Xie Lian asked, “Girl?!”
Lan Chang's face turned pale, and she was speechless. Suddenly, something inside her stomach seemed to explode. Her previously flat belly suddenly swelled into a giant ball, nearly bursting her dress, and billowing black smoke leaked out from between her clothes!
The female ghosts loosened their grip and dispersed slightly. Lan Chang held her lower abdomen tightly with both hands and said in fear, "Stop it!"
It was the fetal spirit that was stirring in her belly. Hua Cheng said calmly, "Brother, step back."
Xie Lian said, “Nothing!”
Lan Chang slammed her knees to the ground, her face filled with pain as she said, "Be obedient! Be obedient! Be good, be good, please!!! Stop making trouble!!!"
Xie Lian said, “Miss Lan Chang, please let it out first.”
Lan Chang frantically shook her head, saying, "No! No, no! I will definitely keep him in my belly and raise him well. He will never go out and harm anyone again! City Lord, I beg you not to take my son away. I've been looking for him for hundreds of years! Don't take my son away! Don't hand him over to those people in heaven!!"
Apparently, the ghosts of the Ghost Market knew Xie Lian was from the Celestial Realm. Lan Chang screamed, clutching her belly and writhing on the ground. Her belly seemed no longer part of her body, like a living thing, shrinking, swelling, moving up and down, side to side, and the black smoke grew thicker. It seemed the evil fetus had returned to its mother's womb to recover some strength, ready to wreak havoc once more. The female ghosts dispersed for a moment, then pressed down on her again. They were unable to hold her down, so the demons and monsters on the left shouted, "Watch us!" and advanced to suppress her. The scene was in utter chaos. Xie Lian clenched his fists and said, "Miss Lan Chang! The fetus in your belly is far more powerful than you are. It can hurt you, but you won't. You have no way to deal with it! Sooner or later, it will suck you dry and burst out of your body. Let it out!"
If Lan Chang didn't release the creature hidden within her belly herself, she would sooner or later be sucked dry and torn to shreds by the ferocious fetal spirit, forcing Xie Lian to cut open her abdomen himself. While it was preferable to watching her being torn to pieces by her own son, Xie Lian was unwilling to do such a thing unless it was absolutely necessary. If he didn't want to do it, he certainly didn't want Hua Cheng to do it for him. But this female ghost, Lan Chang, was incredibly stubborn. Even when she screamed in agony, she refused to release the fetal spirit. This wasn't an option. He'd rather do it himself. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Excuse me!"
Unexpectedly, as soon as he placed his hand on the hilt of the Fangxin Sword, Huacheng immediately held him down, saying in a deep voice, "No need." At the same time, a burst of golden light suddenly burst out from Lanchang's abdomen, causing a group of nearby demons and monsters to scream "Ouch!" in unison and flee, asking, "What the hell!"
Xie Lian looked closely. After the golden light faded, the fetal spirit that was rushing out seemed to be locked by something, and Lan Chang's abdomen also flattened back. The thing holding it back was a belt around her waist.
The belt looked ordinary and unremarkable, but Xie Lian took a closer look and asked in astonishment, "...Why is this thing on you?"
Even though it had faded from being washed so many times, Xie Lian could tell that this belt was from the heavens.
Many items in the celestial realm are exquisitely crafted magical treasures. Therefore, only when necessary do they display their extraordinary ability to protect their masters in emergencies. Furthermore, even though the embroidery patterns were severely worn, Xie Lian could be certain that this was the "golden belt" used only by priests.
Judging from his rank, he is a priest in heaven!
In the heavens, giving a golden belt as a gift is a popular and elegant act, carrying special significance. A male priest giving his belt to another carries an ambiguous meaning. One can imagine what that special significance is. A belt is not something you give away casually, nor is it something you lose easily. Xie Lian asked, "Miss, could it be that you, this child..."
At this point, he suddenly remembered that, regardless of whether it was a demon cave or not, asking a woman such a private matter in public was not a good idea, so he stopped talking in time. Lan Chang immediately said, "No!"
Xie Lian thought to himself, "I haven't said anything yet, why are you saying no?"
He asked, "Have you relied on this golden belt to sustain you for the past seven or eight hundred years?"
Upon hearing this, the female ghosts were dumbfounded: "...Oh my god, Lan Chang, you are so old?!"
"Didn't you say before that you were only three hundred years old?"
"That's not right! She even said she was 200 years old! She lied about her age!!!"
This fetal spirit has cultivated for approximately seven or eight hundred years, so its mother must have been roughly the same age. However, Lan Chang, the female ghost, doesn't possess such a deep sense of malice. As an ordinary female ghost, she's been able to remain in this world for so long. This magical golden belt must have been a significant aid. If this fetal spirit's father were a priest, its ferocity would make perfect sense.
A priest had an affair with a mortal woman, and whether he abandoned her or simply ignored her, the woman suffered a tragic fate, having her fetus removed alive. Now both mother and child have been transformed into ghosts, and the fetus has likely killed countless people. No matter how you look at it, this incident is no less serious than Xuan Ji's, and it seems vaguely familiar.
Then it was easy to figure out how to resolve this matter. Xie Lian immediately turned around and said to Hua Cheng, "Sanlang, this girl..."
Without him having to say anything more, Hua Cheng said, "Just do what you should do. No need to ask me."
Xie Lian said softly, “Yeah.”
After receiving his consent, he turned to Lan Chang. At this time, the ghosts were all asking, "Lan Chang, Lan Chang, who is the father of this child of yours???"
"I'm so angry! You just kill without burying, you just give birth without raising?"
"Who is it? Should we go and settle the score with him?"
Lan Chang gritted her teeth, looked at Xie Lian and said, "...Who else could it be?"
She didn't say her name, but Xie Lian understood and said, "Come back to Heaven with me."
Lan Chang immediately said: "No!!!"
It was useless for her to say no. Xie Lian would take her away regardless. Xie Lian straightened his expression and said, "This fetal spirit is extremely cruel. Who knows how much blood is on its hands? At this point, too many people are involved. You can't protect it. You must go to the Heavenly Court to confront and report it. If the priest is honest, or if there is a misunderstanding between you, then let you and your son go up to him and recognize him, and then deal with the child's matter. If the priest has wronged you, or done something worse, you must seek justice from him. No matter what, this fetal spirit is your son, and his son as well. If his father doesn't intervene in this matter, how can anyone else intervene?"
The ghosts thought this made sense. Furthermore, the thought of Lan Chang bringing her children to heaven to cause a scene was incredibly exciting. They were afraid the scene wouldn't be too big, the bigger the better. They all advised, "Right, Lan Chang, what are you afraid of? Go settle the score with him!"
"If he dares not admit it, we will burn down his temple!"
Xie Lian said to Hua Cheng, "I will return to the Heavenly Palace first and report this matter immediately."
Although Lan Chang resisted, she knew she couldn't stop him. She was stunned for a moment, then suddenly bowed to Hua Cheng and said, "City Lord, thank you so much for taking me in!"
Xie Lian was startled. She continued, “Lan Chang set fire to Ji Le Fang out of sheer desperation. This broke the rules of the Ghost Market. I’m sorry! I hope you won’t take offense.”
She had always been a shrewd and unrestrained woman, but when she spoke now, she seemed a completely different person, startling many familiar demons and monsters. Hua Cheng, however, remained calm and said to Xie Lian, "Brother, you left in a hurry this time. I'll wait for you to come down and treat you well."
Xie Lian nodded, and then took Lan Chang with him and headed straight for the heaven.
Walking down the streets of Xianjing, Xie Lian called out to the spirit communication array, "Everyone! Please meet me at the Shenwu Hall. We have something to discuss." He then withdrew, not staying a moment longer, and took Lan Chang to the hall. Since Lan Chang was a female ghost and couldn't enter the golden hall, Xie Lian waited with her outside for a while. Only when Jun Wu arrived and personally gave his permission was Lan Chang allowed in.
Soon, the various priests in Xianjing arrived one after another. They were all stunned when they saw Xie Lian accompanied by a heavily made-up female ghost, one that didn't fit in with the Xianjing's celestial customs. A black-clad priest entered the hall and paused for a moment, observing the scene in the center. It was Mu Qing. Lan Chang glanced at him, then immediately lowered her head, her lips trembling. Mu Qing, however, remained calm and asked calmly, "Your Highness, who is this woman?"
Hearing the words "His Royal Highness," Lan Chang's expression changed slightly. She glanced at Xie Lian, as if remembering something, but wasn't sure. At this moment, the two Feng Shui masters arrived, a pair of brothers who looked about 60% similar. Each of them gently waved a paper fan, their white robes and wide sleeves fluttering, a truly beautiful sight. Shi Qingxuan shook his head and said, "Yes, Master, why did you bring the female ghost here today?"
Xie Lian asked, baffled, "Abbey Master?" What Abbey Master? Puqi Abbey? Why was he suddenly calling her that? Thinking about it again, it was most likely "Abbey of Qiandeng Abbey"!
He didn't know how to respond, so he just pretended not to hear. Shi Qingxuan was very proud, and he greeted everyone around him, and then said, "Huh? Is there something in this ghost girl's belly??? Why do I feel like..."
As he spoke, he went up, as if wanting to touch it. Shi Wudu folded his fan and said, "Qingxuan!"
Shi Qingxuan immediately retracted his hand and said defensively, "I just sensed a very bad evil aura and wanted to see if there was anything dangerous inside..." Shi Wudu scolded him, "You are a man and a priest. This is the Divine Martial Palace. How can you do such a disgraceful thing? And you are not allowed to change into a female form! It is still disgraceful for a female form to do such a thing. Change back!"
Lingwen shook his head, tucked the document under his arm, and stepped forward to place his hand on Lanchang's belly. After a pause, he withdrew his hand and said thoughtfully, "What a vicious fetal spirit. How many hundreds of years has it been?"
Xie Lian said, “About seven or eight hundred years.”
He recounted his two encounters with fetal spirits, how they had tortured pregnant women, and how this female ghost had been brought to light. He omitted the details of Flower City and the Ghost Market, and Lan Chang naturally wouldn't bring it up. Finally, Xie Lian said, "That's it. I wonder if that priest is still alive or in office, if there's some misunderstanding, and if he knows anything about this. So, I brought this girl up here."
Feng Xin frowned and said, "If there is no misunderstanding and you know about this mother and son, but you have ignored it for seven or eight hundred years, it is too irresponsible."
Pei Ming crossed his arms and said casually, "I agree with General Nanyang. This is rather irresponsible. I wonder which immortal official's legacy this is. If they are still in office, they should step forward."
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt countless gazes staring at him, and everyone in the Shenwu Hall was speechless.
After a while, Pei Ming said, "...Do you have any misunderstandings about me?"
"..." Shi Qingxuan stopped fanning himself and said, "I don't think there's any misunderstanding. It's more like I know you too well."
Pei Ming immediately said, "That's absolutely not the case!"
Everyone laughed dryly, even Shi Wudu and Lingwen looked at him with distrust. Pei Ming was overwhelmed. He held his forehead and said earnestly, "This... I've been friends with some women from the ghost world, but I've never seen this girl before."
If you listen carefully, this statement is quite believable. Doesn't he know which woman he's been with? Although Pei Ming was criticized for his philandering, he never denied any of his relationships. He wouldn't deny it once he'd done it. It wasn't something he couldn't afford to play with. Unless the women he'd been with, like Xuan Ji, had decided to leave him, they'd at least guarantee a comfortable life, a life of luxury and prosperity. If this ghost girl had truly had a fleeting romance with Pei Ming, she wouldn't have been disemboweled and transformed into a ghost.
Besides, Pei Ming had very high standards when it came to women. All those he had flirted with were exceptionally beautiful, charming, and talented, and he particularly favored natural beauties. From what the others in the palace had seen, Lan Chang was so heavily made up that her true appearance was completely unrecognizable. Her appearance, makeup, and manners were far from Pei Ming's standard for choosing a lover. So, when he said it wasn't true, everyone still vaguely believed him. However, it was only "in their hearts" and "vaguely." The chance to watch General Pei being besieged was a great pleasure. And so, he stood by and watched him argue. Whether he believed her or not depended on his own happiness.
Initially, Xie Lian had thought it was most likely Pei Ming, given his long criminal record. But seeing Pei Ming's expression, he felt he wasn't pretending, and so he wavered. He remembered Hua Cheng had said Pei Ming wasn't a shady person, and that there was no need to be afraid. After a moment's thought, he said, "Miss Lan Chang had vaguely asked, 'Who else could it be?' I assumed that. However, since General Pei has said so, perhaps there's been some misunderstanding, and it might not be the same person every time. Why not ask..."
Unexpectedly, Lan Chang suddenly said, "It's not him."
Xie Lian was startled and turned around. Lan Chang repeated, "It's not him."
Lingwen said indifferently: "What? So it isn't."
Shi Wudu also said politely: "Isn't it?"
"..." Pei Ming said to Shi Wudu and Lingwen, "I told you it wasn't true. You two are taking advantage of my misfortune. Just wait for me."
The priests were disappointed for a moment, then became even more excited. Pei Ming, after all, had been embroiled in scandals for years, so even if it was him, it wouldn't be surprising. And if it wasn't him, it meant it was most likely another male priest, present or absent. Perhaps a rising star was about to emerge. How could they not be excited?
Earlier at the Ghost Market, Lan Chang had clearly hinted that it was Pei Ming, but now she had denied it. Xie Lian felt suspicious, but remained expressionless. He said, "Hmm. Then who is it?"
Lan Chang looked at him steadily and said, "You."
Xie Lian thought she hadn’t finished speaking, so he asked, “What’s wrong with me?”
Lan Chang said: "I said, that person is you!"
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