What right does a dead man have to make Tao Tao his bride?
The thorns of the Ghost-Eating Vine pierced her skin, wantonly sucking her blood. Tao Tao noticed but did not avoid them; instead, she stretched her leg toward the thorns.
When did the thought of not wanting to live begin?
Perhaps it originated from the seeds of painful childhood memories, sprouted in the lonely life in the mountains, and gradually grew under the curse of not living past eighteen. A month ago, when she crawled out of the coffin covered in blood and returned to Qingfengguan only to find Li Sanjiu missing, she suddenly remembered that on the night of her birthday, the moment the candles were blown out, he collapsed and lost his heartbeat.
From then on, that thought took full shape.
She certainly knew what a three-star danger level meant, yet she still came. She claimed it was for the old man’s dying wish, but perhaps subconsciously, she was just looking for a way to die.
A reasonable way to die—one that wouldn’t seem weak and wouldn’t earn her Li Sanjiu’s mockery in the afterlife.
Looking back on her life, Tao Tao found it utterly dull—no vivid highlights, no unforgettable moments. The most frequent scenes stored in her mind were the distinct seasons of Qingfengguan: the spring paulownia flowers, the summer rain, the autumn ground covered in ginkgo leaves, and the silent snowfall of winter.
She waited quietly for death, but the thorns of the Ghost-Eating Vine suddenly withdrew.
Tao Tao opened her eyes and saw Lin Quan’s face at the tear in the green cocoon.
Ten minutes ago, or perhaps just a few minutes earlier, she had seen Lin Quan’s smile at the bottom of the formaldehyde pool. Even though the liquid had already submerged her completely, she hadn’t forgotten—she had been pushed into the pool by a pair of human hands, reaching out from an angle she hadn’t guarded against.
Lin Quan really was suspicious!
Tao Tao held her breath, stretched her fingers to grab Tao Yao, and stabbed fiercely at the rotting hand restraining her.
Struggling to free herself from the bottom of the pool, Lin Quan anxiously approached, his handsome face filled with worry: “Tao Tao, are you okay?”
Tao Tao didn’t speak. She grabbed his collar, turned around, and threw him into the pool.
…
Seeing Lin Quan’s face again, Tao Tao felt he was haunting her relentlessly, even interfering with her death. Her disgust toward him at the edge of the corpse pool had been too strong earlier. Instinctively, she reached behind her back for Tao Yao to stab him, but she forgot she had already given Tao Yao to Xue Rong.
Lin Quan leaned into the cocoon: “I know you suspect I pushed you into the corpse pool. There’s no time to explain now, but Tao Tao, if you don’t even want this life of yours, why can’t someone else take it?”
What nonsense! The most absurd nonsense in the world!
Just as Tao Tao was about to curse him, she saw him place one hand under the bend of her knee and wrap his other arm around her back.
Alarm bells rang in her mind: “If you dare hold me in that position, I’ll make you sleep in the corpse pool for the rest of your life…”
“Lin Quan! Let go of me!” She squirmed uncomfortably. “Are you looking for death?”
Lin Quan lifted her into the air. He tilted his head, the warmth on his face completely vanishing, replaced by an utterly indifferent coldness: “Don’t move—”
For a moment, the powerful aura he exuded, like that of a superior, stunned Tao Tao. By the time she regained her senses, Lin Quan had already carried her out.
Injured by Tao Yao, the Ghost-Eating Vine retreated dozens of meters and gathered together. The green vines twisted and intertwined, forming a giant green eye in the center, staring at them emotionlessly, as if judging whether it could devour them.
“This thing… has gained sentience…” Xue Rong said in despair. “Tao Tao, it’s targeting us!”
Tao Tao had also noticed. Compared to its earlier purely instinctual attacks, after being severely wounded by Tao Yao, the Ghost-devouring Vine had coalesced intelligence. It was assessing their threat level, contemplating the possibility and methods of devouring them. From its tensed branches, Tao Tao sensed its fury—it had been enraged by Lin Quan’s previous attack.
“Lin Quan, this beast is gathering strength. It consumed six living corpses and devoured my blood, making it even more powerful.”
Lin Quan gave a quiet hum of acknowledgment.
Even someone as oblivious as Xue Rong could sense the danger now. “Are we going to die here?!”
“No one will die.” Lin Quan’s voice was calm, yet it carried a reassuring steadiness. “Stay close to me.”
Holding Tao Tao, he sprinted toward the end of the corridor. In that same instant, the Ghost-devouring Vine abruptly extended its branches.
Some crawled across the ceiling, others clung to the walls on either side, but most slithered and grew along the floor—it was pursuing them.
Xue Rong poured every ounce of her strength into her legs, keeping close behind Lin Quan, terrified of being left behind.
The vines pressed against the floor drove their thorns into the tiles. Far behind them, the massive green eye narrowed slightly. Suddenly, the ground trembled, shattered stone and tiles flew chaotically, blocking their path ahead. Xue Rong narrowly dodged a rock flying toward her face, but as she stepped forward, her foot met empty air.
She looked down. The third-floor tiles had been pried loose by the Ghost-devouring Vine, revealing a direct drop to the second floor below. Even if a fall didn’t kill her, it would leave her dazed and half-dead, not to mention the Ghost-devouring Vine had already extended its branches downward, wildly spreading across the empty second floor—if she became separated from them, she would certainly die.
“Ah—”
Xue Rong couldn’t stop her body from falling. Just as she was about to plummet, a pale hand grabbed her from the edge of the hole.
Tao Tao, held by Lin Quan, could only extend one arm with effort. Her expression was impassive. “Hold on tight.”
Xue Rong quickly grasped Tao Tao’s dangling wrist with both hands. Tao Tao exerted strength, pulling her up from the hole. Since Tao Tao was being carried by Lin Quan, most of Xue Rong’s weight ultimately fell on him as well. Yet he said nothing, nor did he put Tao Tao down. Once Xue Rong was back up, he continued running forward.
The Ghost-devouring Vine was incredibly fast, maintaining a distance of less than three meters behind them, on the verge of catching up.
As Xue Rong was dragged down the stairs by Tao Tao, she practically stumbled and scrambled. Lin Quan warned, “Watch your step. If you fall again, there won’t be time to save you.”
Xue Rong hastily nodded in agreement.
At this critical moment, the Little Genius smartwatch on Tao Tao’s wrist suddenly rang.
Xue Rong gasped heavily. “Your… your watch has a signal?”
With the living corpses devoured, all the restrictions within the building had vanished, and electronic devices had regained functionality.
Tao Tao had no intention of answering, but during their frantic run, Xue Rong’s hand accidentally brushed against the answer button.
After a few seconds of black screen, a handsome young man appeared on the other side. “Tao Tao, you finally answered.”
The young man’s golf shirt was impeccably pressed. He stood before a full-length mirror, his demeanor noble. One attendant knelt on the floor, adjusting his trouser leg, while another stood before him, tying his necktie.
From his perspective, the opposite side was pitch black. He couldn’t see any faces, only occasional flashlight beams flashing by. When the light illuminated the scene, he could see the violently shaking camera lens and the bizarre, wildly growing plants appearing before it. Combined with the heavy panting sounds of someone desperately fleeing, all these signs indicated just how perilous the situation was.
The boy frowned. “Something’s wrong. What are you doing? Didn’t you say there was no danger?”
“I told you to stop meddling in my business.”
Xue Rong nearly missed a step and tumbled down the stairs. Tao Tao quickly grabbed her collar and pulled her back. “Be careful!”
“Okay, okay…” Xue Rong was terrified out of her wits. Whenever she felt nervous or scared, she couldn’t stop talking. “Who… who is this little cutie? Your brother?”
“I am Tao Tao’s husband. Although we haven’t reached the legal marriage age yet, I have already reserved Tao Tao’s future. Once I come of age, I will propose to her and give her the most romantic and luxurious wedding in the world.” Hearing the unfamiliar voice, the boy glanced at the screen. “Nice to meet you. I am Jin Youchen. Are you Tao Tao’s friend?”
Upon hearing the boy’s words, Lin Quan, who had been quietly running, glanced at the watch screen.
Xue Rong: “Jin Youchen? Could it be that little young master of the Jin Clan Consortium who’s always in the news? Ah—it’s catching up—”
The tip of the Ghost-Eating Vine had just touched Xue Rong’s shoe when Lin Quan turned around and crushed it under his foot.
Tao Tao: “You got caught because you’re too nosy!”
Xue Rong retorted: “I got caught because I turned back to save you! Otherwise, I would have been out by now!”
Tao Tao gritted her teeth: “If you still have the energy to talk back… then you carry Lin Quan and run!”
Xue Rong immediately shut her mouth.
During the brief call, they had already reached the first floor. The Ghost-Eating Vine stopped at the stairwell entrance and didn’t recklessly pursue them further. The three finally had a chance to catch their breath.
“I’ll send a helicopter to rescue you.” Jin Youchen walked down the stairs and took the tablet handed to him by a servant. “You’re in Shencheng, at the Anatomy Building east of Chengho Medical College, right?”
Somehow, this sentence angered Tao Tao. She yelled, “If you dare track my location without permission again, I’ll throw this damn watch in the trash where you’ll never find it! If you think your family’s helicopter can handle a three-star danger-level supernatural force, then go ahead and send them!”
Jin Youchen fell silent for a moment, pursing his lips. “Yelling at me again, Tao Tao. You really have a bad temper.”
“I’m running for my life, young master! Who has the mind to pamper you while fleeing for their life?”
“I don’t need you to pamper me. I just wanted to send a helicopter to help you.”
Tao Tao: “What use is your helicopter if I’m dead? To retrieve my body for cremation? Please, next time, pick a better time to call, okay?!”
“Isn’t it because you didn’t answer my calls earlier? I was worried about you, so I called now.”
“I was in the fog where the Water Ghost feeds. How could I answer the phone?”
Jin Youchen calmly replied, “Then why didn’t you call me back after leaving the fog?”
“…”
“Fine, fine.” Tao Tao surrendered. “I’m sorry, young master. It’s all my fault, okay? I won’t do it again in the future. Please stop nagging.”
“You’re so insincere.”
Tao Tao: “…”
She gave up on communicating with Jin Youchen and turned to Lin Quan. “Put me down! Are you getting addicted to carrying me?”
Lin Quan did not let her down. His thoughtful gaze fixed on Jin Youchen on the other side of the video call: “If I recall correctly, Tao Tao is the woman recognized by the Evil God. Since she is the Evil God’s bride, shouldn’t her husband be the one from the Ten-Directions Purgatory? Who is this?”
Hearing the man’s voice, Jin Youchen frowned: “The Evil God? A dead man—what right does he have to claim Tao Tao as his bride? And who are you?”
Lin Quan looked at Tao Tao: “Do you agree with him?”
Tao Tao was caught off guard: “Agree with what?”
“That the Evil God is a dead man, and that you are not his bride?”
“What kind of strange question is that? I don’t want to answer.”
“You must agree, otherwise you would have refuted him on the spot when he called himself your husband.”
Tao Tao glanced at Lin Quan, then at Jin Youchen on the watch screen, momentarily at a loss for words. So she casually said, “Let me go.”
“Alright,” Lin Quan said gracefully.
The next second, he released his grip.
Caught completely off guard, Tao Tao plummeted straight down, landing with a heavy thud on the ground. The watch hit the floor and disconnected, sending a cloud of dust into her face.
“Oh,” Lin Quan pressed a finger to his lips, wearing an expression of great surprise.
In that moment, Tao Tao faintly caught the scent of tea wafting from the man before her.
With an innocent look on his face, the man said, “Sorry, my hand slipped. A kind and forgiving girl like you wouldn’t blame me, would you?”