In the dark courtyard, a red lantern drifted over, emitting a vivid crimson glow. Unusual was that its light seemed sealed within a cage—unable to illuminate the surroundings. It floated to the doorway and halted before Zhang Yuanqing, stopping just beyond the threshold. Zhang Yuanqing could clearly sense that behind the threshold lay a ghost—a pale, eerie one. Yet no matter how intently he stared, he couldn’t make out the ghost’s form in the darkness. He quietly summoned the Power of the Moon, ready to defend himself should the ghost attack. By nature, Night Wandering Deity suppresses spiritual bodies—provided the spiritual body's level does not exceed that of the deity itself. In the dark, a hand reached out. Zhang Yuanqing used the faint red glow to see—it was a hand with a bluish-black hue, nails stark and forest-green in darkness. The ghostly hand held a stack of name cards sealed in bright red covers, as though offering them to Zhang Yuanqing for acceptance. Zhang Yuanqing declined; the hand kept extending, the two holding firm—like they had clashed. After some time, Xizi’s voice trembled gently, whispering: “Wang Tai?” She saw Wang Tai motionless, fearing that he might have unknowingly triggered a crisis and passed away unnoticed. Ah, it's like stretching or shrinking—you're either going to get sliced or cut. Zhang Yuanqing finally accepted the name cards, and as soon as he did, the ghostly hand withdrew. Then the red lantern drifted gently away, returning toward the deep end of the courtyard. Zhang Yuanqing stepped down from the steps and returned to his teammates, holding up the name cards: “There are five in total—seems like they’re meant for us.” He distributed them one by one among the team members. When unfolded, each card bore a red background with black text listing the bride’s name and horoscope on one side, while the groom's section remained blank. The bride’s name was “Bai Lan.” A voice prompt echoed in their ears: 【Ping! You have received the bride’s wedding invitation from the ghost—please enter your own name. The ghost bride will choose her husband within one hour.】 So, fill out names and wait for a one-hour match? What happens if selected? Everyone held on to the cards, minds racing. Zhang Yuanqing had been honest in his introduction—had mistaken Wang Tai’s name for his own. Thus, he now hesitated: should he write “Yuan Shi Tian Zun” or "Wang Tai"? Could writing a false name result in penalty? As he pondered the choice, Zhang Yuanqing turned to his companions: “Do any of you remember the introduction of the amusement park? An entity that is indescribable arrived here and asked the spirits within the park to find a young person—whose name consists of four characters.” Xizi and others recalled this, but did not understand why Zhang Yuanqing referenced it. Shi Lingxi, thinking fastest, glanced at her card: “Are you suggesting a connection between these two?” She followed through with her thoughts, her face changing slightly: “An indescribable figure tasked to find a young person—yet now we are being asked to fill in our names? Does this imply that the bride of the ghost house is seeking the Realm Walker?” “How could it be?” Xizi was astonished. They had all completed multiple instance challenges; typically, realm introductions served as background context—only informing players about the setting and its history. They expected the Realm Walker to gain a basic awareness of the current instance, nothing more. Previously, they believed that this indescribable figure was seeking someone within the realm itself—perhaps a character or even a monster. No connection at all with the players. Could a mere Realm Walker truly alter the essence of such a realm? “It’s not just coincidence,” Zhang Yuanqing said quietly. “The original guidebooks didn’t mention wedding invitations. This only began after the realm changed. Combined with the introduction, I find it hard to believe that there's no link.” He couldn't help but feel that the information in the realm introduction bore a strong sense of familiarity—almost as if they had encountered something similar before. “Zzz… That day, she arrived at Jin Shui Amusement Park…” Suddenly, Zhang Yuanqing’s cat-wearing speaker in his pocket emitted a sound. Everyone turned to his pocket, yet the speaker remained silent. Why hadn’t it spoken? Something felt odd. Zhang Yuanqing waited another few seconds—seeing no change—he dismissed it and said: “Let's fill out our names now.” He unfolded the card and tried writing “Wang Tai” in the name field using a stylus pen. His reasoning was this: since the ghost bride required everyone to write their names, she could not see the true identities of the Realm Walkers—otherwise, the invitation would have been unnecessary. Therefore, there must be room for the Realm Walker to present a false identity. Though not explicitly stated, it implied that players were permitted to represent themselves in this manner. Writing Yuan Shi Tian Zun wouldn’t be problematic either—though it might cause some trust issues among teammates. Zhang Yuanqing thought as he watched his pen stroke solidify into black characters: “Wang Tai.” Then he casually created a birth chart and gender profile—though actually, he had not fabricated the gender at all. The four teammates soon followed suit, each using stylus pens. Shi Lingxi reached up on her toes, hesitantly peering at Zhang Yuanqing’s card before writing her own name. In the gender field, she paused slightly and selected “male.” After completing their cards, Zhang Yuanqing tucked them into his pocket and stepped forward first: “Enter now—please follow behind me all.” Seeing that his teammates were visibly tense, he joked to lighten the mood: “I’ve always had a strong birth chart—I’m sure any female ghost would have to take maternity leave just to see me!” Everyone: “…” Such humor at this moment truly demonstrated both confidence and courage. After all, there was an actual ghost bride awaiting inside. Was that not enough comedy? Zhang Yuanqing glanced at their expressions and said no more—quietly stepping into the courtyard. Beyond the threshold lay the outer courtyard—a large scale, with a stone pathway running down the center and corridors stretching along the exterior walls. As soon as they crossed over, red lanterns hung beneath the eaves began to light up—one by one—adding deep crimson hues to the dark night sky. The lanterns now resembled glowing eyes, quietly watching those entering the courtyard. At the end of the stone path stood a grand hall with elegant eave projections, its gate tightly closed. A golden-yellow glow filtered out from within. “Ah…” Zhang Yuanqing’s eyes lit up as he stepped over: “Look—have any of you noticed that your skills and items have been sealed?” The others were taken aback—some sensing their skill sets, others checking their inventory—and were amazed to find that the current task had not locked down either their abilities or their props. They felt a mix of joy and anxiety: joyful because they now had confidence when facing danger; yet anxious—the fact that skills and items were accessible suggested that the threat within the ghost house was far from ordinary. Under Zhang Yuanqing’s guidance, the group moved steadily forward through the still night, the only sound being their footsteps. “Ah!” Suddenly, a loud cry startled them all—everyone stiffened in surprise. Wu Mo turned sharply to Xizi, glaring angrily: “Why are you screaming?” Xizi paled, her finger pointing toward the corridor nearly fifteen meters away: “There… there’s a woman… under one of the lanterns.” They swiftly turned—and found the lanterns high and still—no ghost in sight. This interruption only deepened their already nervous state. Zhang Yuanqing remained calm—he had once experienced an instance with supernatural elements, and as a Night Wandering Deity, he no longer felt genuine fear of ghosts. In his view, ghosts were much like robot characters. Here, the atmosphere was thick with gloom—pervasive and dampening. His perception of subtle spirits weakened—those too distant or faint could not be sensed at all. Yet he had a strong sense that his Artifact—the Magic Staff for Subduing Demons—was still effective. He wasn’t afraid now—especially not once the ghost bride appeared. As he reassured them, he led the group forward steadily. “Have any of you noticed?” Zhang Yuanqing said, “The instance only offers a one-hour window before the ghost bride selects her husband.” Blind fear was useless—he used information to redirect their attention and calm their emotions: “My assumption is that over the next hour, our every action and behavior will become the standard by which she chooses her groom. I wonder—will becoming the groom mean survival or death? Also, this area has a heavy sense of negative energy—many dangers lurk here. Perhaps we won’t survive until the one-hour mark.” Does the ghost bride favor appearance over substance? As the most handsome member of our team, I’m under significant pressure… Soon, they reached the grand hall. Zhang Yuanqing stepped forward and pushed open the tightly closed gate. A groaning sound echoed through the night air—deep and resonant. Inside, candlelight shone brightly, a red carpet stretched across the floor, and red fabric hung from pillars. At either end of the carpet stood two large chairs, arranged with candles and fruits on tables. A bright red “HAPPY MARRIAGE” banner hung proudly on the wall. On each side of the carpet, several paper figures stood—seven or eight in number—dressed like ancient servants, their faces vividly lifelike, lips glowing a deep crimson and slightly curled. The most unsettling feature was that the heads of these figures were twisted at odd angles, with hollow eyes fixed on the doorway, watching as they entered. Ding Ding Ding… Shi Lingxi stepped back in fear, her hands covering her mouth—she barely managed to suppress a cry. At this moment, Zhang Yuanqing felt his scalp tingle—not from fear—but because he realized these figures were all ghosts. After carefully sensing each one, he exhaled: these were young spirits—all small, ordinary ghosts. Well then—the ghost bride may be beyond my reach—but you little ghouls dare to act so boldly in front of me? That’s outrageous! Zhang Yuanqing summoned the Power of the Moon, gathering dark energy within his eyes and deepening his breath: “Now get out!” The paper figures collapsed all over the floor—swept by a rising wind—and ghostly wails echoed faintly as they scattered in panic. Xizi, Shi Lingxi, Wu Mo, and Qi Tian Dashi watched in stunned silence.