Ch.11: Mountain-Locked Ancient Temple; Forest of Hanging Corpses 3

That female ghost bore a handsome oval face, her brows high and arching, truly exceedingly

beautiful. While her original beauty was laced with three parts heroism, it was now stormed with

a blast of resentment, as if she had been trapped in a small, confined space for years, barred

from the light of the sun. She was kneeling on the ground, and the bridal robe below the knees

was tattered and frayed. No wonder people talked of it.

Xie Lian and the ghost stared at each other unyieldingly for a while before he spoke up.

“Xuan Ji?”

It seemed it had been many years since anyone called her by that name. It was a long time

before the resentment on her face faded some, and a flash of light shone in her eyes.

“...Was it he who sent you to find me?” she asked.

Xie Lian supposed that this “he” naturally referred to that General Pei.

Xuan Ji then pressed on, “What about the man himself? Why won’t he come see me himself?”

That passionate expression and that hopeful tone while she spoke made Xie Lian feel that he

best not say “it wasn’t”. Seeing that he hesitated to respond, Xuan Ji slumped onto the ground.

Her back leaned against that handsome and tall martial god statue. Her bright red bridal robe

spread about her on the ground like a giant flower of blood. Her hair was dishevelled, her face

filled with agonizing torment, as if she was suffering an extreme misery.

“...Why won’t he come see me?”

Xie Lian wasn’t able to answer this question either, so he could only remain silent. Xuan Ji

raised her head to gaze upon that divine statue and moaned sorrowfully.

“Pei dear, oh Pei dear, I’ve betrayed my kingdom for you, abandoned my everything and

became like this. Why won’t you come see me anymore?”

She pulled at her own hair, demanding, “Could your heart be made of iron?”

Xie Lian didn’t react to any of this, but when he heard her, he silently pondered. Xuan Ji said

she betrayed her kingdom for General Pei. Could that mean that this General Pei she spoke of

tricked her into spilling enemy secrets while the two were in the heat of their passion, causing

Xuan Ji’s kingdom to fall into disadvantage on the battlefield? She also said that it was because

of General Pei that she’d become this, and by “this” she naturally meant this tragic broken-legs

disposition. Xuan Ji was a woman general; upon the battlefield, there was no way she was

crippled, so those legs of hers could only have been broken later. Could this have something todo with General Pei, too? Was it because of General Pei abandoning what he had started that

led to such deep and severe resentment?

While Xie Lian felt everything he thought of was rather vulgar, with Xuan Ji having such

profound resentment, to the point where she was harming innocent lives, as vulgar as it was,

Xie Lian could only force himself to think in this direction. Just then, the sound of a girl

screaming suddenly came from outside the temple.

“HELP! HELP!”

Xie Lian and Xuan Ji both looked out of the window at the same time. Where Ruoye had formed

the white circle, a man was trying to drag that bandaged boy out while Xiao Ying clung onto that

man’s leg, not letting go.

That man started yelling curses; it was that little mob boss. “GET THE HELL AWAY! YOU

DUMBASS, WHAT IF YOU CALL THAT FEMALE GHOST OVER?!”

Xiao Ying shouted, “IF SHE COMES THEN SHE COMES, YOU’RE SCARIER THAN ANY

GHOSTS! I…I’D RATHER SEE A FEMALE GHOST INSTEAD!”

Turns out, that little mob boss Xie Lian knocked out with one whip of his silk band had come to.

When he saw the sluggishly-fumbling brides all around, he first jumped in surprise, but soon

realized none of them could register humans. He was exceedingly gutsy, hot-headed and

foolhardy, and he planned to drag this bandaged boy down the mountain to collect his bounty

while everyone still didn’t dare to move. He didn’t care at all whether or not this boy was really

the Ghost Groom; everyone down the mountain said he was, so he was. Yet unexpectedly, Xiao

Ying pounced over screaming and shouting, alerting all the drifting brides in the surrounding

area, including Xuan Ji inside the Temple of Ming Guang.

Xie Lian saw that it was him again, and mentally grumbled that he should have whipped harder

earlier; best if the man was whipped so hard he didn’t wake for three days and three nights.

He shouted, “GO BACK INTO THE CIRCLE!”

The little mob boss saw a stream of black mist had come lunging at him, and hastily retreated.

However, the bandaged boy was still in his grip, and Xiao Ying was still clinging onto his leg, so

in the end he was still too slow by a beat. Instantly, the black mist enveloped him, and he was

then sucked back to Xuan Ji’s hand. He turned his head to look; wasn’t this dishevelled, long-

haired, haunting and chilling woman that beautiful corpse he had touched among all those

brides lying on the ground earlier?

Only having made it this far did he finally learn what fear meant. He wailed at the top of his

lungs while Xuan Ji curled her five fingers, digging them deep into the back of his head. In an

instant, his skull was pulled out from the heavy layer of flesh of his head. The skull that was just pulled out was still steamingly hot, its mouth still wide open and

screaming. “AAAAHHHHHHHH—!!!!”

The people within the white circle also had their mouths open wide and screaming, so terrified

their souls had left their bodies. “AAAAHHHHHHH—!!!!”

Xiao Ying was also thoroughly terrified, pulling that bandaged boy into the circle as she

screamed. Xuan Ji reached her fingers out at them again, but Xie Lian flashed over and blocked

in front of her.

“General, please refrain from further killing sins.”

He called her “General” in hope of reminding her that she was once a heroine who fought

bravely at the frontlines to protect her kingdom. Yet, Xuan Ji crushed the head that was

screaming in terror in her grip; that gorgeous face now seven parts twisted.

She sneered. “Is he too scared to see me?”

Xie Lian couldn’t think of any other way, and wondered if he should pretend to be someone sent

by General Pei to smooth things over first. But Xuan Ji didn’t need his response at all. She

laughed heartily then whipped around, pointing at that divine statue.

“I burnt your temples and caused havoc in your land, just so you’d come to take one look at me!

I’ve waited for you for years!”

She stared at that martial god statue with wide eyes for a good while, then she strangled its

neck and started shaking it like mad.

“But you still won’t come to see me! IS IT BECAUSE YOU KNEW YOU WRONGED ME?

WON’T YOU LOOK AT MY LEGS?! LOOK AT HOW I AM NOW! THIS IS ALL FOR YOU! FOR

YOU!! IS YOUR HEART MADE OF IRON?!”

Although as a bystander, Xie Lian didn’t want to comment on who was right or wrong, but based

on his own opinions, he really couldn’t help but think, “If you wanted to see him, could you not

have used a saner method? In any case, if someone used this method because they wanted to

see me, I would have zero desire to show up.”

On the other end, Xiao Ying and that bandaged boy finally returned to the circle anew.

Looking his way, she whispered in concern, “Young master…”

Hearing her, Xie Lian gave her a smile, indicating that she needn’t worry. Yet unexpectedly, the

moment he smiled, Xuan Ji’s face instantly contorted and she lunged over from the divine

statue.

“Since you won’t look at me and prefer to look at those girls who love smiling, then I’ll let you

look to your heart’s content!” Although the one she was strangling was Xie Lian, her words were directed at General Pei. Xie

Lian had originally thought that Xuan Ji’s heart was full of jealousy for those happily-smiling

brides in their sedans because she herself couldn’t marry the one she loved. He hadn’t

expected that it was because this General Pei liked girls who smiled, so she, in her distorted

mind, connected that to brides who were about to marry their lovers. No wonder she burnt all

the Ming Guang temples down the mountain. Now that he thought about it, it was probably

because she couldn’t stand having to share this one divine statue with all those women who’d

visit Ming Guang temples day in and day out.

This female ghost was indeed a Savage. Even with both legs broken, her movements were fast

like a devil, and even after having been beaten by Ruoye her strength was still formidable. Xie

Lian couldn’t keep it up with her strangling him like this, and just as he was about to summon

Ruoye, there was a loud cry.

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH—”

That girl Xiao Ying saw that he couldn’t hang on anymore, so she picked up a branch and came

charging over; yelling as she charged, seeming to be pumping courage for herself. Xuan Ji

didn’t even need to lift a finger. She only gave a chilling look, and before Xiao Ying had even

gotten close, she was sent flying meters away, crashing heavily and head-first.

That bandaged boy croaked out a loud “AAAHH” as he ran over. Xie Lian was shocked too, but

right as he sat up, he felt a chill on the back of his head. Xuan Ji’s five fingers were already in

place, seeming like she was going to yank his skull from his skin just like earlier. Under this dire

situation, Xie Lian’s right hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

He shouted, “BIND!”

A sharp WHOOSH sound broke through the air, and the white silk bandage heeded the

command, circling and twisting about Xuan Ji, tying her up. Xuan Ji’s legs were broken, so she

couldn’t dodge in time. Thus, with a heavy THUD, she fell to her knees and started rolling on the

ground, trying to break free of this white silk band. Yet the more she struggled, the tighter the

bind became. The moment he was set free, Xie Lian didn’t even take a moment to catch his

breath before he immediately got to his feet and ran to where Xiao Ying was.

Even with Ruoye recalled, the crowd still didn’t dare to move rashly, but there were also a

number of daring villagers who had gotten used to those fumbling brides and came circling.

That bandaged boy was kneeling next to Xiao Ying’s sprawled form, not knowing what to do, so

anxious he was like a small insect on the rim of a boiling pot. No one dared touch her, afraid

that she had broken something critical and if she should struggle the injury would get worse. Xie

Lian gave a quick once-over, and knew that no matter how careful he was it’d be pointless. To

have fallen like this, there was no way she’d survive.

While he hadn’t interacted much with this girl, Xiao Ying, hadn’t even spoken with her much, Xie

Lian still knew that she was a kindhearted girl despite her ugly appearance. Such an ending for her truly made one’s heart sink. On the other end, Xuan Ji shouldn’t be able to struggle free of

Ruoye.

Xie Lian thought, “Even if it’s pointless, she shouldn’t be left in this position right before her

death.”

And so, he very carefully flipped her over.

Xiao Ying’s face was covered with blood, and the crowd around clicked their tongues and

sighed as they watched.

However, she still had breath left, and she whispered, “...Young master, have I made things

worse…”

Although she didn’t make anything worse, she certainly didn’t actually help either. Xie Lian was

already going to summon Ruoye at the time, and didn’t require anyone else’s help. Besides,

with that single branch of hers, even if she had managed to hit Xuan Ji it wouldn’t have done

anything, nevermind that she wouldn’t have been able to get near the female’s ghost’s body in

the first place. With all that, this could be said to be a completely meaningless death.

Xie Lian answered her, “No. You’ve been a great help. You see, the moment you came over,

the female ghost’s attention was diverted, which was how I was able to have the time to subdue

her. Thank you so very much. But, you can’t do that again next time, alright. If you’re going to

help, you have to tell me first, otherwise if I don’t pick up on it, things will be toast.”

Xiao Ying chuckled. “Sigh, young master, you don’t need to comfort me anymore. I know I

wasn’t any help, and there won’t be a next time.”

Her words were jumbled and unclear, and when she spat out a mouthful of blood, there were

even a few broken front teeth mixed in. That bandaged boy was shaking with panic, “woowoo”-

ing, trying to speak.

Xiao Ying turned to him. “Don’t go down the mountain to steal food anymore, in the future. If

anyone finds out, they’ll beat you to death.”

“If he ever gets hungry, he can come to me,” Xie Lian said.

Xiao Ying’s eyes lit up hearing this. “...Really? Then, thanks so much…”

She smiled and smiled, until suddenly, two lines of tears streamed down from that pair of tiny

eyes.

She said quietly, “I feel, I haven’t lived through many good days in all my life here in this world.”

Xie Lian didn’t know what to say, and gently patted her hand.

Xiao Ying then sighed. “Sigh, nevermind, maybe I’m just…born unlucky.” Those words certainly did sound a little funny, and, since her nose was bent, her eyes slanted,

her face so ugly it was silly, it was kind of funny to see such a face covered in blood and tears.

With tears still rolling down, she choked, “But, even then, I still…I still…”

Her breathing stopped, and she passed with those words. That bandaged boy saw that she had

died, and started to weep quietly while hugging her dead body. His head was buried in her belly,

like he had lost a dependent; he didn’t dare to raise his head up no matter what.

As for Xie Lian, he reached out and helped close her eyes, speaking to her mentally, “You’re

stronger than me.”

Right then, the sound of a bizarre bell tolled.

“CLANG!”

“CLANG!”

“CLANG!”

Three roaring tolls later, all of a sudden Xie Lian felt his head go dizzy, and he wondered out

loud, “What’s going on?”

Then he looked all around. All the brides had collapsed to the ground, only their arms still up

and reaching to the sky. The crowd of villagers had also slumped, as if they were all knocked

out by this series of quaking bells. Xie Lian himself felt his head rather heavy, and forced

himself to stand with his hand supporting his forehead, but his legs went weak and he fell with

one knee to the ground. Fortunately, someone helped support him. When Xie Lian looked up, it

was Nan Feng.

Turns out, the moment those seven brides entered the forest, they instantly spread out. Nan

Feng almost ran all over the entirety of Mount Yujun before he managed to capture all of them,

and he had only just returned.

Seeing him quite calm, Xie Lian immediately asked, “What’s with that bell?”

“Don’t worry, it’s reinforcements,” Nan Feng replied.

Xie Lian looked over following his gaze, and only then did he notice that, before the Temple of

Ming Guang, a row of soldiers had appeared, standing there since who knows when.

Each of these soldiers were donned in armour, emitting sharp and awe-inspiring auras, and

their bodies were enveloped with a thin layer of spiritual light. In front of the soldiers there stood

a poised, elegant, and tall young military general, obviously not a mortal. That military general

approached with his hands clasped behind his back, and came before Xie Lian, bending slightly

at the waist. “Your Highness.”

Xie Lian hadn’t yet opened his mouth to make inquiries before Nan Feng whispered next to him.

“This is General Pei.”

Xie Lian instantly took a glance at Xuan Ji, who was on the ground. “General Pei?”

This General Pei didn’t quite match what he had imagined, and was also grossly different than

the divine statues. That divine statue’s heroic form was vivacious, its eyes spirited and

energetic; a handsomeness that was aggressive and invasive. While this young military general

was also handsome, his complexion was pale, and his brows were as calm as cool jade. There

was no sense of a murderous aura, only a rippleless tranquility. He was a military general, but

he could be said to be a tactician.

General Pei noticed Xuan Ji who was on the ground, and spoke, “The Palace of Ling Wen

informed us that the incident at Mount Yujun this time might be related to our Palace of Ming

Guang, and so this servant has come. I didn’t expect that it really did have something to do with

us. We have troubled Your Highness.”

Xie Lian thanked Ling Wen mentally. He wondered, how in the world was the Palace of Ling

Wen inefficient?

He replied, “General Pei is working hard too.”

Xuan Ji, who was in the middle of struggling faintly, heard the words “General Pei” and suddenly

looked up, demanding enthusiastically, “Pei dear, Pei dear! Is that you? Have you come? HAVE

YOU FINALLY COME?”

She was bound by Ruoye, and as overjoyed as she was, she could only rise into a kneel. Yet

unexpectedly, the moment she saw that military general, her face instantly blanched.

“WHO ARE YOU?!”

On this end, Xie Lian had already given Nan Feng a general account of just what the ghost

groom affair was about. When he heard her question, he responded, “Isn’t this General Pei?

Could she have waited for too long, and doesn’t recognize him anymore?”

“This is General Pei,” Nan Feng answered. “But it’s not the one she’s waiting for.”

Xie Lian was confused. “And there are two General Peis?”

Yet Nan Feng replied, “That’s correct. There are indeed two of them!”

Turns out, the General Pei this female ghost Xuan Ji was waiting for was the main god of the

Temple of Ming Guang. The one before them now was the deputy god of the Palace of Ming

Guang, a descendant of the other General Pei. In order to differentiate the two, everyone addressed this one as “General Pei Junior”. In legitimate Ming Guang temples, both must be

worshipped, one facing the front, and one facing the back. General Pei was the principal god of

the main hall, so his divine statue faced the entrance of the temple hall, whereas General Pei

Junior’s divine statue was set up behind the back. While he was of a later generation of his

ancestor, by looks they appeared no different than brothers. Two ascendees from one

household was definitely considered a fantastic tale.

Xuan Ji scanned the area and didn’t see the one she wanted to see among the soldiers either.

She cried bitterly, “Where’s Pei Ming? Why hasn’t he come? Why won’t he come and see me?”

General Pei Junior inclined his head and replied, “General Pei has important business to tend

to.”

Xuan Ji muttered, “Important business?”

Underneath the long hair draping over her face, tears were streaming. “I’ve waited for him for

hundreds of years, what important business could he have? Back then, in order to see me, he

could cross half the border in one night, what important business could he have now? So

important that he can’t even come down to spare me a look? Is there anything? I don’t think

there is?”

“General Xuan Ji, please be on your way,” General Pei Junior said.

From the troop, two soldiers from the Palace of Ming Guang approached and pulled off Ruoye

from Xuan Ji’s person. After it affectionately wrapped itself back around Xie Lian’s wrist, he

gently patted it twice to comfort it. Xuan Ji allowed herself to be grabbed by those two soldiers

and was blank for a moment, when suddenly she started struggling with force, cursing while

pointing to the heavens.

“PEI MING! I CURSE YOU!”

This screech was sharp, and Xie Lian was taken aback, thinking to himself, “Isn’t this cursing

the ancestor before the descendant?”

That General Pei Junior, however, didn’t react at all. He said expressionlessly, “Please excuse

us.”

Xuan Ji was screaming until she became hoarse. “I CURSE YOU! YOU BEST NEVER FALL IN

LOVE WITH ANYONE, OTHERWISE IF THAT DAY SHOULD COME, I’LL CURSE YOU TO BE

JUST LIKE ME, TO BURN WITH THE FIRE OF LOVE UNCEASINGLY, FOREVER AND

EVER! THE FIRE OF LOVE WILL BURN YOUR BODY, SCORCH YOUR HEART, YOUR

LIVER, YOUR ORGANS!”

Right then, General Pei Junior greeted Xie Lian and the others, “Excuse us. Please wait a

moment.” Then he raised his middle and index finger and lightly pressed them against his temple. This

was the spell to activate the spiritual communication array, so he must be communicating with

someone. A moment later, he “en”-ed, and dropped his hand, clasping it behind him again, and

turned to Xuan Ji.

“General Pei wants me to tell you—‘That’s impossible’.”

Xuan Ji screeched, “I CURSE YOU—!!!”

General Pei Junior waved his hand slightly and ordered, “Take her away.”

The two soldiers carried Xuan Ji, who was struggling like crazy, and dragged her away.

Xie Lian spoke up, “General Pei Junior, might I ask, how will this Xuan Ji be handled?”

“Sealed under the mountain,” General Pei Junior replied.

To find a mountain as a seal was certainly the usual way the heavenly realm dealt with

monsters and ghosts. Humming heavily for a moment, Xie Lian still spoke up.

“This General Xuan Ji’s resentment is quite strong; she couldn’t let go of the hatred stemming

from betraying her kingdom for General Pei. Perhaps sealing isn’t the right long-term solution.”

General Pei Junior however, only inclined his head. “She said she betrayed her kingdom

because of General Pei?”

“She certainly did say so,” Xie Lian said. “That it was because of General Pei that she became

like this. Whether that's the truth, though, I don’t know.”

“If it must be said this way, it’s not altogether wrong,” General Pei Junior said. “She did betray

her kingdom for General Pei. However, the details in between might be different than what

bystanders might imagine. After she and General Pei separated, in order to retain him, General

Xuan Ji offered up military intelligence of her own volition. General Pei was unwilling to win

unfairly, so he didn’t take the offer.”

....Well now, he had never thought that the whole “I betrayed my kingdom for you” was actually

like this.

Xie Lian replied, “Then when she said both her legs were broken, it was also because of

General Pei, it was…?”

“She broke those legs herself,” General Pei Junior answered.

...Broke them herself?

General Pei Junior replied emotionlessly, “General Pei doesn’t like forceful women, but General

Xuan Ji has a strong character, which was why they couldn’t be together for long. General Xuan Ji couldn’t accept it, and told General Pei that she was willing to sacrifice for him and change

herself. Thus she ruined her own martial skills, and broke her own legs.

“With this, it was like she destroyed both her wings in order to tie herself to General Pei’s side.

General Pei never abandoned her to her own devices, and kept her to take care of her, but in

the end he never wanted to marry her. General Xuan Ji’s wish was never fulfilled, and so she

killed herself in resentment. Not for anything else, but just so General Pei would be sad. But,

pardon my bluntness...” The way he spoke had always been polite and overly calm. “...That

would never happen.”

Xie Lian rubbed his forehead and didn’t speak, thinking to himself, “Who the heck are these

people?”

General Pei Junior continued, “I don’t know the right and wrong of all this, either. I only know

that if General Xuan Ji was willing to let go, things wouldn’t have to be this way. Your Highness,

this servant will take his leave now.”

Xie Lian also raised his hands in a courtesy greeting and sent them off.

Nan Feng commented, “Weirdos.”

Xie Lian thought inwardly, he himself was the laughingstock of the three realms, an infamous

weirdo, so he best not comment on anyone else. This was something between General Pei and

Xuan Ji, so for bystanders, there was no point in discussing who was right or wrong. Only, the

sympathies went out to all seventeen of those innocent brides, and all the military officials and

sedan drivers who escorted them but suffered a disaster for no reason.

Having brought up the subject of the brides, Xie Lian instantly turned his gaze to look, and saw

the seventeen corpses of the brides had started to show various stages of deterioration. Some

had already become white bones, while some were starting to rot, emitting waves of foul odour.

The stench roused the people lying on the ground, and they gradually came to, but when they

saw the scene, they jumped in shock and terror once more.

Using this chance, Xie Lian nagged at them to spread the philosophy of good and bad karma,

advising them to pray lots for each of the brides once they went back down the mountain, and to

think of a way to contact the families of those brides to come and collect their corpses. He also

cautioned that they must never commit the same deeds as those corpse-sellers, and they

shouldn’t commit any wrongdoings either. After such a thrilling night, and now with the leading

provocateur gone, no one else dared to speak against Xie Lian and each acknowledged him

apprehensively, all of them feeling like they just had a nightmare. Only then did they notice that

they acted as if they were possessed. There were so many dead people, how did they still only

have money in their minds? Thinking back, they all thought it horrifying. The night before,

everyone was doing the same thing; with a mob and a leader, they all rushed in without thinking.

Now that they harboured fear in their minds, they very earnestly repented and prayed for

blessings. The day hadn’t yet broken, and fearing that there might be wolves and others stirring trouble,

even though Nan Feng had just run a huge circle around the whole mountain, he had to take

this large group of people down the mountain. He didn’t complain, however, and arranged with

Xie Lian to discuss afterwards what was to be done of that Upside-Down Corpse-Hanging

Forest.

When that bandaged boy woke up, he sat next to Xiao Ying’s corpse once more, hugging her,

not saying a word, and so Xie Lian also sat down next to him. He spent a while coming up with

a script, but just as he was about to speak to comfort him, Xie Lian suddenly noticed that this

boy’s head was bleeding.

If it was blood from the Corpse Forest, then it should’ve dried, but this blood was still dripping,

so it could only be that he was injured.

Right then, Xie Lian told him, “Your head is wounded, take off your bandages and let me take a

look.”

That boy slowly looked up, and those bloodshot eyes glimpsed at him, like he was scared and

hesitant. Xie Lian smiled gently.

“Don’t be afraid. If there’s a wound, then it must be dressed. I promise I won’t be scared off by

you.”

That boy hesitated for a moment, then turned around, and circle by circle he slowly unwrapped

the bandages around his head. His movement was very slow, but Xie Lian waited for him very

patiently, and was already pondering the issues that would come after.

“This boy for sure can’t stay at Mount Yujun anymore, but where can he go? He can’t come

back to the heavens with me, and I don’t even know when my next meal is. I’ll have to think of a

dependable way to settle him. And, the Green Ghost, Qi Rong…”

Just then, that boy had finished removing the bandages and turned around.

And just as Xie Lian saw that face in its entirety, he felt all the blood in his veins had drained

thoroughly.

TBC

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