C1 Marriage Substitute 1

The moon was directly overhead, bathing the usually lively streets of Shelry Run in a ghostly silver light. The vibrant sounds of songbirds and dancing swallows had given way to an unsettling silence. The streets were deserted, not even a shadow to be seen.

Despite the absence of war, the Da Xi Kingdom had declared a curfew. The reason was both singular and extraordinary: tonight was the wedding night of the Nether King, Baili Chonghua.

Under normal circumstances, this would be a day of national celebration. Yet not a single court official dared to approach the Nether King's Manor to extend their congratulations or request a celebratory toast. It wasn't that they didn't want to; they simply didn't dare.

For the Nether King wasn't entering into an ordinary marriage today, but rather something the kingdom had never seen before—a ghost marriage. And the bride was very much alive!

Who would dare bear witness to such a sinister event? Who would dare attend? The Nether King's Manor, usually a place of solitude, was now superficially decorated with a few paper cutouts of the character for "happiness," which only served to heighten the sense of unease.

"What should we do?" Mrs. Ding's hands were shaking as she held the hemp rope, her entire body trembling. Even though she knew the woman in the coffin was alive, her heart was seized with fear.

Applying bridal makeup was something she could do in her sleep, but preparing a bride for a ghost marriage was a terrifying first for her.

Her trembling was mirrored by Mrs. Jia, who stood across from her by the coffin. Her hand shook so much that the eyebrow she was drawing nearly missed its mark. "Don't—don't talk. Act as if we don't know," she muttered.

But how could they possibly pretend not to know?

Mrs. Ding's hands shook even more violently. If doing makeup for a ghost marriage was the second most terrifying thing she had ever done, then realizing that the bride in the coffin was not the Mu Family's brilliant eldest daughter, Mu Yuxi, but rather the dismissed legitimate daughter, Mu Yunhua, was unquestionably the most horrifying. There was simply no comparison.

"The Mu Family must have lost their minds!" Mrs. Ding's hands shook uncontrollably, her touch devoid of any gentleness. So consumed by her own fear, she didn't even notice the bride's fingers twitching in discomfort from her rough handling.

"Shh, shh! Whether the Mu Family is in trouble or not, it's none of our concern. We know nothing, so let's not get involved. Just finish up and leave quickly!" Mrs. Jia, with a forehead slick with cold sweat, didn't even pause to see if her eyebrows were even as she hastily applied two smudges of rouge, snatched up her things, and took off running.

Mrs. Ding followed suit immediately, not even daring to ask for her payment from the steward of the Nether King's Manor.

The bride, rudely awakened by their clumsy ministrations, let out a weak moan.

Her head was pounding, the pain nearly explosive.

But it wasn't just her head that hurt; her whole body was in pain, and her face felt as if it had been slapped over and over.

"Ugh... it hurts..."

Qin Qing's whimper, barely louder than a kitten's mewl, filled the empty room, answered only by the flickering white candles on the celebration table.

Qin Qing tried to raise her hand to her aching head, but her body refused to respond. No matter how hard she tried to move her arms, they hung limp and motionless, as if devoid of bones.

What was going on?!

Qin Qing's hazy consciousness started to forcefully gather itself together.

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