Chapter 39: Thirteen Caged Birds, When Will They Fly?
The person opposite walked leisurely, stepping out from the shadows little by little.
Warm light slid down his shoulders, making him look gentle and kind, and that face was reflected in Ji Lingche's eyes again.
It was a very young face, with a pointed chin, tall and slender, looking very refreshing, with a pair of clear eyes and a look of childishness that showed a bit of innocence of the world. At first glance, he was a genuine beautiful boy.
However, the only flaw was that his right sleeve was empty. Although he was covering it intentionally or unintentionally, it was still obvious that an arm was missing.
An innocent and pretty face, and a charming demeanor. It is really convenient to do bad things with this face.
As soon as he spoke, his voice carried a slightly sweet, youthful quality, like the sound of ice cubes colliding with a porcelain bowl, very refreshing. He said with a smile, "Senior Sister, Qu Shouzun, long time no see."
Ji Lingche looked at him and sneered, "Little bastard."
"Last time I cut off one of your arms, how about turning you into a human pig this time?"
Yan Jinchen blinked and laughed, "How cruel! No wonder he died young."
He was halfway through his words when the dagger in his sleeve suddenly stabbed towards Ji Lingche's heart! Ji Lingche turned sideways, and the sword was blocked by Qu Wuji with a flick of his sleeve, flying out of his hand.
Ji Lingche smacked his lips: "A sneak attack, as shameless as ever."
Yan Jinchen didn't care about the sword that slipped out of his hand. He hooked his hand and a string of bells appeared out of thin air and wrapped around his fingertips.
He chuckled, and after hearing the crisp sound of a bell, he said, "Let's get someone else to play with you."
Click the bell!
All the evil spirits from ancient times are under his command, and they will come when the silver bell rings.
Black smoke rose in front of him, and a foul smell hit him in the face. Something was about to step out of the fog. Ji Lingche's heart sank. No one knew what would come out of the fog. Yan Jinchen took advantage of the black fog to slowly retreat, and then disappeared in the fog.
Ji Lingche looked at Qu Wuji and said, "I'll leave the summoned fierce ghost to you. I'll go after him."
Qu Wuji hummed, and said, "Be careful."
Then the lightsaber suddenly appeared and stepped into the fog.
The silver butterfly flew out and went after Yan Jinchen. Ji Lingche wanted to follow closely behind it, but stopped in front of Qi Xiangwan.
She looked at Qi Xiangwan for a long time, then bent down and stretched out her hands to tightly strangle her neck, tightening it little by little.
Ji Lingche whispered: "Poor thing, be free."
Souls tempered by ghost cultivators cannot enter reincarnation and can only suffer endless torment. The only way to be free is to destroy their souls, and then turn them into smoke and dust and disappear, and then they can be free.
Qi Xiangwan's soul looked at her, and the ghost's dark tears flowed on her hand, which was cool but burning and painful, making her slightly stunned.
The ghost wanted to say something, but when she opened her mouth, no sound came out. Ji Lingche could see clearly that her mouth was empty and her tongue had been pulled out.
His tongue was pulled out before he died.
The ghost nodded slightly to her, as if to say thank you.
Ji Lingche looked away, not wanting to look her in the eye. He poured spiritual energy into his hands and said, "Rest in peace. Let me see who hurt you like this and help you skin him alive."
The next moment, Qi Xiangwan's ghost turned into green smoke and dissipated.
A strand of spiritual thread slowly merged into her palm, and Ji Lingche instantly entered Qi Xiangwan's sea of consciousness, which was about to collapse, and then quickly withdrew.
Judging from the external time, it was only a moment, but she suddenly felt heartbroken, as if she had experienced the experience of having her tongue pulled out and her arms broken. She was a little breathless and had a splitting headache as if she was suffocating.
Ji Lingche stood up, but suddenly staggered and took a staggering step, and his sea of consciousness suddenly felt swollen and painful.
That moment seemed extremely long, to the point where it was difficult to withdraw. She became Qi Xiangwan, and through her eyes, she saw—
Yan Jinchen.
"sister in law."
A young man with a handsome face, tall and thin, with smiling eyes, but his face was covered in blood, one of his arms was broken, and the bleeding was flowing non-stop, staining a large area of his white robe bright red, and his lips were pale, looking very pitiful.
The person opposite was a little cold. He stood up and tried to leave, but was grabbed by the wrist. The boy said, "It hurts so much. Can you talk to me for a while?"
The woman said after a long while, "First of all, I'm not your sister-in-law."
"I'm only giving you some medicine out of pity for you. Please respect yourself and pretend you've never seen me."
The young man refused to give in. The woman flung her hand away, and the young man let out a low, miserable cry, still holding on. The wound on his chest tore open again, and blood flowed out again. He looked up pitifully, his eyes shining, "Why aren't you my sister-in-law?"
"Then Young Master Mu is your husband, and I am his younger brother, so you are naturally my sister-in-law."
The young man spoke in a sad and pitiful tone, almost crying, "Sister-in-law, you are the only one in the Mu family who treats me well. Do you also want me gone?"
Qi Xiangwan was being pulled by him and couldn't break free at all. Moreover, if she exerted even a little force, she would hurt him. She frowned and said, "Mu Xun, you——"
Mu Xunchu said, "Sister-in-law."
He lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes obscuring his expression and casting a shadow on his face: "My background is not my fault, but why can't they tolerate me?"
"Not only that, but you're also forcing me into a desperate situation and forcing me to die?"
He raised his head, tears streaming down his face. With a flawless, flawless performance, he called out mournfully, "Sister-in-law."
"You also pity me, right? Otherwise, why would you save me and hide me here?"
Qi Xiangwan was stunned. He had never seen such a scene before and was at a loss as to what to do in front of this man of unknown origin.
Not long ago, the aristocratic families and the Immortal Alliance launched a large-scale encirclement and suppression, saying that they were going to deal with the evil cultivator who caused the butterfly disaster. Qi Xiangwan's cultivation level was not high and he had no intention of getting involved, but when he heard that the one being suppressed was the Xiaoyao Sect, he could no longer sit still.
When she was young, she had been saved by that evil cultivator, and she had always been grateful. She knew that although he had a strange temper, he was not an unforgivable person. Since he had been kind to her and had given her her life, how could she just sit back and watch him repay her kindness with hatred, knowing that the noble family was about to make trouble? Even if it meant risking her life, it was only natural.
As a result, he didn't run into the leader of Guanlan Sect, but was entangled by a man covered in blood at the foot of the mountain.
The man was also missing an arm.
The man told her his name was Mu Xun.
He is Mu Ye’s biological brother.
He kept calling her sister-in-law.
He also said that he was the junior fellow apprentice of the sect leader.
With this, Qi Xiangwan took him away, hid him in a place to recuperate, and gave him medicine.
Since he is the sect leader's man, I must repay his kindness.
But she didn't know that this man's arm was removed by Ji Lingche.
Qi Xiangwan really hated this guy calling her "sister-in-law".
She felt a little angry. The head of the Mu family was well-known for his purity. There had been no scandals in all these years. He was simply untainted by the mud in the family. He only had Mu Ye as his child, so where did his younger brother come from?
This guy in front of me is full of lies——
Mu Xun smiled sadly: "Sister-in-law."
"To be honest, all these injuries of mine were caused by my own brother and father."
"But it's not because I did anything unjust. They came to kill me just to cover up their own dirty deeds."
Qi Xiangwan interrupted him: "I saved you because of Lord Guanlan. I don't want to know anything else."
Mu Xun smiled slightly and said, "If you didn't want to know, you wouldn't have saved me at all."
Qi Xiangwan was silent for a moment, and Mu Xun continued, "Next to the Golden Terrace, there's a ghost town called Fengdu. It's filled with fierce ghosts. Even a Yuanying cultivator who enters will be torn to pieces, and there's no way back."
"It sounds creepy, doesn't it? But I endured it for three months by myself."
Qi Xiangwan frowned: "What?"
Mu Xun said softly, "I was about ten years old when I was thrown there by the Mu family."
He continued, "It's just because when I was little, your husband didn't like me, so the retainers threw me in there to feed the ghosts in order to please him."
Qi Xiangwan was stunned. Mu Xun said, "He doesn't like me as his brother, and his mother hates me even more. She burned my mother to death in a fire—"
"They're afraid of being exposed, so they've been trying to kill me all these years. Haven't you noticed that aristocratic families have always been cautious and self-protective? They've never been active in any encirclement and suppression campaigns. Only when the Xiaoyao Sect is under siege will your Mu family take action."
Qi Xiangwan: "Nonsense! Patriarch Mu is not that kind of person."
Mu Ye would not do such a thing.
Mu Xun stared at her, his smile a bit sinister: "But not only did they do it, they were also so vicious and cruel."
His tone was very soft and gentle, seemingly without any emotion, as if he was talking about someone else. He blinked and actually laughed: "What do you think the powerful head of the Mu family is like?"
He said that many years ago, during another trial of immortals competition, Mu Guisheng was not yet the head of the family. As a descendant of the Mu family, he came to participate in the spring competition. Somehow he fell in love with a girl from a medical clinic in Tiejian Town. The girl was eighteen or nineteen years old, young and beautiful, with a pair of eyes that were very moving. Mu Guisheng was like a demon, and he wanted to get her no matter what.
But at that time, he had already married and had children, and his newborn son was still crying for food at home.
But he didn't care about those things. He thought it was just a fleeting romance, so what if it was just a lie? He would leave after ten days or half a month. This girl was just a commoner. The immortal gate was far away. How could she have the ability to find him? He would never see her again in this life.
Mu Xun laughed and said, "But my mother didn't know she was being tricked. She foolishly waited for him. And with me, the neighbors pointed fingers at her. She had no choice but to take me with her and go find that man."
"But she didn't even get into the Mu family. His wife, who came from a prominent and difficult family, found out about it. She was furious and called my mother a slut who seduced men. She said she brought a bastard from nowhere and dared to deliberately tarnish the Mu family's reputation. She deserved death for slandering the Guangling Mu family. She set fire to her in the street and burned her to death. But Mu Guisheng let her do that without even showing up, acting as if it had nothing to do with him."
"That was my first time witnessing magic. I actually watched my mother writhing in the flames. I only felt that the flames were so bright, much brighter than the fire under the stove. I had never seen anything like it before."
"My mother must have been under a silencing spell, unable to make any sound. Later, she stopped moving and lay quietly in the firelight, as if she were just a bundle of firewood."
"At that time, I saw your Young Master Mu. He was standing majestically on the stone steps, looking at me, playing with a long sword in his hand, as if he was going to stab me through the heart at any moment."
Although Mu Xun was speaking, his voice was cold and without any sorrow. He smiled gently and said, "Sister-in-law, I was wondering at that time, what did I do wrong to deserve being stared at like that? Why did they stare at me like a dog?"
"...Sister-in-law, you won't treat me like they do, right?"
Qi Xiangwan looked at him, not knowing whether to believe him or not. Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine. She took a few steps back, turned around and ran away.
Many days later, she finally had some free time. When she thought about going to see him again, the house was already deserted, with only a pool of dried blood on the ground.
She thought that the man was seriously injured. Not only was his arm broken, but his spiritual veins were also damaged. It was obvious that he was not going to survive. Perhaps he wanted to be more dignified and forced himself to crawl out. Who knows where he died?
Since then, she hasn't seen him for so long that everyone thought he was dead.
This kind of thing is not uncommon in aristocratic families, but when Qi Xiangwan thought of what Mu Xun said, her heart still ached, and she began to have a grudge against the Mu family.
She couldn't help but think of herself. She was born in a noble family, but married into one. She was always stuck in it and couldn't break free.
Even if you have some courage and some effort, you will just be jumping from one cage to another.
Even if what the ghost cultivator said was true, she could do nothing about it. After all, she was just an insignificant character.
As time went by, she felt herself slowly becoming numb. She no longer had the stubborn character she once had. Like other young ladies from aristocratic families, she learned to be dull, to forget all her previous resentment, and to forget what she had said.
She felt that she was becoming more and more like her mother——
The mother who never fights back or retaliates when beaten or scolded, and is dignified and elegant.
She thought of Yin Pei again. She had not seen him since she defected from the Yin family.
She heard that he married his cousin and had a son. She had seen the younger brother and he looked very much like his father.
Qi Xiangwan felt that this was how his life would be, there would be no more ups and downs. His youthful mentality had long been smoothed out, but he was being raised like a bird in a cage, and would die quietly.
Occasionally, when she saw a sparrow flapping its wings outside the window, she would look up, until the goose flew very far away and could no longer be seen.
Until that day, she suddenly heard that the powerful and arrogant evil cultivator had died, and the cause of death was unknown.
The news spread like wildfire, shocking the entire world of immortal cultivation.
This news was like a stone thrown into her heart, causing waves that lasted for a long time.
It turns out that there really are people who die in such a spectacular way, being so arrogant and treacherous, and never repenting even a little bit until their death.
She thought back to the things she had done when she was young, and even she was surprised at why the once stubborn person had become so docile now.
"Mom." The daughter was pulling her sleeve, "I'm so hungry, I want to eat some cakes."
Qi Xiangwan said casually, "You have to practice sword fighting and fasting, so you are not allowed to eat."
The little girl curled her lips: "Huh, why don't you practice sword?"
Qi Xiangwan: "Because I——"
She paused and finally said nothing.
Qi Xiangwan suddenly wanted to pay tribute to that evil cultivator and her savior.
As she thought about it, she thought for a long time.
Until one day, she really set off, taking only the sword left to her by her grandfather.
She didn't even know if she would come back again.
She walked with a sword slung over her shoulder, just like the unpresentable cultivators described by the aristocratic families. She walked with big strides, looking happy as if she could chop off the heads of demons and monsters with one sword.
The night wind was blowing softly, she stopped on the mountain mist, looking down at the twinkling lights, and felt that she should have flown away like this a long time ago.
The so-called low cultivation and mediocre talent are nothing but excuses for cowardice.
She stared at Du Mu in the distance for a long time, then turned her head resolutely, thinking that she would never go back.
As a result, she turned her head and took another look.
With just one glance, she knew that she could never leave again.
I saw that the scattered lights in the Mu family's law house were expanding strangely - they were on fire.
It's not just any fire.
Her gaze gradually shifted, and she saw a figure blending into the night not far away. His black robe fluttered in the wind, his eyes sparkled, and he had a ghostly smile on his face. Even brighter than his eyes was a long sword that was washed transparently by blood, and it was glowing coldly in the moonlight.
The man grinned and said, "Sister-in-law, where are you going?"
"You promised to hurt me?"
Qi Xiangwan said in horror: "Mu Xun, you are not dead?!"
She knew what this person was here for.
The man hushed and smiled slightly, "I hate this name the most. You should just call me Yan Jinchen."
He looked at her with a pair of distinct black and white eyes, more like a ghost than a ghost: "Sister-in-law, when I first saw you, I thought you were like a porcelain doll. You spoke with a serious and stubborn spirit, so cute."
He thought, "It was like the dolls I saw at the market when I was a child, with no arms or legs, a round face, and they felt soft when I held them. I wanted them so much then, but unfortunately I had no money. Later, I learned how to snatch them away, but even after snatching them and holding them, they weren't what I wanted. Later, I realized that it wasn't that doll I wanted."
He just liked the way things looked when their limbs were chopped off.
Qi Xiangwan sneered horribly: "So, you want to chop off my hands and feet?"
Yan Jinchen smiled playfully: "Sister-in-law, you saved me and treated me well, how could I hurt you?"
"—I've heard that my brother and sister-in-law are in perfect harmony and deeply in love. I want to see if that's the case."
As he was speaking, he blew a long whistle, and then heard heavy footsteps, step by step, dragging towards him.
Qi Xiangwan felt as if all the blood in his body had frozen.
Mu Ye appeared in the grass with a long knife in his hand. Before she got close, she smelled a strong smell of blood.
There were several wriggling silk threads stuck in his body, turning outward, and he had become a puppet controlled by someone.
Qi Xiangwan screamed: "Mu Ye!!"
But it was of no use. Mu Ye's eyes were red and he had already raised the knife towards her.
——Blood splatters!
Yan Jinchen laughed: "Oh, brother, what are you doing? Why did you just come up and cut off your beloved wife's legs? Wouldn't your sister-in-law die of pain?"
Qi Xiangwan lost a leg instantly and fell to the ground. Her ears buzzed. In the chaos, she felt someone tightly grasping her neck. Someone whispered in her ear, "Sister-in-law, please beg me, and I might let you go."
Qi Xiangwan spat blood foam in his face.
Then I felt a sharp pain in my throat and my tongue was cut off.
Yan Jinchen pushed her away and said coldly, "I gave you a chance, but you're useless. Since you won't say anything, then shut up forever."
…
Ji Lingche reached out and touched his lips, still feeling the phantom pain.
She opened her eyes and saw that the silver butterfly had not flown far away, but pointed out the direction where the man was hiding.
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