Chapter 182: A Hundred Years of Harmonious Union

"Do Not Look."

A square sign sat wedged in the crevice of a blind spot around the corner, aimed squarely at every passerby.

Looking at this sign was forbidden.

A few older men chatting at the intersection ahead obviously knew about the sign. They smoked and talked, their eyes firmly shut.

But Gao Tian didn't know. The city had tens of thousands of signs, and every single one carried a different rule.

He couldn't possibly have walked the entire way here with his eyes closed.

The instant his gaze landed on the sign—for a mere 0.4 seconds—Gao Tian immediately looked away and snapped his eyes shut, trying to dodge the penalty.

He was still too late. Gao Tian felt a bizarre force surging over him, as though he had plunged into the deep sea. Crushing water pressure rushed in from all directions. He couldn't breathe. His internal organs twisted together, stifling and agonizing.

Warm liquid trickled from the corner of his mouth. He couldn't move a muscle. The pressure intensified in relentless waves without the slightest hint of receding. Every bone in his body groaned and popped, stretched to the absolute limit and on the verge of shattering.

If he didn't do something soon, he was going to die.

But he couldn't do a thing. He couldn't even lift his pinky.

After the great battle in Minghai City, the Ghost Cards on his soul had already reached nine. His Ghost Luck had also been bled dry during his entanglement with the Artist.

That meant for this resurrection, he would have to rely on a meager scrap of luck to draw a new number outside of those nine Ghost Cards.

Just how low were those odds?

If he drew a duplicate of the nine cards, he would die instantly. There would be no coming back.

This time, he was infinitely close to being finished.

In that split second, Gao Tian thought of many things. He also waited for a long time.

Time trickled by. He didn't know at what second it happened, but that horrifying pressure suddenly vanished, rolling away like a receding tide.

His body felt inexplicably light. Even the blood at the corner of his mouth had dried.

It was just like a nightmare.

Qin Zhuguang's voice rang in his ear. "Don't open your eyes. I have the hem of your shirt. Follow me forward.

"The range of this warning sign is about ten meters. We need to walk a bit further to reach the safe zone."

Gao Tian felt his shirt being gently tugged.

Qin Zhuguang had intervened at the critical moment, using some unknown method to save his life.

Gao Tian kept quiet. He followed behind Qin Zhuguang for a long time before finally forcing out, "Thanks."

Without the Eighth Young Master, there was a seventy percent chance he would have just died.

It was a massive favor. He had no idea how to thank her.

Qin Zhuguang said, "You don't need to thank me. I promised I would never let you die in the Old District.

"Your true benefactor is in Shunjin City. If you want to show your gratitude, you can thank him face-to-face when we return."

The small hand slowly released his shirt. "Alright. We're out of the sign's range now. You can open your eyes.

"However, your compass led us right to the entrance of a hotel. A wedding is being held here.

"Is the ghost you're looking for mixed in among them?"

Gao Tian opened his eyes.

The hotel entrance was jubilant. A massive red archway and clusters of balloons cast a rosy hue over the entire street.

Gleaming gold characters on an eye-catching red signboard read:

Wedding Ceremony of Ling Feifei & Yu Zhuzi. Beneath the banner, two long strings of firecrackers crackled and popped, blasting red paper confetti in all directions.

A bustling crowd gathered at the entrance. There were middle-aged men in suits and ties, alongside young women in dresses and light makeup.

The restless children chased each other playfully along the edge of the red carpet. The adults chuckled and shooed them inward. "Don't run off. The newlyweds will be out soon, and you can catch the wedding candy."

Greeters in matching qipaos stood at the entrance, flashing radiant smiles as they guided the guests. "Hello, please sign in over here." A small blackboard stood next to the registry desk, listing rows of congratulatory gifts with a massive heart drawn beside them.

Even though he had a rough idea of what was happening, seeing Ling Feifei's name with his own eyes still shocked Gao Tian.

It was possible for two people to share the same name, but his compass was currently locked firmly on the interior of the hotel, confirming the Hanged Man was inside. With these two coincidences combined, there could be no misunderstanding.

Ling Feifei was getting married in the Old District?

During Gao Tian's first ride on the Supernatural Bus, he had encountered a psychotic couple who insisted on killing him. The boyfriend, Zhou Yan, had been killed by Gao Tian in self-defense. The girlfriend, Ling Feifei, courted death by messing with the Inverted Cross on the wrongfully deceased old woman's body, which led to her being parasitized. Under Hanged Man 57's control, she had disembarked in the Old District and walked into the depths of the ghost town.

Several months later, Gao Tian and Qin Zhuguang had tracked her down to the Old District. Along the way, after hearing rumors about a bride who "believed in Christianity" and had "a cross on her head," he had already formed a rough guess about the bride's identity.

This was simply too bizarre.

He had to admit, the "people" of the Old District had serious issues with their perception.

How on earth did they determine who was alive?

This "bride" didn't just have a cross "on" her head. That cross was plunged into her skull, piercing cleanly through her brain!

Gao Tian had no idea what Hanged Man 57's purpose was.

Why insist on controlling Ling Feifei and running off to the Old District to get married?

Regardless, his first priority was figuring out how to blend into the wedding venue.

He didn't care what this ghost was planning in the Old District. As long as he found a chance to get close to the "bride" and retrieve his Ansheng Stone, it would be over.

After that, he could assess the situation and see if there was any chance to double back and snatch a few of those warning signs.

If not, he would let it go. Capturing the Hanged Man would be a massive haul on its own; he could just slip into the Mirror World and escape.

Before Gao Tian could even think of a way to sneak in, several formally dressed groomsmen, bridesmaids, and greeters waiting at the entrance walked over with warm smiles. "You two look unfamiliar. Must be from out of town, right? We have a tradition around here—whenever there's a wedding, everyone is treated like family. Come on in, have a meal, and help us liven up the party!

"You don't need a big red envelope. Five or ten yuan is plenty, just as a token of goodwill. Plus, when the wedding wraps up, every guest gets a fifty-yuan red envelope in return!"

Talk about a stroke of luck. Gao Tian had just been agonizing over how to sneak in, underestimating the simple hospitality of the old town's residents. They had actually invited them inside.

Five or ten yuan wasn't much. A single meal at the banquet alone was worth more than that.

Gao Tian reached into his pocket, remembering he had brought some spare change when he left the house this morning.

Suddenly, his hand froze inside his pocket. He remembered something.

It was currently the year 2026. When did the residents of the Old District turn into ghosts? Sometime in the 2000s. The first and second expansions had happened over a decade ago.

The memories of every resident in this town were frozen over ten years in the past.

If he pulled out a banknote or a coin minted in the year 2020, what would happen when the greeters saw it?

Their long-sealed memories, that jarring sense of displacement—there was a real chance it would be awakened.

Of course, he could gamble that they wouldn't inspect the bill too closely, or that he would happen to pull out an old banknote from the year 2000.

But he had no Ghost Luck on him right now. With only the luck of an ordinary person, he didn't dare take that bet.

His hand remained frozen in his pocket for a long moment. He initially wanted to force a wry smile to cover his embarrassment, but then he remembered he wasn't even allowed to smile right now.

He could only maintain a grim expression and say with absolute seriousness, "I am incredibly sorry.

"I just spent the last of my spare change.

"Do you think you could let us in first? I'll be sure to make up for the red envelope next time."

With his funereal expression, he didn't look the least bit apologetic to anyone watching.

The two greeters' smiles visibly stiffened at his words.

Back in the 2000s, smartphones hadn't even become mainstream, let alone mobile payments.

Back then, everyone carried a wallet and a little spare cash when they left the house. Otherwise, you couldn't get anywhere in society.

To the long-time residents of the Old District, Gao Tian's "excuse" sounded incredibly flimsy. It bordered on insulting.

The groomsman maintained a polite smile, but a hint of annoyance crept onto his face. "Even a cheap meal at a diner outside would cost you more than a few yuan. Besides, once the wedding is over, all the red envelopes get paid back double.

"We might not be wealthy around here, but we're certainly not going to scam you out of ten yuan."

The greeter beside him tried her best to smile as she smoothed things over. "It's just a local custom to gather some goodwill and liven up the atmosphere. It's the thought that counts—any amount will do."

Gao Tian stayed completely silent for a moment. Then, he looked up and spoke in an incredibly earnest tone, enunciating every single word. "Didn't I already give you the red envelope?

"I gave you a hundred yuan. Fifty for me, fifty for my sister. I just handed it to you. This groomsman and this bridesmaid both saw it."

The greeter was taken aback. "When did you give it to me?

"A red envelope that big—I'd definitely remember it."

Before Gao Tian could reply, the groomsman scratched his forehead, a bewildered expression washing over his face. He looked as though he were struggling to recall something. "He's right. I think he did give it to you. I just saw it—he handed you a crisp hundred-yuan bill the moment he walked up.

"I'm so sorry, sir. There are just so many people today. She must have completely missed it.

"Please accept our apologies."

The moment the first person "recalled" the event, the false memory spread like a virus. The surrounding staff members and relatives all started to "remember" one by one, earnestly apologizing to Gao Tian.

The Memory Ghost's effect worked just as well on ghosts as it did on the living.

He had managed to scrape his way past.

The greeter pulled Gao Tian over, asking him to register his name on the red envelope list.

Gao Tian thought for a moment. "My name is Xu Yuan.

"Xu Yuan, gifting one hundred yuan."

Behind him, Qin Zhuguang rolled her eyes hard. She was obviously speechless.

With the red envelope sorted out, the greeter cleared a path. The two of them smoothly entered the venue.

The ceremony hadn't started yet, and the two newlyweds had not yet taken the stage.

Staff members bustled constantly across the white stage, setting up the final preparations for the ceremony.