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The Wei Family did not hold a grand wedding like ordinary families, but they still adhered to certain customs. With the Wei Family being small in number, almost everyone from the village was involved. Wei Ning was not in the mood for any of it; everything was being handled by her mother and the neighbors. Wei Mother understood that Wei Ning was not feeling happy about it, so she rarely disturbed her. Wei Ning stayed alone in her room, as if the deafening sound of firecrackers outside had nothing to do with her.
In Xiangxi, marriage was the most significant event for a family. The wedding ceremony was originally very elaborate. A month before the wedding, the bride would begin the Crying Marriage ritual, where unmarried girls from the village would gather every night to cry together, while the sisters-in-law would comfort them and also cry, collectively known as "Crying Marriage." Before the wedding, there was a day called "Flower Insertion Day," when guests from the Fang Family would gather. The groom's side had to send a wedding procession to the Fang Family on this day, accompanied by a group of musicians. Upon arriving at the Fang Family's village, firecrackers would be set off, but the bride's family would keep their doors tightly shut until the next day, known as "The Right Day," when the bride would be sent off. The bride's elder brother would carry her out through the front door and into a flower sedan chair, which would then be taken to the groom's home. Upon reaching the groom's house, the groom's brother would carry the bride over a fire basin at the entrance. Afterward, the couple would pay their respects at a shrine, and a grand banquet would be held by the groom's family to thank relatives and friends. After three days of festivities, the groom would accompany the bride back to her family for a visit.
Wei Ning felt depressed. With such a small family and hurried preparations, they had long since neglected these formalities. When the village’s wedding procession arrived to bring Wei Ning’s bride home, she surprisingly remained in her room and did not come out. The young men in the village thought Wei Ning was just being shy and began to tease her. Feeling downcast, Wei Ning was forcibly dragged out of her house by several youths who insisted on making her drink. With her low tolerance for alcohol and her gloomy mood, she quickly became dizzy after downing several cups. In a daze, she followed her bride into the ceremony without even getting a good look at what she looked like before being pushed onto the bed and falling asleep.
Only Wei Mother remained in the main hall to attend to things. Seeing that Wei Ning was sleeping like a dead pig, everyone in the village realized that there would be no fun in tonight’s bridal chamber and discreetly left in small groups.
When Wei Ning woke up, it was already midnight. She patted her head and felt an intense headache; it was clear that she had drunk too much.
"You’re awake," came a cold voice from beside her.
The voice sounded familiar.
As she focused her gaze, she saw a familiar figure sitting there. Wei Ning steadied herself and gasped when she recognized who it was.
It’s you!
"It’s me. Is that surprising?" Qiqi was dressed in bright red bridal attire with what seemed like some blush on her cheeks, looking very different from her usual cold demeanor in black clothing. However, half of her face still bore that silver mask.
"What... what are you doing here?" Wei Ning stammered awkwardly. At this moment, in this situation—this embarrassing scene—she unexpectedly encountered Qiqi. "Aren’t you supposed to be marrying Peng Bai? Why are you here?"
Could it be that you’re supposed to marry me? Wei Ning exclaimed in surprise, yet amidst her astonishment lay an inexplicable joy that even she could not comprehend.
"This is what my grandfather and your grandfather meant. We are merely following the traditions passed down from our ancestors, because you belong to the Wei family, and I am from the Fang family."
It turned out that Qiqi was the only descendant of the Fang family that Wei Ning had never met among the Zhu You Four Lineages.
"You are from the Fang family?" Wei Ning asked.
"That's right. Our Zhu You Four Lineages have always been closely connected, intermarrying as our ancestors had long agreed," Qiqi said, looking at Wei Ning, who was still unsure where to place her hands on the bed. Suddenly, she added, "In fact, we've known each other for a long time."
"We know each other?" Wei Ning couldn't recall ever having met Qiqi before.
Qiqi sighed and said, "I never mentioned it because I didn't want to bring up any unpleasant memories for you. But since we are already married, I think it's necessary to tell you. Do you remember the first time you walked with your grandfather and passed by the Corpse Driver Inn? There was an Old Man Fang inside."
"You... you... you are..." Wei Ning jumped up from the bed. That incident had left a psychological scar that had yet to heal, and she had never connected Qiqi with that disgusting girl who had hung intestines in her yard.
But now Qiqi revealed that she was indeed the girl who had once frightened Wei Ning into fainting, and now she was his wife.
Seeing Wei Ning's extreme reaction, Qiqi's expression changed momentarily but quickly returned to a cold demeanor. "Yes, that girl is me. My grandfather and I left the Fang family and lived at Guan Zhuang near the Corpse Driver Inn. It was your grandfather who found us. At that time, I was ill, and you were present when your grandfather learned of our identity. He took the initiative to introduce Peng Bai to me, but on one condition: I had to marry you."
"Because of my illness at that time, no one would want to marry me anyway. Your grandfather promised to find someone to treat me, and my grandfather was determined to cure my illness, so he agreed to your grandfather's terms. When you turned twenty-two, I would marry you."
"I took the letter your grandfather gave me and found Peng Bai in the Burning Corpse Forest. When Peng Bai read your grandfather's letter, he accepted me without hesitation and treated my illness. He even taught me the Miaojiang Gu Technique. With Peng Bai's medicine, my condition was finally under control."
Wei Ning realized that her marriage had been arranged by her grandfather long ago, but she felt somewhat uncomfortable with her grandfather's opportunistic methods.
Looking at Qiqi, Wei Ning weakly asked, "So, about your illness now..."
Qiqi smiled sadly. "Are you asking if I still need to peel off my own skin to disgust you?"
Wei Ning's thoughts were exposed by Qiqi, and his face flushed with embarrassment, leaving him speechless.
"Don't worry," Qiqi said coldly. "My illness is now under control thanks to Peng Bai. It won't scare you."
"Then you..." Wei Ning pointed at the half of Qiqi's face covered by a silver mask and gently asked. He still remembered how terrifying she looked when she had once revealed the half of her face hidden by her hair.
"You really want to know, don't you?" Qiqi's voice grew colder, as if it was coming from the depths of hell. "Fine, if I don't show you, you'll see it sooner or later. I don't want to deceive you. After you see it, if you're still willing to marry me, then I will truly become your bride."
Wei Ning held his breath as Qiqi smiled sadly and slowly lifted the silver mask from her face.
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