Chapter 27 Chapter 27 This little face is so tender...
Hearing this, Aunt Dan was stunned for a moment, then she reacted and hurriedly knelt down, kowtowing frantically: "Master, help me! Help me!"
"If you ask me to help you, at least tell me clearly what you want to save, right?"
Jiang Zhaoxue stroked the rough edge of the tea bowl and said with a smile, "Tell me what you did."
Aunt Dan was stunned by what she heard and dared not say a word.
From downstairs came her son's loud voice: "Mom, Mom, why don't you come down?"
As he spoke, her son trotted upstairs. Aunt Dan suddenly realized what was happening and hurriedly said, "Don't—"
But before she could shout, her burly little son had already opened the door and was then knocked down by Pei Zichen with a palm.
Jiang Zhaoxue raised her chin. "Tie him up... oh no, hang him up. It will be easier to beat him."
"No!" Aunt Dan cried out in panic, "Master, if you have anything to say, please come to my wife and me. The child is innocent and knows nothing!"
"Then tell me." Jiang Zhaoxue propped up her chin. "If you keep beating around the bush with me, I'm going to hit you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Pei Zichen's sword was unsheathed and pressed against the fingers of Aunt Dan's youngest son.
Jiang Zhaoxue was taken aback by his professionalism, but quickly suppressed her surprise. She coughed lightly and continued to threaten, "How did Zhuang Yan die?"
"I say."
Aunt Dan was just an ordinary citizen after all. She had been frightened by Jiang Zhaoxue's Yin Yang Powder a while ago. She said hurriedly, "I'm telling you. Zhuang Yan'er is my eldest daughter."
As soon as she opened her mouth, her eyes reddened and she said hoarsely, "After she was born, her father despised her as a money-loser and didn't want to raise her. Then someone happened to want to buy a child bride for his son, so he bought her for a hundred yuan."
Hearing this, Pei Zichen frowned. Jiang Zhaoxue's expression became much colder as she glanced around: "So it's not that your family can't afford to keep him, but you just felt it wasn't cost-effective, so you sent him away."
"yes."
Aunt Dan burst into tears. "I didn't want to do it. After all, I was pregnant for ten months and gave birth to the child. But at that time, I had just given birth and was weak. I was lying in bed, and when I woke up, the child was taken away. In the cold winter, I went out to look for her, but her father came back and beat me. He told me that the child had been thrown under the city bridge and her body was exposed."
Jiang Zhaoxue listened, his tone softened, and he only asked: "After that, how did you know about this?"
"I always thought she was dead, and I felt bad for it. Every year, I burned some small clothes for her. Until then... fifteen years ago, on New Year's Day, when I returned home, I saw a little girl sitting at our door. She was wearing tattered clothes and her shoes were broken. I thought she was begging and wanted to send her away, but she asked me... if this was where Zhuang Ping lived."
Aunt Dan choked up as she spoke, as if she were transported back to that New Year. She sobbed, "I don't know why, but as soon as I looked into her eyes, I knew it was her. My daughter had returned, so I brought her back. I gave her a bath, and she was covered in wounds, her feet covered in blisters. She said that family beat her and treated her badly. She didn't understand before, and she always wondered how biological parents could do this to their own child. Until this year, she heard from others that she had been bought for a hundred dollars..."
Aunt Dan covered her eyes with her hands, weeping so hard she couldn't speak. "Her father sold her for a hundred taels of silver... But she was happy. She said she knew her parents weren't the kind to bully her, and she was happy. So she tried everything. She was only five years old... She walked all the way from Zhangjia Village, a hundred miles away, all the way to Taizhou City."
"What happened next?" Jiang Zhaoxue lowered her eyes and looked at herself in the cup, not daring to look at the person in front of her any longer.
Aunt Dan seemed to be talking about this for the first time. She cried breathlessly and was extremely emotional. "I wanted to keep her, so I hid her in the house. Every year I made her little clothes and burned them, but that year, they weren't burned yet, so I put them on her. I originally wanted to hide her and find a chance to talk to her father about it, but I didn't expect... on the second day of the Lunar New Year, I was so busy that I forgot about her. She was so hungry that she crawled out from under the bed to look for me, and that's when she ran into her father."
As Aunt Dan spoke, she gradually calmed down. She wiped her tears, hatred in her eyes, and said hoarsely, "She was disobedient. I told her not to reveal her identity, but she started calling her dad. Her dad knew she was the one who came back, so he wanted to beat her. I heard the noise and went upstairs to stop them. She saw me being beaten and came to protect me, but her dad kicked her..."
Aunt Dan couldn't continue. She clenched her fists and endured it again and again. Finally, she raised her hand tremblingly and pointed at the stairs outside: "She rolled down from there and died on the spot."
After saying this, Aunt Dan closed her eyes, as if finally relieved. "At that time, I also wanted to fight him to the death, but Yao'er was woken up by us, ran out, and stood aside crying. Yan'er is dead, but Yao'er is still alive. I can't support the child alone, and I can't even support myself. What can I do? I can only blame her bad luck, her disobedience, and her stupidity. Will her parents not harm her? How can she think that her parents won't harm her?"
She took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and said slowly, "She's grown up now, unlike those babies when they were little. If someone found her and reported her to the police, it would be a lawsuit. So we took advantage of the night to carry her to the bottom of the city bridge, found a mud pit, dug it, and buried her. When we buried her, she was still wearing the new clothes I knitted for her, and her father scolded me, saying I was wasting money."
"After she died, I was worried for a long time. I was afraid she would come to claim my life. What would happen to Yao'er then? So I found a Taoist priest. He scattered a handful of rice at our doorstep, saying that she would not be able to see our house and would never come back. After that, I lived in peace and stability until a few days ago, when I met the immortal master. The night I returned, I saw her near our doorstep."
"What does it look like?"
"She was wearing a red dress," Aunt Dan recalled, "holding a red umbrella. She was very beautiful, so beautiful that she looked unreal. I don't know why, but I knew it was her right away."
As she spoke, Aunt Dan smiled, with a look of nostalgia in her eyes: "It's just like when she came back that year."
"You came to me the next day and asked me to dig up her body and offer it as a sacrifice. Why didn't you go?"
Jiang Zhaoxue pressed the issue. Aunt Dan thought for a moment and hesitated, "Her father thinks... it's my hallucination, that you're a liar. As for me... I've been thinking about it all night."
Aunt Dan turned her head and glanced at her youngest son beside her, then slowly said, "Yao'er is already grown up. I think if Yan'er really comes back, then let her come back. Her father and I owe her something, so it's only natural that she wants to seek revenge on us."
Jiang Zhaoxue listened without commenting, only asking, "Then where is her body buried?"
"Under the city bridge," Aunt Dan recalled. "I can't tell you the exact location, but I can point it out to you when we get there."
Jiang Zhaoxue listened, thought for a moment, and secretly sent a message to Chen Zhao.
"Mr. Chen."
"Master Jiang?"
"When will the people from Tianjiyuan arrive?"
"I sent a message yesterday, and the first wave of reinforcements arrived at noon today."
"I've found her body." Jiang Zhaoxue stared at Aunt Dan, who was kneeling on the ground, staring blankly at the floor, and thought, "I'm taking people to dig her body out now. After we find her body, we'll hold a memorial service for her tomorrow and bury her. Her murderers are her parents, so I'll hand them over to the authorities. Mr. Chen, please tell them to execute her tomorrow."
By settling Zhuang Yan's grievances during her lifetime and destroying the "temple", she would be dealt a heavy blow.
If he took away anything from her body, such as her hair and bones, he could sever her connection with Ye Wenzhi.
Then, when the divine punishment comes, they will be able to kill her with absolute certainty.
Jiang Zhaoxue sorted it out, and Chen Zhao responded, "I'll make the arrangements."
After finishing the conversation with Chen Zhao, Jiang Zhaoxue looked up at Aunt Dan and said calmly, "Let's go, take me to find her."
"You..." Aunt Dan looked up in confusion, "What do you want to do?"
"She's become a demonic spirit that's causing harm to people. I have to save her." Jiang Zhaoxue walked over to Aunt Dan, bent down, raised her hand to help her up, and comforted her, "Don't worry, I'm going to let her reincarnate, not just disappear into thin air."
Hearing this, Aunt Dan was a little surprised and said cautiously: "Master... don't you think I'm wrong?"
"Of course you're wrong." Jiang Zhaoxue looked at her coldly, then added, "But you're not the one who made the biggest mistake. Let's go."
At least, she once rushed out in the cold winter with her body having just given birth, and knelt on the ground begging to keep her child.
In this matter, the person with the most vague face is the most hateful person.
Jiang Zhaoxue walked downstairs, and Pei Zichen helped Zhuang Yao, who had been unconscious, to his feet and placed him on the bed beside him.
Aunt Dan glanced at Zhuang Yao on the bed and heard Jiang Zhaoxue say, "Let's go. You've been watching him for so many years."
Hearing this, Aunt Dan suddenly woke up, as if she had just realized what was happening.
She hurriedly came to her senses and quickly caught up with Jiang Zhaoxue.
Pei Zichen followed her with his sword in hand, while Jiang Zhaoxue led Aunt Dan out of the city.
Aunt Dan was walking down the street, greeting everyone with awe. Most of the people in Taizhou were familiar faces. When they saw her following Jiang Zhaoxue, they started teasing her, "Old Dan, is your house haunted again?"
Aunt Dan looked embarrassed and a little ashamed.
Following Jiang Zhaoxue, the three of them hurried out. When they walked out of the city gate, they saw Ye Tianjiao had already brought people waiting outside the city gate, carrying a hoe and waiting for Jiang Zhaoxue. Seeing Jiang Zhaoxue, Ye Tianjiao hurriedly came forward and said, "Fairy sister!"
Seeing that there was no resentment from Zhuang Yan around him, Jiang Zhaoxue felt relieved and looked him over with a smile: "Why are you here? You're so timid, and you're digging up corpses?"
"I missed you." Ye Tianjiao felt a little embarrassed.
Pei Zichen glanced at him and said with suppressed dissatisfaction, "Second Young Master Ye, please be careful with your words."
"Oh, you're so old-fashioned." Ye Tianjiao was extremely dissatisfied with Pei Zichen. After complaining, he quickly pulled Jiang Zhaoxue's sleeve and walked out, "Fairy Sister, let's go. Don't pay attention to him!"
As he spoke, he lowered his voice and said, "You don't know, as soon as you left yesterday, the mansion was filled with ghosts. I was so scared that I wrote talismans all night. I missed you so much!"
Jiang Zhaoxue was amused by Ye Tianjiao and couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't you come to see me last night?"
"We're still waiting to see what happens." Ye Tianjiao muttered, "Mr. Chen is afraid that Zhuang Yan will keep an eye on me and won't let me go."
The two chatted and laughed as they walked forward. Pei Zichen forced himself to look away, turned around, and saw Aunt Dan nodding and politely greeting her, "Aunt Dan, please."
Chengtou Bridge was about three miles outside the city. When the group was halfway there, it started to rain.
The rain was heavy, and Pei Zichen was afraid that Jiang Zhaoxue would get wet, so he quickly took out an umbrella from the Qiankun Ring, held it for Jiang Zhaoxue, and led everyone to hide in a nearby temple.
Many people were out and about today, so the temple had already been packed. Jiang Zhaoxue and his group were so large that they didn't go in, but stood outside waiting for the rain to stop.
Pei Zichen took out a handkerchief from his Qiankun bag and handed it to Jiang Zhaoxue, asking her to wipe her face. Ye Tianjiao watched from the side and asked curiously, "Why does he have so many things? One moment he takes out an umbrella, the next moment he takes out a handkerchief?"
Pei Zichen listened and ignored him. Ye Tianjiao felt a little embarrassed and stretched out his hand and said, "Hey, do you have a handkerchief? I want to wipe my hands too."
"No." Pei Zichen refused decisively.
Ye Tianjiao muttered, "Stingy."
Then he quickly looked at Jiang Zhaoxue: "Fairy sister, do you have a handkerchief for me?"
Upon hearing this, Pei Zichen paused and became unconsciously nervous.
Then Jiang Zhaoxue laughed and said, "That's unfortunate. I lost my handkerchief today."
Pei Zichen listened and felt that the handkerchief he had washed and dried on his chest became extremely hot.
He wanted to return it, but then he realized that the handkerchief had already been soiled by him and could not be returned.
But if I don't return it... where else can I put it? I can't just throw it away.
He was torn between his conscience and his desires, and was in a dilemma. He could only lower his head and pretend not to hear. He took the handkerchief that Jiang Zhaoxue had wiped the rain from and put it into his sleeve.
At this moment, a voice suddenly came from the room, and asked hesitantly: "Master Jiang?"
Jiang Zhaoxue looked back in confusion when she heard this, and saw the middle-aged couple in the temple standing up. The man was holding the child. Seeing Jiang Zhaoxue, his face was overjoyed and he hurried forward and said, "Master Jiang, it's really you?!"
Jiang Zhaoxue was stunned when she heard this and looked him up and down. Pei Zichen whispered to her, "Master's Wife, it's the child named Li Niannian."
Hearing "Nian Nian", Jiang Zhaoxue reacted, quickly smiled, and saluted, "Master Li."
The Li couple were quite excited when they saw Jiang Zhaoxue and Pei Zichen, and quickly invited Jiang Zhaoxue in.
Seeing that it was an acquaintance, Jiang Zhaoxue followed him into the temple. As soon as they entered the temple, Ye Tianjiao said, "Hey, why does this look so much like the fairy sister?"
Everyone looked up when they heard this, and except for Pei Zichen and Jiang Zhaoxue, most of them looked confused.
This is an extremely rough stone statue. One can only vaguely see that it is a male immortal, and there is no similarity between it and Jiang Zhaoxue.
However, Pei Zichen knew that this was indeed the divine appearance of Jiang Zhaoxue's father.
Ye Tianjiao had a destiny with immortality and had entered Taoism. The stone statue he saw was different from that of mortals. In his eyes, the divine appearance of Jiang Zhaoxue's father was exactly the same as that of Jiang Zhaoxue's father himself.
Pei Zichen looked up at the divine image in front of him, silent, as if he was seeing Jiang Zhaoxue's statue in the afterlife.
Li Niannian's father came over holding the baby and explained with a smile: "This is the divine image of Penglai Shengwu Zhenjun."
"I haven't heard much about this immortal." Ye Tianjiao looked at the immortal's appearance and said in thought, "But since he looks like the fairy sister, he should have some abilities."
Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxue and Pei Zichen glanced at him. Pei Zichen was about to speak when Father Li beside him said, "That's right, your prayer for a child has come true!"
"ah?!"
Jiang Zhaoxue turned around in shock: "What? Praying for a child?"
"That's right. Everyone prays to her. No one goes to the Temple of Guanyin, the Goddess of Childbirth. If you were not a widow, Master Jiang, you would also worship her today." Father Li said seriously.
"Impossible!" Jiang Zhaoxue said immediately after hearing this, "He doesn't care about this, it's impossible."
"Our Nian Nian prayed here," Father Li vowed. "It's absolutely possible. If you don't believe me, pray now and you'll be pregnant next month!"
"Old Li." Seeing her husband's outrageous remarks, Li's mother quickly interrupted him and stepped forward to apologize to Jiang Zhaoxue, "Master Jiang, my husband has always been out of line. I hope you can forgive me."
Jiang Zhaoxue understood and laughed. He looked them up and down. Seeing that they bowed, he asked, "Are you going on a trip?"
"Yes." Upon hearing this, Father Li finally became serious, his eyes showing a bit of gentleness. "We plan to move to another place. Taizhou City is too cold. We want to go to the south of the Yangtze River where it's warmer."
Jiang Zhaoxue nodded at what he said, but didn't care much. He just glanced at Li Niannian in Li's father's arms again.
Compared to the last time we met, the child seemed to have grown up a little. As soon as he saw Jiang Zhaoxue, he started babbling, which was quite cute.
Perhaps because he was a man of great luck, Jiang Zhaoxue liked him at first sight and couldn't help but want to tease him.
Father Li and Mother Li looked at each other. After a moment's hesitation, Father Li said carefully, "That... Master Jiang."
"Um?"
"This time, our family is well, and Nian Nian can live a stable life within the clan, all thanks to the Immortal Master. I am very grateful. Now that our child has no name, I would like to ask the Immortal Master to give the child a name. I wonder if it is possible?"
Jiang Zhaoxue was stunned when she heard this. Pei Zichen glanced at Jiang Zhaoxue and was about to help her refuse when she heard Jiang Zhaoxue say, "I... I'm not well-educated, so I'm afraid the name won't sound good."
"That's fine," Father Li said hastily upon seeing this. "As long as the immortal master gave the name, it's a blessing for Nian Nian."
"Then I'll take one."
Jiang Zhaoxue said this, lowering his eyes to look at the child. After a moment's thought, he slowly said, "You are a person of great fortune, with a strong affinity for becoming an immortal. On the path of cultivating immortality, you have a promising future. However, cultivating heaven, earth, immortality, and the Tao are all inferior to cultivating oneself. Cultivate your heart and find the right path. You will be called Li Xiuji."
Hearing this, Pei Zichen looked at Jiang Zhaoxue, his fingertips slightly curled, as if he wanted to say something, but didn't say anything.
Jiang Zhaoxue noticed it keenly but didn't say much. When the people around heard Jiang Zhaoxue's name, they all praised it.
After they chatted for a while, the heavy rain gradually subsided. Jiang Zhaoxue turned around to say goodbye to the Li family. Before leaving, she suddenly remembered: "Come to think of it, we've only known each other for a few days, but I haven't asked for Mr. and Mrs. Li's names yet?"
"My name is Li Guizhen, and my wife is Pei Shulan."
"I remember."
Jiang Zhaoxue went over the name and confirmed that she had never heard of it before. She nodded and waved, saying, "See you again if we're lucky."
With that, the two groups said goodbye and separated.
Jiang Zhaoxue led Pei Zichen out of the temple, her face slightly gloomy. Pei Zichen couldn't help but ask, "Master's Wife, what are you worried about?"
"I'm wondering..." Jiang Zhaoxue pondered, "Have you ever heard of Li Xiuji in the future?"
Pei Zichen thought about it carefully after hearing this, then shook his head: "No."
But logically speaking, this child has such amazing luck and a strong affinity with immortality, so he shouldn't be an unknown person in the future.
However, the world of cultivation is full of talented people, and many cultivators only know their titles but not their real names. It is also possible that Li Xiuyi has always stayed in the mortal realm and has not gone to the true immortal realm. This can also explain it.
Jiang Zhaoxue searched for reasons and finally figured it out.
Seeing Pei Zichen was unhappy, he turned around and said, "You wanted to say something just now. What did you want to say?"
"Oh," Pei Zichen's heart skipped a beat, not expecting Jiang Zhaoxue to be so perceptive. He hurriedly said, "Disciple has been wondering if Zhuang Yan would hide before we go to look for her body."
"That won't happen," Jiang Zhaoxue said calmly, "She will just follow us."
"Follow us?" Pei Zichen didn't understand. "Why?"
"Because ghosts who died unjustly don't know where their bodies are." Jiang Zhaoxue said in a calm tone, looking around vigilantly, "They are also looking for their own bones. So, even though I can't sense her now, I can't rule out the possibility that she is following us."
Upon hearing this, Pei Zichen immediately understood that perhaps Ye Tianjiao's coming here was not a coincidence.
Instead, Chen Zhao and Jiang Zhaoxue were both prepared to confront Zhuang Yan head-on when they saw the corpse, and Ye Tianjiao came to help Jiang Zhaoxue set up the formation.
However, if Zhuang Yan and Jiang Zhaoxue take action for the corpse, Chen Zhao will have the opportunity to destroy the temple dedicated to her.
They always managed to get the bones or destroy the temple.
Pei Zichen thought briefly in his mind and knew what he should do. He replied softly, "Disciple understands."
As soon as these words were spoken, Jiang Zhaoxue immediately knew that she had been arranged again.
She glanced at the overly mature man next to her and couldn't help but ask, "Is this how you were as the eldest senior brother?"
Pei Zichen was stunned. Jiang Zhaoxue described it to him: "Everything needs to be arranged?"
"When you're out and about with so many fellow disciples," Pei Zichen said a little embarrassedly, "you always have to make arrangements in advance."
But sometimes when he meets someone like Gao Wen, he also has a bad temper and won't give him a good face.
Jiang Zhaoxue listened and became somewhat interested in his past.
But now wasn't the time to chat, so he just focused on the most important question: "You haven't told me the truth yet. What exactly did you want to say just now?"
Pei Zichen's eyelashes trembled when he heard this. It was the first time he found Jiang Zhaoxue so difficult to deal with.
Come to think of it, she used to be thought to be easily misled, but in reality it was just that Jiang Zhaoxue didn't care much and just went along with him.
He knew that if he continued to hide, Jiang Zhaoxue would be annoyed and would appear hypocritical, so he said softly, "Disciple is just wondering...if...I come of age...could you please ask Master's Wife to grant me a name?"
Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxue turned to look at him and blinked.
"He wants to live to be twenty!"
Jiang Zhaoxue was quite happy.
Anan quickly flapped his wings and said happily, "Maybe I can kill it by the time I'm twenty?!"
The man and the bird celebrated in their hearts, thinking that it was a great progress. Jiang Zhaoxue also looked at him with relief.
Pei Zichen was a little confused: "Master's wife?"
"Don't worry," she raised her hand and patted his shoulder to show encouragement, "When you reach the age of 18, I will definitely think of a nice name for you and crown you with my own hands!"
Hearing this, Pei Zichen instantly imagined the scene of Jiang Zhaoxue crowning him.
Imagine her standing behind him, running her hands through his hair, putting a crown on him.
He suddenly felt his throat tighten, and his heart felt as if something had tickled his chest, causing a slight itch.
He hurriedly lowered his eyes and whispered, "Disciple thanks Master's Wife."
As they were talking, the group arrived at the bridge. Jiang Zhaoxue spotted the stone bridge from a distance and pointed at it, saying, "Auntie Dan, this is the Chengtou Bridge, right?"
"right."
Aunt Dan stepped forward to lead the way, looking for the direction and said, "Master Jiang, please follow me."
Jiang Zhaoxue watched Aunt Dan step forward to lead the way, looked around, called Ye Tianjiao and Pei Zichen to follow him, silently twisted a talisman in his hand, and followed Aunt Dan down the riverbank.
Aunt Dan led the group upstream on the riverbank. As the crowd dwindled, it was almost dark. Jiang Zhaoxue called out to Aunt Dan, "Aunt Dan, haven't you found it yet?"
“I remember there was a big rock here.”
Aunt Dan looked around for a long time before finally saying, "It's right here."
She picked up a knee-high stone, patted it, and said, "It should be here. This stone was pressed down by her father at that time."
"What? Her father?" Ye Tianjiao listened, thought for a moment, and then realized, "Did you kill her? You killed your own daughter? Are you so cruel?!"
Aunt Dan didn't dare to speak for a moment, and she just nodded and didn't dare to look up.
Jiang Zhaoxue looked around. Ye Tianjiao was angry for a moment, but knowing that scolding was useless, he turned around and called to the servants behind him: "Go, move that big rock and start digging!"
The servant stepped forward upon hearing this, but Jiang Zhaoxue said nothing, only looking around vigilantly.
Pei Zichen approached Jiang Zhaoxue and whispered, "Master's Wife, the yin energy is too strong."
It was so heavy that he felt restricted in his sword movements.
Jiang Zhaoxue just smiled when she heard this: "So many children died here, of course it's heavy."
As she spoke, she reached out and grabbed him, secretly dropping a talisman into Pei Zichen's palm.
Pei Zichen turned to look at her and realized that Jiang Zhaoxue was already alert. He was pulled by Jiang Zhaoxue to the side of Ye Tianjiao, who was already asking people to move stones.
Jiang Zhaoxue looked at the big rock and asked with a smile, "Is it heavy?"
"Shouldn't be... No!" Ye Tianjiao looked at Jiang Zhaoxue holding Pei Zichen's hand in shock, and said in disbelief, "Why are you holding each other?!"
"Do you want to pull it too?" Jiang Zhaoxue stretched out her hand as if inviting him. Pei Zichen's usually gentle eyes swept across Jiang Zhaoxue's white palm with coldness, and he moved away as if to avoid seeing it.
Ye Tianjiao was stunned for a moment, then reacted: "I don't want to join you, I am... you... Isn't he the disciple of your late husband?"
"Ah, can't pull?"
Jiang Zhaoxue asked frankly, which confused Ye Tianjiao. He pondered and said, "It seems that it is not impossible..."
As he was speaking, the two men next to him had already hugged the stone together, and while counting "one, two, three", they suddenly lifted the stone up!
At that moment, countless black air burst out from the ground and pounced towards Jiang Zhaoxue with screams!
Jiang Zhaoxue quickly pulled Ye Tianjiao back, and Pei Zichen drew his sword with the talisman first. With a "clang" sound, he collided heavily with the black air. More than a dozen lightsabers jumped out from Pei Zichen's sword body, and each lightsaber protected each person. He stood in front of Jiang Zhaoxue, and quickly cut off all the black air that rushed towards him.
The incident happened in just a moment, and the surrounding area was shrouded in black air. Aunt Dan turned around and ran outside. Jiang Zhaoxue raised his left hand, and a rope came out like a snake, instantly wrapping around Aunt Dan's neck and dragging her back to Jiang Zhaoxue's side.
Aunt Dan struggled, clutching the rope around her neck. Jiang Zhaoxue held Ye Tianjiao's hand, raised her hand to draw a formation, and said, "Zichen, protect the others and get them out."
When Pei Zichen heard this, he glanced around and found that the black gas was only within three feet. He pulled the mortal next to him, spun around, threw the person out, then turned around and slashed the black gas that tried to rush to Jiang Zhaoxue with a sword, never leaving Jiang Zhaoxue half a foot away.
Jiang Zhaoxue and Ye Tianjiao were both shocked by this operation. Ye Tianjiao couldn't help but say, "This works?!"
Pei Zichen ignored him and used this method to throw out the mortals in the black air one after another, insisting on staying by Jiang Zhaoxue's side.
Seeing this, Jiang Zhaoxue didn't think any more about it. He took Ye Tianjiao's hand and began to draw the formation.
"The laws of nature are unpredictable, so bet on your luck. Good luck will come to you. There is no evil anywhere. Punish!"
The jade stick flew away, and when the word "xia" appeared in front of Jiang Zhaoxue, she was shocked, and then the ghost energy around her suddenly surged, and Pei Zichen pounced on Jiang Zhaoxue without hesitation!
Ghostly energy rushed towards Jiang Zhaoxue and instantly shattered the lightsaber surrounding Pei Zichen. The moment Pei Zichen vomited blood, the ten-foot-long talisman in Jiang Zhaoxue's hand flew out.
Thunder roared down, Ye Tianjiao screamed and held his head, and Pei Zichen hugged Jiang Zhaoxue tightly in his arms.
Fortunately, although the thunder was huge, it had no effect on people after it hit. All they could hear were the screams of ghosts around them, the roar of thunder, and the shaking of the earth. After a long time, the surroundings finally quieted down.
The ghost aura had disappeared, but Pei Zichen was still pressing on Jiang Zhaoxue. Jiang Zhaoxue was still frightened and had not yet recovered. She looked up at the young man who was very close to her.
Pei Zichen's face turned pale. Seeing Jiang Zhaoxue not far in front of him, he could even see the texture of her skin. His heart beat faster.
Jiang Zhaoxue was the first to react. She quickly supported Pei Zichen and asked anxiously, "Are you okay?"
After she spoke, Ye Tianjiao belatedly looked up and carefully looked around. Seeing that the surroundings had quieted down, he hurried over to Jiang Zhaoxue crying, "Fairy sister, please take care of me, I'm scared to death."
"Get out of here!"
Jiang Zhaoxue kicked the useless guy away, helped Pei Zichen up, checked his pulse for a while, and confirmed that his foundation was not damaged. Only then did she feel relieved. She quickly got medicine for Pei Zichen, asked him to take it and meditate. Then she stood up and looked back at Aunt Dan who was tied up with the immortal rope.
She raised her hand, took Pei Zichen's sword, and walked up to Aunt Dan.
Aunt Dan was trembling all over. She obviously didn't expect Jiang Zhaoxue to survive. Jiang Zhaoxue looked at her coldly with lowered eyes and said calmly, "There's no body of Zhuang Yan here, right?"
Aunt Dan didn't dare to speak, and Jiang Zhaoxue closed his eyes and thought about it.
She was wrong.
The deceased cannot know where she died, but she can find out from others.
If Aunt Dan killed Zhuang Yan out of hatred, she would naturally not tell Zhuang Yan where she died, but she did not.
She is a mother. Even if she and her husband killed the child together, between Jiang Zhaoxue, an outsider, and Zhuang Yan, she would still choose Zhuang Yan.
"She set up a formation here to wait for me, asking you to lure me here. She wants me dead." Jiang Zhaoxue understood Aunt Dan's intentions and continued to ask, "When did you get in touch? Where did her body go?"
Aunt Dan pursed her lips and said nothing.
Jiang Zhaoxue laughed out loud: "Do you think you're keeping quiet for her own good? Your daughter Zhuang Yan's soul should be able to enter the cycle of reincarnation and be reborn as long as she is buried in peace without any regrets. She has suffered a lot in this life. If you do good deeds for her, she can be reborn into a good family in the next life."
"Then..." Aunt Dan raised her eyes tremblingly and asked tentatively, "Can she be born as a boy?"
Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxue's pupils shrank sharply. Just as she was about to curse, she saw Aunt Dan turn her head to look at the trickling water beside her and said in a hoarse voice, "If that's not possible, she might as well become a ghost."
These words made Jiang Zhaoxue pause. She held her sword and looked at Aunt Dan, listening to her: "Actually, a month ago, when I saw her, I was scared at first, but then I thought, she has grown up so much. She is as beautiful as I imagined, and no one can bully her. She doesn't have to get married and can live a good life. How wonderful."
Aunt Dan turned around, her eyes firm, and said, "So don't try to harm her. I didn't protect her fifteen years ago, but I will protect her this time."
"But is that your daughter?"
Jiang Zhaoxue asked calmly.
Aunt Dan was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but ask, "If it's not Yan'er... then who is it?"
"She is the resentment that is parasitic on your daughter." Jiang Zhaoxue told her calmly, "You buried Zhuang Yan under the city bridge. How many resentful babies are here? Zhuang Yan is the only conscious being here, so they all parasitize on her, but the souls of those babies are gone. Every child has left, leaving only the resentment. Only your daughter Zhuang Yan's soul is forced to stay here by these resentments, and the reason she stays here is because she has an obsession that she can't let go. If you let her stay any longer, she will only be completely devoured by these resentments and become a monster."
"monster……"
Aunt Dan was in doubt and bewilderment. Jiang Zhaoxue continued, "Her destiny in her next life is excellent. Please don't delay her. As for whether she will be born a boy or a girl, Aunt Dan, her suffering doesn't come from being a girl, but from having parents like you."
Aunt Dan was stunned. Jiang Zhaoxue placed his sword on her neck and said calmly, "I'll give you a chance to save her. Either tell me everything and let me save her and let her enter the cycle of reincarnation. Or, I'll kill you first and then her."
Aunt Dan didn't say anything immediately. She hesitated for a long time, gritted her teeth, and finally said, "How are you going to convert her?"
"Where is her body?"
"Ruined."
Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxue was stunned and asked in disbelief: "What did you say?"
"A month ago, after I saw her and learned she was still alive, I've been wanting to see her ever since. Every day, I'd come here whenever I had the chance. Last night, she finally met me and asked me to take her to find her remains. After she found them, she dug the body out and placed a rock on it. She told me, 'If you come to see me today, I'll bring you here, move the rock, and then run.'"
Aunt Dan recalled: "Then... she crushed her own bones and ate them."
The destruction of the corpse will cause severe damage to the soul, but if the corpse is eaten in time, this damage can be minimized.
But the body is gone and it's gone.
Without a body, her soul would be rootless and would soon vanish into thin air. Why would she do this?
Jiang Zhaoxue couldn't figure it out, but at that moment, there was a loud "bang" and the whole Taizhou city shook. Jiang Zhaoxue looked up and saw that the city protection barrier of Taizhou City was reduced to ashes in that instant.
Every city has a protective barrier set up by local gods. The barrier can resist most evil spirits. Occasionally there are omissions, and that is where human cultivators are responsible for checking for and filling in the gaps.
The destruction of the city's barrier is a situation that only occurs during a massacre.
Jiang Zhaoxue watched in shock as the barrier surrounding Taizhou City shattered. Then, black gas shot up into the sky from where her father's temple was not far away, and madly attacked Taizhou City.
"Master Jiang!"
Chen Zhao's voice suddenly reached his ears, and he shouted: "The eldest young master is missing!"
The moment Jiang Zhaoxue heard this, her expression suddenly turned stern, and she suddenly understood.
It’s Ye Wenzhi.
Zhuang Yan’s target is Ye Wenzhi.
She knew from the beginning that they were planning to find her body, save her soul, use her body to terminate the contract between her and Ye Wenzhi, and then bring down the punishment from heaven to kill her.
So she simply destroyed her own body, making it impossible for them to separate her and Ye Wenzhi.
Afterwards, she used her own body and her own temple to transfer herself and Chen Zhao away respectively, with the purpose of bringing Ye Wenzhi out.
What are you bringing it out for?
"Ye Wenzhi has a body!" Anan shouted, "Her own body is gone, but if she merges with Ye Wenzhi, won't she have a body?"
However, the fusion of bodies requires tremendous strength, so she is now drawing strength from the people of Taizhou City to allow her to merge with Ye Wenzhi.
Once she absorbs enough power, merges with Ye Wenzhi, and obtains the body of this seven-generation good man, perhaps her power will be enough to transcend the laws of nature, and even heavenly punishment will not be able to do anything to her!
Can't let her succeed.
Jiang Zhaoxue reacted, turned around and called out, "Zichen, come and carry me!"
She had never learned martial arts, and at this time, Pei Zichen ran faster with her on his back than she could on her own.
She greeted him so naturally that Pei Zichen was stunned for a moment, but he immediately understood what she meant and stepped forward.
Jiang Zhaoxue turned over and climbed onto Pei Zichen's back, then turned around and told Ye Tianjiao: "Let Ye Wenzhen take the people to my father's dojo! Zichen," she said, and naturally lay on Pei Zichen's back, hugged his neck, and said, "Let's go!"
Pei Zichen felt her body pressed against his back, through her clothes, his face felt slightly hot, but he forced himself to remain calm and ran out carrying Jiang Zhaoxue on his back.
Watching them leave, Ye Tianjiao was a little confused, then he reacted and asked hurriedly: "What? Which dojo?!"
"Penglai Shengwu Zhenjun Temple!"
Jiang Zhaoxue put her arms around Pei Zichen's neck and shouted without turning her head, "Bring her whole family and the executioner to me!"
"Master's Wife," Pei Zichen was a little confused after hearing this order: "What do you want her whole family to do?"
"She destroyed my father's temple, I will kill her whole family!" Jiang Zhaoxue was furious.
Pei Zichen was somewhat helpless: "Master's Wife..."
Jiang Zhaoxue felt a little aggrieved when she heard his voice.
He ran so fast that the wind couldn't be stopped. She buried her head in his shoulder, and Pei Zichen felt a little itchy. Then he heard Jiang Zhaoxue's breath on his shoulder. He said with some frustration, "A tiger in trouble is bullied by a dog. A ghost fairy dared to smash my house and perform a provocation in my father's temple. It's too much!"
"Master's wife is right." Pei Zichen became serious when he heard this. A cold look flashed in his eyes, but after thinking for a moment, he frowned slightly, "But do we really want to kill her whole family?"
"It depends."
Jiang Zhaoxue buried her head, weakly saying, "She's at her weakest right now. Although there's no way to separate her from Ye Wenzhi, we can still liberate Zhuang Yan's soul. Once Zhuang Yan is liberated, these grievances will have nowhere to reside and will be dispersed, making them much easier to resolve. So, if Zhuang Yan's wish is to kill her entire family..."
"Then I'll kill him."
Pei Zichen understood and spoke confidently.
Jiang Zhaoxue was stunned and looked over in surprise. She saw the young man in the night breeze with a calm expression. He said calmly, "Master's wife, there is no need to do anything."
Jiang Zhaoxue listened, a little confused: "Then why did you do it?"
"I'll take responsibility for the consequences." Pei Zichen pursed his lips.
Jiang Zhaoxue was even more puzzled: "But I called the executioner."
Pei Zichen was stunned. Jiang Zhaoxue tilted her head and looked at him: "Mortals should take care of their own affairs. I just want to ask one thing -"
"What is it?"
Pei Zichen calmed down a little and didn't look back.
Jiang Zhaoxue looked at the boy's profile, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind, and he said it out loud.
"This little face is so tender."
-----------------------
The author has something to say: I was so lost in thought while writing that I forgot Xuexue wasn't even born yet. This is her father's temple.
10,000 characters will be given out in red envelopes~~ I feel guilty about posting so many characters. But I've been really strong lately!!
【Small Theater】
Everyone: "Urgent preparations for battle, blood boiling! Kill, kill, kill!"
Pei Zichen: "Master's Wife glanced at Ye Tianjiao, then she pulled my hand and asked me to carry her on her back. Master's Wife is so soft..."
Ye Tianjiao: "No, they're all fighting and killing each other, why are you here to fall in love?"
Pei Zichen: "What else? Besides falling in love, I just want to die."
【Small Theater 2】
Jiang Zhaoxue: "Zichen, take him out!"
Pei Zichen (obedient, throw)
Jiang Zhaoxue: "???"
Pei Zichen: "I won't leave my wife even a step!!"
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