Forbidden Read!
Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Ghosts Hold Weddings, Crown Princes Ride on Wedding Stretchers

***

The entire wedding stretcher was covered in a dark red satin cloth. The patterns of the beautiful flowers, the moon, the dragon and the phoenix were sewn with brightly colored threads. Nan Feng and Fu Yao each stood on each side of the palanquin, keeping the palanquin from tilting to either side. Xie Lian sat upright in the middle of the palanquin, her body swaying in rhythm with the footsteps of the people carrying her.

In reality, the eight people carrying the palanquin were all top military officials who were proficient in martial arts. In order to find a very skilled person in martial arts who was willing to disguise as a stretcher bearer, Nan Feng and Fu Yao directly went to the official residence and revealed their plans. They vividly explained how they wanted to go and explore Mount Yu Jun. Thus, without asking any more, the official immediately took out a row of tall and powerful martial artists. However, the reason why Nan Feng and Fu Yao wanted strong warriors was not because they wished those people could help them. Instead, they just wanted those people to be able to defend themselves and escape when the ferocious ghost started fighting back.

However, the eight military officials did not have very high expectations of them. Within the government, they were all first-class experts. When are they not the stars or leaders in the show? Even so, the moment these two beautiful boys came, they began to step on their heads and force them to become stretcher bearers. It could be said that they were already very unhappy. However, their master's orders had to be followed, and thus they could only endure the humiliation in their hearts. But because they are unhappy, it is difficult to avoid their anger. That was why, from time to time, they deliberately slipped and shook the stretcher, making the stretcher jolt strongly. Outsiders would not know, if the person sitting inside the stretcher was a bit fragile, they would have already vomited to death.

The wedding stretcher was slanted and jerked. Sure enough, they heard Xie Lian inside there sigh slowly. Those few military officials could not help but secretly feel pleased.

Outside, Fu Yao asked in a cold tone, "Young lady, what is it? Married at an advanced age, are you so happy that you want to cry?"

True, when the bride and groom get married, many of them can't hold back their tears and cry on their wedding stretcher. As for her, when Xie Lian heard that sentence, she did not know whether to laugh or cry. However, when he started talking, his tone was soft and delicate. Unexpectedly, there was not even the slightest bit of discomfort as he said, "Not that. I just realized that this wedding procession is lacking something very important."

Nan Feng asked, "What's lacking? We should've prepared everything we had to carry."

Xie Lian responded with a smile. "The servant girl who accompanied during the wedding."

"..."

The two small martial gods who were outside spontaneously glanced at each other. No one knew what kind of scene they had imagined, but they were both trembling violently. Fu Yao spoke up and said, "Take your family poor so there's not enough money to buy a servant girl. So, you decided to do it alone."

Xie Lian replied, "Alright."

The military officials heard the impromptu comedy directly in front of them and could not help but smile. The dissatisfaction in their hearts had subsided, and they felt a little closer to the three people. That makes the marriage stretcher much more stable.

Xie Lian leaned back once more. Even though he was still sitting upright, he closed his eyes to rest.

Who would have thought, after a while, the laughter of a small child sounded near his ears.

Chuckles and is cruel, laughs and is happy.

The sound of laughter was like a ripple that instantly spread through the mountains and fields. It sounds so subtle, but it's also very strange. However, the marriage stretcher did not stop and still moved steadily as before. Even Nan Feng and Fu Yao did not say anything, as if they were unaware of any irregularities.

Xie Lian opened her eyes before speaking in a low tone, "Nan Feng, Fu Yao."

Nan Feng walked on the left side of the stretcher. He asked, "What's wrong?"

Xie Lian replied, "Something's coming."

At this moment, their 'marriage process' had already entered the depths of Mount Yu Jun.

The situation there is completely silent. Even the creaking sounds made by the wooden palanquin, the crackling sounds of the dried leaves and branches under their feet, and the breath sounds of the stretcher bearers seemed too noisy in this calmness.

And the child's laughter is still not gone. Sometimes it sounded far away, as if he was in the depths of a mountain. Other times, his voice sounded very close, as if he was crawling beside a stretcher.

Nan Feng's expression became even more serious as he said, "I didn't hear anything."

Fu Yao also coldly said, "I'm not either."

As for the other stretcher bearers also giving similar answers, it was even more impossible if they heard something.

In response, Xie Lian said, "In that case, it means that they deliberately let only I be able to hear it."

The eight military officials were originally too confident due to their high skills in martial arts. In addition, they believe that since the ghost of the groom randomly chose his bride, they will definitely go home tonight without paying off. So, they are not afraid at all. Now, for some reason, they couldn't help but think about the forty military officials in the wedding procession back then, the ones who had mysteriously disappeared. Suddenly, cold sweat began to appear on the foreheads of the stretcher bearers.

Xie Lian noticed someone's footsteps stopped and she then said, "Don't stop. Pretend nothing happened."

Nan Feng waved his hand, gesturing for those military officials to continue walking. Xie Lian spoke again and said, "He sings."

Fu Yao asked, "What is he singing?"

After carefully listening to the child's voice, Xie Lian began to repeat word for word. "New bride, newlyweds, newlyweds on the red wedding stretcher..."

In the middle of the silent night, Xie Lian's slightly sluggish voice sounded extremely sharp. Clearly, he had just said those words. However, the eight military officials felt as if they could hear the voice of a child singing the strange song with him. It is capable of making a person's blood freeze.

Xie Lian continued on, "The eyes are filled with tears, past the mountain mound, behind the veil no... holding a smile that rises... The ghost of the bride? Or something else?"

He paused for a moment before saying, "This is not going to work. Now he kept laughing, so his words were unclear."

Nan Feng frowned. "What does all that mean?"

Xie Lian replied, "I mean. She tells the newlyweds on the wedding stretcher that she should just cry, and that she shouldn't smile."

Nan Feng corrected the previous question. "I mean, what was the point behind the creature running here and warning you about it?"

On the other hand, Fu Yao would forever have the opposite idea. "Maybe that doesn't always mean warning us. It could be that he was deliberately trying to make you do something wrong. Perhaps, smiling was the real way to get out of this place unharmed. The goal is to trick people into crying. It's hard to say if, in the past, the brides fell into their plans."

In response, Xie Lian said, "Fu Yao. If a bride used to hear this kind of voice halfway through, I was worried that she would just be scared to death. How could he smile? Besides, do I cry or smile, what's the worst outcome?"

Fu Yao replied, "You will be kidnapped."

So, Xie Lian reminded him, "Isn't the purpose of our trip tonight exactly that?"

Fu Yao snorted, although she did not further argue. Instead, Xie Lian spoke again and said, "Also, there's something I think I should say to you guys."

Nan Feng asked, "What is that?"

Xie Lian replied, "Since I sat in this palanquin, I've never stopped smiling."

"..."

He had just said that phrase when suddenly, the wedding stretcher suddenly became so heavy!

A commotion began to ensue among the eight military officials, causing the marriage stretcher to completely stop. Nan Feng shouted, "Everyone, don't panic!"

Xie Lian raised her hand slightly before asking, "What happened?"

Fu Yao replied in a light tone. "none. Just meet a beast."

He had just finished replying, when Xie Lian heard the sad howl of the wolf cutting into the silence of the night.

A wolf's pack is blocking their way!

Whatever happened, Xie Lian thought it wasn't too normal. Thus, he asked, "May I ask, do wolves often roam Mount Yu Jun?"

One of the military officials holding the stretcher replied, "I've never heard of this happening before! How could they possibly be at Mount Yu Jun?!"

Xie Lian raised her eyebrows before saying, "Yes, we have come to the right place."

From the darkness of the forest, many pairs of wolf-green eyes faintly lit up as the pack of ferocious beasts began to walk out. Quickly, the herd began to surround and surround them.

However, when they compared the 'crowd of savage beasts that were happy to find their prey' with 'something strange that could not be heard or touched' of course to them, it would be more frightening that something strange. So, one by one, everyone started rolling up their sleeves to fight, preparing to show their talent and kill.

Unfortunately, the best part of the show hasn't come up yet. Following their steps, a rustling sound was heard, followed by a strange sound that did not sound like a human voice or the sound of a wild beast.

A military official exclaimed in shock. "This...what is this?! What is this creature?!"

Nan Feng also started cursing. Xie Lian knew that things had changed quickly and she intended to stand up. He asked, "What's going on now?"

However, Nan Feng immediately shouted, "Don't come out!"

Xie Lian raised her hand, when suddenly, the wedding stretcher started to shake. It was as if something was leaning against the door of the palanquin. Xie Lian did not bow her head too much. Just set his gaze down, before he saw the back of the head of something through the gap between his hoods.

The creature actually climbed onto the wedding stretcher!

He had already stuck his head into the palanquin, but was immediately dragged by someone outside. Nan Feng stood in front of the palanquin and cursed, "Damn it, it's a base slave!"

As soon as he heard that it was a base slave, Xie Lian knew that after this everything would become even more troublesome.

According to the assessment of the Ling Wen Palace Hall, a base slave was something that could not even be ranked as 'Sengit' rank'.

It is said that in the beginning, the base slaves were humans. However, if one were to look at them now, even if they were humans, people could only tell that they were flawed humans. The creature had a head and a face, but it looked hazy and indistinct. They have legs and hands, but are too weak to walk. They have mouths and teeth, but it will take forever to bite someone to death. However, if it was possible to choose, most people would rather encounter a terrifying monster with the rank of 'Sengit' or 'Agrish' than meet a base slave.

Because, in many cases, base slaves usually appear and coordinate with ghosts and other monsters. When their prey was fighting against its enemies, they would suddenly appear. Then, they will use their hands and feet to attach to their prey without being able to be removed. They also have many friends who advance fearlessly, all clinging to their prey like very sticky candies.

Although their combat power was extremely low, they were extremely tenacious and difficult to kill. Plus, they usually appear in large groups. It was very difficult to get rid of them, and even harder to kill them all quickly. Little by little, people would waste too much strength to fight them, and would end up exhausted. As a result, there would definitely be a brief moment of carelessness, which would make an enemy that had long been waiting for an opportunity, to successfully attack.

Once their prey is killed by ghosts and other monsters, base slaves will collect the remains of prey, such as their broken arms and legs, before eating them with pleasure. They will continue to chew and bite until their prey is full of holes.

The base slave was truly a very disgusting existence. For the Heavenly Officials of the Upper Heavens, bringing out Divine light and their weapons would naturally be enough to scare the base slaves into retreat. However, to the little martial god from Middle Heaven, the creature was truly difficult to deal with.

From a place that seemed far away, Fu Yao said in a disgusted tone, "I! Hate the most! This kind of creature! Did the Ling Wen Palace Hall mention about the existence of this creature?"

Xie Lian replied, "They didn't mention it."

Fu Yao immediately replied, "What use are those people?!"

Ignoring him, Xie Lian asked, "How many of them have come?"

This time Nan Feng replied. "About a hundred, maybe a little more! Don't come out!"

For a creature of some kind of slave base, the more number they were, the stronger it would be. When there were more than ten of them, it was already extremely difficult to deal with. And, this is over a hundred? Clearly, there were more than enough base slaves to drag them to death. Base slaves usually like to live in places where there are many people. Thus, Xie Lian never expected that there would be many base slaves living on the desolate Mount Yu Jun. Xie Lian thought for a moment before slightly raising her hand, revealing a half-banded wrist.

He said, "Go."

As he said those words, the white bandage started to automatically slide off his arm. As if alive, it flew out through the curtain of the palanquin.

Xie Lian sat upright inside the palanquin before gently giving the command, "Chuckle them to death."

In the middle of the night, a white snake suddenly slid out.

When the white and thin silk was wrapped around Xie Lian's wrist, it looked to be only a few chi in length. However, as he flew lightning-fast into the fight, he looked so long. With the sound of 'cracks of the krak', 'cracks of the krak', a series of fault sounds echoed in the air. In an instant, the necks of the pack of wild wolves and base slaves had been broken by that white silk!

The six base slaves that troubled Nan Feng instantly met their end viciously and fell to the ground. He then thrust out his palm and sent the last wolf flying. However, even though Nan Feng had escaped danger, he did not feel calm in the slightest. In fact, he immediately rushed towards the palanquin and shouted in disbelief, "What is that thing?! Don't you have no spiritual power, and therefore can't activate spiritual tools?!"

Xie Lian replied, "There will always be exceptions to everything..."

Nan Feng was really angry. He hit one side of the wedding stretcher and shouted, "Xie Lian! Say it clearly, what is it?! Is that..."

His punch almost made the entire palanquin collapse. Thus, Xie Lian had no other choice but to raise her hand and hold the door of the stretcher. But for a moment, he was a little surprised. When Nan Feng said that sentence, his tone suddenly made him recall the appearance of Feng Xin when he was angry in the past.

Nan Feng was still waiting for an answer when suddenly, the shouts of the military officials in the distance resounded in the air. Fu Yao coldly said, "If you want to speak, defeat this wave of enemies first before doing so!"

Nan Feng had no other choice but to go back and save them all. However, Xie Lian quickly regained her senses from her daydream and said, "Nan Feng, Fu Yao, you go first."

Nan Feng looked back, "What?"

Xie Lian explained, "If you stay around the wedding stretcher, the creature will come more and more. You will not be able to finish this fight. So, take the others and leave. I'll stay behind and meet the ghost of the groom."

Nan Feng wanted to curse again. "You only..."

However, on the other hand, Fu Yao coldly spoke. "Because he could use that silk cloth, for a while nothing would happen. If you have time to argue with him, wouldn't it be best if you used him to bring the group of officials to safety before returning and helping him? I'm leaving."

Fu Yao was quite confident and calm. He also always said bluntly; when he said he was leaving, he immediately left, not even slowing down in the slightest. Nan Feng clenched his teeth, knowing in his heart that another little martial god was not wrong. So, he turned to face the remaining military officials and said, "Follow me!"

Sure enough, as they got further and further away from the palanquin, although the base slaves and wolves that were previously still there, no one else came to join the battle. The two little martial gods were protecting each of the four military officials. As they fought, Fu Yao began to speak in a hateful tone, "Silly. If it wasn't for me..."

He stopped talking. The two of them glanced at each other, their gazes were really strange. Fu Yao swallowed the rest of her sentence before turning her head. For now, the two of them put away this topic and did not mention it anymore. Instead, they just kept rushing away.

Around the wedding palanquin, corpses covered the ground.

Ruoye's silk cloth[1] had already strangled all the wolves and base slaves who were trying to pounce on the palanquin. Before then, it flew back and automatically began to gently wrap itself around Xie Lian's wrist once more. Xie Lian very calmly sat on the wedding stretcher, surrounded by total darkness and the rustling sound of trees.

[1] [ ⁇ ] pronounced as Ruoxie, but the author has made note that we should call it Ruoye . This is a sutra name. That is, Ruo \= as if/like, Xie \= demon/evil.

Suddenly, everything became silent.

The sound of the wind, the sound of trees screeching, the cry of monsters. In a split second, all of it suddenly became completely silent, as if they were afraid of something.

After that, he heard two small laughs.

Sounds like the voice of a young man, but also like the voice of a teenager.

Xie Lian sat there and did not speak.

Rouye's silk cloth wrapped around his wrist, ready for action. As long as the person who came had the slightest killing intent, the silk cloth would instantly and with full force, counterattacking that person tenfold stronger.

Unexpectedly, Xie Lian had received absolutely no surprise attack or strong killing intent, but rather something different.

The wedding stretcher curtain was slightly raised. Looking through the gap of her red veil, Xie Lian saw the person extending a hand towards her.

The fingers and joints of the hand were clearly visible. The red thread was tied around the third finger, in that slender, pale-white hand. It was as if it was a bright and colorful knot of destiny.

(Don't forget to leave like )

Seriate....