Grudge Breaker

Chapter 378 The Mysterious Bride (Part 2)
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Red embroidered shoes, a skirt with mandarin duck patterns on the sleeves, and a red double happiness veil gradually came into Song Weichen's sight. Although the woman had only taken a few steps, she was already close at hand.

It was the woman in wedding attire I had seen at the entrance to Goddess Peak.

Knowing he couldn't escape, Song Weichen simply stood still and assumed a fighting stance.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid," she reassured herself. Even if she put in some effort, she now possessed near-Rank B combat strength, so she might not necessarily be at a disadvantage in a real fight. Besides, this was reality; she could speak normally, and if she really couldn't win, she could use the Name Summoning Curse on the ice block.

Thinking about it this way, Song Weichen felt much more at ease.

The little chubby pig inexplicably shivered and instinctively shrank back against Song Weichen's neck. Strange, judging by its figure, it was clearly a beautiful auntie; what was it afraid of?
"whee--"

The red embroidered shoes stopped a foot away from Song Weichen, and a soft laugh came from under the veil again, but this time it sounded more human.

"Is this young lady also a sorcerer participating in the trial?"

The voice coming from under the red veil was like the sound of silver bells in the wind, and the ghostly feeling from before was completely gone.

"What do you want to do?"

Song Weichen crossed his arms, his voice full of vigilance.

"Don't misunderstand, young lady. I just want to keep each other company."

The woman in red gently curtsied to Song Weichen.
"My name is Wan'er. I am also taking the test alone. I was walking along the mountain ridge with a sorcerer brother when I accidentally wandered into a fog of phosphorescent powder and got separated from him. I ended up here by accident."

"Just as I was panicking and saw no one around, worried that a strange beast might appear and I would be unable to fight it, I saw the young lady and that cute spirit land down. Their posture was quite amusing, and I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Please don't be offended, young lady."

"...That's it."

Song Weichen nodded, feigning understanding, but in reality, he was not at all relaxed.

She vividly remembered the white-clad youth sitting on Xuanwu at the entrance and his wariness of the woman in wedding attire; this woman named Wan'er was definitely not a kind person.

Keeping company? You're kidding me.

You might as well tell me you are Qin Shi Huang.

But the most dangerous thing right now is to expose her to her face.

Since they had to get out of this awful place anyway, they might as well keep each other company as she suggested. Song Weichen made up her mind and looked at Wan'er with a naive look in her eyes, as clear as a college student.

"Sister Wan'er, you've arrived just in time!"

"My name is Sangsang. I'm a sorcerer participating in the trial, but I don't have any special skills. I mainly came to accompany my brother, and my job is to broaden my horizons."

As Song Weichen spoke, he yanked the small, delicate item off his shoulder and carried it to the woman in the wedding dress.

"It's called Little Useless, and it's my pet. True to its name, thanks to it, I got separated from my brother. I was really worried, but my brother is very capable; he should find me soon, and then we'll rescue Sister Wan'er together!"

For the first time, the little creature didn't show any infatuation in front of the woman in the wedding dress, nor did it pounce on her. Instead, it frantically wiggled its limbs, twisting like a wound-up toy worm—it was clearly afraid of her.

Wan'er, still covered by her bridal veil, didn't even look at it. At least, the position of her head remained unchanged from beginning to end, always facing Song Weichen. Clearly, she didn't take the little rascal seriously at all.

"Do you have a brother?"

The woman in wedding attire seemed to ask the question subtly.

"You admire your brother so much, he must be very capable, right?"

Song Weichen naturally noticed the woman's concern, and knowing that she would hesitate to act against her, it would be easier to handle the situation.

"Yes, my brother is very powerful; he's a fire mage."

"Fire element?!"

Wan'er subconsciously took half a step back, clearly understanding what it meant for a sorcerer to be able to distinguish the five elements of magic.

"Could it be that your brother is a near-Grade A, or... Grade A?"

"Well..."

Song Weichen scratched his head and tossed the little trinket back onto his shoulder.

"I don't know about that. Why don't we wait until Sister Wan'er sees my brother and ask him herself?"

"By the way, my brother is still single~"

She looked the woman in wedding attire up and down.

"I wonder if Sister Wan'er is engaged? You came to participate in the competition dressed in your wedding attire... Hehe, it's not that the competition is just an excuse, but rather you're looking for a suitable husband, is it?"

"Oh dear, Sangsang, please don't tease me."

The woman in wedding attire took two steps forward, then turned back when she saw that Song Weichen hadn't followed.
"Let's go, the important thing is to get out of this strange fog first."

Seeing that she had already set her sights on her, Song Weichen steeled her heart and followed her. In the past, she would have chickened out long ago, and Mo Tingfeng's name would probably have already resounded throughout the land. But now, hmph, who is she? She's a tough nut to crack, having just defeated the Corpse Demon Lord! She's a man who takes his shit in the outhouse with his face turned outwards! As for this mere newlywed wife, it's hard to say who's in control!

"walk!"
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The two walked along the grass for the time it takes to burn an incense stick. They couldn't say they encountered a ghost wall, but at least the surrounding environment didn't change significantly—especially the phosphorescent mist that always seemed to linger around them, like some Western fantasy fairy had wandered onto the wrong set, constantly waving a magic wand covered in phosphorescent powder.

However, unlike before, Wan'er was unusually quiet during this time. Not only did she not speak, but she also walked without making a sound, which was completely out of place with Song Weichen, who was panting and stumbling beside her—the woman in the wedding dress had unilaterally silenced herself.

"Sister Wan'er, aren't you hot?"

Song Weichen wiped the sweat that had trickled down her neck.
"It's damp and hot in this forest, and you're still wearing that heavy wedding veil. Why don't you take it off and get some fresh air?"

She actually wanted to see Wan'er's face. Song Weichen understood the principle of "the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light"—to put it bluntly, Wan'er was just a code name. Nowadays, women in wedding attire can hide their identities simply by changing their clothes, but once their faces are recognized, it's different. Even if they change their appearance, their eyes will not change.

……

"whee--"

That familiar, echoing, chilling chuckle came from under the bridal veil again, startling Xiao Biezhi so much that she darted into the back of Song Weichen's collar.

“Sister Sangsang is naturally beautiful, how could she understand the pain of her elder sister’s coarse face and reluctance to show herself to others?”

"If I remove this bridal veil, I'm afraid it will frighten my sister, and then Sangsang will no longer want to travel with me."

Seemingly unwilling to let Song Weichen dwell on this issue, the woman who called herself Wan'er turned the topic back to "brother".

"Speaking of which, I might be able to guess who your brother is."

"Eh? Why do you say that, Sister Wan'er?"

“Sorcerers who can differentiate between the five elements are extremely rare. Regardless of their specialization, they are the focus of attention for all participating sorcerers. My sister heard some of this while waiting to enter the Divine Maiden Peak.” “They said there are two fire-type sorcerers participating this year. One is Ding Heran, the Tianluo Commander of the Sichen Mansion. He was originally a Grade B sorcerer, but I heard that he has cultivated a clear fire elemental attribute and is a hot favorite for this year’s competition.”

"The other one is a bounty hunter known in the martial arts world as 'Tinder.' He was already at the near-A level during the last trial, but for some reason he didn't attend the ranking banquet, so he didn't receive official certification and only left behind a reputation in the martial arts world—but it's not entirely a reputation, since he's recognized in the martial arts world and will earn just as much money as he did."

"Since Sister Sangsang says that her brother is a fire elemental, he must be one of the two mentioned above. But I wonder... if I could have the honor of confirming this with you, Sister?"

Oh no! This female zombie actually knows quite a lot. Song Weichen swallowed hard. Now, how should she start this story…?

Saying that the brother is Ding Heran has the advantage that, given the background of the Si Chen Manor, this female zombie might not dare to harm him. But the disadvantage is also obvious: as the Tianluo Commander of the Si Chen Manor, how could the martial world not know whether he has a sister or not? Saying it like this is really inappropriate.

On the contrary, Huozhezi's background, appearance, and whereabouts are unknown, which might be a good excuse. Unless this female zongzi knows Huozhezi, it would be difficult to expose her. However, even so, Song Weichen did not intend to take the risk. What if she had a grudge against Huozhezi? Wouldn't he be walking into the line of fire?
"Sister Wan'er, something's wrong with you."

Song Weichen decided to change his tactics.
"You care so much about who my brother is? And you still say you're not here for a blind date?"

She leaned closer mysteriously, as if she were about to tell Wan'er a huge secret.

"However, my sister is wrong about one thing. My brother told me that there are more than two fire-type Class A fighters who came this time."

"what?!"

The bridal veil almost swung up due to the sudden twist, and Song Weichen could barely see her face clearly.

"Good sister, what did you say? There are more than two fire-type trials this time?"

"Yes~"

Song Weichen blinked her innocent big eyes, looking exactly like Xiao Biezhi.

"Do you remember the trial mission of the first level? Find a missing woman who is neither alive nor dead, neither real nor unreal. Actually, my brother said in private that the woman is not so easy to find because... the guardian of the level is a fire-type A-level sorcerer who is already dead."

"What?! Dead? A fire-type Class A?"

A slender, white hand gripped Song Weichen's wrist tightly.

"Sangsang, my dear sister, what did your brother say to you? Please tell your sister everything, okay?"

"Sister Wan'er..."

Song Weichen brushed Wan'er's hand away, feigning extreme difficulty.

“But my brother repeatedly warned me that this is a secret of the Sichen Manor and no one can tell it. If I tell my sister, not only will I not get any benefits, but I will also be punished by my brother. It's not worth it.”

After finishing speaking, Song Weichen didn't wait for Wan'er's reaction and quickly walked forward, as if intentionally avoiding the question.

She did it on purpose. Although she didn't explicitly state that her brother was Ding Heran, the fact that she knew so many "trial secrets" clearly implied that her identity was closely related to the Si Chen Manor. Anyone who wanted to mess with her had better think twice.

Moreover, Song Weichen also wanted to see what price this matchmaker, who called herself Wan'er, was willing to pay in exchange for the secret she spoke of—perhaps the "benefit" the matchmaker offered was a clue to determine her identity?

The bait has been laid; those who are willing will take the bait.
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A pair of red embroidered shoes suddenly appeared beside Song Weichen, as if they had teleported there.

"Good sister, just tell your older sister. In return, I'll let you see my true colors, okay?"

Seeing her true colors? Song Weichen weighed it for a moment. Emmm, she was tempting, but not enough. She wanted more.

"This... Sister, although my magical abilities are average, I'm not stupid. What good is it to be able to see your appearance? I'm a girl. Even if you look like a celestial being, I can't marry you. I can only look at you and drool, right?"

"No, no, my brother's fierce."

Song Weichen made a move to leave, but was grabbed by the matchmaker.

"Here's what I'll say! My ability is the 'Spiritual Connection,' and I excel at finding people and things in places that are neither truly alive nor truly dead, neither real nor illusory. If we can successfully find that woman and return her to the Supervisory Office, how about we split the points? Is that enough sincerity?"

"make a deal!"

Song Weichen nodded in satisfaction.
"It's a deal then! I also want to show my brother that I'm not a good-for-nothing."

She beckoned to the matchmaker, gesturing for her to come closer, as if she were about to tell a huge secret.

“My brother said that the dead fire-type Rank A sorcerer was named Ma Zhenchun, nicknamed ‘Thunderfire Storm.’ He was controlled by a special magic array, and only by passing his trial can we find the missing woman.”

"Sister Wan'er, I've told you everything I know, but... are you confident you can defeat this fire-type A-rank opponent?"

Song Weichen dug another pit for the matchmaker—although she didn't want to save Lao Longjing, if she could kill two birds with one stone and let this female zombie deal with the necromancer, she could not only help Bing Tuozi indirectly, but also get herself out of trouble. Why not?

Song Weichen wanted to put his hands on his hips and praise himself. What a genius could come up with a three-birds-with-one-stone trick in such a dangerous situation! He was truly an invincible little rascal!
……

"Sister Sangsang, what you said... is it all true?"

Although the woman in the wedding dress used a question, it was clear that she believed it.

After all, to be able to mention Ma Zhenchun's name and background so accurately, as well as his relationship with the first trial, would be impossible without the Si Chen Mansion's request for personnel. They wouldn't even be able to fabricate such information, let alone obtain it.

Seeing that Song Weichen looked offended, the woman in the wedding dress quickly comforted her.
"Good sister, I believe you!"

"Sister will keep her promise now."

hula-

A strange gust of wind swept by, and the strange phosphorescent powder that was swirling around them was suddenly blown towards the back of the woman in the wedding dress—the bridal veil was lifted!
Before Song Weichen could see the woman's face clearly, a bridal veil was blown over and covered his face!
"Snapped!"

A dark red wedding veil seemed to veil his eyes, and with the strong scent of incense emanating from it, Song Weichen saw a slender woman standing nearby, but her features were completely obscured.

"Sister Wan'er?"

When Song Weichen spoke, her voice was like a silver bell tinkling in the wind.

Suddenly, a great fear arose in her heart. She swallowed hard and looked down at herself—red embroidered shoes, a skirt with mandarin duck patterns on the sleeves... This, this is!
Where is the wedding attendant? Song Weichen was horrified! How did she turn into Wan'er?!

Who's standing on the other side?!
She yanked off the wedding veil!

The surroundings have changed again; this is no longer Goddess Peak!
Before me was an old ancestral hall, with countless memorial tablets densely packed on the altar. The names were written in seal script, clerical script, and regular script. Some tablets were new, some were old, and the air was thick with the scent of incense, just like the scent on the wedding veils.

Song Weichen himself lay in an open, red-painted coffin, facing the memorial tablets from a reclining position.

What the hell is going on?!
"Snapped!"

Before there was time to react, a large hand had already gripped the edge of the coffin—it was the hand of a man who was nothing but bones, his long, bony fingers gently tapping the coffin.

"Wan'er..."