Chapter 4: The auspicious hour has arrived, please welcome the bride!

The man took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and gently wiped the bloodstain from my forehead.

He stared fixedly at my brow for a long while, then he asked me again: "A Li, is that you?"

"A Li?"

I remembered the words Seventh Lord had spoken before he rose from the coffin to save me back then: "Xiao Huo Li, have you returned?"

Who exactly did they take me for?

I immediately shook my head: "Sorry, I'm not A Li; my name is Xiao Jiu."

"Xiao Jiu?" the man put away the cloth, smiling as he rubbed my hair, which was already half white, and said, "Nice to meet you, Xiao Jiu."

He was truly gentle; when he smiled, his upturned peach-blossom eyes seemed to speak, captivating the soul.

For a moment, I actually forgot how to speak.

Just then, someone not far away reminded: "Fox Lord, we need to get moving."

The man responded with a sound, reached into his bosom, took out a jade pendant and hung it around my neck, saying, "This is a greeting gift, Xiao Jiu; no matter what you encounter, you can ask me for help—break the jade pendant and I will sense it."

Having said that, he lifted his foot and left.

Watching his tall figure retreat, I hurriedly said, "Thank you for saving me."

The man turned back and smiled at me: "Xiao Jiu, welcome back."

·

The sky had completely darkened; I hurried back home, and as soon as I entered I saw Grandma collapsed on the floor, bloodless.

"Grandma!"

I rushed over and lifted Grandma up, calling to her while firmly pressing her philtrum.

My hand was trembling, and my voice trembled as well.

I was terrified, afraid Grandma would never wake again.

After a long while, Grandma drew a deep breath, finally slowly waking, opening her eyes to see me; instinctively she rose, took my hand, and headed for the main courtyard.

Watching Grandma's steady steps, my heart relaxed a little.

Grandma led me into the main house, as she did every year, lit three sticks of incense and handed them to me, urging: "Xiao Jiu, hurry, offer incense to Seventh Lord."

I took the incense, knelt before the black coffin, and just as I was about to bow, a sudden Yīnfēng rose from the flat ground; the three incense sticks snapped cleanly in the middle, and the flames went out.

Grandma's face changed abruptly.

She immediately relit the three incense sticks, handed them to me, and told me to bow again.

But the incense still snapped cleanly.

After several tries, the result was the same each time.

In the main hall, the Yīnfēng kept blowing, causing the talisman papers on the black coffin to dance continuously, while the five-colored banners on the red bridal sedan in the corner fluttered loudly.

The whole main hall seemed filled with an invisible force constantly surging, pressing on me so I could barely breathe.

The fear in Grandma's eyes grew deeper; within just a few minutes, she withered and aged rapidly, as if all her vital essence had been drained.

She kept pulling various talisman papers from the black cloth bag she carried and sticking them onto the black coffin, but each paper, upon contact, instantly burst into flame without fire and turned to ash.

Grandma's steps grew increasingly unsteady, her complexion worsened, and blood continually trickled from the corners of her mouth—a particularly frightening sight.

I lunged forward, tightly embraced Grandma, pressed down on her hand that was about to grab a yellow talisman to suppress something, and shouted loudly: "Grandma, stop! You're bleeding—I'll take you to the hospital!"

Grandma shook her head, but the blood from her mouth kept flowing more and more.

She returned my embrace, her cloudy eyes' pupils seeming to begin to dissipate, yet still filled with worry: "What should we do? Xiao Jiu, the curse of Wufu Town… the curse has come again, and even Seventh Lord cannot protect you!"

"Xiao Jiu, my poor Xiao Jiu…"

As Grandma opened her mouth, large mouthfuls of fresh blood poured out.

Grandma collapsed into my arms; I supported her with one hand and kept wiping the blood from her lips with the other, tears falling involuntarily, pattering down.

At that moment I finally understood completely: when I entered, Grandma was already beyond help.

She had been awakened by my call, but that was merely a temporary rally.

She had clung to life with the single determination to wait for my return, holding on until now.

But she… ultimately could not hold on.

"Xiao Jiu, where did this come from?"

Grandma suddenly noticed the jade pendant hanging from my neck, grabbed it tightly with one hand, and asked hopefully.

I quickly recounted to Grandma everything that had happened when I returned.

"Heh, those beasts, to capture a person, will do anything!" Grandma swore through gritted teeth, then immediately laughed: "But heaven has eyes—Xiao Jiu meeting the Fox Lord is fate! It's a sign of life!"

"Fox Lord?"

"Yes, that attendant was the one who addressed that man that way."

Grandma seized both my hands, firmly protecting the jade pendant in my palm, and said solemnly: "Xiao Jiu, my time has come; don't grieve—over these past ten-plus years, having you by my side has made me very happy."

"Grandma is leaving; the road ahead…"

She said this, then suddenly stopped, staring at my hair in terror.

I didn't realize when, but my hair had turned completely white.

Strand by strand, my hair was lifted by the Yīnfēng in the main hall, fluttering in the wind; I felt as if something were pressing down on my back layer by layer, making me unable to straighten my waist or exert any strength.

Cold—I felt as cold as if plunged into an ice cellar!

"They're here! They're here…"

Grandma waved her two hands, which were like withered tree trunks, continually striking my back, as if trying to drive away whatever was pressing on me.

But it was useless.

Suddenly, a chorus of ghostly wails and wolf howls erupted in my ears; although I couldn't see those things, I could feel them.

The relentless yin chill kept tearing at the power of my white hair… every bit reminded me that the main hall was full of those things!

Something was stuffed into my hand; I lowered my head and saw it was a bunch of keys.

Grandma finally couldn't hold on; she leaned on my shoulder, her breath like a silk thread, giving her final instructions: "These are all the keys of Dang Pu; keep them safe."

"You must protect that broken mailbox in front of the corridor."

"Choose the green sedan chair, Xiao Jiu, you must choose the green one."

I was completely dazed.

"Broken mailbox? Why protect that broken mailbox?"

"Where did this green sedan chair come from? The sedan chair in the corner isn't bright red, is it?"

"Also, why choose a sedan chair?"

"But Grandma could no longer answer my questions."

"Grandma...... has passed away!"

I held Grandma's icy-cold body and could no longer hold back, bursting into loud sobs.

Grandma!

Grandma who saved and protected me as I grew up……my only relative……is gone.

But before I could recover from the pain of losing Grandma, the clothes on my body suddenly changed.

The originally fitting sports outfit, in the blink of an eye, turned into a heavy Red Wedding Dress.

In the main hall, and even the entire Dang Pu, in the blink of an eye, lanterns were hung and decorations strung, a sea of red.

A sharp, thin singing voice came from outside the courtyard gate: "The auspicious time has arrived, please welcome the bride!"