For some reason, Yu Nian could see expressions of anticipation and anxiety on the bride's swollen and hideous face.
Feng Chengyuan whispered in a voice only audible to the two of them, "Who is she waiting for? Her groom?"
Yu Nian shook her head. "She carelessly threw the veil on the ground. Clearly, she's not looking forward to this marriage."
Her gaze then fell on the parcel tightly clutched in the bride's left hand, and she raised her eyebrows in surprise.
This girl didn't seem to be here for a wedding but rather preparing to elope.
While Yu Nian was deep in thought, the bride seemed to sense someone staring at her. Suddenly, she turned her head and looked over.
Their eyes met, and Yu Nian's heart sank. She shouted to the others, "Run!"
Then she grabbed Feng Chengyuan, who was closest to her, and dashed out of the temple.
Yu Nian was running at full speed. When she glanced back, she was shocked to find that the bride was only an arm's length away, chasing them wildly with outstretched claws.
Observing up close, Feng Chengyuan saw that the bride's sharp, hook - like fingernails were oozing scarlet blood. If scratched by those nails, one's flesh would surely be torn from the bone.
Feng Chengyuan's eyes fell on the donation boxes by the roadside. He reached out his long arm and suddenly knocked them down to the ground.
With a series of clattering sounds, the bride stumbled and had to slow down.
Taking this opportunity, Yu Nian turned around and accurately threw a talisman paper at the bride.
The moment the talisman paper exploded, black smoke rose from the bride's body. But as if she felt no pain, she continued to chase Yu Nian relentlessly.
Just as she was about to catch up with Yu Nian, Yu Nian dragged Feng Chengyuan out of the wooden gate and then slammed it shut.
Separated by the wooden gate, the bride was helpless. Several harsh scratching sounds came from behind the door.
After a few more minutes, it finally fell silent behind the door.
He Zhiping collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
"Yu Nian, did you make a mistake? Why is the 'life - door' so dangerous?"
Yu Nian concentrated and calculated with her fingers. Her eyes darkened. "The magnetic field in this illusion is chaotic. The order of each door has been disrupted. You must have accidentally opened a 'fierce door' just now. The things formed by the evil qi inside detected our aura, which is why they chased us all the way."
Cuicui said with lingering fear, "What would happen if we were injured by those things just now?"
Yu Nian said calmly, "If we're injured in the illusion, our real - world bodies will also be correspondingly hurt."
Hearing this, everyone frowned. There were eight doors in total. The first one had almost cost them their lives. Would the remaining seven doors skin them alive?
Yu Nian took out several small paper figurines, softly recited the incantation twice. A sudden golden light flashed before everyone's eyes. When they opened their eyes again, they had attached themselves to the paper figurines.
"The paper figurines will conceal much of our living - person aura."
Yu Nian walked to the door and said calmly, "Since the order of the doors is already messed up, just push one randomly."
This time, the scene inside the door was completely different. The sun was shining brightly, and several strong farmers were chatting under a big rock at the city gate.
This time, everyone had learned their lesson. Even though they were attached to the small paper figurines, they tried to walk as quietly as possible, afraid of disturbing the things inside the door and inviting another chase.
One of the bearded villagers took a deep puff of his pipe. "The 'Bà bride' is really shameless. She's been entangled with that outsider. Isn't this slapping the face of the Wuxiang God? If the Wuxiang God blames us, we'll all be in trouble."
"I think it's that young outsider's fault. We shouldn't have been so hospitable to him in the first place! Before they cause a big mess, how about we find a chance to tie that kid up..." The man lowered his voice and made a throat - slitting gesture.
The bearded man quickly shook his head. "You want to kill someone? Are you crazy? Besides, that kid is quite strange. He seems to know some magic. Be careful not to end up worse off!"
...
Yu Nian withdrew her gaze, lost in thought.
Outsider, orphan, young kid...
The person they were talking about should be Shi Tou.
But why did Shi Tou die? And why was he punished so severely after his death?
Cuicui stared blankly at the two villagers. One was Uncle Zhang, who often helped her family with work in the east of the village, and the other was Grandpa Li, who had bought her candy when she was a child.
They had the same tone and expression as in reality, only looking a bit younger than she remembered.
Cuicui suddenly realized something and asked in a daze, "Is the 'Bà bride' they're talking about me?"
While they were talking, there was suddenly no sound inside the door.
Yu Nian's heart sank. She held her breath and looked inside the door. The two men had disappeared.
Two huge shadows loomed from behind, and a mechanical voice filled with a strong sense of killing.
"Are you looking for me?"
Two blinding cold lights shone down. Relying on her small size, Yu Nian quickly dodged. The two men's expressions froze, and they swung their hoes forcefully at Feng Chengyuan.
Yu Nian was shocked. She quickly detached herself from the paper figurine and kicked the two men to the ground.
The two villagers still chased them relentlessly. Just as they were about to strike the two of them, Yu Nian pulled everyone out of the door.
All the commotion disappeared instantly.
The two looked at each other and let out a long sigh of relief.
After everyone had entered four or five doors one after another and been chased by all kinds of strange and terrifying things, He Zhiping suddenly grabbed Yu Nian's hand just as she was about to push the door.
"Ancestor, can you take it easy? I'm really going to lose my old life in this ghostly place!"
"This is the last door," Yu Nian determined the direction and said calmly, "The 'death - door'."
"What if we don't find an exit behind this door?"
Yu Nian said calmly, "Then we'll be trapped here forever."
He Zhiping's face instantly turned as pale as a sheet.
Feng Chengyuan looked at Yu Nian with a firm tone. "Open it. I trust you."
...
It was an extremely tall twin - trunked tree. A boy and a girl were standing quietly under the tree.
The girl was curled up in the shadow. Everyone could only see the boy's blurred face.
They seemed to be talking, but their words drifted away with the wind, indistinct.
Everyone got closer and finally heard the content of their conversation.
"If only I weren't the 'Bà bride'. Then I could go with you and see the outside world. But I can't harm the whole village for my own selfish desires."
The boy's emotions seemed to fluctuate greatly. His voice trembled a little.
"What Wuxiang God, what great wizard. Those are all superstitions! The drought demon is an ancient evil creature. Offering living people as sacrifices is clearly murder! If you want to leave, I can definitely take you away from here!"
The girl was in a daze for a long time. Finally, she let out a shallow sigh.
"Forget it. I'm just unlucky. I've always had less luck than others. Good things never happen to me. The great wizard once told my fortune. Even if I weren't the 'Bà bride', I wouldn't live past thirty. You'd better leave here as soon as possible and find a more worthy girl..."
"Then I'll give you my life."
The girl suspected she had misheard. "... What?"
The boy repeated without hesitation, "I've always been lucky. I'll give you all my good luck and lifespan."
Cuicui was stunned. An extremely bitter feeling welled up in her heart and finally turned into tears that rolled down her cheeks.