Next, they found the Fire Demon beside the stage in the western part of the inner courtyard. The stage had been abandoned for many years, its curtains hanging tattered and worn, dust accumulated both on the stage and in the audience seats. He sat motionless on a bench, gazing blankly at the stage, as though a grand performance were unfolding on it despite the empty hall. Zhang Yuanqing's expression darkened. In his view, the Fire Demon's body was choked with cold qi, his spirit nearly detached—on the brink of death. He hurried over, placing his hand on the Demon’s shoulder, and black energy surged from his eyes, flowing continuously into his palm, where it was absorbed and consumed. The Fire Demon shivered, and a spark of vitality returned to his hollow eyes. Instinctively, he called out, “Cold… so cold…” As he trembled, he glanced around, spotting Zhang Yuanqing beside him and Xie Lingxi at a distance, and exclaimed, “For heaven’s sake! Where did you two go? We were just in the hall—then you vanished!” “Everyone has scattered.” Zhang Yuanqing waved his hand, cutting off the other's questioning and asking, "How did you end up here?" "I separated from the group and walked on without realizing it, until I heard someone performing a play..." While speaking, the Fire Demon recalled, "I followed the sound and found a stage here, with a woman singing on stage. I watched her for a few moments, then—then I simply forgot everything after that." As he spoke, he shivered, gazing toward the distant, weathered stage—where could such a performer have come from? The Fire Demon looked gratefully at the Night-Wanderer beside him, "Did you save me?" "This is obvious," Zhang Yuan清 smiled. Relieved, the Fire Demon breathed out deeply, remembering his ordeal with a sense of fear: "My skills and equipment were completely useless against the spirits of resentment. Brother Wang, thank you so much." Although each profession has its own unique traits, the spirits of resentment were able to silently control the Fire Demon largely due to their superior level. The mythical "monsters" are often enigmatic and elusive, and when one lacks specialized expertise, dealing with them can be quite troublesome. However, their methods of causing harm are not always direct—cutting them with a knife is simply more efficient. The three of them found a golden hairpin in the makeup room, which was cluttered with cobwebs and situated beside the stage. Holding the hairpin, the fire demon finally felt his heart settle in his chest and asked, "Where are Xi Shi and the Jade Emperor's Great Saint?" Xie Lingxi shook her head. "We haven't found them yet. I hope they'll be as fortunate as you." The fire demon glanced at her. "You really hope they'll die, don't you?" Xie Lingxi looked pathetically sincere, her face full of distress. "How could my brother say such a thing? We're companions, aren't we?" The fire demon didn't bother to respond—having previously argued with her, he'd been thoroughly exasperated by her insufferable, high-handed demeanor and had grown rather indifferent toward her. Of course, it also wasn't because she wasn't on his XP list; otherwise, things would have been quite different. The three departed to another courtyard, and found the manor larger than they had imagined—its rear garden subdivided into smaller courtyards, some used as gardens, others transformed into performance stages. After walking a while, Zhang Yuanqing, with his night vision, spotted a figure staggering toward them from afar. The person wore sleek, casual bean-shoe pants, dressed like a spirited young man—none other than the Great Sage, Sun Wukong. "Where are you all?" he exclaimed, approaching with delight. Zhang Yuanqing's eyes darkened with intensity, and he studied the figure carefully, confirming it was indeed the true form. The four gathered and recounted their individual experiences. After Sun Wukong had parted from the group, he had wandered into a courtyard where a room was lit with candlelight. He pushed the door open to investigate, only to find the room empty—his bed neatly folded with a wedding quilt neatly stacked upon it. Sun Wukong assumed it was part of the wedding gifts, but following his inner instincts, he quietly withdrew. Then he encountered Zhang Yuanqing and the others. The Fire Demon stared, utterly astonished: "The most timid one ends up being the safest?" "What are you talking about? I'm cautious—I'm not backing down!" Qi Tian Da Sheng defended himself. There's truth to that—sometimes, the ones who survive aren't the smartest or most capable, but the very ones who are most timid... Zhang Yuanqing interrupted their fruitless debate and turned to Qi Tian Da Sheng, asking, "Where is the bridal quilt?" Qi Tian Da Sheng looked toward the back. Under his guidance, the four reached the courtyard and indeed spotted a room lit with candlelight. Seeing his team members growing uneasy, Zhang Yuanqing sighed and said, "I'll go fetch it for you." This is the stronghold of the Night-Wanderer God. As soon as he stepped inside, the grid door automatically closed. Outside, the others—Xie Lingxi and the rest—saw the door close and instantly, the figure of "Wang Tai" vanished. The candlelight within dimmed, yet his shadow remained unseen. After a tense wait of several minutes, the grid door suddenly slammed open, and "Wang Tai" emerged, cradling a bridal quilt in his arms. He looked somewhat disheveled, his clothes torn in several places and stained with blood. "Great Saint, take this!" Zhang Yuanqing tossed the festive quilt to Qi Tian Da Sheng, who eagerly caught it and held it tightly against his chest. Just as he was about to ask about what had happened inside the room, Zhang Yuanqing said, "Let's go—let's find Xi Shi." Qi Tian Da Sheng had no choice but to follow his teammates as they continued exploring the inner courtyard. The Monkey King saw her unharmed and exhaled, ready to move forward—only for the fire demon to press his shoulders firmly. At the same time, Zhang Yuanqing's voice reached him: "Look at her shoes." Shoes? The Monkey King focused intently, his pupils slightly narrowing. She was wearing a pair of red embroidered shoes. She wasn't Xi Shi! "Come on, come on!" Xi Shi was still waving her arms, but her smile was stiff and eerie. "Step over her—don't pay her any mind!" Zhang Yuanqing said softly. Noticing the serious expression on the night-wanderer's face, the Monkey King quickly turned away, feeling a bit tense and unwilling to look back. After walking a little while, Zhang Yuanqing looked ahead and said: "Remember when Xi Shi entered the house, she mentioned seeing a woman standing beneath a red lantern?" At this, the fire demon couldn't help glancing back—just barely catching sight of that woman standing still, no longer waving, silently watching them. "Seriously creepy," the fire priest muttered, spitting. Xie Lingxi was puzzled, "Why has she taken on the appearance of Sister Xi Shi?" Zhang Yuanqing gazed toward a certain spot ahead and sighed, "You'll see when you go over there yourselves." What did that mean? At first, the three of them didn't understand. After walking a little further, they caught a glimpse of a figure hanging beneath the eaves. "Sister Xi Shi?" Xie Lingxi gasped. It was indeed Xi Shi, hanging lifeless from the eaves. Her graceful face was distorted by asphyxiation, eyes wide open, bloodshot, pale as death, lips slightly parted. The scene was tragic. Qi Tian Da Sheng and the Fire Demon were both startled and frightened, never expecting her to die silently right here. Zhang Yuanqing, who had night vision, had already noticed it and had moved past his initial shock. He led the three, each with expressions of mixed emotions, closer to the body. Xi Shi hung motionless. Zhang Yuanqing touched her hand—cold to the touch. The time of death was more than half an hour. "It's the marriage invitation of Sister Xi Shi." Xie Lingxi pointed to a red notice lying at the edge of the corpse's feet. Zhang Yuan glanced at the wedding announcement, then dismissed it, his eyes darkening as he established communication with the residual spirit within Xi Shi's body. He needed to verify whether Xi Shi had died from a spirit of resentment or from some other cause. Suddenly, a surge of memories from beyond his own consciousness flooded in. He saw fragmented episodes of her past—Xi Shi was a Level 2 water spirit from Nanhang City, Tong Province, a practicing spirit traveler outside the official system, belonging to a civilian spirit organization. In her daily life, she worked as a nurse and maintained relationships with several men, including the department head, a wealthy businessman, and the managers of the spirit organization. A lifelong unmarried woman, she did not believe in love, seeing men merely as resources. A well-connected and accomplished socialite. The final memory Zhang Yuan saw was a ghostly figure in a bridal gown appearing—then the scene abruptly ended. Had she been killed by the ghost bride? Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes, stunned, his spine chilled. He thought it impossible—how could the ghost bride intervene so early? Didn't she wait to choose a husband? If the ghost bride could act at any moment, then what would be the point of the game? Moreover, since the ghost bride personally killed someone, why only West Zhi, and not himself or the others? Or perhaps, she hadn't even acted yet? At that moment, he heard the voices of Xie Lingxi and the Saint of Heaven discussing: "Her gender has been erased?" "Didn't know—maybe once she dies, her gender will be wiped out too?" Zhang Yuanqing was taken aback and immediately said, "Show me." Xie Lingxi handed over the marriage invitation. Zhang Yuanqing glanced carefully and saw that the word "gender" for West Zhi had been neatly crossed out in thick ink. Xie Lingxi, her eyes bright, asked, "Master Wang Tai, what did you see inside West Zhi's spirit?" The Saint of Heaven and the Fire Demon immediately turned to look at him. "She was killed by the ghost bride!" "What?!" The three of them were stunned, scanning the room with wary eyes. If the ghost bride made a move, hardly anyone would survive—after all, that seemed unlikely. Even for an S-tier mission, no matter how difficult, they should have at least a chance to make it. "I have an idea, though the logic feels a bit off," said Zhang Yuanqing, pausing thoughtfully and looking at Xie Lingxi, whose sharp, deer-like alertness stood out. "Could I see your wedding invitation, please?" "Oh!" She was most cooperative, pulling out the invitation tucked inside her waistband. Zhang Yuanqing took it, unfolded it, and frowned. "Male?" The fire demon and the Jade Emperor both leaned forward to see—under the "gender" section, it clearly read "male." The Jade Emperor sighed deeply. "You look so refined and poised—how come you're a man?" "What is it?" Xie Lingxi blushed, explaining, "I think the ghost bride is looking for a husband, and that husband must surely be a man. If I mark myself as a woman, then I'd be out of place—wouldn't that directly eliminate me?" The Fire Demon and Qi Tian Dadi were left pondering. Since Xie Lingxi had marked her gender as male, my guess was confirmed: in the old version, female players would pass directly, while in the new version, female players would be eliminated right away—how could it be that simple, especially in an S-tier spiritual realm? Zhang Yuanqing's prediction was validated. Xi Shi was wiped out directly by the ghost bride because she didn't meet the new bride's requirements. He shared his reasoning, and upon hearing it, Xie Lingxi looked genuinely saddened and said, "I only speculated, not certain, so I didn't mention it. I should have reminded Sister Xi Shi earlier." What you say is what you say—this thought quietly surfaced in the minds of the three men. Now only four of them remain. The ghost bride can still lose one—no more than one—thankfully, thankfully... Remembering their acquaintance, Zhang Yuanqing gently disengaged Xi Shi's body and laid it gently on the ground. Surveying the remaining three companions, he said, "We don't have much time left—we should find the wedding hall." Though he hadn't silently counted the minutes, he could roughly estimate that since entering the house, it had been nearly an hour. Xie Lingxi, the Fire Demon, and the Great Sage of Heaven and Earth quickly set aside Xi Shi's matter and mentally fortified themselves. The four, each carrying their dowry, continued forward, deep into the house, moving silently through various gardens, accompanied only by the red lanterns. After wandering for a long time without finding the wedding hall, they suddenly spotted a courtyard ahead—its eaves gracefully arched, windows and doors adorned with red couplets, soft candlelight shining through. A crimson carpet stretched from the courtyard to the main house. "When the time comes, the wedding hall will appear." Zhang Yuanqing observed his teammates' tense expressions and quietly said, "Let's go." He had originally intended to lighten the mood with a humorous remark: "Don't be so nervous—maybe the ghost bride is a sophisticated, curvaceous woman with a full chest and a翘 buttocks." But seeing the serious, almost death-warden-like demeanor of his three companions, Zhang Yuanqing wisely set that aside. To date, they still didn't know how the ghost bride would choose her husband—would it be one out of four, or all of them? Likewise, they had no idea whether they would survive at all. To the east stood a large bed, its curtains and sheets a vibrant, festive red, though no bedding was in place. The space beside the bed was empty—no bride in a wedding gown, no red veil covering her head as expected. The ghost bride was nowhere to be found. Zhang Yuanqing’s tightly wound nerves gradually relaxed as he exhaled deeply. Turning to speak to his teammates behind him, he found himself alone in the entire bridal chamber. His three teammates had vanished. "Only I have entered the bridal chamber?" Zhang Yuanqing stiffened suddenly, then murmured, "The ghost bride is quite clever—she's assigned a bridal chamber to each of us." The current situation matched his earlier second hypothesis: the four wedding gifts corresponded to four grooms, and the others had all perished. "Now we simply wait for the bride to make her appearance—though we wonder who she will choose." Zhang Yuanqing closed the door and quietly summoned his small, endearing companion, placing it gently atop his head, ready for whatever might come. He gently stroked the infant spirit's head, gazing at the festive scene within the room, and suddenly recalled a joke he had seen online. He thought to himself: "Just married, with both a husband and a son—what a peak in life! And the ghost bride, too! Not to mention, the son isn't even of dark complexion."