The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 15: The First Time I've Seen Such a Way to Open a Bridal Chamber

Of course, running away from the wedding was just a thought in his mind. After all, Shi Mo was still here, so he couldn't possibly leave first.

But this damned wedding officiant, wasn't he being too conscientious?

Mo Ran's face turned ashen, and his nose almost crooked from anger. He thought to himself, fine, overseeing the wedding ceremony was acceptable, but why the hell did he have to meddle with whether they consummated or not? Besides, they were already dead! Their bodies were stiff! How the hell could they consummate?!!

He didn't dare to look at Chu Wanning's expression at all, and just stared at the carpet pretending to be ignorant. At that moment, he really wanted to grab that damn officiant who was hiding in some corner, bellowing at him—F*ck your mother, you're good! Show me how it's done then!

The golden boy and jade girl pushed the two of them towards the back hall.

There was a coffin there, painted with bright red lacquer, huge in size, twice the normal coffin. It looked exactly like the one they had dug up outside earlier.

Chu Wanning pondered for a moment and understood.

Mo Ran also immediately grasped the officiant's intention and let out a huge sigh of relief.

Dead people obviously couldn't consummate. What the so-called bridal chamber and candles meant was probably being sealed together in the same sarcophagus, carried down for joint burial, fulfilling the so-called "death in the same grave".

At this moment, the golden and jade children chimed in, confirming their suspicions: "First, please invite the bride into the bridal chamber."

Chu Wanning swept his wide sleeves and lay down with an icy expression.

"Next, please invite the groom into the bridal chamber."

Mo Ran leaned against the coffin's edge, blinking. He saw that Chu Wanning had already taken up more than half of the space. Although the coffin was spacious, it would still be cramped for two grown men to lie inside. As Mo Ran got in, he inevitably pressed against Chu Wanning's wide sleeves, earning himself a glare from the other.

The pair of golden and jade children circled around the coffin and began singing again, the same eerie yet subtly melancholic netherworld ballad as before.

"White Emperor's Water, waves pure and clear; Phantom Mandarin Ducks, bearing flowers in greeting.

Bodies entwined in the same tomb, hearts' intentions revealed posthumously.

From this day forth, in the Yellow Springs we'll be companions, solitary souls never parting in the emerald heavens above."

With the song concluded, the children gently lifted the coffin lids from both sides. A muffled thud echoed, plunging the surroundings into pitch darkness.

Chu Wanning and Mo Ran found themselves confined within the shared burial coffin.

The coffin was made of exceptionally thick wood, so whispers from inside could not be heard outside. Chu Wanning raised his hand to set up a soundproof barrier, ensuring that no sound would escape the interior. After doing all this, he spoke his first words:

"Wanning, scoot over a bit. You're pressing on my arm."

Mo Ran: "............"

He felt that there should have been something more significant to say than "pressing on the arm."

Despite his grumbling, Mo Ran shifted to the side.

"Scoot even further. I can't straighten my leg."

He moved again.

"Move over even more! Don't lean against my face!"

Mo Ran felt wronged. "Shifu, I'm already pressed against the coffin's surface. What else do you want?"

Chu Wanning finally harrumphed and fell silent.

Mo Ran cowered in the corner for a while before suddenly feeling the coffin shake beneath him. The people outside lifted this double burial coffin, swaying unsteadily as they began to move slowly towards an unknown destination. Mo Ran perked his ears to listen intently to the sounds outside, realizing that Shi Mo must now be confined within the same double burial coffin as Madam Chen Yao. This realization filled him with frustration, yet he was powerless to do anything about it.

Chu Wanning's barrier was remarkable; sounds within could not escape, but those from outside could penetrate. Through the coffin lid, one could hear the crackers, suona horns, and drumming of the mortal world. Mo Ran inquired, "These demons and ghosts really have too much leisure on their hands. Where do they intend to carry the coffin?"

In the coffin, it was pitch black, preventing any sight of the other's face; only their voice could be heard: "Just like the custom in Butterfly Town, we should carry the coffin to the earth temple outside the village."

Mo Ran nodded, concentrating for a moment before saying, "Master, the footsteps outside seem to be multiplying."

"A hundred ghosts parade under the cover of night, their collective burial coffins carried as one towards their destination. If my surmise holds true, upon reaching the earthen temple's threshold, the spectral master of ceremonies shall reveal its true form. From each pair of ghostly bridal couple, it will draw forth 'merits'."

Mo Ran inquired, "With so many coffins, over a hundred of them, how could no one notice them walking through the town?"

"Nobody would be able to see them," Chu Wanning replied. "The ones carrying the coffins are Ghost Golden Boys and Ghost Jade Girls. Ordinary people can't see objects that belong to ghosts and monsters."

Mo Ran asked again, "How do you know all this?"

Chu Wanning answered, "Just now, in the annex room, Tianwen interrogated a Ghost Golden Boy."

Mo Ran: ".................."

After a moment of silence, he asked again, "What about that Mister Chen who was lying in the red coffin we found on the mountain? And why has the Chen family been experiencing consecutive deaths?"

Chu Wanning replied, "I don't know."

Mo Ran was surprised. "Ghost Golden Child didn't tell you?"

Chu Wanning said, "Ghost Golden Child said it's unclear as well."

Mo Ran: "..............."

After a brief pause, Chu Wanning continued, "But I think there's something that family isn't telling us."

"How so?"

"Remember, although the entity venerated in this earth temple is heavily imbued with malevolence, it's ultimately an enlightened immortal body. It needs human offerings to grow stronger."

In his previous life, Mo Ran hadn't paid much attention to Chu Wanning's lectures, which had left him lacking in essential knowledge when dealing with certain situations. This time around, he decided it would be wise to seek advice humbly, so he asked, "So what does being an immortal body mean?"

"......What were you doing during last month's lesson on the differences between immortals, ghosts, gods, and demons?"

Mo Ran thought to himself, This seat has been reborn; how could I possibly remember what I was doing in a class over a decade ago? But it couldn't have been anything more than scratching my feet under the desk, reading 'Nine Dragons and a Phoenix on the Bed,' or gazing blankly at Shi Mo, or perhaps staring at Chu Wanning's neck, secretly calculating how to stealthily chop off his head.

Chu Wanning said coldly, "Go back and copy 'Records of Six Realms' ten times."

"..."

Ouch, the price of skipping class was steep.

"All immortals in this world are different from gods. Gods act freely, whereas immortals are bound by restrictions. Interfering in mortal affairs will always be influenced by human desires."

Mo Ran shuddered. "So the Chen family murder was carried out because someone requested it?"

Chu Wanning's voice echoed eerily in the darkness.

"I believe that the one who sought its help might not necessarily be alive."

Mo Ran opened his mouth, ready to ask more, but before he could, the golden boy and jade girl carrying the coffin must have encountered a steep slope. The coffin suddenly jolted, tilting to the left.

Caught off guard by the unexpected movement, with nothing to hold onto in the smooth interior, Mo Ran tumbled over and crashed into his Master's embrace.

"Ouch..."

Clutching his bruised nose, Mo Ran looked up in confusion, just about to grasp the situation when a faint scent of peach blossom drifted towards his nostrils. Light as morning mist and still carrying a hint of night's chill, this fragrance was distinctively pure and piercing amidst the world's myriad enchantments, capable of clearing one's mind.

Mo Ran froze, then instantly stiffened.

He knew this peach blossom aroma all too well – it was the essence that clung to Chu Wanning. To him, this scent was always intertwined with desire.

In an instant, a deeply ingrained wicked thought, like wildfire sparked by a bolt of lightning, engulfed his thoughts.

The author wishes to add: The President of the Foundation for Unmarried Men of Advanced Years, the First Boss, the Ghost Hostess, will be appearing soon.

The Ghost Hostess has a unique way of consummating marriages – she locks you two canines in a coffin, bang! You must confess your love for each other to be released; refusal means staying trapped. Hmph.