Chapter 19: The Widow in the Mansion 19

Yu Deng was unaware that his sweet stepson had already struck up a conversation with the prime suspect, even engaging in a discussion regarding the important questions posed by Cheng Xiao.

Naturally, discussing how to capture the heart of a young widow was not the intended goal of the "murderess."

Yu Deng had already stepped outside.

The sky remained dim, drizzling with a fine mist, and the wind blowing through felt bone-chillingly cold. He wondered if the other players had noticed the changes in the mansion.

Not wanting to get soaked, Yu Deng asked a servant for an umbrella.

The fine threads of rain fell into the gloomy, thick fog, reducing visibility to barely a meter or two; everything in the surroundings appeared shadowy and indistinct.

Yu Deng desperately wanted to turn around and head back immediately.

But since he was already here...

He decided to do something to alleviate his growing fear.

"System, keep me company and help me sort out the plot."

[Understood.]

The name Cheng Xiao had whispered in his ear earlier was Lin Zhiyue.

Yu Deng had never suspected her before, and now he struggled to piece together what Miss Lin might have endured.

Conflicts did not necessarily occur only between peers. Reasoning chronologically, it was highly probable that Miss Lin had been assaulted by both the grandfather and grandson of the Cheng family—or perhaps subjected to even worse—which led her to choose murder.

If that were the case, the so-called "hero saving the beauty" at the academy that had become such a celebrated story was nothing more than a cover-up.

Yu Deng thought that if Miss Lin had truly suffered such things, he would feel no sympathy for the dead Cheng family members.

Bullying weak women was the act of a lowlife.

However, in an infinite instance, the players were actually innocent as well... Yu Deng thought, feeling conflicted.

Behind him, the mansion was no longer visible, as if the scene from the previous night were repeating itself.

Yu Deng gazed down the endless road. Under the weight of tension and fear, his heart raced.

"System, I want to go home..."

System 01’s electronic voice remained steady: [I am with you, host.]

...

As he moved further away from the mansion, Yu Deng felt he had been walking for at least half an hour before the system spoke again.

[We have arrived. Please be careful, host.]

Yu Deng’s special ability progress bar was at about fifty percent. He activated his power, but unlike the last time he used it, his body temperature did not change significantly; he simply felt a sense of lightness.

Yu Deng put away his umbrella and carefully navigated through the dense fog, finally making out their destination.

Before him lay a flat area covered in gray-brown gravel, devoid of plants except for a few stray weeds.

In the very center of the clearing sat a depression containing, quite shockingly, a coffin.

The red-and-black coffin was made of an unidentifiable material; its lid was thick and cold, held firmly in place by long, driven-in nails.

Talismanic seals were drawn on the coffin in cinnabar.

Yu Deng stood at the edge, shivering.

"Is the vengeful spirit I need to seal inside there?"

[Yes.]

"But the one inside doesn't seem like they can get out..."

The coffin was sealed tightly, not just with nails but with various talismanic seals, making it clear that the person who sealed it had no intention of letting the occupant see the light of day again.

No sooner had Yu Deng muttered this than the coffin shuddered. The sturdy long nails loosened and, to his horror, slowly fell away.

Yu Deng’s heart pounded with terror, and a small whimper escaped his throat.

He had to finish the mission quickly—he wanted to escape, oh, how he wanted to escape!

He gripped the umbrella tightly, facing the coffin, and tried to look intimidating: "L-let me seal you away once more!"

As he finished speaking, all the long nails dropped to the ground. The dark gold and cinnabar-colored talismans twisted and blurred, and the coffin lid slid to the side.

Pure black mist surged from the coffin. The entity within opened its eyes, his gaze deep and profound as he stared at his former wife.

Seal him again... Was such a beautiful person also possessed of such a cold, vicious heart?

The black mist grew agitated, reaching out toward Yu Deng.

Yu Deng’s vision darkened: "!!" My life is over!!

Yu Deng braced his umbrella against the ground, stubbornly refusing to collapse, but his tear ducts were beyond control, and tears splashed down.

The vengeful spirit watched Yu Deng cry and slowly withdrew his earlier thought.

How could such a soft, sweet little wife have any malicious intent?

The vengeful spirit curled his lips into a smile, his expression beaming. The black mist pulled Yu Deng toward him, and he whispered softly:

"My dear wife is truly adorable."

Yu Deng’s brain crashed: "???" What?

W-wait a minute, wasn't he a widow??

The vengeful spirit gazed at the Yu Deng in his arms, obsessively licking his small earlobe until the white, jade-like flesh turned red.

"My wife surely hasn't forgotten who your husband is, have you?"

Yu Deng’s lips parted slightly, still in shock.

The black mist surrounding the vengeful spirit thinned, revealing handsome features. He looked to be in his early thirties, exuding an air of gentle, mature refinement.

Yu Deng froze.

Such a familiar-looking man, and the voice was familiar too.

Wait, wasn't this his early-departed husband? His dead husband was actually the hidden vengeful spirit?!

As Yu Deng recalled his husband's appearance, he also remembered where he had heard this voice—the black shadow from the previous night.

So, the "Mr. Black Shadow" he had encountered was actually his vengeful spirit boss husband?!

Yu Deng felt completely dizzy.

Cold, yin energy like tentacles tightly coiled around Yu Deng’s waist. The vengeful spirit gently stroked Yu Deng’s cheek, asking with the patience of an elder: "Have you remembered me? My wife."

Yu Deng whispered: "Cheng Zhaolin?"

"Hmm." Cheng Zhaolin asked, appearing almost polite: "Do you really want to seal me?"

Yu Deng glanced at his dead husband and honestly expressed his desire: "If it's possible..."

"How heartless."

The black mist spun Yu Deng around and placed him inside the coffin. The cold, hard texture made Yu Deng frown.

Cheng Zhaolin’s icy hands wrapped around Yu Deng’s waist, his eyes lowered in a sigh.

"Although we never truly consummated our marriage, and I met with an 'accident' only days after the wedding, it is truly saddening that you want to seal me the moment we meet again."

Yu Deng looked at the dejected vengeful spirit and immediately felt as if he had done something sinful.

How should he put it? It did seem rather mean... but he had a mission to complete.

"And I heard that my wife wants to sever all ties with me? Is that because of that scoundrel, Cheng Xiao?"

"No," Yu Deng said in a small voice, "it's just that I previously thought you had already..."

Wasn't it normal to end a marriage after being widowed? Oh, wait, a hundred years ago that wasn't a concept; one was supposed to stay a widow.

"That is simple. I will just marry my wife again."

He only needed to ensure his beautiful little wife stayed away from those men with ill intentions, especially his rebellious son.

The powerful vengeful spirit looked at the fragile human in his arms, lowered his head, and captured those soft lips.

Cold lips and tongue met warm, soft flesh, entwining until the pale pink lips were soon stained with moisture and slowly began to swell.

Yu Deng was trapped in the narrow coffin, enduring the predatory kiss of his dead husband.

The once-ominous coffin gradually took on an enchanting, romantic hue, filled with the sweet, soft scent of Yu Deng’s body.

When the long kiss finally ended, Yu Deng was breathing rapidly, his crimson eye corners wet, his lashes dampened by tears, looking utterly pitiful.

"I, I don't like the coffin..."

His back was aching from the hard surface.

Cheng Zhaolin was very indulgent of Yu Deng’s small requests.

He held Yu Deng and waved his hand; the ominous black coffin instantly emitted a cracking sound and, in just a few seconds, crumbled into dust.

In the next second, the space around them swirled with black mist as a mansion rose from the ground, and beneath them appeared a dark red bed.

Yu Deng looked at his own hands, then at his husband’s, his eyes full of envy.

So strong.

Cheng Zhaolin noticed the faint traces of yin energy on Yu Deng, which seemed to originate from the same source as his own. He narrowed his eyes and traced Yu Deng’s lips with his fingertips.

"Does my wife want this power? Kiss me again, and I will give it to you."

Yu Deng pursed his lips slightly and immediately felt a stinging pain. Seeing his dead husband eager for another kiss, he crawled toward the edge of the bed and sternly refused: "No more kissing."

He hadn't expected that this attempt to escape would touch the vengeful spirit's bottom line.

Tendrils of black mist curled around Yu Deng’s ankles and dragged him back, bit by bit.

Yu Deng was pressed against the cold bedding. His dead husband knelt halfway before him, the tentacles formed from yin energy dancing as they firmly and unyieldingly gathered his wrists, pinning them to the headboard.

The light-colored knit sweater Yu Deng wore had already been torn by the sharp yin energy, leaving the delicate skin beneath exposed to view.

On his collarbone were faint marks left by those other "bad dogs."

Everything in sight was a hazy, dark tone, save for Yu Deng, who was so white, so beautiful. His crimson lips, the corners of his eyes, and the trembling cherry-pink skin half-hidden by his shirt made him the most vibrant color in this space.

"Then, shall we not kiss the mouth?"

The vengeful spirit sounded as if he were negotiating, but he had already leaned down, his lips and tongue covering the marks that were not his own, before biting the sweet-scented flesh. His teeth grazed the magnificent cherry-pink skin, grinding ever so lightly.

"The moment I died, you let that scoundrel bully you."

Yu Deng could not move. He felt cold from being wrapped in yin energy, and being stimulated so wickedly made his entire body feel numb and itchy. His nose turned red, and hot tears fell.

Yu Deng unhappily raised his leg and gave his dead husband a hard kick.

'Aren't you bullying me right now? It hurts.'

Cheng Zhaolin finally eased his bite, lowering his head to lick away Yu Deng’s tears: "Don't cry... Every time we meet, my wife is crying."

Yu Deng felt deeply wronged: "My wrists are uncomfortable too. Why do you have to tie me up? You’re unreasonable! You’re a bad guy too!"

Clearly, when he was taking a bath that day, Mr. Black Shadow had been very well-behaved.

Before Cheng Zhaolin could say anything, those black mist tentacles originating from him dropped away from Yu Deng with a sudden 'plop.'

They even curled into little loops, fawningly rubbing Yu Deng’s wrists.

"My wife, there is no such thing as a reasonable vengeful spirit." Despite saying this, Cheng Zhaolin still gathered Yu Deng’s wrists, gently stroking the red marks.

"But, 'too'? Did that scoundrel tie you up as well?"

Yu Deng turned his head away, tensing his beautiful little face, ignoring his dead husband.

His pampered little wife would always throw a tantrum when bullied too hard.

Cheng Zhaolin watched Yu Deng. After becoming a ghost, his inner emotions could no longer be restrained, and his desires were magnified infinitely.

He wanted to bully him, wanted to make him cry, but he also wanted to... hold him in his palms and cherish him deeply.

The vengeful spirit maintained a facade of gentle refinement, but his actions were obsessive and morbid as he circled his little wife.