The Heroine Fell Deeply For Her [Quick Transmigration] 231

Chapter 231: What’s This About Marrying First and Loving Later? 16

Thirty-nine minutes remained until the game ended.

Cries echoed through Lingxiu Village, some clutching the remains of their family members, running around like headless chickens.

Three figures stealthily moved through the darkness, abandoning their lanterns, using the scattered obstacles as cover as they ran towards the sparsely populated area.

They had considered running towards the ferry, so they could escape into the forest or jump into the river to hide if anything happened.

But Liang Chun had warned them that there was no guarantee what might be lurking in the river at night, instantly dispelling their idea of going towards the village entrance.

After much deliberation, they decided to head towards the isolated house.

Their reasoning was that Tao Zi, who had been sent up the mountain, was an orphan and wouldn’t have any living corpse relatives at home. And now that everyone was busy mourning, that place was the most suitable.

So they agreed and headed towards Tao Ning’s house, covering for each other.

Liang Chun hesitated for a moment, but she couldn’t deny that this was the most logical choice.

Thinking that the homeowner might be busy and wouldn’t return so soon, Liang Chun followed the other two.

Finally leaving the bustling central area, the surroundings became quieter, the eerie cries left behind them.

Suddenly, Lin Lu whispered, “What’s that black dot?”

The other two were startled, subconsciously looking up.

In the distance, under the red moon, a figure descended, clothes fluttering, like an immortal descending from the clouds, gracefully landing.

The glowing object beneath her feet was actually a sword. Its tip drew an arc in the air, shrinking and flying into Tao Ning’s sleeve.

The three fleeing tourists froze: “…”

Oh my god, I’ve seen a fairy.

Looking closely, Tao Ning seemed to be holding something in her arms, dressed in red, a head resting against her collarbone, only half of a beautiful profile visible.

Although they couldn’t see clearly, they instinctively felt that this must be a beauty, a lotus-like beauty.

Tao Ning, holding Xuan Miao, walked towards her house, exchanging glances with the three who remained in place.

The fleeing trio: “…” Uh oh.

What should they do now, turn and run, or seek shelter as a sign of goodwill?

Judging by the commotion in the village, it was highly likely caused by her. The legendary big shot who could change the nature of the instance actually existed.

Now she was standing before them, her indifferent gaze falling on their faces, neither happy nor sad.

Just a casual glance made them subconsciously touch their faces, almost feeling self-conscious.

Looking down, their fingertips were clean, then they realized they had already washed off the ridiculous makeup after coming down the mountain.

Yan Wenruo shivered under her gaze, subconsciously forcing a friendly smile: “Haha, just finished working? Who are you holding?”

Tao Ning lowered her eyes, then looked up: “The Mountain God.”

Everyone: “!!!”

The Mountain God?!

She had gone up the mountain and brought the Mountain God down?! They thought she would be killed…

No, this beautiful woman didn’t look anything like the dark little figure in the mural. She was wearing red clothes, like a woman.

Then what was the deal with marrying brides?

But then again, if the female Mountain God wanted to marry a bride, it wasn’t impossible.

As if seeing through their thoughts, Tao Ning said again, “The fake one is dead.”

After speaking, she carried the person into the house, the wooden door closing automatically behind her.

The three stunned tourists’ minds finally started working after a long while. Lin Lu asked, “What did she say?”

Yan Wenruo’s mind was full of buffering symbols: “The fake Mountain God is dead, the one she’s holding is the real one.”

Liang Chun suddenly realized: “I said why the Mountain God’s actions before and after were so inconsistent, so there was a real and a fake Mountain God.”

Then the question arose, after they left, what would happen to the “Mountain God’s Bride” instance?

The real final boss didn’t seem like she could survive Tao Ning.

Lin Lu looked at her watch: “Forget about it, we have thirty-five minutes left before we can leave.”

Even Liang Chun, the most composed one, was shocked: “If there’s a real and a fake Mountain God, and everyone didn’t know, and we helped complete the Mountain God’s wedding so many times, what does that mean?”

What did it mean? It meant they had witnessed the female version of Ning Caichen from the infinite realms? (Ning Caichen is a character from a Chinese folktale who falls in love with a female ghost.)

Inside the house, the red candles on the dressing table spontaneously ignited, two closely embracing figures reflected on the wall.

Tao Ning leaned down, gently placing the person in her arms on the bed, and held her hand to check her pulse.

The person on the bed had her eyes closed, her chest still, the core slowly circulating in her dantian.

After a while, Tao Ning lowered her hand, Xuan Miao’s hands still icy.

Perhaps after fully refining the core, Xuan Miao would also have body temperature and a heartbeat, free to roam the world.

A Ghost King’s cultivation was omnipotent, as long as she willed it, almost nothing was impossible.

Refining the core would take some time, and Tao Ning prepared to go out.

Sitting by the bed, she kissed Xuan Miao’s forehead.

She didn’t have to worry about anyone coming to disturb them. Daring to disturb a Ghost King in cultivation was seeking death.

In case Xuan Miao woke up and couldn’t find her, Tao Ning left a note and straightened her clothes.

The closed door creaked open again, and the figure behind it was still in her wedding dress, stunning even without makeup.

Stepping over the threshold, Tao Ning felt something was wrong and turned to look. Three figures were squatting by the door, sitting side by side.

Tao Ning paused, asking, “What are you doing?”

Why were they squatting in front of her house?

Lin Lu had been fine just now, but seeing Tao Ning again, she started trembling, looking at her watch and replying shakily, “We, we’re waiting for the game to end.”

The other two’s expressions changed slightly, looking nervously at Tao Ning.

They didn’t know which side Tao Ning was on, whether she knew about the world outside this world, and whether there would be any punishment for saying this.

They only subconsciously felt that this place might be safer, so they stayed here to hide.

After speaking, Lin Lu realized she had misspoken, hurriedly adding, “That is, waiting for the bus to pick us up, there’s still some time left, it’s a bit chaotic outside, so we’re waiting here…”

The more she spoke, the softer her voice became, her heart pounding.

Tao Ning remembered this, looking up at the big moon in the sky: “It’s almost time, twenty minutes left before you can log out.”

After this, the “Mountain God’s Bride” instance would cease to exist. What it would become afterwards wasn’t something Tao Ning would consider.

She wasn’t from this world, and her goal had always been only one.

The three nervous tourists: “?” Judging by her tone, did she also know about the outside world?

Was Tao Ning not an NPC in the game world, but a player from the real world?

But if she was a player, why wasn’t she included in the player count displayed in the game? Could she be using some item to hide herself?

Recalling how Tao Ning had always been separate from both the players and the villagers these past few days, her whereabouts and purpose a mystery.

They had been curious before why she was so eager to be chosen as the bride.

Could it be that Tao Ning’s hidden goal all this time was to bring the real Mountain God down the mountain?

Too many questions remained unasked, Tao Ning’s figure already walking away, her strides long and quick.

Thinking that Tao Ning might be different from the other NPCs in the instance, Liang Chun suddenly wasn’t afraid anymore, even having the idea of following her to see what she was going to do.

Liang Chun suggested, “I want to follow her and see, do you want to come along? If not, you can stay here and wait for twenty minutes before logging out.”

Lin Lu, who had survived until now by being cautious, hesitated.

“Fortune favors the bold,” Yan Wenruo understood Liang Chun’s meaning and stood up decisively.

Since she had said so, for the sake of having huddled together for survival these past few days, Lin Lu also wanted to see.

Mainly, she was very curious about the relationship between Tao Ning and the Mountain God, and how the person who was sent up the mountain had come back down.

As the moon reached its zenith, a figure in red walked along the road, her steps steady.

Passing by another house, a few small tails followed behind her, stealthily.

At first, the trio didn’t know where Tao Ning was going, but after seeing the direction, they gritted their teeth and followed.

It was just the ancestral hall, they had just come from there, just going back, what was so difficult about that?

Tao Ning ignored them, walking on her own, the floral embroidery on her skirt fluttering in the night breeze.

Soon, she arrived at the center of the village—the ancestral hall.

There were several paths from her house to the ferry outside the village, but they all had to pass by the ancestral hall.

The villagers’ houses, after years of planning, were all built around the ancestral hall. To show respect for the Mountain God, every planned path would pass in front of the ancestral hall.

Soon, Tao Ning arrived.

There was a wide open space in front of the ancestral hall, where the villagers would gather on special occasions to celebrate.

The long-standing tradition was broken today. The feast that should have been laid out was in disarray, corpses scattered everywhere.

The surviving villagers, some mourning, some still praying before the statue in the ancestral hall, and some wanting to burn Tao Ning, had actually forgotten about Aunt Hua, who was moving in secret.

She had hidden several buckets of kerosene somewhere and poured it everywhere while everyone wasn’t paying attention. By the time the young man noticed, it was too late.

Except for the main hall, where people were present, kerosene had been poured everywhere, and she was standing on a stool, removing the hanging lanterns.

Aunt Hua kicked the young man, who called for help while trying to get up and pull her down, only to receive another kick, the pain leaving him immobile.

The young man: “Come and stop her! Aunt Hua has gone mad!”

Aunt Hua ignored him, throwing a lantern towards the kerosene while Tao Ning was distracting the villagers.

The flames ignited the kerosene on the ground, spreading like wildfire.

The villagers inside hadn’t reacted yet before finding themselves surrounded by flames, their cries even louder than their previous mourning.

“Who set the fire!”

“I don’t want to die, save me!”

“Mountain God, please have mercy and extinguish this fire—”

“Wu Lihua, what are you doing?”

Aunt Hua wasn’t afraid of being questioned by the angry villagers, snatching a torch from someone’s hand.

“Just in time, this is perfect.” Throwing the torch inside, Aunt Hua laughed maniacally, “Burn, burn! Burn this filthy place to the ground!”

“I’ve had enough of this place! Burn it all!”

The young man wanted to stop her but was pushed towards the burning gate of the ancestral hall by the incredibly strong Aunt Hua.

Aunt Hua, a force to be reckoned with: “You’re the Mountain God’s most loyal believer, go and accompany her!”

The young man was finally scared, scrambling away, afraid of being ignited by the flames if he stepped on the kerosene.

But before he could steady himself, someone pushed him, and he fell onto a burning lantern on the ground, the flames catching his clothes and instantly spreading all over his body.

“Ahhhhh—Help me! Save me!”

The young man instantly turned into a human torch, a terrifying sight. Who would dare to save him? They all backed away.

No one helped the burning young man. He stumbled a few steps, knocking over the feast table, setting it on fire as well.

Lin Lu was shocked and amazed: “Wow, Aunt Fire!”

Liang Chun corrected her: “Her name has ‘Hua’ in it, it’s Aunt Hua.”

Yan Wenruo continued to marvel: “The God of War of Lingxiu Village! Aunt Fire!”

Liang Chun: “…” Whatever, they were about to leave anyway.

The flames quickly spread, engulfing other buildings. The first to be affected was the bride’s building.

The ancient wooden building caught fire instantly, the flames rising to the sky, unstoppable, finally collapsing with a loud crash.

The other villagers finally reacted, remembering to put out the fire, but it was too late.

Aunt Hua, facing the burning inferno, let out a long sigh, finally noticing Tao Ning behind her.

She had been so engrossed in setting the fire, unaware that someone was protecting her, otherwise she would have been pushed into the fire by the angry villagers and burned to death.

Aunt Hua’s tearful eyes, blurred by the firelight, finally saw Tao Ning clearly. Wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, she asked, “You’re back?”

After a long pause, Aunt Hua nodded blankly: “It’s good that you’re back, that place isn’t for the living.”

Tao Ning said, “When you were altering the wedding dress, you were willing to let me go, I remember your kindness. Now, I ask you, do you want to leave this place?”

The fire spread, the flames visible even from across the river.

But it hadn’t reached the forest near the ferry yet. Someone was hiding in the darkness, trembling, clutching a lantern tightly.

She didn’t have to worry about the candle burning all night or running out of candles, she had brought many with her before coming out.

The wind carried sounds, but she didn’t dare to listen, because she knew it was the sound of the villagers celebrating and feasting.

In the cold night, her thoughts wandered, wondering what would happen to her mother after she left.

“Crack.” The faint sound of a twig snapping.

Someone was coming.

The slender figure’s heart skipped a beat, and she hid deeper into the forest. She often played here before and knew where the good hiding spots were.

But strangely, this forest seemed endless, no matter how far she walked, she couldn’t find a way out.