Chapter 1 The Maiden Boards the Sedan

Dang, dang, dang—

The crisp, steady knocking fell silent as ghosts in dark red clothing carried a red sedan chair, standing silently at the entrance of the pavilion. A hunched-over old hag's voice oozed out, chilling to the bone:

"Madam, the auspicious hour has arrived. Please, board the sedan."

There was no response from within the door.

The hag-like demon was not surprised. She knocked and called out several more times. Seeing that the maiden inside still did not respond, two extremely tall and robust demons with blue faces and fangs stepped forward, wearing items that suppressed pure qi, intending to forcibly bring the maiden out.

But before they could act, with a creak, the wooden door of the pavilion opened on its own.

The group of demons looked over in astonishment.

The maiden, wearing a red wedding dress, was already standing in front of the door, even having taken the initiative to put on her veil.

Her hands were folded over her abdomen.

She didn't say a word.

This scene was unexpected. After her initial surprise, the old hag-demon simply assumed that the maiden, who had stubbornly resisted for over a hundred years, had finally come to her senses. It saved her a lot of trouble. She bowed and smiled obsequiously:

"Madam is already prepared! Please, board the sedan, board the sedan!"

"You unseeing fools, quickly make way!"

The demons dispersed, but remained in an encircling formation.

The sedan tilted slightly downwards, and a demon pulled back the curtain of the sedan door. When the maiden silently boarded the sedan, the curtain was lowered. Then, eighteen demons worked together to lift the sedan. The mournful sound of the suona horn echoed again. The old hag-demon wore a rare, smug smile on her face as she shouted in a shrill voice:

"Madam has boarded the sedan!"

"Descend the mountain, return to the manor!"

A crowd of demons escorted the dark red sedan chair, marching grandly towards the ghostly manor at the foot of the mountain.

Along the way, many demons gathered on both sides of the road. As the sedan passed, they bowed and curtsied, uttering flattering words of congratulations, their eyes fixed on the red sedan chair, hoping to catch a glimpse of the maiden's true face. In the end, they were left with regret.

...

News of the maiden descending the mountain quickly reached the ghost king's ears.

The man stood up abruptly, his eyes filled with boundless astonishment and joy:

"What?! The maiden is willing to come down?!"

"You're not lying to me?!"

"This one wouldn't dare!"

The demon knelt and kowtowed, recounting how the maiden had finally left her abode, already dressed in her wedding gown, and had boarded the red sedan chair to be carried down the mountain. He finished by saying that the maiden was now in the ghostly mansion that the ghost king had built for the wedding.

Many demons had witnessed this event; it couldn't be more real.

The ghost king paced back and forth, his face almost unable to contain his delight. The man in the black Daoist robe beside him looked surprised and said, "Strange, truly strange. That maiden has been steadfast in her defenses for a hundred years. How could she possibly give up at this moment? According to my calculations, her magical power should not be exhausted for several more hours."

"There might be a change. Perhaps the maiden intends to make a final attack on you."

The ghost king shook his head dismissively. "It doesn't matter."

"Without her feather robe, she has no Daoist power. Her pure qi is only enough to protect herself, it cannot harm me. Even if she could harm me, if it could give her some relief, if she could know my true feelings, then I would be willing. Moreover, according to my calculations, her remaining cultivation is not even enough to break through my defenses."

His voice paused, as if remembering something, and he murmured:

"Yes, she must want to save those mortals."

"She was always kind-hearted."

"If she's willing to follow me, what's it to me if I spare those mortals for now?"

He turned to the kneeling demon and said, "Go and suppress those mortals first. This time, for my grand banquet, you are not allowed to touch their flesh and blood for three days."

The demon understood that the meaning of those words were that after three days, after the wedding, he could have his flesh feast.

It was inevitable.

Of course, he wouldn't refuse.

The demon kowtowed and retreated backwards.

The ghost king took a deep breath. Although he was a demon, he felt a stirring of emotions like he had in life, and murmured:

"Finally..."

...

The wedding banquet was held early today.

The maiden's lack of resistance pleased the ghost king immensely. He immediately ordered the demons to hold a grand banquet. It was only a pity that the mortals were not brought up to provide a fresh and delicious human feast, which caused some regret among the demons. However, some well-informed devils spread the word of the ghost king's intentions, knowing that another banquet would be held in three days, and thus the demons were overjoyed.

They drank wine, ate meat, and cheered in endless jubilation, creating a lively scene.

The ghost king raised a glass to toast the demons, then allowed them to enjoy themselves. Today, they would have fine wine and delicious food, and the chaotic dance of demons grew even more intense. Only then did he turn back to the Daoist and say, "Today, I am able to fulfill my wishes entirely due to the Daoist's kindness. I will never forget my promise."

"Please enjoy the banquet today, Daoist."

The man in black nodded and said indifferently:

"A moment in the spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Fellow Daoist, please help yourself."

Then, the ghost king stirred up a gust of black wind and returned to the ghostly manor he had built. Its appearance was vaguely similar to his former residence, but it was even more luxurious than his home in life. He stepped forward and waved his sleeves, ordering the demons in the mansion to disperse and leave. He watched from afar as the lights in the main room lit up, and the maiden's veiled silhouette fell on the window.

After only drinking a cup of wine, the ghost king felt like he was drunk.

He already felt tipsy and flushed.

He reached out and untied the knot at the collar of his robe, and stepped forward, one step at a time.

There is a poem in the human world: "The closer to home, the more timid one becomes, not daring to ask who is coming."

He felt the same way.

He pushed open the door and saw the maiden sitting quietly beside the red candles, wearing a red wedding dress and a veil.

Viewing flowers under the moon, viewing beauties under the lamp.

The ghost king swallowed.

He didn't know how many times he had thought and dreamed of this moment. Today it was about to come true, and he was so ecstatic that he even wondered if this was a dream. With each step he took closer, the memories of the past became clearer.

Their first encounter when he was a youth, he was captivated by her celestial beauty.

Then, he offered her silks, delicacies, and fine wines, only to be met with her disdain.

He even used evil magic to seal her feather robe and bury it underground.

Everything in the past was vivid, yet like a dream.

The ghost king sat down in front of the maiden and said softly, "Finally... you are finally mine."

He picked up the wine on the table, poured two cups, and said with a smile:

"I've wanted to do this for a very, very long time. Don't worry, this is wine from the mortal realm, the best kind sold in the taverns in the city back then. I spent a hundred years slowly exploring and recreating it. I only managed to make these two cups. Come, try it."

He poured two cups and handed one over.

The maiden seemed to hesitate for a moment, but still reached out her slender white hand, picked up a cup, and lowered her head to drink.

The ghost king drank the wine in his cup, as if drunk.

Taking advantage of the maiden's lowered head, he picked up the golden rod and lifted the red veil.

At that moment, time seemed to slow down.

It was his deep affection from his youth, the demonic roots that had taken hold as he grew up, his god and Buddha, and his demon. But now it was all over. There was no longer any burning jealousy in his heart, only a gentle and peaceful affection. The red veil fell, and the ghost king looked over with drunken eyes, then the expression on his face froze.

It was a young man with handsome eyebrows and a smile on his lips.

The red wedding dress shattered like a bubble.

The young man picked up the wine glass, raised his head, and drank the entire ghost king's century of effort.

"Good wine!"

He laughed heartily.

Before his voice faded, a verdant sword in his palm hummed, and it had already slashed down!

"I shall return the courtesy!"

...

Boom!!!

The roar of the large excavator engines never stopped.

Zhang Hao stared with dark circles under his eyes, his eyes bloodshot.

For two full days, an entire construction team was urgently drawn from the city, heading mightily to the ferry, and then working in three shifts to frantically start work. They forcibly diverted the course of the Luo River at this point. With only a final layer left to cut open, they would be able to turn the Luo River, so that the reverse bow sha would be completely eliminated!

Zhang Hao held the drawing and waved his hand heavily:

"Digging is too slow, take the excavators away!"

"Bring in the explosives!"

ps: Thank you llls4 for the 15,000 starting point coins, thank you~