Chapter 243: Chapter 242: The Twin Fiends of Dragon Head Sect, 1 Sword and 1 Suona
Chen Huaitai looked at the two silver ingots that had been crushed into silver coins, then at the beaming Taoist Jing Hong. He could only manage a smile that was uglier than a grimace.
"This way, Mages." Chen Huaitai stepped aside, turned, and gestured for them to enter.
Taoist Jing Hong and Taoist Jing Fa strode into the main hall and were invited to take the guest seats. Chen Huaitai presented them with alcohol and snacks. "Please, help yourselves, Mages."
Taoist Jing Fa nodded and took a bite of a snack.
Just then, the seven-year-old child suddenly spoke up. "Can you save my sister?"
"Hush!" Madam Chen jumped in fright and quickly covered the child’s mouth.
The older child beside him looked as if he wanted to speak, but in the end, he said nothing.
Instead, the young woman in the wedding dress comforted the child, "I’m fine, why would I need saving?"
The child struggled free from his mother’s grasp and said in a clear voice, "But everyone says that after my sister marries Master Fang, she won’t live for more than a year!"
A deathly silence fell over the main hall.
Taoist Jing Hong took a sip of alcohol and looked at Chen Huaitai. "Landlord Chen, why don’t you tell us about this Master Fang."
Chen Huaitai took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth, "Fang Ziga’s Magic is profound. He can command Ghost Gods. The year before last, Landlord Du from the north side of the city hired Mages to help him, but wasn’t his entire family wiped out by Fang Ziga anyway!"
Taoist Jing Hong asked, "That Landlord Du, did he not seek help from the Yellow Heaven Altar?"
Chen Huaitai’s pupils contracted. He glanced at his young son, then looked warily at Taoist Jing Hong. "Are you two Mages from the Yellow Heaven Altar?"
Taoist Jing Fa asked curiously, "You don’t know? The Yellow Heaven Altar has been converted into the Daluo Temple and is currently under renovation."
Chen Huaitai shook his head. "Whether it’s the Yellow Heaven Altar or the Daluo Temple, I know nothing about them."
Taoist Jing Hong thought for a moment, then said to Taoist Jing Fa, "Whether it’s the Golden Wind Sect of Changping Prefecture or the Yellow Heaven Altar of Bai Shi Prefecture, they may look impressive on the outside, but they’re rotten to the core. It’s only natural that people are wary of them."
Taoist Jing Fa nodded. "Indeed. If they truly protected the common people, how could there be so many Demons and Ghosts in these prefectures and counties?"
Taoist Jing Hong chuckled. "But that works to our advantage."
At that moment, the young woman in the wedding dress approached the two and took the initiative to pour them more alcohol. "You two Mages aren’t from around here, are you?"
Taoist Jing Fa tapped the table. "Of course not."
"Thank you for your kind offer to help, Mages. However, that Master Fang is the overlord of Hongliu County. He can command ghosts and gods, and I hear he even has other Mages in his service.
Furthermore, Master Fang has a terrible temper and shows no mercy to those who defy him. What happened to Landlord Du two years ago is a cautionary tale. So please, forgive my parents for their rudeness."
The young woman set down the alcohol pot and gave a somber bow.
Taoist Jing Hong nodded. "You’re an impressive young woman."
Taoist Jing Fa also nodded. "Don’t worry, we won’t get you involved. If that Master Fang is as powerful as they say, we’ll just call for backup."
Just then, the sound of pipes and drums erupted from outside.
Everyone turned toward the sound and saw the main doors, which Taoist Jing Fa had casually closed earlier, swing open on their own. A wedding procession then marched in as if they owned the place.
There was a large, red bridal sedan chair with carved decorations and embroidered curtains, carried by eight men in red. It was preceded by four handmaidens with flowers in their hair and followed by four porters carrying gifts.
At the very front of the procession was a pale, beardless young man with cold, sinister eyes.
The young man stopped and waved a hand behind him, and the four porters set down the gifts they were carrying.
"Landlord Chen." The young man gave a perfunctory bow. "These are the gifts from my Master. Please accept them. And now, if you would have Miss Chen get into the sedan chair to go home. The mansion is filled with guests, and the Master is waiting for Miss Chen to perform the wedding ceremony."
Chen Zhi’s face turned pale.
Chen Huaitai subconsciously looked toward Taoist Jing Hong and Taoist Jing Fa.
"My sister’s not going! I—mmph—"
Taoist Jing Fa sent a telepathic message, "Except for the leader, the rest of them are not Ghosts."
Taoist Jing Hong nodded. "But they are light-footed with steady auras. Their skills aren’t weak. They must be Master Fang’s enforcers."
Taoist Jing Fa remarked with some feeling, "It’s truly pathetic to be a Martial Arts Expert in an Extraordinary World."
The two old Daoists were communicating telepathically, but the Chen family thought they had been intimidated. Chen Huaitai was both relieved and disappointed; the last of his hope was finally extinguished.
Chen Zhi took a deep breath, gave her family one last look over her shoulder, and then walked toward the bridal sedan chair.
Taoist Jing Hong and Taoist Jing Fa sat quietly in their seats, saying nothing. They watched in silence as Chen Zhi entered the sedan chair. One of the handmaidens lowered the curtain, completely blocking her from view.
The leading youth glanced at the two old Daoists, a flash of contempt in his eyes. He cupped his hands in salute to Chen Huaitai again and was about to speak when the old man in the seat of honor asked, "Master Fang is welcoming his bride, yet he doesn’t come in person?"
The youth tilted his head to look at Taoist Jing Hong, a smirk playing on his lips. "My Master is hosting a banquet at the Fang Mansion. If you wish to see him, how about you follow me back?"
Taoist Jing Fa’s eyes lit up as he rose to his full height. "Excellent!"
...
As the sun set, the wedding procession quickly left the city and traveled through the wilderness.
A young man led the way, a red lantern in his hand casting a blood-red glow that illuminated the gradually darkening, dusky road.
Four handmaidens, four porters, and eight sedan carriers—sixteen people in total—moved with light, silent steps. Even while carrying the heavy sedan chair, they displayed an impressive Lightweight Skill.
Behind the procession, two old Daoists who shouldn’t have been in this world followed at an unhurried pace, heading toward the West.
Two of the sedan carriers kept glancing back, their eyes filled with disdain.
The young man swept his Divine Thought behind him, a mocking smile touching his lips. He then saw the corner of a manor emerge from the woods ahead.
"We’re here!"
Taoist Jing Hong and Taoist Jing Fa had, of course, also sensed the dense Yin Qi up ahead.
’It really is a Ghost.’
’The Yin Qi is so dense that only a Martial Arts Expert could withstand it. It’s normal for ordinary people to live short lives in a place like this.’
’Hmm... The auras are a chaotic mix. It seems there’s more than one Ghost inside?’
The two old Daoists communicated via Divine Sense. They then saw the manor’s main gate, adorned with red lanterns, open automatically. No one was there to greet them. It was like the gaping maw of a monstrous beast, waiting for its prey to enter.
"You two... Mages." The young man looked back as he walked, chuckling sinisterly. "My Master is about to start the banquet. If you have the guts, feel free to come in and join us."
"Thank you for escorting me, uncles. Please go back and tell my father that I am fine." Chen Zhi’s quiet voice came from the sedan chair. It trembled slightly, but her breathing was steady.
Taoist Jing Hong nodded again. "You’re an impressive young woman."
The next moment, the wedding procession entered the manor.
Taoist Jing Hong and Taoist Jing Fa exchanged a smile and followed them inside.
The moment they stepped through the gate, it was as if they had entered a different world. Outside, it had been dead silent, but inside the manor, the atmosphere was suddenly tumultuous.
The courtyard was filled with decorative lanterns and hung with red curtains. Four square tables were set up, each crowded with guests. The feast was already in full swing.
In the main hall, which was brilliantly lit, a middle-aged man in a red robe sat in the seat of honor. He had a gentle look in his eyes and a short beard, and he was smiling as he watched the sedan chair that had stopped in the courtyard.
However, the arrival of the two old Daoists shattered the lively atmosphere. All eyes turned to focus on them.
Taoist Jing Hong looked at the middle-aged man in the main hall. He could see a flicker of Jade Fire in the man’s eyes, and a ghostly phantom faintly visible within him.
Taoist Jing Fa scanned the guests in the courtyard. They were a motley crew of freaks, reeking of Demon Power, Yin Qi, or bizarre Magical Power. There were demons, ghosts, and humans among them.
"Oh? Looks like a couple of meddlers have arrived."
"How rare. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen anyone so clueless."
"Interesting, very interesting. I was just getting bored. We can add another dish to the menu tonight and liven things up for Brother Fang."
"Brother Fang, how about you leave these two old geezers to us?" someone asked, looking at the middle-aged man in the hall. "My brother and I are in need of two Mage souls for a Refining Technique."
The middle-aged man first looked at Chen Zhi, who was trembling but trying to keep her composure as a handmaiden lifted the sedan chair’s curtain. Then he shot a sidelong glance at the two old Daoists who were concealing their auras and waved his hand dismissively. "Worthy brothers, feel free."
As soon as he finished speaking, a Mage and a Demon that had cultivated a human form pushed their table aside and rose. They cackled menacingly as they walked toward the two old Daoists.
Taoist Jing Fa said nothing and drew the longsword from his waist.
Taoist Jing Hong, however, let out a strange cackle of his own. He patted the gourd at his waist, took out a brass suona, and looked at the middle-aged man in the main hall, who had turned toward him in surprise.
"You seem to enjoy a lively party. In that case, I’ll play a tune for you—’Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts’—as your funeral dirge!"
