Chapter 124 - 116: It Seems the Two Elders Refuse a Toast, Only to Drink a Forfeit

’It’s over, it’s over!’

’Even at my peak, I might not be able to handle one of them if I went all out, and there are two of them here!’

’This ghost bride next to me... I was sucked into the coffin before I even had a chance to gauge her power, and now she’s only temporarily suppressed...’

’This place is terrifying!’

’At least for me, it’s absolutely terrifying!’

’My senior brothers... Can they handle this?’

’What if they can handle it, but they forget about me, the ’offering’? Wouldn’t I be doomed?!’

’This bunch... they’re always acting so crazy, their minds work in strange ways. What if a real fight breaks out and they suddenly forget I’m still in the coffin...’

’Then I’d really be done for!’

’Heavens, protect me!’

’I hope this jade coffin is good quality, and that its ability to suppress evil is strong!’

’Please, don’t let those ghostly things touch me!’

The procession filed in, passing through a courtyard overgrown with tangled vines and arriving in the main hall of the mansion.

Here, the festive atmosphere of lanterns and decorations was pushed to an extreme.

The beams and pillars, thick with dust, were draped with red silk and the "double happiness" character.

In the center of the main hall stood a black lacquered altar table. On it burned two white wedding candles, each as thick as a child’s arm, depicting a dragon and a phoenix. Their dim flames flickered incessantly in the gloomy surroundings.

On the altar table were several paper plates, the offerings within long since blackened and rotten, emitting a foul stench.

And directly above the altar, a portrait of a man was hanging.

Su Ling’er only needed one glance through the peephole to feel a chill shoot straight to the crown of her head!

The mouth in the portrait was split open, the skin was ghastly pale, and its eyes wept tears of blood. There were no whites, no pupils, only two pitch-black, empty sockets!

Yet, in such a terrifying portrait, the man wore a bizarre smile.

The moment Su Ling’er’s gaze met the portrait, she felt as if the man in the painting was looking in her direction!

Its smile widened, making her scalp tingle, as if the man in the painting were staring right at her!

On either side of the altar table sat two Grandmaster’s Chairs.

On the chairs sat two figures. They were an elderly couple dressed in lavish burial clothes.

’They must be the masters of this mansion, and the parents of the ghost groom in the painting.’

They were two perfectly preserved dried corpses!

Their skin was long since shriveled and sallow, stretched taut over their bones. Their eye sockets were sunken, and their lips were slightly parted, revealing ghastly yellow teeth.

They just sat there silently, as if they had been sitting for a thousand years.

The moment the jade coffin carrying Su Ling’er and the ghost bride was brought into the hall, the eyelids of the two dried corpses twitched slightly!

Then, they slowly opened their eyes.

Within their sockets were only two turbid, whitish eyeballs, brimming with endless resentment and deathly energy!

A terrifying pressure instantly enveloped the entire main hall!

Just then, one of the Guixi Sect disciples carrying the jade coffin lost his footing and yelped as he tripped over the threshold.

The jade coffin jolted violently and tilted to one side!

Caught off guard inside, Su Ling’er was sent tumbling right on top of the ghost bride, ending up face-to-face and eye-to-socket with the corpse, a solid collision!

"Ahhh—!"

Scared out of her wits, she didn’t even think, frantically shoving the ghost bride to the side with all her might!

The ghost bride’s skeleton slammed against the coffin wall. Seemingly enraged by the push, it was just about to make a move, its withered, bony hand reaching out.

SWISH! A spectral image of a Soul Hook emerged from the coffin wall and locked it down tight!

Immediately after, a spectral image of a Mourning Stick also appeared and began lashing its body with a series of sharp, CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! sounds.

Soon, it stopped moving altogether.

Su Ling’er was now absolutely certain: she was the living sacrifice in this horrifying ghost marriage, meant to balance the yin and yang!

’The ghost bride next to me is the "original wife," and I’m the living offering meant to "ward off ill-fortune" for the ghost groom in the painting and these two old ghouls!’

Just then, Lin Qingfeng made his move.

The grief-stricken expression he wore for his junior sister’s funeral procession was long gone, replaced by a playful smirk.

He stood before the two dried corpses that radiated a terrifying aura and said with a mocking laugh:

"Greetings, you two. Sorry to drop in uninvited and cause you all this trouble."

He pointed to the jade coffin behind him.

"You see, we are the procession to escort... no, to bury... no, to marry off the esteemed Mrs. Li."

"It’s just that... our fee might be a bit higher than the original wedding escorts."

He held up five fingers and said slowly:

"For the betrothal gift... five hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

"And we’ll deliver this ghost bride to your estate, safe and sound. What do you say?"

The two dried corpses glared at Lin Qingfeng.

The "old master" corpse seemed utterly furious.

SMACK! Its withered palm slammed down on the table beside it, and a powerful, malevolent aura erupted!

Su Ling’er flinched in fear.

’Holy hell!’

’No, wait!’

’You’re in the funeral business, so why are you trying to cut a deal with the dead?’

’Is this how you conduct a funeral?!’

’How can you even think of scamming ghosts out of hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones?!’

’Do they even have that much? You’re asking for a fortune!’

’This is to cover their funeral expenses, right?’

’It must be, right?’

’You just carried the bride a few steps, and that’s worth hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones?!’

’You really are the reincarnation of Lin, aren’t you?!’

’Come on!’

’When you fight over the trouble you’ve caused, can you please not drag me into it?!’

’You lunatics came here to blackmail and extort these vengeful spirits, so can you please leave me out of it?!’

’What use can a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator like me be?’

’Right now, I can’t do anything but watch from inside this coffin!’

’Can you guys please stop dragging me along all the time!’

’I was just pretending to be sick, and you just had to use me as a living sacrifice?!’

In the main hall, the "old master" corpse slowly rose to its feet, the terrifying pressure making the very air freeze.

The smirk on Lin Qingfeng’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a look of worldly compassion as he said with great sorrow:

"I was trying to negotiate with you two elders in good faith, but it seems you’d rather do this the hard way.

"We only wanted to collect a meager fee of a few hundred thousand Spirit Stones for our hard work, yet you want to get our services for free? How disrespectful for your age! You don’t know what’s good for you!"

"Since you are unjust, don’t blame us for being unrighteous!

"We have been forced into this! We have no choice but to fight back!"

"Paying one’s debts is the law of heaven and earth!

"I hope you won’t regret today’s decision during your endless servitude to my sect!"

This speech, which twisted black into white, left Su Ling’er speechless inside the coffin.

’I mean, if you’re going to fight, can you just get on with it?’

’You just have to paint yourself as some kind of righteous gentleman!’

’Is this something you demonic Evil Cultivators should be doing?’

’Do you demonic Evil Cultivators really care so much about having a "just cause" for war these days?!’

’Paying debts?!’

’Since when did they owe you anything?!’