At daybreak, two suns hung in the sky, while the moon shone brightly with a pure radiance.

Although it was the top scholar’s joyous occasion, everything was kept simple. At noon, Little Duan Immortal was carried into a sedan chair and brought through the gates of the Chen family home. Then came the feast for the guests, with the theatrical troupe playing and singing with great effort. When dusk fell, it was precisely the time when Yin and Yang energies intermingled, hence why it was called a wedding—this was the auspicious hour for bowing and entering marriage.

Chen Shi went to the bridal sedan to take Little Duan Immortal’s hand, only to have Old Lady Wuzhu slap him on the wrist. She handed him a length of red silk and instructed him to use it to guide the female immortal down the sedan and perform the bowing ceremony.

The so-called bowing ceremony was simple: first bow to Heaven and Earth, second bow to the parents, then the couple bows to each other, and finally entering the bridal chamber.

Chen Shi and Little Duan Immortal were ushered into the bridal chamber, which was indeed a moon gate with a red frame draped in red silk.

Crossing through the moon gate, the bridal chamber held a bushel of grain filled with the five cereals, symbolizing bountiful harvests. At the left and right corners of the window were two bronze mirrors—one was the Demon-Repelling Mirror on the left, and the other was the Spirit-Repelling Mirror on the right. If any evil spirit or demon transformed into the groom or bride, being struck by the mirror’s light would force them to reveal their true form.

Grandma Yuzhu took down the bow and arrows hanging on the bridal chamber wall and had the groom shoot the White Tiger. She shouted, “First shot to ward off calamities from above! Second shot to keep swords and soldiers far apart! Third shot to terrify evil spirits and ghosts! Fourth shot to bring peace to the officials!”

After Chen Shi shot the four arrows, someone took them and hung the bow back on the wall, saying, “Leave it here to ward off evil.”

Then, the village children surged in all at once, pouncing onto the bed to snatch the wedding candy, red dates, and peanuts from the large embroidered mandarin duck quilt, shouting, “May you have a son soon and a sweet, happy life!”

After the lively commotion, the village elders began to shoo everyone out of the bridal chamber. Old Lady Wuzhu was the last to leave, secretly slipping Chen Shi a yellowed book and whispering, “Master, if you don’t know what to do, just follow the methods taught in this book! Remember, remember!”

Chen Shi chuckled, “I’m the top scholar; what don’t I understand?”

Old Lady Wuzhu lowered the curtain on the moon gate, closed the outer room’s door, and left only Chen Shi and Little Duan Immortal inside the bridal chamber.

Chen Shi stared at the immortal seated by the bed in her phoenix coronet and embroidered cape, his heart pounding wildly, his lips and throat dry.

“My Peng Qiao must be working his tricks behind my back…”

He sat down on the edge of the bed, the beauty beside him dressed in red, with only her hands, white as jade, exposed.

However, as Chen Shi looked closer, he could see beneath her red veil the neck and face tinged pink by the veil.

Little Duan Immortal’s body was stiff, her heart thumping rapidly. She felt the top scholar’s backside inching bit by bit closer to her, the distance shrinking.

“From today on, I am his wife,” she thought, a mix of sweetness and fear filling her.

She was so nervous her mind went blank. The red veil covered her face and blocked her view, leaving her unable to see what Chen Shi was doing.

Suddenly, Chen Shi’s face poked under the veil, startling her.

Chen Shi grinned, showing two rows of white teeth. “Are you nervous?”

Little Duan let out a laugh as well and nodded.

She nearly pulled off the veil herself but remembered Old Lady Wuzhu’s instruction: the bride must not lift the veil herself; it had to be the groom who did it. That was wedding custom—if the bride lifted it herself, it would bring bad luck.

She pointed at the veil. Chen Shi understood. He took the corners of the veil hanging down, gently lifted it, and a pair of red lips came into view.

Chen Shi’s heart pounded again as he continued to lift.

The face beneath the veil was so beautiful—skin like cream, flawless and white, with a delicate, straight nose like that of a legendary immortal. There were no visible pores or skin textures.

She was shy and bashful, her eyes cast downward. Only when the red veil rose to her eyes did she slowly open them and meet Chen Shi’s gaze.

Their eyes locked. Chen Shi felt his heart skip a few beats before it began to race wildly again.

At that moment, she was stunningly beautiful.

It must be Peng Qiao, madly hammering on his heart, making it beat so fast.

It must be Peng Qiao whispering in his ear, tempting and seducing him, making him so easily forget the impending great calamity of Heaven and Earth, forget his cultivation, forget the wonders of the Dao.

He stared for a long time, then suddenly kissed the girl across from him on the lips—soft, warm, and fragrant, with a hint of sweetness, a sweetness he had never tasted before.

Little Duan’s body went weak, her breathing became difficult. She felt all her strength draining away, and without realizing it, she fell onto the large mandarin duck quilt.

“Heart… so fast… dying…”

She panted heavily, speaking word by word.

Her heart was beating too fast, so fast it felt like she might die. That was probably what she meant.

Chen Shi climbed on top of her. Little Duan made a motion to push him away, but remembering how she had pushed Chen Shi in panic on the Upper Realm and how he had lain in bed for days recovering, she dared not push again.

“I don’t know what to do next.”

Chen Shi suddenly lay down beside her, chuckling. “The books Scholar Zhu taught me didn’t cover this. Do you know the next step?”

He turned on his side.

Little Duan turned on her side as well. Their faces were close, just inches apart.

“The book,” Little Duan said.

Her breathing had steadied, revealing an incredibly powerful cultivation base. Chen Shi was deeply impressed—his heart was still racing.

“Right! The book Old Lady Wuzhu gave me!”

Chen Shi fetched the yellowed book. The cover was already partly damaged, whether from too much flipping or from being chewed by insects. On it were written the characters “Bedroom” —there should have been one or two more characters, but they had been worn away.

Little Duan leaned in, and the two of them lay flat on the large mandarin duck quilt. Chen Shi opened “Bedroom,” revealing illustrations and text.

They stared dazedly at two pages, gradually understanding what they saw, and their faces turned bright red.

Little Duan blushed so deeply that even her neck was red. She quickly looked away and slithered under the quilt like a loach, covering herself.

Chen Shi read two more pages, muttering to himself, “What kind of book did Old Lady Wuzhu give me? It’s indecent—nowhere near as good as the sages’ books.”

He flipped a few more pages, then hunched over, unable to stay lying on the bed. He quickly closed the book and laughed, “I suddenly remembered—we haven’t drunk the wedding wine yet!”

Bent at the waist, he went to the table, poured two cups of wine, and laughed, “Little Duan, come down. Let’s drink the wedding wine together.”

Little Duan buried herself under the quilt, shaking her head vigorously.

Chen Shi couldn’t see this, so he went over and pulled back the covers, laughing, “First, we drink the wedding wine, then we become husband and wife.”

Little Duan was so shy she was red from head to toe. Reluctantly, she got up with him, twisting shyly as she walked to the table.

Chen Shi handed her a cup and took one himself. The two of them awkwardly linked arms, inhaling the spicy aroma of the wine. They were already drunk before they even drank.

After downing the wedding wine, Little Duan felt dizzy and lightheaded.

Chen Shi picked her up, placed her on the bed, and laughed, “How about we try following the book?”

Little Duan shook her head in his arms.

Chen Shi coaxed her, “Just the first picture—I won’t try the second! I swear! If I try the second, may Heaven strike me down with lightning!”

Little Duan didn’t answer.

Chen Shi went to take off her clothes but found them impossible to undo. They wouldn’t come off no matter how he tried. Normally, they were easy.

Little Duan felt as if she were floating in the clouds, dizzy and lost. Her heart was filled with joy and confusion—a great happiness welling up from the depths of her soul, wave after wave, overwhelming her mind, moving her to tears.

This happiness was like drinking the strongest wine, the sweetest honey, smelling the most fragrant flowers—so intoxicating, so enchanting.

She wanted desperately to express this joy to Chen Shi and stammered, “Hus… husband…”

Then, as a surge of immense joy flooded her mind, it suddenly seemed to break open a long-sealed barrier within her. Countless ancient, distant memories surged forth like a tide.

The sweet, loving feeling from moments ago was quickly swept away by this torrent of memories.

In the face of her profound and vast history of cultivation, the romantic love of mortals seemed utterly insignificant.

Immortals do not examine love the way mortals do.

A love between immortal and mortal was merely a fantasy crafted by scholars, nothing more than fiction.

“So, this means I have come back to life,” she said softly.

Chen Shi blinked, a chill running down his spine.

Little Duan Immortal said, “Fellow cultivator, you are being controlled by Peng Qiao. Let me help you calm his lustful fire.”

She lightly touched her finger to Chen Shi’s chest, and immediately, the flames of desire dissipated.

Meanwhile, far away in the Primordial Palace of the Underworld’s Immortal Capital, Chen Shi’s Lower Corpse God, Peng Qiao, suddenly exploded with a bang, turning into a mist of blood.

Although Peng Qiao would revive again, in the short term, he could no longer influence Chen Shi.

Chen Shi behaved himself, properly dressing the immortal beneath him, rolling off her, pulling up his pants, and heading for the door.

“You showed me this kind of book?” came Little Duan Immortal’s cold, clear voice from behind him.

“Cough! Cough!”

Chen Shi coughed violently, his face turning red.

He turned back and saw the immortal with one hand covering her chest and the other picking up “Bedroom” from the corner of the bed. His heart pounded wildly, and his mouth went dry.

The female immortal from Qixia Taoist Temple had truly awakened!

His heart raced.

The female immortal from Qixia was a notorious evil immortal!

Her emergence alone would cause a calamity-level catastrophe!

Little Duan Immortal glanced through the book, casually tossed it aside, rose gracefully, and said flatly, “Fellow cultivator, your cultivation is still too low. You shouldn’t be influenced by such tedious matters. You should cultivate. Cultivation brings the greatest joy. When you reach my level, you will understand the delight of attaining the Dao. At that time, all mortal love and romance will seem like nothing.”

Chen Shi was uneasy, expecting her to punish him for his impropriety. But instead, the female immortal drifted past him.

The door opened by itself, leaving only a fragrant breeze in the air.

Chen Shi chased after her. Little Duan hadn’t flown away but hovered in the air, looking around with a bewildered expression.

The surroundings were eerily silent, completely devoid of sound.

At some point, the theatrical troupe had stopped. The guests were no longer eating or drinking but stood frozen like wooden statues, each staring into the distance.

Some people stood in the yard, while others had walked out of the Chen family home, gazing blankly ahead.

The sky wasn’t light yet. The moon hung in the sky, its light pure and hazy.

“Yuzhu, what are you looking at?” Chen Shi asked a girl.

Yuzhu’s eyes moved, falling on his face, then stared straight ahead again. “The mountains.”

“Mountains?”

Chen Shi followed her gaze and saw the mountains she spoke of.

Or rather, endless mountains, countless peaks.

Under the moonlight, these mountains loomed vaguely, one after another, their bodies enormous. They could no longer find the familiar Qianyang Mountain. What came into view were completely foreign mountains.

Originally, Qianyang Mountain was to the northwest of Huangpo Village. Now, mountains surrounded the village on all sides!

Chen Shi looked up. In the sky hung a pale moon, many times larger than usual—about forty to fifty feet in diameter.

His mind shook violently, inexplicably reminded of the Fog Moon of the Underworld.

The yellow earth slope outside the village was gone, replaced by a continuous, high ridge.

Yellow earth, giant trees, and thick tree roots crisscrossed the sky, plunging down to take root in the ridge!

Hanging from the giant tree was an immensely large corpse.

Scholar Zhu.

Countless ghosts passed through the village, thin mist swirling at their feet.

They seemed not to see the villagers, neither avoiding nor dodging, passing right through their bodies. Whenever this happened, it felt like a chill mist seeping into their bodies.

And on the distant wasteland, a beast the size of a small hill, a Shen Beast, snorted smoke from its nostrils, its eyes fixed gloomily on the village.

“Whoosh—”

The Shen Beast opened its mouth and spewed thick mist, which rolled toward them.

The Shen Beast loved to eat ghosts. It was hunting these spirits, but the sudden appearance of this village and its people confused it, unsure of what was happening.

Chen Shi’s heart sank. The realms of Yin and Yang had intersected.

Little Duan Immortal whispered, “Has this world, too, been destroyed?”

She looked somewhat disappointed and drifted away.

Chen Shi hurriedly chased after her, but her speed was incredible, and in an instant, she vanished without a trace.

Unable to catch up, Chen Shi had to stop.

Chen Tang’s voice came from behind: “So, she is the ghost immortal who caused the Celestial Bridge incident?”

Chen Shi sighed and nodded slightly.

“You wicked son!”

Chen Tang’s hand trembled. The thought that his son had actually married this prehistoric evil spirit in a ceremony and even entered the bridal chamber made his heart and liver race. “Don’t you know that if she goes evil…”

He stared blankly at Chen Shi’s back, a look of terror spreading across his face.

Chen Shi didn’t understand. He turned around, and suddenly a fragrant wind rushed toward him. Little Duan Immortal flew over with a whoosh and slipped into the small temple behind his head.

Chen Shi’s Primordial Spirit appeared in the small temple. He saw the immortal sitting on the shrine, her delicate body trembling slightly.

“Immortal, what happened?” Chen Shi asked tentatively.

“What did you do to me?”

Little Duan Immortal lifted her head, panic on her face. “After I left you, I suddenly began to undergo a calamitous transformation! My body is transforming into an evil spirit!”

Chen Shi was taken aback. He scrutinized her and noticed a slender strand of hair, as lively as a tiny, agile snake, floating gently in the air and slowly approaching him.

Chen Shi reached out and caught the “strand of hair.” It writhed in his hand as if struggling.

With a strong pull, Chen Shi yanked it out from behind Little Duan Immortal with a clang.

The strand withered rapidly in his hand, turning to ash.

Little Duan Immortal let out a sigh of relief. “Your cultivation is clearly very low—how can you pull out the calamity inside me? What have you done to me?”

Chen Shi was confused and shook his head. “With my cultivation, how could I possibly do anything to you?”

Little Duan Immortal said, “You just did something to me in bed.”

She frowned slightly, feeling the phrasing was a bit off.

A flash of insight struck Chen Shi, and he quickly asked, “You’re an immortal—you’ve achieved Dao Unification, right?”

Little Duan Immortal nodded lightly.

Chen Shi’s eyes flickered. “Is it possible that you achieved Dao Unification inside my little temple?”

—The pig had a cold and was drowsy all day. He felt a bit better after taking medicine in the afternoon. There’s no guarantee of finishing tonight’s second chapter. If not, I’ll make it up when I’m better. Don’t wait up tonight!