Chapter 1749: Return to the Beginning

Mi Li let out a snicker. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, I didn't expect you to genuinely find a 'soulmate' in death. Your tastes are certainly unique."

The thought of his inexplicable intimate encounter with a female ghost made Zu An feel like he was about to explode. What was going on?!

He knew it was most likely the ghost's illusion, but the sensations felt far too real.

He had rushed too quickly into the room, intending to confront the ghost, but ended up in the wrong place.

Now, the bride's face was streaked with tears, her eyes filled with hatred as she glared at him.

"This ghost is quite pretty," Mi Li's surprised voice rang out.

Zu An recalled that Zhang Yong had previously mentioned their young lady was a famous beauty throughout the surrounding villages...

...Uh, that wasn't the point!

He glanced back at the groom, who was tied to the table, his eyes bloodshot, looking as if he wanted to devour Zu An whole.

Zu An silently checked his system backend; he hadn't received any Rage points. It really was all fake.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, a series of Rage points notifications appeared in his backend: "Rage points from Jing Teng +444, +444, +444..."

He froze. Why was Jing Teng angry at him?

Could it be because he had promised to escort her, but they got separated today, leading her into danger?

While he was wondering, a sudden thought struck him.

Wait, this situation felt somewhat familiar.

He remembered the play performed on stage earlier. Could this be the ghost's personal experience?

But for the ghost to go to such lengths, even participating herself?

Could it be that she desired him?

He looked into the mirror in the room and saw that his appearance hadn't changed into that of the tyrannical young master.

Just then, a commotion erupted outside. The door was soon forced open, revealing Master and Madam Zhang from Zhang Manor, along with Zhang Yong and a group of armed household guards and servants, all glaring angrily at him.

"You beast!" Seeing the scene in the room, Master and Madam Zhang immediately charged at him, scratching and biting.

Zu An quickly dodged. This situation was truly frustrating; it wasn't what it seemed, but in this context, there was no way to explain himself.

Zhang Yong cursed at him while leading the household guards and servants to surround and attack him. From their stance, they intended to beat him to death.

As Zu An dodged, he pondered what to do in the current situation.

At that moment, another group of people rushed in. Their equipment was significantly better, and their cultivation was superior to that of the household guards and servants. They quickly stopped the attackers.

One of them stood in front of Zu An, quickly making a silencing gesture while remaining alert. "Young Master, since things have come to this, it's better to strike first. Otherwise, if they report to the authorities later, your life might be in danger."

Zu An understood. No wonder the tyrannical young master had acted that way back then; it was to silence them.

He knew that if he followed the plot, he could survive this immediate crisis and live peacefully for many years.

However, in the end, the tyrannical young master in that plot was sentenced to death by slow slicing.

But if he didn't follow the young master's actions and instead continued with this plot, he might be arrested and executed by the authorities tomorrow.

Was it a choice between poison to quench thirst or immediate death? That ghost's calculations were truly profound.

Zu An said indifferently, "But why should I choose?"

He activated the Primal Chaos Genesis Scripture, muttering, "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, what shouldn't remain must not remain..."

A series of panicked screams erupted. Whether it was the tyrannical young master's guards, or Master and Madam Zhang, and their household guards and servants, all turned to dust and vanished with a gust of wind.

However, he quickly froze, because even the groom had disappeared, but the bride remained.

This female ghost wasn't afraid of the Primal Chaos Genesis Scripture?

A chill ran down Zu An's spine. He remembered Jing Teng mentioning that ghosts in this world possessed many special abilities, so he dared not be negligent. He charged directly at her, intending to subdue her immediately.

The ghost seemed to break free from some restraint, instantly shedding her fragile appearance. She flashed backward, then her hair grew wildly, covering the sky and sweeping towards him.

If he were enveloped by this dense mass of hair, he would likely be like prey wrapped by a spider, left only to have his essence and blood drained.

Zu An immediately unleashed the Phoenix Flame, burning away the strands of hair. He then drew his Taia Sword. This ghost was too bizarre; he couldn't give her another chance.

The ghost was clearly startled as well. She flew into the air and quickly formed a series of hand seals: "Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Zhen, Lie..."

Zu An paused, a sudden realization dawning on him.

"What are you looking at?"

"What about it?!"

The ghost was also startled by her own reply. She was at a critical moment in performing the Nine-Syllable Mantra; why had she suddenly answered him? The spell she was about to manifest was instantly disrupted.

At that moment, an ancient sword was pressed against her neck. Its terrifying pressure made it clear that any sudden movement would instantly reduce her to ashes.

Zu An didn't strike. Instead, he tentatively asked, "Jing Teng?"

The ghost froze, then responded with some hesitation, "Zu An?"

As they called out each other's names, the surrounding air distorted and rippled. In their eyes, the other's true appearance emerged.

This was no ghost; it was clearly Jing Teng.

"It really is you," Zu An sighed in relief. He had been suspicious when he inexplicably received her Rage points earlier, and during their fight, her moves had felt strangely familiar.

Jing Teng had also been puzzled as to why the ghost opposite her could use the Phoenix Flame, but she had been too caught up in the heat of the moment to think clearly.

As they recounted their experiences, they immediately understood that the ghost had deliberately used an illusion to provoke them into fighting each other. They couldn't help but marvel at her insidious cunning.

Suddenly, Zu An couldn't help but ask, "So, what about what just happened...?"

Before he could finish, Jing Teng quickly interrupted him, "It was just an illusion. Don't dwell on it."

For some reason, a blush flashed across her face, accompanied by a wave of embarrassment and anger.

Rage points from Jing Teng +110, +110, +110...

Zu An thought, that ghost was truly incredible, to be able to create such realistic illusions.

The Taia Sword trembled slightly, and Mi Li's tsking sounds of amusement echoed in his mind.

Zu An was about to ask her something when a sudden thought struck him: Oh no, where was Hong Lei?!

He quickly went to search for Qiu Honglei, worried about what danger she might have encountered.

After only a few steps, he suddenly remembered something and reached out to pull Jing Teng.

Jing Teng recoiled as if shocked by electricity, instantly pulling her hand back. "Don't touch me!"

Zu An paused, then explained, "Mainly, I'm afraid we'll get separated by an illusion again, like just now."

He had just stepped onto the stage for a moment and got separated from them; he didn't want that to happen again.

Jing Teng frowned slightly. The strangeness of this place had caused her a great deal of trouble, and she, too, didn't want it to happen again.

So, a vine directly wrapped around his hand. "Just hold onto it like this."

Zu An didn't mind. He quickly led her as they searched the entire manor. Perhaps the purification spell had taken effect, as the bluish-gray mist throughout the manor had significantly thinned. Before long, they found Qiu Honglei.

She was trapped in a room surrounded by dense Yin energy. It felt as if a hidden formation had been set up in the room, amplifying the Yin energy so powerfully.

She was glowing, resisting the Yin energy, and it was clear that neither side could overcome the other.

Zu An quickly activated the Primal Chaos Genesis Scripture to disperse the Yin energy. Seeing Zu An arrive, Qiu Honglei immediately beamed. "Ah Zu!"

"Suddenly, you all disappeared! I looked everywhere for you, and then I accidentally got trapped here..."

Halfway through her explanation, her gaze suddenly fell on the vine connecting Zu An and Jing Teng. Her expression instantly became a knowing smile, not quite a smile, "How did you two end up together?"

"We just..." Zu An was about to explain when Jing Teng suddenly interrupted him with a light cough.

"Let's go find that fellow named Wei. His cultivation is the lowest; he might be in danger."

Zu An nodded, putting aside conversation, and quickly began searching the garden.

Finally, they found him in the small river flowing through the courtyard. He was trapped in a long, narrow cage, his body entangled in waterweeds, his belly swollen, and his eyes wide with an unwilling expression.

Zu An's heart sank. Wei Suo wasn't breathing; he was dead.

To think their long-awaited reunion would end like this. Zu An fell silent, and after a long moment, he crouched down in front of Wei Suo and gently closed his eyes.

"I will avenge you!"

Although the female ghost's past was pitiful, she harmed innocents and would ultimately have to pay the price.

Just then, a violent cough resounded. To their shock, Wei Suo sat up again. "Avenge what?"

"Are you human or ghost?" Qiu Honglei asked cautiously.

"Of course I'm human," Wei Suo gurgled, spitting out the water he had swallowed. "Luckily, I know the Turtle Breathing Technique and fooled the ghost, or I'd truly be dead."

"What exactly happened?" Zu An asked curiously.

Wei Suo recounted his recent experience. It turned out he had played the role of the tragic groom in the plot, and everything had unfolded according to the original story, culminating in him being drowned in a pig cage. Fortunately, the Turtle Breathing Technique had saved his life.

He couldn't help but complain, "What sin have I committed? Watching my own wife being violated by another man in that room... Ugh, it's left me with an indelible psychological trauma!"

As he pounded his chest and stomped his feet, Zu An and Jing Teng couldn't help but exchange a glance, then separated as if zapped by electricity.

Although they knew they had experienced different scenarios and he wasn't the groom in their room, they still felt somewhat guilty.

Zu An cleared his throat. "Now that the four of us are reunited, let's not get separated again. Let's go straight for the jugular and capture that ghost!"

"Alright, she made me suffer so much, I'll make her pay a devastating price!" Jing Teng gritted her teeth.

Seeing the hatred on her face, Wei Suo paused, thinking, *How could you be more miserable than me?*

As they were all gearing up, the surrounding light suddenly distorted. When they came to their senses, they found themselves back in front of the stage, where the play was about to begin.

Everything had returned to the beginning!