The Scholar

This is……

Zhu Ge's pupils contracted as soon as she stepped out the door.

A group of people dressed in black and white were standing outside the house.

When they saw him come out, they all turned to look at him, their faces full of strange, forced smiles.

Zhu Ge felt a chill run down his spine.

"The groom is coming out!"

The leader, Ma Laizi, was tall and burly, but he was hunched over, his face contorted with groin, and he bowed and shouted:

"The groom is here! Throw lucky money!"

The next moment, several people behind him took out a basket, grabbed some round leaves from the basket, and threw them at Zhu Ge.

Leaves twirled and fell, landing in Zhu Ge's hair and on his shoulders.

Zhu Ge suddenly felt her movements become somewhat mechanical.

"Is he being controlled?" Zhu Ge was surprised, but she didn't panic.

He awkwardly cupped his hands in a gesture of respect: "Where is Hua Xiaomei?"

"The bride is waiting at home for the groom to come and fetch her!" Ma Laizi laughed, pointing to the side. "Hurry up and get in the sedan chair!"

There were four people in an "H"-shaped sedan chair made of wood.

Zhu Ge silently walked to the horizontal bar and sat down, trying to steady herself with her hands.

"Lift the sedan chair!"

Ma Laizi shouted.

The crowd immediately started beating drums and gongs, and the people carrying the "H"-shaped sedan chair got up and walked towards the north end of the village, looking very happy.

However, with her dressed in plain clothes, it was hard to tell whether it was a happy occasion or a funeral.

Of course, that's not the strangest thing.

The strangest thing is that Zhu Ge clearly didn't see any musical instruments, but he could hear the sound of gongs and drums playing in his mind.

Surprising!

Shocked!

How bizarre!

Zhu Ge's hair stood on end, but her expression and eyes remained calm as still water.

However, as the group moved forward, the scenery in front of Zhu Ge's eyes also changed.

As the darkness faded with the moonlight, a bright red glow shone on Zhu Ge's face.

Zhu Ge suddenly smiled, seemingly infected by the atmosphere, and asked, "You're married! Where's the bride?"

As soon as he uttered those words, everyone around him suddenly stopped.

It paused for only a second, and then continued on its way.

And not far away, the bridal chamber could already be vaguely seen.

The bridal chamber was a square, single-story house, entirely white, with a "囍" (double happiness) character pasted on the front door. The interior was not visible when the door was closed.

At the entrance, a dozen or so people were gathered, all dressed in similar clothes.

If I had to put it bluntly, those clothes looked more like mourning clothes than festive attire.

Zhu Ge is almost certain that the existence of this place is definitely related to "double happiness" and also to Hua Xiaomei!

Zhu Ge doesn't know what conditions need to be met to become a god.

But Zhu Ge didn't see Hua Xiaomei's body after she died.

Perhaps it transformed into a god of happiness.

Then they fought with the foreign gods for the lucrative prize of Jianshan Village.

"Congratulations, Zhu Ge! My master isn't back, but this happy event of yours is good for us too!"

Just then, the leader spoke.

Zhu Ge hadn't noticed it before, but now she couldn't help but pause slightly.

Scholar Yu!

As a cultivator, Yu Xiucai was also dressed in white, and was holding a large white flower in his hand.

Scholar Yu wore a beaming smile: "Come, groom, bring the wedding flowers, I'll greet you."

However, the current Yu Xiucai is completely different from the Yu Xiucai that Zhu Ge saw during the day.

Just like Ma Laizi, he's changed!

Zhu Ge silently got out of the sedan chair, accepted the white flower, and then looked around.

The smiles on the faces of those around him and their plain-colored clothing only conveyed a sense of incongruity.

After coming down, they didn't go inside. Instead, they stood outside the house with the "囍" character pasted on it and chatted, looking very happy.

Yu Xiucai was right next to Zhu Ge.

"Zhuge, you'll be getting married today. You'll have a big, healthy son who will come and learn Confucianism and Taoism from me." Yu Xiucai said with a broad smile.

Listening to Yu Xiucai's normal words, Zhu Ge would have thought they were having a carefree chat.

Unfortunately, the smile on Yu Xiucai's face was too eerie, making it impossible for Zhu Ge to remain carefree.

"Yes, Confucian." Zhu Ge nodded slightly in response to Yu Xiucai.

"The weather is so nice tonight!"

"Yes, yes! The moon is bright, and there are clouds in the sky. It's really nice!"

"Our village hasn't been this festive in a long time! Look at my clothes, aren't they so cheerful!"

"Wishing the groom a speedy birth of many sons! Eight sons would be the best!"

The faces of the surrounding guests were all a festive red, as red as blood, and their words were full of strange blessings for the congratulatory song.

Zhu Ge mimicked the smiles on everyone's faces as she approached Yu Xiucai and whispered, "Have you forgotten what you said to me during the day?"

Zhu Ge dared not speak openly, fearing it might cause some unexpected changes, so she wanted to gather information through dialogue in order to make a judgment.

"During the day? I didn't come to see you during the day!" Yu Xiucai's smile revealed a hint of surprise.

Seeing this, Zhu Ge narrowed her eyes slightly, then smiled and said, "Didn't come looking for me? Haha."

He had just laughed twice when he vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

At this moment, he seemed to feel a faint sense of happiness and joy, as if it really was his wedding.

Seeing this, Zhu Ge's lips twitched.

He'll be affected too!

Let's take drastic measures!

Zhu Ge took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Scholar Yu, didn't you tell me today that Hua Xiaomei is dead?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the previously noisy environment suddenly fell silent.

Everyone turned to look at Zhu Ge.

Zhu Ge looked at Yu Xiucai in front of her with a calm expression.

At this moment, Yu Xiucai stopped smiling and instead showed a hint of struggle on his face.

Sometimes joyful, sometimes stiff, sometimes stern...

A moment later, an expression of righteous indignation replaced the joyful look on his face.

"A song of congratulations!"

Suddenly, Yu Xiucai's eyes widened, he gasped for breath, staggered a couple of steps, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

In the blink of an eye, he regained his footing, his body suddenly straightening up, and a layer of light visible to the naked eye emanated from his body.

"How dare you! You dare to attack my soul?!"

With a loud shout, Yu Xiucai flicked his right sleeve, and the character "Ru" slowly emerged from his chest.

儒！

Confucianism!

Confucianism and Taoism!

"Whoa!!!!"

"Whoa!!!!"

The character "儒" (Ru) is like a flashlight, illuminating a white path amidst the festive red light.

Within the passageway, the red light faded away like ice and snow under the blazing sun.

"Go back now!"

Yu Xiucai roared at Zhu Ge, his expression dignified, but veins bulged on his forehead, as if he were in great pain.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Ge's pupils contracted, but she did not immediately do as Yu Xiucai instructed.

He had considered many options last night, and although this situation seems abrupt, it was still among the options he had considered last night.

The scholar who opened the passage for him to escape was clearly on his side; the previous scholar must have been under control or something similar.

Therefore, this is an important fighting force, and he must try to win it over.

Then Zhu Ge said in a deep voice, "Where is the God of Happiness?! How can I save you?"

At the same time, the system in his mind also appeared, ready to wear the Kunpeng traits at any time.

Seeing Zhu Ge's behavior, Yu Xiucai's eyes widened in fury: "Mortals cannot separate their souls from their bodies, and cannot harm gods with their flesh! Run!!"

Out-of-body experience?

Seeing this, Zhu Ge took a deep breath and said firmly:

"I can!"