Supernatural and Paranormal Research Society

Before the old village chief could even send out a notice, a post had already gone viral online.

Five dead in three days in Yinshan Village! A beautiful bride is demanding revenge; any man should come and see!

The accompanying photos consist of several blurry pictures of the scene, and a somber stone archway at the entrance to the cemetery.

The comment section instantly turned into a battlefield:

[Is this a script? Don't you know that supernatural beings are forbidden after the founding of the People's Republic of China?]

[Upstairs, is the dead person photoshopped? The blogger dared to reveal the address, so it must be real!]

[@KuangzhanAhaoHaoGe! Come quickly and expose this fraud!]

In the air-conditioned room, Chen Haoran stared at the screen and suddenly sat up straight.

He scratched his head, his eyes gleaming with the light of a hungry wolf eyeing its prey.

After a year of live streaming, I'm stuck at 100,000 followers and just can't seem to get past that

If we can ride this wave of traffic, a million followers is not a dream.

"That's interesting."

He licked his lips, his fingers flying across the keyboard, and a new status update was posted instantly:

[Tonight at midnight, at the Rich Man's Cemetery at the west end of Yinshan Village. Let the brothers see the world. If you're scared, it's not too late to unfollow.]

The moment the send button was pressed, background notification sounds went off like crazy.

Chen Haoran grinned, grabbed his backpack and action camera, and moved with the speed and agility of someone going into battle.

What he didn't know was that some "worldly experiences," once witnessed, could cost him his life.

……

On the other side of the city, deep in the old streets.

In a secondhand shop where even the signboard was peeling and worn, an incense stick burned to the end, and the ashes snapped with a "crack".

The young man behind the counter had long, slender fingers. He had his eyes downcast, and the screen of his phone was lit up, displaying a post from Yinshan Village.

The boy's fingertips paused slightly, and he slowly raised his eyes, the corners of his eyes slightly upturned, yet his gaze remained as calm as an ancient well. His tone was languid, as if he were teasing him:

"So eager, rushing to be reborn."

……

It's 11:50 p.m.

Chen Haoran pushed open the bronze-carved gate of the cemetery, and the phone stand clicked to life.

The fill light came on, piercing through the thick fog.

"Brothers, Berserker Ahao is online right on time."

He lowered his voice and gave the camera his signature maniacal laugh, "No fluff today, let's go straight to the garden! If we get over 100,000 likes, the host will take you to the main burial area to open the coffin."

The screen was instantly flooded with comments:

[Brother Hao is awesome! Waiting for the female ghost to appear!]

[This place looks like a 5A scenic spot, is there something fishy going on? Is the streamer just trying to scam gifts?]

[Upstairs, didn't you see the floor is covered in ashes from paper money?]

Chen Haoran glanced at the comments and curled his lip in disdain: "Those who are afraid of dying can still quit now. I'll count to three—"

He hadn't finished speaking.

At the edge of the frame, a very faint sound of fabric rubbing suddenly rang out.

"Whoosh—"

It looked as if someone, dressed in a heavy red silk wedding gown, was slowly climbing up the cement steps.

Chen Haoran's smile froze on his face.

The comments section was cleared out for a second.

Immediately afterwards, a bold SC (Super Comment) message appeared on the screen:

[Host...when did that streetlight behind you go out?]

The cold light from the screen illuminated Chen Haoran's excited face.

He caught a glimpse of the bolded SC, and an exaggerated smile immediately appeared on his lips.

"Nonsense!"

He leaned closer to the camera, deliberately raising his voice to drown out the sound of the wind rushing through the forest:

"Brothers, type 'professional' in the chat! In this whole internet space, I'm the only one who's truly grasped the basics!"

The moment my foot stepped over the threshold, the sticky heat of the summer night seemed to be cut off with a knife.

The dampness instantly crept up my ankles.

Chen Haoran rubbed his forearms, and goosebumps erupted all over his skin.

He chuckled twice into the microphone: "Oh, this place has its own air conditioning? Saves on electricity bills."

But no one responded to him.

Only the rustling of the wind through the cypress leaves sounded like countless wet pieces of paper money rubbing against each other.

The streetlights were shattered by the dense canopy of trees, and the halos of light that leaked out had a sickly bluish-gray hue.

The light shone on the bluestone slab, casting his distorted and deformed shadow.

On both sides of the road stand more than a dozen white marble statues of young girls.

Over time, the stone surface has fallen into disrepair and is covered with dark green water stains and mold.

The statues all have their heads bowed and their hands folded in front of them.

But every few steps Chen Haoran took forward, he would catch a glimpse of those stone eye sockets out of the corner of his eye, which seemed to have... shifted at a very slight angle.

He took a deep breath, the icy air filling his lungs, suppressing the instinctive restlessness in his heart.

In the upper right corner of the screen, the number of online viewers is skyrocketing at an alarming rate!

10... 15... 20!!!

The gift effects almost filled half the screen!

He can't back down!

Chen Haoran gritted his teeth.

The competition was all camping out, and now that they've left, this massive influx of traffic will truly belong to someone else.

Just do it!

"According to inside information, the bride is at the very back."

He grinned at the camera and deliberately slowed his pace.

"Brothers, buckle up! Today I'm going to show you what it means for a truly virile man to break through!"

After walking along the path, the view suddenly opened up.

In the heart of the cemetery, only a solitary blue stone tomb stands.

There are no fences, no incense offerings, only the words etched by wind and rain on the monument:

[Tomb of Feng Di, wife of the late Madam Sun]

Chen Haoran took off his hiking backpack, and the metal buckle hit the ground with a dull "thud".

"See that? A VIP single room in the underworld."

He raised an eyebrow and deftly pulled out a prop.

A string of five thousand-shot landmine whips, two wrist-thick dragon and phoenix red candles, and stacks of yellow paper shaped like ingots.

"I did some research before coming here. The old way is too troublesome. Today we'll have an 'Internet version' of a ghost marriage, focusing on efficiency."

"laugh--"

A flame shot out from the lighter, igniting the fuse.

Chen Haoran turned and ran.

The deafening explosion that was expected did not occur.

The sound of the firecrackers exploding seemed to be muffled by something.

It was muffled and short, like the cough of a dying person.

White smoke rose up, but instead of dissipating, it spread along the ground and quickly engulfed the base of the tomb.

He pinched his nose and leaned closer; the flame of the red candle rose eerily straight upwards in the mist, without even the slightest tremor.

He took out the yellow paper filled with birth dates and times, brought it close to the candle flame, and the edges of the paper curled up and turned into black ash.

"Feng Di!"

He cleared his throat and spoke to the empty grave, his tone carrying a hint of mocking piety:

"Brother, I, Chen Haoran, have come here today specifically to marry you. Don't let my usual chatter fool you; I'm a pure yang body, a man one in a million! After tonight, you're mine. From now on, you'll live the high life, and I'll split all the livestream tips with you. You say east, I'll never go west..."

The sound struck something in the thick fog, bounced back, and dissipated.

The surroundings were deathly silent.

Even the chirping of insects has disappeared.

The only sound is a very faint "crackling" sound as the red candle burns.

Chen Haoran straightened up, dusted off his hands, and raised his chin towards the camera:

"See? Science triumphs over superstition! Ghost marriages, ghost wives—they're all just marketing hype!"

A string of "666" and "The streamer is just putting on a brave face" flew across the screen.

He glanced at it, chuckled, and deliberately raised his voice:

"You're not convinced, are you? Fine! I'll say it right here! If a female ghost really lifts her veil and marries me tonight, I won't hesitate, I'll lie down in that empty coffin next to me and sleep with her! This is my pledge!"

Before he could finish speaking...

The comments on the screen suddenly stopped for half a second.

Immediately afterwards, a bold, blood-red "SC" barrage violently filled the screen:

[Host...don't look back, look down.]