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Miao Ciyu gripped the red silk ribbon in his hand, his fingers clenching so hard it nearly tore apart. The fury and darkness in his eyes threatened to spill over.
But there was nothing he could do.
Before meeting the man, most of Miao Village had no idea what he was capable of, nor why the northern area was forbidden.
But the moment Miao Ciyu saw him, he understood.
That man could control gu worms.
Even their own life-bound gu—he could seize command with just a glance.
It wasn’t that he had let the man take Miao Qing. The man had controlled him and Miao Linyuan, forcing them to stand by helplessly as he led Miao Qing away.
Within the man’s line of sight, their lives or deaths rested entirely on his whim.
They didn’t even have the right to fight for him.
Miao Ciyu couldn’t accept this. After finally meeting someone who stirred his heart, he had to watch as that person married another.
He refused.
His gaze, fixed on the man holding the young master’s hand, darkened to its limits. Murderous intent churned in his chest, so palpable the air around them grew colder.
"He’s in the way, isn’t he?"
Miao Linyuan, standing nearby with his own red ribbon, spoke lightly—but his eyes were icy as he observed the pair in the courtyard. When Miao Ciyu didn’t respond, he tilted his head and smiled.
"Want to work together?"
"Let’s kill him."
Noting Miao Ciyu’s cold glare, Miao Linyuan grinned, bright and careless. "Relax, I’ve got no interest in the village chief’s son. I just don’t like bowing to anyone." He shrugged. "You felt it too, right? He could wipe us out whenever he pleases. I’d rather not wake up dead one day."
No one could tolerate a blade perpetually hanging over their neck—especially one that could drop at any moment.
Their alliance was sealed without another word.
***
With the wedding set for the very next day, preparations were rushed, almost frantic.
But Miao Qing refused to postpone it. He was desperate to bring his beloved home.
Seeing that his own home was almost fully decorated, Ruan Qing turned to the man he was holding hands with. "Your place hasn’t been decorated yet, right? I’ll have some villagers come over to help."
After saying this, he let go of the man’s hand, ready to call the villagers over—completely disregarding his usual deep-seated disgust for the people of Miao Village.
On such a joyous occasion, any hatred could be temporarily set aside. After all, he couldn’t possibly handle everything alone.
Even though time was tight, he still wanted to give his beloved the best possible wedding.
A shadow flickered through the man’s eyes, but in the next instant, he regained his usual gentle and refined demeanor. He caught Ruan Qing’s arm, stopping him.
Ruan Qing turned back, puzzled. "What’s wrong?"
"I’ll go back and handle the decorations myself." The man smiled warmly. "We’re getting married tomorrow—it’s not proper for you to come to my place right now."
Traditionally, engaged couples weren’t supposed to see each other in the days leading up to the wedding. Ruan Qing had been ignoring this custom because he wanted to be with the man, but now that the man had brought it up, he couldn’t insist.
Ruan Qing didn’t notice the man’s earlier strange expression. He pouted unhappily. "Then finish decorating quickly and come back soon. I’ll wait for you to have dinner together."
The man nodded softly. "Okay."
Ruan Qing didn’t have time to rest. He worked alongside the villagers, meticulously decorating his home—even his mother’s coffin wasn’t spared.
The live-stream audience fell into stunned silence as they watched Ruan Qing tie a giant red bow around the pitch-black coffin.
Their eyes drifted upward, focusing on the space just above and behind Ruan Qing. The red presence there had grown even more pronounced—so much so that the legs were now clearly visible.
A pair of crimson legs dangled midair, the red shoes pointing downward, creating a horrifying and eerie sight. Anyone who saw it would likely faint from terror the moment they looked up.
If there had been any doubt earlier about who the red figure was, it was now undeniable—it was the village chief, lying inside the coffin.
The crimson apparition wasn’t constantly present. Whenever the man, Miao Ciyu, or Miao Linyuan were around, it would vanish without a trace.
But the moment all three were absent, it would reappear, hovering behind Ruan Qing, sending chills down everyone’s spines.
[What does she even want? Is she trying to kill our darling? I’m gonna get a heart attack just watching this.]
[Not necessarily. Maybe she wants to protect her son. She doesn’t seem to have any ill intentions—she hasn’t harmed him at all. After all, my wife is her only son.]
[Whether she’s malicious or not, I don’t know, but I bet she’s furious. She’s only been dead for two days, and her precious son is already about to marry someone from Miao Village—even tying a big red flower to her coffin.]
[Hahaha, our dear wife really has a romantic streak. Only he would dare to decorate his own mother’s coffin with big red flowers.]
The big red flowers on the coffin softened the eerie atmosphere somewhat.
Ruan Qing looked at the single red flower tied to one side and still felt unsatisfied, so he tied big red flowers to both ends.
In an instant, the dark, sinister coffin looked more like a betrothal gift being carried to a wedding.
Ruan Qing didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with what he was doing. He earnestly decorated the funeral hall until it looked much prettier.
Pretty—yet unnervingly bizarre.
The bright red clashed with the coffin’s jet-black hue, and when paired with the black-and-white funeral portrait at the center of the altar, the whole scene sent chills down one’s spine.
These three colors were never meant to be combined.
But Ruan Qing, lost in the excitement of marrying his beloved, didn’t notice this at all.
The villagers didn’t remind him either. They just watched expressionlessly as the funeral hall grew increasingly eerie—so eerie that merely looking at it made one uneasy.
By the time Ruan Qing finished decorating, it was almost dark, but the man still hadn’t returned.
He waited patiently for a few minutes but eventually couldn’t resist heading toward the man’s house.
The man’s name was Miao Li, and he lived in the northern part of Miao Village.
Aside from Miao Li, almost no other villagers lived in the north, so his house was immediately visible.
Ruan Qing stepped forward and knocked, but there was no response. The door, however, wasn’t locked—with just a light push, it slid open a crack.
His delicate face showed hesitation, but his desire to see Miao Li as soon as possible won out. He pushed the door open.
Miao Li’s house was enormous—at least four or five times larger than the village chief’s—more like a sprawling, old-fashioned mansion with multiple entrances.
At least, Ruan Qing didn’t notice that the door he entered wasn’t the main gate.
Nor did anyone notice that the huge house wasn’t empty.
In a shadowed corner, Miao Ciyu and Miao Linyuan poured a pungent, foul-smelling liquid from a wooden bucket onto the floor.
It was alcohol and diesel.
The old house was already highly flammable, and with the added accelerants, the flames could engulf the entire building in an instant. As long as the outer perimeter of the estate was doused in alcohol and diesel, those inside would have no chance to escape.
If he couldn’t overpower the man head-on, then he had no choice but to resort to underhanded methods.
Miao Linyuan had never cared about playing dirty—only about the final outcome.
After splashing the liquid, he casually lit a match and, with a bright smile, tossed it toward the corner of the wall.
The tiny spark met the diesel, and flames instantly surged upward, following the trail of alcohol and diesel, igniting the entire perimeter of the house and sealing off any chance of escape.
The firelight reflected off Miao Linyuan’s face, illuminating the malice and satisfaction in his eyes, like a demon crawled up from hell.
Miao Ciyu watched coldly from the side, not a shred of guilt for the lives they were taking. Human life had never held much value in Miao Village—only the manner of death differed.
What the two failed to notice, however, was that before they set the house ablaze, their intended target had already finished handling what he needed to and slipped out through the side of the building.
And in his place, entering through the front door, was Ruan Qing.
The house was too large, and since the fire had started outside, Ruan Qing, already inside, didn’t immediately sense the danger.
But as he walked further, a pungent smell hit him. His delicate brows furrowed, and he hesitantly followed the scent—only to be met with roaring flames.
The fire had already grown uncontrollable, devouring the nearby wooden beams. Ruan Qing’s heart dropped, his eyes widening in panic. Without thinking, he turned to run in the opposite direction.
Yet halfway there, he froze.
It suddenly struck him—Miao Li had come home specifically to prepare the house.
Which meant Miao Li could still be inside, somewhere.
Ruan Qing had always been selfish. Even his mother’s death hadn’t stirred much grief in him. But now, he couldn’t bring himself to abandon Miao Li.
This was the man he’d fallen for, the one he’d defied his mother’s dying wish to marry.
Gritting his teeth, Ruan Qing abandoned his escape and instead darted through the house, desperately searching. As he ran, he shouted in panic.
“Miao Li! There’s a fire!”
“Miao Li, where are you!?”
"Miao Li!!!"
The fire spread too quickly. Fueled by diesel and alcohol, the flames had already engulfed the entire exterior of the house, even the roof beams now burning and on the verge of collapse.
The temperature inside rose rapidly, and the oxygen grew thin, making it hard to breathe.
"Cough— cough—" Smoke stung his throat, forcing Ruan Qing into relentless coughing. His eyes glistened with unshed tears, his voice hoarse from shouting.
The scorching heat and suffocating lack of air were unbearable—especially under the looming threat of death.
Yet Ruan Qing didn’t stop searching, even as his strength waned, even as his voice nearly gave out.
"Miao Li… cough…"
"Where are you…?"
"Miao Li…"
......
The raging inferno devoured the entire house, painting the darkened sky a blazing crimson.
Roof beams, charred and brittle, snapped and plummeted. Support pillars crumbled. Yet amidst the flames, a slender figure stubbornly pressed on, refusing to give up.
He didn’t know—the person he was searching for had already left… to return home in time for dinner with him.
And now, by cruel twist of fate, he was the one trapped in the fire, the flames so fierce that survival was impossible.
The two arsonists had planned it well—every exit was blocked by fire.
No way out.
No… hope left.
