The wedding night (Part-2)

"Are you serious?! First, I'm forced to marry someone who hates me, and now I'm being hunted in my own bridal chamber?" He gritted his teeth in sheer frustration and muttered under his breath.

Without wasting another second, he activated Xielun Yan. His eyes lit up with a crimson glow, the single gouyu spinning in slow orbit around the pupil.

A flood of heightened awareness rushed in. His heart rate calmed, breath slowed, and thoughts sharpened.

He shut his eyes, focusing entirely on his surroundings.

With only one gouyu, his perception radius was about 20 li, just enough to sense anyone approaching the chamber from the outside.

However, there's nothing he could sense. There's no one outside.

One minute passed.

Then two.

Three.

The room remained still, draped in moonlight.

Qin Wei exhaled slowly. "Maybe they were too careful. I couldn't hear any sounds of battle outside, either. But I cannot keep my Xielun Yan all the time. The chakra consumption is too high. Let's just keep calm for now and…"

It was right then, he suddenly felt like the temperature in the room had dropped. "Hmm?"

A faint scarlet aura began to rise from the bed behind him.

Qin Wei stiffly turned his head. "Uhh…"

Li Xue, who had been dead asleep from drinking, was now rising. She slowly floated high to the ceiling.

The bedsheets slid off her body as if repelled. Her hair flowed upward like strands suspended in water. Her skin glowed faintly red, but it was her eyes…

Her eyes were pitch black. No pupils could be seen.

And then she spoke, in a distorted voice that wasn't hers. "Prepare to die."

Qin Wei's heart stopped for a second. His mouth hung open. "W-What… what in the fucking plot twist is this?"

Li Xue, or whatever now controlled her, raised a hand.

The scarlet aura condensed into a blade of spiritual energy, twisting and vibrating with a low hum.

Qin Wei scrambled back, almost tripping over his blanket. "You've gotta be kidding me! Ghostly possession or was she doing it unconsciously?"

He jumped back to his feet, backing into the corner as Li Xue hovered a few inches above the ground, her black eyes locked onto him like fate itself had passed judgment.

His mind raced. "And I was supposed to survive five hours?"

*Ding!

It was then the screen blinked again:

Emergency Mission Updated

Status: Assassin Identified – Possessed Li Xue

Note: Entity "Zhinu" seeks to annihilate the host

New Mission Objective: Survive First Assassination Attempt

Qin Wei stared at the notification.

"First?! You mean there's going to be more?"

His stomach turned. "You basta*d of an uncle… You destroyed your own nephew's future just like this… if I die today, I'll turn into ghost and haunt your descendants for eternity…" Cursing the emperor is the first thing came to his mind. The second thing… "RUN."

He turned to bolt for the door, but the moment he did, Li Xue vanished, leaving only a flicker of red light.

Before he could blink, she appeared in front of him, hand outstretched.

CRACK!

Her fingers locked around his throat like an iron vice, lifting him clean off the floor.

*Ack*

Qin Wei gasped, legs flailing like a fish out of water.

He clawed at her wrist, trying to pry her off, but she was like a mountain, immovable and cold. His airways almost crushed and he was losing his consciousness, panic surged through him.

His gouyu spun wildly, and then, a second gouyu bloomed beside it.

Ding! Xielun Yan has advanced to Stage 2.

New Skill Extracted: Celestial Sword of Destiny has been added to the skills list.

In that same moment, a sword of light suddenly appeared at the ceiling and streaked through the air and pierced Li Xue's back.

She froze midair. Her grip loosened, and Qin Wei dropped to the ground like a ragdoll, coughing violently.

He barely registered the pain; his eyes were locked on the scene before him.

Li Xue was suspended like a marionette, the glowing sword embedded in her back. There was no blood. Instead, the red aura around her flickered, distorted and then shattered like glass.

The light sword faded on its own after eight to nine seconds.

As his chakra reserves became empty, Xielun Yan disappeared and return to normal

Li Xue's eyes also returned to normal, soft brown, wide with tears and confusion. Then, without a word, she collapsed forward.

Qin Wei caught her in his arms out of instinct, his breath shallow.

"Li Xue…?"

She was unconscious. Peaceful. And whole. It was as if nothing had happened.

He stared at her, and then the screen lit up again:

Emergency Mission Completed

Reward: 3 Talent Points

Qin Wei could hardly process what had just happened. In the blink of an eye, he almost died in the hands of his own wife, and then somehow managed to survive. Xielun Yan evolved to stage 2, and he gained another skill.

Staring at her peaceful face, he murmured. "Who in the hell is Zhinu? Some goddess or old grandma soul living in her in those typical cultivation tropes?"

But then his eyes darkened with conflicted thoughts that filled his head. "What should I do with you…? What did I ever do to deserve this mess? Ever since I transmigrated, I've only faced bad luck one after another."

Before he could get lost in the spiraling pit of frustration, a low groan cut through the silence. Li Xue stirred.

Her fingers twitched, her lashes fluttered. Slowly, her eyes opened once again. She looked confused for a second, then realized she was being held in someone's arms.

Her face flushed instantly.

"W-What are you doing, you pervert!?" she stammered. "You… you were taking advantage of me while I was sleeping in drunk, weren't you? Leave me… You le… lecher…"

She lifted her hand, preparing to slap him.

But Qin Wei didn't flinch. He stared at her blankly, his eyes cold and distant, too tired to care. Wordlessly, he released her.

She yelped as she hit the floor with a dull thud.

"Ouch!" she winced, rubbing her back. "What the hell?!"