The Husky and His White Cat Shizun

Chapter 22: My Master Will Be Furious

Upon hearing this, Chu Wanning was already seething with anger, wishing he could immediately withdraw the creeper and lash it fiercely at the Chen couple. However, he couldn't open his eyes to scold them; doing so would cause the True Essence Illusionary Realm to vanish instantly. The True Essence Boundary could only bind a single ghost once; if interrupted, he would no longer be able to hear Luo Xianxian's subsequent words.

Thus, he had no choice but to endure his overwhelming rage and continue listening to Luo Xianxian's tale.

After her death, her soul descended into the Underworld, devoid of consciousness and awareness.

Her only vivid memory was of a woman dressed in red and green, whose features resembled those of a temple spirit. This spirit stood before her, speaking softly, "You and Chen Bohuan were unable to share a bed in life. Would you wish to share a grave in death?"

She hastily agreed, "I'm willing... I am willing!"

"Then let him come to you at once, shall he?"

Luo Xianxian was about to eagerly say yes when something suddenly struck her, causing her to pause, "Am I... dead?"

"Yes. I am the Underworld's matchmaker, able to bestow upon you a happy union and fulfill your deepest desires."

Luo Xianxian, still in a daze, asked, "If he comes to be with me, will... he also die?"

"Yes, indeed. But if heaven has emotions, then life and death are trivial matters. It's merely a blink of an eye—what difference does it make?"

As Chu Wanning listened on, he inwardly surmised, "Indeed, this demonic emcee is adept at coaxing others into making fatal wishes. This Immortal, truly, is an evil one."

Despite the injustice of Luo Xianxian's death, she had not transformed into a vengeful spirit at this moment. Thus, she shook her head repeatedly. "No, you can't kill him. It wasn't his fault."

The Ghostly Emcee chuckled softly, a hint of sorrow threading through their words. "How has such boundless benevolence been repaid in turn?" It made no further attempt to pressure Luo Xianxian, for as an Immortal, it was permissible to subtly entice others into making malevolent wishes, but outright coercion was beyond its purview. Its form gradually grew translucent, its voice dissolving into an indistinct whisper.

"Return to your mortal life for seven days during your first week of passing. Observe the state of the Chen family then. After that, I shall seek you out again to see if you still harbor no regrets."

Seven days later, the day of soul return arrived.

Luo Xianxian's spirit reconnected with her consciousness and returned to the mortal realm. With an eager heart, she floated along familiar paths to Chen's residence, hoping for one last glimpse of her husband.

To her surprise, the Chen estate was adorned with bright lanterns and shimmering lights. The courtyard overflowed with festive decorations, and the reception hall was filled with betrothal gifts. A large "double happiness" character was pasted on the main hall, while Madam Chen radiated with joy, showing no sign of illness. She smiled warmly, directing the servants to decorate the gifts with flowers and drape them in red silk.

Who... was preparing for a wedding?

Whose... wedding proposal is this?

Whose... grand ceremony with three matchmakers and six formal gifts, so prestigious?

Whose...

She moved through the bustling crowd, listening to the whispers of the mortal world.

"Congratulations to Madam Chen, your son is engaged to the daughter of County Magistrate Yao. When will the banquet be held?"

"Madam Chen truly has great fortune."

"Miss Yao is indeed a blessing for the Chen family. Just as the engagement was confirmed, you look much healthier, Madam Chen."

"The match between your son and Miss Yao is a golden union, a match made in heaven. How envious we all are, hahaha."

Your son... your son...

Which son is being referred to?

Whose wedding is it with the young miss of the Yao family?

She dashed through the familiar halls and courtyards more wildly than ever, searching amidst the laughter and chatter for that familiar figure.

And then, she found him.

In front of the peony bushes in the back hall, Chen Bohuan stood with his hands behind his back, his face haggard and cheeks sunken. Yet, he was dressed in red, not formal attire, but a Butterfly Play with Flower costume, a custom in Caide Town for a groom-to-be to wear when he proposes to his bride-to-be's family.

He… was going to propose…?

All those gifts, the gold, silver, and pearls, were from him… from Chen Bohuan, her husband, as betrothal gifts for the young miss of the Yao family?

Suddenly, she remembered their own wedding day.

They lacked everything except for two people and one heart.

There was no officiant, no attendants, no dowry. The Chen family wasn't wealthy back then; they didn't even possess a decent set of jewelry. He went into the courtyard and picked a delicate orange blossom from the tree they had planted together, gently placing it in her hair.

She asked him, "Does it look nice?"

He praised her beauty, then fell silent for a moment. With a touch of sadness, he stroked her hair and said, "I'm sorry for putting you through this."

Luo Xianxian smiled and pursed her lips, assuring him that it was alright.

Chen Bohuan promised her that in three years, he would marry her with a grand wedding feast, inviting guests from far and wide. He vowed to carry her in a palanquin with eight bearers, adorned her with gold and silver, and fill the banquet hall with dowry gifts.

The vows from the past still echoed in her ears, yet now, amidst a full moon and blooming flowers, the celebration was meant for another.

A towering wave of fury and sorrow overwhelmed Luo Xianxian. She screamed in the room, attempting to tear apart the scarlet silk and satin that filled the space.

But as a ghost, she couldn't touch anything.

Chen Bohuan seemed to sense something, turning around to stare blankly at the billowing veil, his eyes distant and empty.

Little Sister approached, a white jade hairpin adorning her bun, secretly mourning for someone unknown.

She said, "Big Brother, go to the kitchen and have something to eat. You haven't had a proper meal in days. There's still the journey ahead to propose to the county magistrate's family. Your health can't endure this."

Chen Bohuan suddenly asked without reason, "Sis, did you hear someone crying?"

"Uh... What? No, big brother, I think you're just too..." She gritted her teeth but ultimately didn't finish her sentence. Chen Bohuan continued to stare at where the gauze curtains fluttered.

"How is Mother now? Is she happy? Has her illness gotten better?"

"...... Big brother."

"...... As long as her illness is gone, that's good." Chen Bohuan stood there in a daze for a moment, muttering to himself, "I've already lost Luo Xianxian, I can't afford to lose Mother too."

"Big brother, let's go eat..."

Luo Xianxian cried, screamed, and clutched her head in grief.

No... Please don't go... Don't leave me...

Chen Bohuan said, "...... Alright."

His weary figure vanished around the corner.

Luo Xianxian stood alone, her tears streaming down transparently. Suddenly, she heard the Chen brothers, the second and youngest, whispering softly about the family that had caused her death.

"The Mother is overjoyed now, oh, finally a heavy burden has been lifted."

"Indeed? Pretending to be sick for half a year, at least we managed to chase away that unlucky star. How could she not be happy?"

The youngest brother clicked his tongue twice before suddenly saying, "How did she end up dying? We only scared her away, not wanting to harm her. Why was she so foolish not to seek help from someone else?"

"Who knows, maybe she's just as thin-skinned as her bookish father. It's not our fault she died, even though Mother pretended to be ill to get rid of her. Our family has its own troubles. Think about it, would a fool choose the daughter of the county magistrate over a poor girl? Besides, if we offended Miss Yao, we'd have a lot to answer for."

"True, it's her own foolishness. She chose to die, to freeze, and no one could save her."

These words floated into her ears like whispers from another world.

After her death, Luo Xianxian finally understood what was meant by "a deadly and solitary star." It was simply because poverty and low status were no match for the nobility of the daughter of the county magistrate.

Only a fool would choose a poor girl.

And so, madness eventually took hold.

With a heart full of resentment and a belly brimming with hatred, she returned to the Temple of the Ceremony Keeper.

She had died there, and now she came back, her death weak and vulnerable, her return filled with vengeful rage.

Once such a kind soul, she now unleashed all the hatred she had accumulated in her life, along with the evil that had never shown in her humanity. She screamed at the top of her lungs, her eyes bloodshot, her spirit trembling.

"I, Luo Xianxian, willingly forsake my soul to descend into the realm of vengeful ghosts. I implore the Lady of Ceremony to avenge me! I want the Chen family to —— die a miserable death!!! I want her... that monstrous mother-in-law of mine to kill her own son! All of her sons!!! I want Chen Bohuan to descend into hell to be with me!!! To be buried alongside me!!! I refuse to accept this!!! I hate!!! I HATE!!!"

The clay figurine's eyelids on the altar drooped, and its lips curled upward slowly.

An empty voice echoed through the temple.

"Your devotion is received. As you wish, you shall become a vengeful ghost —— to slay —— those you despise."

A blinding scarlet light flashed, and after that, Luo Xianxian could no longer recall what transpired.

Yet Chu Wanning knew full well what followed: the Ghost Ceremony Keeper took control of the vengeful spirit Luo Xianxian, possessing Madam Chen and killing each member of the Chen family one by one.

The reason the red coffin on the mountain was dug up to reveal Chen Bohuan was naturally because the Ghost Ceremony Keeper fulfilled Luo Xianxian's dying wish —— "to be buried with Chen Bohuan." Furthermore, it deliberately placed the coffin on the site where Chen Bohuan and his new bride were to build their home, the ultimate curse and revenge laced with bitter resentment.

As for the floral fragrance in Chen Bohuan's coffin, it was the scent of the Hundred Butterfly Fragrance powder that Luo Xianxian had worn before her death. The resentment and aroma within the coffin were both extremely strong, precisely because Luo Xianxian's soul lay there beside Chen Bohuan.

Luo Xianxian had no family, so according to custom, her remains should have been cremated rather than buried. Thus, without a physical body, she could only materialize in the ghost officiant's shared coffin. When Chu Wanning cracked open the shared coffin with a whip, Luo Xianxian lost its protection, causing her soul to scatter and temporarily preventing it from reassembling. That was why the resentment was heavy when the coffin was closed but dissipated upon opening.

But why, in the illusion, did others have corpses as their spouses, while Chen Bohuan only had a paper bride?

Chu Wanning pondered for a moment and realized the answer:

The ghost officiant would not go back on its promise. That paper bride was its creation of a "fleshly body" or a vessel, designed solely for Luo Xianxian to be buried alongside Chen Bohuan.

Everything became clear.

Looking at the vulnerable young girl in the illusion, Chu Wanning wanted to say something but found himself unable to. Elder Yu Heng was too clumsy with words, always speaking stiffly, so he remained silent for a long while, saying nothing.

The girl stood in the vast darkness, her bright round eyes wide open.

Gazing into her eyes, Chu Wanning suddenly felt a great deal of compassion, wanting to leave without another glance. Just as he was about to open his eyes and exit the True Essence Boundary, he hesitated.

The maiden suddenly spoke.

"Brother Yanluo. I... I have something else I want to tell you."

Chu Wanning: "Mmm."

The maiden suddenly lowered her head, covering her eyes as she wept. She whispered softly, "Brother Yanluo, I don't know what I did later on. But... I truly didn't want to kill my husband. I didn't want to become a vengeful ghost. I really..."

"I didn't steal the oranges. I am really Chen Lang's wife. In this life, I really... I really never thought of harming anyone."

"I genuinely didn't want to harm anyone. Please, believe me."

Her voice was choked with sobs, trembling and fragmented.

"I... didn't... lie..."

I didn't lie.

Why is it that in this life, almost no one has ever believed me?

She wept and wailed, while Chu Wanning's voice echoed softly in the darkness. He spoke sparingly but without hesitation.

"Mm."

Luo Xianxian's frail body trembled.

Chu Wanning said, "I believe you."

Luo Xianxian hastily wiped away her tears, but still couldn't hold back. Eventually, she bowed her tear-streaked face down, giving a deep, respectful nod to the unseen darkness.

Chu Wanning opened his eyes again.

After opening them, he remained silent for a long while.

Time within the barrier was different from the real world. His stay seemed lengthy to him, but to those outside, it was but an instant. Mo Ran had yet to return, and the surviving Chen family members continued to watch him eagerly.

Chu Wanning suddenly retracted the willow vine and addressed the elderly Lady Chen, "I will avenge you. Rest now."

The old lady stared blankly with her bloodshot eyes before collapsing to the ground with a thud, unconscious.

Chu Wanning lifted his gaze once more, his eyes first sweeping across Eunuch Chen's face before settling on the youngest son. His voice remained unperturbed and icy cold.

"I'll ask for the last time," he enunciated slowly, each word clear and distinct. "Did neither of you truly recognize whose voice that was?"