The Wedding Night

As soon as Qin Ming finished writing the poem,

the paper suddenly fluttered into the air—

and burned with vivid flames.

Then, with a rumbling crash,

the massive red door behind them opened.

"We were right!"

Qin Ming let out a long breath of relief.

He hadn't expected this spirit realm to be born from the resentment of a transmigrator!

Qing Xuan and Eunuch Zhou both looked puzzled.

Zhou, cold-faced as ever, was secretly thankful.

Good thing I didn't try to stab that brat earlier…

Who knew he had such a brain?

Qin Ming led the way through the red doors with Qing Xuan close behind,

and Zhou following them.

Before them stood three identical rooms.

Each had a red "喜" (double happiness) character posted on the door and window,

and hanging from the center beam were two large crimson characters: "Bridal Chamber."

The three exchanged a deep breath.

This was it—

the final step of the ghost bride's realm:

the wedding night.

They immediately understood—

the three rooms were for each of them, one per person.

The final trial.

Qing Xuan gave Qin Ming a quick nod and walked into the middle room.

Eunuch Zhou clenched his teeth and entered the one on the left.

Only the third room remained.

Qin Ming stepped inside.

The room was furnished in an elegant, traditional style.

A painted screen showed a pair of mandarin ducks playing in water.

The red candle on the table was surrounded by various fruits and nuts.

He pushed open the inner door—

a redwood marriage bed appeared,

complete with embroidered quilt, scarlet pillows, and flowing red curtains.

Everything was ornate and beautiful.

Qin Ming sat down at the edge of the bed.

Suddenly—

a scream pierced the air.

Eunuch Zhou!

What the hell? He died the moment the wedding began?

Qin Ming's eyes widened.

Then it hit him—

Zhou was a eunuch!

Going into the bridal chamber like that…

it was no different than choosing "female" on the name card from earlier.

And that meant—

Qing Xuan was in danger too.

He had to find her, fast.

She had come into this palace to deliver him a message—

he couldn't let her die here, not like this,

not without even knowing why.

He rushed to her door—

but just then,

a cold shadow crept up behind him.

[Warning: Danger Level Increased by 200x!

During Danger, Luck Points Increase 200x!]

He turned—

The ghost bride was standing there.

She wore her red wedding gown and a bridal veil.

Blood dripped from her hands—

falling onto the floor in slow, sickening drops.

She began to float toward the second bridal room.

Not walk—float.

Her legs never moved.

Qin Ming quickly stepped over the threshold and entered Qing Xuan's room.

Inside, Qing Xuan had already figured it out.

The moment she heard Zhou scream,

she knew—she was doomed.

In this ghost bride's realm,

any woman who entered the bridal chamber was meant to die.

That was the trap.

But what pained her most wasn't the death—

It was that she hadn't delivered the message to Qin Ming.

What now?

Master, I've failed you…

She heard hurried footsteps approaching.

Her grip tightened on her black-gold dagger.

No matter what, she'd go down swinging.

The door burst open—

and a figure darted inside.

She instantly raised her blade—

but Qin Ming caught it with lightning speed.

"Qin Ming?! What are you doing here?!"

He didn't answer.

Just shoved her back onto the bed and jumped in after her—

placing himself between her and the door.

"Qin Ming—"

"Shh. Don't talk. She's here."

Qing Xuan's heart swelled with emotion.

Even now, he was protecting her…

The room grew colder and colder.

The red candle flickered violently.

Finally, Qin Ming caught a glimpse—

a pair of red embroidered shoes stepped into the room.

The ghost bride, dressed in red, floated to the window.

She still wore her veil.

Her hands, now clean of blood,

had fingernails painted in crimson so deep it seemed soaked in blood.

[Warning: Danger Level Increased by 300x!

During Danger, Luck Points Increase 300x!]

Behind him, Qing Xuan's heart thundered.

Her dagger shook in her grasp.

Suddenly—

the ghost bride raised her right hand

and pointed at her own veil.

Qin Ming's heart nearly stopped.

She wanted him to unveil her.

He picked up the Ruyi Scale beside the bed,

and slowly reached out to lift the veil.

Behind him, Qing Xuan curled up tightly under the quilt, wide-eyed.

The ghost bride's pale neck came into view—

and there it was:

the familiar red birthmark.

But when Qin Ming finally pulled the veil fully aside—

He nearly lost his soul.

She had no head!

No. Freaking. Head.

Just then—the vision shifted.

Images appeared before Qin Ming and Qing Xuan's eyes—

scenes from the past.

A young girl in a yellow dress, bright and beautiful,

smiling sweetly.

A red birthmark on her neck.

She was a transmigrator.

She used her knowledge to help the people.

She invented soap,

opened the first bookstore in the imperial city.

Her talents caught the eye of the fourth prince.

He was dashing, charming,

and promised to make her empress.

To help him ascend the throne,

she invented gunpowder,

sold perfumes, books, and opened trading firms to fund his cause.

She was his strategist—for eight whole years.

But—

on the day the prince became emperor…

she was not the one he married.

The empress was someone else.

It turned out—

the empress dowager and the fourth prince had always been using her.

They believed any woman with such ingenuity and strange ideas was a demonic witch.

Unfit to be queen.

That day,

as snow fell from the sky—

the emperor wed another.

And she—

was executed as a witch.

The emperor declared her thoughts too alien,

her behavior too strange—

like a devil from another world.

To destroy her completely,

they chopped off her head—

so her soul could never find peace.

And just like that,the vision faded.