Ghost Marriage

"Marriage Ceremony?

When Zhang Jinya and the others heard me say this, they all widened their eyes, looking incredulous.

I didn't like their reaction one bit. What's up? Is it such a big deal for a buddy to get married? Do you guys think I was born to be forever alone? Are you saying I shouldn't have a wife in this lifetime? So I said, feeling annoyed, 'What's with those looks? You guys look like you just ate shit.'

"I'm telling you, Xiaotian, it's not that we're thinking like this, but you really scared Fatty," Zhang Jinya explained.

Fatty patted my shoulder, "You've always been a single dog like me. How come you suddenly have a wife? And getting married in this godforsaken tomb..."

At this point, Fatty seemed to realize something and his eyes widened, staring at the figure behind me, Mulan, in disbelief. "Don't tell me you're going to... marry her... in the underworld!?"

I nodded. "I'm a person who sticks to his decisions. Once I've made up my mind, I won't change it. Even if it's a big decision like this. So I admit it straightforwardly."

"You're freaking crazy! There are things you don't understand. As your brother, I need to remind you. You're too impulsive. You don't know how many eyes the Horse King has. No matter what, you have to listen to what I have to say!" Fatty cursed and without another word, grabbed my arm and started walking away. Initially, I resisted a bit, feeling that this might insult Mulan, but she was understanding. She said Fatty genuinely cares about me, or else he wouldn't oppose it so vehemently in front of her. She said such good friends are worth keeping, so I stopped resisting and let Fatty pull me into the side chamber of the tomb, with the others following.

Once the stone door of the chamber closed, Fatty took out a flashlight and lit it up. "Xiaotian, you're really crazy. You think this ghost marriage is so easy?"

"I don't see any problem..." I shook my head. "Isn't it just marrying her in the underworld?"

"It's not that simple!" Fatty slapped my forehead, clearly irritated by my decision. He said, "This ghost marriage isn't as simple as you think. Nowadays, the success rate of marrying a ghost with a living person is abysmal. After all, bridging the gap between the living and the dead is not easy. Even if you manage to communicate, if the ghost isn't willing, you won't succeed. This ghost marriage is different from regular ones. In most cases, it's hard enough for the living to communicate with the dead, and even harder to get the dead to give up their chance of reincarnation for you. I've been dealing with these things for years and have seen only one successful ghost marriage. But for you, it's different. You don't have the difficulty of communicating with the dead; the ghost you're interested in is right outside the corridor. She has no chance of reincarnation after practicing in this tomb for thousands of years, so it seems she's willing to marry you. If you dare to marry her, the success rate is absolutely one hundred percent. But then you'll have a time bomb by your side!"

After listening, I widened my eyes, completely surprised by the complications of ghost marriage. Then I glared at Zhang Jinya.

This jerk...

I couldn't believe he didn't know about this. If it weren't for my engagement with Mulan scaring the ghosts away, I bet he would've set a "time bomb" on me.

Zhang Jinya seemed to guess what I was thinking, and awkwardly smiled. "Brother, don't blame me for that. At that time, the Corpse with a Smiling Face was ready to take your life at any moment. I wanted to find you a strong wife who could help you. If anything happened, she could protect you. And I could deal with that ghost, so there was no danger to you. As for this..."

Zhang Jinya's smile faded, and he said seriously, "Fatty is right. You really need to think it through. She's a spirit, a ghost king in her own right. If she gets angry and decides to kill you, even Qingyi won't be able to save you. You'll be doomed!"

The ghost has its own obsessions, an attachment to the living world, refusing to enter the cycle of reincarnation, staying in places rich with Yin energy to cultivate for thousands of years. They don't harm anyone, bear no grudges, and thus accumulate deep spiritual power, becoming spirits. These ghosts are called Linggui, half god and half ghost, comparable to some powerful ghost kings and generals. I didn't know much about it, but I never expected Mulan to be one! But so what? Because I've interacted with her, I'm not afraid at all.

Listening to Zhang Jinya's explanation, my grievances toward him finally dissipated a bit. Without settling the score with this jerk, I patted Fatty on the shoulder and said, "Fatty, I know you're looking out for me. But on this matter, you don't need to say more. I genuinely like her. If anything goes wrong, it's because of me, not her."

Fatty opened his mouth, wanting to continue persuading me, but unexpectedly, Zhou Jing suddenly spoke up, "Don't bother persuading him. This is his fate. You can't change it!"

Fatty was stunned and quickly asked what Zhou Jing meant. Zhou Jing explained that when I encountered strange things earlier, I went to his grandfather for a divination. His grandfather foresaw that I would have a good match soon. Just now, he observed me, and as soon as Mulan and I met, a faint red light appeared in my natal palace. This indicates that Mulan is my destined woman, it's fate, unchangeable.

"Fate doesn't matter. As long as she's unwilling, even if she's a Linggui, I won't be afraid. I have friends who can handle it!" I declared.

Qingyi looked at me and asked slowly, "Now, I just want to ask for your decision. Have you really thought it through?"

I nodded. "I've made up my mind. This is my decision."

"Good, I'll officiate your marriage!"

Qingyi pulled me up and left the side chamber. Mulan, Xueru, and Tiezhu were still waiting at the entrance to the main tomb. Seeing me return, Mulan's eyes, like cold stars, suddenly showed a strange emotion, as if questioning me. I nodded decisively, and Mulan's eyes curved lightly, as if smiling...

I don't know why, but at this moment, I suddenly felt a sense of fulfillment in my heart. To earn her smile, I have no regrets!

At this moment, Qingyi suddenly spoke to Mulan, "Xiaotian has made his decision. I respect his choice and am determined to officiate your ghost marriage. I won't say more, just one thing to remind you—Xiaotian has a weak Yang in his eight characters, and marrying you won't violate the order of Yin and Yang. I believe you two will get along well after marriage. However, he's still a twenty-year-old young man, and although you're wearing a black veil, I can see you're still extremely beautiful. With him being a young man and you being so beautiful, it's inevitable that he may be tempted after being together for a long time. Thankfully, he has weak Yang, and you're a Linggui, so there's no harm to either of you during intercourse. In fact, there may even be benefits. However... you must be cautious during intercourse, and never get pregnant!"

"I understand the boundaries," Mulan replied calmly. "As a Linggui, bearing children for a Yang person and giving birth to ghost babies would have negative consequences. I won't do such a thing."

I was startled. Did they just say... they can... do it? And even get pregnant?

So I whispered to Zhang Jinya, asking what's going on. Zhang Jinya smirked and said it's totally possible for humans and ghosts to have intercourse. Normally, if a regular ghost and a person have intercourse, whether the ghost wants it or not, it will absorb the person's Yang energy and eventually drain them. That's why most humans and ghosts take different paths. But Linggui are different. Their cultivation is advanced, halfway between humans and ghosts. Their bodies are solid, similar to humans, so when they have intercourse with a human, they won't absorb their Yang energy. As for getting pregnant, it's even more complex. The male's Yang essence is extremely powerful and would harm the Linggui, except in cases like mine, where my Yang essence is weak and gentle, not harmful to the Linggui. Hence, there's a chance of pregnancy, which could result in ghost babies—half human, half ghost, without a soul, only knowing how to harm others. That's why Qingyi emphasized this point, fearing I might create a monstrous entity inadvertently. So he specifically warned the apparently more rational Mulan.

Upon hearing Mulan's acceptance, Qingyi proceeded with the ceremony. It was quite simple compared to regular marriage ceremonies. In a regular ghost marriage, it's similar to a human marriage, but the main character is represented by the deceased's siblings holding a "spirit tablet." Qingyi's method was different. He inserted incense in three directions—Heaven, Earth, and Human—invoking the Three Purities, the King of the Underworld, and my ancestors. Then he made Mulan and me kneel together, and on a yellow paper talisman, he wrote our birth dates. With a wooden sword, he ignited the talisman. As it burned, Qingyi loudly declared, "Qingyi of the Dao sect, invites the Three Purities, the King of the Underworld, and the ancestors to witness the ghost marriage between Ge Tianzhong and Hua Mulan. Crossing the boundaries of Yin and Yang, akin to golden bonds, we seek blessings from Heaven, Earth, and Humanity!"

The ceremony was simple, but as soon as Qingyi finished speaking, Mulan and I kowtowed to the Three Purities, Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. As we stood up, my chest suddenly felt hot, making me shiver.

At that moment, Mulan, who was kneeling next to me, seemed to sense something unusual and grabbed my hand with her cold, smooth one. Feeling the chill on her hand, I felt relieved. Mulan said softly, "The Shazhu is opening. We're now husband and wife. From today, you're my husband."

My heart surged with excitement. Just like that, I possessed the woman I fell for at first sight. It felt unreal even now!

Suddenly, Blood Ru, who had been waiting outside, drifted in and exclaimed, "Master, he's here!"

I was stunned and asked who was here.

"It's the thing in the main tomb," Blood Ru replied.

Mulan frowned, "I didn't expect its nose to be so sensitive, to figure out my plan so quickly!""