It seems I've underestimated today's students. While still in school, they're already planning for their futures. Thinking back to my own school days, all I cared about was which girl was the prettiest, what she wore, and who she was dating.
"Brother Liu, you didn't know about this?" Zhang Sheng scooted over to sit next to me, grinning like we were old friends.
"I've seen it online before, but I didn't pay much attention. I'm just here because it's less crowded. Other tourist spots are way too crowded—more stress than relaxation."
If I told them I'm half-human, half-ghost, and I came here to escape my gradual transformation into a ghost, they'd probably think I'm insane. Besides, there are girls here, so it's better not to bring up anything supernatural.
"Life is like this once you step into society. Even taking a vacation depends on your boss's mood."
I'm only two years older than them, maybe three. It's easier to get along with them than it was with Mr. Ye, who always brought a heavy silence to our conversations.
As we chatted and laughed, time flew by, and soon it was completely dark. Everyone returned to their tents to sleep while I stayed by the fire to keep watch.
It was awkward, really. Mr. Ye had dragged me out here unprepared for an overnight stay. Although they offered to let me share a bed with Mo Yun, I felt too embarrassed and volunteered to take the night watch instead.
Early in the night, I could hear whispers and rustling from their tents. By the second half of the night, all I could hear was snoring.
Exhausted after a long day, I unknowingly fell asleep leaning against a tree.
"Brother Liu? Brother Liu?"
I opened my eyes to see Mo Xiangqi looking at me with a panicked expression. Her face was bare, free of her smoky makeup, revealing a natural beauty that made her even more enchanting.
"Did something happen?" I instinctively softened my voice, worried that speaking too loudly might frighten this night elf.
"Brother Liu, did you hear the sound of drums and gongs?"
Confused, I listened carefully but heard nothing. Shaking my head, I replied, "I didn't hear anything. Maybe you were dreaming?"
"But I clearly heard it!" Mo Xiangqi hesitated, her conviction wavering under my certainty. I persuaded her to return to her tent, but just as she turned to leave—
"Drip... drip…"
The festive sound of trumpets echoed through the valley, and it came from right behind me. Reflexively, I turned around.
Four figures dressed in white, their faces indistinct, were carrying a bright red sedan chair. Following them were eight men playing instruments as they slowly approached in our direction.
"Run! It's a ghost wedding!" I turned to flee, only to see Mo Xiangqi covering her mouth in shock, staring incredulously at the sedan chair.
Realizing I wasn't alone, I understood that if I ran, none of us would make it out of this mountain alive.
I shook her awake. "Wake them up! Quick, we need to run!"
In my panic, I didn't even recognize my own courage. Normally, I'd be the first to run in such a situation, without sparing a thought for others.
"Hey! Wake up, everyone! Wake up!"
"What's going on? Waking people up in the middle of the night!" Huang Lianfang grumbled.
"Brother Liu, what happened?"
After rousing everyone, I looked back to find that Mo Xiangqi had disappeared, along with the eerie ghost wedding procession. The mountain was silent, as if nothing had happened—except one person was missing.
"Where's my sister?" As expected, Mo Yun was the first to notice his sister's absence.
"This is what happened…" I explained everything truthfully, swearing I didn't lie. But after hearing my story, they all looked at me with suspicion.
"If something happened here, you're the only outsider, Liu Cunxi. Did you hide Xiangqi somewhere?" Zhang Jue, the calmest among them, was also the most wary of me. Even when we first met, I could feel his guarded hostility.
I had chalked it up to self-defense, but that didn't mean he could accuse me of anything he wanted. "You'd better be careful with your words. If I really kidnapped Mo Xiangqi, do you think I'd stick around to be caught?"
"Give me back my sister!" Mo Yun glared at me with hostility. "You've been staring at her ever since you saw her. You're obviously obsessed with her beauty. If you don't bring her back, we'll hand you over to the police in the morning."
"…" I finally understood what it meant to be wronged without recourse.
Yes, I had been looking at Mo Xiangqi because, besides her, I wasn't familiar with anyone else. To avoid awkwardness, I had focused on her. And as a man, isn't it normal to look at a beautiful woman?
If that's enough evidence for a crime, half the men in the world would be in jail.
"Can't you be reasonable?" I sighed. They were just kids, and I couldn't be too harsh with them.
"Why bother explaining to someone like him? If they don't believe you, they never will."
Out of nowhere, Ye Cha appeared.
The group recoiled in shock at Ye Cha's sudden appearance, staring at me in disbelief.
I hadn't expected Ye Cha to show up after days of silence. Quickly, I stepped in front of her. "Don't be angry. They're just worried about their missing friend and sister."
Ye Cha had once mercilessly killed so many people, all because she was unhappy. Though I'd only known these people for a few hours, they had been kind to me, and I couldn't let them die at her hands.
Ye Cha glanced at me but refrained from acting. "You're wasting time worrying about these kids. They've already taken one girl. Next, they'll take a boy. What do you think will happen after that?"
Her words snapped me back to reality. If Mo Xiangqi had been taken by those ghostly figures, then they'd already have a bride. All they needed was a groom. Looking at Mo Yun and the Zhang brothers, I realized that if one of them were taken next and turned into a twin ghost, things would only get worse.