A single divination predicts life and death; the entire internet begs me to start a live stream.

It was just dawn.

The fog outside Chenjia Village had not yet dissipated.

When Chen Bufan walked out of the ancestral home, the white lantern at the entrance was still lit.

The pale light shone on his face.

His face was paler than a lamp.

Lin Wanqing followed behind, still taking notes on her phone.

She just saw those eleven blood-written words with her own eyes.

[Within seven days]

【The Bride in Red】

Ghost marriage brings death.

That wasn't a normal notification.

It's more like a death notice delivered in advance.

Chen Laojiu stood inside the door, leaning on his cane, his voice hoarse:

"Young Master, you have been reading too many fortunes lately, which has depleted your vital energy. In addition, you have just opened the second level of the Heavenly Fate Record, so the foundation of your life force is really unstable."

"This case should be postponed if possible."

Chen Bufan did not turn around.

"Homicide cases wait for no one."

Chen Laojiu's lips moved, as if he wanted to persuade him again.

But looking at Chen Bufan's back, she ultimately didn't say anything.

This feeling is both long-lost and familiar.

This young master looks so much like Chen Daoheng back then.

Once you've made up your mind, there's no going back.

Lin Wanqing had just reached the village entrance when her phone suddenly rang.

"Municipal Bureau."

Chen Bufan stopped in his tracks.

Lin Wanqing answered the call.

"explain."

I don't know what was said on the other end of the phone.

Lin Wanqing's gaze visibly darkened.

"When was it discovered?"

"Has the area been cordoned off?"

Has the deceased's identity been confirmed?

She listened for a few seconds, then suddenly looked up at Chen Bufan.

Chen Bufan was also looking at her.

Neither of them spoke.

But Lin Wanqing's expression said it all.

The person on the other end of the phone continued reporting.

"I'm going there now."

"No one is allowed to touch anything on site."

"Especially the red string and paper money on the deceased."

"Wait for me."

She hung up the phone.

Chen Bufan asked:

"What's wrong?"

Lin Wanqing took a deep breath.

"There's been a murder in the city."

The deceased was a young woman.

"Wearing a red wedding dress."

"Died at an abandoned wedding photography studio."

Chen Bufan said:

"Explain in detail."

Lin Wanqing continued:

There were no obvious external injuries at the scene.

"But the deceased had a red string tied around his wrist."

"Paper money was scattered all around my feet."

"The person who discovered the body was a short video blogger who reviews restaurants."

"He went to an abandoned base to shoot paranormal footage in the early morning, and ended up finding a corpse in the studio."

Chen Bufan was not surprised.

He only glanced down at the "Record of Destiny" in the cloth bag.

The book was not opened.

However, there was a faint aura surrounding it.

Lin Wanqing lowered her voice very much:

"It matches the clue from that murder case we just heard."

Chen Bufan said:

"Go to the scene."

Lin Wanqing frowned as she looked at him.

"Can you handle it?"

Chen Bufan lifted his foot and walked forward.

"I'll take a nap in the car."

Two hours later.

Eastern suburbs of Haicheng.

Abandoned wedding photography studio.

This place was originally a very popular outdoor filming location more than a decade ago.

Inside, there is a European-style church, an artificial lake, a rose corridor, retro street scenes, and several antique-style buildings.

Later, due to poor management and the stagnation of surrounding development, the area gradually fell into disrepair.

The gate was covered in rust.

Half of the signboard has fallen off.

The neon sign that originally read "Aiweier Wedding Photography Base" has been reduced to just the characters for "love" and "wedding".

One word is off.

One word cracked.

It looks particularly ominous.

The cordon has been set up.

Several police cars were parked at the entrance.

Many onlookers were kept outside.

A few daring self-media personalities even held up their phones, trying to film inside.

"I heard someone died inside!"

"She died wearing a red wedding dress!"

"Really? Is it just a script?"

"Script my ass, the police are here!"

As soon as Lin Wanqing got out of the car, her police colleagues surrounded her.

"Who told them to get so close?"

The police officers at the scene rushed forward:

"Team Leader Lin."

"There were too many people, and somehow the message got out."

Lin Wanqing glanced at the people holding up their phones.

"Clear them all out."

"Contact the relevant government departments to strengthen public opinion control. The situation is still unclear, and we must not allow rumors to spread."

"yes!"

After getting out of the car, Chen Bufan didn't look at the onlookers.

His gaze fell deep into the photography base.

There is a small white chapel there.

One corner of the spire has collapsed.

Dead vines hung at the entrance.

But in Chen Bufan's eyes, a faint red aura clung to the top of the entire church.

It's not a joyous occasion.

It's a death wish.

Lin Wanqing walked over.

"The body is in the interior studio behind the church."

Chen Bufan nodded.

"lead the way."

The two walked through the abandoned park.

The road beneath my feet is a cracked concrete road.

Roses used to grow on both sides, but now only withered branches and weeds remain.

When the wind blows, the bare branches scrape against the wrought iron archway.

Squeak.

Squeak.

It sounds like someone is crying.

The closer you get to the interior studio, the stranger the smell in the air becomes.

The smell of dust.

Musty smell.

There was also a very faint scent of incense.

Lin Wanqing smelled it too.

"It smells like burning paper."

Chen Bufan said:

"It wasn't freshly burned."

"It was brought with me."

Lin Wanqing glanced at him but didn't ask.

At the entrance of the indoor studio, the technical team is taking photos and collecting evidence.

The forensic doctor squatted beside the body, his brow furrowed.

Upon seeing Lin Wanqing enter, the forensic doctor stood up.

"Team Leader Lin."

Lin Wanqing asked:

"Condition?"

The forensic doctor didn't look well.

"At first glance, there are no obvious external injuries."

No sharp instrument wounds, no blunt instrument wounds.

"There were no obvious marks on the neck."

There were no obvious signs of suffocation in the mouth and nose.

"The specific cause of death will have to wait for the autopsy."

Lin Wanqing frowned.

"Time of death?"

"Preliminary assessment indicates it occurred between 11 PM last night and 1 AM this morning."

Chen Bufan's gaze had already fallen on the corpse.

The deceased was very young.

Early twenties.

She was wearing a bright red wedding dress.

It's not a modern wedding dress.

It is a traditional Chinese wedding dress.

It was blindingly red.

The design features mandarin ducks and twin lotus flowers embroidered with gold thread.

She was also wearing a phoenix crown on her head.

But the phoenix crown was crooked.

The beaded curtain hung down over her face, obscuring half of her pale complexion.

She sat on an old mahogany chair.

Place your hands on your knees.

A red string was wrapped around her wrist.

The red string is very thin.

It went around seven times.

It was tied in a knot that couldn't be tied.

Paper money was scattered all around my feet.

Paper money is not just ordinary yellow paper burned for the deceased.

Instead, they cut white paper money into the shape of the Chinese character for "happiness".

White "double happiness" character.

Red wedding dress.

This scene turned the faces of several young police officers at the scene pale.

Around the indoor studio, there were also many wedding photography props.

Artificial flowers.

Red candles.

Hepa.

screen.

Mandarin duck pillow.

It was originally a place for taking wedding photos.

Now it resembles a wedding room prepared for the dead.

Lin Wanqing asked in a low voice:

"What did you figure out?"

Chen Bufan did not answer immediately.

He walked to a spot three steps in front of the corpse and stopped.

They did not approach any further.

Lin Wanqing noticed that his gaze fell on the paper money at the feet of the deceased.

"Is there a problem with the paper money?"

Chen Bufan said:

"These weren't just scattered randomly."

Lin Wanqing squatted down to look.

The paper money looked messy, but upon closer inspection, it vaguely formed a semicircle.

The semi-circular opening faces the corpse.

It's like a door.

Lin Wanqing asked:

"What do you mean?"

Chen Bufan said:

"Welcoming the bride."

Lin Wanqing frowned.

"Whom do we welcome?"

Chen Bufan looked at the mahogany screen behind the deceased.

The screen depicts a newlywed couple paying their respects at the wedding.

Strangely, the groom's face in the painting was covered up with a black pen.

All that remained was the bride's face.

Pale white.

smile.

The expression on the deceased's face bore a striking resemblance to the one on the deceased's face.

Chen Bufan lowered his voice slightly.

"Welcome the dead."

The atmosphere instantly turned even colder.

The forensic doctor felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but ask:

"Mr. Chen, is this related to ghost marriages?"

Lin Wanqing glanced at the forensic doctor.

The forensic doctor coughed.

"I'm just... making a reasonable association."

Lin Wanqing did not scold him.

Because she herself had thought of those two words.

Ghost marriage.

Chen Bufan looked at the red string on the deceased's wrist.

"Seven red ropes, paper money to open the door, wedding dress to suppress the soul."

"Someone wants to send her to the bridal chamber of a dead man."

Although Lin Wanqing was somewhat prepared, she still broke out in a cold sweat when she heard Chen Bufan say it.

"Was she murdered and then arranged like this?"

Chen Bufan shook his head.

"not necessarily."

Lin Wanqing was taken aback.

"What do you mean?"

Chen Bufan looked at the deceased's face.

"She may have put on her wedding dress before she died."

The expressions of the police officers at the scene changed.

"Wear it yourself?"

"How is that possible?"

"Who would go to an abandoned wedding dress factory in the middle of the night to put on a wedding gown?"

Chen Bufan ignored them.

He pointed to the sole of the deceased's shoe.

"There are no obvious drag marks on the soles of the shoes."

"The sleeves of the wedding dress were not torn."

"She put on the phoenix crown herself."

"The red string wasn't forcibly tied on."

Lin Wanqing immediately looked at the technical team.

The technician nodded:

"No obvious drag marks have been found at the scene so far."

"The soles of the deceased's shoes were covered in mud from the area outside the park to the film studio."

"It's like I walked in on my own."

Lin Wanqing realized that the situation was more complicated than she had thought.

"Controlled consciousness?"

Chen Bufan said:

"Possibly."

"She thought she was there to get married."

After those words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

A young girl.

late at night.

She was wearing a red wedding dress.

Step into the abandoned wedding photography base.

Sitting on a mahogany chair.

A red string is tied around the wrist.

Scatter paper money at your feet.

Then he died silently.

This scene is more chilling than a simple murder.

Lin Wanqing asked:

"The identity of the deceased?"

The police officer next to him immediately handed him the documents.

"Just confirmed."

"The deceased was named Su Man, and she was twenty-four years old."

"native."

"I work as a makeup artist at a wedding planning company."

"unmarried."

"We have contacted the family."

Lin Wanqing flipped through the documents.

"Relationship status?"

"Investigating."

"The last person to contact?"

"The phone is still locked; the technical team is handling it."

Chen Bufan suddenly spoke:

She wasn't the first.

Lin Wanqing suddenly looked up.

"What did you say?"

Chen Bufan looked at the red string on the deceased's wrist.

"This knot isn't the first time it's been tied."

Lin Wanqing immediately looked at the red rope.

"What's wrong with the knot?"

Chen Bufan said:

"A ghost marriage binds souls together."

"Strangers shouldn't learn this."

"The fact that they could fight like this means the other side has already given away some players."

Lin Wanqing's temples throbbed involuntarily a few times.

"A series of cases?"

"Um."

Chen Bufan looked up.

"Check several surrounding cities."

"Within half a month."

"Young women."

"Red dress".

No obvious external injuries.

"There were elements of paper money, red rope, wedding dress, and wedding room at the scene."

Without hesitation, Lin Wanqing immediately looked at the police officer beside her.

"Check as he instructed."

The officer nodded immediately.

"Yes."

About half an hour later.

The technical officer ran back, looking extremely grim.

"Team Leader Lin."

"Found it."

Lin Wanqing's eyes lit up with joy.

"explain."

The tech officer handed over the tablet.

"A similar case occurred in the neighboring city of Yunjiang about two weeks ago."

"The deceased was also a young woman."

"Twenty-six years old."

"Wear a red cheongsam."

"Died in an abandoned guesthouse."

There were no obvious external injuries at the scene.

"Red string on the wrist."

"Paper money at your feet."

"Because no evidence of homicide was found in the local area, it is tentatively determined that the deceased had severe cognitive impairment and committed suicide."

Lin Wanqing looked at the photos of the scene on the tablet.

In the photo, another woman in red is sitting beside an old wooden bed.

His face was deathly pale.

White paper money with the character for "double happiness" was also scattered at his feet.

Her wrist was also tied with a red string.

A chill instantly ran down Lin Wanqing's back.

She looked up at Chen Bufan.

Chen Bufan stood in front of Su Man's corpse, sensing the subtle airflow in the environment.

"Second place."

"Not the last one."

The voice just fell.

The technician's tablet suddenly went black.

Immediately afterwards, a line of red text lit up on the screen.

The bride has arrived.

[Groom's Wedding Procession]

[Third Bow]

[Seven days later]