PTYS Chapter 169

Xiao Muyu was already numb to this. She glanced at the five severed heads on the ground and said in a low voice, “Our mission is to find the whereabouts of the missing girls. It’s not just about finding them but knowing exactly where they are.”

Although Xiao Muyu’s words were convoluted, Shen Qingqiu and the others understood. Even though the heads of these five girls were here, they had no idea where their bodies were or where they had suffered such treatment. The progress of the mission wouldn’t advance much without this information.

Moreover, completing this mission also involved perfecting the plot. Currently, the mission progress had increased by 0.17, but the plot advancement hadn’t increased much, only reaching 16%. This meant that their understanding of the main plot was limited to Bai He Langjun’s marriage.

“Team Leader Xiao, it’s getting dark. What should we do now?” Chen Kaijie glanced at the sky. The sudden appearance of these five heads added an eerie atmosphere to the scene.

Chen Kaijie wasn’t sure what would happen if they stayed there, and he couldn’t decide whether to stay or leave.

Shen Qingqiu looked at the heads and sneered, “After all the trouble to bring us here, it won’t just scare us with these five heads. Besides, the heads haven’t turned into vengeful spirits. There’s definitely something manipulating this from the shadows. It might even be watching us right now.”

Zuo Tiantian swallowed hard, “Deputy Leader, you… you don’t have to say it, so scary. I’m scared.”

Shen Qingqiu smiled at her, “What are you afraid of? If it dares to show its head, I’ll make sure there are six heads on the ground. Isn’t it supposed to be a wedding? In life, they share the same bed; in death, they share the same grave. The whole family should be together.”

Xiao Muyu knew her well. Whenever Shen Qingqiu stopped joking around and started talking tough, it usually meant she was angry.

She looked at Shen Qingqiu, smiling, “Alright, whatever it wants to do, let’s leave first.”

Shen Qingqiu glanced at her and snorted. Everyone understood and immediately turned to leave without even bothering about the five heads on the ground.

Just as they had walked less than three meters away, a gust of wind carrying moisture suddenly swept in from both directions.

The wind came quickly and strangely, blowing from two completely different directions. It kicked up dust and leaves, swirling towards the group.

Shen Qingqiu quickly turned around and pulled Xiao Muyu, shielding her from the dust and raising her sleeve to protect her.

“Xiao Zuo, Su Jin, come closer, don’t get separated,” she quickly instructed the others.

Su Jin had just responded when the sound of suona horns and gongs accompanied the wind. At the same time, Xiao Muyu smelled a familiar scent.

“There’s a fishy smell, and the scent of paste,” Xiao Muyu tightened her grip and raised her voice to alert the others. Shen Qingqiu nodded, realizing something, and said, “Did you all hear that?”

“Yes, the sound of suona horns, it’s coming towards us,” Chen Kaijie said nervously, rubbing his eyes which were irritated by the dust.

“I heard it too. But Team Leader Xiao, Deputy Leader, don’t you think this suona sound is strange? It feels…”

Protected by Shen Qingqiu, Xiao Muyu wasn’t hit by the wind and sand. With her keen senses, she added, “There are two different suona sounds, one from the front and one from the back, both coming towards us.”

This revelation startled Su Jin and the others even more, and they quickly focused on listening. As the sounds got closer, they indeed noticed that there were suona sounds coming from both directions, playing completely different tunes.

Although suona is a traditional instrument that few learn to play, its purpose and significance are widely known. Even without understanding the exact tunes, they could tell whether it signified celebration or mourning.

At this moment, Chen Kaijie swallowed nervously and said, “One side is playing joyful music, and the other side is playing mourning music.”

The wind hadn’t stopped, and the paths on both sides became blurry, making it impossible to see what was happening there.

They could only feel that one side was damp and fishy, and the other side was cold, with each side’s suona and gongs approaching.

Xiao Muyu’s face also turned grim. She looked at the situation and murmured, “We were all wrong. Their ambition is greater; their target isn’t just me but both of us.”

Shen Qingqiu’s heartbeat quickened with the eerie suona sounds getting closer.

Her eyes grew darker and colder, “So he wants to enjoy the blessing of both?”

Xiao Muyu shook her head, “It’s the clash of red and white.”

As soon as Xiao Muyu said this, Zuo Tiantian and the others felt a chill run down their spines and moved closer to them, asking nervously, “What’s the clash of red and white?”

Shen Qingqiu’s face was also grim, “The clash of red and white refers to a funeral procession encountering a wedding procession on the road. If the deceased’s and the bride’s birthdates clash, it’s a huge taboo. Such an encounter would disturb the dead’s peace, and the bride’s joyous event would turn into a funeral.”

“If it’s just a red event meeting a white event, it’s already bad. But if the red event and white event are the same thing…”

The others felt chills hearing this, “What does it mean if it’s the same thing?”

“A ghost marriage.”

As soon as Xiao Muyu finished speaking, the five of them saw two processions approaching from the front and back.

One side was full of joy with loud gongs and drums. The procession had four people playing suona, holding celebratory plaques, followed by eight men in red carrying a bridal sedan chair.

Everyone was dressed in pure red without any other colors or patterns. Their faces were ashen and expressionless, making the red wedding attire even more terrifying than mourning clothes.

They seemed not to notice the five people ahead and walked mechanically forward, their eyes vacant.

Their pale faces, like they were covered in lime powder, added to the eerie and lifeless atmosphere of the procession.

The other side had four people leading, two playing suona, and two holding mourning sticks with smiles on their faces.

They walked while swaying their legs as if dancing, looking more cheerful than the wedding procession in front of them.

Following them were eight people carrying a black coffin, which was dripping water.

These people were all dressed in mourning clothes, with hemp cloth on their heads and ropes around their waists. Their faces were also pale as if covered in lime powder.

The most bizarre thing was that although they all looked like humans, there was one man assisting with the coffin who was a paper figure.

As they got closer, Shen Qingqiu and Xiao Muyu recognized it as the paper figure that had come looking for them that night.

Neither procession paid any attention to Xiao Muyu and the others, as if they didn’t see them, getting closer and closer.

Shen Qingqiu and Xiao Muyu quickly grasped their weapons, and Chen Kaijie, Su Jin, and Zuo Tiantian also prepared themselves, quickly retreating to avoid the processions.

Seeing them retreat, the people in the processions didn’t react and kept walking forward. Eventually, the two processions met.

Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu saw clearly that the two processions crossed each other in a coordinated manner. The red bridal sedan chair and the black coffin met in the middle and stopped.

The paper figure assisting with the coffin stiffly raised its hand, scattering a bunch of white circular paper pieces into the air, which floated down onto the sedan chair and coffin.

Xiao Muyu felt compelled to stare at one of the paper pieces as it swirled in the wind and landed in front of her.

Instantly, the people in the two processions turned their heads in unison, looking at them and raising their hands towards them.

In the midst of the swirling, a distant and hoarse voice echoed in Xiao Muyu’s ears, “The auspicious time has come, please escort the bride to the sedan chair!”

Suddenly, the group of people shouted in unison, “The auspicious time has come, please escort the bride to the sedan chair!”

“The time has come, please escort the deceased on their journey!” The two voices intertwined, making Chen Kaijie and the others dizzy.

Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu, however, stared straight at the bridal sedan chair and the coffin in the middle of the procession, ignoring Chen Kaijie and the others’ calls.

In the next second, the people in the procession started laughing maniacally. Men and women, their laughter was both mournful and excited, and the suona sound pierced the air.

Chen Kaijie watched as Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu suddenly took a step forward. Before they could react, it was as if an invisible hand grabbed and pulled them forward.

“Team Leader Xiao, Deputy Leader!” Zuo Tiantian tried to pull them back with a red rope, but the paper figure suddenly appeared in front of her.

The face of the paper figure was not only painted with exaggerated and eerie colors, but its features were also intricately detailed. Its close proximity made Zuo Tiantian’s heart almost stop.

This paper figure stared at Zuo Tiantian, its blood-red mouth grinning widely. The lines delicately depicted the shape of the eyes, but the pupils were carelessly dotted, making it look even more terrifying.

The paper figure’s disproportionately small eyes turned, and it raised its hand to slap Zuo Tiantian’s forehead hard.

Chen Kaijie, feeling a chill down his spine, had already drawn his Tang sword and swung it at the paper figure.

On the side, Su Jin also took out a cinnabar brush and was about to dot it on the paper figure’s forehead, but the paper figure floated away lightly.

Zuo Tiantian only felt waves of darkness before her eyes, her face pale, unable to stand steadily. Meanwhile, the amulet on her body glowed red and trembled violently.

Just as Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu were being pulled over, the curtain of the sedan chair in the middle lifted on its own, and the coffin lid also opened.

They watched helplessly as Shen Qingqiu was put into the sedan chair and Xiao Muyu was pressed into the coffin. The procession, like a gust of wind, mixed with red and white, laughing and shouting, flew into the fog.

“Captain Xiao, Vice Captain!” Chen Kaijie’s eyes were red, and he wiped his face fiercely, distraught. “What do we do? What do we do?”

Su Jin pulled Zuo Tiantian up, looking at the dim woods left with only fog, her breathing rapid but her voice firm. “Brother Chen, carry Tiantian. Let’s chase after them!”

Chen Kaijie took a deep breath, bent down to carry Zuo Tiantian, his mind becoming clearer. “Su Jin, paper crane, quickly!”

Another paper crane flapped its wings and flew up. The three of them hurried to follow.Zuo Tiantian still feeling very dizzy, struggled and said, “Don’t worry about me, go quickly, Captain Xiao and Vice Captain seem to be bewitched. Go quickly.”

Su Jin gritted her teeth. “Brother Chen, you take Tiantian. I’ll go ahead!”

Chen Kaijie gritted his teeth. “You go first. I’ll catch up as best I can. Be careful.”

Zuo Tiantian handed the red string card to Su Jin. “Take this just in case.”

Su Jin took it and ran off.

In this direction, in the memory of Su Jin’s character, was Baihe River. She became more anxious and picked up speed.

On the other side, Xiao Muyu felt a part of her body burning intensely, gradually regaining some consciousness. She reached out to touch it and found a talisman paper at the hot spot, which made her a bit more alert.

Opening her eyes to darkness, Xiao Muyu found herself in a narrow, cramped place, seemingly a box.

Still somewhat groggy, she wiped with her hand and felt cold, wet water.

Her memory returned, and she realized this was a coffin!

She had been placed inside a coffin. The loud sound of a suona echoed in her ears, and the movement beneath her indicated the coffin was being carried.

Xiao Muyu gritted her teeth, realizing she had been chosen by the red and white double calamity, specifically by the white calamity, indicating imminent death.

The coffin likely belonged to the original Lord of Baihe. Now trapped inside, she guessed her fate would be to sink in the river as a corpse.

Thinking of this, she also thought of Shen Qingqiu, who had been placed into the sedan chair. Not knowing what Shen Qingqiu would face, Xiao Muyu became even more anxious.

The air in the coffin was thin, making her feel dizzy. She quickly activated the bronze sword, gripping it tightly and thrusting it outward.

The reforged bronze sword was incredibly sharp, but despite her efforts, it failed to penetrate the coffin board, leaving Xiao Muyu’s heart sinking.

Su Jin had already caught up to the front, but just as she could see Baihe River, the paper crane suddenly stopped.

In front of Su Jin appeared two forks in the road, one leading to Baihe River and the other to an unknown destination. The paper crane hesitated between the two paths, seemingly unsure where to go.

Su Jin had been tracking Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu’s positions, and now its indecision indicated…

Su Jin quickly sorted through her thoughts: the red and white double calamity, Captain Xiao in the funeral procession, and the Vice Captain in the wedding procession.

This meant the Vice Captain would be taken to the ghost groom, and Captain Xiao would be buried!

Realizing this, Su Jin felt a chill down her spine. Fortunately, Chen Kaijie’s “Happy Family” was still active. Su Jin quickly said, “Brother Chen, Captain Xiao and Vice Captain have been separated. I’ll go left to Baihe River to save Captain Xiao. You go right to find the Vice Captain. The ghost groom might be over there. Be careful.”

“You too, be sure to use your wits and don’t fight head-on.”

Author’s Note: The red and white calamity comes from a scene in Lam Ching-ying’s “Mr. Vampire.” When researching ghost marriages, I found it particularly classic and creepy. I’ve adapted part of it here as a tribute to Lam Ching-ying.

–The thrilling excitement begins–