"No..."
Subconsciously, Wei Linglan wanted to refuse.
Li Ang was only here to help. It was already unfortunate that he got involved in this mysterious mist mission; to ask him to sacrifice decades of his lifespan... was truly unreasonable.
However, before Wei Linglan could finish, Li Ang interrupted, "It's possible."
He turned his head, looked at the astonished Wei Linglan, and pretended to be indifferent with a bitter smile. "We don't have any other choice, do we? It's just fifty years of lifespan, after all. If love endures, what does it matter if we cannot be together day and night?"
He bowed his head, tenderly took Wei Linglan's hand, his eyes brimming with love.
"Do you know the difference between you and a monkey? One lives in a cave, and the other in my heart.
Do you know the difference between you and the stars? Stars light up the night sky, while you light up my heart.
Don't be sad for me, Lanlan. You must know that I will forever belong to you."
After speaking, ignoring the dumbfounded Wei Linglan, Li Ang's affectionate expression vanished as quickly as a face change in Sichuan Opera.
He looked solemnly at Hong Sha, nobly saying, "Come on, do not spare me just because I am a delicate flower!"
"..."
Equally dumbfounded, Hong Sha was stunned for a moment before she chuckled and nodded. "The two of you indeed have deep affection for each other, which I truly envy. As long as the young master is willing to do as I say, I will also keep my promise after this succeeds and send you all away from this place."
She clapped her hands lightly. A group of servants dressed in bright red came forward, swept the floor, laid out the red carpet, set up the altar, and lit the ceremonial incense.
A few moments later, a simple outdoor ceremony had been arranged, and the band started playing the noisy and raucous music of celebration again.
From a dialectical materialist perspective, the theory that one could borrow lifespan by holding a simple ceremony was undoubtedly absurd.
However, in the occult, a ceremony does not operate on the fundamental laws of science. It is effective because an arbitrary standard is meticulously enforced, a process requiring the profound conviction of those conducting it.
Candles, spices, spells, lighting, tarot, dance, Formations, offerings—all these seemingly absurd elements were indispensable parts of a ceremony. Their symbolic meanings had to be precise and accurate. One could not rely on senses or emotions to draw conclusions and make conjectures; this aspect was similar to modern science.
Once Hong Sha's retinue of Ghosts had dispersed, Li Ang, now dressed in the groom's attire, stood on the red carpet facing the altar, holding two unlit incense sticks.
Hong Sha, meanwhile, returned to her sedan to sit upright, also holding two unlit incense sticks.
According to the ritual, Hong Sha dispatched two Ghosts as ceremonial aides: one to lead the chants and one for responsive chants.
At the appointed time, the lead chanter would say: The groom stands before the sedan.
The responsive chanter: Open the sedan; the wedding couple rises.
Lead chanter: The groom assists (helps the bride down from the sedan).
Lead chanter: The groom and bride proceed to the front of the ceremonial hall.
Lead chanter: The groom and bride take their places.
Responsive chanter: The groom and bride offer incense.
Lead chanter: Kneel, present incense.
Responsive chanter: Kneel. Bow once, bow twice, bow three times.
Afterward, Li Ang and the bride would worship heaven and earth, then the altar. They would bow to each other as husband and wife, lift the bridal veil, and together light the remaining incense with the flame from the altar's bronze brazier. Finally, they would exchange the incense sticks, transferring Li Ang's lifespan to Hong Sha.
The ceremony was about to begin. Wei Linglan, isolated from the altar by Hong Sha's throng of Ghosts, was both annoyed and anxious.
She glanced at Wei Yueyan, whose hands were crossed in front of her. Wei Yueyan appeared nonchalant, even slightly curling her lips into an enigmatic smile.
It's true... for this "companion," Li Ang is nothing but a stranger to her. If she could easily pass this level by simply using up the lifespan of an ordinary person, it would be too good to be true. Even if Li Ang accidentally died during the ceremony, causing it to fail, Wei Yueyan could still use the time to recover her strength.
Wei Linglan's mind raced urgently, unaware that Miss Chai's heart was already bursting with joy, eagerly anticipating what would happen next.
The ceremony began with loud music and chanting, as the ushers guided the bride and groom from the sedan.
The couple walked to the front of the altar.
The Ghost acting as chant leader, who was supposed to shout "Kneel, present the incense!" at this point, just stood there with a stiff smile, unable to utter a word.
He had been controlled by the Special Effects of Li Ang's Cat's Eye Illusion Technique. His mind was wandering, so naturally, he couldn't speak.
The ceremony paused. Though Hong Sha still maintained a smile, her jaw was clenched tightly.
A deep and ominous ghostly energy slowly emanated from her, so palpable that even Wei Linglan, standing outside the altar, could feel it and was struck with alarm.
Seemingly intimidated by the ghostly energy, the chant-leading Ghost snapped back to reality. Trembling, he forced another grin.
When he opened his mouth, however, it came out in heavily accented Mandarin, "The Groom, he's a fine... uh... Goose-man!"
?!
Hong Sha stood frozen, seemingly unable to believe her ears.
Even the musicians in the band stopped momentarily, exchanging bewildered looks.
The oblivious chant-leading Ghost continued, his voice shrill in some unidentifiable accent, "The Bride, she's also a lovely... Chilly Maiden! Congratulations on their... uh... Motherly Binding! May they forever break their vows of unity! Let us grant... deadly blessings upon this Dazed Duo! May they share... uh... bitter ends and bitter suffering! May their love be... Sky-Crippled and Earth-Lasting! Look! Upon their... uh... foreheads are two words: 'Hot! That's Faith!'"
Naturally, the ceremony was interrupted. The resentment brewing under Hong Sha's red bridal veil was nearly ready to explode into the sky.
And though the chant-leading Ghost, still controlled by the Illusion Technique, flickered indeterminately from the wash of ghostly energy, his mouth didn't stop for even a second. He was still shrilly screaming, "Next, let's invite the Groom's father to... uh... say words! Everyone, clap your flippers!"
Applaud my ass!
Hong Sha slapped the chant-leading Ghost away with a swing of her hand. She stomped her foot, and a visible wave of ghostly energy, like a shockwave, blasted away the surrounding fog.
"Who is it!"
From beneath the red veil, Hong Sha shouted through gritted teeth, "Come! Out! Now!"
As the dense fog scattered entirely, Wang Congshan and the others hiding at the corner of the street also saw Li Ang standing behind the altar, dressed as the groom.
Just as Wang Congshan and the others were still in shock, Hong Sha also detected signs of her enemy.
It was a shadowy black figure, almost mist-like, squatting on the large glass window of a distant building, perpendicular to the ground.
This figure seemed to be making an impressive entrance pose, but it was actually a fake illusion created by Li Ang. From a distance, it seemed plausible, but Hong Sha would immediately see through it upon closer inspection.
Believing she had spotted the enemy, Hong Sha scoffed coldly. Her toes dug into the ground, and she shot out toward the figure like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Miss Chai also saw the subtitle cue Li Ang projected onto her faceplate. She immediately bent down and slapped the ground, gathering the fog once more, enveloping the area and concealing Li Ang's form.