Married to the Grim Reaper Against My Will

Xuanyangjun's Wedding

Ji Mian sat obediently in the Xiushan Pavilion, with Granny Xianpo beside her, showing great respect for hierarchy and refusing to sit down, only standing to the side. No matter how Ji Mian tried to persuade her, it was to no avail. At the same time, she began to have some guesses about the so-called Divine Lord's residence; it seemed the rules were very strict, and she would have to be more careful with her words and actions in the future.

Time passed slowly. Granny Xianpo said that she could only ride in a sedan chair to the Yunxiu Heavenly Palace after midnight, when the hundred ghosts would welcome her.

The hundred ghosts welcoming her.

Ji Mian grasped the key point, raised her head, and asked softly, "So, Lord Xuanyang, he is…"

What kind of god is he? She didn't know how to ask this question.

Granny Xianpo, however, seemed to read her mind, and said calmly, "The God of Death."

Ji Mian seemed to choke, unable to speak for a long time. But it seemed reasonable; after all, strictly speaking, she was also dead.

After a moment of silence, she asked softly again, "The King of Hell?"

The old woman shook her head but didn't speak, seemingly unwilling to continue the topic. Ji Mian obediently shut her mouth and didn't ask any more questions.

The entire Xiushan Mountain was once again shrouded in silence; the night was heavy, and the stillness was deathly.

Ji Mian, dressed in a phoenix coronet and wedding robes, sat obediently in the Xiushan Pavilion, where the night wind was blowing, quietly waiting for Xuanyang Jun to come and fetch her.

Midnight fell, and the old woman covered her head with a veil. "The wedding procession has arrived; it's time to set off."

The moment the veil fell, obscuring her vision, Ji Mian saw the lights of thousands of homes at the foot of the mountain rise like fireflies, and countless starlight drifted and rose into the sky—a magnificent and awe-inspiring scene.

Ji Mian was stunned and subconsciously asked, "What is this?"

"A homage of ten thousand ghosts."

"May I see?" she cautiously asked. According to custom, the bride is not allowed to lift her veil. The matriarch, a rigid and traditional woman, particularly favored Ji Mian, a quiet and obedient girl with a resilient spirit. In just a few hours, her experiences had completely overturned her understanding of the world. Like most people, she was terrified, yet she managed to control herself and continue in the predetermined direction without the slightest intention of changing her mind, demonstrating a very firm will.

With her strong will, commitment, obedience, and understanding, the matriarch was very satisfied.

She answered curtly, her face stern, "You can peek."

Ji Mian smiled, her lips curving upwards, her voice becoming much lighter, "Thank you, matriarch."

Soon, Ji Mian felt her body float up, and she was placed in the sedan chair.

After a while, she dared to lift her veil. Her eyes were met with the red brocade interior of the sedan chair. Peeking out through a corner of the window curtain, she was instantly stunned, forgetting to breathe.

In the dark sky, countless floating points of light, emitting a gentle glow, moved slowly, stretching as far as the eye could see. The red palanquin seemed to float above the vast Milky Way, gently propelled forward by it.

She felt as if she had fallen into the boundless firmament, merging into the myriad lights.

The palanquin moved slowly forward, and at the edge of the night, a range of distant, verdant mountains appeared, but they seemed like phantoms. The palanquin accelerated towards the mountains, soon arriving before a magnificent palace. Ji Mian saw several groups of people lined up before the palace.

Before she could get a closer look, she heard the old woman's voice, "Put on the veil."

Ji Mian immediately obeyed, putting on the veil, sitting up straight, and feeling the palanquin slowly descend through the air.

From then on, Ji Mian could no longer peek through the veil; her vision was completely obscured. She could only obediently hold onto the old woman's hand, following her instructions to lift her leg or move forward.

Having followed the old woman's instructions the entire time, she had little recollection of the process, only remembering stepping over many strange objects and performing numerous rituals.

Her only thought was how long the lineage of Lord Xuanyang had endured, how many elders they had; she had even paid homage to their ancestor.

She held one end of the red embroidered ball, while the other end was held by someone else, presumably Lord Xuanyang, but he seemed to remain silent throughout. Ji Mian dared not delve into the matter, much less peek at the person on the other end, because just thinking of Lord Xuanyang brought to mind the monstrous statue on the bluestone tablet, sending chills down her spine. Therefore, she could only bury her head in the sand like an ostrich, avoiding the question, her head bowed low, her neck stiff, afraid to look around.

By the time she was led to the bridal chamber after all the rites were completed, she was exhausted and dizzy, only remembering the last words, "The ceremony is over." Then came a deafening roar of congratulations echoing throughout the heavens and earth—

"May the Divine Lord and His Consort live as long as Heaven, and be united for ten thousand generations!"

The voices rose and fell, approaching from afar, continuous and unending, like a flood surging from all directions, then reverberating through the valley, completely engulfing her.

She was married just like that?

Sitting in the bridal chamber, Ji Mian was still in a daze, finding it hard to believe. Her ears were ringing, still reeling from the immersive surround sound of congratulations.

She had lived a conventional life for seventeen years, but now her life had suddenly veered off course, heading in a completely unknown direction.

Although she was in high school, some of her friends were dating, and she often heard them discuss the most popular boys in school. Ji Mian had never entertained such thoughts. She only wanted to study hard, get into university, and become independent, no longer needing to live with her aunt. She felt she would only consider dating and marriage after she had a stable job.

Ji Mian was timid and focused solely on her studies. She rarely spoke to boys, let alone dated. And now she was married?

The prospect of marriage was incredibly impactful, almost making her forget that her marriage partner wasn't human.

The thought of Xuan Yangjun made Ji Mian's heart pound. More than her future life, she was now worried about the seemingly violent and fierce Xuan Yangjun bursting through the door.

The bridal chamber was silent. Her imagination ran wild, her mind filled with Xuan Yangjun's terrifying image.

She nervously clutched the quilt, trying to suppress her urge to run away.

Suddenly, a clap of thunder exploded. The deafening sound nearly made Ji Mian jump. Then, a fierce storm began outside, with thunder and lightning, and the rolling thunderclaps overhead intensified her fear.

The image of the statue on the blue stone tablet uncontrollably appeared in her mind; she was so terrified that she couldn't move.

Suddenly, amidst the thunder and lightning, a very faint creaking sound rang out.

Someone opened the door!

The sound was very small, but it instantly severed Ji Mian's sensitive nerves. She tensed up, instinctively leaping onto the bed and shrinking into a corner, her veil askew.

Her vision returned, and she looked warily towards the doorway. Instead of the expected monster, she saw a refined man in a light blue robe standing in the doorway, moonlight bathing the floor behind him.

Perhaps not expecting her reaction, the man's expression went blank for a moment, then his eyes curved into a gentle smile.