Lady Sandao. She's looking for me because half of her yang soul is inside the Demon-Subduing Pestle... Fuck, this old hag won't leave me alone! Can't she just let me go? I'm still just a kid!*
Zhang Yuanqing had always known that as he continued leveling up, he would eventually have to confront Lady Sandao.
However, that was supposed to happen after he became a high-level Spirit Realm walker, when he could use the yang soul inside the Demon-Subduing Pestle to strike a deal with her.
He had never imagined that the old crone possessed such terrifying influence that she could directly affect a low-level Spirit Realm.
*Damn it, I knew this quest couldn't be so simple. From the looks of it, taking out the Demon-Subduing Pestle will expose my identity instead!*
Her searching for him had to be for the Demon-Subduing Pestle.
*In a Spirit Realm influenced by her, the moment I take out the Demon-Subduing Pestle, that old hag might come charging straight at me. What would happen to me then? Who knows whether bosses in the Spirit Realm even care about Morality Points. What if she squashes me like a bug in passing...?*
After weighing the situation repeatedly, Zhang Yuanqing resolved to keep his identity hidden and proceed with the quest without using the Demon-Subduing Pestle.
The consequence of exposing his identity could be facing Lady Sandao—a terrifying great deity—head-on. There were far too many uncertainties.
On the other hand, if he pressed on with the quest and managed to clear the Haunted House, nothing would happen. If pushed into a true corner, it would still not be too late to draw the pestle.
Having sorted out the pros and cons, he no longer felt panicked. Just as he turned to leave, he caught sight of the bronze mirror—the room door was swinging open.
Startled, he spun around, only to find the door shut tight, completely unopened.
*What's going on?* Baffled, Zhang Yuanqing turned his head back toward the bronze mirror. With that glance, his pupils shrank.
In the bronze mirror, a woman in a white dress had appeared. Her disheveled hair draped loose as she stepped over the threshold, entering the room in an unnatural, bizarre posture.
The room reflected in the bronze mirror looked distinctly different from the one he was standing in.
Moving in her strange posture, the white-dressed woman approached the dressing table and sat down.
Only then did Zhang Yuanqing finally see why her gait was so bizarre: she had been walking backward.
What happened next was enough to scare an ordinary person to death. The woman in the bronze mirror raised her hands, plucked her head clean off her shoulders, and cradled it in her lap.
Her skin was a bruised blue-black, tipped with long, sharp black nails.
The black hair on the severed head parted, revealing her face. A pair of ghastly white eyes set in a deathly pale face stared out through pitch-black lips, gazing fixedly into the bronze mirror as if peering directly at Zhang Yuanqing in another world.
*This female ghost has zero looks to speak of...* Zhang Yuanqing backed away swiftly, intending to retreat from the room.
Yet the disheveled hair in the mirror suddenly came to life. Like writhing tentacles, it shot up and stabbed violently through the surface of the mirror.
Ripples spread across the bronze mirror as clusters of hair punched through the surface, wrapping tightly around Zhang Yuanqing's wrists and torso. They constricted continuously, threatening to drag him straight into the mirror.
"Hmph!"
A thick, viscous dark glow surged in Zhang Yuanqing's eyes. He opened his mouth and inhaled with all his might.
Spirit Devouring!
Yet this skill, normally capable of suppressing resentful spirits, merely slowed the speed of the encroaching hair. It could not consume the female ghost inside the mirror.
*This ghost is powerful. She's no ordinary resentful spirit.* Zhang Yuanqing's feet dragged forward inch by inch, drawing closer and closer to the bronze mirror.
He rapidly considered his options. He had to avoid using the Demon-Subduing Pestle if possible. The Bloodthirsty Blade was a physical weapon, useless against spirit bodies. The red dancing shoes also attacked on the physical plane; stomping would do nothing against a spirit body...
After turning it over in his mind: *I choose you, Little Doubi!!*
Zhang Yuanqing exhaled a stream of Yin energy, summoning Little Doubi.
"Ah-ba..." The chubby, adorable infant spirit landed on the dressing table, stretching its limbs lazily. Then, it saw the female ghost in the mirror.
In an instant, like a terrified cat with puffed-up fur, the infant spirit scrambled off the dressing table at a speed completely unnatural for its apparent age. It cowered behind Zhang Yuanqing, wailing in sheer terror.
Zhang Yuanqing cursed, "You useless thing, attack!"
He transmitted an attack command to the infant spirit.
"Ah-ba, ah-ba!"
Obeying orders was the nature of a spirit servant. The infant spirit knitted its faint eyebrows, barked twice with fierce bluster, grabbed Zhang Yuanqing's trouser leg, and scrambled all the way up to his shoulder before leaping forward with all its might.
Its round, chubby body passed through the bronze mirror, plastering itself directly onto the female ghost's face.
Zhang Yuanqing immediately settled his emotions, shifting his consciousness onto the infant spirit and swapping out the female ghost's perception.
The female ghost's sinister face turned completely blank, as if she had abruptly lost her brain.
The lethal, wire-like hair instantly lost its power and slumped down limply.
*Nicely done!*
Zhang Yuanqing instantly recalled Little Doubi, letting the spirit cling to the top of his head, and bolted for the exit.
The infant spirit's ability lasted only three seconds, but that was enough for him to flee the room.
Bursting through the door and vaulting over the threshold, Zhang Yuanqing had just reached the garden when a loud *bang* echoed behind him as the door slammed shut. Glancing back, he saw that the candlelight inside the room had gone out, leaving it completely dark.
Chilling winds blew through the inner courtyard. Many resentful spirits watched from the distance, both craving the Night Wanderer's aura and dreading his oppressive might, not daring to draw close.
*I need to find them quickly. I just hope they haven't all died...*
Zhang Yuanqing hurried away from the garden, passed through a moon gate, and entered an adjacent courtyard. Before long, he spotted Xie Lingxi.
The young girl was standing beside a water vat in the corner of the courtyard, her upper body plunged into the vat. Her hands gripped the rim as she struggled desperately, as if something inside was pulling her down.
No matter how hard she tried, she could not wrench herself free.
Gradually, her struggles grew weaker and weaker...
Zhang Yuanqing approached at a brisk pace and caught the scent of alcohol. Peering in, he saw dark liquid sloshing in the vat, where an infant spirit trailed an umbilical cord as it swam about. That very cord was wrapped around Xie Lingxi's neck, dragging her relentlessly beneath the surface.
Zhang Yuanqing scooped up Little Doubi with both hands and, ignoring the spirit's frantic squirming, tossed him straight into the vat.
Seeing one of its kind drop in, the umbilical-cord infant spirit immediately released its cord and bared its fangs at Little Doubi.
Zhang Yuanqing grabbed Xie Lingxi's shoulders and pulled with force, hauling her out of the vat.
"Cough, cough..."
Xie Lingxi coughed violently, her face flushed red, her bangs and sideburns plastered wetly across her forehead and cheeks.
After a dozen seconds, she managed to calm her distressed lungs. Recognizing Zhang Yuanqing's face, she wept tears of joy.
"Brother Wang Tai, you came to save me! Waaah, I never want to enter a Spirit Realm related to Night Wanderers again! It's... it's too terrifying..."
This was her first time entering a dungeon with supernatural elements.
"How did you end up here?" Zhang Yuanqing kept his eyes on the water vat.
The two infant spirits had started fighting in the wine, lunging, biting, and tangling with each other, sending ripples through the dark liquid.
Xie Lingxi stood on tiptoe, took a peek into the vat, and gagged upon remembering how much she had just swallowed. "Gross, that's so disgusting..."
After venting her revulsion, she answered Zhang Yuanqing's question:
"Brother Wang Tai, I followed you out of the main hall, but a fog rolled in, and suddenly everyone was gone. I started searching for you, and before I knew it, I ended up here. Then I smelled wine and followed the scent to this vat.
"I figured this must be one of the betrothal gifts. But the moment I lifted the wooden lid, a rope shot out from inside and yanked me in."
Looking at the umbilical-cord infant spirit in the vat and recalling the liquid she had choked on, her face turned pale as a sheet. "Gross, so disgusting..."
Zhang Yuanqing estimated the time and eyed the girl. "You can hold your breath for quite a while."
Xie Lingxi shook her head and said sweetly, "I have an item that restores vitality. If not for that, I would've drowned in the vat long ago."
As she spoke, she raised her fair, slender wrist, revealing an emerald-green jade bracelet.
*A bracelet that restores vitality... Is this girl a Wood Demon too? Her demeanor doesn't really fit, though.* Zhang Yuanqing hummed in acknowledgment and did not press the matter. "Come with me to find the others. Hopefully, we're not too late."
Xie Lingxi collected some of the liquid, while Zhang Yuanqing recalled Little Doubi—who had just fought a peer for the first time in his life—and they proceeded along a cobblestone path deeper into the mansion.
"By the way, give me that card."
"Ah? What card?"
"Don't play dumb. The card brought out from the parking lot. I saw you shove it into your back pocket."
"..."
Chapter 57