Chapter 9 The Mountain Locks the Ancient Temple with Hanging Corpses 1

Fu Yao noticed a girl named Xiao Ying hiding in the crowd and frowned, "Why is there a woman here?"

Though his tone wasn't harsh, it wasn't friendly either. Xiao Ying lowered her head. Xie Lian said, "She was worried something might happen, so she came up to check."

Fu Yao asked the others, "Did you come up here with her?"

The crowd hesitated at first, then said, "I don't remember." "Can't say." "No, she wasn't with us when we came up!" "I didn't see her." "I didn't see her either."

Xiao Ying quickly said, "I secretly followed along..." Little Peng immediately said, "Why did you sneak up here? Are you the ghost groom in disguise?"

As soon as he said this, a large space cleared around Xiao Ying. She waved her hands frantically, "No... no, I'm Xiao Ying, I'm real!"

She turned to Xie Lian, "Sir, we just met! I helped you with your makeup and hair..."

Xie Lian: "..."

Everyone turned to look at him, and some began to whisper. He caught bits of "preference," "unusual," and "unbelievable," coughed twice, and said, "It's for the task. Task requirements. Nan Feng, Fu Yao, you..."

He turned his head and realized that Nan Feng and Fu Yao were also looking at him with strange expressions, and they had subtly distanced themselves from him.

Feeling uncomfortable under their gaze, Xie Lian said, "...Do you have something to say?"

He had no idea how skilled girls were with makeup, transforming him with just a few strokes into a gentle and beautiful young lady.

If he didn't speak, he'd look like a charming woman. This left the two men shocked and questioning reality, unsure of who they were talking to. Fu Yao asked Nan Feng, "Do you have anything to say?"

Nan Feng shook his head immediately, "I have nothing to say."

"..." Xie Lian said, "You should say something."

At this moment, someone in the crowd said, "Huh? Is this a Bright Light Temple?" "There's actually a Bright Light Temple in this mountain? How strange, I've never seen it before."

Everyone started looking curiously. Xie Lian suddenly said, "Yes, the Bright Light Temple."

Nan Feng noticed something in his tone and asked, "What's wrong?"

Xie Lian said, "The north is clearly the territory of Bright Light General. His incense offerings aren't lacking, and his spiritual power isn't weak. But why is there only a Nan Yang Temple at the foot of Yu Jun Mountain?"

The magistrate praying to Emperor Jun Wu made sense because the Emperor is the top martial god, higher than Bright Light General, so praying to him is more secure.

But Bright Light General and Nan Yang General are equal in status, and Bright Light General even has nine thousand temples, a thousand more than Nan Yang. It's hard to understand why they'd go out of their way.

He added, "Even if the Bright Light Temple in Yu Jun Mountain was taken over by the ghost groom and couldn't be found, they could have built another Bright Light Temple. Why build a different martial god's temple?"

Fu Yao realized, "There must be another reason."

Xie Lian said, "Yes, there must be another reason why people around Yu Jun Mountain chose not to build Bright Light Temples anymore. Can someone lend me some spiritual power? I might need to ask..."

At this moment, someone shouted, "So many brides!"

Hearing the voice from inside the temple, Xie Lian quickly turned around. He had told the group to stay on the open ground in front of the temple, but they ignored him and ran inside!

Nan Feng shouted, "It's dangerous, don't run around!"

Little Peng, however, said, "Don't listen to them, they won't dare touch us! We're good people, they wouldn't really kill us, would they? Everyone, get up, get up!"

He was sure the three wouldn't really break their arms and legs, so he became reckless. Nan Feng's knuckles cracked, clearly holding back his anger.

As a martial officer of Nan Yang Hall, he couldn't just break a mortal's limbs. If a supervising god found out and reported him, it wouldn't be good.

Little Peng sneered, "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You just want us to stay put so you can take all the credit and claim the reward yourself."

His words stirred half the people to follow him into the temple.

Fu Yao flicked his sleeve indifferently, "Let them be. This bunch of troublemakers." He was so disgusted he didn't want to bother.

Inside the Bright Light Temple, there was another scream, "These are all dead people!"

Little Peng was also shocked, "All dead?!" "All dead!" "This is creepy, how come this one looks like it's been dead for decades and hasn't rotted?"

Soon, he thought of something else, "Even if they're dead, we can carry the brides' bodies down the mountain, and their families will have to pay us."

Xie Lian's expression darkened. The crowd, realizing he was right, began murmuring, some sighing, some whispering, and some even cheering up.

Xie Lian stood at the temple entrance and said, "Everyone, please come out first. The back of this hall has accumulated corpse air for years. Breathing it in can be harmful."

This made sense, but the crowd was unsure whether to listen.

Xiao Ying quietly said, "Everyone, please don't do this. It's dangerous here, maybe we should listen to this gentleman and sit outside..."

But if they wouldn't listen to Xie Lian and the others, why would they listen to her? No one paid attention. Xiao Ying wasn't discouraged and repeated herself several times.

Little Peng even instructed them, "Everyone, pick the freshest bodies. The families of the older ones might not even be around anymore, so don't bother carrying them down."

Some even praised him for being smart. Xie Lian was amused and exasperated. Seeing people starting to touch the bodies, he said, "Don't lift the veils! The veils block corpse air and yang energy. If you let them absorb it, something might happen."

However, in their eagerness to pick fresh bodies, they had already lifted most of the veils. Xie Lian exchanged a glance with Nan Feng at the door, shaking his head, knowing they couldn't stop the crowd.

After all, they couldn't beat them until they were spitting blood and unable to move.

If something happened later, they wouldn't be able to escape.

It was frustrating.

At this moment, a big man lifted a bride's veil and exclaimed, "Oh my, this little lady is stunning!"

The crowd gathered around, "She didn't even make it through the door, dying like this is such a waste." "Her clothes are a bit torn, but she's the prettiest!"

This bride seemed recently deceased, her skin still elastic.

Someone said, "Dare to touch her?" Little Peng said, "Why not?"

He pinched the corpse's face twice, finding it smooth and enticing, wanting to touch more.

Xie Lian couldn't stand it anymore and was about to intervene when Xiao Ying rushed over, "Don't do that!"

Little Peng pushed her away, "Don't interfere with the big guys' business!"

Xiao Ying got up again, "You'll be punished for this!"

Little Peng got angry, "Damn, you ugly freak, always causing trouble!"

He cursed and was about to kick her when Xie Lian lifted Xiao Ying by her collar, gently pulling her aside.

Suddenly, there was a "thud," and Little Peng screamed, "Who hit me!"

Xie Lian turned to see Little Peng's head bleeding, a large hole in his head, and a blood-stained stone on the ground.

Xiao Ying was startled and quickly said, "Sorry, sorry, I... I got scared and accidentally threw it..."

But even if she claimed responsibility, no one would believe it. The direction was all wrong. The stone had been thrown from outside a window behind Little Peng. When he screamed, everyone looked that way, just in time to see a shadow flicker past the window.

Little Peng shrieked, "It's him! The ugly freak with bandages on his face!"

Xie Lian handed Xiao Ying to Nan Feng, then took two steps forward, lightly pushing off the window frame, and flipped over, chasing into the woods.

A few brave ones hoping for a reward followed him out the window.

But as they reached the edge of the woods, Xie Lian suddenly smelled blood, sensed something wrong, and warned, "Don't go in!"

He had spoken, but those few thought, "If you don't chase, I will," and kept running into the woods.

The crowd in the temple also came out, watching Xie Lian stop at the forest's edge.

The less brave ones joined him, observing.

Soon, there were screams, and several shadowy figures stumbled out of the woods, the same ones who had rushed in first.

These figures staggered out, and in the moonlight, everyone saw and was terrified.

They had gone in as people, but came out as bloody figures.

From face to clothes, they were covered in blood, flowing like a fountain.

A person losing so much blood couldn't possibly survive.

Yet, they kept walking towards the crowd, who retreated in unison behind Xie Lian. Xie Lian raised his hand, "Calm down. The blood isn't theirs."

Indeed, they said, "Yes! The blood isn't ours, it's... it's..."

Despite the blood, their faces were filled with terror.

Everyone followed their gaze into the woods. It was too dark to see what was in there.

Xie Lian took a torch, walked a few steps forward, and raised it to see. In the darkness, something dripped onto the torch, making a sizzling sound.

He glanced at the torch, then looked up, paused for a moment, and tossed the torch up.

Though the torch only briefly illuminated the treetops, everyone saw clearly what was above.

Long black hair, pale faces, tattered martial officer uniforms, and arms swaying back and forth in the air.

Over forty men's corpses, hanging high and low, swaying on the trees.

The blood, still dripping, created a terrifying scene of a hanging forest of corpses and a rain of blood.

Though the crowd outside were strong men, they had never seen such a sight.

They were all stunned, silent. Nan Feng and Fu Yao, seeing this scene, both had serious expressions.

After a moment, Nan Feng said, "green ghost."

Fu Yao said, "Indeed, his favorite trick."

Nan Feng told Xie Lian, "Don't go over. If it's him, it's trouble."

Xie Lian asked, "Who are you talking about?"

Nan Feng said, "A 'near-absolute.'"

Xie Lian was puzzled, "What's a near-absolute, close to absolute?"

Fu Yao said, "Exactly. The 'near-absolute' green ghost is rated in the Ling Wen Hall as a creature whose level is very close to 'absolute.' He loves this hanging forest of corpses game, and is quite infamous."

Xie Lian thought, "That's really unnecessary. It's either absolute or not. Just like there's only 'ascended' and 'not ascended,' not 'close to ascension' or 'almost ascended.' Adding 'near' just makes it awkward."

He remembered the boy leading him earlier, hearing raindrops on the umbrella.

Could it be he used the umbrella to shield him from this rain of blood? He softly said, "Ah." The two immediately asked, "What is it?"

He briefly explained how he met a boy in the bridal sedan, who led him here.

Fu Yao, skeptical, said, "I sensed a dangerous maze in this mountain when I came up. Did he just break it like that?"

Xie Lian thought, "Not just like that. He stepped on it casually, not even paying attention."

He said, "Yes. Could this 'near-absolute' green ghost be him?"

Nan Feng thought for a moment, "I haven't seen the green ghost, can't say. Did the boy have any distinguishing features?"

Xie Lian said, "Silver butterflies."

When Nan Feng and Fu Yao saw the hanging forest of corpses, they were calm. But at this, Xie Lian saw their expressions change instantly.

Fu Yao, incredulous, said, "What did you say? Silver butterflies? What kind of silver butterflies?"

Xie Lian sensed he had said something significant, "They looked like silver or crystal, not like living creatures. But they were quite beautiful."

He saw Nan Feng and Fu Yao exchange a glance, their faces turning extremely grim, almost pale.

After a pause, Fu Yao said solemnly, "Let's go. We need to leave immediately."

Xie Lian said, "The ghost groom here isn't dealt with yet, how can we leave?"

Fu Yao said, "Deal with it?"

He turned around, sneering, "You've really been in the mortal world too long. The ghost groom is just a 'fierce'; even this hanging forest of corpses green ghost, though troublesome, is just a 'near-absolute.'"

He paused, then sharply said, "But do you know what kind of being owns those silver butterflies?"

Xie Lian honestly said, "I don't know."

"..." Fu Yao said stiffly, "No time to explain now. It's not something you can handle. You should hurry back to the heavenly realm for reinforcements."

Xie Lian said, "Then you go back first."

"You..."

Xie Lian said, "The owner of those silver butterflies didn't show hostility. If he did, and is as terrifying as you say, no one within miles of Yu Jun Mountain could escape. So someone needs to stay here. You go back and see if you can bring reinforcements."

He saw Fu Yao didn't want to deal with all these troubles, so he couldn't force him. Fu Yao, being straightforward, left with a flick of his sleeve. Xie Lian turned to Nan Feng, wanting to ask more about the boy, but the crowd stirred again, someone saying, "Caught him! Caught him!"

Xie Lian had no time to ask, "Caught what?"

Two more bloody figures emerged from the woods, one a big man, one of those who rushed in first, truly bold.

The other was a boy he dragged along, his head and face wrapped in messy bandages.

Xie Lian remembered the Tea Master at the inn saying, "The ghost groom is said to be an ugly freak with bandages on his face, too ugly for women, so he can't stand others getting married." They thought it might be a rumor, but it turned out there was such a person.

But whether he was the ghost groom was another matter. Just as he was about to look closely at the bandaged boy, Xiao Ying rushed over, "You've got the wrong person! He's not the ghost groom, he's not!"

Little Peng said, "Caught in the act, and you say he's not? I..."

He paused, as if suddenly realizing something, "Oh, I see why you're always acting weird, always saying 'not this' and 'not that.' You're in cahoots with this ghost groom?!"

Xiao Ying was startled, shaking her head, "No, no, I'm not, he's not. He really hasn't done anything, he's just an ordinary... ordinary..."

Little Peng pressed, "Ordinary what? Ordinary ugly freak?" He pulled at the bandages on the boy's head, "Let's see what this ordinary ghost groom looks like, who loves stealing brides!"

He messed up some bandages, and the bandaged boy screamed, filled with fear and misery, very pitiful. Xie Lian grabbed Little Peng's arm, "Enough."

Xiao Ying, hearing the boy's screams, tears streaming down, saw Xie Lian intervene, and clung to his sleeve, "Sir, please help me, help him."

Xie Lian glanced at her, and Xiao Ying sheepishly let go, afraid he would be annoyed and refuse to help. Xie Lian said, "It's okay."

He looked at the blood-covered bandaged boy, who peeked at him through the bandages, then quickly looked away, busy re-wrapping.

Though his face wasn't visible, the exposed skin was terrifying, as if burned, making it easy to imagine the horror beneath the bandages, causing others to gasp, and he shrank further.

Xie Lian noticed their similar timid demeanor, as if they had long been afraid to see the light or people, and sighed. Little Peng, wary, said, "What are you doing? The ghost groom is ours."

Xie Lian released him, "It's not that simple to catch him. My friend searched the area earlier and didn't find him. This boy must have come later. The real ghost groom should still be here."

Xiao Ying bravely said, "You want the reward... but you can't just grab anyone to count..."

Little Peng, hearing this, wanted to act. He had been causing trouble from the start, and Xie Lian finally had enough, waving his hand, and the ruoye ribbon snapped, flipping Little Peng over, while Nan Feng added a kick, finally knocking him out.

This troublemaker's absence left the crowd unsure who to follow, becoming much quieter, unable to stir trouble.

Xie Lian thought, "Finally, we can get things done." He examined the boy on the ground, "Did you throw the stone at the window earlier?"

His voice was gentle, and the bandaged boy trembled, peeking at him, nodding.

Xiao Ying said, "He didn't mean harm, he just saw Little Peng about to hit me and wanted to help..."

Xie Lian asked the boy, "Do you know about the hanging forest of corpses in the woods?"

Xiao Ying said, "I don't know, but it wasn't him who hung them..."

The bandaged boy shook his head repeatedly. Nan Feng, watching him, suddenly asked, "What is green ghost Qi Rong to you?"

Hearing this name, Xie Lian was slightly surprised.

The bandaged boy was clearly confused, showing no reaction to the name, not daring to answer Nan Feng. Xiao Ying said, "He's just scared, afraid to speak..."

She kept defending the strange boy, and Xie Lian gently said, "Miss Xiao Ying, what's going on with this boy? Tell us what you know."

Seeing Xie Lian, Xiao Ying seemed to gain some courage.

The firelight illuminated her face, and she didn't avoid it, twisting her hands, "He really hasn't done anything bad. This boy just lives in Yu Jun Mountain. Sometimes, when he's starving, he sneaks down to steal food. Once, he stole from my house... I saw he couldn't speak well, and his face was injured, so I found some cloth to wrap him, and sometimes brought him food..."

Xie Lian initially thought they might be a pair, but now it seemed Xiao Ying's protection was more like an older sister or even a guardian.

She continued, "Later, many people thought he was the ghost groom. I couldn't explain, just hoped they'd catch the real culprit soon... I thought since you were so skilled, dressing as a bride to catch the ghost groom, you wouldn't catch the wrong person because he would never rob a bridal sedan. But when I went out, I heard Little Peng and others were searching the mountain today too. I was worried, so I secretly followed to check."

She stood protectively in front of the boy, afraid he'd be hurt again, "He's really not the ghost groom. Look at him, just a few people beat him like this. How could he fight off so many martial officers escorting a bridal sedan..."

Xie Lian exchanged a glance with Nan Feng, both feeling a headache.

If what she said was true, then this boy had nothing to do with it.

A bandaged boy, a "fierce" ghost groom, a "near-absolute" green ghost, and the owner of those significant silver butterflies, a small Yu Jun Mountain was teeming with unusual guests, overwhelming to handle. Who was who? What was the connection between them? Xie Lian felt his head swell several times.

He rubbed his temples, setting aside the truth of Xiao Ying's words for now, and suddenly remembered something he wanted to ask, "Miss Xiao Ying, have you always lived near Yu Jun Mountain?"

Xiao Ying said, "Yes. I've always lived here. I can assure you he hasn't done anything bad here."

Xie Lian said, "No, I want to ask another question. Besides this one on the mountain, has there never been another Bright Light Temple built around Yu Jun Mountain?"

Xiao Ying hesitated, "This..." She thought for a moment, "There should have been."

Hearing this, Xie Lian suddenly felt he had grasped something important.

He said, "Then why is there only a Nan Yang Temple at the foot of the mountain, but no Bright Light Hall?"

Xiao Ying scratched her head, "They tried to build it, but I heard that every time they tried to build a Bright Light Hall, it would mysteriously catch fire during construction. Some said Bright Light General couldn't suppress something here, so they switched to Nan Yang General..."

Nan Feng noticed Xie Lian's expression and asked, "What's wrong?"

Xie Lian suddenly realized, it was too simple.

The brides who couldn't smile, the mysteriously burning temples, the Bright Light Temple locked deep in a maze, the majestic statue of General Pei, the ghost groom who vanished after being hit by the ruoye ribbon—

It was too simple!

There had been other things distracting him, preventing him from seeing the simple truth from the start!

He grabbed Nan Feng, "Lend me some spiritual power!"

Nan Feng was caught off guard, quickly clapping hands with him, "What's going on?"

Xie Lian pulled him along, "I'll explain later, first we need to stabilize the eighteen brides' corpses!"

Nan Feng said, "Are you confused? There are only seventeen brides' corpses, you're the eighteenth!"

Xie Lian said, "No, no, there were only seventeen before, but now there are eighteen. Among the eighteen brides' corpses, one is fake—the ghost groom is hiding among them!"