After My Faked Death Failed, My Ex-Wife Came Chasing After Me - Chapter 11

“Eldest Senior Sister, do you really have to be this brave?”

Lu Ting’an nearly spat out a mouthful of noodles.

“Cough, cough, cough… What did you say?!” Lu Ting’an blurted out, her face filled with disbelief.

Lin Zheng shot her a strange look. “I did not speak.”

Lu Ting’an covered her face in embarrassment. “Ah, it’s nothing. Blame it on being too tired from sword practice today; I must have misheard.”

Damn it, you dead system! You didn’t show up earlier or later, but chose to pop up right after I finally managed to grind a wave of favorability with Lin Zheng. You’re intentionally trying to drive me to a dead end!

Not understanding what was happening, Lin Zheng simply set down her scroll and looked at Lu Ting’an. “By the way, I forgot to tell you that I will not be staying overnight at Yingyue Pavilion today.”

Lu Ting’an froze and asked, “Why? Didn’t you move all your things over?”

Lin Zheng replied expressionlessly, “There are matters within the clan. I must return to Qingqiu once before the Great Sect Examination.”

“Oh.” Lu Ting’an gulped down her soup, silently complaining in her heart: When it rains, it pours. Now that she’s leaving, how am I supposed to complete the mission?

Lin Zheng stood up and picked up the scrolls Lu Ting’an had tossed everywhere, tidying them in order before saying to her, “Review well these few days. Even if I am not by your side to supervise, you must not be slack.”

Lu Ting’an let out a reluctant “Oh.”

Lin Zheng sighed softly, summoned Sui Yue, turned, and flew away on her sword.

As soon as she left, Lu Ting’an, who had been suppressed for days, was like a wild horse breaking its reins. She almost jumped up in joy and lunged onto the couch, cheering: “Heck yeah! No need to wake up early tomorrow!”

But at the thought of the system’s mission, she fell into a dilemma again.

Holding a pillow while lying on the couch, Lu Ting’an shouted into the air, “System, come out!”

System: [I am here. What is the matter?]

Lu Ting’an complained, “Didn’t you hear Lin Zheng say she’s been fasting (Bigu) lately? How am I supposed to poison her food and drink?”

System: [That is a problem for you to consider; I am only responsible for assigning tasks.]

“Damn it,” Lu Ting’an cursed, filled with indignation. “I’ve realized now that for a villain to follow the plot, there’s absolutely no need for logic.”

The system happily played dead.

Lu Ting’an covered her face with the pillow, giving up on herself. “Whatever, I’ll just have to play it by ear when the time comes.”

A few days later, the Great Sect Examination finally kicked off with great fanfare.

As a premier sect in the cultivation world, Baiyun Luying Gate possessed a very deep foundation. Lu Ting’an previously only knew that Vice-Sect Leader Sun Youqing had eight disciples, but she hadn’t expected that besides her father, the elders of each peak also had disciples as numerous as clouds. Sword cultivators were especially numerous, followed by tool cultivators, array cultivators, beast tamers, medical cultivators, and many other categories. At this moment, the disciples were lined up in the martial arts arena, their sleeves fluttering and spiritual auras converging; the scene was so grand it inspired awe.

Lin Zheng stood at the very front of the disciples with her sword on her back. She cupped her hands in a salute toward Lu Qingchen and Sun Youqing on the long steps, saying in a deep voice, “Sect Leader, Master, the disciples depart down the mountain today. We shall do our utmost to slay demons and eliminate monsters, and we shall not bring shame to the sect’s prestigious name.”

Lu Qingchen stroked his beard and smiled, speaking to the crowd in the arena with a voice like a resonant bell: “This journey down the mountain, though called an examination, is actually to test whether you hold the common people in your hearts. Slaying demons, purging evil, and clearing away ghosts—this is the true style of our immortal sect’s disciples.”

The disciples shouted in unison, “We shall not fail the Sect Leader’s teachings!”

Lu Qingchen nodded with satisfaction, raised his arm, and shouted loudly, “Depart!”

Instantly, dozens of sword glows lit up at once, like brilliant meteors, piercing through the air from the peak of Baiyun Luying Gate and transforming into long rainbows racing toward the four directions.

For this Great Sect Examination, the disciples were divided and sent to various places where evil was frequent. Elder Feng’s disciples headed for Shu; Elder Luo’s disciples traveled far to Guanzhong; Elder Cheng’s disciples went south to Lingnan; while Lu Ting’an’s group was headed for Jinbei.

Because Lu Ting’an had not yet reached the Core Formation stage and could not fly a sword, she had to ride with Lin Zheng. Having only ever been at high altitudes in airplanes before, she was now blown by the fierce wind until she couldn’t even open her eyes. She could only cling tightly to Lin Zheng’s waist. Being squeezed so hard she could hardly move, Lin Zheng couldn’t help but glance back frequently, saying helplessly, “Relax a bit, otherwise, it is difficult for me to control the direction.”

Lu Ting’an couldn’t listen at all. Beneath her feet was a bottomless abyss; the fact that she hadn’t fainted directly on the sword was already a miracle. Not only did she not let go, but she held on even tighter, her voice trembling: “I won’t!”

Lin Zheng sighed softly, having no choice but to let her hold on. Thus, they rode the wind through the air for about four or five hours before landing in a desolate mountain area near Yuancheng.

It was nearly the Hour of the Rooster (5 PM – 7 PM), and the sky was turning dark. Looking at the endless mountain roads, Lin Zheng estimated they definitely couldn’t enter the city today and immediately decided to set up camp and rest here.

Lu Ting’an felt as if her bones were about to fall apart from the wind. She leaned against a tree listlessly. Seeing this, several senior brothers gathered around attentively, saying, “Little Junior Sister, is it that you are not used to the experience of traveling down the mountain compared to the sect?”

Lu Ting’an licked her dry lips and nodded weakly, not even having the strength to reply.

Chen Yunxiao unfastened the water flask from his waist and held it to her lips, his tone full of heartache: “Little Junior Sister, have some water. You’ll feel better after a short rest.”

Ye Yunlan also touched her forehead worriedly and sighed, “You have a bit of a fever; you likely caught a cold from the wind. I’ll see if there are any usable herbs nearby.”

“I… I will go w-with you.” Zhang Yunming hurriedly stood up to agree.

Zhao Jingyi looked around and saw Lin Zheng picking up dry branches to start a fire. His eyes flickered as he smiled at Lu Ting’an. “Little Junior Sister, after flying for so long, you must be hungry. I’ll check the woods; perhaps I can find some wild game.”

Guo Jingchen fumbled in his pocket and pulled out half a piece of dry rations. He swallowed his saliva, but in the end, he couldn’t bear to eat it and stuffed it into Lu Ting’an’s hand, saying, “Little Junior Sister, pad your stomach with this first. I saw a lake on the way here; I’ll go catch some fish to stew a soup for you.”

Being surrounded by so much concern from the senior brothers only made Lu Ting’an’s head hurt more. She could only wave her hand and dismiss them with a raspy voice: “Thank you, Senior Brothers.”

“What kind of talk is that? Wait here, we’ll be back soon.”

The senior brothers split up, rushing to hunt, fish, and gather herbs for her, leaving only Lin Zheng behind to accompany her.

Lu Ting’an felt like her throat was burning. She called out weakly, “Lin Zheng.”

Lin Zheng turned her head. “What is it? Are you feeling unwell?”

Lu Ting’an looked worriedly at the rising bright moon and the howling of wolves coming from deep in the forest. She shivered and asked, “Will it be unsafe for us to stay here overnight?”

Lin Zheng shook her head and said calmly, “With me here, it will not be.”

Hearing her say this, Lu Ting’an felt much more at ease. Coincidentally, she had recovered some strength and sat up straight, asking, “By the way, I’ve always been curious—why didn’t the Fifth Senior Sister come with us?”

Lin Zheng said, “She has been ill for many years and her body is frail. She should not be overworked. Have you forgotten?”

Reminded by her, Lu Ting’an remembered. In the original book, the Fifth Senior Sister was famous from a young age and possessed extraordinary talent. Although she joined the sect late, she caught up quickly and was especially skilled in poison arts and pharmacology, deeply loved by her master. Unfortunately, she later went into sudden seclusion and for many years, no one had seen her except for the Master and the Sect Leader.

Lu Ting’an hadn’t paid much attention to this minor character when reading the original book, but now she was deeply curious. She couldn’t help but ask, “Do you know the reason?”

Lin Zheng pondered for a long while before saying, “The rumor within the sect is that she suffered a cultivation deviation while practicing, while others say she was wounded at her core during a fight with evil spirits.”

Lu Ting’an uttered an “Oh.” She wanted to speak more, but suddenly, a rustling sound came from deep in the forest, like something crawling in the dark.

Lin Zheng’s reaction was extremely fast. Her body moved almost simultaneously with the sound. She instantly summoned Sui Yue; with a flash of sword light, she was already shielding Lu Ting’an. Turning slightly, her eyes stared deathly at the bottomless darkness ahead.

Lu Ting’an hid tremblingly behind Lin Zheng, asking nervously, “Who? Who is there?”

Lin Zheng frowned slightly. The sound from deep in the woods moved from far to near, getting louder and more urgent, as if it would burst out of the trees at any moment.

“Who goes there?” Lin Zheng said in a deep voice.

Suddenly, several figures appeared on the small forest path. Lin Zheng lit a talisman fire with her fingertip and took a closer look—they were actually several sedan chair carriers.

They were called carriers, but their bodies were hunched, draped in plain white hemp clothes. Their faces were covered with paper-pasted masks, and their eyes were cloudy as if their souls had been gouged out. They were completely different from a normal wedding procession. The most eerie part was that their footsteps were erratic, as if they were being moved forward by a string. On their shoulders rested a small dark-red sedan chair. The curtain was painted with runes, fluttering slightly with the night wind before slowly falling.

The carriers were lowing something under their breath, their voices hoarse like rusting iron rubbing together:

“One… step… to… welcome… the… bride…”

“Two… steps… to… send… the… soul…”

The voices were very light, yet they seemed to drill into the ears along with the night, making one’s back go numb.

In front of the sedan, a soul-leading lantern was carried by another carrier. His neck was tilted to one side, the corners of his mouth split slightly, and his eyes were full of dead white pupils. The candle flame in the lamp flickered, casting his shadow very long on the ground.

The night was deep, leaving only the strange and slow wedding chant of the carriers as the red sedan approached step by step.

Lu Ting’an had never seen such a scene before and nearly couldn’t suppress the scream in her throat. Lin Zheng covered her mouth and whispered in her ear, “Keep quiet! Follow me to the roadside. Do not collide with these things.”

Lu Ting’an nodded like a chick pecking at rice and obediently followed her to the side of the road. It wasn’t until this extremely eerie group had gradually gone far away that Lin Zheng let go of the hand covering her mouth.

Lu Ting’an gasped for air, still shaken. “W-what were those things?”

Lin Zheng stared at the retreating backs of the carriers, her expression grave. After a moment, she whispered, “Do you know what a ‘Ghost Wedding’ is?”

Lu Ting’an was stunned. “I don’t. What is it?”

Lin Zheng pointed toward the small red-topped sedan in the depths of the night and said coldly, “Before coming down the mountain this time, I heard that ghost marriages are prevalent in Jinbei. Because the custom is so strong, the evil spirits in this area have derived a new method—pretending to be the bride to be married, enticing living people to come forward to ‘receive the bride’.”

She paused, her gaze darkening. “Once a living person gets close, they take the opportunity to seize their soul. What we just encountered was exactly that kind of thing.”

Lu Ting’an felt her heart turn half-cold. Her legs were a bit weak, and she stood frozen for a long while before stuttering, “Then… what do we do now?”

Lin Zheng pursed her lips, her knuckles turning white from gripping the hilt of Sui Yue tightly. “You stay here and do not move. I will follow and take a look.”