Xu Muchan had already received the news ahead of time and was waiting in the courtyard with Chunhua and Qiuyue.
Chunhua and Qiuyue had even deliberately found a new set of clothes that had never been worn before for him to change into.
They were still a bright, festive red. A palm-width belt of gold and jade cinched his slender waist, while his already striking features looked even more dazzling against the vivid color.
Seeing Xu Muchan’s outstanding appearance, even the smiles on Chunhua and Qiuyue’s gloomy faces seemed to become somewhat gentler.
“Madam is so beautiful. Young Master will definitely like you.”
Xu Muchan shyly lowered his eyes, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks.
Hidden behind the ridge ornament on the roof, Wei Yao saw this scene and anxiously gnawed at his paws.
That ghost Young Master was about to arrive, yet Xu Muchan still hadn’t woken up. What were they supposed to do?
Just as he hesitated, wondering whether he should simply jump down from the roof and give Xu Muchan a major shock, he saw a group of paper figures coming down the path.
Walking at the very front was the steward.
And behind the steward was…
Old Ancestor!
Holy crap! It really was Old Ancestor! They were saved!
Wei Yao immediately jumped to his feet, exposing his hiding place.
Old Ancestor indeed saw him. He raised his eyes toward him, and Wei Yao desperately wagged his tail.
“Old Ancestor! It’s me! Wei Yao!”
Wei Xilou frowned and stopped at the entrance to the courtyard. He turned his face toward the steward and said something.
Wei Yao stretched his neck as far as he could, but unfortunately, they were too far apart for him to hear what Old Ancestor was saying.
But it didn’t matter.
Old Ancestor was here. They were definitely going to be fine!
All these paper figures could just wait to die, hmph!
Wei Yao sat proudly on the roof, already completely unconcerned about hiding himself.
Meanwhile, after receiving the order, Chunhua turned her head toward the roof and immediately spotted him.
When Wei Yao noticed the two paper figures turning to look at him, he wasn’t afraid anymore.
He even provocatively stuck his tongue out at them.
Bleh, bleh, bleh! You dead ghost! If you’ve got the guts, come catch me!
Chunhua took the provocation personally, and her eyes immediately filled with murderous intent.
Using an extremely unnatural posture, she crawled up the pillar like some enormous insect.
Wei Yao was still somewhat stunned when Chunhua suddenly came face-to-face with him.
He took a frightened step backward and instinctively looked toward Old Ancestor.
Old Ancestor had entered the courtyard!
Wei Yao arched his body and barked fiercely at Chunhua, trying to bluff his way through it.
“Don’t come any closer! If you dare touch me, Old Ancestor won’t let you off!”
“See that person down there? That’s my Old Ancestor!”
He barked so loudly that even Xu Muchan, who was immersed in his nervousness, heard him.
He turned his head and looked around.
“Was that Little White barking?”
But by then, the steward had already led an exceptionally tall man dressed in magnificent robes into the courtyard.
Qiuyue leaned close to his ear and reminded him, “Madam, Young Master is here. Hurry and pay your respects!”
Xu Muchan immediately couldn’t think about anything else.
His entire mind was occupied with the question of how he was supposed to bow.
He didn’t know how!
Seeing him standing there completely motionless as though he were in a daze, Qiuyue glared at him resentfully and bowed deeply herself first.
“Ah-Chan.”
Wei Xilou looked over the young man dressed in full wedding attire before him.
All the anger he had originally been carrying completely vanished, replaced by a certain indescribable, hidden joy.
The atmosphere around him became peaceful.
Wei Xilou praised him, “Ah-Chan looks very beautiful dressed like this.”
The newcomer’s voice was extremely pleasant.
Xu Muchan’s ears tingled, and his heartbeat grew faster and faster.
He gathered his courage and raised his head.
His eyes immediately met a pair of eyes filled with laughter.
He froze.
Wei Xilou stepped closer and reached out to stroke his brows and eyes.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you recognize your Gege anymore?”
What did he mean by Gege?
Xu Muchan was a little confused, but his nervousness quickly overwhelmed the question.
He bit the soft flesh inside his lip and, with some embarrassment and little practice, called out,
“Hu… husband.”
The moment he said it, not only did his face turn red, but even his ears and the small exposed section of his neck were completely flushed.
He lowered his head, not daring to look into the other man’s eyes.
Wei Xilou froze for a moment.
Then, after realizing what Xu Muchan had just called him, his gaze suddenly darkened.
A-Chan had actually called him… husband.
When Wei Xilou realized this, his heart even skipped a beat for a moment. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he seemed to realize something, and his breathing also became restless.
But he concealed it very well. His expression remained a gentle smile as he took Xu Muchan’s hand and said, “A-Chan, have you been waiting long?”
The other person’s hand was cool to the touch, but broad enough to completely enclose his own.
Xu Muchan curled his fingers slightly in embarrassment but didn’t pull away. He said softly, “Not that long.”
Wei Xilou glanced at the paper figures surrounding them and asked again, “Were you scared being here alone?”
Xu Muchan shook his head at first, but after a pause, he honestly nodded.
Although this was his first time meeting his husband, Xu Muchan inexplicably felt very close to and trusting of him. Hesitating, he voiced his true thoughts. “The residence is too big, and there are too few people. At night, it’s a little scary. During the day, it’s just a little boring.”
Wei Xilou smiled. He led Xu Muchan toward the outside of the courtyard. “This residence really is too small, and there’s not much to do here. I’ll take A-Chan outside for a walk.”
When he had discovered that A-Chan’s soul had been summoned away and followed it here, Wei Xilou had still been seething with anger. But after discovering how adorable A-Chan was even without his memories, his anger had instantly vanished.
Wei Xilou suddenly felt that although this residence was old and run-down, it had its own unique charm.
There was no need to hurry away after all.
Wei Xilou led Xu Muchan outside.
Only after the two of them had left did Chunhua loosen the muzzle around the little white dog’s mouth. She gave it a gloomy smile, grabbed it by the scruff of its neck, and carried it outside, intending to take it to Miss Ling.
Wei Yao watched the old ancestor’s retreating back in despair.
Could it really be Heaven’s intention to destroy him? How had the old ancestor failed to recognize him?!
This was way too unlucky!
He could only hope that Xu Muchan would wake up soon and remember that he still had two good friends suffering in dire straits!
Wei Xilou led Xu Muchan to the garden.
This was the only scenery in the residence that could still be considered worth looking at.
The garden was filled with different varieties of ornamental flowers. The flowers seemed completely unconcerned with the seasons, all blooming competitively, creating an incongruous sense of spring within the gloomy, sinister residence.
Xu Muchan leaned against the railing and admired the beautiful flowers, while Wei Xilou stood beside him.
He could feel the other man’s gaze constantly resting on him, gentle and warm.
Xu Muchan boldly turned his face slightly and secretly glanced at him.
But his gaze was caught red-handed.
His face immediately flushed crimson, and he quickly turned his head away, pretending nothing had happened as he said, “These flowers are really beautiful.”
“They certainly are.”
Wei Xilou nodded in agreement, his gaze falling on him.
It was impossible to tell whether he was talking about the flowers or the person.
Xu Muchan’s heart began beating faster again.
He pressed a hand against his chest and was just thinking that he should say something else when he saw Miss Ling leading a large group of people over from the other end of the path.
The maid behind her was carrying a large cage.
Inside were, unmistakably, two little dogs, one yellow and one white.
The moment the two little dogs saw Xu Muchan, they reacted as though they had seen a beloved family member. They desperately squeezed their heads through the gaps in the cage, their eyes watery as they barked at him.
The romantic atmosphere instantly vanished.
Xu Muchan stepped forward and stopped Miss Ling. “Where are you taking them?”
Miss Ling glanced warily at the man behind him before saying smugly, “Of course I’m taking them to the kitchen. Animals this disobedient deserve to be skinned, dismembered, and made into a pot of dog meat.”
Her innocent, delicate face was full of malice as she giggled at Xu Muchan.
“Perfect timing. We can add some to your meal later, sister-in-law.”
Wei Yao and Wen Dajiang barked angrily.
They viciously yelled at Miss Ling:
“Idiot! Just wait until the old ancestor takes action! You’re finished!”
The old ancestor stood behind Xu Muchan, completely ignoring the two noisy little mice. Instead, he tried to persuade Xu Muchan.
“A-Chan likes little dogs? I’ll buy you two more another day. These two are obviously mutts. They’re ugly and not very smart. They’re not worth keeping.”
Wei Yao and Wen Dajiang, who were still barking like dogs: ???
No, old ancestor, are you seriously judging dogs by their looks?!
Wei Yao and Wen Dajiang were terrified that the old ancestor really wouldn’t care about them, so they immediately started barking even louder.
Xu Muchan, however, felt somewhat sorry for the frightened cries of the little dogs.
He turned to look at the man beside him, blinked, and tugged lightly on his sleeve.
“But I like these two. Don’t eat them, okay?”
Wei Xilou pressed his lips together without speaking, frowning as though he were in a difficult position.
Xu Muchan then looked at the maid carrying the dog cage and reached out to take it.
“Give them to me.”
The maid looked at Wei Xilou, then at Miss Ling, and finally back at Xu Muchan. She looked troubled.
“Madam, these are Miss Ling’s dogs…”
Xu Muchan saw that she refused to let go, while Miss Ling was grinning smugly at him.
He could only look toward the man behind him, who had yet to say anything.
His eyes were watery as he looked at him, and in a soft voice, he called out, “Husband?”
Wei Xilou’s heart softened under that pleading gaze.
He sighed faintly and looked toward the maid holding the dog cage, his gaze sharp.
“You dare disobey Madam?”
The maid shuddered under his gaze, and her hand loosened instinctively.
Xu Muchan quickly took the dog cage.
Miss Ling naturally refused to accept this. She angrily said, “Big Brother, these are my dogs!”
Wei Xilou looked at her expressionlessly.
Miss Ling immediately fell silent in fear. She stomped her foot hard, shot Xu Muchan a vicious glare, and ran away.
“Thank you.”
Xu Muchan watched Miss Ling’s retreating figure and smiled happily.
Wei Xilou disdainfully nudged the dog cage with his toe and had one of the servants following them carry it back to the courtyard.
Only then did he look at Xu Muchan and ask, “So how is A-Chan going to thank me?”
Xu Muchan was stunned.
Hadn’t he already thanked him just now?
But Wei Xilou stared fixedly at him, clearly dissatisfied with merely verbal thanks.
Xu Muchan thought for a moment.
After looking around to make sure no one was nearby, he leaned closer and gave Wei Xilou a quick, light kiss on the cheek.
Then he quickly stepped back and looked at him, asking shyly, “Is this enough?”
Wei Xilou froze.
After a long moment, he finally raised a hand and touched the place where he had been kissed, remaining silent for a while.
Seeing that he still wasn’t saying anything and that his expression didn’t look particularly happy, the blush faded from Xu Muchan’s face.
He looked at him nervously, wondering if he had been too bold and frightened him.
Wei Xilou slowly lifted his eyelids and looked at the uneasy young man.
His Adam’s apple bobbed.
He pulled Xu Muchan toward him, covered the side of his face with his palm, and gently rubbed his thumb over the smooth, delicate skin.
“Why wasn’t A-Chan this forward before?”
Xu Muchan was somewhat confused, but he honestly answered, “I hadn’t met you before.”
“From what the steward and everyone else in the household said, I thought you would look very frightening and have a terrible temper.”
But after actually meeting him, he discovered that he was completely different from what they had described.
Just looking at this face made Xu Muchan feel as though his heartbeat was becoming uncontrollable.
He immediately lowered his eyes again, not daring to look any longer.
Wei Xilou, however, had a strange expression.
“Does A-Chan like me looking like this?”
Xu Muchan nodded, his face flushed.
Wei Xilou smiled.
He enclosed Xu Muchan’s hand within his palm and slowly counted his fingers one by one, his tone unhurried.
“So A-Chan likes me like this.”
Xu Muchan didn’t pull his hand away, nor did he say anything else. Instead, he pretended to admire the brilliantly colored flowers blooming throughout the garden.
So naturally, he didn’t notice the dense shadow beneath his feet.
It stirred as though wanting to climb upward along his ankle, but because of some concern, it temporarily restrained itself.
Wei Xilou was still seriously playing with Xu Muchan’s fingers.
The shadow surging beneath the ground seemed to finally reach the limit of its patience.
Its thick, ink-black color transformed into one arm after another. Fingers spread wide as they hurriedly grabbed Xu Muchan’s ankle—
The cold, eerie sensation startled Xu Muchan.
The romantic atmosphere was instantly replaced by something strange and terrifying.
Xu Muchan looked down, and his face paled.
Yet there was nothing beneath his feet.
It was as though the hand that had just grabbed him had merely been an illusion.
Wei Xilou asked with concern, “What’s wrong?”
Xu Muchan frowned and stammered, “It felt like a hand just grabbed my foot…”
The moment he mentioned it, his face paled even more.
But because of the inexplicable trust he had in his husband, he still moved closer to him and lowered his voice.
“I keep feeling like… there are ghosts in this house…”
Wei Xilou’s tone was amused.
“Ghosts?”
“Is A-Chan afraid of ghosts?”
Xu Muchan was still cautiously observing his surroundings and didn’t notice anything strange in his tone.
Hearing the question, he nodded without hesitation.
“A little.”
He furrowed his delicate brows and began listing all the strange things that had happened in the household over the past two days.
“Don’t you think the house is always so dark and gloomy? The steward, and Chunhua and Qiuyue, are strange sometimes too…”
Xu Muchan gave himself goosebumps just talking about it.
He vigorously rubbed his arms and looked at Wei Xilou, only to find that the other man’s face showed no expression at all.
He couldn’t help asking strangely, “How come you don’t seem scared at all?”
Meeting his puzzled gaze, the corners of Wei Xilou’s lips curved upward.
He pulled Xu Muchan into his arms and gently patted his back in reassurance.
“Old residences are all like this. The lighting isn’t good, so they look gloomy. But there’s nothing we can do. It’s been this way for so many years. A-Chan will just have to bear with it for a little while. Even if there really are ghosts or other supernatural things here, they won’t do anything to you… A-Chan doesn’t need to be afraid.”
There was something strange about the way he said it.
Xu Muchan should have been puzzled, but at this moment, his mind was completely captivated by the broad chest in front of him.
Leaning against the other man’s embrace, he felt as though those ghosts really could no longer get close to him.
Xu Muchan felt safe.
Unable to resist, he secretly rubbed his face against Wei Xilou’s chest and gave a muffled little “Mm.”
The two didn’t stay in the garden for very long before the steward arrived.
He seemed extremely afraid of Wei Xilou and didn’t dare approach too closely. Instead, he stood far away outside the pavilion and called out,
“Young Master, Madam, the auspicious hour is almost here. It’s time to prepare for the wedding ceremony.”
Xu Muchan finally remembered that today was the day they were getting married.
He secretly glanced at the man standing in front of him, who was nearly half a head taller than him. Xu Muchan bit the soft flesh on the inside of his lip and said, “Then I’ll go back to the courtyard and get ready.”
This time, Wei Xilou did not try to stop him. Only after watching him walk away did he turn to the steward and say, “Tell me about the wedding ceremony.”
As soon as Xu Muchan entered the courtyard, he saw the two little dogs excitedly rushing toward him.
He instinctively dodged them and said seriously, “I’m going to have the wedding ceremony in a little while. You two can’t bite anyone anymore, or I’m really going to get angry.”
Wei Yao barked, “The Old Ancestor is already here. Who else are you going to marry?”
At the mention of the person he was about to marry, a few more traces of a smile appeared on Xu Muchan’s face. He crouched down and stroked the little dog’s smooth fur, secretly telling them, “My husband is even better-looking than I imagined. I originally thought he would look scary and fierce.”
“Now, every time I see him, my heart starts going thump, thump, thump.”
The more Wen Dajiang listened, the more something seemed wrong. He came closer as well and cautiously asked, “Wait. The husband you’re talking about… couldn’t be the Old Ancestor, right?”
Xu Muchan couldn’t understand the dogs’ barking. He touched his chest, his smile shy. “We’re going to get married in a little while. If you two don’t cause trouble, I’ll take you with me.”
“Something’s not right.”
Wei Yao said solemnly, “There are twelve parts wrong with this out of ten.”
Wen Dajiang nodded as well. “Your good brother is about to become your other ancestor. Yeah, something’s definitely wrong.”
Wei Yao scratched his head with his hind paw, completely unable to figure it out. “Does the Old Ancestor have some grand plan? Like, maybe we have to follow the original process and hold the wedding exactly as planned in order to break this situation or something?”
Wen Dajiang said gravely, “Who knows? Why don’t you go ask him?”
Wei Yao shrank his head back. “I don’t dare.”
The two dogs stared at each other with their big eyes for a long while. Finally, Wei Yao couldn’t hold back anymore and said in anguish, “How could Xu Muchan do this? He must have been bewitched by a ghost! That’s the Old Ancestor!”
And during the day, he had still been calling him “Big Brother” every other sentence. Now Big Brother was about to become his lover.
Was that appropriate?
Wei Yao thought it was extremely inappropriate.
He was so anxious that he paced around in circles, but nobody cared about the feelings of a little dog. Besides, there was no one else here anyway—only eerie, sinister paper effigies.
Xu Muchan changed into an elaborate, formal wedding robe and was led toward the front courtyard by Chunhua and Qiuyue.
As the madam’s beloved pets, Wei Yao and Wen Dajiang were also given the opportunity to attend the ceremony. However, to prevent them from causing trouble, Chunhua and Qiuyue had locked them in a cage ahead of time and carried them over together.
Xu Muchan followed behind the two maids. When he reached the front courtyard, he discovered that the guests had somehow all arrived.
The courtyard was packed with tables, and people filled every seat, yet there wasn’t a single sound of conversation. The silence was strangely eerie.
When these people saw Xu Muchan entering, they all turned their heads toward him in unison and stared at him expressionlessly.
The joy and shyness of the impending wedding were somewhat diluted by the frightening atmosphere created by the guests. Xu Muchan took a step backward.
Perhaps it was because the sky had darkened, but he felt that all the guests’ faces were deathly pale, completely devoid of color. Their features also seemed strangely flat, almost as though they had been drawn on with a pen.
Just as he hesitated, not daring to move forward, Wei Xilou walked out from inside wearing a bright-red wedding robe.
He stepped onto the scarlet carpet and walked toward Xu Muchan one step at a time. With a smile, he extended his hand toward him.
“A-Chan.”
For some reason, Xu Muchan’s fear immediately faded a little. He reached out and took his hand.
As though noticing that he was a little frightened, Wei Xilou quietly reassured him, “The wedding ceremony will be somewhat different from an ordinary wedding. To show proper solemnity, the guests aren’t allowed to make any loud noise.”
Xu Muchan suddenly understood. So that was why.
He pressed his lips together and looked at the guests again. Sure enough, he saw that they were all wearing kind smiles. Although none of them spoke, they repeatedly cupped their hands and nodded toward Xu Muchan, silently offering their blessings.
Xu Muchan’s tense body relaxed. Led by Wei Xilou, he slowly walked into the hall.
The hall was covered with festive red silk. Two chairs had been placed in the very center. An elderly woman whom Xu Muchan had met once before was sitting in one of them.
The other chair was empty, but a memorial portrait had been placed on it. Judging by the age of the person in the portrait, it was probably the old woman’s husband—the husband’s father.
It was just that the husband looked nothing like the person in the portrait.
The husband had dark, ink-like brows and eyes and was extremely handsome. But the old man in the portrait… How should Xu Muchan put it?
A square face, a flat nose, thick lips…
Xu Muchan somewhat disrespectfully wondered whether his husband might not be the old man’s biological son.
As he was thinking this, Xu Muchan’s eyes accidentally swept over the portrait.
He suddenly discovered that the person in the portrait seemed to be glaring angrily at him.
Wasn’t that expression different just now?
Xu Muchan found it strange and could only move a little closer to Wei Xilou.
Wei Xilou cast a casual glance at the portrait.
The old man inside, who had been glaring with a fierce expression, immediately became kind and benevolent.
Only then did Wei Xilou turn his head toward Xu Muchan. “What’s wrong?”
Xu Muchan wanted to say that the person in the portrait seemed to have moved, but when he looked again, he found that the person in the portrait clearly had the exact same expression as before.
The earlier glare had apparently just been an illusion.
Xu Muchan could only keep quiet.
Just then, the ceremony began.
The officiant called out loudly, “First bow—to Heaven and Earth!”
Xu Muchan instinctively tightened his grip on the red silk and glanced to the side, his heart beating rapidly.
The other end of the red silk was held in Wei Xilou’s hand. He happened to turn his face toward Xu Muchan as well. Their eyes met, and he curved his lips into a smile.
Xu Muchan’s fingers tightened. Flustered, he lowered his head and bowed to Heaven and Earth together with him.
The officiant called out again, “Second bow—to the elders!”
Xu Muchan turned around and was just about to bow in the direction of the old madam when someone beside him stopped him.
A low voice sounded beside his ear.
“There’s no need to bow to the elders.”
Xu Muchan straightened up in confusion. He looked at Wei Xilou, then at the old madam sitting in the seat of honor.
The old madam still had a smile on her face, but somehow, the smile looked extremely stiff.
Many questions arose in Xu Muchan’s heart, but since Wei Xilou said there was no need to bow, he did not bow either.
The officiant was quite perceptive. Seeing this, he immediately sped up the proceedings and called out again,
“Bride and groom bow to each other!”
Xu Muchan immediately had no time to think about anything else. He hurriedly turned around and stood face-to-face with Wei Xilou.
The two of them held the same piece of red silk and bent down toward each other—
“The ceremony is complete! Send them to the bridal chamber!”