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Yama's Wedding
As night fell once more, Xue had quietly arrived at Aunt Qiao's home, concealing his presence.
Sure enough, after a short while, Xue saw Aunt Qiao sneaking out alone. He followed her.
After everyone had gone to sleep, Aunt Qiao got up. For some reason, she felt a sense of unease. However, the villagers had clearly been controlled. She thought it would ease her mind to check on things; after all, "he" was her family.
Aunt Qiao lit a lantern and walked quickly, seemingly afraid that someone might be following her. In the pitch-black night, her steps were steady, indicating that she had walked this path many times before. When she reached the back mountain, Aunt Qiao suddenly stopped in front of a tombstone. Xue wondered why she had halted and saw Aunt Qiao slowly bend down. It seemed she triggered some mechanism, and the tombstone split in half, moving apart to reveal a path. Aunt Qiao held the lantern and slowly descended.
Xue hurriedly followed her. As he approached, he noticed the inscription on the left side of the tombstone read: "In memory of my beloved Gao Junjun," while the right side was signed: "Wife Zheng Wang." It seemed Aunt Qiao's maiden name was Wang.
At the end of the path, Aunt Qiao's face gradually became calm, losing the anxiety she had shown earlier.
A roar that resembled a wild beast echoed from afar. As Xue moved closer, he could smell a foul odor; it was the scent of Killing Ghosts. Just as Big Head Ghost had said, there truly was a Killing Ghost hidden here. However, the thick ghostly aura clearly indicated that this was not something that could be emitted by a ghost that had existed for only a decade or so.
At that moment, Aunt Qiao had reached the end of the path where a disheveled man was howling wildly.
Aunt Qiao set down the lantern and slowly approached him, taking his hand—though it could hardly be called a hand anymore. His long, sharp nails glimmered with an eerie blue light under the lantern's glow. Yet Aunt Qiao showed no fear; she gently helped him sit down. "Gao Lang, look at you; you've messed up your hair again. Didn't I tell you to wait here quietly for me to return?" Aunt Qiao moved behind him and began to comb his hair. Soon enough, his hair was tied back neatly. At that moment, Xue finally saw the man's face; perhaps due to long exposure to darkness, his complexion was almost translucent yet still retained an air of elegance.
"Qiao Er, I lost control again just now," the man said as he clasped Aunt Qiao's hand in return.
Xue observed the two before him and realized who this man must be—the owner of this grave and Aunt Qiao's husband. But why had he turned into a Killing Ghost? From what he could see, Aunt Qiao did not seem afraid of her deceased husband at all. However, this Killing Ghost appeared different from those he had encountered before. Surrounding him were many souls that did not seem to reside within him but rather wandered around him aimlessly.
"Gao Lang, it's alright. A new gentleman has come to our village. We can absorb his soul to maintain your power," Aunt Qiao said, gently stroking her husband's face with concern.
"No need for that, Qiao Er. I was meant to be the one who has passed away. Why should you continue to toil in this world for my sake?" Gao Lang comforted Aunt Qiao.
Upon hearing this, Aunt Qiao's expression suddenly changed, her face twisting into a visage more fearsome than that of a vengeful spirit. "No, it is they who deserve to die, not you! Why do they all get to live well?"
Gao Lang sighed. "Qiao Er, let go of the past. Even if we absorb their souls, I cannot remain in this world for long. Lately, I find myself losing control more often, and I fear I might eventually harm you and Tiger. Let me leave like this; as long as you two are well."
It seemed that this Killing Ghost was not as malevolent as one might imagine. Rather, Aunt Qiao appeared to harbor a deep hatred for someone. It was clear that I needed to reveal myself to understand the situation behind this.
With a thought, Xue manifested his form.
"Who?" Gao Lang immediately shielded Aunt Qiao behind him and asked in a raised voice.
"Sir," Aunt Qiao exclaimed in surprise.
Xue looked at the two before him and demanded sternly, "What is going on here?"
Aunt Qiao's face flashed with panic but quickly regained composure. "What do you mean? We don't know anything, sir. Why are you here in the middle of the night?" Despite her efforts to refute, it was evident that Aunt Qiao felt guilty.
"I do not know who you are," Gao Lang said, reassuringly patting Aunt Qiao's hand as he stood up and bowed to Xue.
"The Ten Kings of Hell." As he spoke, Xue released the ghostly aura from his body, instantly forcing Gao Lang to kneel. "You should have met me long ago. Why do you wander among the living and harm innocent souls?"
"What have you done to him? Stop it! What do you mean by this King of Hell nonsense?" Aunt Qiao panicked at the sight of Gao Lang in pain, letting out a piercing scream as she lunged toward Xue.
"Qiao Er, stop!" Despite his immense suffering, Gao Lang still managed to halt Aunt Qiao's actions.
Gao Lang was quite sensible. Xue silently approved of Gao Lang's response; had Aunt Qiao charged forward just now, he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't act against her.
"King of Hell, I will go with you, but please spare Qiao Er. She is innocent," Gao Lang pleaded.
"You will naturally accompany me to the Underworld for reincarnation, but you must tell the truth about this villager's situation," Xue replied coolly.
"Fine," Gao Lang gestured for Xue to sit down. "I'll explain."
In the silent night, within the empty grave, a story slowly began to unfold its hidden side.
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