At her signal, Jiang Feng looked again at the wedding procession.
The night wind blew, lifting the curtain of the bridal sedan.
“Brother Lanfeng—it’s Brother Lanfeng inside!” Jiang Feng exclaimed.
What was going on?
Why was this happening?
Li Qiao pulled out a protective talisman and handed it to him. “100,000 per talisman. Want one?”
If this had been earlier, he would’ve thought she was a fraud. But after everything that had happened today, his mind was in chaos.
“Yes!”
“Follow me.”
Li Qiao picked up two large artificial yellow flowers from the bed as they trailed behind the wedding procession. She stuffed them into Jiang Feng’s hands and warned, “Hold these tight. Don’t let go no matter what.”
“O-okay!”
Jiang Feng gripped the flowers tightly. He didn’t understand why, but listening to her was probably the right move.
Finally, they followed the sedan to an ancient-style mansion.
From the outside, it looked grand and imposing.
But as they got closer, Jiang Feng noticed how unnaturally pale everyone’s faces were.
The two blended into the wedding banquet, standing at the back of the crowd as a beautiful young bride led Jian Lanfeng forward.
Jiang Feng was frantic, but Li Qiao held his wrist firmly in place.
As the officiant declared, “To the bridal chamber!” the banquet erupted in celebration once more.
The Bridal Chamber
The bride gazed lovingly at Jian Lanfeng’s face, her voice dreamy. “My dear Jian… I’ll return to you soon.”
Jian Lanfeng, pale and stiff, showed no reaction.
Only when the room was empty did Li Qiao and Jiang Feng step forward.
“Brother Lanfeng… Brother Lanfeng, what’s happening? He can’t hear me!” Jiang Feng shook him desperately.
“That won’t work. Watch this.” Li Qiao flicked out a talisman and—smack!—slapped it onto his face.
Jiang Feng: “…”
Slowly, Jian Lanfeng’s awareness returned. When he saw Li Qiao and Jiang Feng, his senses gradually sharpened.
“You… hiss—” He winced, touching the talisman stuck to his cheek, then looked at Li Qiao in confusion.
“You’ve entered a ghost marriage. They controlled you, made you bow to a ghost bride.”
A ghost?
Jian Lanfeng’s heart dropped.
“What do we do now?”
“You’ve formed a contract with the ghost bride. Unless it’s broken, you’re bound to her.”
“Li Qiao, you can break it,” Jian Lanfeng insisted, staring at her.
She shook her head. “A ghost marriage requires mutual consent. To dissolve it, both parties must agree. That ghost bride went through so much trouble to claim you—she won’t let you go.
“You’re already wed. If the contract isn’t broken before dawn, you’ll die… and be bound as her groom for all eternity.”
Jian Lanfeng’s face went deathly pale.
He was a living, breathing man. He had no interest in being a ghost’s husband.
What did she mean by mutual consent?
His mind was a whirlwind of confusion.
Meanwhile, Jiang Feng, who had been largely ignored, was completely lost.
Ghosts?
A ghost bride?
What were they even talking about?
Li Qiao glanced at the dazed Jiang Feng and told him to hand the yellow flowers to Jian Lanfeng.
“We’ll talk outside,” she said.
Jian Lanfeng quickly stripped off his wedding robes, and the three slipped out of the bridal chamber—only to freeze at a chilling voice.
“My dear Jian… where are you going?“
Jian Lanfeng turned, his gaze sharpening. “You’re a ghost. I’m human.”
“Soon, we’ll be a happy ghost couple. Why leave? Why?“
The ghost bride’s eyes darkened with fury, her aura thickening.
The wedding guests lunged at them—but the moment they got close, they were blasted backward.
Jiang Feng stared at the yellow flowers in his hands and tightened his grip.
“You!“
The ghost bride glared hatefully at Li Qiao, then smirked. “You know the consequences of forcing a ghost marriage with the living. Just break the contract, and I’ll spare you.”
“Never!” The ghost bride’s gaze softened as she looked at Jian Lanfeng. “My dear Jian willingly agreed. He loves me.“
Jian Lanfeng stiffened.
“I’m a living person. Why would I agree to this?”
“You signed the contract yourself. With your own blood.” She flung out a marriage certificate.
Li Qiao scanned it. “It’s real.”
“Impossible!“
Suddenly, Jian Lanfeng’s expression shifted—as if remembering something.
Since the ghost bride refused to let them go, there was no need for mercy.
Li Qiao murmured an incantation, pulling a peachwood sword from her pocket. She raised it skyward.
“Break!“
A bolt of lightning struck—
The ghost bride shrieked and vanished.
Throughout the mansion, the wedding guests wailed as their forms twisted—into paper effigies!
With a series of pops, the paper figures burst into flames.
The double-happiness characters on the walls ignited.
“Go!” Li Qiao shouted.
The three sprinted out, turning back only when they were clear.
The grand mansion was gone—replaced by a burning paper replica.
Jian Lanfeng and Jiang Feng’s hearts pounded.
The sight was beyond terrifying.
Jian Lanfeng felt a pang of guilt for ever doubting Li Qiao.
…
Back at the inn, their disheveled state caught the owner’s attention.
“Boss,” Li Qiao asked, “has there been any girl who died tragically around here?”
The woman’s eyes darkened—there was definitely a story here.
“We encountered something,” Li Qiao added.
The owner paled.
Glancing at Jian Lanfeng’s torn clothes, she seemed to piece it together. “The Zhao family… they were a powerful clan here. Rumor has it their mansion is haunted. To appease the ghost, you must fulfill her demands—otherwise, the Zhaos will never know peace. They say… it’s a female ghost. And all she wants is a handsome husband!”
Her gaze flicked to Jian Lanfeng.
Jian Lanfeng: “Being too good-looking is a crime now?“
Jiang Feng: “Brother Lanfeng, blame your irresistible charm.“
Jian Lanfeng: “…”
After gathering more information, Li Qiao had a plan.
Back in their room, Jian Lanfeng was calm—but Jiang Feng was anything but.
“Li Qiao, what now? Shouldn’t we just leave?”
“No matter how far you run, the contract binds him to her,” Li Qiao said, then turned to Jian Lanfeng. “How did the contract happen?”
He’d come here just fine—how did he end up in a ghost marriage?
Jiang Feng was baffled.
“Jian Lanxin.“
“What? Jian Lanxin? She’s your own sister—she did this to you?” Jiang Feng’s eyes widened in shock.
Jian Lanfeng’s mind was a mess.
His own sister had betrayed him.
He immediately called Jian Lanxin—but no one answered. His gaze settled on Li Qiao. “I’ll leave this to you.”
“Remember to pay up afterward.”
“Deal.”
Some of the tension left him.
They decided to rest and confront Jian Lanxin at dawn. But Jian Lanfeng couldn’t sleep. He asked about breaking the contract.
“If the ghost bride won’t agree, there’s one other way—find her grave.“
