The female ghost had a long face and raised eyebrows, truly beautiful.
Originally, her beauty had a touch of heroism, but now, it was mixed with resentment, as if she had been trapped in a small place for years, never seeing the sky.
She knelt on the ground, her wedding dress below the knees was tattered, no wonder someone had said something at the time.
Xie Lian looked at her for a while before saying, "Xuan Ji?"
It seemed like it had been many years since anyone called her by that name.
After a long time, a bit of the resentment on the female ghost's face faded away, and a light flashed in her eyes.
She asked, "Did he send you to find me?"
This "he," Xie Lian guessed, naturally referred to General Pei.
Xuan Ji asked again, "What about him? Why didn't he come to see me himself?"
Her eager expression and hopeful tone made Xie Lian feel it was best not to say "no." Seeing him not answer for a while, Xuan Ji suddenly sat down on the ground.
She leaned against the statue of the handsome martial god, her red wedding dress spread on the ground like a giant blood flower, her hair disheveled, her face full of unbearable pain, as if she was enduring great suffering, saying, "Why won't he come to see me?"
Xie Lian couldn't answer this question either, so he remained silent. Xuan Ji looked up at the statue and cried, "Pei Lang, Pei Lang, I betrayed my country for you, abandoned everything, and became like this. Why won't you come to see me?"
She pulled at her hair with both hands, questioning, "Is your heart made of stone?"
Xie Lian listened quietly, thinking to himself, could it be that General Pei tricked her into giving him military secrets while they were in love, causing her country to lose on the battlefield?
She also said it was because of General Pei that she ended up like this, "like this" obviously referring to her broken legs.
As a female general, she couldn't have been disabled on the battlefield, so her legs must have been broken later.
Could this also have something to do with General Pei? Did he abandon her, leading to her deep resentment?
Even though he felt his thoughts were cliché, Xuan Ji's resentment was so deep that she was harming innocent people.
Despite being cliché, he had to think in that direction.
At this moment, a woman's scream suddenly came from outside the temple: "Help! Help!"
Xie Lian and Xuan Ji both looked out the window.
They saw someone dragging the bandaged boy away from the white circle made by Ruoye, while Xiao Ying clung to the person's leg, refusing to let go.
The person cursed, it was Little Peng: "Get lost! You idiot, what if you attract the female ghost?"
Xiao Ying shouted, "Let her come, you're scarier than a ghost! I... I'd rather see the female ghost!"
It turned out that Little Peng, who had been knocked out by Xie Lian earlier, had woken up.
Seeing the brides groping around, he was initially frightened, but quickly realized they couldn't see people.
Being bold and reckless, he wanted to drag the bandaged boy down the mountain to claim the reward while others were too scared to move.
He didn't care if the boy was the ghost groom or not; everyone said he was, so he was.
Who knew Xiao Ying would rush over, screaming and alerting the wandering brides and Xuan Ji in the Bright Light Temple.
Seeing it was him again, Xie Lian thought he should have hit him harder earlier, so he wouldn't wake up for three days and nights, and shouted, "Get back in the circle!"
Little Peng saw a black mist coming at him, hurriedly retreated, but he was dragging the bandaged boy and had Xiao Ying clinging to his leg, so he was a step too slow.
The black mist caught him and pulled him into Xuan Ji's hands.
When he turned around and saw the long-haired, ghostly woman, he realized it was the beautiful female corpse he had touched earlier among the brides.
Now he finally knew fear and screamed loudly, while Xuan Ji bent her five fingers, inserting them into the back of his head, and instantly peeled his skull cap from a layer of thick scalp.
The peeled skull cap was steaming hot, still screaming, "Ah——!!!!"
The people in the white circle were also screaming, "Ah——!!!!"
Xiao Ying was also terrified, dragging the bandaged boy back into the circle while screaming. Xuan Ji reached out her five fingers towards them, but Xie Lian blocked her, saying, "General, please don't kill anymore."
He called her general, intending to remind her that she was once a heroine on the battlefield, fighting for her country.
However, Xuan Ji crushed the screaming skull cap in her hand, her beautiful face now twisted. She sneered, "Is he too afraid to see me?"
Xie Lian thought maybe he should pretend to be sent by General Pei to negotiate, but Xuan Ji didn't need his answer.
She laughed a few times, suddenly turned around, pointed at the statue, and said, "I burned your temple, caused chaos in your territory! Just to make you see me, how many years have I waited for you!"
She stared at the martial god statue for a while, then suddenly jumped up, grabbed its neck, and shook it madly, saying, "You still won't come to see me, do you know you wronged me? Look at my legs! Look at me now! I did all this for you, for you! Is your heart made of stone?"
Though an outsider, Xie Lian didn't want to judge right or wrong, but he couldn't help thinking, "If you want to see him, can't you choose a more normal way? If someone wanted to see me like this, I wouldn't want to come at all."
Meanwhile, Xiao Ying finally dragged the bandaged boy back into the circle, watching worriedly and whispering, "Young master..."
Hearing this, Xie Lian smiled at her, signaling not to worry.
Unexpectedly, his smile made Xuan Ji's face twist, and she suddenly pounced on him from the statue, saying, "Since you don't look at me, you like those smiling girls, I'll let you see enough!"
Although she was choking Xie Lian, she was speaking to General Pei.
Xie Lian thought Xuan Ji couldn't marry her beloved, so she was jealous of the smiling brides in the sedan chair.
But it turned out General Pei liked smiling girls, and she crazily associated this with brides going to marry their beloved.
No wonder she burned the Bright Light Temple down the mountain, she couldn't stand women entering and leaving General Pei's temple, sharing the same statue with her.
This female ghost was indeed fierce, with broken legs but still moving swiftly and powerfully, even after being hit by Ruoye, she was still strong enough to hold Xie Lian in a stalemate.
He was about to summon Ruoye when he heard a loud shout: "Ah ah ah ah ah——"
The girl Xiao Ying saw him in a stalemate with the female ghost and picked up a branch from the ground, charging over while shouting, seemingly to boost her courage.
Xuan Ji didn't even need to move, just turned her ghostly face to look at her, and she flew several feet away, head down, body up, landing heavily!
The bandaged boy screamed hoarsely and ran over, Xie Lian was also shocked, sitting up, but his back suddenly felt cold, Xuan Ji's five fingers were already on it, seemingly about to peel his skull like before. In a hurry, Xie Lian grabbed her wrist with his right hand and shouted, "Bind!"
With a "whoosh" sound, a white ribbon flew over, wrapping around Xuan Ji in nine loops, tying her up tightly.
Xuan Ji, with her legs broken, couldn't dodge, and fell heavily to the ground, rolling around trying to break free from the ribbon, but it only tightened more.
As soon as he was free, Xie Lian rushed to where Xiao Ying had fallen.
With Ruoye retracted, the people still didn't dare move, but a few bold villagers, used to the groping brides, gathered around.
The bandaged boy knelt beside her prone form, at a loss, anxious like a bug on a hot pan.
No one dared to move her, afraid she might have broken something important, and moving her would make it worse.
Xie Lian quickly checked her, knowing it was too late for caution, she was beyond saving.
Though he hadn't spent much time with Xiao Ying, and they hadn't spoken much, he knew she was kind despite her ugly appearance, and her fate was truly heavy-hearted.
Xuan Ji wouldn't be able to break free from Ruoye for a while, so Xie Lian thought, "Even if it's useless, she shouldn't die like this."
He carefully turned her over.
Xiao Ying's face was covered in blood, making the people around sigh.
She still had a breath left, whispering, "Young master, did I mess things up..."
Though she hadn't messed things up, she hadn't helped either.
Xie Lian was about to summon Ruoye anyway, needing no help. Her branch wouldn't have affected Xuan Ji even if it hit, and she couldn't get close to the ghost.
So, it was a pointless sacrifice.
Xie Lian said, "No. You helped a lot. See, you came over and distracted the ghost, allowing me to bind her.
Thank you. But next time, don't do this. If you want to help, tell me first, so I can catch you if needed."
Xiao Ying smiled, "Ah, young master, you don't have to comfort me. I know I didn't help, and there won't be a next time."
She spoke unclearly, spitting blood mixed with broken teeth, the bandaged boy trembling in distress, not knowing what to say.
Xiao Ying told him, "Don't go down the mountain to steal food again. If you're caught, they'll beat you to death."
Xie Lian said, "If he's hungry, he can come to me for food."
Hearing this, Xiao Ying's eyes lit up, "Really? Thank you so much..."
Smiling, tears suddenly rolled down her small eyes.
She whispered, "I feel like I've never been happy in this world."
Xie Lian didn't know what to say, gently patting her hand. Xiao Ying sighed, "Ah, maybe I'm just... born unlucky."
The words sounded a bit funny. And because her face was crooked and eyes skewed, ugly to the point of being comical, even covered in blood and tears, it looked quite funny.
She cried, "But even so, I still... I still..."
With that, she died. The bandaged boy, seeing her dead, hugged her body and sobbed quietly, burying his head in her stomach, as if losing this support, he didn't dare lift it.
Xie Lian closed her eyes, thinking, "You're stronger than me."
At this moment, a strange bell rang.
"Dong!" "Dong!" "Dong!" Three loud sounds, and suddenly, Xie Lian felt dizzy, "What's happening?"
Looking around, the brides fell over, arms still reaching for the sky.
The villagers also fell, as if the deafening bell had knocked them out. Xie Lian felt dizzy, holding his head, struggling to stand, his legs giving way, half-kneeling on the ground, luckily someone supported him.
Looking up, it was Nan Feng.
After the seven brides scattered into the forest, Nan Feng had searched the entire Yu Jun Mountain to catch them all, just returning.
Seeing him calm, Xie Lian immediately asked, "What's with the bell?"
Nan Feng said, "Don't worry, it's reinforcements."
Following his gaze, Xie Lian saw a line of soldiers had appeared in front of the Bright Light Temple.
Each soldier wore armor, looking spirited and imposing, surrounded by a faint divine light.
In front of the soldiers stood a tall, handsome young general, clearly not a mortal. The general walked over to Xie Lian, slightly bowing, "Your Highness."
Before Xie Lian could ask, Nan Feng whispered, "This is General Pei."
Xie Lian immediately looked at the ground where Xuan Ji was, "General Pei?"
This General Pei didn't match his imagination or the statue.
The statue was heroic, with arrogant eyes, a striking beauty with an aggressive aura.
But this young general was also handsome, with a pale, calm face like cold jade, without any killing intent, only a calm demeanor. He could be a general or a strategist.
General Pei saw Xuan Ji on the ground, "Ling Wen Hall informed us that the Yu Jun Mountain incident might be related to our Bright Light Hall, so I came. I didn't expect it to be so related. Thank you, Your Highness."
Xie Lian thought to thank Ling Wen, the efficiency of Ling Wen Hall was never low, "Thank you, General Pei."
Hearing "General Pei," Xuan Ji suddenly looked up, eagerly, "Pei Lang, Pei Lang! Is it you? Have you come? Have you finally come?"
She was bound by Ruoye, even in joy she could only kneel. But when she saw the general, her face turned pale, "Who are you?!"
Xie Lian had briefly explained the ghost groom situation to Nan Feng, hearing her question, "Isn't this General Pei? Has she waited so long she doesn't recognize him?"
Nan Feng said, "It is General Pei. But not the one she's waiting for."
Xie Lian was puzzled, "Are there two General Peis?"
Nan Feng said, "Yes, there are two!"
It turned out the female ghost Xuan Ji was waiting for was the main god of the Bright Light Hall, while the one before them was the auxiliary god, a descendant of that General Pei.
To differentiate, they called this one "General Pei Jr." In the proper Bright Light Hall, they were both worshipped, one in front, one behind.
Though ancestor and descendant, they looked like brothers.
Two ascensions in one family, a rare tale.
Xuan Ji looked around, not seeing the one she wanted, "Where's Pei Ming? Why won't he come? Why won't he see me?"
General Pei Jr. nodded slightly, "General Pei has important duties."
Xuan Ji muttered, "Important duties?"
Under her long hair, she cried while saying, "I've waited hundreds of years, what duties does he have? He used to cross half the land in one night to see me, what duties could he have now? So important he won't even look at me? Is there? There isn't, right?"
General Pei Jr. said, "General Xuan Ji, please move on."
Two soldiers from the Bright Light Hall approached, Ruoye slipped off Xuan Ji, wrapping back around Xie Lian's wrist. Xie Lian gently patted it to calm it.
Xuan Ji let the soldiers take her, dazed for a moment, then struggled fiercely, cursing, "Pei Ming! I curse you!"
Her shout was sharp, Xie Lian thought, "Isn't this cursing the ancestor in front of the descendant?"
General Pei Jr. remained unchanged, "Pardon."
Xuan Ji continued to scream, "I curse you, may you never love anyone, and if you do, I curse you to burn with unending love fire, burning your heart and soul!"
General Pei Jr. said to Xie Lian and others, "Excuse me. Please wait a moment." He pressed two fingers to his temple, using a spirit communication technique. After a moment, he nodded, lowered his hand, turned to Xuan Ji, "General Pei asked me to tell you—'That's impossible.'"
Xuan Ji screamed, "I curse you——!!!"
General Pei Jr. raised his hand, "Take her away."
Two soldiers dragged the struggling Xuan Ji away. Xie Lian asked, "General Pei Jr., may I ask how General Xuan Ji will be dealt with?"
General Pei Jr. said, "She'll be sealed at the mountain's base."
Sealing under a mountain was a common heavenly method for dealing with demons and ghosts.
After a moment, Xie Lian said, "General Xuan Ji's resentment is deep, she can't forget her betrayal and broken legs because of General Pei, sealing might not be a long-term solution."
General Pei Jr. tilted his head, "She said she betrayed and broke her legs for General Pei?"
Xie Lian said, "She did say she became like this because of General Pei, but the truth is unknown."
General Pei Jr. said, "If you must say so, it's true she betrayed for General Pei. But the details might not be as imagined. After separating, General Xuan Ji offered military secrets to keep him. General Pei didn't want an unfair victory, so he refused."
This was unexpected, the so-called "I betrayed my country for you" turned out to be like this. Xie Lian asked, "She said her legs were broken because of General Pei, is this...?"
General Pei Jr. said, "She broke her own legs."
...She broke them herself?
General Pei Jr. calmly said, "General Pei didn't like strong women, and General Xuan Ji was naturally strong, which is why they couldn't last.
She was unwilling, told General Pei she'd change for him, so she crippled herself and broke her legs.
This way, she bound herself to him. General Pei didn't abandon her, cared for her, but wouldn't marry her. General Xuan Ji, unfulfilled, killed herself not to leave him, but to make him grieve. But, forgive me."
He spoke with a courteous, overly calm demeanor, "He won't."
Xie Lian rubbed his brow, thinking, "What kind of people are these?"
General Pei Jr. said, "Right or wrong, I don't know. I only know if General Xuan Ji let go, it wouldn't have come to this. Your Highness, I take my leave."
Xie Lian bowed, seeing them off. Nan Feng commented, "Odd."
Xie Lian thought, being a laughingstock and famous oddball himself, he shouldn't talk about others.
The matter between General Pei and Xuan Ji wasn't for outsiders to judge right or wrong. But those seventeen innocent brides, and the guards and sedan carriers, were truly unfortunate.
Mentioning brides, he turned to see the seventeen bride corpses had changed. Some were skeletons, some rotting, emitting a foul stench.
The smell woke the villagers, who were shocked again.
Taking the chance, Xie Lian preached about karma and retribution, urging them to pray for the brides and inform their families to claim the bodies, forbidding corpse trading or wrongdoing.
After such a terrifying night, and without a leader to stir trouble, they dared not object, tremblingly agreeing, feeling like they had a nightmare.
They realized how they seemed possessed last night, only thinking of money despite the deaths.
Reflecting, they felt fear, and sincerely repented and prayed.
Before dawn, fearing wolves in the mountains, Nan Feng, having run a full circle, led the group down.
He didn't complain, agreeing to discuss the hanging forest of corpses later with Xie Lian.
The bandaged boy, waking, sat by Xiao Ying's body, silent. Xie Lian sat beside him, drafting comforting words, when he noticed the boy's head bleeding.
If it were from the forest, it should have dried, but it kept flowing, meaning he was injured. Xie Lian said, "Your head is hurt, let me see."
The boy slowly lifted his head, bloodshot eyes looking at him, hesitant.
Xie Lian smiled, "Don't be afraid. If you're hurt, it must be bandaged. I promise I won't be scared."
The boy hesitated, then turned, slowly unwrapping the bandage.
He moved slowly, but Xie Lian waited patiently, thinking, "This boy can't stay on Yu Jun Mountain, where can he go? He can't come to the heavenly realm with me. I struggle myself, I must find a proper place for him. And the green ghost, Qi Rong..."
The boy finished unwrapping, turning around.
Seeing his face, Xie Lian felt his blood drain instantly.