Chapter 14: This Venerable One Gets Married
Chu Wanning could see past the thin red veil hanging before his eyes, but the view was somewhat hazy. He kept his face composed behind this veil as he let the ghost attendant lead him to the reception pavilion.
But when Chu Wanning looked up through the haze of red at the person standing across from him, the temperature around him instantly dropped by several degrees.
Mo Ran was also stunned. No, but…shouldn't it have been Shi Mei?
A veil covered the face of the "bride" standing before him, who was decked out in splendid red. He couldn't clearly see the face behind the veil, but no matter how he looked at it, it was definitely Chu Wanning's handsome but icy face currently glaring at him with an air of displeasure and full killing intent.
Mo Ran was stupefied at first. Then his expression began to grow increasingly complicated. All kinds of emotions flashed across his face before finally settling into a strange kind of silence as he stood face-to-face with Chu Wanning, both of them staring uneasily at each other.
It was then that the golden boy and jade maiden behind them giggled and clapped, and then started to sing.
"Oh luminous tide, oh sparkling waves
The waters of the great White Emperor
Upon which blossom-bearing mandarins
Come forth with flower'd beaks to greet two souls
To join them within this coffin dark
Entwined to lie within the sacred hull
Intent once sealed within the beating heart
Now known by death and all it has revealed
Henceforth these two shall pass beneath heaven
Henceforth in death their souls shall never part."
However, beneath the ghastly verse ran an undercurrent of sadness and regret.
If Mo Ran could speak, he would've wanted to say only one thing: "Ugh."
But he couldn't speak.
There was a pair of paper dolls before the altar, one male, one female. They had no faces but were lavishly and luxuriously dressed, probably to represent the parents of the ghost couples.
The ceremony official began to chant in a sonorous bellow. "The amorous new bride shies from words and glances tenderly from beneath lowered lashes; red silk shrouds a delicate smile; would the husband please lift the veil."
Mo Ran had originally been completely unwilling to follow through, but upon hearing these words, he nearly lost his mind trying to hold back his laughter.
Ha ha ha ha! "The amorous new bride shies from words"—aha ha ha ha!
Chu Wanning's face was ashen as he tried to suppress his anger, and he closed his eyes as if that would shut off his hearing too.
The ghost attendant giggled and handed Mo Ran a folding fan to indicate that this marriage would go well; the words for "fan" and "virtuous" were pronounced the same way.
"Bridegroom, please lift the veil."
Mo Ran stifled his laughter and followed the instruction, using the fan to lift the silken veil hanging before Chu Wanning's eyes. Even his eyelashes quivered with suppressed laughter as he peeked at the look stirring upon Chu Wanning's face.
Seeming to have sensed his mocking gaze, Chu Wanning tried to endure it for a while but ultimately failed. Fire and lightning danced in his eyes as they snapped open with a murderous aura.
But paired with the red veil clinging to his hair and the scarlet garment adorning his body, although he looked no less fierce, the slight hint of red at the corners of his eyes, born from his anger and grievance, unexpectedly painted quite a uniquely enticing picture.
Faced with eyes like these, Mo Ran startled involuntarily, smile freezing on his lips. Right at that moment, the shizun before him looked just as he had at a certain moment in his past life. The two images overlapped in his vision, and he suddenly couldn't tell when he was.
It was only for an instant, but it was enough to drench Mo Ran in cold sweat.
He had once committed three ruthless acts against Chu Wanning:
First: Murder. He had used a killing technique on Chu Wanning.
Second: Humiliation. He had forced Chu Wanning to sate his carnal desires.
Third: …
The third had been the most gratifying thing he'd done in his previous life, but after all was said and done, it had also been his greatest regret.
Of course, the Emperor of the Mortal Realm would never admit to regretting any of his actions, but he had never managed to escape the torment deep in his heart.
Damn. Why was he reminiscing about that insane past? Why did he even remember the Chu Wanning from those days?
Mo Ran shook his head and bit his lips, doing his damnedest to erase Chu Wanning's face from his memories in order to look on the person before him now with fresh eyes.
Chu Wanning was still glaring at him with an "I'm going to kill you" kind of gaze. Mo Ran didn't want to provoke this difficult person further, so he could only smile apologetically with a helpless expression.
The ceremony official spoke, "Groom and bride, perform the cleansing rite."
The cleansing rite dictated that the newlyweds had to first wash themselves individually, then wash each other's hands. The ghost attendant brought out a porcelain pot filled with clear water, lifting it in invitation for the pair to wash their hands. The poured water flowed into a basin underneath.
Chu Wanning's face was full of loathing at the idea of having to wash himself and then his counterpart. Mo Ran was absentminded and silently washed Chu Wanning's hands without making a fuss, but Chu Wanning was ill-tempered and unceremoniously poured the entire pot on Mo Ran, drenching half his sleeve.
Mo Ran stared at his drenched sleeve for a while, thoughts wandering. Though his face hardly showed any reaction, a faint light drifted across the depths of his ink-black eyes. His heart beat wildly as he thought, Chu Wanning hasn't changed. He's never changed.
His every action, every thought, in the last life and this, all of it was exactly the same, not the slightest bit different…
He raised his head slowly, and for an instant, it felt as if he was back at Sisheng Peak, standing before Wushan Palace as Chu Wanning walked toward him up a long stretch of stairs. In the next moment, he would kneel before Mo Ran; that proud head would touch the ground, that upright spine would bend, and Chu Wanning would prostrate himself at Mo Ran's feet for a long, long time.
"Cleansing rite complete."
The ghost attendant's abrupt chant roused Mo Ran from his memories.
As he came to, his eyes met Chu Wanning's, whose pitch-black pupils flashed with a cold light like the reflection of a sword. He looked quite terrifying.
Uh, the past life was the past life!
As for something like making Chu Wanning kneel before him, he would have to make do with just thinking about it in this life, because the cost of making it happen would truly be too great…
After the cleansing rite was the meat-sharing rite, then the winecup-crossing rite.
The ghost attendant chanted slowly, "Husband and wife share a cup of wine; henceforth united until the end of the world."
Wine cups were exchanged in the winecup-crossing rite, and after that was the ritual bowing to heaven and earth.
Chu Wanning's phoenix eyes narrowed dangerously; he looked like he was so angry that he really was about to lose it. When this was over, Mo Ran wouldn't have been surprised if he chopped the ghost mistress of ceremonies back into muddy clay at the very least.
But he really couldn't look too closely at Chu Wanning when he was like this. Even a single extra glance and he risked falling back into those chaotic, filthy memories, from which he would be unable to free himself.
"First, bow to heaven and earth."
Mo Ran thought that even if they were playing along, Chu Wanning was definitely too proud to actually kneel. But unexpectedly, in order to finish what he had started, Chu Wanning closed his eyes, his brows twitching, and actually knelt down. Together, the pair touched their brows to the ground.
"Second, bow to parents."
Fine then, kneeling for the faceless paper dolls. Could those even be called one's parents?
"Third bow, husband and wife to each other."
Chu Wanning's thick eyelashes were lowered as he turned and knelt directly and swiftly without so much as sparing Mo Ran a single glance, but his teeth were tightly clenched.
Who could've guessed that the pair would have such poor coordination and would kneel a bit too close? As they bowed, their heads knocked together with a thud.
Chu Wanning sucked in a breath from the pain. He held his forehead and raised teary eyes to glare vengefully at Mo Weiyu, who was also rubbing his forehead.
Mo Ran could only mouth soundlessly, Sorry.
Chu Wanning didn't speak, face gloomy, and rolled his eyes.
After that was the jiefa rite, where the ceremony official chanted, "Entwining their hair, new husband and wife / Ensure their love shall ne'er be unwound."
The ghost attendant offered a pair of golden scissors, and Mo Ran couldn't help but flinch, worried that in his displeasure, Chu Wanning might just stab him to death. The thought indeed seemed to cross Chu Wanning's mind, but in the end, they each only cut a lock of hair from the other. The locks were placed in a brocade pouch that the golden boy and jade maiden presented to the "bride," Chu Wanning, for him to keep.
Mo Ran really wanted to ask: I know you're pissed, but you wouldn't use my hair to curse me or make a voodoo doll or something, right?
The ceremony official chanted, "Ceremony complete."
They both sighed in relief and stood. But unexpectedly, the ceremony official continued,
"The auspicious hour has arrived. Enter the bridal chamber."
What. The. Hell! Mo Ran froze instantly—and nearly spat out a mouthful of blood!
What kinda joke was this?! If he dared to consummate anything with Chu Wanning, this wedding really would become a fucking ghost wedding! Sure, the saying went that it would be romantic to die beneath peony flowers and beauties alike, but in this lifetime he wanted—no, wait, in both lifetimes he wanted the virtuous Shi Mei, not this cold-blooded demon Chu Wanning, who would tie up anyone who coveted him and toss them into a mud pond!
Was it too late to flee this marriage?