The Heroine Fell Deeply For Her [Quick Transmigration] 219

Chapter 219: What’s This About Marrying First and Loving Later? 4

Tao Ning was about to speak, but Xuan Miao raised a hand to stop her.

“Wait a moment.” Xuan Miao’s figure flickered, appearing before Tao Ning in an instant, her exquisite face close at hand.

Tao Ning wasn’t startled by this sudden movement. Her eyes reflected the other person’s image as she waited quietly.

A moment later, Xuan Miao raised her wrist, her wide sleeve sliding down her snow-white arm. Her cold, lifeless fingers came together, touching Tao Ning’s forehead.

A clear, flowing voice echoed in Tao Ning’s mind, Xuan Miao’s voice: “First question, how did you get in?”

Her voice, transmitting directly into her mind, no longer stuttered. The figure standing before her had icy eyes, truly possessing the ruthlessness of a Ghost King.

Seeing her serious expression, Tao Ning thought she was pondering something grave, but it turned out she was just thinking about what to ask.

Holding back laughter with great effort, Tao Ning said, “I just walked in. The bamboo forest is dark, so I carried a lantern to find my way, and I found you.”

As she spoke, Tao Ning showed Xuan Miao the lantern. She was also curious why the lantern only worked at night.

Lantern?

Xuan Miao then noticed the red candle inside Tao Ning’s lantern. The lantern itself looked ordinary, but wasn’t the inextinguishable red candle the same as the ones all over the ground?

Talk about not tidying up and having your candles stolen, and then having someone break into your house using your own things.

Xuan Miao, experiencing this kind of formation-breaking for the first time: “…”

She couldn’t help but look at her other free hand, smooth as white jade, without a trace of blood or any lines, thinking about how long she had been asleep, her power declining to such an extent.

Tao Ning added, quite fearlessly, “Let me just say, this isn’t stealing. The fact that I could get in means we’re fated.”

The slow-witted Xuan Miao couldn’t find the right words to respond for a moment: “…”

Her two fingers touched Tao Ning’s forehead, the icy, glass-like fingertips gradually warming with Tao Ning’s body heat.

She could even feel the softness of human skin, the blood flowing beneath it. Just standing there quietly was a great temptation to Xuan Miao.

She almost wanted to retract her hand, but she hadn’t finished asking her questions.

The silence only lasted a few seconds, but these few seconds made the observing 520 feel subtly nervous. After all, onlookers see more clearly.

It wasn’t clear whether Tao Ning saw the female lead as no different from the red mushrooms in the cave, but 520’s electronic eyes could see Xuan Miao radiating a dangerous red light, her gaze at Tao Ning not at all like looking at a fellow being, but more like looking at a delicious dinner.

I only have one host, logging in is very expensive, please eat sparingly QAQ

Tao Ning dared to say what 520 didn’t dare to watch, its little heart pounding: [Aren’t you afraid she’ll eat you in a fit of rage? This small world’s female lead isn’t a true, kind, and beautiful protagonist, she’s a red-clad Ghost King!]

After all, she was a Ghost King, one who hadn’t become a Ghost King by eating many people or cultivating for many years!

Tao Ning was very calm: “If she eats me, just consider it as nourishing her body. How suitable I am for her now, like a nourishing wild ginseng.”

520: […] Who taught you to describe yourself like that?

It still wanted to persuade its host to cherish the identity she had spent points to generate, but Tao Ning retorted with, “Don’t worry, I have my own rhythm,” silencing it.

These words sounded familiar, like something seen on a certain type of emotional forum post.

Freezing for a second, 520 suddenly realized.

So someone was having a love-struck relapse again, unrequited love turning into a yandere obsession, not truly becoming a fool after being assimilated by the generated identity after transmigrating.

Among those present, Xuan Miao was the slowest to react.

Her eyes suddenly turned red, and she grabbed Tao Ning’s collar, pulling her closer, a terrifying aura spreading. Threatening words echoed in Tao Ning’s mind.

Xuan Miao’s tone was icy, filled with killing intent: “Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?”

Tao Ning’s expression was open and honest: “To die for love, I’m willing.”

“…” Xuan Miao, whose mind was filled with murderous intent, went blank, immediately letting go, even taking a step back.

Tao Ning, on the other hand, stepped forward, reasoning, “I want to marry you because I want to be with you. It doesn’t matter how, even if you eat me, that’s fine. Then we’ll be together forever.”

Words like the whispers of an evil spirit echoed in the cave: “This way you’ll never forget me.”

Xuan Miao: “……” For a moment, she couldn’t tell who was the evil spirit.

How could someone say such nightmare-inducing things to a ghost?

Unable to bear it any longer, Xuan Miao raised her hand: “Don’t come any closer!”

Countless red candles flickered without a breeze, as if picked up by invisible hands, piling up into a red wall in front of Tao Ning, preventing her from approaching.

In the blink of an eye, a wall of red candles appeared before Tao Ning. She pushed hard with her fingers, still able to see the figure behind the candles through the gaps, as if trying to avoid her.

The seemingly fragile candle wall wouldn’t budge. Tao Ning had to give up, saying regretfully, “Why are you doing this to me?”

Xuan Miao didn’t speak, but her expression clearly conveyed one meaning — to you, I have to.

520’s sharp commentary: [It’s like she’s afraid of slapping you, and you’re kissing her palm.]

For a Ghost King to act like this, it was excessively gentle.

Tao Ning, however, said, “That’s strange.”

It was said that rivers and mountains could change, but one’s nature was hard to alter. Could it be that after sleeping for a period of time, isolated from the world, she had changed from a wicked person to a righteous one?

520 didn’t understand, asking: [What’s strange?]

Tao Ning: “A weakened Ghost King, why wouldn’t she eat me? Isn’t me delivering myself to her door a good opportunity? I can also repeatedly log in, returning as different identities to find her, an endless refill.”

[…] 520 couldn’t take it anymore, [Please, stop with the yandere act, your Sister Ghost King isn’t buying it.]

After being eaten, she could become another person and come back to find the female lead, letting her eat her again. Even as the female lead, she couldn’t handle this scene.

Confirming the other party’s thoughts, Tao Ning restrained her attitude, no longer eagerly seeking to be eaten: “Since you’re unwilling to eat me, it proves that you definitely have preferences in taste. Could it be that you really like someone like Sister Xiao Zhen, planning to start on your wedding night?”

Xuan Miao’s face was numb. She didn’t know why things had suddenly turned into whether or not she would eat Tao Ning. Hearing the latter part, she finally reacted, removing the red candles.

Her cold fingers touched Tao Ning’s forehead again, the familiar voice following: “Who is Xiao Zhen?”

Tao Ning said, somewhat unhappily, “The bride the villagers chose for you, you’ll be marrying her in a few days up on the mountain.”

Xuan Miao: “…?”

Xuan Miao’s fingers pressed slightly harder: “Marry me?”

Tao Ning: “You marry a wife every year, you have countless wives, have you forgotten?”

The Mountain God Festival was held annually, the game played every year. Only after the Mountain God married a bride could the following year be guaranteed to be peaceful and prosperous, with healthy people.

This was the ancestral teaching that Tao Zi, and even the villagers of Lingxiu Village, had memorized for generations. She had witnessed the Mountain God’s wedding many times before.

A qualified bride would be dressed in bridal clothes and sent up the mountain, surrounded by villagers holding torches high, the firelight forming a winding fire dragon on the mountain path.

Only on the day of the Mountain God Festival could the villagers of Lingxiu Village travel at night without lanterns.

Everyone said this was the Mountain God’s grace.

Xuan Miao saw these scenes. She also saw the beautiful bridal sedan chair, a terrified bride in elaborate clothing sitting inside the small sedan chair, the beautiful, fiery red wedding dress draped over her like she was on fire.

She couldn’t see the scenes after that. Tao Zi followed the crowd down the mountain, leaving the bridal sedan chair behind.

Because after delivering the bride, the villagers couldn’t stay, they had to leave quickly, not disturbing the Mountain God as he welcomed his bride.

But Xuan Miao saw that the place where the bridal sedan chair landed was right in front of her cave in the bamboo forest.

“Me?” Xuan Miao pondered, trying to remember.

But the more she tried to remember, the more her head hurt, a pain that felt like her soul was splitting apart, as if a piece had been forcibly dug out.

Tao Ning’s voice came from afar, as if separated by a layer: “Lingxiu Village is currently preparing for the Mountain God ritual, bustling with choosing a bride. The wedding dress has already been placed in the ancestral hall for worship, imbued with incense.”

“Lingxiu Village?” Since yesterday, Xuan Miao had felt that this name was familiar, giving her a sense of intimacy, but she didn’t know why she couldn’t remember anything about it.

Tao Ning: “Aren’t you the Mountain God of Lingxiu Village?”

Xuan Miao, however, said: “I am.”

She admitted that she was the Mountain God. This was one of the few things she was certain of after losing her memory.

Even if she forgot everything else, she wouldn’t forget that she was the Mountain God. This knowledge was almost engraved in her soul.

Tao Ning suddenly interrupted her: “You’re the Mountain God, you need to marry a wife, why can’t it be me?”

“…”

The unexpected turn in the conversation made Xuan Miao choke. The sharp pain in her head suddenly subsided. At this moment, she felt that the stubborn village girl in front of her was the more headache-inducing matter.

Then, she once again cruelly rejected Tao Ning’s proposal, snatching the red candle from the lantern and sending her out.

Tao Ning carried the unlit lantern, her face helpless: “So stingy, even taking back the engagement gift.”

Only the cool wind answered her, ruffling her hair, urging her to leave quickly. Tao Ning shook her head and sighed, “Her temper is still so bad, getting angry at the slightest provocation.”

After saying that, she carried the lantern and left along the path. She had gone up the mountain early today, and when she walked out of the bamboo forest, it was still bright, so she didn’t need the lantern for now.

A figure appeared in the lush forest, suddenly stopping, taking out a lit red candle from behind her and skillfully placing it back into the lantern.

Tao Ning wasn’t stupid. She knew Xuan Miao would definitely take the red candle, so she had hidden another one.

Carrying the lantern, she walked along the overgrown path, a murmur carried away by the wind, disappearing into the rustling leaves.

“She’s the Mountain God, she has to marry anyway, who she marries doesn’t matter, why can’t it be me?” Tao Ning actually had another answer in her heart, but she wasn’t in a hurry to say it.

The Mountain God, completely unaware that another candle had been taken from her, was once again looking at the murals in the cave. After the commotion, the cave fell into a deathly silence, just like in the past years.

She was so quiet that she almost blended in with the murals on the wall, becoming the most striking mark on the yellowed canvas.

Down the mountain, chaos had erupted. The death of their companion last night had dealt a heavy blow to the tourists.

The first to die was the motorcyclist in his riding suit. Last night, he had gotten up to go to the toilet, and in his drowsiness, he had forgotten the rule of never letting go of the lantern.

The beings that had been lurking in the fog finally seized the opportunity, swarming over him.

That scream had come from him, but everyone had been hiding in their houses last night, no one daring to come out to check. The villagers also showed no reaction, as if they hadn’t heard the scream.

It wasn’t until daybreak, when the white fog dispersed, that people gradually came out to investigate.

Only a pool of black blood remained where the scream had originated, nothing else left.

Something was left beside the pool of blood on the ground – a half-chewed motorcycle glove, blue and black, identical to the one the motorcyclist had been wearing yesterday.

Not far from the bloodstain, they found an extinguished lantern.

The village chief said in an aged tone, “He didn’t follow the rules, letting go of the lantern at night, and was punished by the Mountain God.”

Under the fear, suppressed anger erupted: “A living person died, and you have no reaction? What Mountain God, this is clearly being dismembered by a ghost!”

The surrounding villagers frowned at these words, casting disapproving glances at him, looking at him like he was a dead man.

The male student continued, “I’ve had enough, the teeth marks on the gloves are clearly from human teeth…”

Before he could finish, Liang Chun stepped in and pulled the angry male student back: “Don’t be impulsive, don’t forget where we are, do you want to die?”

Her words were like a basin of cold water poured over the male student’s head, instantly chilling him to the bone.

Everyone was the same. Their newly ignited anger was extinguished, leaving only fear.

Someone had died on the first day, and died so horribly. How were they going to survive the remaining days?

The village chief led the villagers away. They still had to continue preparing for the Mountain God Festival six days later and couldn’t stop for anything.

The pool of blood remained, a testament to the disappearance of a life, a warning to everyone to never let go of the lantern.

“Today we’re going to the ancestral hall to take a look, but remember, never enter a temple alone. Don’t go to the ancestral hall alone. The ancestral hall of Lingxiu Village worships the Mountain…” Liang Chun said.

She looked around, observing everyone’s fearful or pale faces, her brow furrowing slightly, “Lei Ge went out for something, nine people left, eight people remaining, why are there only seven people here?”

The remaining people looked at each other. The man in the suit said, “Xiao Pang, who lives in the same house as me, didn’t come. He said he was hungry this morning, and the homeowner said he needed to work for food, giving Xiao Pang two steamed buns. He ate them and left.”

A bad premonition flashed through Liang Chun’s heart: “What did the homeowner ask him to help with?”

The man in the suit recalled, “He seemed to say that he needed to make a coffin for the homeowner’s seriously ill father, so he went up the mountain to chop wood.”

Seeing Liang Chun’s strange expression, the female student asked cautiously, “Sister Liang, is something wrong?”

Liang Chun shook her head, saying lightly, “Nothing, that family does need a coffin.”

The Taoist priest didn’t join the crowd but wandered around the village alone.

Lei Ge sought out the aloof Taoist priest. He introduced himself as Chu Que, getting straight to the point: “Your name is Chu Que? I’ve never heard of this name on the forum. But the way you arrived is unusual, which team are you a member of?”

Chu Que looked confused: “What team? I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

Lei Ge didn’t give up: “Then who are you? Why did you come to Lingxiu Village?”

Chu Que took off the long sword on his back, drawing it out. It turned out to be a peach wood sword. He said solemnly, “I’ve already made my purpose clear yesterday. I’m here to eliminate evil. There’s an evil ghost on the mountain. As a cultivator, I can’t ignore it, I must kill it.”

Lei Ge’s heart sank. He had heard that even when taskers weren’t in the game world, time in the instance still flowed, and unexpected things could happen.

As luck would have it, they had encountered such a situation. He hoped this unexpected Taoist priest wouldn’t cause them any trouble.

But they could leave as long as they completed the Mountain God’s wedding. This Taoist priest, who had appeared out of nowhere, was clamoring about eliminating evil.

If he angered the Mountain God… wouldn’t they be caught in the crossfire?

Lei Ge’s gaze at Chu Que changed slightly. Before figuring out the other party’s strength, he still didn’t dare to act rashly.

Suddenly, Chu Que shouted in a direction: “Who’s there?”

Lei Ge also looked in that direction. The end of the street was empty, there was no one there.

Chu Que couldn’t wait any longer, sheathing his sword and striding forward.

“Wait, what did you see?” Lei Ge also chased after him, and both of their pupils constricted at the same time.

A middle-aged man of average build was carrying two axes on his back, his hands also full, dragging something in each hand.

His left hand held an upper body, his right hand dragged a lower body. His slightly plump body was separated at the waist, as if he had been cut in half by something heavy and was being dragged back step by step.

His exposed innards were covered with grass and mud. The person they had seen alive yesterday was now, in the eyes of the villagers, like a dead pig dragged back from a slaughterhouse.

The villager gasped, putting down the two halves of the body, and beckoned: “He was standing in the wrong place and got crushed. I remember this is your friend, right? Do you want to take him back?”

Chu Que was about to answer, but Lei Ge quickly interjected: “No, you can deal with it.”

The villager’s face lit up with joy, a smile appearing on his stiff, numb face, looking extremely creepy: “Alright then, that saves me the trouble.”

Finishing his words, he dragged away what he was holding with his thin, dry hands, the dragging sound echoing again.

The two didn’t look in the direction the villager left, but looked to the other side.

Two distinct, blood-red trails were left where the villager had passed.

Shaking off the Taoist priest in blue, Tao Ning arrived in front of the ancestral hall, looking up at the plaque without noticing anything unusual.

She didn’t intend to enter the ancestral hall, instead turning towards a small wooden building nearby. As expected, its doors and windows were tightly shut, a copper lock hanging on the door, only openable with a key.

The bride-to-be lived in this small building. Every bride would live here until her wedding day.

The bride chosen this time was named Xiao Zhen.

Xiao Zhen was doing needlework in her room, making a matching sachet for her wedding dress.

The young woman was dignified and composed, seemingly full of anticipation for her upcoming wedding, a faint smile on her lips as she hummed softly.

Since she was very young, the village chief had told her that she would become the Mountain God’s bride, and everything about her was prepared for becoming the Mountain God’s bride.

For a long time, she had yearned to become a bride, wearing elaborate wedding clothes, sitting in a bridal sedan chair and being carried up the mountain, although later…

“Knock, knock, knock.” Lost in thought, Xiao Zhen was interrupted by the knocking on the window.

She put down what she was holding in confusion and got up to open the window.

Tao Ning leaned on the windowsill, giving her a smile: “Xiao Zhen, how about I become the Mountain God’s bride in your place?”

She had already thought it through. With the veil covering her face, who could tell who was inside?

It would also be a good opportunity to figure some things out.

“…?”

Unexpectedly, Xiao Zhen trembled with anger, pointing her arm outwards, “Get out! I won’t let you steal my wedding!”

This time, it was Tao Ning’s turn: “…?”