"The bride is here!" Amidst the cheers, the bride, dressed in her wedding finery, was helped out.
Bai Mengjin swept her gaze over the crowd. Most of the guests possessed normal Divine Souls, though their smiles seemed slightly sluggish. However, those orchestrating the wedding, such as the old man who had greeted them earlier, were faintly shrouded in a dark mist. As for the bride herself, she was unexpectedly pure.
Huo Chongxiao reached the same conclusion and signaled to her and Yue Yunqiao.
Before Bai Mengjin could fully grasp his intent, she saw Huo Chongxiao dash forward just as the call for the "ceremonial bowing between husband and wife" rang out.
"Mother! Mother, why did you run off here? Have you forgotten me and Yun'er and Meng'er? Come home with us! The children are all waiting for you!"
Bai Mengjin’s pupils dilated in shock.
Was this blubbering, scene-making man really Senior Brother Huo? Was this truly the Senior Brother she knew? Surely he was the one who had been bewitched!
Before she could dwell on it, Yue Yunqiao grabbed her sleeve and rushed out, sobbing while shielding her eyes, and clutched the hem of the bride's dress. "Mother, it was my fault! I won't be naughty anymore. I’ll listen to you, just come home with us!"
She then signaled frantically to Bai Mengjin.
Bai Mengjin’s eyelid twitched. She had no choice but to follow suit, rubbing her eyes vigorously until they turned red. She looked up at the bride, calling out pitifully, "Mother..."
The entire hall was stunned.
What was happening? Was this bride already a mother of two? It was hard to tell!
The parents seated in the center of the hall were the first to recover. "Where did these ruffians come from?" they shouted. "Our daughter-in-law is a maiden! What nonsense are you spouting? Quickly, throw them out!"
Those shrouded in dark mist surged forward, looking fierce and menacing.
Huo Chongxiao had put on this performance precisely to create a pretext for a fight. He scurried about, shielding his head while intentionally striking out with underhanded moves, and soon the hall was in complete chaos.
Others tried to grab Yue Yunqiao and Bai Mengjin, but the two "children" wailed even louder, weaving around the bride. They managed to avoid being caught, but those around them were not so lucky.
"Hey! Who stepped on my shoe? Are you blind?"
"Why are you grabbing my wife? Trying to take advantage of the situation? Get lost!"
"Who pushed me..."
With so many guests attending, one person falling caused a chain reaction. Some had their shoes stepped on, some lost their hairpins, and others had their clothes torn. It was a riotous, noisy mess; not only did they fail to catch the intruders, but the attackers themselves became hopelessly entangled.
Seeing that the moment was ripe, Huo Chongxiao doubled back, grabbed the bride, and bolted. "Mother, I'm glad you've had a change of heart. Let's go home!"
Those pursuing them were tripped up by the crowd. With Huo Chongxiao in the lead, Yue Yunqiao assisting, and Bai Mengjin bringing up the rear, the three of them burst out of the farmhouse courtyard.
They charged headlong through the streets, forcing the curious villagers to scramble out of their way.
"Keep moving," Huo Chongxiao hissed. "The demonic qi is spreading here; a demonic creature is about to fully manifest. We must draw people away."
Once the demonic creature was fully formed, the danger would multiply, and every mortal in this village would be doomed.
The bride was dragged along in a daze, struggling and shouting, "Who are you people? Let me go..."
The three ignored her completely, exiting the village and sticking to the most desolate paths.
Halfway there, Bai Mengjin sensed something amiss. She glanced back and said, "The groom is catching up!"
Yue Yunqiao turned around to see the groom, still in his wedding attire, sprinting toward them with a savage expression. "Damn you! All of you, stay where you are!"
Huo Chongxiao calmly judged the situation. "It seems this groom is the demonic creature."
The creature had arrived in the village via some unknown means and parasitized the groom. Those around him had been eroded by the demonic qi and had gradually become accomplices. While the other villagers had been affected to some degree, they had not yet lost their minds.
As for the bride, her soul was pristine—the perfect nourishment for the demonic creature.
"This will do." With no one else in sight, Huo Chongxiao tossed out several array flags. With a series of sharp reports, the flags stood upright in the wind, and a shimmer of spiritual light formed a barrier.
The three came to a halt. Yue Yunqiao pushed the bride into a corner and said, "If you want to survive, stay put."
Before the bride could react, she saw the three of them dispel their puppet disguises, revealing their true appearances. She stood frozen in shock.
"Y-you..."
The groom charged forward. As he ran, the demonic qi on his body gradually dissipated, revealing a horrifying transformation. Black mist thickened on his face, his limbs elongated, his features twisted, and horns even sprouted from his head. The human skin he wore began to slough off, revealing his monstrous form beneath.
The bride shrieked, trembling as she pointed at him. "Monster!"
No one spared her a glance. Huo Chongxiao roared, "Junior Sister!"
Yue Yunqiao responded, planting her feet at the array’s anchor point and drawing her sword, her eyes locked on the approaching monstrosity.
As the demonic creature stepped into the array, Huo Chongxiao struck first, his sword aura crackling with thunder as it slashed toward the beast.
The creature let out a low hiss, its thick palms growing sharp, hardened claws as it swiped at him.
Bai Mengjin quickly assessed the situation. Huo Chongxiao had already achieved Foundation Establishment and possessed a solid foundation; dealing with this creature would be no problem.
She and Yue Yunqiao each held their positions at the array’s anchor points, occasionally tossing out spells to provide assistance.
The demonic creature had not yet fully formed and lacked intelligence. Each of Huo Chongxiao's sword strikes stripped away layers of its demonic qi. He was in no rush, methodically hacking away at its palms, arms, and black horns, one strike at a time.
The creature's form gradually shrank until, with a final mournful wail, it collapsed, revealing the groom underneath, gasping for breath on the ground.
Huo Chongxiao exhaled, sheathed his sword, and turned to ask, "Junior Sister, how was that?"
Yue Yunqiao beamed. "It was great!"
This was her first mission; she had accompanied her Senior Brother to gain experience and adjust to the work. Honestly, tonight had been thrilling! It was incredibly interesting.
Huo Chongxiao smiled and nodded, pulling out a spirit-suppression bottle to finish the job.
"Senior Brother, is our mission complete?" Yue Yunqiao asked while retracting the array flags.
"It is. We can hand the evidence over to the Deacon Palace later."
The remaining demonic qi was absorbed by Huo Chongxiao. The groom on the ground shriveled up until nothing remained but a hollowed-out husk of skin.
Though the problem appeared to be solved, Bai Mengjin’s brow remained tightly furrowed.
She knelt and carefully inspected the human skin.
If the people had gone missing due to the creature's instinctual hunting, what about the spectral thralls? A demonic creature without full intelligence could not manifest such spirits.
"Miss Bai, is something wrong?" Huo Chongxiao asked.
Bai Mengjin swiftly gathered the remaining traces of demonic qi into her fingertips and pointed ahead. "Someone is coming."
Huo Chongxiao looked up. The sound of hoofbeats grew louder on the main road, and soon, several government officials in uniform appeared before them.
"Who goes there?" the lead official shouted, brandishing a lantern. "Identify yourselves."
They were guards from Qingyun City; they must have detected the fluctuations of demonic qi while on patrol.
They arrived just in time! Huo Chongxiao stepped forward. "Officers, we are disciples of Danxia Palace..."