Chapter 7 : Bridal Chamber

The naked eyes of human cannot penetrate the thick darkness, nor can they peek into the truth in the darkness.

Ji Yu pondered for a moment before deciding to leave the room and investigate.

Hongxiao, worried, said, “Young Master, why don’t you rest here, and I will go investigate.”

Although she didn’t know what was happening, it was clear that the room was temporarily safe. It would be better for Ji Yu to stay here while she, Hongxiao, went out to explore. She was really reluctant to let her Young Master venture into danger.

Ji Yu smiled helplessly and said gently, “Hongxiao, we don’t know what’s happening outside. If you leave and I’m left alone, it would be dangerous for me as well. It’s better if we go out together, that way, we can look out for each other.”

Hongxiao had no reason to argue further.

She was tempted to suggest staying put and adopting a wait-and-see approach, but she knew that with the disturbances in Crescent Moon Villa, it was impossible to keep Ji Yu from investigating.

Ji Yu dressed appropriately, took out two red cords, and with her slender white fingers twisted them. She then took two gold beads, one large and one small, and deftly tied them to the red cords.

Once finished, she handed the red cord with the small gold bead to Hongxiao and tied the other cord around her own wrist.

Hongxiao secured it and instructed, “Young Master, no matter what happens, don’tact stubbornly.”

Ji Yu agreed verbally.

Hongxiao, still uneasy, glanced at her. It seemed that the more Ji Yu agreed readily and looked obedient, the more she worried about her not following instructions.

The two of them, with the gold bead red cords secured, went outside together.

The darkness outside was overwhelming and profound, as if it was a dividing line separating the inside from the outside world.

Without hesitation, Ji Yu stepped into the endless darkness at the doorway.

—

Ji Yu opened her eyes, feeling a bit dizzy, and her mind started to become confused. However, she quickly regained her clarity amid the familiar pain in her body.

She lifted her gaze and looked towards the pavilions and towers in the night.

Red lanterns hung everywhere along the eaves and corridors, stretching like a dragon, illuminating the surroundings.

Ji Yu recognized this place as Crescent Moon Villa at night.

She looked around and saw that the villa was brightly lit. From a distance, there were sounds of commotion, as well as drums and suona (a type of horn), suggesting that a joyous event was underway.

Not seeing Hongxiao, she wasn’t surprised. Ji Yu moved towards the source of the noise.

As she walked, the commotion grew louder. Ji Yu realized that the source was likely the main hall of the villa’s front courtyard.

The area around her became increasingly crowded with servants from Crescent Moon Villa. They were dressed in festive attire and bustling about busily.

Ji Yu stopped a servant and inquired, “Is there a celebration at your estate?”

The servant, with a broad smile, replied, “Yes, indeed. Today is the grand wedding day of our Young Master. Our Lord is very pleased that the Young Master is finally getting married. Soon, we’ll have a new little master, and Crescent Moon Villa will have a successor.”

The Young Master?

Ji Yu pondered. Crescent Moon Villa’s master had a son and a daughter, but they had long been missing, with their fates unknown.

She wondered if the groom was Yue Shaohua, the son of Master Yue.

Ji Yu proceeded towards the main hall of the front courtyard. The wedding was being held in the main hall. The hall was packed with people. In addition to the estate’s staff, there were also many guests who had come to attend the wedding.

When she saw the guests seated in the audience, Ji Yu’s expression slightly darkened.

These guests… were precisely the demon hunter invited to Crescent Moon Villa to deal with the demons. Almost all of them were present here.

Ji Yu even spotted Hongxiao, who had previously disappeared, also seated as a guest. She wore a joyful expression, seemingly genuinely happy for the upcoming wedding.

This scene was oddly peculiar.

Not only was Hongxiao present, but other demon hunter were also there, all wearing festive smiles and eagerly awaiting the wedding, offering their blessings to the newlyweds.

Ji Yu’s gaze shifted to the head of the hall, where she saw the master and Master of Crescent Moon Villa seated, both looking very pleased.

Moreover, the master appeared normal, strong and robust, unlike the weak state he had shown during the day.

For a moment, Ji Yu even questioned whether her memories were reversed. Were the events she remembered about Crescent Moon Villa’s troubles false, and was this the true situation?

Ji Yu grasped the gold bead on the red cord tightly to stay alert.

After a while, the scene before her remained unchanged.

Her eyes grew darker, her brows furrowed coldly, and she walked over to Hongxiao.

Seeing her, Hongxiao happily said, “Young Master, you’ve arrived! Come sit down. The wedding will start soon.”

Ji Yu stared at Hongxiao for a moment, confirming it was really her and that she hadn’t been possessed by a demon, but was merely bewitched.

She asked, “What wedding?”

“It’s the wedding of Crescent Moon Villa’s Young Master.”

Hongxiao looked at her in surprise, “Young Master, have you forgotten? We came to Crescent Moon Villa for the Young Master’s wedding.”

Ji Yu: “…”

She pinched the gold bead on the red cord again, her expression growing serious.

At that moment, firecrackers started popping outside, and the sounds of gongs and drums filled the air, creating a lively atmosphere.

Hongxiao glanced outside and happily said, “Young Master, the wedding is about to start. The bride and groom will be arriving soon.”

It looked like the guests eagerly awaiting the appearance of the newlyweds.

As she spoke, a crowd indeed appeared, escorting the bride and groom into the hall.

The groom, dressed in festive red, exuded an air of confidence and joy, his eyes filled with affection as he gazed at his bride.

The bride wore a wedding dress and a red veil, assisted by the matchmaker.

Ji Yu focused on the bride, noticing that the bride’s wedding dress was identical to the one she had seen earlier in the hidden chamber of Crescent Moon Villa.

Moreover, the bride’s chest seemed oddly flat, almost like a man’s.

As the bride walked down the aisle, Ji Yu kept her gaze fixed on her, her fingers moving slightly.

The wedding proceeded with lively festivities. When the ceremony was almost complete, the officiant’s loud voice announced, “To the bridal chamber—”

Before the last word could be finished, a gust of wind blew through, lifting the red veil off the bride’s head, revealing her exceptionally beautiful face.

In an instant, the entire world fell into an eerie silence.

The deliberately created false and extravagant atmosphere vanished like a receding tide, and even Crescent Moon Villa’s lights seemed to be enveloped in an unsettling quiet.

The guests who had been smiling now had frozen expressions, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads, their eyes filled with horror and fear.

Especially the bride, whose veil had been blown away, was trembling all over, her face turning a ghastly shade of blue.

Ji Yu was not surprised by this scene instead, her lips curled into a faint smile.

She curled her lips into a faint smile.

Her fingers moved slightly,

Dispelling the magic from her fingertips.

The bride happened to see the smile on her face, And the fear and panic in her eyes turned into anger, Glaring at her furiously, As if the situation were different, she would have already lunged at her, tearing apart the mocking smile on her face.

After a while, the Moon Lord at the head of the hall spoke in a sinister tone: “What are you doing? Continue, my son’s wedding cannot be interrupted.”

With that, the scene returned to its lively atmosphere.

However, the guests could no longer smile as they had before, the mood became very strange.

The officiant shouted again “To the bridal chamber—”

“No—” The bride struggled fiercely, shouting in humiliation and rage, “I don’t want to go to the bridal chamber, I’m a man!”

But the two matchmakers on either side held him tightly, with immense strength, making it impossible for him to escape.

The bride’s actions made the atmosphere silent again. Aside from the guests, everyone stared at the bride with eerie eyes, their false smiles and the artificially created cheer disappearing.

Moon Shaohua looked at him with a blank expression and asked, “Bride, why are you not entering the bridal chamber with me?”

The bride shouted in humiliation, “I’m a man!”

Moon Shaohua replied, “Men can also.”

The bride: “…”

demon hunter: “…”

As the bride was about to be restrained by the two matchmakers and forced into the bridal chamber, Chen Qingfeng and others finally took action.

Several magical instruments flew out, striking the two matchmakers. They screamed and turned into green smoke, vanishing.

The bride seized the opportunity to escape but was caught by Moon Shaohua, who tightly held onto her, his voice cold “Bride, where are you going? We haven’t entered the bridal chamber yet.”

The bride was on the brink of collapse. He kept insisting on marrying him, even though he claimed to be a man. Did he have some special preference?

But he didn’t seem to have a preference for men, nor did she want to marry a man who was some kind of demon or evil spirit and enter the bridal chamber with him.

In response to his breakdown, Moon Shaohua said, “Bride, your celestial beauty pleases me greatly.”

Hearing this, the bride finally understood why he, a man, was chosen as the bride. He said in despair, “What celestial beauty? There’s someone more beautiful over there!”

He pointed to Ji Yu.

In an instant, all eyes turned to Ji Yu.

Ji Yu looked at him with a calm expression, unconcerned by his pointing. She simply rotated the golden beads on the red string with a rhythmic motion.

Hongxiao abruptly stood up and scolded, “Chen Qingzhe, be quiet!”

Chen Qingfeng and the others felt a surge of anxiety.

Chen Qingzhe, already on the brink of a breakdown from being forced into marrying a man, had lost all sense of reason. He struggled desperately, shouting, “She’s a woman! She’s more beautiful than this disgusting man! Hurry up and choose her!”

As expected, Moon Shaohua released him.

All the “people” of Yan Yue Villa turned their gaze toward Ji Yu, their dark eyes fixed on her, clearly designating her as today’s bride.

Xu Xiujue and others were anxiously watching.

If Ji Yu was targeted, given her condition, she might not be able to withstand…

Two matchmakers appeared and reached out to seize Ji Yu.

Hongxiao drew her sword and swung it at the matchmakers. A flash of spiritual light from the blade turned the matchmakers into green smoke. Just as she was about to strike again, a red sleeve from an unknown source blocked her. The red sleeve entangled her sword and flung Hongxiao backward.

Simultaneously, more red sleeves descended, covering the area and trapping Hongxiao inside.

Not only Hongxiao but also the demon hunter present were bound by red sleeves from all directions, unable to move.

Ji Yu was captured by the reappearing matchmakers and brought to the center of the main hall.

She glanced at Chen Qingzhe, who was tied up in red sleeves and looked like a wrapped dumpling and still had the composure to say, “What a pity, the wedding was almost successful. Such a shame…”

Her face showed a sense of regret, as if she were truly disappointed that Chen Qingzhe couldn’t marry Moon Shaohua.

Chen Qingzhe’s eyes were bloodshot with rage as he roared, “Ji Yu!”

However, when he saw the matchmakers bringing the wedding attire for Ji Yu, he began to take pleasure in her misfortune, laughing heartily, “Now it’s your turn. Soon you’ll become a ghost bride…”

Ji Yu, feeling too lazy to respond to him, suddenly realized the scene was familiar. It was as if she had just put on a wedding dress not long ago…

Before she could think it through, a thunderclap roared outside, like a bolt from the blue.

As the thunderclap resounded, the faces of those at the head position, including Moon Shaohua, showed fear. Moon Shaohua instinctively took a few steps back, and the matchmakers also released their grip on Ji Yu.

Countless black threads shot in from the doorway. These black threads were incredibly hard and swept across everything in their path.

The “people” screamed in terror. All those attacked by the black threads turned into green smoke and vanished, along with the red sleeves binding the demon hunter, which also disintegrated into pieces of floating fabric.

In an instant, the large hall was left desolate, with only the group of demon hunter remaining.

The demon hunter, disregarding the vanished “people,” focused warily on the doorway. Some were so nervous that they swallowed hard and held their breath.

They could sense an immensely powerful presence outside, likely the master of the black threads, capable of eliminating all the demons in the room in an instant. This was no ordinary being.

Under the gaze of everyone, a figure dressed in crimson brocade slowly entered.