Shi Luoyi was preparing for her wedding.
It was winter outside but blazing summer within Qingshui Village's illusion. At dusk, she followed Jiang Yan to his residence in the village.
While the outside world was in winter, it was scorching summer in Qingshui Village. At dusk, she followed Jiang Yan to his house in Qingshui Village.
The grand mansion with red walls and gray tiles had a plaque reading "Jiang Mansion". Red lanterns and colorful lights were hung everywhere, clearly indicating for an auspicious occasion.
A village as small as Qingshui could never possibly have a mansion like that of a wealthy family. Shi Luoyi held the lotus flower expressionlessly, pretending not to notice anything and withdrew her gaze.
The inconsistencies in Qingshui Village were everywhere in her previous life too, yet she somehow noticed nothing odd back then in the midst of it. Perhaps this was another ability of untransformed toad demons - in the world they created, they were like supreme gods, slowly devouring people's minds and bodies, giving birth to its offspring.
With clarity of mind in this life, Shi Luoyi followed Jiang Yan into the manor.
Several old ladies quickly came to greet them. "Aiya, the young master finally brought the girl back. Quickly change your clothes, you still have to worship the ancestors soon. It would be bad to miss the auspicious time."
Jiang Yan raises his lips slightly, "Go ahead."
Shi Luoyi gave him a glance and followed the old ladies.
The scenery inside the mansion was beautiful, with artificial hills and a clear pond. Shi Luoyi subtly sniffed and caught a stench of stagnant mud.
Her gaze then fell on the old ladies leading the way. They looked to be in their forties or fifties, plump in figure, with bellies larger than usual.
Thinking of the eggs of the untransformed toads inside, Shi Luoyi felt a little nauseous.
Passing by a fake mountain, Shi Luoyi saw a familiar face. She stopped in her tracks and called out, "Xue An?"
Xue An was pressing down on someone, disheveled. Upon hearing someone calling his name, he stopped his movement.
Ignoring the old ladies' attempts to stop her, Shi Luoyi walked behind the fake mountain and saw Xue An with the disheveled Bian Qingxuan.
Seeing her approach without any hesitation, Xue An hurriedly scrambled to put on his clothes, still not forgetting to block the pitiful Bian Qingxuan in his arms. "Shi Luoyi?"
He looked somewhat embarrassed but still maintained his entitled young master's annoyed attitude. "What are you looking at? Get lost."
Shi Luoyi ignored him, sizing up Bian Qingxuan in his arms.
Bian Qingxuan's eyes were as alluring as silk, her cheeks flushed. Feeling Shi Luoyi's gaze on her, she bit her lip in embarrassment, "Sister Sister Luoyi, today is supposed to be your big wedding day? What are you doing here?"
Shi Luoyi didn't guess wrong; the Xue An in front of her was the real Xue An, while Bian Qingxuan was the fake one.
She would have to be an idiot not to know that Bian Qingxuan wouldn't even look at Xue An, much less be willing to fool around with him behind a decorative mountain. What kind of wishful dream is Xue An having?
The moment they entered Qingshui Village, everyone became a target of the untransformed toads.
Shi Luoyi remembered that in her past life, when she saw Xue An, he had already transformed into an untransformed toad and couldn't leave Qingshui Village.
In this life...
Perhaps it's because of her cooperation that Jiang Yan didn't put much effort into bringing her here so it took less time. Xue An probably hasn't had the chance to mate with the untransformed toad yet.
Shi Luoyi raised her hand and slapped Xue An's shoulder hard, saying contemptuously. "Senior Brother Xue, if you really like the junior sister, go back and propose formally before doing such things."
Xue An turned red from shame and anger, slapping her hand away.
Shi Luoyi had already imprinted a spell seal on Xue An's body. Now whether he could control himself and recall that he was in Qingshui Village depended on him.
Several old ladies urged impatiently, "Girl, hurry up, young master is still waiting for you."
Shi Luoyi nodded and left with them.
Xue An would have to rely on his own then. She had already warned everyone before entering Qingshui Village not to trust anyone easily. Yet he actually had the audacity to indulge in fantasies about Bian Qingxuan; if he really turns into an untransformed toad, he deserves it.
Although she disliked him, Shi Luoyi understood that she was here to eliminate the untransformed demon toads, not to let countless more of them roam in this world. Saving one person is eliminating one such demon.
She had no time for him now and had to deal with the most powerful untransformed toad.
After changing into her bridal clothes, the old woman helped groom her up. Shi Luoyi knew they were low-level newborn toads, completely different from Jiang Yan's kind. She tried probing them. "Why is Xue An here?"
"Young master Xue is the girl's senior brother, so naturally he is here to attend the girl and our young master's wedding banquet."
"What about the others, have my other fellow disciples also come?"
The old women exchanged glances and said vaguely, "We're only responsible for dressing the girl. For other matters, if the girl wants to know, she can ask the young master herself."
Shi Luoyi's heart sank, she had no idea how the others were doing.
Demon toads often created separate illusions. It would be disastrous if they really couldn't resist the temptation and got impregnated.
"Young miss is a celestial vision to begin with. Dressed up like this, we're all stunned speechless. Our young master is truly fortunate."
"The girl is a heavenly beauty. With this appearance, all of us are stunned. Our young master is truly fortunate."
Shi Luoyi smiled. Taking the veil, she put it on to cover herself.
Hurry, hurry. With Xue An falling into the trap so quickly, she didn't know how the others were faring.
She was very worried about Elder Han Shu. Has Elder Han Shu recognized those untransformed toads? Will something still happen to her?
And there is also Bian Lingyu. As a mortal, even if he can resist temptation, what if...someone forces themselves upon him?
The sword cultivator maiden was very worried. IHe couldn't even resist her. What would he do if he met the misbehaving untransformed Toad?
Many of her fellow disciples had died in Qingshui Village, but they usually died because they couldn't defeat Jiang Yan and were killed by him, forcibly used as hosts to gestate untransformed toads.
Regardless, she wanted everyone to survive, and the first thing she needed to do was to deal with Jiang Yan.
As the sky darkened, Shi Luoyi was escorted to the main hall.
The veil obscured her vision. In order to appease Jiang Yan, she had been very cooperative, waiting for the right moment to lop off his head in one stroke.
Shi Luoyi saw many pairs of the villagers' shoes. Based on the hems of some clothes, there were also the Chuanyun Sect disciples who entered Qingshui Village with Jiang Yan before.
All of them have turned into untransformed toads now.
At this moment, their ghostly gazes were all fixed on her, and the air became eerily quiet.
"... " Shi Luoyi realized she was in the lair of the untransformed toad demon, surrounded by clammy toads. Even though she has practiced demonic cultivation, she had never seen such a sight before. Charging straight into the demons' den left her scalp tingling.
Hopefully some of her fellow disciples have regained their senses and would find her soon to lend her a hand.
Jiang Yan walked in wearing his groom's festive robes and saw the ghostly gazes of hundreds of toads, salivatingly staring at his bride.
His eyes narrowed dangerously. The rest quickly came to their senses, not daring to covet Shi Luoyi anymore, congratulating him on his marriage.
For a while, wine cups clink and laughter filled the air, making the atmosphere lively with celebration.
Jiang Yan stepped forward and held her hand. "Come, let's do the ritual bows."
The village chief sat at the top, smiling as he officiated their wedding. "First bow to the heavens and the earth."
Shi Luoyi didn't bend and neither did Jiang Yan. He was silent for a moment before looking at the "village head" with a cold expression. Yet he still spoke gently, "I, Jiang Yan haven't got any blessings from heaven and earth since birth, nor father or mother. Let's skip these first two bows. I won't bow to heaven or earth, or pay respects to my parents. I only bow to my wife."
Shi Luoyi, under the veil, turned her head to look at him.
Living two lifetimes, she still didn't understand - whether Jiang Yan's body had completely become a demon toad, or… if he hadn't been completely consumed yet and still retained some of his true self as Jiang Yan.
In the dark night, countless dark shadows crawled out of the pond in the Jiang Mansion.
Thousands upon thousands of shed-skinned toads, upon seeing the moonlight, grow frenziedly. They grew sharp claws and teeth, and their skin slowly turned into a rock-like, indestructible grayish-white. From the size of a fist, they grew to the size of a dog in an instant.
Meanwhile, the women and even some men who led Shi Luoyi around during the daytime had their lower bodies transformed into toads, immersed in the water to lay eggs.
Behind the rockery, Xue An was drenched in cold sweat, watching this scene in horror.
All... all of them are toads!
Seeing them mating and laying eggs under the moonlight, Xue An covered his mouth, almost vomiting at the thought of his daytime encounter.
Originally, he was going to "enjoy the clouds and rain" with "Bian Qingxuan," but fortunately, Shi Luoyi interrupted them. Later, "Bian Qingxuan" even tried to lean into his arms, but he remembered the teachings and etiquette he received since childhood and told the junior sister that once he formally proposed, they could become Dao companions, then they could do such things again.
"Junior sister" gazed at him silently before glancing at the front hall, seemingly considering something, and just pursed her lips before leaving.
She grumbled, "If it weren't for the master's grand wedding tonight..."
Xue An covered his stomach, carefully hiding as he thought about the huge mistake he nearly made. If he really mated with that monster at daytime, he would have become one of those half-toads spawning eggs at night.
What on earth is this thing? Can eggs really be produced inside a man's body? And it can even transform.
He didn't dare move, shuddering at the thought of what would the outside world become if all these things grew up and "transformed into humans".
As more and more toads kept appearing under the moonlight, for some reason, Xue An thought of Shi Luoyi's situation.
He gritted his teeth, feeling anxious being trapped here.
Although he usually detested Shi Luoyi due to Bian Qingxuan, he still wanted to help her just like how Shi Luoyi still helped him in danger, they were still fellow disciples after all. They had been taught since childhood to "punish evil and promote good". No matter how bad Xue An was, he didn't wish for mishap to befall Shi Luoyi.
He wondered, could it be that Shi Luoyi has also been deceived by the monster. He wanted to go and warn her, but was surrounded by toads. Not to mention warning her, if he made any movement, he would likely be buried alive and torn apart by these disgusting creatures. He could kill one or two but could he kill thousands or tens of thousands?
Where are the others? Where did they all go? Who's going to save that idiot Shi Luoyi?
Perhaps the heavens heard his thoughts, someone walked over under the moonlight.
The slender young man walked with weak steps, blood dripping from his wrist. Wherever he passed, the newly formed toads scattered like mice seeing a cat. They parted like a tide, giving him a way through, then panicking and hiding back in the pond.
The person slowly walked up to him.
At first, Xue An couldn't make out who it was and felt elated, assuming it was Wei Changyuan. But upon seeing it was the pale-faced Bian Lingyu, his heart sank in great despair.
Why is it this useless mortal?
Yet even the useless mortal dared to pass through the army of monsters while he only dared to cower here, which caused his face to burn. He hurriedly stepped out from behind the rockery.
"Bian Lingyu," Xue An called out to him. "Have you seen the others? Hurry and send someone to save Shi Luoyi. She's in the main hall doing the wedding rituals with that monster!"
Bian Lingyu looked at him.
Perhaps it was Xue An's illusion, but under the moonlight, this person in front of him was clearly already weak beyond words, yet his pair of eyes seemed to vaguely reveal icy silver glint. He asked in a hoarse voice, "Where is she?"
The hem of his clothes was stained with a lot of sticky, fishy liquid that looked like the blood of those monsters.
Xue An pointed out the way based on memory.
The young man nodded, "Thank you."
"Hey, hey!" Seeing him heading straight in that direction, Xue An hurriedly said, "Are you out of your mind? Go and get help from someone! Going alone, aren't you just walking into your death?"
However, the young man completely ignored him, heading straight towards the house without looking back.
Xue An wanted to follow but the group of toads had silently surrounded him again at some point.
Moreover, they had found him this time! Xue An hurriedly swung his sword, but when the sword touched the monster's body it felt like hitting a hard rock.
Even if he cut off their limbs, these things could quickly regrow them.
Damn it, am I seeing ghosts! Can these monsters recognize people? Otherwise why didn't they attack Bian Lingyu just now? Xue An finally belatedly wondered - was that Bian Lingyu from before real or a disguised toad?
His face went white, he was at an impasse over what to do next.
Shi Luoyi was helped into the bridal chamber.
Several smiling young girls chattered and gave auspicious blessings nonstop. They were all young village girls in their prime before they turned into toads. Now, they were sent by Jiang Yan to serve as her maidservants.
Shi Luoyi sat at the edge of the bed and casually touched some longan and peanuts.
"..." Jiang Yan is the most meticulous monster she has ever seen.
Becoming a bride rigorously following the rules of the mortal world, Shi Luoyi was very puzzled. She wondered, why does he engage in so much foreplay? Does he hate her so much that he wants to slowly torment her, make her suffer and not let her die well ah?
Shouldn't he, like Xue An, just arrange for an untransformed toad to push her behind some rockery and be done with it?
Shi Luoyi wanted to look for where Jiang Yan hid his head. She was about to send the maids away but before she even opened her mouth, their expressions changed. They pushed open the window and scrambled out as if they were being claimed by evil spirits.
The door was blown open by the night wind.
A man's shadow stretched to her feet in the moonlight. Shi Luoyi was shocked. What's going on? Why is Jiang Yan here so soon?
That person strode in. Shi Luoyi tensed up, ready to summon her Shen Yan sword at any moment.
A pair of silver-gray boots appeared before her.
Silver-gray? Shouldn't they be red? However, before she could make a move, the person collapsed straight down.
Shi Luoyi was stunned for a moment, catching a faint scent of the Thousand Fragrances Silk from the man. Without thinking, she reflexively caught him, and the next moment, someone stubbornly ripped off her veil.
The bells on Shi Luoyi's hair ornament jingled softly. She looked down at the person in surprise. "Bian Lingyu?"
The young man tightened his grip on the hand holding her veil.
His wrists were covered in blood yet his cold eyes fixedly stared at her.
Seeing that her clothes were intact, he finally gasped for air and softly coughed twice.
Smelling the Thousand Fragrance Silk on him, Shi Luoyi knew that this person in her arms was the real Bian Lingyu, not a transformed toad.
"How did you end up like this?"
He was drenched in the toad demons' sticky bodily fluids, along with his own blood.
Shi Luoyi heard the sound of footsteps approaching. She didn't have time to explain; afraid that Jiang Yan would find Bian Lingyu, she could only support him in the cabinet.
Shi Luoyi hid him inside and said, "You stay here for now!"
"..." In the next moment, her wrist was firmly grasped in an iron grip.
Shi Luoyi never knew that the young man before her had such great strength. He gripped her wrist so tightly that it hurt.
Hurry up and let go ah, if Jiang Yan comes in at this time, we'll both die.
She had to quickly pry open his hand.
"Let go!"
"That's a monster, not your senior brother..." The backlash from the Soul Cleansing Pills brought a sweet taste to Bian Lingyu's throat. On the way here, he didn't know how many demon toads he killed, or how many illusions he shattered.
As night fell, the soul-cleansing pill had long lost its effect. He relied on his own blood to make the toad demons fear him, and that was how he made it here. Before dawn, he was already at his limit, and when he heard Xue An pointing the way, he only had time to stop them from consummating. When he saw the vibrant red scene, the sight of the girl obediently waiting for her beloved almost stinged his eyes.
He finally got ahold of her yet the girl was prying his fingers away with all her strength.
Bian Lingyu's eyes almost turned red from hatred.
Don't go! I'm telling you not to go! Do you like him that much, so much that you don't even notice anything wrong and would rather sink into illusion, believing into a fallacy?
Yet the cabinet door was still mercilessly closed in front of him, and his fingers, covered in blood, were forcefully pried open by the girl.
Spitting out blood, Bian Lingyu's world plunged into darkness.