Chapter 118: The Ghost Amusement Park
If Pan Qiping’s death was truly connected to her mother and brother, or even the entire Pan household, then even if they had fulfilled their duties by marrying her off successfully, it was unlikely that things would end peacefully.
Qi Yongyi expressed concern: “We haven’t received any system prompts. I wonder what the real objective of this mission is.”
“Don’t treat it like a mission,” Li Zhi replied. “Fundamentally, it’s just a haunted house. The way haunted houses work is that you pass through the scary areas and exit through the safe exit.”
“So we need to find an exit?”
Li Zhi nodded. “Since there's been no system notification, the most likely way to clear this level is to locate the safe exit. After the ceremony ends, there will be a banquet in the afternoon where we’ll have more freedom. The exit is most likely either at the Pan estate or the newlywed residence. You go back to the Pan estate with Han Wenlin, while I and the others stay at the new house. We’ll split up and search separately.”
Qi Yongyi nodded in agreement.
Red funeral paper money blanketed the entire street.
The wedding procession, playing music and making noise all the way, arrived at the new mansion purchased by Madam Pan for the newlyweds—the Qing Garden. A large red flower hung above the doorframe, red lanterns dangled from both sides of the eaves, and the pair of vermilion doors were pasted with double-happiness characters.
Yet, on each stone lion guarding the entrance hung a white mourning flower.
Stone lions are traditionally used to ward off evil spirits.
Li Zhi glanced at them and stepped down from the carriage.
A bridal sedan resembling a coffin waited at the entrance for her. Ou Wendong stood beside it, trembling as he held the bright-red ancestral tablet, shooting Li Zhi a desperate plea for help.
Li Zhi gave him a helpless look in return.
An elderly nurse approached. “Madam, please enter first.”
Li Zhi took the lead and walked into the Qing Garden.
Behind her, the bearers lowered the sedan. Chi Yi stepped out first—her face pale beyond belief after being nearly suffocated by the stench of decay throughout the journey. She looked utterly miserable, but as the bride’s personal maid, she clearly couldn't just run away yet.
The old nurse came over and said, “Help the young mistress out of the sedan.”
Chi Yi took a deep breath, accepted her fate, turned around, and helped the nurse lift the bride from the sedan.
From the side came You Jingmeng’s exaggerated officiant voice: “Bride steps down, blessings arrive!”
Chi Yi: “…...”
Why is there such a huge difference between people?!
Supported by the nurse and Chi Yi on either side, the bride was led inside. Her brand-new embroidered shoes dragged along the ground, brushing across the scattered funeral money. Ou Wendong followed behind, holding Pan Qiping’s ancestral tablet. With every step, his expression worsened.
When they reached the wedding hall, Li Zhi was already seated at the high table.
Crowds of guests filled the room in multiple layers. On the front wall was a large double-happiness character. Two senior relatives from the Pan family sat on the Taishi chairs, and Qi Yongyi, guided by a servant girl, also took his seat.
Inside, everything seemed joyous and festive. The bride was carried in, her wrists naturally dangling, her head tilted sideways. Her red veil and wedding dress swayed slightly as she was dragged forward.
Beside her, Ou Wendong clutched her ancestral tablet like someone who had lost a parent.
He kept sending desperate signals to Li Zhi, hoping she could think of something. But by now, even if Li Zhi were a god, there was little she could do to rescue him. Any action deviating from their assigned roles might raise suspicion, leading to unknown consequences.
You Jingmeng stepped forward, shoved one end of a red ribbon into Ou Wendong’s hand, and tied the other end to the bride’s dangling wrist. When she saw the dark purple bruising on the wrist, she once again felt deeply sorry for her teammate.
She finished tying it quickly, stepped aside, and resumed her officiant role with a shrill voice: “The newlyweds have arrived! First bow to heaven and earth!”
Chi Yi and the old nurse adjusted the corpse so it faced the entrance direction and bent at the waist. Ou Wendong stood stiffly in place, lips trembling, unmoving.
The old nurse turned coldly toward him: “Groom, it’s time to bow to heaven and earth.”
Ou Wendong instinctively shivered and turned to look at the bride beside him.
Her head leaned toward him as she bowed. The arm Chi Yi supported emerged slightly from under the red wedding gown. He saw patches of rotting skin and smelled the decaying odor wafting out—it overwhelmed his senses completely.
With a loud thud, Ou Wendong threw the ancestral tablet onto the floor and screamed as he ran outside: “I’m not marrying her!!! I don’t want the money anymore!!!”
“Stop him!!!”
The old nurse roared furiously. Several servants rushed out from the crowd—clearly the same ones from the wedding procession earlier. Han Wenlin was among them. Under the guidance of the other servants, they tackled Ou Wendong before he could escape.
Ou Wendong struggled violently, but four men pinned him down firmly. His hands were twisted behind his back, two pressing on his shoulders, rendering all his screams useless.
He tried biting the hand gripping his shoulder but couldn’t reach due to his limited flexibility. Glaring wildly upward, he saw Han Wenlin giving him an awkward apologetic look.
Ou Wendong was devastated, tears and snot streaking his face: “Come on, bro…do you really have to try this hard???”
Han Wenlin whispered an apology: “Sorry, man. This is my role. I can’t help it. Just endure it for a bit.”
Ou Wendong wailed: “Let me go!!! I refuse to marry her!!! Help me!!!”
Even You Jingmeng couldn’t bear to continue officiating, but the old nurse snapped sharply: “Wedding Mistress! What are you waiting for?! Continue!”
Giving Ou Wendong an apologetic glance, You Jingmeng cleared her throat: “First bow to heaven and earth!”
His mouth was forcibly covered, and he was pressed into a bow.
“Second bow to elders!”
Both newlyweds were supported as they bowed toward Li Zhi sitting at the high table.
“Mmm—mmm—” Tears streamed down Ou Wendong’s face, eyes red with desperation, pleading silently at Li Zhi. She gently nodded, offering him a calm, reassuring gaze.
At that moment, he seemed to hear her say: Don’t worry, everything will be okay.
His resistance weakened slightly. The groom panted heavily.
“Third bow—to each other.”
The red ribbon connecting bride and groom dangled midair, swaying slightly. As Ou Wendong bowed, a breeze blew, lifting half of the bride’s red veil.
Ou Wendong saw a rotting face beneath. Pus oozed from spots previously hidden under heavy powder, dried crusts flaking off as she moved her head. One eye had popped open, staring fixedly at her groom—as if judging whether he met expectations.
Ou Wendong shut his eyes tight, legs gave way—and he passed out completely.
“The ceremony is complete!” You Jingmeng almost couldn’t bear to continue. “Into the bridal chamber!”
The unconscious Ou Wendong and Pan Qiping were carried back together to the bridal suite he had stayed in that morning and thrown onto a resting wooden couch.
Pan Qiping’s steel support frame remained intact. Chi Yi and the old nurse lifted her to sit by the bed. The nurse told Chi Yi to hold the corpse upright while she crouched down to adjust the frame. Soon, the corpse was stabilized, sitting upright on the edge of the bed independently.
While the old nurse adjusted the frame, Chi Yi quietly crept over to the couch and pinched Ou Wendong’s armpit hard.
Ou Wendong jolted awake, his scream muffled by a hand clamped over his mouth. Eyes wide with fear, he saw Chi Yi standing over him, signaling him to stay quiet.
Tears welled up in Ou Wendong’s eyes as he nodded repeatedly.
Chi Yi released her grip and whispered urgently near his ear: “You can’t faint. If you do, you’ll be stuck here alone with a ghost bride. The groom is supposed to go out and entertain the guests. Go find Zhizhi—she’ll tell you what to do.”
Ou Wendong nodded frantically.
The old nurse soon finished adjusting the frame. Turning around, she found Chi Yi still by the couch and frowned: “Butterfly, what are you doing here?”
“She woke up,” Chi Yi blinked innocently. “I was checking on her condition.”
Ou Wendong leapt off the couch immediately, glancing nervously at the bride sitting rigidly behind the nurse before averting his gaze: “Yes yes yes, I’m awake! I need to go greet the guests!”
This was indeed part of the wedding tradition, so the nurse didn’t argue further, though her tone remained grim: “You’ve already exchanged vows. Even if you wanted to run, you couldn’t.”
Ou Wendong shivered involuntarily: “I know, I know—I won’t run.”
Without another word, he hurriedly left the suffocating bridal chamber.
The nurse slowly turned back to the bride sitting by the bed. Her expression softened, sadness flickering in her eyes: “Miss, marrying someone like him must have been terribly unfair.”
She bent down to adjust Pan Qiping’s wedding dress, then turned and headed toward the door.
Chi Yi quickly followed. But as she reached the doorway, the nurse suddenly spun around and glared coldly at her: “Where do you think you’re going?”
Chi Yi said, “I… I was going to leave with you…”
The nurse pushed her back inside and said flatly: “You are the bride’s companion. Wherever the bride goes, you go.”
Chi Yi: “?!!”
Oh nooooooo why did I wake Ou Wendong up!!!!
The door clicked shut behind her, and the sound of a lock followed. From the other side, the nurse spoke coldly through the door: “Butterfly, you’ve always been the most loyal. No matter where Miss went, you always wanted to follow. Didn’t you always wish to accompany her on her wedding day? Then keep her company well.”
Chi Yi shuddered violently.
Outside, footsteps faded into silence. Chi Yi leaned against the locked door, heartbroken and helpless, her forehead pressed against the crack for a while before mentally bracing herself.
It’s okay! Zhizhi will definitely come save me! Besides, I'm just a maid—an obedient and loyal one. Surely Miss wouldn’t take me with her forever?
Just as she thought that, a low, eerie laugh echoed within the room.
Chi Yi froze.
She remembered earlier when Qi Yongyi asked her during the bride’s departure if she’d heard anyone laughing bitterly.
She hadn’t heard it then—but she just did now.
Her limbs chilled, Chi Yi slowly turned around.
Inside the crimson-draped bridal chamber, Pan Qiping sat motionless by the bed. Her hands, marred with decay, rested neatly on her lap in a dignified pose. All windows and doors were sealed tight—no wind should have entered. Yet her red veil fluttered slightly without cause.
As if someone had lifted the veil moments ago, revealing a pair of vengeful eyes watching the room’s occupant, only to let it fall again the moment she turned.
Chi Yi’s legs gave out. Sliding down the doorframe, she crouched on the floor sobbing quietly.
Zhizhi… help me!!!