This wasn't the first time the Red Coat bride's family had accepted a live-in son-in-law, but Wen Shi was the first to emerge from the mountains alive. Before him, many others hadn't even had the chance to enter the mountains. They were burned to ashes at the wedding banquet, the black ashes collected and placed in bowls on the empty tables in the front row, where they were mixed with incense ash. As the incense burned in the second courtyard, the rice in the bowls gradually dwindled.
Originally, in their eyes, Wen Shi should have had this ending.
But he came back and stood outside the house, looking weird and unique.
Cats are a taboo in Fengguan Village. The villagers who have been producing funeral products for generations dislike cats as they are unlucky. The best man looked at the groom with cat features at the door and for a moment he didn't know which one of them was less human, him or himself.
Ah Sang held Wen Shi's slightly cold hand and praised him: "Daddy, it smells good!"
This seems to be the only compliment he knows.
Under the moonlight, those mysterious mandarin duck eyes looked at the best man with a half-smile: "Are you deliberately delaying my entry into the bridal chamber?"
Xiangru woke up from his dream and turned around to lead the way under the accusation of hurtful things.
Walking back into the rain corridor, Wen Shi's mood was very different from before. A faint voice floated to the best man's ears: "Actually, I don't mind playing the maze game again. I know the way."
He uttered the word "know the way" in a low voice, and this time it was the best man who felt horrified.
Seeing the best man go out, the players in the hall also curiously followed and stood at the door to watch. In the corridor in the distance, a big red figure was walking with the best man. It was obvious who had returned.
Yan Yan's face turned pale, but he quickly calmed down.
It's better to be alive. Although Pei Wenwei will definitely try to take revenge, as long as his confrontational personality is there, he will never have to worry about camera time.
The bridal chamber was located in the main house of the second courtyard. Several thick red candles were burning inside, and oil lamps were lit inside. Ah Sang waited at the door first. Not long after Wen Shi entered the house, the coffin was carried in. It was exactly twelve o'clock.
The best man shouted reluctantly: "The ceremony is over——"
The system's cold notification tone and his shrill voice came almost simultaneously:
"The side quest Ghost Marriage has been completed."
"The mission reward has been sent to the player's backpack, please check it."
The best man left the room. Ah Sang stood behind the threshold holding a bowl and carefully poked half his head in: "Dad."
Wen Shi waved his hand, indicating that it was okay to come in.
The mission had been accomplished, so there were no more concerns. Ah Sang was even more unrestrained, jumping directly onto the coffin and sitting down, his eyes fixed on the wound on Wen Shi's shoulder.
The skin was torn and the places that were exposed to the rain were infected, and the skin around them was an unhealthy red.
"If you feel particularly uncomfortable, tell me." A Sang said very seriously.
"…"
So that he can transform into a zombie in time? Wen Shi couldn't digest this filial piety for the time being. Just as he took out the calendar of the task reward, he glanced at Ah Sang's chest and his eyes suddenly fixed.
"This is..." There was an eye in the wishing bottle, which was lifelike and looked just like the real thing. Wen Shi inexplicably felt that it looked familiar.
Ah Sang described Jian Qingrong's appearance: "He cut it off."
Wen Shi suddenly raised his eyes. Ah Sang, sitting on the coffin lid, had a serious expression on his face. It was impossible for him to lie. So, was Jian Qingrong crazy? He immediately broke out in a cold sweat. After calming down, he thought: Jian Qingrong has been devoted to studying various ways of death to transform into ghosts. It seems that he has never been too normal.
Staring intently at the eyes in the wishing bottle, Wen Shi tapped the bottle twice with his fingers and said with great dissatisfaction, "I saved your life. Every part of your body is closely related to me. Who allowed you to destroy other people's private property?"
The tone was as serious as the dean's, and even Ah Sang subconsciously tensed up.
Human emotions appeared in the eyes that should have been terrifying. Wen Shi saw a hint of guilt and concluded: alive.
This big eyeball is alive!
There are so many weird things in the game that Wen Shi has even seen a lot of ghosts, but he still feels a little surprised about this living eyeball. Jian Qingrong is obviously a human being, so why is his body structure even more outrageous than that of an alienated monster?
Wen Shi was filled with questions that had no answers. Just then, Ah Sang spoke up and diverted Wen Shi's attention: "Dad, what are we going to do next?"
The child said with guilt, "I haven't been able to help much since I came here."
He just ate a meal and did nothing else.
...Look how humble this kid is.
Wen Shi's Adam's apple rolled, and his voice was a little dry as he said, "You've done a lot. It will probably be very troublesome next time, but these are things that adults need to worry about."
A Sang humbly asked for advice.
Wen Shi tried to explain in simple terms: "The guest who was paired with me is gone, and the production team will have to send another one sooner or later. Before, I could choose one myself on the blind date show, but now I can't. The new one will definitely be more difficult."
A Sang asked: "Does Dad want to form a team?"
Wen Shi thought about it, nodded and said, "If we team up a few more times, we should be able to get some unexpected gains."
For example, increasing the record or something.
According to the rules he had figured out, the more outrageous the things in the game, the easier it was to gain achievements. Although the current achievement halo was speechless, it was better than nothing.
The sound of rain outside the window gradually subsided. A Sang stopped talking, and I don't know what he was thinking about.
Wen Shi was still wearing a wedding gown that gave off an ominous aura, with his soft cat tail curled up as he leaned against the head of the bed, quietly studying the calendar.
July 10th is a good day for breaking ground, traveling, burying, offering sacrifices, and getting married.
There is no mention of anything that needs to be avoided.
Wen Shi analyzed that this almanac was likely written from a ghost's perspective, as it was entirely in red text. Recalling the day's games, the hide-and-seek game was based on Li Xiaoluo's story, with the side quest being a burial. The Red Coat Woman was eager to use the young boy to build a living stake, which fits the theory of breaking ground. The marriage requirement was verified by a ghost marriage.
"It's equivalent to a range of questions." The program team sets up the daily game segments according to what's appropriate for the day.
He turned another page.
On July 14th, it is a good time to open the market, take in livestock, and build a large livestock population.
While Wen Shi was concentrating on studying the almanac, A Sang's dark eyes flickered a few times, and he slipped out of the room with movements softer than a cat.
He translated Wen Shi's words: You have to choose your own guest, someone weaker, and one is not enough.
The child was so fast that many dirty guys hiding in the dark in the village under the blood moon disappeared before they could make a move.
When they reached a house with weaker yin energy, the child slowed down and knocked on one of the doors.
From the crack in the door, it was confirmed that it was a child. A man in his teens with a deformed head opened the door with a greedy expression. He had been hungry for too long, and the child must have tasted delicious.
"No one in the mansion is very welcoming to me." The child hugged the bowl tightly. "It's so cold outside. Can you give me some hot water to drink?"
The Red Coat girl's family had married a son-in-law with a child, and everyone in Fengguan Village knew about it. The deformed man walked into the kitchen to sharpen the knife and asked knowingly, "Where is your father?"
"In the bridal chamber."
The deformed man paused while sharpening his knife: "Are you back?"
The child nodded.
Before the deformed man could think it over, the child said innocently, "Dad said that family is very bad, but he passed the test and is a sure-fire son-in-law. All the family property will be his from now on."
When he heard about the property, the deformed man had other evil thoughts. The red-coat woman's family was a super wealthy family in the village.
"Dad is worried that he can't keep so much wealth by himself, so he wants to find a good man who is willing to accept me and share the family business." In order to make his words clear, Ah Sang spoke very slowly. He looked towards the kitchen and said, "I think you are a good man, uncle."
The deformed man put down the kitchen knife that hadn't been washed for many years, and came out with a smile on his face, as if he had become a different person: "Little kid, you have good taste. I am the most loving uncle."
Ah Sang smiled lightly: "But Dad was fooled once, and he said that this time he would have to see countless people. Uncle, are you willing to compete with others for the position tomorrow?"
"…"
Who taught this kid these random idioms? If it weren't for his young age, the abnormal man would have thought he was being played.
The eyes in the wishing bottle widened, wishing they could jump out and give the little bastard a beating.
"That's right, that's right..." Ah Sang was so excited that his words became unclear again. He found his focus only when he touched the bowl. "The show, choose one from many people. If the introduction is not as good as yours, I will go find one. Tomorrow, uncle will take the position."
The man reasoned and understood the child's meaning: "Crazy Love Season" was still being filmed, and without the Red Coat Woman, there was no other guest to match him with. He would take the initiative to compete tomorrow. Before that, he would instigate some villagers who were far inferior to him to sign up. With the help of his peers, he would definitely make it among a bunch of incompetent people.
That's a good idea, the deformed man touched the child's head.
A Sang looked up at him.
This guy's head is so big, it must be very easy to hit. A Sang resisted the urge to use a broken bowl to split the other person's head.
The deformed man led the child out and pointed out several families with little power. "Don't tell them it was me who said it. Tell them that your father wants to marry someone else with his huge fortune. Those people will definitely be willing to go and ask for a marriage."
Ah Sang remembered the direction and thanked him politely: "Good uncle, I'll go there then."
The deformed man automatically took on the role of his stepfather and waved lovingly behind him: "It's getting dark, the road is slippery, don't go to the wrong house."
…
Wedding room.
Wen Shi put down the almanac. The fifteenth day of the seventh month was marked with "Everything is going well, everything is auspicious." Those eight words stopped him from harboring any hope. He now had to prepare for the opening of the gates of hell.
Just as he was thinking about how to deal with the situation, Wen Shi glanced sideways and saw that the coffin was empty. He was stunned.
Where is my son?
How come my innocent and well-behaved child is gone?!
"A'sang?" Wen Shi opened the wardrobe and searched every place where someone could hide, even opening the coffin lid.
The incense ash made people dizzy. Wen Shi poked a few times with his green wooden sword and felt something underneath. He fished it out and found it was a wooden sculpture. The face of the woman in the red coat was carved very delicately, and she was wearing a black shroud over the wooden sculpture.
In Fengguan Village, people who wear red clothes will be asked to borrow their longevity. On this happy day, the red and black are obviously the father of the girl in the red coat who is still not giving up and wants to borrow longevity for his daughter in this way.
Wen Shi brushed the dust off his hands, threw the wood carving back with a look of disgust, and said that finding the child was more important.
With A Sang's ability, it is impossible for him to be taken away silently. The most likely scenario is that he ran away on his own.
Wen Shi was worried when a little kid crawled in from the window. Before the kid came in, the bowl came in first: "Dad."
Wen Shi stood up and carried him in: "Where did you run off to?"
"I wandered around outside for a while." Ah Sang had talked too much today and was a little tired. "Let's go to sleep."
The eyes in the bottle only wished they didn't have a mouth.
Wen Shi took off his outer wedding robe. He had no way to treat the wound on his shoulder. He drank the potion to restore his health. The rest depended on his self-healing ability.
If the wound does not heal, your health will drop every few hours, and you will have to buy potions to replenish it. It has to be said that the game is the most shrewd businessman.
Before going to bed, Wen Shi put on a white coat and lay on the bed with A Sang and the eyeballs of the wishing bottle.
Before closing his eyes, Wen Shi tilted his head and said, "Dad wants to tell you something from the heart. It's almost the middle of July, so we two need to be quiet for a while and not get too involved in anything."
Asang bit the corner of the quilt, and the scene of the wedding appeared in his mind.
He counted on his fingers: "One, two..."
Including humans and ghosts, Dad must have killed more than fourteen people today.
I eat by myself during the day and my father has a meal in the afternoon. If you calculate it carefully, it will be my turn tomorrow morning, but I haven't digested the food yet, so I have to think of a way.
His chest felt icy cold, nearly freezing his bones to dust. Ah Sang patted the bottle in frustration, and the chill spread even more rapidly. He tried many methods, and finally placed the source of the coldness next to his pillow. His big eyes could just see Wen Shi's sleeping face, and only then did he calm down.
The room was filled with silence.
The night passed peacefully.
After the heavy rain, the sky did not clear up the next day and it was still cloudy.
The wedding ended too late, and the program crew and paired guests all stayed in the old house last night. Before eight o'clock, the staff began to notify the guests to get up quickly and prepare for the new day's recording.
The host looked much more haggard, and no amount of powder could hide his dark circles.
Even more active than the program team were several families that A Sang had persuaded. They were squatting at the door of their house early in the morning. When they were noticed by the camera crew, they immediately surrounded the cameraman and expressed their desire to sign up to be paired guests.
The staff reported the incident to the host.
The host glared at him and said, "How can this be possible? The paired guests have to be carefully selected."
Of course, to put it bluntly, this careful selection means choosing those who have paid sponsorship fees to the program team.
The staff member said with a sad face, "Did you forget? The sponsored guests were all at the wedding yesterday. Bad news spreads fast. There's definitely no one in their circle willing to sponsor our show."
The host, hands behind his back, paced back and forth with a sullen expression. For two days, he'd been simmering with anger. His original plan was to find another powerful guest to pair up with that damned Aaron and crush him. But he'd neglected the wedding, and for the time being, he might not be able to find anyone.
Only the stupid, poor, weird and unruly people in Fengguan Village would be so eager to sign up.
Suddenly, the host slowed down and smiled strangely: "Okay, let them participate."
The staff faithfully performed their duties and went out to notify the villagers who came.
…
At breakfast, Wen Shi, who had been so respectful yesterday, arrived and gave the red-coated woman's father a look. The latter, swallowing his anger, moved his butt and sat in another seat, leaving Wen Shi to take the main seat.
"Everyone, eat and drink well."
He was like a real host, entertaining everyone with dinner.
One player whispered, "We're both recording the same show, so why are our fates so different?"
Ji Yuanzhi said calmly, "Because when you were still doing the dating show, he was already married."
"…"
After breakfast, the host took the players and paired guests out.
There were at least seven or eight villagers standing at the door. When they saw Wen Shi coming out, they stood in a row and grinned in unison.
Wen Shi looked confused.
A Sang was very satisfied and thought it was great. All the families he had visited came.
The deformed man in the center spoke first: "We are here for Mr. Aaron."
Wen Shi tentatively guessed: "Are you here to apply for a matching guest?"
Everyone nodded.
From the first day when no one paid attention to him on the stage, to now when people actively approached him, Wen Shi was stunned and said, "Could it be true that saying..."
The player Zhou Lulu subconsciously responded, "Is there always trouble around a widow?"
Wen Shi looked at her deeply and said what he had been interrupted and left unfinished: "If you bloom, the breeze will come."
Zhou Lulu smiled awkwardly.
The cameras didn't miss this moment. The host introduced the scene to the camera: "To give the special guests more choices and to comfort Mr. Aaron after the loss of his wife, the program team has specially found eight matching guests for him. I believe that before the sun sets, Mr. Aaron will definitely find his ideal partner again."
A Sang felt a little aggrieved, since it was clearly him who brought this.
Wen Shi glanced at the misshapen creatures at the door. Some had heads that were wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, some were missing arms and legs, and some had fangs that were almost reaching their chins... It was a real freak show.
"It's not easy for the program crew." They were able to gather all these varieties.
Ah Sang pinched Wen Shi's palm and finally couldn't help but said, "I went door to door to collect these last night."
"…"
Wen Shi was silent for a full ten seconds, and roughly understood A Sang's good intentions. At least he had the opportunity to choose.
The one with a slightly normal appearance here is the man with a deformed head.
Seeing Wen Shi looking at him, the deformed man widened the smile on his face, not noticing the wishing bottle hanging on the child's chest, in which an eye was looking at him indifferently.
Host: "I believe today will be a wonderful day!"
If quality wasn't enough, then quantity was key. He didn't believe eight villagers couldn't handle a guest. He'd also solved the only problem. The host displayed the electronic approval document: "This notice, sent overnight by the Central Radio and Television Station, prohibits the use of controlled knives during program recordings from now on."
There was no player present with a main attack skill, and the only one who could use a whip was Liu Yun, whose weapon was not a controlled knife, so this ban was entirely aimed at Wen Shi.
Wen Shi wanted to say it was unnecessary. He only had about 5,000 points left and couldn't afford to go through the trouble again. Besides, it was only disabled during the recording of the show. If you think about it differently, it could still be used when the recording was stopped.
The Red Coat Woman's house is located in the inner part of the village, occupying a large area. Leaving her property, the player is surprised to find many villagers leaving the house. Villagers dressed in black funeral attire have finally become somewhat active. Some are carrying carts of chickens and geese, some are pulling oxen, and one is leading a large, emaciated black dog, emitting a foul odor. This is called a corpse dog, raised on corpses. Roosters crow, cows moo, and dogs exhale... The smoky atmosphere of the scene interweaves, and the entire Fengjian Village seems to come alive.
The host began to introduce today's activities with great enthusiasm, as if he had been looking forward to this moment for a long time.
"The next part will be interesting. We're going to the market. However, the market is a bit far from here, and we have to go through a foggy area. If we're not careful, we'll get lost. You must first find some villagers to discuss and ask them to lead you there. Each villager has a different way of traveling, so make sure you choose carefully."
The program team gave each guest group 200 yuan and emphasized: "Remember, all consumption during the market can only be done with the money we give you."
Ji Yuanzhi's match had been in a wheelchair since she was injured at the wedding. Ji Yuanzhi had made it for her himself. He bent down and whispered in the girl's ear like a lover, "You've been to the village before, do you know how to get there?"
The girl shook her head vigorously. "Only a few villagers are eligible to go to the market. I'm not one of them."
Unexpectedly, Ji Yuanzhi believed her words.
Wen Shi's paired guests also said that they were too poor and had never been to the market.
The players don't have more time to think, as some villagers have already set off. Once everyone has left, the players will have no choice.
Wen Shi set his sights on the man pulling the ox nearby. Before he could speak, the owner of the ox waved his hand and said, "Line up. I will only choose one group of guests."
Wen Shi quickly explained: "No, they are not a couple, they are both my matching guests."
"One, two,... eight?!" The cow owner's eyes widened after counting. "You must be joking! Go away! My cow can't carry so many people!"
Wen Shi curled his lips. As soon as he retreated, a player immediately filled the vacancy and started bargaining with the owner of the cattle.
Wen Shi then turned his gaze towards the man pulling a cart of chickens and ducks. Before he even got close, the old man started to chase him away: "Zhao Ermaizi, Hu Dazhuang... these poor bastards just come to my house to steal chickens for no reason. Get out of here now."
It is obvious that he dislikes Wen Shi's paired guests because they are poor and mean.
The host seemed to be arguing with Wen Shi and came to him like a gust of wind: "Oh, it seems that no one is willing to take this group of guests to the market."
Wen Shi ignored the other party's ridicule.
The way to do it at the robbery point is to follow behind when others set off, but there is fog in the middle section of the road, so there is a high possibility of losing them.
To put it bluntly, there were too many paired guests, and their quality was poor. Wen Shi narrowed his eyes. No matter what, he had to find a way to get to the market first.
Half of the villagers had already left the village when Wen Shi suddenly announced, "Let's have a martial arts competition to find a husband. Whoever wins, I will take the mansion I live in and out of and marry him. Besides these worldly possessions, my life will also be his."
Whether human or ghost, everyone wants to [borrow life]. The reason why the guests are willing to participate in this show is nothing more than to take the players' lives.
Money cannot impress the villagers who are qualified to go to the market, but Wen Shi believes that fate can definitely do it.
As expected, the villagers who left the village were attracted by this sentence.
A lame old man asked, "How do you find a wife?"
Wen Shi: "How about all of you fight for me?"
"…"
Ah Sang patted his chest and said, "I am also my father's property. My life can also be taken away."
The villagers are not fools and will not kill each other for him, so they just turn around and leave.
Most of the players also felt that Wen Shi was too arrogant and could say anything, so they negotiated the price and left one after another.
Ji Yuanzhi raised his eyebrows at Wen Shi, who waved his hand, indicating that he should leave without worrying about him.
First, an outrageous suggestion is put forward. When the next one comes out, people often think it is reasonable or even pie in the sky. Wen Shi suddenly took the initiative to walk towards the camera and said: "This martial arts competition to find a bride will be defended by me and my relatives and friends. It will last until 00:04 in the morning. Interested viewers can also participate."
The host was amused when he heard this. Isn't this courting death? Opening the Ghost Gate at midnight, even for just four minutes, is enough time for a group of evil spirits to arrive.
The use of controlled knives is restricted now, so the bastard in front of him is nothing to be afraid of. The host has a keen eye and is sure that the thing that can play the piano has neither the attack power nor the endurance, and no matter how powerful this little kid is, it is impossible for him to deal with a large number of evil spirits at once.
The villagers were crazy enough to compete with the evil spirits, so they quickly left.
The paired guests were also angry and accused Wen Shi of being fickle.
Wen Shi didn't care about any of this. His target audience was the audience, and he did it.
The audience wasn't human; they wanted to see the special guest flee in terror, the gruesome spectacle of their final moments, not watch the special guest torture the ghosts. They'd been so frustrated watching them for the past two days, they'd been dying to be there themselves, and now was their chance. They were leaving comments in the comments section, promising to make every effort to be there tonight.
The program team wanted to listen to the audience's opinions, and the host was overjoyed to see the sudden surge in the number of viewers.
Wen Shi started to act pretentiously at this time, "Okay, I'm going back to my room to catch up on some sleep. See you all tonight."
The host quickly pulled him back: "Daytime activities..."
Wen Shi: "If we have to fight at night, how can we have the energy to go to the market?"
Guests are required to attend the show; this is a rigid rule at the broadcasting station. Those who refuse to attend will suffer a tragic fate. But now, Wen Shi's martial arts competition has piqued the audience's interest, making him a guarantee of ratings. If the other person dies, the host can vent their anger, but the ratings will undoubtedly drop.
Wen Shi imitated the game and painted a big pie, making the audience want to taste it for themselves.
The host had no choice but to beg him, "You are my uncle, my ancestor. Consider it my plea. Would you please condescend to participate?"
The rules were set in stone; anyone who broke them would be killed. Wen Shi knew he couldn't miss the daytime activities, but he didn't immediately nod. "Those carts pulling chickens, mules, and oxen, can I get some rest if I sit on them?"
There are no cars in the village and all the villagers have left, leaving only a small broken cart.
The host was a little anxious and angry.
Wen Shishi said at the right time: "How about this, put a few more layers of mattresses on the cart, and you can be the driver."
The staff member standing by was so shocked that their pupils trembled. In all their long years in the industry, this was the first time they had seen someone act so arrogantly to such an extent.
The host was insulted, but the number of viewers increased further. The more arrogant Wen Shi behaved now, the more miserable his death would be when the ghost gate opened at night.
Wen Shi raised the corners of his mouth, and he suppressed his emotions before trying to elevate them. For these audiences, this might be like the darkness before dawn, which instead aroused their expectations.
The host gritted his teeth and said, "You must sign a guarantee that you must hold the matchmaking ceremony tonight, and only your relatives and friends can defend the ring. You cannot deliberately tamper with the rules and cause a fight among the contestants."
Wen Shi smiled: "Of course."
"Okay." The host asked the station to draw up an electronic contract, then went to a villager's house to borrow a mattress. Then he pulled a cart over to Wen Shi. Seeing that Wen Shi had his arms crossed and had no intention of coming up, he put on a hardcore professional smile and said, "Please come in."
Wen Shi modestly carried the child into the car and glanced at the dumbfounded guests next to her: "You guys follow too."
It was my first time riding a rickshaw and I felt okay, but he urged me, "Hurry up, or else others will arrive at the market and there will be no one to preside."
He looks like he is really considerate of the program crew.
Looking at the ever-increasing ratings, the host said with a forced smile, "Okay, hold on tight, I'll speed up."
I thought to myself, you can only feel proud for a while now, because tonight you will know what it means to live a life worse than death. The evil ghosts coming out of the ghost gate are all the most terrifying lunatics, and their methods of torturing people are top-notch.
Ah Sang held the bowl with some worry and whispered, "Dad, if there are too many, I may not be able to win."
Otherwise, he could turn his father into a zombie as well, and the father and son could fight together and win.
The host's ears twitched, catching A-Sang's unsure words, and his smile finally took on a hint of sincerity. Very good, then you all die.
Leaning lazily on the cart, a faint smile appeared on Wen Shi's lips: "Don't worry, it's only four minutes, I will hold on."
He took out the [Family Crest] and gently stroked the raised pattern on it with his fingertips.
...My mentally ill 'brother-in-law', it's up to you tonight.