The Wedding Night (Part-2)

"I just had the most amazing night since I came here, although it's only been a couple of days but anyway, but seriously... Now I'm being hunted in my own bridal chamber?" 

Alex's facial expression turned ugly. He gritted his teeth in sheer frustration and muttered under his breath.

"Aria. What's with this sudden plot of twist?"

*Ding!

[Host, you are not in a game that I designed or something. Things happen and the host should be happy that the system is warning him beforehand.]

"Who are the killers?" He asked.

*Ding!

[That is the secrets of heaven. The system may peek into the destiny but is not allowed to reveal it to the host.]

"Argh... you are just useless whenever it is an emergency."

Without wasting another second, Alex activated Heaven's Eye.

His eyes lit up with a pitch black glow on the left and a radiant white glow on the right. The pupils disappeared.

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.

At Stage 1, his perception radius was about the size of a medium-sized bedroom, 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.

Alex exhaled slowly. "Maybe they were too careful. I couldn't hear any sounds of battle outside, either. But I cannot keep my Heaven's eye all the time. It's takes a heavy toll on my nerves. 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 right beside her.

Alex stiffly turned his head. "Uhh…"

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

Alex rolled down to the bed in reflex and watched her, his mouth agape.

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.

While it looked a bit similar to his left eye, this seemed entirely different as Alex could see threads of aura escaping those eyes and not just simply glowing.

And then she spoke, in a distorted voice that wasn't hers. "Prepare to die, the one who soiled this body."

Alex'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.

Alex scrambled back, almost tripping over his feet. "You've gotta be kidding me! Ghostly possession?"

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 that 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

Alex stared at the notification.

"First? You mean there's going to be more? And who the fuck is this Zhinu..."

*Ding!

[Zhinu is a historical figure of this world. Also known as a weaver girl, she is the goddess of weaving and crafts, the daughter of Jade Emperor.]

[She fell in love and married to a cowherd called Niulang but on violating the heavenly laws, she was sentenced to death.]

His stomach turned. "You bastard of an uncle… You destroyed your own nephew's future just like this… And here I thought I was compensated with the love. If I die today, I'll turn into a ghost and haunt your descendants for eternity…" Cursing the emperor was the first thing that 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*

Alex 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 seemed like they were about to be crushed, and he was losing consciousness. Panic surged through him.

Right then... the glow emitted from both of his eyes became more intense.

Ding!

[Evolution has been triggered]

[Heaven's Eye has advanced to Stage 2.]

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

[Taking automatic defensive measures against the threat]

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 Alex 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.

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

Alex 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, and she just fainted or something.

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

[Emergency Mission Completed]

Reward: 3 Talent Points

Alex 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. The Heaven's Eye evolved to stage 2, and he gained another skill.

Staring at her peaceful face, he murmured. "Here I thought why a trash like Qin Wei betrothed to a beauty like this. It's because of this, huh."

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... what am I doing here?" she stammered. "Where were you taking me, husband?"

But Alex didn't respond to her. He stared at her blankly for a few seconds and sighed. "it's nothing. You were sleep walking."

"Eh? I was?" Li Xue blinked.