"As I was walking, I got lost somehow, and I met an old woman in a red dress who waved at me."
"The old lady asked my name and my age, complimented me on my looks, and even gave me candy to eat."
"I felt dizzy, and I just told her whatever she asked."
Sun Xiaomai's face turned pale as she was held by her mother, timidly recalling the encounter with the old woman in red.
"She said we were fated and wanted to take me as her goddaughter, asking if I wanted a life of fine clothes and food, being served by others."
"I said yes, and she put a necklace around my neck, saying that someone would come for me when the time came. Then she pinched me with her fingernail and told me to go home."
"After I got back, I forgot about it..."
As she spoke, she shivered, as if remembering something, her eyes filled with fear.
"That night, I had a dream where a person in gray clothes came to me, bringing me a lot of pretty jewelry and delicious food, asking if I wanted to be his wife...Could he be a monster?"
"Mom, I don't want to marry a monster!"
She threw herself into her mother's arms, crying in fear.
Her mother, equally terrified, held her tightly.
"Xiaomai, don't be afraid. Even if I die, I won't let you marry a monster! Honey, think of something quick!"
"You, child, why didn't you tell your parents about such a big thing?" Sun Wei was exasperated, "We've never let you lack food or clothing, so how could you take things that don't belong to you?"
"Brother Sun, it's not the child's fault; she was tricked by that old woman." Lu Fei waved his hand, already understanding the situation, "That old woman and the malevolent spirit were extremely cunning. They knew you adults would never agree, so they used underhanded tactics to deceive the little girl!"
"These gold and silver jewelry are the betrothal gifts from the malevolent spirit. Anyone who steals them is bound to suffer serious consequences."
After he finished speaking, everyone looked at Old Cannon.
Old Cannon didn't dare to say a word.
But at this moment, who had the heart to blame him for stealing?
"And the reason you all fall asleep as soon as it gets dark is because the malevolent spirit comes to see the little girl every night! Whether you like it or not, this marriage has already been arranged."
"Arranged?"
The family of three was terrified, their faces pale. The little girl burst into tears, refusing to marry the monster.
Sun Wei was in a panic, pacing around in circles.
"Several young brothers, I can see that you are all knowledgeable in the ways of the Tao. Please, save my child!"
"Brother Sun, rest assured, we came here because of these betrothal gifts, and naturally we will see this through to the end!" Zhang Molin patted his shoulder for comfort.
Sun Wei's face showed a slight improvement.
"Fortunately, both weddings and funerals must be held on auspicious days, and even ghost marriages are no exception. Only when the right day arrives can the evil spirits take the child away. Before that, we'll figure out how to annul the engagement!" Lu Fei added.
"How do we annul it? Is it enough to return the gifts?"
"Take the betrothal gifts and the heartlock with you. Let's go and find that old woman in red first." Lu Fei looked at Sun Xiaomai, "Little girl, where did you encounter that old woman?"
The little girl stopped her tears and tried to recall: "Near the market where chickens and ducks are sold, there seems to be an incense and candle shop in a small alley nearby, and the old woman in red was sitting under a big tree."
"Alright, we know now." Lu Fei nodded, making a mental note of everything she said.
"Big brother, am I really going to marry a monster?" the little girl asked, her eyes misty with tears.
"Don't worry, you won't. Not only would we not allow it, but marriage between a living person and an evil spirit goes against the laws of nature. Even Heaven wouldn't approve of it." Lu Fei smiled at her.
"Yes, little sister, we are cultivators. How can we stand by and watch as monsters harm people? No matter what happens, we won't let the monster take you away!" said Zhang Moli, handing out three yellow talismans to the family of three to wear for protection.
The family was extremely grateful.
The young girl's panicked heart finally found a bit of comfort.
"By the way, Brother Sun, come here for a moment."
Lu Fei called Sun Wei outside and asked him to burn all the headless chickens.
Only then did Sun Wei realize that all his chickens were headless. Thinking about what his daughter had been eating every night, he felt both afraid and furious.
He immediately started a fire and burned all the headless chickens completely.
By the time they finished, it was just starting to get light.
The group immediately took the chest of betrothal gifts and the Yin-Yang heartlock to the market to find the old woman in red.
Lao Pao shamelessly followed, probably afraid that the beheading evil spirit would come after him again.
With Sun Wei leading the way, everyone soon arrived at the market where chickens and ducks were sold. Next to it, in a quiet alley, they smoothly found an incense and candle shop.
In front of the incense and candle shop, there was a large mulberry tree with a bamboo chair placed under it.
It looked like someone often sat under the tree to enjoy the shade.
However, at the moment, the shop was closed, and there was not a sound coming from inside; it felt lifeless.
Sun Wei knocked on the door several times, but no one came out. He hurriedly went to ask nearby people for information.
"You're looking for Second Aunt Feng? She hasn't opened her shop for a while. I'm not sure if she's dead. We saw a coffin at her house a while ago..."
"Dead?" Sun Wei found it hard to believe, "Impossible. She tricked my daughter just a few days ago. I think she's just hiding on purpose!"
In his anxiety, he picked up a brick from the corner and was about to smash the door.
"Brother Sun, don't be hasty," Lu Fei held his hand and gave Hu Zi a meaningful look.
Hu Zi understood immediately and took out a small wire, fiddled with it a few times, and unlocked the door.
That skillful technique left the old man stunned.
"O,originally a fellow disciple?"
"Who's a fellow disciple with you? Get lost!"
Huzi gave him a glare and pushed open the door.
Everyone entered one after another.
"Old woman! Come out, we're returning these things; our family doesn't agree to this marriage!" Sun Wei shouted as soon as he entered, holding a box, "The little girl doesn't understand anything, what she said doesn't count!"
However, there was no response in the shop.
The air was cold and damp, filled with a musty smell. Lu Fei stretched out his finger and lightly wiped the table.
It was all dust.
It seemed that this incense and candle shop had not been taken care of for a long time.
"Go check in the back!"
Lu Fei walked through the shop into the backyard, and in the dimly lit main room, there really was a large, pitch-black coffin parked in the center.
The coffin exuded a chilling aura.
"Could it be that she is really dead?"
Lu Fei's heart skipped a beat as he exchanged a glance with Zhang Molin, then they walked up to the coffin.
After looking at it for a few moments, they reached out and pushed the coffin lid open.
A thick, deathly stench wafted out.
Inside, there lay an old woman dressed in a red burial robe.
The old woman was emaciated, her face ashen, clearly already dead!
"She, she's really dead... then what about my wheat..." Sun Wei felt a chill all over, almost dropping the box in his hands.
"Brother Sun, don't panic, there's something strange about this old woman!" Lu Fei calmly took out the Eight Trigrams Mirror, "It's been so many days since she died, how could the body not decompose at all?"