Spirit Reaper - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Wedding—This Female Ghost Really Intends to Marry Her?!

The woman’s voice was like cool peppermint—sharp and thin, yet oddly refreshing to the ear.

Her tone was flat, without much fluctuation, as if she were speaking of something entirely commonplace. There was no detectable emotion in her words. Yet, for Yu Wuyi, this simple sentence felt like a bolt of thunder striking her directly, leaving her charred and stunned to the core.

Did she hear that correctly? Did this person—no, this thing—just say that today was their wedding day?

Strictly speaking, she wasn’t a person. The icy body temperature and the red bridal veil that had fallen from the sky made it clear: she was the Ghost Bride of that wedding procession.

Is this how ghosts “scam” people nowadays? Wuyi wondered. In all her years, she had encountered countless ghosts trying to eat her, but one using “marriage” as an excuse was a first.

If she weren’t currently without a backer and in constant danger of losing her life, she might have had the heart to chat with this female ghost. But right now, the situation was far from ideal.

In traditional ghost weddings, the procession won’t harm the “unlucky soul” they’ve snatched until they bring them back for the “nuptial chamber.” It seemed the Bride Ghost wouldn’t kill her just yet.

In the chaos, Wuyi had completely forgotten about the marriage contract she had discovered earlier. She didn’t connect this Bride Ghost to the unknown “spouse” on that half-burned yellow paper. She simply thought her special constitution had attracted yet another group of ill-intentioned spirits.

At this moment, survival was paramount. Still cradled in the Bride Ghost’s arms, Wuyi forced a flattering smile.

“Good sister, surely you’ve mistaken me for someone else? I’m just a weak, frail girl; how could I be the person you’re meant to marry? Tell you what, you let me go, and I’ll find you a handsome ghost. I’ll even burn a whole chest of gold ingots for you—mmph mmph!“

Before she could finish, an invisible force slammed her mouth shut. No matter how she struggled, she could only emit helpless muffled noises.

“Noisy,” the ghost sneered. With a flick of her power, she tossed Wuyi upward.

“Mmph mmph!!!” I don’t want to die!

It happened so fast, and with her vision blocked by the veil, Wuyi instinctively reached out for anything to grab onto. When she finally regained her senses, her arms were locked tightly around something icy, smooth, and delicate…

Ah. The ghost’s neck.

She was well and truly stuck. Wuyi sighed internally and decided to play the ostrich—she buried her head in the ghost’s neck and went limp in her arms. Fine. Let’s see what this ghost actually wants to do.

“Finally quiet,” the ghost remarked. Her tone lifted slightly, sounding quite pleased as she felt Wuyi stop struggling.

Soon, Wuyi felt the ghost drifting. Through the limited view beneath the veil, she saw herself being tucked into the red sedan chair of the wedding procession. As the ghost set her down, she cast some sort of wicked spell that left Wuyi’s body completely drained of strength. She could only slump against the side of the sedan.

Now I really am a “weak, frail girl”…

Wuyi wanted to cry but could only listen to the shrill cry of the procession leader outside: “The auspicious hour has arrived—lift the sedan!”

The Suona blared, gongs and drums followed, and the procession resumed its festive, eerie march. The sedan began to sway, nearly tossing Wuyi off the seat.

We’re moving… The dead are fetching the bride; the living must retreat.

Amidst the noisy, celebratory music, Wuyi’s head began to grow heavy. The swaying sedan became like a cradle. Her vision blurred, and the vivid red before her eyes was swallowed by darkness.

…

When her consciousness returned, the first thing Wuyi heard was a familiar voice.

It was Grandma!

“The abyss is vast, let the soul find its anchor; heaven and earth converge…” Yu Song’s chanting was partially drowned out by the drums and the tinkling of the soul-calling bell, but Wuyi caught fragments.

What kind of incantation is that? I’ve never heard it before. But regardless of what it was, hope flared in her heart. With Yu Song there, surely this ghost couldn’t harm her.

However, she seemed to have forgotten one crucial detail.

Before she could think further, a gust of wind blew the sedan curtain open. Immediately after, her hand was covered by a layer of intense cold.

It was a temperature no living human could possess. At the moment of contact, Wuyi felt as if she’d been tossed into a freezer. She shivered involuntarily. She looked down at her hands resting on her lap. Her heart skipped a beat.

Covering her hand was a woman’s hand—slender, elegant, and perfectly articulated. If the skin weren’t a deathly, translucent white, it would have been breathtakingly beautiful.

Though her mind was clear, Wuyi’s body remained under the ghost’s control. She could only watch as that hand gently grasped hers and led her out of the sedan. She felt like a marionette, moving only as the hand dictated.

“Step up, there’s a threshold,” the ghost’s voice whispered.

Looking down, she saw nothing but pitch black. It wasn’t until her foot lifted and cleared a high wooden beam that she realized the scale of the threshold. In her village, no house had a threshold this high.

Where exactly am I…?

The ghost stopped. Without warning, Wuyi’s arms were raised. Something was tied to her—something living and restless.

“Cluck, cluck—” A chicken’s cry reached her ears.

A… hen?

Wuyi panicked. Looking at the setup, it seemed this ghost really intended to go through with the wedding! But it was too late to back out; she was like a fish on a cutting board.

Wait—Yu Song! Her grandmother was right here. Surely she wouldn’t let this happen? Unless…

The marriage contract… July 15th…

Wait. July 15th of the lunar calendar—that was today.

The date on the marriage contract was today! Which meant… the ghost leading her right now was the very same Qin An she had been bound to!

Everything clicked. Wuyi realized with a start that this was likely Yu Song’s plan all along. She had to accept the fact that she was being married to a female ghost.

Strangely, now that she knew her “spouse” was this woman, Wuyi felt less repulsed than before. Perhaps it was because this ghost had just saved her from a horde of hungry spirits, or perhaps because the aura emanating from her was unexpectedly comforting.

As she was lost in thought, a warm yellow light flickered on the ground. Candlelight. It danced in the wind, stretching the shadows of the threshold like long noodles. Following the lead, she stood face-to-face with the ghost, clutching the hen.

Through the gap in the veil, she could only see the hem of a vivid red skirt. Wuyi grew nervous; her hands holding the chicken trembled. She had never been in a relationship, let alone had any physical intimacy. Her only “theory” came from accidental clicks on shady websites. To jump straight to marriage with a ghost she’d never seen…

The pressure was immense.

Sensing Wuyi’s distraction, the ghost stepped forward and took her hand again. The icy touch traveled from her palm to the top of her head, bringing back that inexplicable sense of security.

Ring, ring, ring—

“We ask the Old Man under the Moon to tie the red string; let the Yama of the Underworld witness this union…” Yu Song stepped inside, ringing her bell.

Wuyi wanted to scream a thousand questions at her grandmother. Why? Why am I being married off to a ghost? But in her current state, she could only wait.

“First bow to Heaven and Earth—” “Second bow to the High Hall—” “Wives bow to each other—”

Three bows. The ceremony was complete. From this moment on, she and the ghost named Qin An were officially bound. Wuyi saw a red string flicker on her wrist before vanishing into the air. She took a deep, shaky breath. What’s done was done.

“Send them to the bridal chamber—”

“Huh?!” Wuyi felt herself being lifted. She cried out as she fell back into that icy, soft embrace. She didn’t—and couldn’t—struggle as the ghost carried her into the inner room.

The moment she was set down on a soft bed, Wuyi heard the distinct sound of a lock clicking from the outside. Simultaneously, she regained control of her body.

She understood. Yu Song had anticipated her reaction. That lock cut off her final retreat. She had no choice but to face what was inside the room.

The flickering candlelight mimicked the frantic thumping of Wuyi’s heart. In the silent room, neither of them spoke first. Wuyi gripped the bedsheets tightly, waiting for the other to move.

A second later, an ivory-white jade ruyi (ceremonial scepter) slid under the edge of the red veil. Slowly, bit by bit, it lifted the fabric that had hidden her world.