Chapter 451: Chapter 415: Marriage Contract
Wherever the Daoist went, he was respected and well-treated, as soon as Yao Zhen arrived at the Ning family, he was honored as a distinguished guest.
The Ning family had two sons and two daughters. The eldest daughter, Ning Fang, had already passed away, and the second son was drafted to be a soldier last year. At home, there was only his wife, whom he married before leaving, and the ten-year-old third daughter and eight-year-old fourth son.
The wife of the second son appeared to be only seventeen or eighteen years old, with a big belly, nearing childbirth.
Upon learning that Yao Zhen came to inquire about Ning Fang, Ning Changfu drove all the family members back to their rooms, leaving his wife Mrs. Zhou to converse with Yao Zhen and Sang Que. Matters regarding his daughter were not appropriate for him, a man, to discuss.
Once everyone had left, the Ning family’s main hall was left with only Mrs. Zhou, Yao Zhen, and Sang Que.
Mrs. Zhou immediately knelt in front of Yao Zhen, sobbing, "Kun Dao, you must save my Fang, she never harmed anyone, we were only deceived into bringing her harm, and now the city’s Sun Traveling Lords ignore us, we are helpless."
Yao Zhen swiftly pulled Mrs. Zhou up from the ground, "Stand and speak."
Mrs. Zhou wiped her tears with her sleeve, no longer hiding anything from Yao Zhen, who was capable of helping her.
"We were actually deceived by that matchmaker along with the Wang family. That matchmaker said the Wang family lord had married two concubines without having a son, and wanted to marry another to continue his lineage. She said he spotted Fang at Zhang’s Embroidery Workshop and was immediately taken with her. The matchmaker also mentioned that not only would fifty taels of silver be given as dowry, but they could also use their connections to bring my second son back, and in the future, my fourth son wouldn’t be drafted into labor due to the Wang family’s influence."
"I was blinded by lard, sacrificing Fang for my two sons! Little did I know, both the matchmaker and the Wang family were deceiving us; they wanted to scam my Fang into marrying their dead young son! That young son of theirs was a lustful ghost, dying atop a woman’s belly without peace, my Fang was killed by him!"
Sang Que listened silently, also scanning the surroundings, sensing traces of evil presences. Earlier, on their way to the Ning family, she sensed the same aura at several other households.
Moreover, there were two entities, indicating more than just Ning Fang as an evil presence; there was another.
However, evil spirits wouldn’t appear during the day, and Sang Que couldn’t find their traces.
Yao Zhen pointedly asked, "Has Ning Fang’s Life Scroll already been given to the Wang family?"
Mrs. Zhou nodded in despair, this was the cause of Ning Fang’s death.
The entire matter was straightforward; the Wang’s young son transformed into an evil spirit after dying, and the Wang family arranged a marriage with Ning Fang, taking her Life Scroll and having the marriage document prepared, which naturally wasn’t an ordinary marriage document.
Thus, the Wang’s young son would inevitably seek Ning Fang for marriage.
Ning Fang took her own life, most likely not being able to bear the shame, forced into a corner. She believed death would release her, not knowing that as long as the marriage document existed, she would remain bound to the Wang family’s young son.
Yao Zhen probed further, "What is the relationship between this Wang family and the Wang family, one of Jinzhou’s three major merchants?"
Mrs. Zhou responded in a low voice, "They are a branch of Wang’s legitimate family, the lord’s name in such a prestigious lineage isn’t something mere villagers like us can inquire about. We don’t even know the name of their young son."
Yao Zhen asked a few more questions, afterwards, he and Sang Que visited homes within the village claiming to have seen Ning Fang after her death.
Based on their investigation, Yao Zhen had a hypothesis.
Ning Fang was likely protecting the villagers out of goodwill.
Wherever Ning Fang appeared, those homes had female members, and these women often had some intense dreams on the nights incidents occurred, waking suddenly to the sound of a loom, seeing the deceased Ning Fang weaving, scaring them into seeking company and staying up all night.
Yao Zhen concluded, the lustful ghost of the Wang family was still in the village, if not for Ning Fang, many young women might have been harmed by him.
This also showed Ning Fang’s strong mind, able to resist the constraints of the marriage document and the control of that lustful ghost.
Being approached by this fellow won’t lead to actual loss of chastity, but such actions will weaken their Primordial Qi, decreasing vitality, and eventually leading to illness and death within a year.
Understanding the situation, Yao Zhen stated that the issue needed resolving from its root, staying in the village was futile, and hence he and Sang Que returned to Sanchuan City.
Before nightfall, Sang Que used instant teleportation to quickly return Yao Zhen, making Yao Zhen barely interact with Sang Que, answering her tersely, plunging Sang Que into inexplicable self-doubt.
Before dusk, they returned to Sanchuan City, meeting Zhang Junyao at Zhang’s Grain Shop in the west of the city.
Having explained the situation, Zhang Junyao pondered for a moment, "Wang’s branch, and they’ve recently lost a lustful son, I think I know who it is. We just need to obtain the marriage document to resolve this lustful spirit and set Ning Fang free, right?"
At this moment, Zhang Junyao didn’t think about taming evil spirits, she sympathized with Ning Fang’s plight and sincerely wanted to save her.
Sang Que looked at Yao Zhen, Yao Zhen responded with a faint "hmm."
Zhang Junyao nodded, "Thank you, I will handle the marriage document, wait for my update."
After speaking, Zhang Junyao left with her people, using the resources under her control, the Wang family’s legitimate branch would personally deliver the marriage document in business exchanges.
With nothing immediate to do, Sang Que accompanied Yao Zhen for divination and fortune-telling for two days. Yao Zhen was too truthful, saying whatever she saw during fortune-telling, often earning no money and being scolded.
On the third day, Zhang Junyao summoned them.
Sang Que and Yao Zhen hurried to the grain shop, finding Zhang Junyao under a tree in the backyard, with a piece of red paper pressed by a Ten Victory Stone-carved Buddha statue on the stone table.
After Yao Zhen confirmed its authenticity, they prepared the necessary ritual items, left Sanchuan City on a donkey cart, and went to the outskirts to find a suitable spot for summoning souls.
It’s best not to alert the Day Travel Captain stationed within Sanchuan City.
At night, outside in the wilderness, Yao Zhen stood silently before the altar, chanting softly, red candles flickering and wisps of smoke swirling.
Yao Zhen lit three sticks of incense, bowed to the four directions, inserted the incense into the incense burner, picked up the peach wood sword, and waved it in the air, faint glimmers flashing where the sword moved.
As the peach wood sword danced, gusts of chilling wind blew, swirling the smoke above the marriage document. Yao Zhen put down the peach wood sword and gently rang the brass Dao bell gifted by Sang Que, its clear sound echoing through the quiet night.
"Daoist Lord commands, where are Wang Shijie and Ning Fang, the couple? Show yourselves immediately!"
With a stern shout, the swirling smoke above the marriage document dispersed abruptly, as the chilling wind howled, revealing the gradually forming shadows of a man and a woman before the altar, connected by a single red thread.
