Chapter 5 Princess's Decree and Marriage Contract

"So that's how it was solved! No wonder you're the Abbot!" Pei Xueyi's eyes shone brightly, her admiration undisguised. She looked at the Abbot of Yunshui Temple, and then, without the slightest hesitation, eagerly asked, "Abbot, may I see your magic sword?"

Pei Xuexiao coughed lightly, trying to remind her impetuous sister.

The Great Zhou reveres Taoism, and people like the Abbot are always highly respected. Even though they hold a high position as Night Watchers, their mysterious organization is still largely unknown, so they must proceed with caution in broad daylight.

Pei Xueyi was a difficult person to manage, and at this moment she completely ignored her brother's reminder, her curious gaze still fixed on the ancient sword behind the Yunshui Temple Master.

The magic sword looked very old, like an old adventurer who had returned after many years away. Apart from being covered in frost, there was nothing unusual about it.

What particularly caught Jiang Geyun's attention was that Xie Jiming did not look at the sword. He stood next to Pei Xueyi, maintaining a focused expression on the surface, but his eyes were somewhat unfocused, clearly showing a lack of interest.

Okay, the protagonist has decided it's not some kind of treasure.

Jiang Geyun looked away.

This small turn of her head touched a strange black mark on her neck, causing Jiang Geyun to feel a slight burning pain.

During the soul-summoning ceremony.

After Jiang Geyun's blood mixed into the blood array, Cheng Jiao's shadow at the center of the array immediately solidified, her previously hesitant reaction became sharp, and her slightly dull eyes instantly became much more lively.

It's simply... the finishing touch that brings the painting to life.

Cheng Jiao called out "A-Yun" to Jiang Geyun.

The next moment, Pei Xueyi decisively dispersed Cheng Jiao's soul.

The Pei siblings explained to Jiang Geyun that with the amazing talent Jiang Geyun had shown, she was fully capable of distorting Cheng Jiao's consciousness. Cheng Jiao, summoned by the "contaminated" blood array, could no longer accept questioning. Even if any results were obtained, they could not be accepted. Therefore, they would choose another day to open the room.

Jiang Geyun calmly accepted the result.

It wasn't entirely what she expected, but it was acceptable.

This ceremony could very well have taken her life, and even if it were just postponed, it would be a good outcome for her.

Moreover, she has memorized the runes of the Blood Array, and when the conditions are right, she can try to recreate the Blood Array.

If only she had a cell phone, she could just take a picture. Now, ugh... does she have to remember this forever?

My head hurts so much.

This soul-summoning ritual has been a complete failure.

Xie Jiming stepped forward, took out the prepared candles, and lit them.

Almost the instant the candle was lit, Pei Xuexiao suddenly took out a small metal object from her bosom. A faint light rippled, and some information appeared on the surface of the metal.

Seriously? There really is a cell phone?

Jiang Geyun stared intently at the object in Pei Xuexiao's hand.

Pei Xuexiao's gaze turned stern as she swept over the small, mirror-like object, then looked meaningfully at Jiang Geyun.

He said, "Princess Zhengyi has summoned you, Miss Jiang, please come with us."

The system suddenly appeared: [Congratulations, host! It seems you won't be cannon fodder for now~ The system will continue to provide assistance to you~]

No, what did you help with?

Jiang Geyun almost laughed in anger.

Standing before the three men, she lowered her head and remained silent, as if accepting her helpless fate.

Then, something happened to the three of them, and a black shackle appeared around Jiang Geyun's neck.

The shackles felt slightly cool to the touch, and she didn't notice anything unusual about them, except that they would occasionally become scorching hot, and she still hadn't figured out the pattern of when they became hot.

No one told Jiang Geyun what this thing was or what its purpose was, but she could more or less guess it herself, since it was going to kill her anyway.

After the shackles were removed, Xie, Pei, and the other two told Jiang Geyun that they were going to take her to the capital to see Princess Zhengyi, the "head" of the Xuandu Supervisory Office.

Jiang Geyun's fate will be decided by Princess Zhengyi.

Now that something else could determine Jiang Geyun's fate, she suddenly felt a sense of relief, as if she had too many debts to worry about.

Going to see Princess Zhengyi might actually be a good thing.

After all, if the system has the ability to change this world at will, why bother to put her soul in this place to do some task? Wouldn't it be better to just control those "characters" herself?

There must be some kind of limitation, and that limitation is exactly what she needs to find.

Since we're heading to the capital, let's go to the Xuandujian's lair. It'll be a good time to compare whether the system's abilities are stronger or the abilities wielded by the natives of this world are stronger.

As long as she doesn't spend too much time on the road, there's still a 100-day countdown to her death waiting for her. Well, it's 99 days now.

The future looks bleak and uncertain.

...

The abbess of Yunshui Temple noticed that Jiang Geyun was distracted. The old lady, who had just experienced a calamity, still appeared magnanimous and kind.

She glanced at Jiang Geyun with concern, then sighed to Xie, Pei and the other two: "My old bones don't have much strength left. I'm seeing you all this time mainly to see you off. Also, this child, Ayun... I don't think this child is the murderer."

“I have personally fought that monster and know its nature well. If one were to use that thing to kill, the victim would surely be devoured by it, leaving no corpse behind. It is impossible for this child to be used by that thing and escape unscathed. Moreover, this child and Su Guang have always been on good terms…”

The abbess of Yunshui Temple was very amiable and usually referred to herself as "I," but in these words she deliberately used "this old woman."

This was presumably to demonstrate her stance and protect Jiang Geyun.

Unfortunately, Pei Xuexiao has always been tough and doesn't buy into that.

He bowed politely and replied coldly, "This matter will be decided by Princess Zhengyi. I will convey the Lord's will to the Princess."

Pei Xuexiao's reply was exactly what Jiang Geyun expected.

However, another question arose in her mind.

Jiang Geyun suddenly asked, "Have you released the others?"

Before her brother could stop her, Pei Xueyi blurted out, "Yes."

"Is that so?" Jiang Geyun's expression turned confused. She asked, "Are you sure those people aren't the murderers? Wasn't it said that the princess would make the judgment? And that they don't need to be detained in the county jail anymore?"

“Ah,” Pei Xueyi waved her hand dismissively when she heard her question, saying, “No need, those people don’t have a ‘death line’ on them, and Ge Sheng already said so…”

Regardless of what the unfamiliar word "deadline" means, it can't possibly be that thing called Deadline... More importantly, what about "Ge Sheng"?

Jiang Geyun's heart skipped a beat; this was the name of Su Guang, the maid.

There are so many details about Su Guang's death that she didn't know.

She was about to press Pei Xueyi for details about what Ge Sheng had said when Pei Xuexiao reacted and sternly stopped her, saying, "Pei Xueyi!"

Pei Xueyi hummed in response and then fell silent.

Seeing Pei Xuexiao's gaze sweep over, Jiang Geyun acted as if she hadn't realized anything and asked innocently, "What's wrong?"

Pei Xuexiao gave Jiang Geyun a warning look, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the shackle mark on her neck and the still-healing bloodstain. His eyes flickered almost imperceptibly.

In the end, he said nothing and looked away.

Pei Xuexiao turned to the abbot of Yunshui Temple and said, "Thanks to your divine power, the filth in Yunshui Temple has been removed. As for the origin of that incense burner, the county government will investigate it thoroughly. We, the Night Watchers, have fulfilled our duties, so there is no need for you to see us off."

According to the old abbot's recollection, the object on which the unclean spirit was attached was not an item near the dormitory that Xie and Pei had initially imagined, but rather an incense burner in the Lingguan Hall.

That thing was extremely adept at changing its form and concealing its aura. If it weren't for the help of the magic sword, the abbot probably wouldn't have been able to detect it. After a fierce battle, the abbot of Yunshui Temple barely managed to defeat the thing and eliminate it.

However, it is not yet possible to find out which guest donated the incense burner.

As the farewell ceremony was nearing its end, Jiang Geyun suddenly remembered something and asked the abbot, "Does the abbot still remember that young master Cheng Xi? Has he already descended the mountain?"

System alert: [Why is the host asking for information about this person?]

Jiang Geyun said, "Is it not allowed?"

The moment Jiang Geyun answered, she immediately felt a familiar pain, as if some dull, rusty instrument was gouging inside her body, tearing her flesh and fascia to shreds.

This time, the pain wasn't as severe as when she ignored the system, so she only paled for a moment, her eyes flickered slightly, and she didn't react otherwise.

The system warned: [Warning! The system can correct the host's behavior at any time!]

She replied: "[...I was just trying to maintain the character's established persona.]"

The system replied: "I see. Next time, you should make it clear beforehand."

After saying that, the system stopped interfering with her actions, but did not offer any explanation or apology for this sudden punishment.

...

This incident seemed to have no effect on Jiang Geyun. She looked at the abbot as if she had not noticed the pain of that moment, her eyes still showing a faint curiosity and concern.

Although Jiang Geyun is now tied up—which means she has a meal ticket—she hasn't forgotten the original owner's initial purpose in coming to Lianzhou: "to find her relatives."

Jiang's mother once recounted how she rescued the Cheng family. She said that Cheng's father and mother had fled to Yingzhou with their two children. Cheng's father had disappeared, and she briefly took in Cheng's mother and two children. The two mothers got along well, so she arranged a marriage between the two families' children.

If it weren't for spending time with Su Guang, Jiang Geyun might have been able to forget about this long-awaited, joking agreement.

But things are not like that. They have such a connection that even though she can't go to the Cheng family for the time being, she is still worried about the situation of Cheng's mother and Cheng Xi. That's why she asked this question.

Although the matter is still unresolved, the death of Su Guang... Before the grief could fully overwhelm her, Jiang Geyun forcibly stopped her thoughts.

The abbot of Yunshui Temple smiled kindly and said, "The temple is dangerous. The area in front of the Lingguan Hall has been sealed off. I have arranged for all those who stayed there to go down the mountain in batches. Yunshui Temple still needs to be repaired and inspected, and the guests have not yet been allowed to return. I presume that Young Master Cheng has already gone down the mountain with everyone else."

In the abbot's memory, that was indeed the case, but after saying these words, a dark cloud seemed to linger in the old abbot's heart, and an inexplicable sense of unease slowly arose.

This feeling becomes even more pronounced when you carefully recall that "Young Master Cheng Xi".

How could this be...?

Jiang Geyun nodded: "Thank you, Abbot."

She probably thinks so too, and that's a good thing.

Although it was only a brief encounter, Young Master Cheng Xi's temperament was quite gentle and mild, so it was best not to get involved in these matters.

After meeting Princess Zhengyi, if she has the opportunity to return to Lianzhou, she should visit the Cheng family.

Jiang's mother and Su Guang are both deceased, and Jiang herself is in grave danger. But if she can do it, even if she cannot fulfill that distant and uncertain marriage agreement, she will protect the mother and son and ensure their safety and well-being.

In the course of a few words, Xie Jiming had already brought the horse over.

Jiang Geyun turned her head to look, looking rather helpless.

I thought that with so many extraordinary powers in this world, there must be extraordinary means of transportation, but I didn't expect it to still be carriages and horses.

Jiang Geyun looked up one last time at the mountain gate and then at the Yunshui Temple standing quietly in the mountains, a place where she had unknowingly stayed for more than a month.

She had seen how the bare branches here were covered with green leaves, and heard the chirping of mountain birds. Su Guang had helped her recognize those birds that looked the same at first glance... After that, she wondered if she would live to see the autumn leaves and winter snow of this place.

Jiang Geyun closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them again, her eyes filled with only tranquility.

She strode towards Xie, Pei, and the other two.

There were only three horses.

Jiang Geyun paused, then walked straight towards Pei Xueyi.

Unexpectedly, the girl in blue, who was already seated on horseback, shook her index finger and pointed in another direction.

Jiang Geyun looked in the direction the other person pointed. The aloof young man hadn't mounted his horse yet; he was holding the reins, his eyes still as cold as ever, and his tone the same:

"Xueyi is not good at horseback riding and cannot carry people."

Seeing that Jiang Geyun had not yet made a move, Pei Xuexiao frowned slightly. After a deliberate pause, he emphasized his words, speaking in a commanding tone:

"Miss Jiang, shall I ask you to mount your horse?"

A note from the author:

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The transition seems like a long separation, but actually someone will appear at the beginning of the next dungeon.