Deep Within the Living-Chapter 37: The Wedding

After slaying the two-headed paper effigy, perhaps due to being stained with foreign blood or the blood carrying some kind of kinship resonance, the Zombie Blade began to stir, with every nerve fiber writhing and twisting. Luo Di, however, had no time to dwell on this. He raced toward the living room at top speed.
But as he descended the stairs, a new problem arose.
What had initially been a passageway merely ten meters long now stretched to over a hundred meters. The narrow and oppressive corridor was filled with densely hanging red lanterns and spider-silk-like black hair. Toxic spiders crawled along the walls and floor, clearly intended to restrict Luo Di's movement.
Yet Luo Di didn’t hesitate. Wasting even a moment could cost the class leader her life. Using the fastest speed he had ever achieved in a physical fitness test, he crushed spiders beneath his feet while hacking away at the black hair spider webs blocking the passage, forcing open a path to the living room.
Even so, he had still lost precious time.
Before he could completely cross the corridor, the sound of chatter and commotion reached his ears—the living room had grown lively. As he stepped out of the passageway, a paper effigy suddenly appeared. It wasn’t there to attack him but instead handed him a brand-new red envelope.
The living room had expanded to three times its original size. Festive red knots were draped across the beams, and an Eight Immortals Table was laden with offerings. A paper effigy with white wigs sat solemnly nearby.
"First bow to heaven and earth!"
A loud voice resounded in the hall.
A wedding ceremony was underway.
The groom was the paper effigy Luo Di had seen in the bedroom earlier. The bride, judging by her attire, was none other than the Spider Impersonator. However, the class leader was nowhere to be found. The bride’s wedding headdress covered the back of her head, obscuring her appearance.
As an intruder, Luo Di found himself unrestricted, seemingly treated as a guest. He didn’t act recklessly, instead cautiously moving his steps to get a side view of the bride’s face. At the same time, he remained wary of the surrounding paper effigies, tightly gripping his blade.
Slowly shifting his angle, he tried to get a clearer look, but the headdress obscured his view. He needed to move closer.
By this point, Luo Di was already bracing himself for an extremely bad outcome.
As he repositioned himself and was about to see the bride's face clearly—
"Second bow to the parents!"
The groom and bride lowered their heads simultaneously.
Luo Di frowned deeply, standing silently in place, waiting.
"Rise!"
The bride slowly lifted her head, and a pair of sinister, inquisitive eyes locked onto Luo Di’s. She seemed surprised that he had arrived so quickly.
Luo Di froze in place, staring at the bride's face—it was unmistakably the class leader. However, upon closer examination, there were no signs of stitches or adhesion. This wasn’t a case of someone wearing her skin. Looking further, the bride’s posture and physique also resembled the class leader’s.
Luo Di exhaled softly. At least the class leader was still alive.
But his expression soon grew grim. Although her face hadn’t been peeled away, what he was witnessing was undeniably a case of Possession.
The old woman had somehow taken control of the class leader’s body, and time was running out. Once “complete possession” occurred, there would be no chance of reversal.
Judging by the current situation, the wedding would finalize the possession once the third bow was completed.
The Spider Woman, still startled by Luo Di’s swift resolution of the discarded "girls" to reach this place, remained confident that he wouldn’t be able to handle the Possession. Immersed in her role as the bride, she couldn’t afford to break the ceremony.
Only one bow remained before everything was set in stone.
Meanwhile, all the paper effigies in the living room were focused on Luo Di's actions.
Standing in the corner of the room, Luo Di took a deep breath, his entire demeanor growing darker. The Zombie Blade in his hand slowly lifted—not to strike—but to cut horizontally into his own mouth, slicing both corners of his lips wide open.
Five Months Ago
One month after the simulated practice, Luo Di went to the Municipal Research Bureau for follow-up evaluations as scheduled.
The tests revealed that although Luo Di used the Zombie Blade for over half an hour daily, aside from nutritional deficiencies, everything was normal. The tests confirmed that he wasn’t affected by Cornerized Tools.
Director Wang, whose square-shaped head bore a mole near his lips, was quite pleased with Luo Di’s condition.
“Keep it up!”
The usually quiet Luo Di, however, spoke up with a question. He was still troubled by the events that had occurred during practice.
“Director, if I encounter another Possession event, can I use this weapon to deal with it? Or is there another way?”
Director Wang had high hopes for the young man and patiently explained:
“Possession? That’s not something students like you should worry about yet. But since you’re asking, I’ll explain.
“Do you understand the essence of Possession?”
“Not really,” Luo Di replied.
The director tapped his forehead lightly with his index finger.
“Possession is rare. Impersonators need to have the ability to project their essence, embedding themselves as a ‘pituitary gland’ within the victim to achieve possession.
“This projection can take many forms. The simplest is ingestion, where the victim swallows the pituitary gland. During your simulated practice, however, you encountered a more advanced Cursed Projection, which acts directly on a single target, influencing them invisibly and making prevention very difficult.
“Once possessed, the Impersonator’s ‘pituitary gland’ will gradually erode the victim’s brain, ultimately taking over the hypothalamus and achieving full possession. At that point, the victim will die completely.
“To save someone from possession, the primary effort must come from the victim themselves. If their willpower is strong enough or if they’ve undergone rigorous mental training, they can break free. But achieving this as a student is exceedingly difficult.
“So, for the remainder of your school year, it’s best to stay on campus and avoid stirring up trouble. Trust me, the odds of you running into another possession-capable anomaly are slim.”
Luo Di pressed on, “But what if it happens? What can I do to help someone else who’s possessed?”
“You must immediately abandon them and escape. In today’s climate, running isn’t cowardly—it’s wise. Those who can escape absolute danger often gain the state’s recognition.
“If escape isn’t an option, your weapon might provide minimal external aid. Injecting Corpse Poison near the brain area of the possessed person could create interference. The zombie attributes from the same Corner source can disrupt the process, but breaking the possession ultimately depends on the victim’s willpower.”
“Understood.”
“Third bow to each other!”
The sharp voice echoed through the hall.
The possessed class leader lowered her head once more.
If this bow was completed, the possession would be irreversible.
The process was so efficient primarily for two reasons. First, the Spider Woman was operating within her own domain, and second, from the moment Wu Wen stepped into the house, she had been subconsciously influenced by symbols and items like embroidered shoes, lanterns, and Double Happiness decorations, all reinforcing the concept of "marriage." Combined with the final fear-induced invasion, her mental defenses had started to crack.
“Rise!”
As the bride rose from the final bow, she suddenly felt someone standing behind her, accompanied by a distinct, foreign heat that didn’t belong to this place.
Just as the Spider Woman prepared to lift her head, she realized her body was being embraced.
Before she could speak to threaten or resist, something sharp lunged toward her neck—
swish!
It wasn’t a blade.
It was a pair of sinister, jagged fangs sinking into her artery, injecting corpse poison with perfect precision. Cracked, darkened lips pressed firmly against the side of her neck.
Luo Di had used the Zombie Blade to cut his own mouth open, offering part of his face as a sacrificial medium to temporarily gain zombie attributes.
Though it was just the act of biting down with his teeth, just the sensation of his lips pressed against her neck, it felt as though the two were communicating.
“Class Leader…”
A voice resonated deep within the Spider Woman’s mind.