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Chapter 339: The Order of the Exorcism Bureau
Chapter 339: The Order of the Exorcism Bureau
"Hahahahaha..."
Just as everyone was watching the arrival of the red palanquin, their hearts were filled with dread, but suddenly, amidst the joyous sounds, a fierce and maniacal laughter rang out, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
When they looked over, they saw that it was Wei Jia's son-in-law. He had been sitting in a daze at the banquet, but suddenly, he abruptly changed his demeanor. He stood up, laughing loudly, and spread his arms wide. Instantly, a group of little ghosts approached and helped him straighten his clothes.
In everyone's eyes, he had only been a bridegroom, but at this moment, he suddenly transformed, his aura becoming wild and overflowing with a thick, coarse voice, as if carrying an unspoken malevolent energy, staring fixedly at the palanquin. With a cold smile, he spoke:
"A marriage contract on paper seals a fated union, an eight-bearer palanquin carries the bride."
"... "
As he spoke, he suddenly shook his arms, and the little ghosts who had gathered around him to help adjust his collar and accessories were all shaken off. Then, wearing a red collar, he strode towards the palanquin, laughing loudly:
"You said there was no marriage contract, no matchmaker's testimony, and that it was improper and incorrect, only pushing me away with excuses..."
"But now I've found a pair of lovebirds and borrowed their names. Can I finally marry you off now?"
"... "
As he spoke, he had already reached the red paper palanquin. He stretched out his large hand, intending to tear off the hanging curtain of the silent palanquin.
All around, countless little ghosts were overjoyed, playing music and singing.
It was at this moment that Hu Ma, who had been sitting silently beside him, suddenly felt a chill in his eyes, and he understood what the Five Sins Deity was trying to do.
Borrow a marriage!
The Five Sins Deity had his followers burn incense to seal treasures and create malevolence, causing chaos in Mingzhou. But he had his people set up a wedding banquet here, and no one knew his true intentions until this very moment. Hu Ma finally understood the purpose behind all these actions.
He was actually going to get married, and the bride was a phantom. The wedding was held in front of Hu Family's descendants, and he even usurped the ceremonial procession that should have been his.
Using the divine title of 'Five Profits' was already a provocation to the Hu Family.
The recent events were like slapping them in the face.
But instead of direct provocation, he played his moves carefully, even in this marriage. On the surface, it seemed to follow the rules, but it was filled with the intent to provoke.
He was a ghost, and Zhang Aogu was a human. By forcing the marriage, he was breaking the rules, not to mention his usurpation of the ceremonial procession.
So, he set his sights on Wei Jia's son-in-law. Wei Jia's son-in-law and the bride in the well were bound by a grudge. They were properly married with the village as witness. No matter whom Mr. Zheng married, this logic applied, and she held the legitimacy of this marriage.
The reason she, as a wandering spirit, could entangle Wei Jia's son-in-law, who came from a respectable background, was related to this grudge.
The Wei Family only wanted to remove the malevolent energy from their master, but they were helpless. They prayed that someone from the altar would intervene and free their master from this grudge.
This was why they sought help from the Five Sins Lord.
But who would have thought that the Five Sins Lord would appear and use such a tactic? He wanted to take advantage of this grudge to forcefully marry Zhang Aogu, which was not exactly proper. However, to some extent, he was also following half of the rules.
Although the marriage contract was borrowed, it was not under the control of this family, and on the surface, it was enough to deceive some people.
But what was his ultimate goal after doing all these insignificant things? Hu Ma suddenly realized that it was simple: his ultimate intention was to provoke the Hu Family.
In the world of phantoms, there are rules for marrying a phantom. It is a taboo for someone from the altar to forcefully marry a bride during a ceremony.
That would not be a phantom marriage but a malevolent spirit.
But he insisted on marrying, and he wanted to do it in front of the Hu Family using this sinister method. Although it was a borrowed identity, the Hu Family had no say in the matter. So, he not only married but also gained legitimacy!
There was no better way to humiliate the Hu Family, and all the rules of the phantom world were thrown into disarray...
As for Wei Jia's son-in-law...
"Oh dear, please spare my master's life, let my son-in-law go..."
The old servant was already trembling with fear and rushed forward to kowtow.
The Five Sins Lord had said that he could disperse the grudge attached to their son-in-law with just one breath. Now, it seemed that he had spoken the truth.
The grudge that had troubled them for seven days, with no one in Mingzhou daring to intervene, was immediately grabbed and thrown aside by the Five Sins Lord upon his arrival. But the key was... it had attached itself to him! Their master had been entangled by the grudge for a long time, and his body was already hollow, barely hanging on to life.
Now, with such a powerful entity attaching itself to him, how much longer could he live? But no one paid attention to the old servant. Their son-in-law strode towards the palanquin, and when he saw the old servant rushing towards him, he waved his wide sleeves and laughed coldly: "You asked me to help your master get rid of the grudge. Now I've taken it upon myself, and this is the help you wanted, isn't it?"
With a flick of his sleeve, the old servant's hand had not even touched his clothes when he was enveloped by strands of dark energy. Immediately, blood flowed from his eyes, nose, and ears, and he stood there, dazed and silent.
The guards on both sides had originally intended to follow suit and kneel, but upon seeing this scene, they were so terrified that they scrambled away, not daring to move a muscle.
"Huff..."
Just as the son-in-law reached out to lift the sedan curtain, a burst of flames suddenly erupted from within.
His outstretched hand froze, allowing the fire to burn his hand without any change.
The fire quickly engulfed the entire sedan, and the sudden flames even caught the surrounding paper ghosts, who began to jump and flee in all directions, scattering sparks everywhere.
In their escape, they set more people on fire, causing panic. As they ran around, they cried out, "It's bad! It's bad! The bride doesn't want to marry and is setting the house on fire..."
"Evil spirit..."
As the paper sedan burned, it revealed Zhang Aogu sitting inside.
She tore off her wedding dress and held a vessel tightly in her arms, her eyes cold as she stared at the people before her. Hu Ma, who had traveled with her for a month, had always seen her gentle and soft-spoken, but had never seen her with such an icy and indifferent expression.
Facing the son-in-law of the Wei family, or rather, the Five Sorrows Deity possessing him, she clutched the vessel in her arms and spoke sternly, "You are not the Five Sorrows Deity, you are an evil spirit!"
"I'm not here to marry you today, I'm here to collect you!"
"... "
Her voice fell silent, and no one dared to speak, all staring in shock. No one could understand why the bride had suddenly spoken such words.
Even the Seventh Aunt, who was chewing on raw pork, was startled and looked up, exclaiming in admiration, "This girl is so brave and imposing..."
"... "
If she had seen Zhang Aogu's appearance earlier, perhaps things would have been different.
At this moment, Hu Ma looked at Zhang Aogu with admiration and nodded slightly to Xiao Hong Tang beside him.
As Zhang Aogu's angry reprimand and the shocked and panicked gazes of the onlookers fell upon the son-in-law, his face still wore an exaggerated smile.
His expression seemed frozen, yet his smile was exaggerated, making it even more eerie. His voice retained its mocking tone, "The marriage contract was set long ago, do you dare to break it?"
"My mother asked me to invite you because you are the protector of the altar, but you broke the rules first."
Zhang Aogu stared directly at the Five Sorrows Deity and spoke sternly, "By breaking the rules, you must face the punishment of the phantom."
As she spoke, she raised an object, which turned out to be a black bone with cracks on its surface. This was the betrothal gift she had been forced to accept years ago, and the item she needed to summon the Five Sorrows Deity during her exorcisms.
Now, she suddenly threw the bone into the vessel and stared directly at the Five Sorrows Deity, beginning to chant, "Twilight Boundary, Dividing Yin and Yang."
"Mortals and malevolent spirits adhere to rules, the Exorcism Bureau enforces orders, punishment and reward with no mercy."
"The Order of the Exorcism Bureau is here, heaven and netherworld, each adheres to their boundaries, lawbreakers..."
"... "
It was less of an incantation and more of a restatement of a certain law, her voice growing heavier, each word and phrase reverberating through the air, carrying a sense of solemn and heavy power.
The wandering spirits around seemed to be frightened by the incantation, scattering in all directions.
Even the Five Sorrows Deity's face changed, and as the chanting continued, he seemed to be bound by an invisible force, moving forward involuntarily as if the incantation contained a strange power that could pull him into the vessel.
But just as he was about to be drawn into the vessel, he suddenly grabbed the vessel in Zhang Aogu's arms.
Zhang Aogu was shocked and looked up at him in disbelief.
"The Imperial Decree of the Exorcism Bureau?"
The Five Sorrows Deity's smile was now exaggerated, and in it, one could see endless mockery, "Is this the plan you've been preparing for so long to deal with me?"
"You found a broken earthen vessel left by the Exorcism Bureau and thought you could use their decree to make me enter the vessel and be subdued by their methods?"
"Hahahaha..."
He exerted force, and the earthen vessel in Zhang Aogu's arms shattered into pieces.
The shards flew out, pushing Zhang Aogu back several feet, and a piece of the earthenware left a bloodstain on her cheek.
The Five Sorrows Deity's voice shook the surroundings, "The family that owned that vessel is long gone, and the Exorcism Bureau no longer exists. Yet you dare to use their decree to threaten me?"
As he spoke, he reached out to grab Zhang Aogu, and although he was using a human hand, in her eyes, it seemed infinitely large, blocking out the sky. At this moment, only despair remained in her eyes, and she whispered, "Is there really no way?"
"Is there really no one who can subdue this evil spirit?"
(End of Chapter)
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