Dragon Canon

Wei Yuan sat up. He saw a candle holder holding two red candles on the desk. There was another floor-standing candle holder in the corner of the room.

The candlelight was unusually dim red, like the last rays of the setting sun.

“Husband, it’s getting late. We should rest.”

Indeed, it was getting late. Wei Yuan tried to stand up, but as soon as his feet touched the floor, he frowned and lifted them again.

There were two distinct footprints on the floor!

Only then did Wei Yuan realize that the floor was covered in a thick layer of dust. It had clearly not been swept in quite some time. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of something else again. When he turned his head, he saw a spiderweb hanging from the corner of the bed. Wei Yuan reached out to brush away the spiderweb, unexpectedly stirring a cloud of white dust.

“Husband....” the bride called out again.

“Coming, coming....” Wei Yuan replied repeatedly as he approached her. Just then, he hesitated and tried to look behind her. Unfortunately, the bride was blocking his view.

The candles were placed high up, and the candlelight was quite dim. As a result, the floor was shrouded in darkness, and he couldn’t make out what was there. Wei Yuan felt as though his mind was veiled in a fog; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t recall exactly what he had been looking for.

The bride urged him again, and Wei Yuan felt a pang of guilt, realizing he shouldn’t be letting his mind wander on such a joyous occasion. Although the bride had been sitting there motionless the whole time, and her features remained indistinct, Wei Yuan instinctively sensed that she must be exceptionally beautiful.

It was Ji Liuli.

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Wei Yuan’s forehead.

Crack!

Another sharp sound rang out, and something inside his consciousness shattered. As darkness engulfed his vision, he once again plunged into the void.

......

Inside a dimlit lit temple hall, two towering figures sat facing each other. Before them stood two small altars, each teeming with countless tiny humans scurrying busily back and forth like ants.

Though the hall was clearly a single, cohesive space, there was a distinct dividing line running through its center. On one side lay a world of deep, oppressive darkness; on the other, a scorching, arid landscape where sandstorms raged intermittently.

The figure in the shadowy world said, “His primordial spirit has been placed in the realm of Coldbelow. However, it turned out that the opening scenario is ‘paper wedding gown’—a sure path to death. I’m afraid I won’t be able to negotiate terms with him as you wish.”

The figure in the scorching desert world replied, “What I want is Tianyu. I don’t care what methods you use; I’ll give you fifty thousand superior sacrifices as long as you can bring him back.”

“You have so many descendants and countless powerful warriors. Why place such importance on a descendant of average talent?”

“The Ancestor Warlock just gave me a revelation: this descendant’s abilities are crucial to my next plan. That is why I am willing to pay an extra price. What do you intend to do with that human? He seems to be connected to the ‘flaw’ mentioned by Panshan.”

The figure in the shadowy world said, “Once someone has entered the Coldbelow, even I cannot intervene directly. If you absolutely want him alive, you may send a squad of warriors. However, Dream Eater is the one behind this opening scenario, so you are probably going to lose a lot of men.”

“Dream Eater? Never mind then. Oh right, why did you suddenly step in this time?”

“The humans sent over some intelligence. I discovered that several very interesting young people have arrived in that place called Qingming. They have something that I need.”

“Intelligence from humans? Could it be false?”

“I’ve performed a divination. It’s probably true. Humans have never hesitated to use us to eliminate their rivals. That’s why the Ancestor Warlock won’t allow a particularly powerful faction to emerge among them. Only when the balance is maintained will the humans be more eager to turn on one another.”

......

Wei Yuan opened his eyes and stared silently at the relief carvings on the canopy. He felt as though the images were trying to tell him something.

“Husband, are you awake?”

Wei Yuan slowly turned his head toward the source of the voice. There, he saw the bride wearing a bright red wedding gown and sitting quietly at the foot of the bed. Her gaze seemed to pierce through her veil as she looked at him intently.

Wei Yuan’s gaze shifted to her hand, half-exposed from her sleeve. It was slender, pale, and looked nothing like the hand of someone who had ever held a kitchen knife.

Kitchen knife? Where is the knife?

Wei Yuan’s gaze began wandering around as he tried to search for the hidden kitchen knife. His mind still felt as though a veil had been drawn over it; he didn’t know why he was looking for the knife, or where he had even heard of it. He only knew that the blade was notched in many places.

He rose to get out of bed, but he pulled back his legs as soon as they touched the floor. Sure enough, he saw two distinct footprints. Dust had been accumulating on the floor for who-knows-how-long.

The servants are slacking off again....

Wei yuan looked around and saw spiderwebs. There were no spiders, though. The two candle holders remained unchanged, their flames were dim beyond belief, and the room felt unusually cold.

This time, Wei Yuan left the spiderwebs untouched. Placing his feet on the floor once more, he was just about to stand up when suddenly, he noticed something odd on the ground. There were two spots where the dust was slightly thinner. Judging by the shape and outline, they resembled slender claws or soles, the tips pointing toward the bed.

Not long ago, had someone been standing by the bed and watching him as he slept?!

“Husband, it’s getting late. We should rest now.”

Those words seemed magical in some ways; he immediately knew it was time for him to lift her veil and consummate their marriage. However, the room was simply too cold. He instinctively felt reluctant at the thought of undressing.

He grabbed the bride’s veil and gently lifted it. As expected, he saw a stunningly beautiful face gazing at him with calm serenity.

It was Bao Yun.

Wei Yuan felt an inexplicable sense of relief. Finally, things were normal for once.

But the smile on Bao Yun’s face suddenly vanished, and something inside Wei Yuan’s consciousness shattered. His vision went black, and he fainted.

......

Wei Yuan opened his eyes once more and stared silently at the relief carvings on the canopy.

The ghostly creatures were carrying a humanoid form that was drenched in blood. However, Wei Yuan felt it might not necessarily be human. As he thought this, the figure suddenly shifted and took on a bizarre form that defied identification.

Panic crept onto the faces of the ghostly creatures, whereas before they had seemed ferocious and terrifying.

Before? When have I seen this carving before?

Wei Yuan tried to think, but it felt as if a veil had been drawn over his consciousness. He could not recall a single thing.

Wei Yuan continued to examine the relief. He saw the bride in the center of the table clutching a kitchen knife with both hands. Her hands were very thin, small, and pale, gripping the knife with great force.

“Husband, are you awake?”

Wei Yuan turned his head, sat up, and prepared to get out of bed. Before his feet touched the floor, he glanced down. The faint footprints by the bed were still there—it looked a little claw-like, but there was something else that was indescribably strange about it.

A spiderweb still hung from the corner of the bed, but the spider was nowhere to be seen.

The web was even missing a corner. The spider must have been slacking off again....

The candlelight was dim, and the room felt unusually cold. The bride’s hands, half-exposed, were pale, slender, and beautiful—surely the face beneath the veil was just as lovely.

He wondered how long she had been staring at him....

Suddenly, Wei Yuan felt reluctant to get out of bed. He reached out to pull the quilt back over himself, but it was unusually damp—so damp, in fact, that water was dripping from his hand. The liquid was also thick, viscous and not at all like water.

Wei Yuan looked down at his hand. It was covered in fresh blood.

He recoiled with a start. Just then, he felt his left hand pressing against something hard.

“Husband, it’s getting late. We should rest.”

Those words immediately reminded Wei Yuan that it was indeed getting late, so he got out of bed, walked over to the bride, and lifted the veil. Beneath it was an exquisitely beautiful face with big, round eyes that looked a little vacant, but in reality were pure and clear.

It was Feng Tingyu.

Wei Yuan pondered. Was the order based on cultivation level, or perhaps the tier of their Dao Foundations? Who would be next; Yun Feifei, Xu Wan’er, or Hsu Yi?

A crisp sound rang out, and Wei Yuan lost consciousness.

......

Wei Yuan opened his eyes.

He stared silently at the relief carvings on the canopy while squeezing the quilt with one hand, coating his fingers in sticky liquid once more. The other hand groped around the bed and, sure enough, he touched something hard. He felt it carefully; it seemed to be a kitchen knife.

In the relief carvings, the object being carried by the ghostly creatures remained oddly-shaped and unidentifiable. However, something seemed to be missing. Meanwhile, a halo of light had appeared behind the heads of each of the seven brides at the table. In the scriptures of many sects, the halo signified a Dao Foundation.

“Husband....”

Wei Yuan slowly turned his head, his hand quietly clenching around the kitchen knife.

“... It’s getting late. We should rest.”

Those words immediately reminded Wei Yuan that it was time for the wedding night. So, he forgot about the kitchen knife, got out of bed, and walked over to the bride.

Just as he was about to lift the veil, Wei Yuan suddenly noticed that one of his hands was covered in blood. It was as vividly red as the veil itself.

Wei Yuan’s mind froze for a split second, and he suddenly remembered: had she skipped a line earlier?

But the time had come, and Wei Yuan’s hand had already lifted the veil.