CH 11
The female ghost had an oval face with a pair of arched eyebrows. She really was extremely beautiful. Although her beauty may have alluded to hints of heroism before, now, it only bled unconcealed resentment, as if all her hatred had been concentrated into a confined space where no light could be shed. As she knelt on the ground, the part of her bridal dress below the knee looked threadbare and ragged. It was now obvious how the rumours had started.
The two of them stared in silence for a moment before Xie Lian finally spoke, "Xuan Ji?"
It seems it had been many years since someone had called her by this name. It took awhile for the resentment reflected in the female ghost's face to faintly scatter; replaced by a light that flashed across her eyes
She spoke, "......He sent you to come find me, didn't he?"
This 'he'......Xie Lian guessed, certainly must be referring to that General Pei.
Xuan Ji then proceeded to ask, "What about him? Why didn't he come see me himself?"
When she spoke, her face held such a fervent, hopeful and anticipatory expression that it made Xian Lian feel it be best not to reply with a "No, that isn't the case". Seeing Xie Lian's silence, Xuan Ji suddenly collapsed and sat onto the floor.
She leaned against the statue of the handsome and tall Martial God, as her crimson bridal attire spread across the earth not unlike that of a massive bloodstained flower. With her hair in disarray, face contorted with pain, it was as though she was subjected to great torment. Xuan Ji asked, "......Why does he not come see me?"
This was yet another question Xie Lian could not answer, thus he could only remain solemn. Xuan Ji raised her head and gazed up at the God Statue, before she mournfully cried, "Pei Lang......oh Pei Lang. I betrayed my kingdom for you, I abandoned my everything and turned into this. Why won't you come see me?"
With both hands, Xuan Ji yanked at her own hair and continued to question, "Pei Lang, is your heart made out of iron?"
Xie Lian silently observed her. Upon hearing these lines, he inwardly pondered: Xuan Ji said she betrayed her kingdom for General Pei......could it be that this General Pei took advantage of their intimacy to deceive secret military intelligence from her, which led to Xuan Ji's kingdom's defeat in war?
She also said that it was only because of General Pei that she became this way. By "became this way", it could only be referring to her awful broken-legged miserable state. Xuan Ji was a female General, to be on the battlefield, it would not have been possible for her to be handicapped, which can only mean her legs were broken after the fact. Could this have something to do with General Pei as well? Could it be that when General Pei no longer found her useful and tossed her aside, this was the very reason that led to her resentment being so deep?
Although Xie Lian felt that having these thoughts were quite tasteless, yet with Xuan Ji's resentment so deep to the point she would harm innocent lives......his thoughts may be vulgar, but he could only force himself to continue thinking this way for the time being.
Suddenly, a woman's scream came from outside the temple, "Help! Help!"
Xie Lian and Xuan Ji glanced out the window at the same time. What they saw was that within the white circle Ruoye had fallen into, a person was dragging that bandaged teenager outwards. Little Ying was firmly clinging onto that person's leg without letting go, causing that person to start raining curses.
It was in fact that youngster from before. "Scram! You moronic trash, what if your shouts attract that female ghost over?"
Little Ying continued loudly, "If I shout her over then so be it! You're much worse than that ghost! I......I'd rather face that female ghost than you!"
