The matter was thus settled.
Once the old woman left, Su Su closed the door and asked Tantai Jin, "What mischief are you planning now?"
"Wasn't it you who wanted to help the villagers? How did it become my scheme?"
"Are you curious about that Young Master Wang?" Su Su guessed. "Do you want his eyes?"
Tantai Jin glanced at her with a faint smile. "If you say so."
Hearing this, Su Su grew uncertain. After all, from what she knew, eyes blinded by the Profound Ice Needle would have cold energy permeating the sockets. Ordinary eyes transplanted into them would rot within a month at most.
Mortal eyes wouldn't work, and the eyes of demonic creatures, being tainted with heavy impurities, were even less suitable.
Given Tantai Jin's enthusiasm, Su Su couldn't help but suspect he was up to no good.
Tantai Jin said, "Young Master Wang's people will come to the village tonight to fetch the bride. When the time comes, you disguise yourself as the bride, get into the wedding sedan, and we'll go to the Wang residence to investigate."
Su Su retorted irritably, "In my opinion, it'd be easy for me to enter the Wang residence, but you—with your tendons and meridians severed—why don't you play the bride instead? The bride only needs to sit and will even have people supporting her."
Su Su expected him to be angry, but to her surprise, Tantai Jin pondered for a moment and replied calmly, "Fine, I'll do it."
Su Su: "..."
In her hundred years of life, she had never met anyone like Tantai Jin. He was like a poisonous weed clinging to a cliff, straining with every fiber to survive, capable of bending without breaking.
She had initially thought he was deliberately pushing her into a pit of fire, but it turned out he genuinely didn't care about such things.
Dignity, the opinions of others—none of it mattered to Tantai Jin.
Everything that failed to kill him was forging him, making him stronger.
Su Su became even more convinced he had an ulterior motive.
She wanted to stop him, but when she saw the gray film over his left eye, a headache set in. If she still possessed her immortal form, she could have healed him, but now she was merely mortal, utterly powerless.
Though Tantai Jin was cunning, she couldn't bring herself to hinder his desperate struggle to live.
Su Su said, "Alright, I'll help you. You play the bride, and I'll follow secretly behind the sedan, finding a way into the residence. Let's agree now: we only eliminate the harmful demon, no hurting ordinary people."
Tantai Jin glanced at her. "I have no interest in ordinary people."
Su Su thought to herself, Last night you were still trying to take a little girl's eyes.
When the old woman learned they were going to deal with the demon, she hurriedly said, "The families chosen by Young Master Wang receive the wedding attire a few days in advance. The one getting married tonight is Yan Yan from Old Chen's family in the east village. Yan Yan has been crying for days. If you two can truly help us, our entire village will be eternally grateful."
Tantai Jin told Su Su, "Let's go to Chen Yan Yan's house."
Su Su brought the chestnut horse and helped him mount.
Though his limbs were injured, he could sit upright. Despite his pale complexion, he quickly composed himself.
Su Su couldn't help but glance at him a few more times. Even with the Profound Ice Needle embedded in his body and his meridians severed, he showed no change in expression. Few in the cultivation world possessed such fortitude.
Even if he didn't cultivate demonic arts, he would likely have achieved great things in immortal cultivation.
Led by the old woman, the two arrived at Chen Yan Yan's home.
Old Chen, upon hearing their purpose, was both shocked and overjoyed, disbelief written on his face as he nearly knelt before Tantai Jin and Su Su.
Chen Yan Yan, her face pale with fear, also lit up with hope and bowed to Su Su. "Are... are you really going to take my place in the marriage?"
Stifling a laugh, Su Su pointed at Tantai Jin. "Not me—him."Chen Yanyan lifted her head and saw a handsome youth seated on horseback. She had never seen someone so good-looking before, staring transfixed at Tantai Jin.
It wasn't until he cast a cold glance downward that Chen Yanyan hurriedly lowered her head, her face flushing red.
"Young master, this humble girl thanks you."
Tantai Jin responded carelessly, "Hmm, give me your wedding dress."
He was born too perfectly—so perfect that even such an absurd substitution raised no objections. The villagers seemed like insignificant weeds before him, while Tantai Jin shone like a brilliant presence.
The villagers even subconsciously regarded him as that formidable Monster Exterminator, not daring to question him.
Chen Yanyan obediently brought the wedding dress, along with a set of bridal headwear.
"Master Wang's wedding procession will come to fetch the bride at midnight tonight."
Su Su pondered—midnight... No normal person would choose such an inauspicious hour for taking a wife or concubine. The deep night carries heavy yin energy, no wonder the villagers suspected Master Wang had turned into a monster.
Chen Yanyan worriedly asked, "What if the plan is exposed? Will you be in danger?"
Tantai Jin looked at Chen Yanyan with a faint, mocking smile. Blushing under his gaze, she bit her lip and twisted her fingers nervously.
Seeing the icy scrutiny in Tantai Jin's eyes beneath his smile, Su Su simply covered his eyes with her hand and said to Chen Yanyan, "Miss Chen, set your mind at ease. Our master is very skilled at capturing monsters—nothing will go wrong."
When Chen Yanyan saw Su Su, her pounding heart grew somewhat dim.
Su Su wore a lotus-root-colored silk dress, her waist cinched to appear incredibly slender. Her beauty far surpassed anything Chen Yanyan could compare to.
Unable to control her feelings of inferiority and shame, Chen Yanyan quickly collected herself and fled the room as if escaping.
Su Su released her hand: "You promised me you wouldn't harm ordinary people."
Tantai Jin sneered, "You actually believed what I said? I'm not your beloved Xiao Lin. If I want to go back on my word, I will."
He looked up at her, deliberately provoking her to anger and refute him.
But the young girl thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "You're right. Thankfully you reminded me—I almost trusted you. I'll stay vigilant from now on."
His dark right eye gradually turned cold, and even he felt somewhat inexplicable. Pressing his lips tightly, he focused on the matter at hand: "Help me change."
Su Su said, "I'll find Xiao Ling's grandfather to dress you."
Tantai Jin leaned against the bedframe and let out a low, cold laugh.
Su Su remembered the puppy that died from his blood and immediately sensed trouble. Shaking out the wedding dress, she said, "I'll do it after all."
She removed his outer robe and trousers, leaving only his snow-white undergarments.
Though he appeared lean, he had broad shoulders and a narrow waist.
Not daring to look too closely, Su Su draped the wedding dress over him. Master Wang had shown little sincerity—the wedding dress he sent would clearly be too large for an average woman.
Yet on Tantai Jin, it looked too small.
As Su Su tied the fastenings, she felt how tight it was.
He looked down at her. To secure the troublesome wedding dress, the girl had nearly rested her head against his chest.
Tantai Jin urged impatiently, "Hurry up."
Su Su replied, "Almost done."
Tantai Jin was very tall, and the wedding dress was obviously far too short. Fortunately, he could only sit for now and wouldn't stand up, so the issue wasn't critical.
After helping him dress, Su Su looked up and couldn't help but laugh.He truly was beautiful. Tantai Jin's features were delicate and refined to begin with, so wearing women's clothing didn't seem incongruous at all. However, his bone structure was broad, making his shoulders appear wide and his chest excessively flat.
Su Su said, "You look strange like this. Should I find you two steamed buns?"
Tantai Jin glanced at her chest and retorted mockingly, "I don't think that's necessary. With your figure, no one would suspect you're a man, so I naturally won't be easily exposed either."
Su Su realized what he meant, her face flushing red with anger.
Yet no matter what, her skin wasn't as thick as his, and moreover... Ye Xiwu's chest was indeed not large. It was petite and delicate—more cute than sexy.
This was one of the reasons Ye Xiwu often resented Ye Bingshang.
Between women, they compared looks, figures, and husbands—everything that could be compared. Ye Xiwu found herself inferior to Ye Bingshang in every aspect, to the point of developing a psychological complex.
Su Su said, "What's wrong with how I am? It has nothing to do with you. If you keep looking, you might as well lose your other eye too."
He curled his lips, still with that mocking curve.
Su Su fumed inwardly.
After all, she was a girl, and girls naturally cared somewhat about their appearance and figure.
Five hundred years after the world fell into chaos, she had been the number one beauty across the Three Realms. Her immortal form was completely different from Ye Xiwu's—she was taller than Ye Xiwu, with slender legs. Little spirit birds reached adulthood at a hundred years; before that, she had always maintained a childlike form. On the day she came of age, she transformed into a stunning beauty with perfect proportions.
Gods and demons would be captivated at first glance, remembering her for ten thousand years.
She hadn't thought much of it before, but now that she had become a little human girl, she realized how these despicable men in the mortal realm all favored good looks. Su Su felt nothing but disdain.
From a girl's aesthetic perspective, she still thought her current body was fine—round eyes, fair skin, utterly adorable, and no worse than anyone else.
They were just blind.
Remembering how Tantai Jin had once said in a nightmare that the Glazed Goddess was beautiful, Su Su wondered what kind of appearance a pervert would consider beautiful.
Su Su shook her head—it had nothing to do with her anyway.
Su Su picked up the makeup box and began applying cosmetics to Tantai Jin.
His skin was already pale, so he needed no powder. Out of spite, Su Su deliberately painted his pale lips a bright red. With mischief in her heart, she thought, a Demon God ought to have a blood-red mouth to match his status.
Noticing Su Su unconsciously pouting with displeasure, Tantai Jin silently curved his lips into a smile.
When Su Su finished and looked up, she found him smiling.
His remaining good black eye shimmered with amusement. With makeup on and dressed in a woman's wedding gown, his slightly cool features softened into a faint smile that unexpectedly carried a charm capable of toppling cities and captivating masses.
Being broad-minded, she sincerely praised, "You look truly beautiful like this."
No wonder the future Demon God refused to show his face—with such looks, he probably didn't appear imposing or fearsome enough.
Tantai Jin's smile lasted only a moment before quickly cooling again.
He averted his eyes and said, "Don't hold me back tonight."
Su Su retorted disdainfully, "Who's holding whom back remains to be seen! Whoever holds the other back is a turtle!"
Su Su didn't know how to style a bride's hairdo, so Chen Yanyan's mother came to comb Tantai Jin's hair.
Mother Chen was skilled with her hands. When she emerged, she seemed dazed, muttering to herself, "How can a man be born so beautiful..."
Su Su was outside drawing talismans. The villagers had brought her black dog blood—when used properly, such things could yield unexpectedly effective results.It was infuriating that Tantai Jin had taken the treasures she had gathered earlier on the boat, or else she would have felt more confident.
Su Su’s appearance was not bad either. Mother Chen styled her hair up and smeared some soot on her face, trying to make Su Su as inconspicuous as possible.
Su Su lifted her small face, cooperating fully.
After finishing her preparations, she went to check on Tantai Jin.
He was sitting cross-legged on the boat, opening his eyes upon hearing the sound.
When Su Su saw him, she thought he was beautiful, but his chest was broad and flat. If the Young Master Wang were to touch it, he would surely notice something amiss. She had no idea where Tantai Jin, who couldn’t even move his limbs, got his confidence.
“It’s almost midnight.”
Tantai Jin gave a noncommittal “Mm.”
“Can you move like this? If the bride can’t walk at all, won’t the wedding procession become suspicious?”
Tantai Jin said calmly, “None of the women in the village are willing to marry Young Master Wang. The Chen family, fearing their entire household would be killed, drugged their daughter and sent her off in the bridal sedan. It’s perfectly reasonable.”
So that was Tantai Jin’s plan—to pretend to be a drugged bride being forced into marriage.
Seeing that he had a plan, Su Su stopped worrying.
The two of them stayed in Chen Yanyan’s room while the real Chen Yanyan hid at a neighbor’s house. As the sky darkened completely and midnight approached, the air grew increasingly heavy with yin energy.
Finally, the distant sound of a suona echoed.
Outside, the anxious voices of the Chen parents could be heard: “Miss, young master, Young Master Wang’s wedding procession is coming.”
Tantai Jin commanded, “Come in and help me up.”
The Chen parents pushed the door open, entered, and helped him to his feet.
The three of them went outside and waited. Su Su found a pile of firewood, crouched down to hide, and observed secretly.
Before long, the wedding procession arrived at the Chen residence.
Father and Mother Chen, their palms sweating, placed the feigning-unconscious Tantai Jin into the bridal sedan.
Su Su had expected the wedding procession to inspect the bride, but to her surprise, as soon as they received her, they lifted the sedan and left immediately, as if they weren’t afraid of any tricks from the villagers.
This made Su Su more cautious.
If Young Master Wang’s men were this confident, it meant either they were foolish or they were extremely powerful.
Su Su felt that, given their audacity in committing such evil deeds, the latter was more likely. This demonic creature would probably be difficult to deal with.
The wedding procession moved forward with music and fanfare, the sedan bearers expressionless as they looked ahead.
In the darkness, the celebratory atmosphere felt particularly eerie.
Su Su waited until they had gone a short distance, then suppressed her aura, leaped up, and quietly followed them.
The sedan bearers moved swiftly, and before long, they left the village and arrived in the town.
To Su Su’s surprise, every household had hung red lanterns. She had initially thought Young Master Wang’s evil deeds were only targeted at the village, but it seemed the townspeople were also aware and, under his tyranny, had all replaced their lanterns with red ones.
Though the lanterns were lit, the streets were empty, and every household had their doors and windows tightly shut.
The wedding procession carried the bridal sedan into a large estate.
Su Su glanced at the plaque and knew they had arrived at the Wang family’s residence.
Tantai Jin disappeared along with the bridal sedan. Su Su couldn’t follow them openly, so she had to circle the estate and assess the situation.
She found a secluded spot and prepared to climb over the wall.
But as soon as she touched the wall, an invisible force threw her back, and she fell to the ground.
She stood up, wincing in pain, a suspicion forming in her mind.
Sure enough, when she gently touched the wall again, she felt a transparent Barrier.
This is bad, Su Su thought.
A demonic creature capable of setting up a Barrier was surely a great demon. She had a way to break the Barrier, but doing so would undoubtedly alert the demonic creature.But if the barrier isn't broken, will Tantai Jin be alright alone inside?
Tantai Jin sat upright on the wedding bed.
The matchmakers who had escorted him here closed the door behind them.
The windows were shut, yet on such a night, there shouldn't be complete silence without even a whisper of wind.
Tantai Jin removed his own bridal veil and surveyed the room.
In his youth, he had secretly studied everything out of curiosity. Now, with one glance, he realized this room held profound mysteries.
The red candles flickered mournfully on the floor, and the bed wasn't against the wall. A sinister aura permeated the air. Tantai Jin narrowed his eyes slightly—it was actually an Earth Fiend Array.
He didn't know how to break the formation, but he wasn't panicked either.
He wanted to see exactly what kind of person this Young Master Wang was.
Heavy footsteps approached, the door opened and closed.
When the figure turned around, Tantai Jin saw Young Master Wang dressed in wedding attire.
His eyes were utterly vacant, yet his expression was smiling—though the smile was extremely stiff, like a mindless puppet.
"Why aren't you wearing the bridal veil?" Young Master Wang said, his voice hoarse and chilling.
Tantai Jin curved his lips into a smile: "I don't need that crap."
Young Master Wang lowered his head and said: "Just as well, it saves us the complicated rituals."
He woodenly began removing his own clothes and moved toward Tantai Jin. Tantai Jin became even more certain—this Young Master Wang had lost his own consciousness.
His own voice was a deep male tone, yet Young Master Wang showed no reaction. He only cared about mating. Judging by Young Master Wang's purpose of seizing virgins, he was probably trying to extract a woman's primordial yin.
Only demonic creatures would cultivate using such methods, yet Tantai Jin couldn't sense any demonic aura from Young Master Wang.
As Young Master Wang approached, the protective lock in Tantai Jin's bosom began humming and vibrating.
Tantai Jin glanced around and noticed Su Su hadn't followed him in. A cruel smile appeared at the corner of his lips—good.
His eyes were hurting unbearably.
Once he replaced them with this Young Master Wang's eyes and meridians, he could kill whoever he wanted. Mortal and demon eyes wouldn't last long, but so what? There were so many people in this world—an endless supply of eyes.
Su Su was troubled by the barrier when the curved jade awoke and said: "Young mistress, let's try entering from underground."
The curved jade had existed for tens of thousands of years. Though its Spiritual Power was insufficient, its experience was vast.
Su Su nodded and produced an Earth Evasion Incantation from her sleeve.
As the talisman glowed, she vanished, but the next moment, she was ejected back out.
The curved jade said: "This monster's barrier actually extends underground too. It seems Earth Evasion won't work either."
Su Su began to worry: "Tantai Jin is still inside. Will he be alright?"
The curved jade said: "He carries the Demon God's soul. Demonic creatures should fear him somewhat."
Su Su said: "But he's completely immobile and weak in combat. While demons might fear him, any mortal could easily knock him dead with a single blow."
The curved jade fell silent. It often hibernated and only occasionally awoke, unaware of such peculiar circumstances.
As they were discussing new strategies, the barrier before them suddenly fluctuated and, the next moment, vanished into nothingness.
The curved jade exclaimed: "The barrier is broken!"
Su Su knew Tantai Jin must have done something drastic—the monster had abandoned maintaining the barrier to focus entirely on dealing with Tantai Jin.
Thinking this, she quickly flew into Magistrate Wang's residence.
"Curved jade, I'll handle this myself. You should rest now."In the estate of Squire Wang, there was a lake. As Su Su walked past it, she detected a strange scent in the air. Then, from the direction of the spreading flames, a barefoot youth emerged.
He wore a crimson wedding gown, his ink-black hair flowing loosely. His left eye socket was hollow, blood continuously gushing from it.
He covered that eye with a cold expression, while his other hand clutched something.
Directly opposite him stood a peach tree. Though it was not yet February, the tree was in full, resplendent bloom.
The blossoms blazed brilliantly, extraordinarily enchanting against the night sky.
Even more astonishing was the tree’s trunk—as thick as a small hut. Earlier, Su Su had been blocked by a Barrier outside and couldn’t see it, but now inside, she saw the peach tree towering into the clouds, swaying without any wind.
Tantai Jin faced the peach tree and threw what he held.
It was the skin of Young Master Wang.
However, the skin had long decayed, its Spirit Marrow drained dry by the tree demon.
Tantai Jin had never expected this. He had originally come with designs on Young Master Wang’s eyes, only to find the young master had long been dead.
He sought the eyes of a demonic creature, but the creature turned out to be a tree.
A tree has no eyes.
Still, it wasn’t a complete loss. The tree demon’s meridians were intricate and countless; he casually extracted a few strands and infused them into his own meridians, allowing him to move again.
But only after gouging out his own eye did he realize Young Master Wang had been dead for a long time. Now, with an empty eye socket, the bleeding wouldn’t stop.
Tantai Jin tore a strip from his garment and bound his eye.
The tree demon’s branches surged violently, lashing toward him.
Any branch that touched his blood withered instantly. Yet, for such a massive tree, even with many parts withering, the rest remained lush and thriving.
The tree demon feared him but also wanted him dead.
Enraged, its branches whipped at Tantai Jin like a storm.
A sense of dread settled in Tantai Jin’s heart. He knew his blood wouldn’t be enough to wither such a colossal tree. He dodged frantically but was struck by a branch and thrown to the ground.
A soft body caught him, helping him evade.
“What have you done?” Su Su sensed the overwhelming Demonic Aura radiating from him and exclaimed in disbelief, “In such a short time, you’ve used something from a demon?”
Peach blossoms rained down around them, attempting to weave into a net to trap them.
Finding no escape, Su Su felt Tantai Jin behind her, afraid she might abandon him, tightening his grip fiercely.
Su Su snapped, “Let go!”
Tantai Jin replied, “Find a way out, or we die together.”
Su Su tried to pry his arms away. “I won’t leave you.”
Tantai Jin tightened his hold, his dark eyes cold and resolute. “You will!” All his life, everyone had abandoned him. Now, he forced her to share his fate.
He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, his blood smearing onto the girl’s delicate cheek.
Su Su had no time to wipe the blood from her face. Yellow Talismans flew from her sleeves, shielding them from the encroaching blossoms.
Tantai Jin looked down at her. The girl was calm, not angered by his despicable actions but genuinely striving to protect him.
She intercepted a branch meant for him, grunting in pain as it struck her.
His hand stilled, a puzzled frown crossing his face.
Soon, the peach blossoms converged into a cocoon, swallowing them whole.
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