Cataclysm Chapter 128: Extras · Ghost Marriage 08

Chapter 128: Extras · Ghost Marriage 08

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

At the crowing of the rooster, the sky gradually brightened. Within less than half an hour, the entire sky was lit up, as though a large black curtain covering the heavens had been suddenly drawn back, allowing the light to pour in. The sound of wheels rolling over uneven cobblestones echoed at the entrance of the alley, and in the distance, voices of street vendors calling out could be heard. On both sides of the bridge, early risers were selling vegetables. Chen Yang quickly finished his porridge, tossed the bowl aside, and shouted, “I’m full.”

With that, he grabbed his schoolbag and was about to run out.

“Stop.” Du Shou called to him, pointing to the remaining eggs on the table. “Take them with you.”

“Oh.” Chen Yang grabbed the still-warm eggs and moved toward the door. “I’m off to school.”

Du Shou lowered his gaze. “Mm. We’ll talk more when you get back tonight.”

Chen Yang nearly tripped over the door frame, but didn’t refuse. He just said, “Got it,” and dashed out. He pulled his bicycle out, mounted it, and sped off. When he reached the entrance, Du Shou, who had been focused on his porridge, suddenly looked up and stared at Chen Yang. His gaze was full of a smile.

Chen Yang arrived at school quickly. The campus was as lively as ever. When he reached the classroom door, he heard excited chatter coming from inside and first glanced at the metal sheet above the door frame. It was indeed his class. That was strange. His class was the top senior class at the school, and every morning, he could always hear students reciting texts or buried in practice problems.

As he walked in, his deskmate pulled him aside and whispered mysteriously, “Do you know someone in our class died?”

“Who?” Chen Yang looked around. Most of the students in the advanced class arrived early for class. It was only 7:30, and nearly everyone was already there.

His deskmate continued, “Who else? It’s that guy who always competed with you for first place but was always second. He usually arrives late, just like you, always running to school at the last minute.” His tone was indifferent, even slightly mocking. It wasn’t that he lacked camaraderie or didn’t respect the deceased, but he just couldn’t bring himself to respect that bespectacled guy.

Chen Yang placed his schoolbag into his desk and asked uncertainly, “It’s not just a rumor, right? I saw him yesterday. He seemed fine, didn’t look sick or anything.”

The deskmate whispered, “Really. His parents came to school early this morning, causing a scene. They said the school’s academic pressure killed their son.” He lowered his voice. “Apparently, he sneaked off last night to hang himself on the haunted mountain behind that old middle school. His mom went to wake him up this morning but couldn’t find him and thought he had gone to school. But around six o’clock, his grandparents had a nightmare, and in the dream, they saw their grandson hanging at the graveyard mountain. It was a miserable sight, and they hurried to retrieve his body. His grandparents insisted, so they went to check. To their surprise, they really found his body. By 7 a.m., they brought his body to school, and all the early students saw it.”

Chen Yang opened his book and held it down, looking up and saying, “He doesn’t seem like someone who would hang himself.”

“Exactly,” the deskmate agreed. “So everyone says he must have been led by a ghost to hang himself. That middle school and the mountain behind it are haunted.” He shuddered and looked fearful and curious when he mentioned the haunted middle school and the eerie mountain.

The haunted middle school he mentioned was the same one where An Mi and others went to explore a few months ago, and Chen Yang saved them and killed the vengeful spirits there. Although that middle school no longer had malevolent spirits, it still housed many wandering souls and ghosts, so it had fallen into disrepair.

The mountain behind the school was the famous Graveyard Mountain, located in a nearby village. From a distance, it appeared lush and vibrant, full of life. But when one approached, even under the blazing sun, the atmosphere felt chilling. Venturing deeper into it, a sense of unease and inexplicable fear would suddenly arise. The mountain was originally called Yellow Earth Mountain, but it earned the nickname Graveyard Mountain because almost every few steps, one would come across a small or large tomb.

The whole mountain was filled with graves, which made it unsettling. It was no wonder people suspected the bespectacled guy hung himself there because no normal person would choose to die in a graveyard mountain. If you’re already dying, why would you still scare yourself?

The student sitting in front overheard their conversation and turned around, saying, “Maybe. The bespectacled guy was always a bit odd. Who knows what he was thinking?”

Chen Yang responded, “When people die, they are like a lamp extinguished. It’s better to show respect.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Yang’s deskmate and the student in front of him shrugged and returned to their studies. The school leaders quickly emerged to manage the situation, and teachers came out to comfort the students, advising them that if they were under pressure, they should talk to either them or their parents, and not keep it bottled up. The seniors were already under heavy academic pressure, so within a day, no one was discussing the suicide anymore.

Chen Yang planned to go to Graveyard Mountain after school to investigate whether it was caused by a ghost or not. It would be best if it wasn’t, but on his way home, An Mi stopped him. Chen Yang sighed and said, “An Mi, I really can’t teach you.”

An Mi looked pale, with dark circles under her eyes, appearing haggard. She said, “I can see ghosts now.”

“You can see ghosts?” Chen Yang frowned. “What did you do?”

“Swallowed a crow’s eye and ground it into a liquid so I could see ghosts at night.” An Mi trembled as she spoke. “I couldn’t swallow the crow’s eye whole, so I ground it into juice.” She hesitated, “If you’re not satisfied, I can try swallowing the crow’s eye whole. I still have one more.”

Chen Yang immediately realized the seriousness of the situation. “Where did you catch a crow?” Southerners didn’t welcome crows; they were considered harbingers of disaster. Crows were rare, and if they appeared, it was usually in remote mountains or graveyards where they fed on rotting corpses. “Did you go to Graveyard Mountain? Last night?”

An Mi nodded, showing a pale smile. “Will you take me as your apprentice?”

Chen Yang shook his head. “Not only can I not teach you, but your behavior is also too stubborn and obsessive, and your intentions are wrong. Even if you could learn Taoist arts, I would never teach you.”

“Why?!” An Mi’s face twisted, suddenly turning grotesque. “You said I couldn’t see ghosts, but now that I can, you won’t teach me! You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

Chen Yang remained calm and indifferent. “You can think of it as intentional, but you should know that crows can communicate with spirits and hold grudges. If you casually caught one, dug out its eye, and swallowed it, be careful not to be haunted by it.” He took a few steps forward, then turned back to look at An Mi. “By the way, do you know if the death of the bespectacled guy has anything to do with you?”

An Mi looked confused. “Who died?”

“You don’t know?” Chen Yang frowned. “The bespectacled guy died. You didn’t know?” He remembered that the bespectacled guy and An Mi were on good terms, and he had seen him at the haunted school. “Never mind. Take care of yourself.”

An Mi stared at Chen Yang’s back with a gloomy expression. Gradually, her face turned anxious, and she muttered to herself, “Dead? How did he die? Wasn’t he a ghost? How could he have died? This must be a lie.”

Chen Yang circled around Graveyard Mountain, seeing the bespectacled guy’s family and a local spirit medium. The local custom for suicide victims was to invite a spirit medium to the suicide site to retrieve the soul, so it could be guided to the afterlife. Without this ritual, the soul would wander aimlessly and might lose consciousness. As the medium chanted, the cries of the bespectacled guy’s family filled the air, creating a sorrowful atmosphere.

The bespectacled guy had hanged himself on a crooked tree. The rope was tied tightly, but the knot was just at neck height, leaving his feet barely off the ground. Normally, in such a situation, a person couldn’t die unless possessed or with a very strong will to die. However, if someone had such a strong will, they wouldn’t tie the rope so low, as it would only cause them more pain and reduce their chances of dying.

But there was no obvious anomaly.

Chen Yang stood at a distance, watching the medium perform the ritual. He planned to approach after everyone left. But after the medium had been chanting for a while, she suddenly stopped and looked seriously at the bespectacled guy’s family. “I can’t do this business for you. The deposit will be refunded.”

The bespectacled guy’s family hurried to stop her. “How can you not do it? What will happen to our son’s soul if you don’t help us? Won’t he wander around as a pitiful wandering ghost? Please, money is not a problem.”

The medium walked quickly. “It’s not about the money; it’s about your son.”

The bespectacled guy’s family was puzzled. “What’s wrong with my son? Please, Six Aunt, just tell us directly. Nothing matters more than our son right now.”

The medium, looking troubled, finally said after accepting a large red envelope, “If your birthdate is correct, it means your son died two years ago.” She shook her head. “I can’t reveal the truth. I can’t offend those things.” She gestured quickly, signaling her disciples to pack up and leave quickly, almost as if they were being pursued by something terrifying.

The bespectacled guy’s family exchanged glances, unable to understand what had just happened. If their son had died two years ago, who was it they had been living with for the past two years? The thought sent chills down their spines. They didn’t want to believe the medium’s words, but their son’s behavior had changed so much over the last two years. They looked again at the rope, which now seemed like a vengeful ghost ready to attack them. Terrified, they quickly ran off.

Two years ago? Chen Yang approached the crooked tree and removed the rope. As soon as he took it down, the sky darkened, and a flock of crows with black feathers suddenly flew out of the trees, emitting eerie cawing sounds. Chen Yang withdrew his gaze, holding the rope in his hand, and turned to head home.

When he got home, he handed the rope to Du Shou. “Brother Du, take a look at this rope. Does it seem off to you?”

Du Shuo had taken the rope loop, and when it was in his hands, the rope suddenly became damaged and began to leak water. The water droplets quickly gathered on the table, forming a small puddle that emitted a foul smell. Chen Yang found a cloth, then took the rope loop back and placed it on the cloth. He went to the bathroom, grabbed a towel, dampened it, and returned to wipe Du Shuo’s hands. “What happened? I didn’t have any water when I brought it back.”

Du Shuo took the warm towel from his hands, grabbed Chen Yang’s hand, and reversed it to wipe his hands. “That rope loop was used to bind the water ghost’s hands and feet. Back in the days when people drowned, they would tie their hands and feet with rope. Look at the knots— they’re all dead knots.”

“There was a boy in our class who hanged himself at the graveyard hill using this rope. His family asked a medium to summon his soul. Halfway through the summoning, the medium said the boy had actually died two years ago. Back then, I suspected that the water ghost you mentioned last night might be involved. Now that you’ve said this, I’m even more certain that he’s connected to the water ghost,” Chen Yang fiddled with the rope loop and said. “I guess he was possessed by the water ghost two years ago.”

Du Shuo nodded, “Yes, it’s very likely.”

Chen Yang furrowed his brow and told Du Shuo about the encounter with An Mi earlier in the day. “Do you think she’s related to the boy’s death?”

Du Shuo asked in return, “Did she eat the crow’s eye?”

“No,” Chen Yang shook his head, “She ground the crow’s eye into juice and applied it to her eyes.”

“She won’t survive.”

“What’s going on?”

“Crows hold grudges and can communicate with spirits. If someone removes a crow’s eye, they will be retaliated against. Even if the crow doesn’t take revenge, she won’t survive. Having ghost eyes isn’t something just anyone can have. She can see ghosts, and the ghosts can see her, knowing that she can see them. Think about how she’s been living for the past ten years. She’s not cut out for Taoism, and without any spiritual support, no one can help her. She’s digging her own grave.”

Chen Yang felt soft-hearted, thinking that perhaps An Mi didn’t deserve to die. “Isn’t there any way?”

Du Shuo spoke calmly, “She brought this upon herself.”

Chen Yang hooked Du Shuo’s middle finger, “There’s really no way?”

Du Shuo sighed, “It’s not that there’s no way. Fortunately, she didn’t swallow the crow’s eye, or no one could save her. She just applied the crow’s eye juice to her eyes. She just needs to wash it off. Use water boiled with pomelo leaves and peach branches. Both are used to ward off evil.”

Chen Yang nodded, “Thanks, brother Du. But I’ll only help An Mi this once. I hope she can learn and grow.”

Du Shuo sat up straight, pinched the back of Chen Yang’s neck, and pulled him to sit beside him. “Come here, let’s talk.” As soon as Chen Yang’s bottom touched the sofa, he jumped up. “I’m going to take a shower.”

“Sit down.” Du Shuo firmly pressed Chen Yang back onto the sofa and said, “We need to talk openly so you can think things through.”

“Then… what do you want to say?”

Du Shuo remained expressionless as he took out a two-centimeter-thick book and handed it to him. “You can look at it while I talk to you, as I’ve mentioned before. If our marriage relationship is dissolved after you turn eighteen, I’ll leave and never appear again. If the marriage isn’t dissolved, then this is the obligation of a couple.”

“Couple’s obligations?” Chen Yang immediately felt the book in his hands was as heavy as a thousand pounds. He opened the first page and saw two large characters: Wedding Night.

Du Shuo glanced at it, picked up a cup of tea, and said, “This is the basic obligation.” After a pause, he added, “It doesn’t include additional time and actions such as kissing or hugging outside the bedroom. Those are other obligations.”

Chen Yang’s gaze was filled with suspicion. “I’m still young, don’t try to trick me.”

“Have I ever tricked you?” Du Shuo’s eyes turned cold.

Chen Yang hesitated and shook his head, “No.” Du Shuo hadn’t tricked him, at least not yet. As for anything he hadn’t discovered, there hadn’t been any deception if it hadn’t been discovered.

Du Shuo’s expression softened slightly. “Look carefully. I’ll prepare dinner.”

Chen Yang was surprised. “You can cook?”

Du Shuo replied, “I’ll try.”

The result of his try was the kitchen constantly making clattering sounds, and the bottom of the pot had a hole in it. Du Shuo’s face was darker than the pot, and he stood with his hands behind his back, wearing an apron, his expression serious as he said to Chen Yang, “Brewing wine and cooking are equally difficult. They require patience and a secret recipe. I should have found the recipe before I started.”

Chen Yang: No, cooking only needs skills.

“Let’s eat outside.”

At this point, Du Shuo couldn’t bring himself to say that outside food was unclean. He just agreed and went to change into clean clothes. The two of them went out to eat, and when they returned, they found that the rope loop on the table was gone, and there was a puddle of wet water stains on the floor, which was sticky. The water stains spread from the door into the room. Chen Yang followed the trail to the alley and stopped at the bridgehead.

Du Shuo walked up behind him, “The water ghost escaped from here. It should have possessed someone else. Let’s go to the girl’s house you mentioned. If she’s related to the deceased, it’s very likely that the water ghost possessed her and led her to collect crow’s eyes.”

Chen Yang asked, “Is the water ghost’s next target An Mi?”

“Mm.” So the two of them strolled toward An Mi’s house, walking slowly without hurry. Du Shuo even refused to take the bus. He said, “Let’s go after it gets completely dark.”
Chen Yang replied, “Hopefully, we won’t get scared out of our wits.” When night falls, the ghosts are active, and An Mi might get frightened.

By the time they arrived near An Mi’s house, the sky had fully darkened. From inside An Mi’s house, there were loud, panicked screams. Soon after, they saw An Mi running out in a panic. Chen Yang noticed a thick cloud of black mist following her, with ghostly faces emerging from the mist, closely trailing behind An Mi. Chen Yang quickened his pace, grabbed An Mi, and drove away the dark mist following her with a chant, “Heaven and Earth, the origin of all energy. Command!”

The ghosts in the mist scattered like birds and beasts. An Mi clung to Chen Yang’s arm, crying and pleading, “I know I was wrong. I don’t want to see ghosts anymore. Please save me, Chen Yang.”

Du Shuo pulled Chen Yang behind him, looking down at An Mi with a commanding presence, “There are more ghosts outside. Go back inside.” He then looked at the bruise on Chen Yang’s arm where An Mi had grabbed him, frowning.

An Mi felt that Du Shuo was even more terrifying than the ghosts. She nervously stood still, unable to move, “There are… so many ghosts inside.”

Chen Yang said, “There are door gods outside protecting the house, and inside there are the stove god, land god, and other household gods. How could the ghosts get in? What else did you do?”

An Mi shook her head vigorously, “Nothing, really nothing.”

“The crow’s eye can block your access to the household gods. But as long as the house stands, the gods will still protect it. No way the ghosts can break in.” Chen Yang stepped into An Mi’s house and noticed a thin trickle of black blood seeping from the door crack. When he opened the door, he found that the top of the door had been splattered with blood. “Black dog blood? No wonder the door gods couldn’t protect the house.”

An Mi’s parents weren’t home, still at the factory working, so tonight she was alone. Chen Yang walked around her house and found that the places where the household gods were worshipped had been smeared with filth, even the stove was covered in black dog blood. “The household gods were polluted, angering them. No wonder they didn’t protect you. Who came to your house today?”

An Mi stammered, “C-Chen Tai.”

Chen Tai, the glasses-wearing man who had hanged himself. Chen Yang’s gaze sharpened, and he sternly scolded, “What else did you do?! If you don’t speak, no one can save you!” An Mi clearly knew that Chen Tai had already committed suicide, yet she still let him into her house.

There was something suspicious about this.

An Mi panicked, “I only found out last night. Really. He told me the crow’s eye could help me see ghosts. He wanted me to swallow it, but I was scared, so I secretly ground the crow’s eye into juice and smeared it on my eyes, pretending I had eaten it. But when we parted, I… I saw a bloated, white corpse standing behind Chen Tai, controlling his body. The look in its eyes was so hungry. I got scared and ran away.”

“He came to find you today, and you still let him in?”

“He said the crow’s eye had terrible consequences, and I got scared, so I let him in. As soon as he came in, he just stared at me, not saying anything. I got scared and made an excuse to call a friend to come over. When I came out, I couldn’t find him. After looking around, he suddenly lunged at me from behind the door, choking my neck while forcing the crow’s eye into my mouth, crazily yelling, ‘You lied to me! You lied to me!!'” An Mi curled up, hugging her shoulders in terror, “I was really scared. While I was taking a bath just now, these ghosts came out of the bathroom drain and vent.”

Chen Yang turned to Du Shuo, “What’s going on?”

Du Shuo didn’t want to deal with An Mi’s problems, but since Chen Yang asked, he replied, “The water ghost possessed a human for two years, observing for a suitable body. It thought An Mi was good, and tricked her into eating the crow’s eye so she could see ghosts. The water ghost itself is a ghost, and even when it possesses a human body, it can still practice ghostly ways. The only issue is that once possessed, the person can no longer see ghosts, and the possessed body cannot be transformed. So after tricking her into eating the crow’s eye, it committed suicide. When its soul came out, it tried to seize her body.”

“But An Mi deceived the water ghost, causing the plan to fail. Even so, the water ghost wouldn’t give up on An Mi’s body. It used the dead Chen Tai’s body to come back to haunt An Mi, desecrating the household gods and forcing An Mi to eat the crow’s eye.” Chen Yang’s gaze fell on An Mi, “The water ghost won’t let her go, right?”

An Mi looked slightly stunned, “Yes.”

Chen Yang stood up, “So how long are you going to keep pretending?”

An Mi froze, “What do you mean?”

Chen Yang rolled up his sleeve, revealing the red marks on his arm, now turning black and blue, “An Mi doesn’t have that much strength. The most important thing is that the stench on you is still very strong.” Even though she had been forced to eat the crow’s eye, swallowing her soul, and used An Mi’s body to sneak away from the bridge under the water, quickly taking a bath, the overpowering stench couldn’t be concealed.

An Mi stared at Chen Yang, her pupils shrinking to the size of beans, with the rest of her eyes filled with eerie white. Her already damp hair was now soaked through, and her nightgown was wet, dragging down with transparent, dirty water. The foul odor continued to emanate from her. The curve of her mouth twisted into a grin, and her voice deepened into a rough male tone, “Since you discovered me, then sorry, I’ll have to ask you to offer your souls to me.”

With that, she floated into the air, her body bloated and pale, like a corpse that had been soaking in water for too long, losing all color. She lunged toward Chen Yang. Before he could act, Du Shuo kicked her away, and the ghost was forced out of An Mi’s body. Chen Yang quickly realized that with the Envy City Yin Officer by his side, he didn’t need to intervene.

So, Chen Yang stepped back behind Du Shuo, who had just borrowed the Soul-Chain from Envy City to trap the water ghost. “Nine lives taken, death penalty.” Du Shuo struck the water ghost, causing its soul to scatter.

Chen Yang recalled that Du Shuo had mentioned the water ghost had killed five people in two years, devouring their souls. Now, with Chen Tai and An Mi, who were the other two?
Du Shuo replied, “Her parents.”

An Mi’s parents were never at the factory. They had been killed by the ghost the night before. Because An Mi killed the crow and took the crow’s eye, the crow took revenge and summoned the spirits to eat An Mi’s parents’ souls. Thus, An Mi was responsible for her parents’ deaths, and she also caused her own death.

Chen Yang didn’t know how to evaluate An Mi. He couldn’t understand why she was so obsessed with ghosts and spirits. To him, if he could avoid dealing with them, he would. He couldn’t comprehend An Mi’s obsession.

In the end, the two called the police. After investigation, it was confirmed that they had nothing to do with the deaths of An Mi’s parents, but during the investigation, it was discovered that An Mi was covered in slippery, sticky substances. These substances contained aquatic plants and moss from the bottom of the bridge river. However, An Mi had died around 4 PM, and it was determined that these substances were from between 5 to 7 PM. With so many doubts and such an eerie cause of death, it was eventually classified as a secret case that remained unsolved for years.

 

The author says:
Two updates today. I will finish the “Ghost Marriage” extras. The extras for the car are being written but won’t be finished soon.
To explain a few small questions:

1. Extras slowly answer some small questions left in the earlier parts, like how the emperor and I met and got married (the story about the crow’s eye is a bit unnecessary). There isn’t much description of the emotional progress, as it’s too long, so some transitions are very quick.
2. Many people asked about the ending of the Wu ling. He fled back to his old nest, but the Central Ghost Emperor, Zhou Qi, was sent to capture him. Many monks are waiting for him, so he can’t escape. Zhou Qi will take him back to hell and imprison him again, sending him to endless hell, where he can’t escape.
   I didn’t directly write its conclusion because the emperor’s personality wouldn’t let Yang Yang deal with it. Either the emperor acts himself, but his actions aren’t very interesting; with one strike, the Wu guy is done for.
3. PS: Last night, I had an extremely ridiculous dream. I don’t know if it’s because I saw too many comments about “the fragrance is real,” but the dream turned into an NP male upgrade story. The male lead, along with several beautiful girls, formed a supernatural ghost-catching team. It started as a serious plot, but suddenly the male lead shouted out the name of their team, “The Fragrance Ghost Catching Team.”
   I was so shocked by this ridiculous operation that I woke up and stared at the ceiling, silently cursing. What did I do to deserve such a ridiculous dream?

 

 

 

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