Ex-Wife is a Big Villainess
Chapter 869 - 424: The Vanished Bride_2

Chapter 869: Chapter 424: The Vanished Bride_2

"Is this an illusion?"

Jiang Shouzhong knew the dog demon had Spiritual Sense and directly asked.

The dog barked twice towards the right side of the forest, then trotted a few steps and turned back to bark at Jiang Shouzhong twice, clearly indicating Jiang Shouzhong to follow.

Jiang Shouzhong was puzzled and followed.

Before long, he saw the dog demon arrive at the stele that Little Jiangyi had previously seen.

"Are you saying this stele has a secret?"

Jiang Shouzhong slightly raised his sword-like brows and asked softly.

The dog couldn’t speak like the Rat Demon, so it just sat beside the stele.

Curious, Jiang Shouzhong squatted down and cleared away the overgrown weeds in front of the stele, revealing the side engraved with the words "Husband Seeking Forest."

He first tentatively placed his palm lightly on the stele’s surface, held his breath, and waited quietly.

However, the stele didn’t react at all.

Jiang Shouzhong looked up at the dog demon, pondered a bit, and then pressed the bleeding wound he had cut open earlier against the stele.

Crimson blood dripped on it, yet there was still no response.

"What on earth is peculiar about this?"

Jiang Shouzhong, already anxious, became more agitated and patted the dog demon’s head.

If it was Jiang Wan who went missing, he wouldn’t be worried; after all, that woman had profound cultivation, and with her capabilities, protecting him and Jiang Yi wouldn’t be difficult.

But if Jiang Wan didn’t appear, relying on just little Er Liang, how could he not be worried?

The dog demon whimpered in grievance, got up, shook its furry body, and walked to the stele, sticking out its tongue to lick it.

"What do you mean? Want me to lick it?"

Jiang Shouzhong looked perplexed.

The dog demon barked once, seemingly in response.

Although full of suspicion and resistance, Jiang Shouzhong finally stuck out his tongue to lightly touch the cold stele.

In an instant, the surroundings shifted dramatically.

When he regained his senses, Jiang Shouzhong was shocked to find himself bending over inside a coffin, and before him was a bride’s corpse.

The corpse’s face was as pale as paper, yet the makeup was still exquisite, and her lips were as crimson as blood.

Jiang Shouzhong was terrified, stepping back in panic, cold sweat pouring down.

After calming himself, he realized the surrounding mountains and forests seemed to be soaked in ink, darkening, and exuding a repressive gloom.

The stele had disappeared.

And hanging from the surrounding trees were bride corpses!

These brides were dressed in the same red wedding attire, their bodies stiff, gently swaying in the dimness.

"Damn, what the hell is this place?"

Jiang Shouzhong cursed inwardly.

The dog sniffed around and suddenly dashed in a direction.

Jiang Shouzhong quickly followed.

Before long, the dog came to an abrupt stop in front of a bush, barking incessantly at it.

Jiang Shouzhong parted the bush and discovered a series of strange footprints.

From the size and spacing of the footprints, they seemed to be left by a man.

Jiang Shouzhong hesitated slightly, then continued to follow the direction of the footprints. After half an incense stick’s time, he arrived at a hidden cave among the mountain wall.

Inside the cave, the sound of metal being struck echoed occasionally.

Jiang Shouzhong lightened his steps and slowly entered the cave, seeing a burly man forging metal.

The man was about forty, dressed in tattered, filthy clothes, with wild hair like disheveled grass.

In front of him was only a simple stone platform.

The charcoal fire burned fiercely on the platform, casting a red glow throughout the cave.

The unfinished sword embryo was being hammered, sparks flying, extremely hot.

"Who’s there!?"

The man’s Divine Sense was surprisingly keen; sensing someone, he immediately grabbed a long sword forged nearby and swung it fiercely behind him.

The sword, wrapped in fierce flames, traced a dazzling arc, the scorching breath rushing toward him.

Jiang Shouzhong’s figure flickered as he deftly dodged the fierce strike, his eyes focused and locked on the man before him, asking in a deep voice, "Who are you?"

The man squinted as he examined Jiang Shouzhong in the cave and then sneered, "Looks like another fool looking for his wife. Kid, I advise you to stop wasting your efforts and just go get yourself a new wife."

Jiang Shouzhong’s gaze quickly swept across the cave, confirming that the person before him was a living cultivator, and he asked calmly, "From what you’re saying, has something strange happened here before?"

"Strange?"

The big man chuckled, walked over to the pool nearby, pulled out a dried-up bride’s corpse, chopped off its head, and threw it into the charcoal fire before continuing to forge iron.

"Husband Seeking Forest, Husband Seeking Forest, all the brides come here to find their husbands, but they all died here. Over time, this place also came to be called the Bride Cave. Heh, a good name."

Bride Cave?

Jiang Shouzhong frowned and asked again, "My friend vanished right before my eyes, is it because I fell into an illusion..."

Before he could finish, the big man interrupted him, "Taken by You Tan, almost every woman who comes to this place is taken by her."

"Who is You Tan?"

Jiang Shouzhong curiously inquired.

A thick hatred shot out of the big man’s eyes, as if a fire of resentment was burning within, and he spoke coldly, his words filled with loathing:

"Hmph, merely a dead witch who turned into an evil demon for fun after being cruelly abandoned by her man on their wedding night, dedicated to tearing apart couples."

So it was a demon... Jiang Shouzhong asked again, "How can I find my friend?"

The big man acted as if he did not hear, raised the red-hot sword embryo, scrutinized it for quite a while, and then slowly paced to the murky poolside.

The big man reached out and pulled out a bride’s corpse, threw it into the blazing fire.

Then, he pounded on the sword embryo, sparks flying in all directions with each strike, saying while pounding:

"Haven’t I already told you? Don’t bother looking anymore, you simply can’t find her back, your friend has most likely turned into a puppet corpse by now. If you don’t want to die here, you better leave quickly."

"You just need to tell me how to find her."

Jiang Shouzhong said calmly.

The big man squinted at him: "Really not afraid of death?"

Jiang Shouzhong said, "I have killed quite a few demons."

The big man grinned, "Not many have the guts like you among those who can find this place. Even those who do often meet a miserable end. I’ve guarded this place for almost thirteen years, advised many people, and later realized, some people just deserve to die, you can’t dissuade them."

"Why are you guarding here?"

Jiang Shouzhong asked.

The big man did not answer, walked back to the pool, fished out a greenish eyeball, and threw it at Jiang Shouzhong:

"Go to the lake and find a boat, it will take you to You Tan. Oh, by the way, if you have anything valuable, leave it here. It would be a shame if you die and it gets lost."

Jiang Shouzhong shook his head and said, "I don’t have any."

He looked down at the eyeball in his hand, asking, "How do I use it?"

"Make a cut on your hand, put the eyeball in, and when you sense it, you’ll naturally know."

The big man said flatly.

"Thank you."

Jiang Shouzhong turned and walked away.

As he reached the entrance of the cave, Jiang Shouzhong suddenly stopped.

He turned to the big man and said, "Eyes can’t lie. You’ve been guarding here for thirteen years, you’re probably looking for your own wife too."

Upon hearing Jiang Shouzhong’s words, the big man was first stunned, then fell into silence, seemed to sink into contemplation, but soon snapped back, continuing to forge iron.

The sound of hammering echoed in the cave, as if covering up something.

After Jiang Shouzhong left, the big man walked to the stone bench, slowly sat down, lowered his head, his gaze falling on a strand of hair tied to his wrist.

The big man’s eyes gradually became gentle yet sorrowful, muttering softly to himself:

"Wife, oh wife, how much longer can I search for you? My memory is failing me, I can barely remember your name. Name? Name?"

As he muttered, the big man suddenly froze, his eyes filled with confusion and panic.

"Name... what was your name?"

The big man suddenly clutched his head, a wild look appearing on his face:

"I can’t remember! I can’t remember! Who am I? What is my name? Wife! What is your name!?"

Swish!

The big man grabbed the long sword.

In an instant, the sword roared, countless sword shadows whirling like phantoms within the cave.

As the sword shadows danced wildly, a name, like a burst of inspiration, suddenly plunged into his muddled mind.

The big man’s figure swayed, dropping to one knee, gasping for breath.

After a long while, he uttered four words.

"Famous Sword... Villa!"