Married to the One Who Is Not Human

The wedding was still held in the main hall last night.

The exorcists followed the wedding procession, arriving at the main hall in the front courtyard in high spirits.

Looking into the main hall, they saw that everyone from Yanyue Mountain Villa was there, with the villa master and his wife seated at the head of the table, along with the other disciples of Yanyue Mountain Villa. Only the guest seats were empty.

　　Seeing the empty guest seats, everyone realized they were reserved for them.

　　However, last night they had been bewitched and sat there unknowingly. Tonight, with their minds clear, they didn't know whether to continue sitting there.

　　Just as everyone was hesitating, Jiang Shiqiu arrived with Ji Yu and sat down. Hong Xiao stood behind them like a loyal knight, his hand on the sword at his waist.

　　Seeing this, Xu Xiu Jue, Chen Qingfeng, and Zuo Ling Shuang no longer hesitated.

　　Since these people had sat down, the other exorcists had no choice but to follow suit.

　　The people of Yanyue Mountain Villa seemed oblivious to their unusual behavior, greeting them with smiles.

　　The demon exorcists' expressions were forced, enduring the situation with difficulty, refraining from immediately summoning their magical artifacts to unleash a chaotic slaughter. They knew full well that no one in this mountain villa was alive. Under normal circumstances, they would have acted immediately, but the current situation was unclear. If they acted rashly and backfired, it would be disastrous. They could only remain still.

　　Everyone felt uneasy and had no interest in the wedding. They couldn't help but look at Jiang Shiqiu to see if he had any instructions.

　　But when they looked at him, they were all speechless.

　　Jiang Shiqiu, however, was quite interested in the wedding, watching it while whispering to Ji Yu.

"My wife, so this is how weddings are conducted in the human world. Speaking of which, I have never held a wedding with you in the human world. Do you feel any regret? Perhaps we could hold one after we leave this place?"

Ji Yu: "…"

　　Ji Yu didn't want to say anything.

　　However, she still heard his words and felt a little heavy-hearted.

　　As an exorcist, she had always understood the principle of the separation of yin and yang, which was also a protective rule for the human world. Therefore, no matter how powerful a demon was, if it wanted to invade the human world, it would choose an appropriate time and follow certain rules, otherwise the human world would weaken its power.

　　Ji Yu was fully aware of the situation between her and Jiang Shiqiu. She had always believed that his constant use of the term "wife" was a deliberate tease, that she was the target he had chosen to conceal his true identity. 

　　But if they had indeed held a wedding ceremony, and that ceremony was not a human wedding...

　　Ji Yu felt a chill run down her spine and dared not think further.

"Wife, what are you thinking about?" Jiang Shiqiu asked with interest.

Though Ji Yu did not want to respond, she knew she could not defy him and replied half-heartedly, "Nothing, I was just thinking about our wedding…"

Jiang Shiqiu's eyes flickered slightly, and he smiled, "Wife, can't you remember? This truly disappoints your husband."

　　Ji Yu: "…" 

She keenly sensed the sudden coldness in his eyes, though she didn't know if it was his true nature or directed at her. Ji Yu still felt a chill run down her spine. 

She said calmly, "I'll try my best to remember."

　　These words indeed calmed him down. The coldness vanished, replaced by endless tenderness. He said joyfully, "Then my wife must think carefully about it." 

　　Ji Yu didn't know what to say again. 

　　Fortunately, the wedding had already begun.

　　The groom and bride were escorted in by the crowd. The groom was beaming with pride and confidence, while the bride, her face covered by a red veil, was visibly stiff, supported by two burly bridesmaids. 

　　Though they knew the situation, seeing the bride's unwilling expression, many exorcists couldn't help but secretly rejoice.

　　These days, it's not safe for exorcists to be too good-looking.

　　Demons and monsters also have aesthetic standards. Don't think that just because they're not human, they'll settle for someone ugly.

　　The master of ceremonies began the wedding ceremony. Yue Zhuangzhu and the others watched the bride and groom bowing at the altar with joyful expressions, while the exorcists remained expressionless, secretly on guard.

　　They waited for Jiang Shiqiu's instructions while remaining vigilant.

　　However, even after the ceremony ended, Jiang Shiqiu made no indication and did not order them to act.

　　The demon exorcists were uncertain and kept glancing at Jiang Shiqiu, but saw him standing next to Ji Yu, pointing and commenting on the wedding. If one didn't know better, they might think this was a normal wedding and that he was a guest attending the ceremony, nitpicking at the wedding.

　　The disciples of the Chen family couldn't help but feel anxious.

　　Chen Qingzhe, no matter how bad he was, was still a disciple of the Chen family with extraordinary talent. They couldn't let him fail here.

As they watched the wedding maid escorting the bride into the bridal chamber, Chen Qingfeng couldn't help but ask, "Lord Jiang, when will you act?"

The others also looked at Jiang Shiqu.

Jiang Shiqu said casually, "What's the rush?" Seeing everyone's anxiety, he kindly added, " If you're worried, just follow them." 

Upon hearing this, everyone looked skeptical. 

Before they could say anything, Jiang Shiqiu had already pulled Ji Yu to her feet and said excitedly, "Wife, let's go disrupt the wedding chamber. I've never done that before, and it must be fun." 

Ji Yu: "..." 

Everyone: "..."

　　The crowd was at a loss for words. If it weren't for certain "memories" deeply ingrained in their minds, reminding them that Jiang Shiqiu was the commander of the Demon Suppression Bureau of Huangcheng Town, they might have been tempted to take action against him.

At this moment, could you please behave yourself, Mr. Jiang?

Ji Yu could sense the crowd's urge to "kill" someone. She glanced at Jiang Shiqiu and thought to herself that this demon was truly arrogant and very irritating.

　　Indeed, he was unpredictable and acted erratically. 

　　Jiang Shiqiu enthusiastically dragged Ji Yu to the wedding chamber, and the others had no choice but to follow. 

　　If they didn't follow, they would have to stay here and stare at the Moon Manor Master, and then just attack him directly? 

　　Until they realized that the direction the bride and groom were heading in was off, everyone became vigilant again.

　　During their stay at Yanyue Mountain Villa, everyone had already mapped out the layout of the villa. Under normal circumstances, the bridal chamber should be located in the courtyard where the young villa master resides.

　　However, they were not heading toward the young villa master's courtyard but instead toward the back mountain of the villa.

　　They had already investigated the back mountain, which was just a forest with nothing particularly unusual about it.

　　Though they thought this, considering that it was now nighttime at Yanyue Mountain Villa—a place shrouded in darkness and filled with eerie atmosphere—the group could not be certain and decided to hold back, remaining still.

Even the originally anxious Chen family disciples dared not act now.

　　The bride and groom were surrounded by a crowd of people walking in front, with the exorcists following behind. The entire world was deathly quiet, an eerie atmosphere unlike the earlier festive mood.

　　Upon closer inspection, the servants of Yanyue Mountain Villa leading the way, holding red lanterns and wearing bright red robes, had expressionless faces, devoid of their previous liveliness. Their僵硬的 faces resembled those of the undead, and the groom no longer had the look of triumph on his face. The two bridesmaids supporting the bride were the same. 

　　This scene was truly eerie and unsettling.

　　The demon exorcists felt the atmosphere growing increasingly strange, with malevolent energy surging skyward, instinctively sensing unease.

Upon reaching the forest on the back mountain, the bride and groom continued walking forward, entering the forest.

The others hurried to follow.

The forest was gloomy and dark, with dense foliage blocking the moonlight. Only the red lanterns held by the servants ahead emitted a faint glow.

　　At such a time, the demon exorcists dared not do anything. Fortunately, their eyesight was excellent, allowing them to see in the darkness, so they did not worry about tripping.

However, the forest was extremely cold, and everyone felt the bone-chilling cold seeping into their bones, their faces turning pale from the cold.

Ji Yu was being pulled by Jiang Shiqiu, and the hand holding hers was warm, making her feel none of the surrounding coldness.

　　If she didn't know that the owner of this hand was of unknown origin, she would have thought he was a normal person.

　　Ji Yu lowered her eyes, hiding her thoughts, and discreetly surveyed her surroundings.

　　Finally, they passed through the forest and arrived at its end.

　　When they saw the scene at the end of the forest, the exorcists were startled, and cold sweat broke out on their foreheads.

　　During the day, they had also passed through the forest, and at the end of the forest was a mountain range, with green mountains shrouded in mist, nourished by spring rain, a sea of emerald green.

　　However, at this moment, the mountain range at the end had vanished, replaced by the entrance to an underground palace.

　　Upon seeing the fierce stone beasts guarding the entrance to the underground palace and the totems on the stone door, someone exclaimed, "The Longquan Underground Palace?"

　　Though everyone present was young, and most were either not yet born or very young when the fierce battle erupted twenty years ago, they had heard the elders speak of the Longquan Underground Palace and remembered it vividly.

　　This was why Chen Qingfeng could immediately recognize that the underground chamber of Yanyue Mountain Villa was modeled after the Longquan Underground Palace.

　　However, they could not fathom the connection between the Longquan Underground Palace and Yanyue Mountain Villa.

　　The underground chamber of Yanyue Mountain Villa had existed since the villa was first built three hundred years ago, while the Longquan Underground Palace had emerged twenty years ago. How were the two connected? Or had the ancestors of Yanyue Mountain Villa already known of the existence of the Longquan Underground Palace and deliberately built an underground chamber resembling it beneath the villa?

　　But what was the purpose of that? 

The demon exorcists pondered this endlessly, but could not come up with an answer. 

As the bride and groom entered the underground palace, the demon exorcists turned to Jiang Shiqiu. 

"Lord Jiang, should we go in?" someone asked hesitantly, already considering retreating.

　　They feared that the underground palace might also contain a thousand-year-old zombie demon like the one in the Longquan Underground Palace—a malevolent entity beyond their ability to handle. Entering it now might mean never returning.

Jiang Shiqiu swept his gaze over the crowd with a faint smile and said, "Aren't you here to uncover the truth behind Yanyue Mountain Villa? It's right before your eyes. If you don't go in, how will you uncover its truth?"

　　"But... if it's like the Longquan underground palace, then we..."

The demon exterminator who spoke hesitated. Although demon exterminators had the responsibility of slaying demons and exterminating evil spirits, they were not all willing to risk their lives. The fear of death was human nature, and when faced with death, no one could truly let go.

　　Jiang Shiqiu's expression betrayed a hint of impatience as he coldly said, "If you're afraid of death, then don't go in." 

　　Saying this, he pulled Ji Yu inside. 

　　Hong Xiao followed them without hesitation. Her duty was to protect the young master, and no matter where he went, she would follow.

　　Xu Xiu Jue, Chen Qingfeng, and Zuo Ling Shuang hesitated for a moment before deciding to follow. 

　　The disciples of the Xu family, Chen family, and the Demon-Slaying Alliance naturally followed as well. 

　　The remaining people hesitated, but eventually some gritted their teeth and followed, while others chose to stay outside. 

　　Jiang Shiqiu noticed the commotion outside and turned his gaze to Ji Yu, whom he was holding.

　　Ji Yu's expression was calm, and although his steps were a little unsteady, he was composed.

　　He suddenly smiled and asked, "Wife, aren't you afraid?"

　　That smile was like a spring flower blooming, or like the vibrant flames of the underworld, burning into the heart, capable of consuming a person completely, dangerous yet alluring.

　　He was naturally extremely handsome, his demeanor seemingly refined and courteous, yet in truth reckless and wayward, like a demon in human form. 

No, perhaps he was a demon in human form. 

Ji Yu gazed dazedly at his smile and whispered, "There's nothing to fear."

　　She wasn't afraid of death, so why would she be afraid of the unknown in this underground palace? It was merely a matter of life or death. 

　　Besides, no matter how terrifying the things in this underground palace were, could they be more terrifying than the existence beside her who could even alter the memories of demon exorcists at will? 

　　In that moment, Jiang Shiqiu's eyes flickered, his gaze filled with something she couldn't comprehend.

　　He suddenly stopped, narrowing his eyes, his face adorned with an intoxicated and dreamy expression. He held her hand and sighed, "My wife is indeed... How could I not love you?" 

　　These words, spoken as if in a trance, caused Ji Yu's composed expression to finally change, ripples spreading across her calm heart.

　　A chill crept over her heart, and Ji Yu realized she was still afraid.

　　Afraid of his excited, obsessed, and enigmatic expression, which seemed to hint at something she couldn't bear, something that threatened to bind her tightly.