When Shen Gurong followed the man to the wedding hall, the entire house was in chaos, ghosts floating everywhere, seemingly frantically searching for something.
The man went forward and asked, then quickly returned, frowning. "That spirit has vanished into thin air. They're searching everywhere."
"Vanished?" Shen Gurong thought for a moment. It was likely that Mu Zhe had come and rescued the person; otherwise, it wouldn't have disappeared suddenly before the wedding ceremony.
Thinking this, Shen Gurong breathed a sigh of relief. He nodded and said, "Thank you. I'll go back now."
The man, holding Wanglan's hand, smiled at him and said, "Alright, I'll see you out of the city."
Shen Gurong shook his head: "No need. I know the way out of the city."
After he finished speaking, his heart suddenly pounded violently.
Shen Gurong stood there blankly, his face full of confusion.
Knows the way out of the city?
This was just an unfamiliar city, so why...did he know the way?
From childhood to adulthood, when had he ever been able to remember a route after only walking it once?
Shen Gurong suddenly felt fear; even his pupils darted violently. He stammered, "I...I don't know the way. I can't remember any roads. Please...take me out."
The man looked at him worriedly and nodded, "Okay."
Shen Gurong walked forward silently, silently reciting in his mind.
"Go two blocks ahead, turn north, enter the main road, and you'll reach Lantern Street. Cross the long street, and you'll reach the city gate."
The man led him two blocks and turned north.
Shen Gurong stopped, standing at the street corner, staring blankly at him.
The man was laughing and talking to Wanglan. Not hearing the footsteps, he turned around and saw Shen Gurong standing there in a daze. He smiled and asked, "What's wrong?"
Shen Gurong stammered, "You...did you go the wrong way?"
He shouldn't remember the way, nor should he have remembered the right way.
The man smiled and said, "You haven't gone the wrong way. We'll reach the city gate after we cross Lantern Street. It's easy to find your way."
Shen Gurong's pupils constricted, and he staggered back a few steps, muttering, "No, no."
He muttered "no," then turned and ran back.
No.
Nothing was right.
Nothing was right.
This was a ghost town he'd only visited once. He shouldn't know the way around so well, as if…
He'd lived here for a long time.
Completely ignoring the man's shouts behind him, Shen Gurong walked forward, quickly returning to the noisy wedding hall.
The master of the house was frowning and cursing the damned spirit, while the woman in the groom's attire beside him frowned, seemingly full of regret.
Shen Gurong stared blankly.
This was right.
An unfamiliar mansion, unfamiliar ghosts, unfamiliar… strange customs.
He was out of place with everything here; this was the right way.
He stood in the middle of the road, staring at the house directly ahead, trying to force himself to accept and acknowledge that this was not a place he knew, using the cruel image of ghosts forcing living souls to their deaths.
Until the man quickly caught up.
The man looked gentle, but his anger was inexplicably terrifying. He barked, "What are you doing here?! Didn't I tell you, the living soul you're looking for isn't here?! Why won't you listen?"
Shen Gurong stared at him, terrified, unable to utter a word.
The man noticed people were looking at them strangely. His face darkened, and he grabbed Shen Gurong's hand, pulling him forward, trying to get rid of him before others noticed him.
Shen Gurong stood there, stunned, letting him pull him along.
But they hadn't gone far when a voice suddenly came from behind: "Wait!"
The man ignored him, still dragging Shen Gurong along.
But soon, people caught up with them, and countless ghosts surrounded them.
Shen Gurong's eyes widened suddenly. He staggered, then threw himself into the man's arms, clutching his clothes tightly, his whole body trembling.
"Save me..." he sobbed, "I'm scared..." Shen Gurong was more afraid than ever before.
But this time, his fear wasn't of the ghosts surrounding him.
It was of something... a truth that was about to burst forth from his heart.
The man, thinking he was frightened by the scene, quickly held him close, shielding his face from the hideous, vengeful spirits.
He coldly stared at the ghosts before him and said, "What do you want?"
The owner of the house, dressed in a black burial shroud, glared fiercely at the man, his face as depicted on the paper, showing no sign of weakness. "The one in your arms, isn't that the escaped soul from our manor?"
The man frowned, his voice sharp. "No, you've mistaken him for someone else."
The owner of the house sneered. "In all my years in Fengdu, I've never seen anyone like him. And it just so happens that a soul has gone missing from our manor. What a coincidence!"
The man had no intention of wasting words with them; he only wanted to leave with Shen Gurong.
Several ghosts dressed as servants floated in front of the two, blocking their path.
Shen Gurong trembled, his body going limp as he was held tightly in the man's arms, refusing to look at the eerie human face.
Seeing how protective he was of the living soul, the mansion owner coldly said, "If you say he's not a living soul, then tear off his face and let me see. In all our years in Fengdu, no one remembers their own name, face, or even their memories. If there's a real face beneath that 'face,' then he is the living soul lost from my mansion. You must hand him over to me."
In truth, there was no need to see the face. Once the paper face was torn off, the aura of a living soul would emanate from him, allowing these ghosts to recognize him at a glance.
Shen Gurong's legs grew weaker and weaker, almost slipping out of the man's arms. He clutched his clothes tightly, his eyes wide and blank, his gaze unfocused and unfocused, tears streaming down his face.
The tears soaked his features, the tears of a living soul gradually dissipating his aura.
In an instant, the ghosts completely surrounded him, determined to capture the escaped bride.
Shen Gurong could see nothing, only a chaotic blur before his eyes. It seemed someone was desperately tearing at his clothes, and the wails of ghosts echoed in his ears, as if slowly dragging him down to hell.
But amidst the chaos, someone still gripped his arm tightly, the icy touch spreading throughout his body, slowly pulling him out of the swamp of despair.
After struggling and fretting for an unknown amount of time, he was finally pulled out of purgatory by someone, dazed and confused.
The screams of vengeful ghosts still lingered in his ears, mixed with the cries of a child.
"Please, no."
"They're all dead..." Shen Gurong suddenly opened his eyes, taking a long time to regain his senses.
The man, disheveled and exhausted, had already dragged him to the entrance of Fengdu. He was panting, pushing him towards the door, saying, "Go, go...go!"
Not far away, Wanglan was fiercely blocking the ghosts trying to follow, the wailing of an infant echoing in Shen Gurong's ears.
He stared blankly at the man before him, who was intently watching him, and suddenly asked, "Do you recognize me?"
The man hesitated for a moment before replying, "I've been dead for over a hundred years; I no longer recognize living souls."
Even if he did, he wouldn't remember.
Shen Gurong continued to stare blankly at him, and asked again, "Do you recognize me?"
"Do you recognize me?"
The man looked at him strangely. Seeing the ghost about to catch up, he hurriedly urged, "You should leave first; it's dangerous here."
Shen Gurong asked blankly, "If I leave, what will they do to you?"
It seemed that ever since he realized he could recognize the paths of this ghost city, he had been in a daze, as if dreaming, yet also as if he were consciously escaping reality.
He oscillated between dreams and reality, the tug-of-war becoming so intense that it completely muddied his mind.
The man was surprised by his question, pausing for a moment before smiling and saying, "I'll be fine."
That's right, a ghost is already dead; it can't die again.
The man seemed to enjoy smiling, but when his expression turned grim, it could make Shen Gurong's legs go weak.
Such a good ghost, if left here…
Those ghosts who even killed living souls to get married, how could they be harmless?
If Shen Gurong left, who knows what would happen to the man and Wanglan.
Shen Gurong stood there stunned for a long time. Just as the man was about to urge him to leave, he suddenly raised his hand slightly. The ghost struggling to pounce on him in the distance seemed to be under some kind of pressure, collapsing to the ground, unable to get up no matter how hard it struggled.
The man turned around in surprise.
Shen Gurong stared at the paper-drawn face, his voice trembling, yet still clinging to a last glimmer of hope, he said hoarsely, "You saved me, I can do anything for you."
The man looked at him in astonishment, seemingly not expecting that the person who had just been crying and saying he was afraid was actually a cultivator of extremely high power.
Knowing he wouldn't be forced into marriage, the man finally breathed a sigh of relief. He called Wanglan back, straightened his disheveled clothes, and looked at Shen Gurong with a hint of expectation.
"Anything?"
Shen Gurong nodded.
The ghostly eyes in the paper-drawn face seemed to gleam, as if after struggling in despair for years, they had finally found a lifeline.
He hesitated, then felt that he hadn't done anything, and the other person didn't need his help; to accept such a favor without merit was too shameful.
Just as he was about to refuse, Wang lan spoke up directly, "My father is looking for my uncle."
Wanglan's figure was even smaller than that of an infant, as if he were a child forcibly born before he was even a month old.
Shen Gurong suddenly thought of his sister-in-law, who was only seven months pregnant.
His lips trembled as he asked, "Uncle?"
Wanglan looked at her father expectantly, tiptoed, and took his hand, swinging it back and forth, saying in a childish voice, "Daddy, tell me quickly! Haven't you always wanted to leave Fengdu to find Uncle?"
Shen Gurong looked at him, confused.
The man sighed helplessly, flicked Wanglan's brow with his finger, and chuckled, "Nonsense, how can you cause trouble for others unnecessarily?"
Wanglan covered his head with his small hands, looking aggrieved. "But he said he could do anything."
The man smiled apologetically at Shen Gurong and said, "If it's not to trouble you, I do have a favor to ask."
Shen Gurong's lips moved as if he had anticipated something, but he couldn't speak. After a long while, he finally managed to say in a hoarse voice, "What is it?"
The man said, "I've been looking for my younger brother and sister. They went to the lantern street to see the lanterns."
He didn't remember his name, had no memories of his past life, and even his current memories were chaotic. Yet, from some unknown source, he still remembered his lost younger brother and sister who hadn't returned home.
He only remembered that his younger brother and sister hadn't come home. He never considered that they were dead or had already escaped Fengdu. Every day, he would carry a small lantern and search street by street, trying to light the way home for his brother who couldn't find his way.
Day after day, year after year, all he ever wanted was to find his younger brother and sister and bring them home.
"My younger brother's name is Shen Gurong, and my younger sister is Shen Xiwu."
The man… Shen Fuji said gently, seemingly a little embarrassed, "I'm sorry, I… I don't remember what they look like, so finding them might be a bit troublesome."
Shen Gurong's mind went blank for a long time, staring at him blankly.
Shen Fuji looked at Shen Gurong politely yet distantly, his eyes filled with undisguised joy and gratitude: "If you can help me find them, I can do anything for the Immortal Lord."
T_T
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