Everyone was startled.
Even though they were all cultivators, this eerie scene sent chills down their spines!
The burly Da Kui clenched his fists and shouted loudly,
"Who are you? Speak up!
I'm asking, who are you?! Say something or I'll smash your face in!"
"Tell us—how do we get out of here?"
Their leader, Eunuch Zhou Chang, immediately raised his hand to stop Da Kui.
"She can't be harmed," he said calmly. "I tried just now. I threw three spinning needles at her, and they all went straight through—completely useless."
Qin Ming was shocked. He thought, This Zhou Chang really is powerful—he even launched hidden weapons without me noticing.
Standing on Qin Ming's left, Qing Xuan instinctively stepped half a step forward.
It seemed unintentional, but Qin Ming knew: she was using her body to block Zhou Chang's hidden weapons from hitting him.
My little junior sister... not bad at all.
"She—she's gone!" Little Stool cried out again, pointing at the corner. "She disappeared! No cultivator is capable of vanishing like that!"
Qin Ming also realized just how dangerous this spirit realm was.
And if Zhou Chang and the others decided to backstab them... it'd only get worse.
With that in mind, he coldly stared at the four before him and said:
"You all saw it—what appeared just now wasn't human. It was a ghost, a lingering soul formed from resentment and rage.
No matter how strong your weapons or fists are, they won't work on her."
Qin Ming raised his hand.
Whoosh!
A ball of red flame flared to life in his palm.
"But this flame—this is effective against ghosts. I'm warning all four of you—do not try anything funny in this spirit realm.
If either of us gets ambushed for no reason, then we're all going down together!"
Eunuch Zhou Chang immediately put on a smiling face.
"Captain Qin, no need for harsh words. We should focus on escaping together. Personal grudges mean nothing in here!"
Qin Ming waved Qing Xuan forward, and the two moved deeper inside.
Just as he stepped onto the stairs, he felt an icy chill radiating from where the ghost bride had stood.
He hesitated, then decided to head toward the right.
Little Stool looked on, surprised.
"Boss Zhou, that guy's got guts. He actually dares go near where the ghost stood."
"You know nothing," Zhou Chang said. "His gift is fire—pure Yang energy. Of course he's not afraid."
In truth, Qin Ming was terrified.
But he had already assessed the situation: with the ghost bride's power, even his flames might not work.
Back at the Fluorite Courtyard, his fire had little effect on the ghostly scholar.
Arriving at the spot where the ghost had stood, Qin Ming felt the chill pierce his very soul.
It wasn't just cold—it was a bone-deep yin energy, like it had come straight from hell itself.
He gently waved his hand, letting a warm flame light up the area.
There, on the column where the ghost had stood, words were etched:
"Dynamite blasted open the grave."
"Perfume became poison."
"My reading eyes, my eating mouth."
"Heartless man—I only ever wanted a wedding."
Everyone froze, the cryptic words echoing in their minds.
As time travelers, they all understood what dynamite and perfume were.
"It looks like that ghost bride was full of resentment over explosives and perfume... Could she have been tricked by another transmigrator?"
"Has to be! The resentment of natives toward transmigrators turned into a lingering soul—hence this spirit realm."
As they were pondering this...
Suddenly—six red cards floated out from the darkness ahead.
Each of the six took one.
On the front, in bold writing: Wedding Invitation.
Qin Ming opened his.
"Underworld Wedding with the Ghost Bride!"
"Please fill in your information. The bride will choose her groom from among you."
A small brush soaked in ink was already attached to the bottom of the card.
The four looked at each other.
"What now, Boss Zhou?"
"Since we're being asked, just fill it in and let her choose whoever she wants."
Qin Ming picked up the brush.
Name: Qin Ming
Gender: Male
He suddenly thought of something and looked at Qing Xuan.
She had written her name and was about to write "Female" when Qin Ming pulled her arm back.
He pointed to the "Male" he had written on his own card.
Qing Xuan didn't fully understand why, but she trusted Qin Ming.
Following his lead, she marked her gender as 'Male' too.
As soon as the info was filled, a new line appeared at the bottom of each card:
"Give the bride a wedding to remember! You will be richly rewarded!"
Suddenly—
The six wedding invitations floated into the darkness of the inner courtyard.
Ten breaths later—
The courtyard ahead lit up brightly.
Every red lantern blazed with light.
Behind them, in the courtyard where they had just been, the lanterns began extinguishing one by one, as if urging them to move forward.
Zhou Chang was the first to step into the inner courtyard.
The rest followed.
In the center was a table draped in red cloth, loaded with fruits and sweets.
Red lanterns lit up the side corridors, casting an eerie crimson glow.
From time to time, strange giggles echoed around them.
Qing Xuan tugged Qin Ming's sleeve and pointed upward.
He looked up to see four large lanterns slowly floating down from the sky—each covered in writing.
They looked like riddles.
Zhou Chang stepped forward and said,
"Lan Hua, you worked in the palace embroidery house—you should know about lantern riddles. Go take a look."
No response.
"Lan Hua? …Where is she?!"
Everyone quickly turned.
The palace maid Lan Hua, who had been following them just a moment ago, was gone.
Qin Ming suddenly sensed a cold chill to the left.
He quickly conjured a flame and tossed it into the shadows.
The corner was lit up—and everyone gasped in horror.
Lan Hua was hanging from the doorway!
Her tongue hung a foot long, hair disheveled, eyes bulging red, and blood was dripping from her nostrils.
"She's dead! How could she just die like that?"
Little Stool's face turned pale.
"She was at least Body Tempering Stage Eight! How did she die so quietly?"
Da Kui trembled, stunned.
"I've heard that the spirits inside these realms are unimaginably powerful. Even those at the Spirit Channeling stage can die without warning!"
"Forget it. We go forward. One step at a time!"
Qin Ming walked to her side and saw her wedding invitation on the ground.
He picked it up and read it.
Lan Hua had marked her gender as 'Female.'
Qing Xuan marked "Male"—still alive.
Lan Hua marked "Female"—dead.
So, Qin Ming had guessed correctly.
Qing Xuan had seen the same thing.
As Zhou Chang and the others walked ahead, she whispered,
"Why did you stop me from writing 'Female' earlier? How did you know?"
"I guessed," Qin Ming replied. "The ghost bride is looking for a husband. If you mark yourself as female, you're a rival—and probably die on the spot.
Looks like I was right. Lan Hua is proof."
Qing Xuan's eyes showed a flash of gratitude and admiration.
Master was right, she thought.
Qin Ming really is calm and clever.
Even in a deadly place like this, following him… makes me feel safe.