That female ghost had a long face and raised eyebrows. She was indeed very beautiful. Originally, there was a hint of heroism in her beauty, but now, there was resentment in her beauty. It was as if she had been confined to a narrow place all year round, unable to see the clear sky. Kneeling on the ground, the wedding dress below her knees was in tatters. It was no wonder that someone had said something.
Xie Lian stared at her for a while before saying, "Xuan Ji?"
It seemed like it had been many years since someone had called her by this name. After a long time, the resentment on the female ghost's face slowly dissipated, and a light flashed in her eyes.
She said, "… Did he send you to find me?"
This "he", Xie Lian guessed, was naturally referring to that General Pei.
Xuan Ji continued to ask, "What about himself? Why didn't he come to see me? "
The fervent expression on her face as she spoke, the tone of her voice filled with anticipation, made Xie Lian feel that it was best not to say "no". Seeing that he did not answer, Xuan Ji fell to the ground.
She leaned against the tall and handsome statue of the Martial God, her red wedding dress forming a huge flower of blood on the ground. Her hair was disheveled, and her face was full of pain, as if she was suffering from the greatest torture. She said, "… Why didn't he come to see me?"
Xie Lian could not answer this question, so he could only maintain his silence. Xuan Ji raised her head to look at the statue and said in a mournful voice, "Pei Lang, oh Pei Lang, I betrayed my country for you, abandoned everything, and became like this. Why didn't you come to see me?"
She pulled at her hair with both hands and asked, "Is your heart made of iron and stone?"
Xie Lian did not bat an eyelid. Hearing these words, he thought to himself, Xuan Ji said that General Pei betrayed her country for her. Could it be that she was referring to this General Pei taking advantage of the moment when the two of them were deeply in love to obtain information from her, causing Xuan Ji's country to lose on the battlefield? She also said that it was because of General Pei that she became like this. The "like this" was naturally referring to the miserable state of her broken leg. Xuan Ji was a female general. On the battlefield, it was impossible for her to be crippled. Then her leg could only have been broken later. Could it be that this had something to do with General Pei? Was it because of General Pei's abandonment that she was so resentful?
Although he felt that his thoughts were very vulgar, but Xuan Ji's resentment was so deep that she wanted to harm innocent people's lives, even though it was vulgar, he had no choice but to brace himself and think in that direction. At this time, a woman's scream came from outside the temple, "Help! Help! "
Xie Lian and Xuan Ji looked out the window at the same time. At the white circle that Ruo Xie had created, a person was currently dragging the bandaged youth out. Little Ying was tightly hugging onto the person's leg, refusing to let go. The person cursed loudly. It was the little youngster, "Scram! You idiot! What if you call the female ghost over? "
Little Ying shouted, "Call me over if you want me to. You're scarier than a ghost! I … I'd rather see a female ghost! "
It turned out that the youngster, who had fainted after being whipped by Xie Lian, had woken up. When he saw the brides slowly groping around him, he was startled at first. However, he quickly discovered that they couldn't see anyone. He was extremely courageous and impetuous. He wanted to take advantage of the fact that no one else dared to move to drag this bandaged youth down the mountain to claim the reward alone. He didn't care whether this youth was the ghost bridegroom or not. In any case, everyone at the foot of the mountain was saying that he was, so he was. Who knew that Little Ying would pounce over and shout loudly, startling all the brides wandering around and Xuan Ji who was inside the Ming Guang Temple. When Xie Lian saw it was him again, he thought to himself that he should have whipped him even more ruthlessly just now. He should have whipped him until he couldn't wake up for three days and three nights. Thus, he shouted, "Go back to the circle!"
When the youngster saw a black fog coming towards him, he hurriedly retreated. However, he was dragging the bandaged youth in his hand and hugging Little Ying on his leg. In the end, he was a step too slow. In the blink of an eye, he was caught by the black fog and sucked into Xuan Ji's hands. When he turned around to look, he saw that this woman with long hair dancing in the wind and a dense Yin aura was none other than the beautiful female corpse that he had touched among the brides on the ground just now.
Now that things had progressed to this point, he finally knew fear and started to scream out in pain. However, Xuan Ji bent her five fingers and inserted them into the back of his head. In an instant, she had peeled off his entire skull from the thick layer of brain skin.
The skull that had been peeled off was still steaming hot as it opened its mouth and loudly shouted, "AHHHH — —!!!!!"
The people inside the white circle, who were scared out of their wits, also opened their mouths and loudly shouted, "AHHHH — —!!!!"
Little Ying was also scared out of her wits. She continued to yell as she dragged the bandaged youth into the circle. Xuan Ji once again extended her five fingers towards them. Xie Lian flashed in front of her and said, "General, don't kill again."
Xie Lian had called her General with the intention of reminding her that she was also once a heroine who charged and broke through enemy lines on the battlefield and protected her country. However, when Xuan Ji crushed the skull of the youth that was screaming miserably, her extremely beautiful face had unexpectedly become seventy percent deformed at this moment. She sneered and said, "Is it because he doesn't dare to see me?"
Xie Lian had no other choice. In his heart, he thought that he should first pretend to be someone sent by General Pei to deal with her. However, Xuan Ji didn't need his answer. She laughed out loud a few times before suddenly turning around. Pointing at the statue of a god, she said, "I burned your temple and caused chaos in your territory! All for the sake of you coming to see me. How many years have I waited for you!? "
She stared at the Martial God statue in a daze for a good while. Suddenly, she fiercely jumped up and grabbed its neck before frantically shaking it. She said, "You actually still aren't willing to see me. Is it because you also know that you've let me down? Look at my legs! Look at my current appearance! I did all of this for you, for you! Could it be that your heart is made of iron and stone?! "
Although as an outsider, Xie Lian didn't want to comment on who was right and who was wrong, he couldn't help but think, "If you want to see him, can't you use a more normal method? If someone wanted to use this method to see me, in any case, I wouldn't want to come at all. "
On the other side, Little Ying finally returned to the circle with the bandaged youth. She looked over and worriedly whispered, "Young Master …" Hearing this, Xie Lian smiled at her, indicating that she didn't need to worry. Who would have thought that when he smiled, Xuan Ji's face would instantly distort. She fiercely jumped down from the statue and said, "Since you don't want to see me and like to look at those smiling women, I'll let you slowly look to your heart's content!"
Although she was strangling Xie Lian, her words were actually directed at General Pei. Xie Lian originally thought that Xuan Ji couldn't marry the person she loved, so when she saw the bride happily smiling on the sedan chair, she felt jealous. However, he didn't expect that it was because General Pei liked smiling women. She then mistakenly thought that this was a bride that was going to marry the person she loved. No wonder she burned down the Ming Guang Temple at the foot of the mountain. Presumably, she couldn't stand the fact that there were women going in and out of General Pei's temple all day long, sharing the same statue with her. This female ghost was worthy of being called 'fierce'. Even though her legs were broken, her movements were extremely ghostly and swift. Furthermore, even after being struck by Ruoxie, she still possessed such boundless strength. Xie Lian and her were in a deadlock. Just as he was about to summon Ruo Xie, he heard a loud shout, "Ahhhhhh — —"
Seeing that he and the female ghost were in a deadlock, the young girl, Little Ying, picked up a branch from the ground and rushed over. She shouted as she ran, as if to boost her courage. Xuan Ji didn't even need to make a move. She only needed to turn her head and look at her. Before she could get close, she was already sent flying several feet away. She landed heavily on the ground with her head down and body up!
That bandaged youth let out a hoarse "Ah ah" as he ran over. Xie Lian was also startled. He sat up, but he suddenly felt a chill on the back of his head. Xuan Ji's five fingers were already on top of his head, as if she wanted to peel his skull from his scalp just like before. In a moment of desperation, Xie Lian's right hand fiercely grabbed her wrist and shouted, "Bind!"
He only heard a 'shua shua' sound as a white piece of silk answered his summons. It coiled around Xuan Ji nine times and ten times before tying her up. Both of Xuan Ji's legs were broken, so she couldn't dodge in time. With a 'peng' sound, she heavily knelt down and started rolling on the ground. She wanted to struggle free of this white silk, but who would have thought that it would only become tighter and tighter. As soon as he broke free, Xie Lian didn't even have time to catch his breath. He immediately got up and ran towards the place where Little Ying had landed.
Ruoxie had already been restrained, so the crowd still didn't dare to move. However, there were also a few bold villagers who were used to those touching brides, so they surrounded her. That bandaged youth knelt beside her body that was lying on the ground. He was at a loss of what to do and was as anxious as a bug on a hot pan. Not a single person dared to move her. They were all afraid that she would break some vital part of her body. If they moved carelessly, she would break even more. Xie Lian quickly examined her. In his heart, he knew that no matter how careful he was, it would be useless. After falling like this, it seemed like she wouldn't be able to survive.
Although he hadn't spent much time with this young girl Little Ying, and they hadn't even talked much, he knew that although her appearance was ugly, her heart was filled with kindness. This kind of ending really made his heart feel heavy. Xuan Ji probably wouldn't be able to struggle free of Ruoxie for a while. Xie Lian thought to himself, "Even if it's useless, I can't let her die in this position." Thus, he carefully turned her over.
Little Ying's face was covered in blood. Seeing this, the people at the side couldn't help but click their tongues and sigh. However, she still had a breath left in her. In a small voice, she said, "… … Gongzi, did I make things worse … …"
Although she didn't make things worse, she really didn't help much. At that time, Xie Lian had already wanted to summon Ruoxie, so he didn't need anyone else's help. Moreover, even if that branch of hers had hit Xuan Ji, it wouldn't have had any effect. Not to mention, she couldn't even get close to that female ghost's body. If that was the case, it could be said that she was sending herself to death without any value.
Xie Lian replied, "No. You helped me a lot. You see, when you came over, you drew away that female ghost's attention. Only then could I find the time to subdue her. I really have to thank you. However, next time, you can't do this again. If you want to help, you need to tell me first. Otherwise, it would be terrible if I didn't connect. "
Little Ying smiled and said, "Ai, gongzi, you don't need to coax me. I know I didn't help, and there won't be a next time."
Her words were unclear, and she spat out a mouthful of blood. Within the blood, there were actually a few broken front teeth. The bandaged youth was so anxious that he started trembling. It was unknown what he wanted to say. Little Ying said to him, "In the future, don't go down the mountain to steal things to eat. If someone finds out, they'll beat you to death."
Xie Lian said, "If he's hungry, he can ask me for something to eat."
Hearing this, Little Ying's eyes brightened. She said, "… … Really? Then, then I really have to thank you … … "
As she smiled and smiled, two streams of tears suddenly flowed down from her pair of small eyes.
In a small voice, she said, "I feel that as long as I live in this world, I don't have many happy days."
Xie Lian didn't know what to say, so he lightly patted her hand. Little Ying sighed again and said, "Ai, forget it. Maybe I'm just … … born with bad luck."
These words really sounded a bit funny. Moreover, because her nose was crooked and her eyes were slanted, she was so ugly that it was comical. For her face to be covered in blood and tears, it actually looked very funny.
As tears flowed down her face, she said, "But, even if it's like this, I still … … I still … …"
Speaking up to this point, she breathed her last and died. Seeing that she had died, the bandaged youth hugged her corpse and started sobbing softly. He buried his head in her stomach, as if he had lost his support. No matter what, he didn't dare to raise his head.
Xie Lian reached out and helped her close her eyes. In his heart, he said, "You're stronger than me."
Right at this moment, a strange bell sound rang out.
"Dang!" "Dang!" "Dang!" Three loud sounds rang out. In a split second, Xie Lian felt dizzy. He asked, "What's going on?"
Looking around, he saw that the brides were all lying on the ground. Only their arms were still raised straight into the sky. A group of villagers had also fallen to the ground and couldn't get up. It was as if they had all simultaneously fallen unconscious from the deafening sound of the bell. Xie Lian was also a bit dizzy. He supported his forehead with one hand and forced himself to stand up. His legs went soft and he half-knelt on the ground. Fortunately, someone supported him. Looking up, he saw that it was Nan Feng. It turned out that after the seven brides entered the forest, they immediately scattered in all directions. Nan Feng had practically run all over Mount Yu Jun before he managed to capture every single one of them. He had just returned. Seeing that he was very calm, Xie Lian immediately asked, "What's with this bell sound?"
Nan Feng said, "Don't worry, they're reinforcements."
Following his gaze, Xie Lian discovered that at some unknown time, a row of soldiers had appeared in front of Ming Guang Temple.
This row of soldiers were all clad in armor. They were in high spirits and gave off an awe-inspiring aura. Their bodies were all shrouded in a faint layer of spiritual light. And in front of the soldiers stood a tall and elegant young general. He was clearly not an ordinary person. The general walked with his hands behind his back. When he arrived in front of Xie Lian, he bowed slightly and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Before Xie Lian could open his mouth to ask, Nan Feng whispered, "This is General Pei."
Xie Lian immediately glanced at Xuan Ji on the ground and said, "General Pei?"
This General Pei was very different from what he had imagined. He was also very different from the statue of a god. That statue of a god had a heroic bearing. His eyes and brows were overflowing with arrogance. It was a type of invading handsomeness. And although this young general was also handsome, his complexion was pale. His eyes and brows were calm like a piece of cold jade. There was no killing intent, only a calm and unperturbed calmness. It was fine to say that he was a general, but it was also fine to say that he was a strategist.
General Pei looked at Xuan Ji on the ground and said, "Ling Wen Palace informed us that the matter at Mount Yu Jun this time might be related to our Ming Guang Temple. I didn't expect that there would be such a connection. I'll have to trouble Your Highness the Crown Prince. "
Xie Lian wanted to thank Ling Wen. How could Ling Wen Palace's efficiency be low? He said, "I'll also have to trouble General Pei."
While Xuan Ji was struggling, she vaguely heard the three words "General Pei". She suddenly raised her head and eagerly said, "Pei Lang, Pei Lang! Is it you? You've come? You've finally come? "
She was tied up by Ruo Xie. No matter how ecstatic she was, she could only kneel. Who knew that when she looked at the general, her face would turn white. She said, "Who are you?!"
Xie Lian had already roughly explained to Nan Feng what was going on with the ghost bridegroom. Hearing her question, he said, "Isn't this General Pei? Could it be that she's been waiting for too long and doesn't recognize him? "
Nan Feng said, "It's General Pei. But it's not the one she's waiting for. "
Xie Lian was baffled. "Could it be that there are two General Pei?"
Nan Feng said, "That's right, there are two!"
It turned out that the General Pei that this female ghost Xuan Ji was waiting for was the main deity of Ming Guang Temple. And the one in front of them was the assistant deity of Ming Guang Temple. He was the descendant of that General Pei. When they called him, they called him "Little General Pei" in order to differentiate them. In the orthodox Ming Guang Temple, one had to worship the two of them. General Pei was the main deity of the main temple. His statue faced the temple door, while Little General Pei's statue was behind him. Although they were the younger generation, they looked no different from brothers. For one family to ascend to the heavens, it could be considered a wonderful story.
Xuan Ji looked around and didn't see the one she wanted to see among the soldiers. She said mournfully, "Where's Pei Ming? Why isn't he here? Why isn't he here to see me? "
Little General Pei nodded slightly. "General Pei has an important matter to attend to."
Xuan Ji murmured, "Important matter?"
Under her long hair, she cried as she said, "I've waited for him for hundreds of years. What important matter does he have? Back then, in order to see me, he could cross half the border in one night. What important matter would he have now? So important that he wouldn't even come down to see me? Is there? There probably isn't? "
Little General Pei said, "General Xuan Ji, please go on your way."
Two Ming Guang Temple soldiers walked over. Ruoxie suddenly jumped down from Xuan Ji's body and coiled around Xie Lian's wrist. Xie Lian lightly patted it twice to comfort it. Xuan Ji let the two soldiers grab her. She was stunned for a while, then suddenly struggled fiercely. Pointing at the sky, she scolded, "Pei Ming! I curse you! "
This shout of hers was very sharp. Xie Lian was startled, thinking, "Isn't this the same as cursing your ancestors in front of your descendants?"
Little General Pei's expression didn't change as he said, "I've made a fool of myself."
Xuan Ji shouted herself hoarse, "I curse you. You better never fall in love with anyone. Otherwise, if there comes a day, I curse you to be like me, forever and ever, at every moment, endlessly, with the fire of love burning your body! The fire of love burning your body, burning your heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys! "
At this time, Little General Pei said to Xie Lian and the others, "I've been rude. Please wait a moment. "Raising his index and middle fingers, he lightly pressed them against his temples. This was the incantation to activate the spirit communication technique. He must be communicating with someone. In a flash, he grunted and put down his hands, putting them behind his back again. Turning to Xuan Ji, he said, "General Pei asked me to tell you — — 'That is impossible.'"
Xuan Ji shrieked, "I curse you — —!!!"
Little General Pei slightly raised his hand and said, "Take her away."
Two soldiers carried the crazily struggling Xuan Ji and dragged her away. Xie Lian said, "Little General Pei, allow me to ask, how will this Xuan Ji be dealt with?"
Little General Pei said, "She will be stationed at the foot of the mountain."
Finding a mountain to stay in was indeed a commonly used method when dealing with demons and ghosts in the Heaven Realm. After muttering to himself for a moment, Xie Lian still said, "This General Xuan Ji's resentment is quite heavy. She has never forgotten the hatred of General Pei's treason and losing her leg. I'm afraid suppressing her isn't a long-term solution."
However, Little General Pei slightly tilted his head and said, "She said she betrayed her country and lost her leg because of General Pei?"
Xie Lian said, "She indeed said it was because of General Pei that she became like this. As for what the truth is, I don't know."
Little General Pei said, "If you must say it that way, that's fine. It's true that she betrayed her country for General Pei. However, the details might not be the same as what others were thinking. After General Pei parted ways with her, General Xuan Ji didn't hesitate to take the initiative to offer military intelligence in order to make him stay. General Pei didn't want to win without honor, so he didn't take it. "
… … This was truly unexpected. The so-called 'I betrayed my country for you' was actually like this. Xie Lian said, "Then she said her legs were also broken because of General Pei. This is … …?"
Little General Pei said, "Her legs were broken by herself."
… … Broken by herself?
Little General Pei calmly said, "General Pei doesn't like strong women, and General Xuan Ji is naturally strong. This is why they couldn't last long. General Xuan Ji was unwilling and told General Pei that she was willing to sacrifice herself for him. As a result, she crippled her own martial arts and even broke her own legs. As a result, she broke her own wings and tied herself to General Pei's side. General Pei didn't abandon her and took her in to take care of her. However, he still wasn't willing to marry her. General Xuan Ji couldn't fulfill her long-cherished wish and committed suicide with hatred. Not for him, but to make General Pei sad. However, forgive me for speaking bluntly. "
From beginning to end, his speech was refined, courteous, and excessively calm. He said, "I won't."
Xie Lian rubbed the space between his eyebrows and didn't say anything. In his heart, he thought, 'Who are these people?'
Little General Pei continued, "Whether it's right or wrong, I don't know either. I only know that if General Xuan Ji was willing to let go, things wouldn't have turned out this way. Your Highness the Crown Prince, this one bids farewell. "
Xie Lian cupped his hands and sent them off. Nan Feng commented, "What a weirdo."
Xie Lian thought to himself, I'm also a laughingstock of the three realms, a famous weirdo, so I shouldn't talk about others. This matter between General Pei and Xuan Ji wasn't a part of the plot, so there was no need to discuss who was right and who was wrong. It was just that those seventeen innocent brides, as well as the military officials and sedan bearers who were escorting them, had suffered an undeserved calamity.
At the mention of the brides, he immediately turned to look. He saw that the seventeen brides' corpses on the ground had all changed to varying degrees. Some had already turned into white bones, while others had begun to rot and emit waves of stench. The stench awoke everyone on the ground. They slowly woke up, and when they saw this scene, they were once again shocked.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xie Lian rambled on about karma and retribution, warning everyone to pray for the brides after they left the mountain and think of a way to notify the brides' families to come and claim the corpses. They must not engage in the shady business of selling corpses, and they must not do anything shameful. After such a thrilling night, and with no one to take the lead, no one dared to say anything else when they heard him speak. They all trembled with fear as they agreed, feeling as if they had just had a nightmare. Only now did they realize why they seemed to have been possessed last night. With so many corpses, how could they still think of nothing but making money? Thinking back on it, even they felt terrified. Last night, everyone had been doing it. Relying on the fact that there were many people, and with someone taking the lead, they had muddleheadedly followed. Now that they were afraid of the lingering fear, they sincerely repented and prayed for blessings.
The sky hadn't even brightened yet, and there were still wolf packs waiting to cause trouble in the mountain. Nan Feng had just finished running a large circle around the mountain, and now he had to bring such a large group of people down the mountain. He didn't complain. He made an appointment with Xie Lian to discuss the aftermath of the upside-down forest of corpses later.
After the bandaged teenager woke up, he once again sat next to Little Ying's corpse. He hugged her without saying anything. Xie Lian also sat next to the teenager. After thinking for a long time, he was just about to say something to comfort him when he suddenly discovered that the teenager's head was bleeding.
If it was blood from the forest of corpses, it should have already dried up. However, this blood was still continuously flowing, so it could only mean that the teenager was injured. At that moment, Xie Lian said to him, "Your head is injured. Take off the bandage and I'll help you take a look."
The teenager slowly raised his head. His two bloodshot eyes looked at Xie Lian, seeming timid and hesitant. Xie Lian faintly smiled and said, "Don't be afraid. If there's an injury, it definitely needs to be bandaged. I promise I won't be scared by you. "
The teenager hesitated for a moment before turning around. Then, one round at a time, he slowly took off the bandage on his head. His movements were very slow. Xie Lian patiently waited for him. In his heart, he was already pondering the next question. "This teenager definitely can't stay on Mount Yu Jun anymore. Then where can he go? He can't possibly follow me back to Heaven. I don't even know where my next meal will be, so I need to think of a safe way to settle him down. There's also Qing Gui, Qi Rong … … "
At this moment, the teenager finished taking off the bandage and turned around.