The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 116 Strange

As the white-clad troop moved further and further away, the bodyguards all breathed a sigh of relief, and then felt a surge of excitement.

Although I didn't get to witness a high-level magical duel, being able to see such a bizarre scene is enough to be something I can brag about for the rest of my life!
Moreover, if a real fight were to break out, how could these ordinary mortals possibly escape unscathed?

The current outcome is more than enough to satisfy them.

Those who have been in the world for a long time know better than anyone how precious peace is.

Only the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) still harbored doubts about the fleeting glimpse he had just caught.

At first, he was too timid to look closely at the memorial tablet held by the person in front of the coffin. Only when the person turned to leave did he hurriedly glimpse the birth date and time of birth and death on the back of the tablet.

I couldn't make out the birth and death dates, but I vaguely saw that it seemed to be a recent death this year.

But the birth date and time – Yi Hai, Geng Chen, Geng Wu, Geng Chen – were so familiar that they could be seen clearly at a glance!
Exactly the same as the bride's!
At this point, the head镖师 finally understood why such a malevolent creature had targeted the bride and her entourage.

It's already difficult to find two people with the exact same birth date and time, let alone one with this rare combination of red and white clashing.

Fortunately, the bride and her party had good karma, which is why they had the Taoist priest to protect them.

Otherwise, how can things be resolved peacefully?
While the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) was still pondering, the other镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) had already surrounded Du Yuan and showered her with compliments.

"It is truly an honor to witness the Daoist's abilities today!"

"If it weren't for the Taoist priest's mercy, we brothers would have lost our lives long ago!"

"To subdue the enemy without fighting—I'd only ever heard of it before, but today I've actually experienced it firsthand!"

The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) initially wanted to join them, but then his mind changed, and his gaze fell back behind him—the bride and her entourage still had their eyes closed, their hearts still pounding with fear.

This wedding procession was indeed quite respectable among the common people. But upon closer reflection, how could a woman marrying nearly two hundred miles away be accompanied by only one aunt?
It's understandable that no one from the bride's family came to pick her up, since according to local custom, the groom should only arrive at the border to fetch the bride. But isn't the bride's family being far too disrespectful?

The journey was long, yet both parents were absent? Even if we assume there were uncles or aunts, shouldn't there have been an elder in charge? In any case, it shouldn't have been left to a single aunt to shoulder this responsibility.

It seems this girl was not happy at her parents' home, and now she has encountered such an evil spirit.
'Sigh, I hope the groom is truly a good match. Oh, and I must quickly ask the Taoist priest if this calamity of conflicting omens has truly passed.'

Thinking of this, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) pushed aside his brothers and stepped forward to ask Du Yuan:

"Master, do you think this matter should end here?"

Upon hearing this, the other bodyguards also felt a chill run down their spines.

Yes, they've just left; who knows if they'll come looking for us later!

Seeing them all looking at her, Du Yuan did not give a direct answer.

He simply turned to the bride and her entourage and said:
"Everyone, you can open your eyes now, it's all over!"

Only after the Taoist priest spoke did the bride and her entourage breathe a sigh of relief and open their eyes.

Seeing that everything around him was spotless and there was nothing messy, he let out a long sigh of relief.

Du Yuan then said:

"Please rest assured, everyone, I will accompany you on the journey ahead! I will ensure that nothing goes wrong!"

This made the bride and her party even more grateful and happy.

With such a powerful person protecting us, we are sure to have a safe journey!

After speaking, Du Yuan addressed the bodyguards:
"Let's go. You can ask us any questions later."

The bodyguards dared not object and nodded in agreement.

The journey that followed was unexpectedly, yet seemingly inevitable, peaceful and tranquil for a day and a night. The chilling white demon seemed to have vanished completely and never reappeared.

The tense atmosphere only completely relaxed when the boundary marker of Tai'an County could be seen in the distance. One of the bodyguards traveling with them suddenly said curiously:
"That's strange. According to the customs here, the groom should have estimated the time and come early to wait for the bride."

Another person chimed in, "Perhaps the groom didn't expect us to be so fast?"

"That's right!" everyone agreed. In just a few words, the doubts vanished—different schedules were common.

Especially for those who work as镖师 (bodyguards/couriers), it's normal for it to take ten days to half a month.

Only Du Yuan suddenly spoke to them:

"It's not good that there's no groom to fetch the bride. Here's what we'll do: you and I, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), go and inform him. The rest of you can wait here for now?"

At this moment, how could the bodyguards possibly refute Du Yuan's words?
Before he could even speak, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) quickly led over his companion's horse, saying:

"Taoist Master, bring me the finest Hequ horses! They're fed the best fodder every day, and I guarantee they'll run like the wind, as if walking on flat ground!"

But Du Yuan chuckled and shook her head, saying:
"No need. If it's a good horse, you can ride it yourself."

Seeing that Du Yuan didn't intend to ride a horse, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) who had assumed Du Yuan couldn't ride a horse immediately changed his tune:
"Then I'll accompany you all the way, Taoist priest!"

Unexpectedly, Du Yuan shook her head and laughed:
“Walking would be too slow. So, you'd better ride a horse. Otherwise, I'm afraid you won't be able to catch up with me!”

Having said that, Du Yuan leisurely took a step forward.

next moment--

"oops!"

The bodyguards exclaimed in unison, all dumbfounded!

The Taoist priest, who had just been standing in front of them, vanished without a trace the instant he took a step!

"My God! What kind of supernatural power is this?"

"This must be a true deity descended to earth!"

"Oh my, if I had that ability, wouldn't I have to ask the imperial court for a national advisor?"

"Hey? Someone like you, a pathetic loser? Imperial Preceptor? The Taoist priest is a reclusive master, disdaining worldly positions. As for you, even if you possessed such supernatural powers, you'd be nothing more than a messenger for the emperor!"

"That's fine too! I'll personally deliver lychees from Lingnan to the Emperor; that's a hundred times better than this life of constant danger!"

You're utterly hopeless.

"Otherwise what? I'm not some kind of high-ranking Taoist priest who would be grateful to be able to gain wealth and status!"

Exclamations of surprise, laughter, and arguing rose and fell, and it took a while for the noise to subside.

The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) was equally dumbfounded. Suddenly snapping back to reality, he hurriedly mounted his horse and spurred it on to give chase.

"Master! Master! Wait for me!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs while craning his neck to look ahead.

Fortunately, they didn't run far before they spotted the Taoist priest.

Just as he was about to call out, the Taoist priest appeared a hundred feet away in a single step.

The head镖师's awe of the Taoist priest deepened even further. He quickly swallowed the words that were about to come out, gritted his teeth, lowered his body, and urged his mount to chase after the Taoist priest with all his might.

They chased her all the way to the gate of Tai'an County before finally catching up with Du Yuan, who was already waiting there.

He had barely dismounted when, before he could even speak, he heard Du Yuan say to him:
"Whatever you see afterward, don't tell anyone!"

(End of this chapter)