“It feels like we’re having an affair!”

The sudden burst of laughter caused Si Xuanyang to nearly stumble and fall.

He turned to look at the giggling Yu Sen with a shocked and complex expression, a hint of helplessness in his eyes, and said in a deep voice, “Stop fucking around!”

Yu Sen: “!!! Damn!”

On one hand, Yu Sen was incredulous that Si Xuanyang could explicitly use the word ‘fuck around,’ and on the other hand…

—He somehow found Si Xuanyang swearing incredibly sexy!

What’s going on? He used to get angry at this attitude, but now it’s taking an odd direction?

“Yang Yang, swear at me again.”

Hearing this bizarre and unreasonable request, Si Xuanyang looked as if he had seen a ghost. “Are you crazy?”

“Eh, that was too weak this time, I didn’t feel much,” Yu Sen pouted in disappointment.

Si Xuanyang didn’t immediately understand: “Feel what?”

Since the topic was brought up, Yu Sen’s eyes sparkled with curiosity and excitement. “Do you really want to know?”

“……” Seeing that expression, Si Xuanyang felt he probably shouldn’t know. “No, I don’t want to. Stop it.”

Yu Sen looked disappointed. “Oh…”

Si Xuanyang promptly changed the subject. “Aren’t you night-blind? It’s so dark now, can you see clearly?”

Yu Sen: “……Oh, right. I was just wandering blindly. Thanks for reminding me.”

With that, he naturally pulled Si Xuanyang’s hand.

Si Xuanyang: Damn, this topic shift is worse than no topic shift at all!

……

Choosing to stay silent, they walked for about ten minutes, managing to avoid some servants and maids that suddenly appeared along the way, while also staying alert for any disembodied heads wandering about.

The master’s bedroom on the wedding night was much brighter than other parts of the residence. Despite this, the flickering red candles still made Yu Sen feel very eerie, like light from the underworld.

His eyes weren’t as blind as he claimed; he could see a little better on the previous path and even more clearly here.

But having gotten used to pulling Si Xuanyang’s hand, he was too lazy to let go. Strangely, the person being pulled didn’t resist like before.

Had he forgotten? Or was it intentional? Yu Sen wasn’t sure, but he was enjoying it and didn’t care to delve into the truth.

---

Perhaps in ancient times, the wedding chamber was always cleared out, and there were no servants in the main courtyard, which made things convenient for them.

When they reached outside the master’s bedroom window, a shadowy light could be seen through the paper window, indicating movement inside.

To avoid being discovered, both held their breath and listened carefully to the sounds coming from inside.

The groom, Mr. Li, spoke with a deep, magnetic tone, but his emotions seemed to be struggling to suppress something. “On days like this, it would be more satisfying to have my soul scattered!”

The bride snorted coldly, her tone sarcastic: “I wonder who caused this mass execution of the family.”

“I caused it?” Mr. Li laughed bitterly in anger. “Yes, it was me. But don’t forget, Zhao Yue, if you hadn’t replaced Miss Song to marry into the Li family, you wouldn’t have brought this beheading disaster upon yourself! It’s just reaping what you sow!”

Yu Sen and Si Xuanyang exchanged glances, their eyes filled with deep shock.

Zhao Yue’s voice turned resentful. “Mr. Li, don’t go too far! If I hadn’t married you in place of Song Ningxiu, she would have been the one losing her head! Speaking of which, I’m still her savior! If you love her so much, shouldn’t you treat me well?”

“But the one I want to marry is her…” Mr. Li’s voice suddenly turned much more dejected.

Zhao Yue responded coldly and decisively, “Don’t even think about it. It’s impossible, now and forever.”

The room fell silent again, and after a long while, the sound of things being smashed in frustration could be heard.

Yu Sen nodded at Si Xuanyang, and they cautiously retraced their steps.

---

As they approached the backyard, Yu Sen suddenly heard a faint, rustling sound behind them, like some animal rummaging in the grass.

He felt a chill. In this haunted house, even a dog could be mistaken for a hellhound. What could be more frightening than that?

He felt a shiver; in such a haunted house, even a dog could seem like a hellhound. What could possibly move and not be scary?

“One… Damn it!”

As soon as Yu Sen counted “one,” he felt a tremendous pulling force that dragged him forward with a whoosh.

Feeling the strength transmitted through his palm, Yu Sen adjusted his steps while gritting his teeth: Si Xuanyang’s temper—why doesn’t he show this urgency normally?

“At least give me a heads-up before you make a run for it. I almost fell!”

Si Xuanyang glanced back, frowning, his eyes sharp in the darkness. “I won’t let you fall.”

“…Don’t tease me!”

“…” Si Xuanyang’s expression froze for a moment, but he didn’t stay stunned for too long: “Don’t look back, that thing is a bit disgusting.”

At this moment, Yu Sen had already heard abnormal banging noises from behind and sounds similar to teeth clashing. He could guess what it was without looking.

“It’s just a head, not like I’ve never seen one before. Don’t underestimate me, little brother,” he felt the need to correct Si Xuanyang’s impression of him, speaking in a very arrogant manner.

Hearing this dismissive yet slightly cocky tone and the pretentious whining, Si Xuanyang was so irritated that he wanted to slap his hand away and yell at him — why don’t you face it head-on then? Playing a game of Red Light, Green Light is one thing, but running away is just ridiculous!

But he thought better of it. This was a serious situation, not the time to throw his teammate under the bus.

…

The head was moving very fast. In just a few seconds, Yu Sen felt the noise getting closer and closer, relentlessly pursuing them.

They had brought the candle and fire-starting sticks, but in such a race against time, even a slight delay in lighting the candle could lead to being caught. Carrying these things was more of a psychological comfort than practically useful.

“Two grown men can’t outrun a head. How embarrassing…”

Si Xuanyang: “…If you keep running your mouth at a time like this, I’ll sew it shut with a needle.”

“So cruel! Can you really bear to do that!?”

“…Damn it!”

From afar, they could see the room. It was pitch black inside, and Yu Sen didn’t care about whether he was making noise or disturbing anyone. He shouted, “Si Nan! Light the candle for me!”

“That’s quite a way to phrase it, light the candle for you,” Si Xuanyang teased for the first time.

Yu Sen: “If you keep being sarcastic, I’ll also sew your mouth shut with a needle.”

Si Xuanyang: “…”

Karma strikes back, and heaven spares no one.

The head was getting closer and closer. Just hearing the wind, Yu Sen felt like he was going mad. The bone-chilling cold was pressing in, as if it were going to freeze him down to his very bones.

He shivered, his sprint faltering for a moment, almost tripping himself.

At that moment, their room’s door was pushed open from the inside. Yu Sen felt Si Xuanyang grab his hand and forcefully throw him into the room.

“Fuck!”

With the curse and a rush of panic, Yu Sen fell to the ground but quickly supported himself. His voice had a barely noticeable tremor: “Si Xuanyang!”

Fortunately, after a dull thud, Si Xuanyang stumbled into the door frame, Luo Yu slammed the door shut, and Si Nan lit the candle at that moment.

The head banged on the door, and perhaps due to the candlelight, it couldn’t open the door like it did last night. It could only bang furiously outside, the banging sounds echoing throughout the courtyard. Through the paper windows, they saw that the other rooms in the courtyard had lit red candles, the dark red light seeming to respond to each other.

The head banged on the door for half a minute, each thud like a drumbeat against their hearts, synchronizing with their heartbeats. The force was so great that Yu Sen felt the door might break apart. He even pulled out a hoe, preparing to face it head-on. The banging sound gradually stopped.

Perhaps the ‘newlywed peaceful night’ effect of the red candles in the courtyard worked. After a while, no sound could be heard from outside the door.

…

The room was quiet for a few seconds. Once the danger was over, Si Nan sat back down on the bed: “You really know how to attract trouble! What kind of beast did you bring back this time? So fierce!”

“A head, obviously.” Yu Sen replied casually, then immediately glared at Si Xuanyang.

“What were you thinking just now? Did a sudden sense of heroic self-sacrifice attack your rational mind? Or did you have a sudden idea to play the hero saving the beauty? I’m telling you, Si Xuanyang, whatever it was — it was very stupid!”

Si Xuanyang retorted: “What hero saving the beauty? Are you beautiful?”

Yu Sen was successfully distracted: “… Am I not beautiful?”

Si Xuanyang was speechless, sighed, and reached out to him: “Help me up, my foot is injured.”

“What happened?” The people in the room instantly became tense.

“I kicked that thing just now and only realized that my foot got cut,” Si Xuanyang said gloomily, “Damn it, did I kick a knife or something!”

Yu Sen was delighted: “Hahaha… You show off, you act all tough and heroic, and now you’re feeling the pain, huh?”

Si Xuanyang glared at him with a lifeless expression for a long while and finally said, “Yu Sen, you heartless jerk.”

Yu Sen was even happier—

“Oh! That tone of yours sounds like I cheated on you or something!”