Chapter 25: The Wedding Dress

Hearing me say this, Uncle Hu’s face grew troubled with doubt.

"Qiyue, what are you planning to do? Now that Xiaojun has returned to the realm of the living, you must not do anything reckless."

Uncle Hu looked anxious; he was afraid I would gamble with my own life.

"You’re overthinking it, Uncle Hu. All I need is to borrow your courtyard."

"Borrow the courtyard? Why? If you want to use it, just go ahead."

Seeing Uncle Hu’s nervous expression, I said to him softly:

"Uncle Hu, I intend to use your courtyard to perform the Secret Art of Yin-Yang Tracking."

"What did you say? Is that the lethal art your grandfather often mentioned?"

Upon hearing this, Uncle Hu’s demeanor became instantly tense.

"That lethal art requires the soul to leave the body, traversing both the yin and the yang. You have just offended the soul-reaping emissaries of the Underworld. They will absolutely strike at you."

Uncle Hu knew the dangers of this technique well and did not want me to perform it. For me, having just offended the ghosts of the Underworld, it was indeed far too perilous.

The Secret Art of Yin-Yang Tracking is no ordinary occult practice. It is widely circulated among Feng Shui masters, not because it is particularly profound—in terms of complexity, it doesn't even rank in the top ten—but in terms of frequency of use, it surely ranks in the top five. Its greatest ability is to achieve a state of "reaching the heavens to know fate." A Feng Shui master in this state can find anything they seek; no matter where an opponent hides, they can be discovered.

Although this technique has many benefits, performing it is not easy. The most important requirement is that the practitioner’s profound yang energy must reach a stage of "entering the hall," only then can the Secret Art of Yin-Yang Insight be performed successfully.

Seeing that I was determined to perform the art, Uncle Hu grew agitated. He grabbed my sleeve and said earnestly:

"Qiyue, you must think this through. This technique requires the practitioner’s profound yang energy to reach the 'entering the hall' level; otherwise, there is a high risk of backlash. You are still so young, you must not take such risks!"

Uncle Hu spoke with gravity, clearly not believing I possessed the required level of energy.

"Don't worry, Uncle Hu. I know what I'm doing; it will be fine."

Seeing my firm attitude, Uncle Hu seemed to realize that I had made up my mind. With no other choice, he heaved a long sigh and said to me seriously:

"Fine, fine. You Chen family people are all stubborn. Your grandfather was, and now you are too."

"I know you have made your decision, and no matter how I try to persuade you, it will be useless."

"But you must promise me: as soon as you sense that something is wrong, stop the ritual immediately. Your soul must not be put at risk."

Hearing this, I nodded at him.

I quickly went to the center of the courtyard and used my copper coin sword to draw a large circle on the ground. Once finished, I drove the sword into the center of the circle, then took the snake carcass that had been hanging from the rafters and placed it inside. Following that, I sprinkled a handful of rhinoceros horn powder over the snake and slowly set it ablaze.

Watching the smoke curl upward, I sat cross-legged, pressed my palms together, and closed my eyes. I then projected a sliver of my consciousness onto the dead snake and began to chant:

"Heaven and Earth are natural, evil spirits disperse. Inside the void of the cave, assist my yin and yang. Heavenly Venerables of the Eight Directions, guide my spirit on its journey!"

This was the incantation for the Secret Art of Yin-Yang Insight, the method I would use to track the person behind the scenes. The principle was simple: I would use my consciousness to control the hundred-pace snake and follow it step by step to the culprit. Unfortunately, my cultivation was limited; while my consciousness could follow, my soul could not wander too far from my physical body.

As the incantation ended, my soul slipped from my body, and I felt as if I were entering a dream. My consciousness attached itself to the snake’s body, and the great black snake, bolstered by my presence, began to slither rapidly across the ground. It fled desperately, soon slipping out of the courtyard and heading into the depths of the darkness.

My soul floated in the air, silently observing the black snake as it darted along the ground. The world is vast, but I knew it could only be heading toward one place: the location of the one pulling the strings. Although my soul could not venture too far, I endured the risk of backlash to follow closely behind the black snake.

The snake first circled the Hu family courtyard, as if searching for something. Finding nothing, it began to head toward the mountain not far from Uncle Hu’s house. Could the person who harmed me be hiding in this mountain? I furrowed my brow and gave chase once more.

Although the mountain looked magnificent, it gave me an unnervingly dangerous feeling. As I followed the snake, I noticed that the mountain was covered in countless hollowed-out graves. It appeared as though this had been done intentionally.

Once the black snake reached the mountain, its pace slowed significantly. Especially when it arrived at these grave pits, it refused to move forward, as if gripped by fear. Could this really be the place where the person who harmed Uncle Hu and me was hiding? It seemed far too crude.

However, having not seen the culprit in person, I would not give up. This person had caused me such misery that I had to find them. I gestured with my hands, projecting another surge of consciousness into the black snake. Though the snake resisted, it was forced by my will to move forward reluctantly.

But after moving only a few steps, it suddenly reared up, flicking its tongue incessantly. It had encountered a threat. Seeing this, I projected more of my consciousness into it, trying to bolster its courage. Even so, it remained pressed against the ground, unwilling to budge. Worse still, it buried its head into the dirt, refusing to move another inch.

This scene made me realize the gravity of the danger. Whatever could frighten the black snake like this must be truly formidable. A Yaksha? An Asura? I kept guessing to myself what the creature might look like. At the same time, I cast my gaze into the distance, trying to see what exactly was stopping the snake’s advance.

Floating in mid-air, my gaze swept over grave mound after grave mound. Suddenly, a sight before me left me completely stunned. Sitting atop the largest grave in the depths of the cemetery was a human figure. The silhouette appeared to be that of a woman.

To confirm whether the figure was male or female, I couldn't help but move my soul closer. But the sight that followed made my scalp crawl: the figure was dressed in a bright red wedding gown, and her head was covered with a veil as red as fresh blood. She sat there on the grave mound, looking utterly, chillingly bizarre.

Could this be the mastermind behind the attempts to kill Uncle Hu and me? Is she human, or is she a ghost?