Heaven Official's Blessing CHAPTER 6

 

Heaven Official's Blessing 

 BOOK 1: CRIMSON RAIN SOUGHT FLOWER

Ch.6: Ghost Takes a Bride; Crown Prince Mounts the Bridal Sedan

 

One of the sedan carriers wasn’t paying attention and stepped onto an arm. He screamed without thinking, then instantly the entire wedding procession exploded. Good going! A band of people came out of nowhere, whipped out their shining broadswords, and yelled. 

“WHAT’S THE MATTER?? HAS IT COME??” 

It was a huge commotion on the streets. When Xie Lian looked closely, that body with its head severed wasn’t actually a real person, but a wooden puppet.

“Too ugly!” Fu Yao commented again.

The Tea Master just happened to be bringing the copper teapot over. Xie Lian recalled his attitude yesterday, so he asked, “Owner, I saw that group of people banging drums and gongs yesterday, so what’s that they’re doing today?”

“Seeking their own ruin,” the Tea Master replied.

“Hahaha…” Xie Lian wasn’t surprised. “Are they trying to lure out that Ghost Groom?” 

“What else do you think?” the Tea Master replied. “The dad of a missing bride is awarding a great sum of money to find his daughter and capture that Ghost Groom, so that group has been billowing smoke around, all day every day.” 

Fu Yao commented disgustedly, “If I was the Ghost Groom, I’d wipe out this entire troupe for sending such an ugly thing to me.”

“Fu Yao, you’re not speaking as an Immortal should,” Xie Lian said. “And, can you change that eye-rolling habit of yours? Why don’t you set a small target for yourself first, and roll only five times a day or something like that?” 

“Set fifty times a day and it won’t be enough!” Nan Feng said.

Just then, a little youth suddenly poked out from the procession; spunky and spirited, he was the leader, judging by sight. He raised his arm and hollered, “LISTEN TO ME, LISTEN TO ME! It’s completely useless if we keep this up! How many times have we made this trip now in these past few days? Has the Ghost Groom ever shown itself??” 

The group of big men agreed and started to grumble, and that little youth said, “I think, since we started this, we should just do it, and charge right into Mount Yujun. We’ll search the mountain and drag that ugly freak out to kill! I’ll lead the way. Any good, brave men can follow me, kill the ugly freak, and we’ll split the reward money!” 

There were only a small and scattered number of men at first who answered his call, but the voices gradually grew bigger and bigger. At the end, everyone was roaring in agreement, actually sounding rather great in strength. 

Xie Lian wondered, “Ugly freak? Owner, what’s with the ugly freak they’re talking about?” 

The Tea Master replied, “Apparently this Ghost Groom is an ugly creature living in Mount Yujun, and it’s because it’s too ugly that no women love it. Which was why it grew hate from its heart, robbing others of their brides to ruin their happy occasion as a result.” 

The scroll from the Palace of Ling Wen didn’t record this. Xie Lian wondered, “Is that explanation true? Is it not speculation?”

“Who knows,” the Tea Master replied. “Apparently quite a few people have seen it; its entire face wrapped in bandages, with savage eyes. It doesn’t know how to talk and can only growl like a wolfhound. The rumours are bizarre.” 

Right then, a young girl’s voice came from the street. “Don’t…don’t anyone listen to him, don’t go, Mount Yujun is a very dangerous place…”

The one who’d spoken while hidden at a street corner was that girl Xiao Ying, who was praying for blessings at the Temple of Nan Yang last night.

When Xie Lian saw her face, he could feel his own aching, and subconsciously rubbed it.

That youth looked grim when he saw her, and he shoved her. “What’s a little woman doing, interrupting when the big men are talking?” 

Xiao Ying cowered a little when she was shoved, but then she gathered her courage and said in a small voice, “Don’t anyone listen to him. Whether it’s faking a wedding procession or searching the mountain, aren’t you all seeking your own deaths, doing something so dangerous?”

“Well, don’t you make it sound swell,” the youth rebuked. “Us guys are putting our lives on the line to exterminate evil for the people, but what about you? Selfish and greedy, refusing to play the role of the fake bride and get on the sedan, you don’t have half the courage of the citizens here, but now you’re here to obstruct us? What are you scheming?” 

With every word he shoved the girl once, so hard that everyone inside the shop all frowned. Xie Lian looked down and unwrapped the bandage on his wrist while he listened to the Tea Master talk.

“This little mob boss wanted to coax that girl into playing the fake bride before, his words sweet like honey. But the girl refused, so now he’s changed face.” 

On the street, the group of burly men also exclaimed, “Don’t stand there and block our way anymore, move aside!” 

When Xiao Ying saw this, her flat face was flushed bright red, tears rolling in her eyes. “Why…why must you talk like this?” 

That youth continued, “Did I lie? I told you to play the fake bride, but did you refuse?” 

Xiao Ying said, “I didn’t dare to, but, you didn’t have to slash, slash my dress…” 

The moment she mentioned this, that youth instantly jumped as if he was kicked where it hurt. He pointed at her nose, yelling, “You ugly freak, don’t slander people around here! Me? Slash your dress? Are you taking me for a blind? Who knows if it wasn’t you wanting to flash other people, and you slashed it yourself? Who knows if anyone would want to see an ugly face like yours even with a ripped dress, don’t blame this on me!” 

Nan Feng couldn’t bear to listen anymore, crushing the teacup in his hand. Just as he was about to stand up, however, a white silhouette drifted by. At the same time, the little mob boss over there who could hop to three feet tall, yelled then fell on his butt on the ground, holding his face while blood dripped out from between the cracks of his fingers.

No one in the crowd had the time to see what exactly happened before the boy was already sitting on the ground. At first they thought it was Xiao Ying who went berserk. Yet who knew, when they looked at her, they couldn’t actually see her anymore because a white-clad cultivator had come and shielded her.

Xie Lian tucked his hands in his sleeves, not bothering to look back at all, and smiled happily at Xiao Ying, bending slightly at the waist to match her eyes. “My lady, I was wondering if I might have the pleasure of inviting you inside for tea?” 

The little mob boss on the ground over there was feeling excruciating pain from his mouth and nose, and his entire face was in agony, as if he was just whipped brutally by a steel whip. Yet this cultivator clearly didn’t carry any weapons, nor did he see how the man had struck or what he had used to strike. 

He stumbled to crawl up, then brandished his blade and yelled, “THIS MAN USED WICKED MAGIC!” 

When the group of burly men behind him all heard “wicked magic”, they all brandished their broadswords. Yet unexpectedly, Nan Feng suddenly struck with his hand from behind, and CRACK!, a pillar snapped and broke.

Having witnessed such godly strength, the group of burly men instantly lost colour on their faces, and fear was stricken in that little mob boss’s heart. Still, he remained stubborn and shouted at them as he ran away. 

“I’ll concede defeat today, where did you fellow good men come from, leave your names, and we’ll meet again someday…” 

Nan Feng didn’t even care to answer him, but next to him, Fu Yao answered, “Very kind, very kind, this one is from the Temple of Ju…“

Nan Feng struck out another hand, and these two began to spar soundlessly. Xie Lian wanted to invite the little maiden in to sit for a bit at first, order some fruit tea or something, yet she walked off on her own first while wiping her tears. Watching that retreating back, he sighed, then went inside by himself. 

When he went in, the Tea Master said, “Remember to pay for that pillar.”

Thus, when Xie Lian sat down, he turned to Nan Feng. “Remember to pay for that pillar.” 

Nan Feng, “...”

“Before that, let’s focus on the proper business,” Xie Lian said. “Who can lend me some spiritual powers? I need to enter the communication array to verify some information.”

Nan Feng raised his hand, the two clapped hands as an oath, counting it as binding an extremely simple contract. Thus, Xie Lian could finally enter the communication array again.

The moment he entered, he heard Ling Wen say, “Your Highness finally managed to borrow some spiritual powers? Is everything in the north going well? Were the two junior martial officials who volunteered themselves any help?

Xie Lian looked up and glanced at the pillar Nan Feng snapped with his palm earlier. Then, he glanced at Fu Yao who was currently resting with his eyes closed with a cold and distant face. 

He then replied, “The two junior martial officials both have their own values, and are both talents worth nurturing.”

Ling Wen chuckled. “Then we must congratulate General Nan Yang and General Xuan Zhen. On Your Highness’ words, the future of these junior martial officials must be infinite, and will soon ascend themselves.” 

It didn’t take long before Mu Qing’s voice surfaced coolly, “He didn’t inform me of this outing, so let him be. Either way, I don’t know anything.” 

“You really are guarding the communication array all day…” Xie Lian thought.

“Your Highness,” Ling Wen said. “Where have you settled? The north is ruled by General Pei, his worshippers are abundant. So if Your Highness has any need, you can stay temporarily at his Temples of Ming Guang.” 

“There’s no need for the trouble,” Xie Lian replied. “We didn’t find any Temple of Ming Guang nearby, so we settled in a Temple of Nan Yang. A quick question, Ling Wen, about this Ghost Groom, do you have any more information?”

“Yes,” Ling Wen replied. “The result of its rank evaluation was just processed by my palace. It’s a Savage.” 

A Savage!

In regard to the monsters, demons, and ghosts that caused great turmoil within the mortal realm, the Palace of Ling Wen had categorized them based on their abilities. The ranks were as follows: Malice, Menace, Savage, and Supreme. 

“Malice” murdered one, “Menace” could murder a sect, “Savage” could slaughter an entire city. As for the most fearsome “Supremes”, once they were born into this world, they were destined to bring ruin to countries and people, and bring complete disorder to the world.

This Ghost Groom that had been holing up in Mount Yujun was actually ranked a “Savage”, only one level lower than that of a “Supreme”. That meant no one who saw it could withdraw unharmed.

Thus, after Xie Lian exited the communication array and informed the other two of this, Nan Feng said, “What ‘ugly bandaged male’, that’s probably just rumour. Or they saw something else.” 

“There’s another possibility,” Xie Lian said. “Like for example, under certain circumstances this Ghost Groom will not or can not cause harm.” 

Fu Yao said disapprovingly, “The Palace of Ling Wen is so inefficient, taking this long only to come up with a rank, what’s the use!” 

“At the very least, we have an understanding of the enemy’s strength,” Xie Lian said. “But since this is a Savage, then the Ghost Groom’s spiritual powers must be very strong, and a fake puppet can’t deceive it at all. If we want to lure it out, then we can’t cast a camouflage spell on puppets for the wedding procession, and we can’t carry weapons either. The most important thing is, the bride must be a live person.” 

“We’ll just find a woman on the street to use as bait,” Fu Yao said.

Nan Feng, however, rejected the idea. “No.” 

“Why not?” Fu Yao said. “Not willing? Then give them a sum of money, and they’ll be willing.” 

“Fu Yao, even if there are women who are willing, it’s best if we don’t employ this method,” Xie Lian said. “This Ghost Groom is a Savage. If there are any mishaps, nothing will happen to us, but if the bride is kidnapped, a weak lady won’t be able to escape or fight back, so it’s only certain death for her.” 

“If we can’t use women, then we can only use men,” Fu Yao said.

Nan Feng said, “Where are we going to find a man who’s willing to…”

He trailed off, and the two gazed over.

Xie Lian was still sitting there, smiling. “???”

Night-time, the Temple of Nan Yang.

Xie Lian emerged from behind the back of the temple, with his hair down and flowing. The two guarding by the temple entrance looked, and Nan Feng cussed right on the spot, “FUCK!!!”, then charged out.

Xie Lian was speechless for a moment, then said, “Was that necessary?” 

No matter who looked, they could tell with one glance that this was a handsome man with gentle brows. But this was precisely the reason why not many would be able to stand the image of a perfectly good, handsome man wearing a woman’s wedding dress. Nan Feng, for example, couldn’t stand it at all, which was why his reaction was so extreme.

Xie Lian saw Fu Yao was still standing there, scanning him up and down with complicated eyes.

He asked, “Is there anything you wish to say?” 

Fu Yao nodded. “If I was the Ghost Groom and someone sent a woman like this to me…”

“You’d wipe out the entire town, was it?” Xie Lian finished for him.

Fu Yao replied frigidly, “No, I’d kill the woman.” 

Xie Lian smiled. “Then thank goodness I’m not a woman.” 

Fu Yao said, “I think, why don’t you go ask in the communication array now to see if there is any heavenly official who is willing to teach you transformation magic? That’s more realistic.” 

There certainly were several heavenly officials who, due to unique needs, knew transformation magic. However, it was probably too late to learn by now. Over on the other end, Nan Feng came back in with a grim face. He was much more calm after having sworn; this trait of his was truly entirely the same as that general he served. 

Xie Lian saw that it was getting late, and said, “Whatever, it’s all the same when the veil goes on.” 

He was about to put the covering on when Fu Yao raised a hand and stopped him.

“Hang on, you don’t know how that Ghost Groom harms people, so if he raises the veil and feels deceived, then wouldn’t it just provoke unnecessary trouble if he goes into a rage and causes an unexpected outcome?”

Xie Lian thought that made sense when he heard, but then when he took a step, he heard a RIIIPPP.

This red wedding dress Fu Yao got him really didn’t fit that well.

A woman’s form was really much daintier. After he put on the dress, while the waist was surprisingly just fine, he was severely restricted in raising his arms and lifting his feet. When the movement was too wide, the robes ripped. Just as he was looking everywhere to see where the fabric ripped, a voice came from the entrance of the temple. 

“Excuse me…”

The three looked to the sound, and saw Xiao Ying was holding a properly-folded white robe in her hands while standing at the entrance of the temple, watching them with trepidation.

“I remember it was here where I met you, so I wanted to come over to see if I’d run into you again…” Xiao Ying said. “I’ve washed the clothes, I’ll put them here. Thanks so much for yesterday and today.” 

Xie Lian was just going to smile in response when he suddenly remembered his own appearance right now, and decided it was best if he didn’t speak to scare people.

Yet unexpectedly, not only was Xiao Ying not frightened, she took another step forward. “Are you…I can help if you like?”

“...No, my lady, please don’t misunderstand, I don’t have such a hobby,” Xie Lian explained.

Xiao Ying quickly replied, “I know I know. What I meant was I can help you if you don’t mind. You guys…you guys are going to go catch the Ghost Groom, right?” 

Her voice and her expression both lifted instantly. “I, I know how to tailor clothes, I’ve got needles and thread on me at all times, I can help fix anywhere that doesn’t fit, I can even help with makeovers, let me help you!”

“...”

Two incense time later, Xie Lian once again emerged from the back of the temple with his head down. This time, the bridal veil was already in place. Nan Feng and Fu Yao had wanted to take a look at first, but in the end they decided to cherish their eyes. The sedan they called over was already waiting by the entrance of the temple, and the carefully-selected sedan carriers had also been waiting for a long time. 

It was a night where the moon was obscured, and the winds raised. Donned in a brand-new wedding dress, the crown prince thus mounted the bright red bridal sedan.

CHAPTER 7