Me and the devil

十二

Since the 'bridegroom' was a woman, a lot of things could be explained. For example, why there were no other Temples of Ming Guang on or around Mount Yujun. This General Xuan Ji had been burning them down out of jealousy. It wasn't that the mortals didn't want to build any temples, it was because they couldn't! So then why would there be a Temple of Ming Guang hidden on Mount Yujun that was protected with an array, keeping mortals out, yet the craftsmanship and the maintenance of the temple were so exquisite and realistic. Why was the ghost bride decked out in a wedding dress herself, but couldn't bear to see any other brides smile on their journey through Mount Yujun>

When Xie Lian had connected the dots, he couldn't think of any other solution to this problem besides jealousy and possessiveness. And that strange sound, like cloth-covered rods dragging something heavy–if it was really the sound of footsteps. Then Xie Lian could only draw one conclusion.

Finally, every bride that had been chasing him had had a veil thrown over their head. Xie Lian landed on the ground and breathed a sigh of relief. He did a quick head count.

One...three...five...seven...nine...ten.

That meant that Feng Xin was currently chasing after seven brides. He had veiled ten brides and they were all here. That meant that there was just one more bride that hadn't shown her face.

Almost on cue, he heard that strange sound again. THUMP THUMP, THUMP THUMP, coming from behind him.

Xie Lian turned, and was met with an incredibly short and small form.

He drew in a small breath, "I knew it."

This short, and small woman in front of him was dressed in red wedding robes, but similar to the fake wedding procession that Xiao-Pengtou orchestrated, there was no air of happiness around her. Instead the air around her was sorrowful and simmering with anger. The figure wasn't actually that short, she only appeared to be because she was kneeling on the ground.

The bones on both of her legs were broken, but her legs were still there, she had been using her knees to walk this whole time. The odd thump-ing sound was her dragging her broken legs to hop across the ground.

The female ghost had an exceedingly beautiful oval face, her brows were high and arching; she was truly a rare beauty. No wonder the men had spoken so highly of her earlier. While originally she bore a heroic face, it was now laced with a storm of resentment, as if she had been contained in a small, confined space for all these years, without a single ray of sunlight. The bridal dress was dirty and tattered from her knees down.

Xie Lian and the ghost stared at each other for a good while before he quietly spoke up, "Xuan Ji?"

Judging from the look on her face, it had been a long time since anyone had called her by her name. The resentment slowly melted from her face and a ray of hope shone in her eyes. "...Did he send you?" she asked.

Xie Lian guessed that this "he" was - naturally - General Pei.

Xuan Ji pressed on, not waiting for an answer. "What about the man himself? Why won't he come to see me?"

Her passionate expression and hopeful tone made Xie Lian feel it was best not to say "he didn't." Instead, he opted for silence.

Seeing that he remained silent, Xuan Ji slumped to the ground.

She leaned on the handsome, tall, statue of General Ming Guang. Her bridal robes spread around her like a gigantic flower of blood. Her hair was disheveled and strands of hair fell in front of her face. She wore an expression of great torment.

"...Why won't he come to see me?"

Xie Lian couldn't answer that question. For he himself did not personally know General Pei. He had met him a few times during his first ascension... and once after.