Worlds Apart: Humans and Ghosts Shouldn't... At Least, Probably Shouldn't...

Most of the time, finding the cause costs many lives, and even then, you might not glimpse even the tip of the iceberg of truth.

"Should we still follow?" Shigure Kira noticed the change.

Previously, following the original route while filming posed no problem, as they had trailed the wedding procession before.

But the path had changed. If they forcibly followed, unpredictable things might happen. They could even be attacked.

Shigure Kira couldn't be sure. Their goal was to find Li Mo.

The Maid and the Overseer had also stressed that when dealing with unknown supernatural incidents, avoidance was key whenever possible. There was no need to risk their lives for a world that had nothing to do with them.

Besides, this particular supernatural event seemed confined to this strange little town and hadn't resulted in any deaths yet.

If things remained this way, letting it be was a viable option.

Only if this wedding threatened the entire world would the two consider intervening.

If there was no danger, it was best not to poke the unknown.

A self-contained Bizzare phenomenon was a good Bizzare phenomenon.

"We have to follow. The change in path must mean they found something—maybe the missing key element for the ritual," Saori Tsuruyo made her more aggressive judgment almost instantly.

She certainly wasn't being reckless or eager to score points.

Saori Tsuruyo had her own considerations. For instance, shedding blood on a joyous wedding day was considered bad luck; daytime ceremonies were generally less lethal, making the risk relatively lower.

Furthermore, like all the other bystanders, they were merely watching from the roadside. Even if someone were to die, it wouldn't necessarily be her or Shigure Kira.

With timing, location, and opportunity aligned (天时地利人和 - tiān shí dì lì rén hé; favorable circumstances), acting like scared turtles now would only lead to a confused death later when facing similar events.

"I'll lead the way."

Shigure Kira changed direction, leading Saori Tsuruyo after the wedding procession.

The wedding procession stopped at an intersection. Shigure Kira and Saori Tsuruyo quickly pushed through the crowd to the front, getting a clear view.

And saw someone incredibly familiar.

"Gloomy guy?"

"Big Brother?"

They both called out their respective nicknames for Li Mo almost without thinking.

Li Mo, having just been forcibly dressed in wedding attire and placed uncontrollably onto a horse, froze.

He searched his memory for the owners of the voices. Familiar figures surfaced: Shigure Kira, Saori Tsuruyo.

But this was the era of a feudal dynasty in Shenzhou. How could Shigure Kira and Saori Tsuruyo possibly be here?

Could the look-back rule from the mountain also apply in the town below?

Were those calling him not them, but two ghosts?

Li Mo didn't turn back or respond. He stared ahead, expressionless.

Not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't.

Right now, aside from opening his mouth, Li Mo had no control over his body.

Upon spotting Li Mo, Shigure Kira and Saori Tsuruyo rushed to the front of the procession to confirm his identity again.

Li Mo wore bright red silk robes, a pomegranate-red ceremonial flower ball pinned to his chest. His face was the same ashen, gloomy mask as always, devoid of any living color.

Faint rays of the setting sun fell upon him but couldn't dispel the deathly stillness in his features or the dimness in his eyes.

"It's me, Shigure Kira! I'm Shigure Kira!"

Shigure Kira, along with Saori, blocked the wedding procession's path, facing Li Mo directly, patting her chest and shouting.

The two had run from the back to the front, obstructing the procession's progress.

Instantly, the smiles vanished from the faces of the sedan chair bearers and relatives. Replaced by utter silence and horror, dozens of pairs of eyes fixed unblinkingly on Saori Tsuruyo and Shigure Kira.

Even the gong-beater stopped, arms hanging stiffly, staring blankly at the two disrupting the joyous occasion.

Not just the procession, but the originally noisy bystanders on the street also changed expressions in unison—eyes dark, faces strange.

The large procession halted, forced into a standoff with the two girls.

The perceptive Li Mo instantly realized the wedding procession was evaluating – determining if the suddenly appeared Shigure Kira and Saori Tsuruyo were part of the group, and whether they should be killed.

So they are real?

There were so many parallel worlds... they couldn't have traversed the Bizzare cave, so how did they follow him to this world?

The Second Divine Key had traversal functions, but without precise coordinates, locking onto a specific world's location was impossible. They couldn't have arrived here naturally.

Li Mo couldn't figure it out.

Once the procession determined they were outsiders, living humans, they'd have a hard time leaving alive.

Even if they didn't die now, they would in a few days.

And Shigure Kira... how could she just blurt out her name like that?

He usually had to use aliases on missions, yet she emphasized her name twice right away.

Letting certain ghosts with memory capabilities learn a person's name was extremely dangerous.

Because it would hunt you until the you bearing that name was dead.

The countermeasure was simple: change your name.

But the changed name had to be acknowledged by the majority of people in your memory to be effective; you couldn't just pick one randomly. Until then, you had to be constantly vigilant, unable to sleep – an agonizing ordeal.

Li Mo had once witnessed someone, after three sleepless days and nights spent frantically convincing acquaintances of his new name, whose head exploded with a bang, showering flesh and gore everywhere...

But there was a more pressing matter now. He had to urge them to leave quickly.

Li Mo opened his mouth, wanting to confirm his identity and tell them to go.

But neither message would come out.

Yet Li Mo clearly felt he could speak, just not what he wanted to say.

"..."

Identity.

My current identity is the groom. So I can't speak as Li Mo, only as the groom.

Li Mo quickly deduced the reason. After a slight cough, he looked down coldly at the two before him: "Today is my joyous wedding day. If you are guests, then follow behind the procession with us. Clearly, I have no connection to you; your name means nothing to me. You should be more cautious with your words in the future... Please leave, strangers. Do not delay my auspicious hour."

It worked. I can speak through the groom's identity.

But every word was strictly limited, unable to reveal too much information.

Li Mo could only emphasize the expulsion-related content as forcefully as possible, hoping Shigure Kira and Saori Tsuruyo would understand.

As he finished speaking, he glanced sideways towards the back.

The Ghost Bride inside the sedan chair seemed to chuckle faintly, the corners of her mouth splitting towards her ears, dripping something suspiciously like blood.

As long as she's happy...

Li Mo remained expressionless, retracting his gaze.

Strangers?

Shigure Kira paused after hearing Li Mo's speech, then bit her lip, wanting to step forward and question him but was pulled back by Saori Tsuruyo.

Saori Tsuruyo didn't speak, her eyes darting around.

Following Saori's gaze, Kira finally noticed all the surrounding eyes were fixed on them – cold, eerie gazes that sent shivers down her spine.

"Apologies, we mistook you for someone else," Shigure Kira quickly corrected herself.

She and Saori swiftly returned to the roadside. Simultaneously, the bystanders' expressions shifted back from sinister to amiable.

Li Mo's face remained impassive. He stated coolly, "It's good that it was a misunderstanding. You two had best... stay far away from me... today."

As soon as he finished speaking, the wedding procession struck up the lively gongs and drums again. The sedan chair was lifted, moving forward steadily and forcefully.

In the crowd, Shigure Kira muttered resentfully, "That's definitely Gloomy Guy! That expression, that tone, the way he talks, and those eyes that look down on everyone—I'd recognize him even if I turned into a ghost!"

Shigure Kira had plenty to say about Li Mo's coldness; his emotionless eyes had left a deep impression on her.

Saori Tsuruyo nodded, analyzing calmly:

"Mm, he didn't directly deny it. Instead, he presented two possibilities: we are his guests, or we are strangers."

"Guest was ruled out, leaving stranger. If we were truly strangers, he could have just said he didn't know us. There was no reason to explain so much."

"Also, Captain, Big Brother was reminding you not to shout your name carelessly. When he said your name meant nothing to him, he was indirectly telling you he didn't want to hear your name right now, because this is dangerous."

Hearing Saori Tsuruyo's explanation, Shigure Kira's mental CPU finally started spinning.

"No wonder... I was thinking, why was Gloomy Guy so talkative? I was reckless. Seeing him got me too excited, too hasty. After waiting three months, I finally saw him and lost control."

Shigure Kira apologized sincerely, then asked, "But what did his last sentence mean?"

Saori Tsuruyo thought for a few seconds. "Big Brother is currently entangled with a Bizzare entity and can't get away. He's telling us not to mind him, not to attempt a rescue. He'll handle it himself tonight. We just need to wait until tomorrow morning to meet him."

"Of course, this is all based on my understanding of Big Brother's habits. It might not be perfectly accurate, but it should be close."

Saori Tsuruyo was quite confident.

Li Mo's warnings often contained logical keywords, like "today" in that last sentence.

If he had said "tonight," Saori might have had to find a way to meet Li Mo, since it was currently dusk, the sun not fully set. "Stay far away tonight" would imply needing to be close before tonight—a distress signal.

But Li Mo said "today." For modern people, "today" typically refers to the period from now until tomorrow morning.

So Saori dismissed the idea of immediate intervention.

She guessed Li Mo was already caught in the situation, and involving others would lead to unpredictable, potentially negative consequences.

The best approach was to let him handle it alone; other participants would only hinder him.

"We'll follow the procession. Once they reach the old mansion, we'll assess the situation."

The wedding procession always stopped at a relatively dilapidated old mansion, then vanished completely, the mansion disappearing along with it.

They didn't know if things would change now that Big Brother was involved.

"Captain, prepare to pull an all-nighter," Saori Tsuruyo reminded her.

Shigure Kira coughed lightly, looking down shyly. "So we... peep for the whole night?"

"...It's about a comrade! How can you call it peeping? We're observing Big Brother's safety at all times, definitely not peeping..." Saori Tsuruyo said, lacking conviction.

No matter how uncultured they were, after three months in town, they understood the most important part of a Shenzhou wedding: the bridal chamber (洞房 - Dòngfáng).

The wedding night in the bridal chamber, a moment of spring bliss worth a thousand gold pieces.

But...

Humans can't...

At least, they probably shouldn't...

Shigure Kira and Saori Tsuruyo simultaneously thought of the same thing. They glanced at each other, eyes darting away.

"Ha... haha... No matter how desperate that guy is, he wouldn't go for a ghost, right? The woman in that sedan chair obviously looked like a terrifying vengeful spirit! I saw her mouth split open earlier. Gloomy Guy isn't interested in living people, so he definitely wouldn't be interested in an ugly dead one."

"No matter what, he's, he's still human. His morals might be questionable, but he wouldn't, wouldn't do something like that. I'm sure of it, really. After all..."

"Humans can't, at least they probably shouldn't..."

Shigure Kira forced a smile, rubbing her nose guiltily. She didn't know why she felt so uneasy, so strange – a feeling she couldn't quite articulate.

Shigure Kira actually leaned towards believing Li Mo had no feelings for women and was just going through the motions of the ritual.

But that "horrifying" possibility lingered in her mind, refusing to leave, as if it had taken root.

"B-Big Brother will definitely find a way to avoid it. I trust him..."

For the first time, Saori Tsuruyo found her belief in Li Mo's words so hollow.

Because in her understanding, Li Mo was the type to use any means necessary to deal with the Bizzare, completely disregarding ethics or morals.

If he couldn't find another way, or if the alternatives were too costly or dangerous, he might actually go through with the wedding night with the Ghost Bride.

...

I can't accept it!!!

How could he do that!!

It's a ghost! What's so good about a ghost!

Saori Tsuruyo and Shigure Kira both looked down at the ground to their left and right, lips pressed together, faces showing only strained smiles while their insides churned like a small boat tossed in a storm-swept sea.

Their hurried steps grew faster, afraid of losing track, of being left behind by the procession.

"Let's walk faster. You never know what might happen with supernatural incidents."

"Mm-hmm, right, we need to be cautious with supernatural events. Can't lose them. Let's hurry."

The two reached a tacit understanding, finding a barely passable excuse.

Soon, the wedding procession arrived at the old mansion. But this time, the dilapidated building looked brand new, with well-arranged courtyards and bright, impressive door lintels.

In the center of the large courtyard was a pond surrounded by artificial rock formations. The water reflected lush green branches and red walls. In the distance, delicate bamboo swayed, and fallen petals drifted down, covering the entire courtyard, giving the stone path a beautiful, ornate covering.

The sedan chair was set down. The woman in wedding attire, supported by relatives, walked to Li Mo's side.

"Husband..."

The woman's voice was soft and light, like silver bells ringing by his ear.

"..."

Li Mo found it very familiar. Slightly different, but the general tone was almost identical.

Li Mo slowly raised his hand, took the Ghost Bride's hand, stepped over the threshold, and entered the mansion.

Inside, banquet tables were laid out for guests. Li Mo and the Ghost Bride entered the main hall. Bright red cloth hung from the wooden beams, and a large embroidered "囍" (Double Happiness) character was suspended overhead.

Directly ahead were two chairs—the seats for the "high parents"—with a table between them laden with fresh flowers and fruit.

There were also objects resembling funeral spirit tablets, inscribed with names – presumably the groom's ancestors.

Li Mo coolly examined the "high parents" before him. He didn't recognize them, nor did he have any recollection of the ancestral names on the tablets.

He tried to move, but failed.

His body remained beyond his control, forced to watch everything unfold, powerless to intervene.

If this was purely an ancient Shenzhou wedding ceremony, involving the three bows followed by the bridal chamber, the ritual would conclude, and the Bizzare phenomenon might disappear.

Or rather, go dormant.

Looked at this way, it might not be a bad thing. Being controlled while marrying the Ghost Bride prevented Li Mo—who had never been married and knew nothing about the procedures—from making mistakes.

It was like being controlled by a system, running through the prescribed steps perfectly.

If a player were in control, unfamiliar with the process, bugs could easily occur.

After all, players are the "Fourth Calamity"; their actions are unpredictable, and no one knows what might happen.

"..."

Li Mo glanced beside him, curious about the Ghost Bride's face beneath the red veil. He had a faint guess but wasn't sure.

The red veil would only be removed by the groom in the bridal chamber, which should be soon.

Hopefully, the ritual ends immediately after the veil is removed. Li Mo thought silently. He figured some Bizzare entity that died before its wedding was using his body to fulfill its lingering regrets.

But was it appropriate for him to stand in for it?

In reality, Li Mo's body stood very close to the Ghost Bride beside him. They acted with mutual respect, without a hint of impropriety, as if perfectly satisfied and invested in this marriage.

But thinking about it, if they didn't love each other, how could the emotion twist into something Bizzare?

"First Bow to Heaven and Earth!" the matchmaker announced loudly.

Li Mo's hands involuntarily folded together as he bowed deeply towards the sky and ground.

The Ghost Bride beside him did the same.

"Second Bow to the High Parents!"

Li Mo and the Ghost Bride stepped forward, bowing to the inexplicable stranger-parents seated before the ancestral tablets.

"Couple Bows to Each Other!"

This was the final bow. The two turned to face each other.

Li Mo could now vaguely see part of the Ghost Bride's face beneath the red veil.

Her makeup was exquisite and alluring, vibrant rouge applied thickly to her lips, making them exceptionally bewitching. Her red lips curved slightly in a smile, blossoming like a flower, expressing abundant love for her husband.

"Husband, I love you."

"...Yes, I love you too."

After saying this, Li Mo felt a chill run down his spine.

On the wall, Shigure Kira's hair grew wildly, her gaze turning increasingly hostile.

The Li Mo of the past could never have imagined that one day he would marry a ghost.