Married to the One Who Is Not Human

 Ji Yu stared in disbelief at the wedding gown on her body, her gaze slowly shifting to the room. 

The interior was adorned in a vibrant crimson hue, yet this shade of red evoked the blood-red color of flowing blood, filled with an ominous aura. Even the surrounding objects were not ordinary items but rather funerary artifacts emanating a malevolent energy. 

All signs pointed to the fact that she was about to become the bride in a ghost marriage.

　　Ji Yu knew that certain demonic entities enjoyed dragging the souls of the living into the underworld, using them as brides or grooms to perform ghost weddings. 

Once the ceremony was complete and the marriage contract was formed, the demonic entities could devour their souls and take their lives. 

But… 

Ji Yu slowly turned her head to look at the zombie old woman guarding the room.

　　What kind of ghost wedding would have a zombie-level demonic entity serving as the wedding matron in this place? If even the wedding matron is so terrifying, who could the groom be? 

The zombie old woman maintained a joyful expression, but her pale, blackened zombie face exuded an unsettling, eerie aura, and even the wedding candles burning inside the room seemed twisted and ghostly.

　　She occasionally adjusted Ji Yu's wedding gown and adorned her with various gold and silver jewelry, each piece emitting a chilling, ominous aura. She dressed her up to be extremely beautiful.

　　Until a lively drumbeat sounded outside, carrying a cold, eerie cacophony that was deafening and spine-chilling.

　　The zombie old woman, her face beaming with joy, placed the red veil over Ji Yu's head and helped her to her feet. 

　　Ji Yu felt her body grow light and airy, her feet unable to touch the ground, unable to stand firmly. She felt like a puppet being manipulated, being led out by the zombie old woman.

　　Ji Yu was placed into the wedding palanquin. 

　　She sat dazed inside the palanquin, holding a jade-inlaid gold funeral artifact in her hands. Her fingers twitched, wanting to tear off the blood-red veil on her head, but an unknown force stopped her, preventing her from raising her hands. 

　　Now she was a bride about to participate in a ridiculous wedding.

　　Time seemed to stretch endlessly, yet also pass in an instant.

The wedding palanquin came to a stop, and Ji Yu was helped out.

　　The sound of gongs and drums filled the air, creating a lively atmosphere. Yet amidst the festive chaos, an indescribable sense of eerie darkness lingered.

　　Through the red veil, Ji Yu could not see what lay outside, but she could feel countless powerful demonic and sinister energies gathering in one place. They had come for this wedding, to celebrate it, each one howling with genuine enthusiasm.

　　Among them was the most terrifying aura, resembling a lofty deity coldly surveying the world, or the ruler of the underworld suppressing all dark and evil entities, causing them to tremble in submission.

　　Ji Yu sensed that a terrifyingly powerful presence was approaching her.

　　She should have been afraid, instinctively dreading that unknown powerful presence, but before fear could arise, her thoughts began to grow chaotic, and she could no longer maintain her clarity.

　　A red silk ribbon was thrust into her hand, the other end of which rested in a pale, slender hand. 

　　The world was a chaotic sea of blood-red, and she could not hear clearly, like a soulless puppet, going through the wedding rituals mechanically. 

"Enter the bridal chamber—"

　　As this sharp, eerie voice rang out, a cacophony of noise engulfed her—the shrill laughter of ghosts, new ghosts laughing and old ghosts wailing, celebrating this grand wedding. 

　　The red silk moved slightly, and Ji Yu mechanically followed, her crimson wedding gown swaying like flowing blood. 

　　The surrounding chaos gradually faded, giving way to silence and stillness.

　　She sat quietly on the wedding bed covered in crimson wedding quilts, wearing a phoenix crown and a red veil, waiting for her groom. 

　　A pale, slender hand lifted the red veil from her head. 

　　Ji Yu slowly raised her head, her lifeless eyes gazing at the groom standing before her, dressed in a crimson wedding robe.

　　He was an exceptionally handsome man, his features so exquisite they seemed like a gift from the heavens, almost otherworldly in their beauty. 

　　His lips curved into a smile, and his dark, lifeless eyes stared at her, reflecting nothing of her presence. 

　　"My wife," he murmured softly.

　　Ji Yu stared at him dazedly, her mouth opening as she heard her own voice say, "Husband..."

The man in the red robe smiled even more tenderly and took her hand.

The moment his hand touched hers, a chill so cold it felt almost supernatural washed over her, clearing her foggy mind slightly.

　　But this fleeting clarity dissipated under the man's dark gaze, her consciousness once again suppressed.

　　The man held her hand and pulled her into his embrace with tender affection.

　　Ji Yu obediently leaned against him, shivering from the coldness of his body, murmuring, "Husband."

He lowered his head and held her tightly, "Wife, are you cold?"

Ji Yu only burrowed deeper into his embrace, calling out, "Husband, it's so cold..."

　　With her soul separated from her body, how could she endure the powerful, demonic, cold, and evil aura of the demon? However, her mind was clouded, and she passively leaned against her "husband," trying to draw some warmth from him.

　　The man grew even more tender, whispering in a voice almost like a murmur, "How pitiful..."

　　Pitiful for what?

　　Ji Yu looked at her "husband" blankly, rubbing against him affectionately. 

　　Such actions clearly pleased him, and a smile spread across his brow and eyes. What should have been unparalleled tenderness was tinged with a chilling, ghostly aura, eerie and terrifying. 

　　He murmured "pitiful" as he leaned down tenderly, kissing her forehead and moving downward.

　　The cold, icy kiss forced her to lift her head, enduring this terrifying affection, until the kiss reached her lips, and she instinctively struggled. 

"My wife." He called out again. 

Ji Yu hesitated for a moment, then obediently tilted her face upward, allowing her "husband" to show his affection.

　　Her pale, slender hands unconsciously clutched his collar, her mouth emitting pitiful gasps, her fingertips gradually tightening, tinged with a touch of vibrant crimson.

　　The room was quiet. At some point, the outside commotion had faded away, and the bridal chamber had become an isolated space, untouched by the chaos of the world.

　　The large red wedding candles on the table burned all night, never extinguishing.

　　**

　　"Young Master? Young Master? Young Master…"

　　Hongxiao called anxiously, gently pushing the woman on the bed. 

　　She slept restlessly, her eyelids twitching constantly. Her long black eyelashes trembled feebly like the wings of a dying butterfly. Her hands clutched the bedding tightly, her veins bulging on the backs of her hands. 

　　Yet for some reason, she could not awaken.

　　Her perpetually pale face suddenly flushed with a faint blush, the corners of her eyes tinged with a hint of rose red, as if she were enduring some intense emotion.

　　Hongxiao was desperate, unsure what the young master was experiencing in his dream that kept him from waking.

　　Though she longed to rouse her, she dared not interfere, fearing her intervention might cause her harm within the dream.

　　In the end, Hongxiao had no choice but to take out three incense sticks and a censer, lighting the incense and placing it inside.

　　As the incense burned, three wisps of smoke rose gently.

　　As if guided by some force, the smoke drifted toward the window and vanished into the night outside.

　　Hongxiao kept an eye on the young master on the bed while staring at the direction where the smoke had disappeared, holding her sword in her hand and staying alert to her surroundings.

　　When the incense sticks burned out, Ji Yu finally opened her eyes.

　　By then, she was drenched in sweat, her hair damp with sweat, and a few strands of black hair stuck to her pale face.

　　"Young master, you're awake!" Hongxiao exclaimed joyfully.

　　Ji Yu opened her mouth, but her throat was dry, and she couldn't speak.

　　Hongxiao quickly poured a cup of warm water and helped her drink it, confirming that she was okay and finally letting out a sigh of relief.

　　Suddenly, Hongxiao noticed that the young master's moist eyes were tinged with a hint of seductive desire.

　　For a moment, she thought she had seen wrong, but upon looking again, she saw that the person on the bed had regained her clarity, and all traces of springtime passion had vanished. 

Had she seen wrong? 

Hongxiao asked, "Young Master, what did you dream about?" 

Ji Yu leaned against the bed, her expression slightly dazed. "I don't remember. It seemed like I was attending a wedding…"

　　"Could it be a ghost marriage?" Hongxiao asked anxiously. "Is there anything wrong with your body? Has your birth chart changed?"

　　If one had entered into a marriage contract with a demonic entity, the birth chart would have changed. The marriage contract must be resolved immediately; otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.

　　Ji Yu calculated for a moment and then shook his head.

　　Seeing this, Hong Xiao sighed in relief and said, "Earlier, I noticed that the Yan Yue Mountain Villa was filled with evil energy, and I feared something major was about to happen. I came in to wake you up, but you hadn't woken up..."

　　Upon hearing this, Ji Yu looked up toward the window and listened carefully.

　　At that moment, the world was silent, even the gentle sound of spring rain had vanished, leaving only an eerie stillness and gloom. Endless darkness shrouded Yanyue Mountain Villa.

　　The entire villa seemed devoid of human life, with only the surging evil energy spreading unchecked, devouring everything in its path.

　　The room where they were had become a place cut off from the world.

　　Ji Yu furrowed her brows slightly. Such terrifying evil energy was highly unusual.

　　She put on her robe, stood up, and went to the window, pushing it open.

　　Sure enough, outside the window was endless darkness. Within the darkness, it seemed as though something was there, a silent commotion approaching, yet blocked by an invisible barrier.