Chapter 24: Who Are You Calling Bride?

Night fell, and the noise within the Princess’s mansion erupted once more:

“Eight ones…”

“I heard the government office brought in a young hero—his martial arts are divine, and he’s especially handsome…”

“Don’t daydream; that’s Lady Linghu’s catch…”

…

Beyond the wall, within the two inner courtyards, all was dark and silent.

Xie Jin sat cross-legged in his bedroom, hands resting flat on his knees, qi circulating visibly around him, slightly stirring the fluffy fur of Meiqiu, beside him lay a newly purchased book, ‘Records of Demons and Ghosts’.

After the Lin family’s father and son left in the afternoon, Xie Jin went out again to inquire about the government office’s movements.

Deputy County Magistrate Yang had indeed gone to the Li household and taken away the eldest son, Li Zixian; Yang Dabiao was also scouring the city for possible behind-the-scenes demon bandits.

But the ‘Great Demon of Zihui Mountain’ carried too much terror—the state government office had not dispatched many additional men; those arriving from outside the city said rural counties had already begun organizing civilian laborers to search the mountains in linked chains.

Zihui Mountain stretched over seven hundred li, vast in scale; completing the search would take time, but with the government office committing such manpower, finding the tomb robbers’ encampment amid the peaks was merely a matter of time.

Xie Jin had fled the deep mountains in haste two days ago and wasn’t sure if he’d left anything behind at the tomb robbers’ camp; a round trip would take a full day and night, and the mountains were still swarming with searchers—he dared not return rashly. Now he could only devise a way to ‘divert the water eastward’, pinning the blame on the demon bandits or the Li family to shift the government office’s attention.

Because he’d encountered demon bandits today, Xie Jin had casually bought ‘Records of Demons and Ghosts’ while strolling.

The book’s cover was exquisitely crafted, depicting a fox spirit with ample bosom and plump hips.

Xie Jin had purchased it to study demon lore.

He quickly discovered the cover was pure marketing bait—the contents were entirely records from the Witch Cult rebellion era.

The Witch Cult had once been a relatively normal sect, brewing poisons, cultivating Gu , summoning deities, and nurturing ghosts—not prestigious, but not universally reviled.

But a century ago, a genius corpse-witch from the sect defected to the demon path, adopting the ‘ghost cultivation’ route, then used puppets to endlessly reincarnate into corpses, becoming known to the world as the ‘Corpse Ancestor’.

Within just a few years, the Corpse Ancestor had slain a third of the entire realm and toppled the entire previous dynasty.

At the time, other branches of the Witch Cult also had righteous warriors who rose to punish the Corpse Ancestor—but the Corpse Ancestor himself had emerged from the Witch Cult, and many of his underlings were former Witch Cult lackeys.

For safety’s sake, the founding of the Great Gan Dynasty expelled the entire Witch Cult to the wastelands to guard against monstrous beasts—and they’ve never recovered since.

Xie Jin had studied this history since childhood to outcompete local natives; after flipping through it for a long while without finding the bosomy, curvaceous fox spirit, he tossed it aside.

Now, while cultivating at home, he noticed the landlady’s household had started making noise again; to escape the disturbance, Xie Jin picked up the Zhenglun Sword again:

“Miss Ye?”

“Guh?”

Meiqiu, who had been idly rolling about, panicked at Xie Jin’s spirit-summoning and swiftly flew out of the bedroom.

Then, a familiar, seductive mature woman’s voice arose from behind:

“What? Can’t sleep again? Need Big Sis to soothe you?”

Xie Jin turned to see a charming red ghostly woman, reclining sideways, cheek propped on her hand, eyes teasingly fixed on him.

Finding the ‘Ghostly Earplugs’ extremely effective, Xie Jin resumed his cross-legged posture to gather qi:

“You asked me earlier how I felt when I first saw you—what did you mean by that?”

Ye Hongshang rolled onto her side, chin resting on her palm, her jade feet dangling lightly in the air:

“I meant exactly what I said—how did you feel when you first saw Big Sis?”

“Are you sure you want me to say?”

“Mmm~”

Xie Jin glanced at the red ghostly woman, then smiled faintly:

“You’re so slutty.”

?

Ye Hongshang froze her dangling feet, narrowed her eyes, then sat upright, assuming the posture of a mountain-top patriarch, her gaze sharp as swords, looking down from above:

“Do you prefer the cold, distant type?”

Her voice was icy and aloof, like a thousand-year-old glacier.

Xie Jin blinked, a flicker of familiarity passing through his eyes:

“You look… strangely familiar…”

Ye Hongshang’s heart leapt; she maintained her celestial maiden poise:

“Oh? You’ve seen me before? Think carefully.”

“Hmm…”

After long thought, Xie Jin suddenly slapped his forehead:

“Right! Lady Nangong!

“I once wandered near the Imperial Astronomical Bureau and caught a distant glimpse of Lady Nangong—her aura was just like yours now.”

Ye Hongshang fell silent, reclining again on the bed, cheek propped on her hand:

“Eating from the bowl while eyeing the pot—men really are all big pork trotters, hmph~”

Xie Jin pondered—he hadn’t even eaten from the bowl yet—and asked:

“Are you pondering your origins?”

Ye Hongshang blinked her autumn-eyed beauty: “My background must be significant—perhaps you knew me in your past life, and this life you’ve come to repay your debt to me.”

Xie Jin had definitely never met Ye Hongshang in his past life; he shook his head:

“I’m not a fox spirit or a white snake—what debt would I owe you?”

“Maybe I am one~ Reverse repayment is still repayment.”

As Ye Hongshang spoke, nine fluffy red tails drifted from her back, slowly swaying and undulating against the curtains, transforming her into a fox spirit with ample bosom and plump hips.

Damn!

Xie Jin’s pupils contracted—he felt this was exactly how he’d imagined a fox spirit; he leaned forward to inspect Ye Hongshang’s rear:

“Is this an accessory or a plug-in? Is this really your true form?”

Ye Hongshang twisted away, preventing Xie Jin from gawking:

“My true form could never look like this—I only transformed this way because you wanted to see a fox spirit.”

Discovering her true form had no tail, Xie Jin lost interest.

But he’d never experienced this before; curiosity still stirred in him:

“Can you transform into any form? Try a spider… oh shit—!”

Before he finished speaking, a piercing shriek erupted from the bed!

The scene inside the room was too grotesque to describe—but even the fearless Xie Jin’s fur stood on end; he covered his eyes with his hands:

“Spirit! Female spider spirit! Not a white-furred giant spider…”

“Oh~”

“You’re still ‘oh’ing?! Disappear, disappear—I’m having a heart attack!”

“Are you sure? Big Sis isn’t a woman you summon and dismiss at will.”

“Quick, quick, quick—!”

Xie Jin waved his hands with his eyes shut until ambient sounds returned to his ears, then exhaled softly in relief.

But before he could sit properly, he heard from behind the house:

“Dang dang dang~”

“My lord~…”

“Come, come, drink!”

?

Xie Jin’s face darkened—he realized he’d overlooked something; he gritted his teeth and picked up the Zhenglun Sword again:

“Miss Ye? Hongshang? Hey?”

The Zhenglun Sword remained silent.

Xie Jin hadn’t expected this succubus to throw a tantrum—he could only endure the noise, close his eyes, and attempt to cultivate.

But the princess’s mansion’s mad young ladies were truly noisy—chattering incessantly, making concentration impossible; halfway through, he heard:

“The Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival is about to begin—they say many talented scholars and young heroes have arrived; even the young master of Jinghua Manor, Bao Fei, is said to be here…”

“A man with a name like that? Don’t he fear being laughed at? How fat could he be compared to you…”

“Pfft~ Shameless—pull up her skirt and see who’s really fat…”

How the hell was he supposed to cultivate?!

Xie Jin was so stunned he didn’t even run to the back to referee—he had incredible self-control!

Unable to bear it any longer, Xie Jin picked up the Zhenglun Sword again:

“Big Sister Ye? Beautiful Miss Ye? Ghost bride?”

“Who are you calling bride?”

“Just joking—I need to hurry and cultivate; help me block out the noise.”

“Hmph~”

…

—

Night deepened; the Danwang Pavilion’s study.

Chief steward Zhu Wenyuan, dressed in scholarly robes, stood beside the desk holding a folding fan, frowning:

“What a season of troubles—today, every household across the counties was visited, and nearly every male footprint matching the height was cross-checked; just in Danyang County alone, there were over a thousand matches…”

Danwang Zhao Xiao, nearing fifty, carried an elegant scholarly air, but years of state affairs had streaked his temples with white; he sat behind the desk, flipping through the submitted scrolls.

The Ziwei Mountain and the Imperial Academy both sensed the towering bloodlust aura; the government office also found footprints in the mountains—there must be a great demon lurking in Danzhou.

If no leads are found by tomorrow, submit a memorial to Luojing and hand the matter over to the State Tutor.

Even if I am denounced by censors as incompetent, and Ziwei Mountain and the Imperial Academy are called useless fools, it is better than letting the great demon slip through and bring disaster to countless civilians.

As a regional governor, the Prince of Dan holds military, administrative, and financial power; even if he encounters a powerful demon, he should first dispatch his subordinates to handle it—only if it exceeds their capacity should he report to Luojing.

If every problem is passed upward without Danzhou lifting a finger, why does the court maintain so many officials?

As an advisor, Zhu Wenyuan desperately wanted to resolve this matter within his jurisdiction, but the “Great Demon of Ziwei Mountain” was buried too deeply—his subordinates simply could not find it, so upon hearing the news, he changed the subject:

“At such a critical moment, the Li family is causing trouble again.”

“The Li family has turned Li Zixian over to the county jail; fearing the officials would dare not use torture, they personally supervised the brutal interrogation.”

“Li Zixian is stubborn—he refuses to admit he tolerated his subordinates in selling prohibited drugs for profit, denies sheltering demon bandits or massacring innocents, and insists it was Li Shizhong who deceived the higher-ups and acted on his own…”

The Prince of Dan had anticipated this: “With no living witnesses, if Li Zixian has any sense, he won’t confess. The Li family forcing the jail to torture him is merely putting on a show for me. As soon as the Sanhe Tower incident broke, they sent someone to Luojing—without doubt, Li Gongpu’s men will arrive in Danyang by tomorrow morning.”

Li Gongpu holds the rank of Huangmen Lang and has long served beside the Emperor, enjoying his deep trust.

Though the Prince of Dan is the Emperor’s own younger brother, distant kin are no match for close neighbors; as long as he cannot crush Li Gongpu outright, he must grant him some leeway, lest the man constantly make his life difficult.

The Prince of Dan has been overwhelmed searching for the ever-present “Great Demon of Ziwei Mountain,” and now he must also deal with the Li family’s nonsense—his spirit is drained.

After reviewing the case files for a moment, the Prince of Dan suddenly noticed a name appearing repeatedly—he frowned in puzzlement:

“Who is Xie Jinhuan? He was present at Dongcang Alley and Sanhe Tower, and appears to have rendered the primary service.”

Zhu Wenyuan, having investigated thoroughly before reporting to the Prince, replied:

“He is the son of the former Wanan County Commandant, Xie Wen. Three years ago, when Xie Wen was transferred south, he followed his master in the Hidden Immortal lineage to cultivate. He has only recently returned and is currently staying in Qingquan Alley.”

“Though young, his martial skill is quite impressive. His background is tragic: according to the records, he lost his mother in childhood, and his father, Xie Wen, was killed by a demon during his journey to his post—leaving him the sole survivor of his family.”

“Oh…”

Hearing that Xie Jinhuan’s father had died in service, the Prince of Dan naturally felt a touch of sympathy for him:

“If you praised his martial skill as ‘quite impressive,’ his abilities must be substantial. With the demon’s source still elusive, we are in dire need of capable hands—this youth…”

At this point, the Prince of Dan suddenly frowned:

“This youth lives in the alley behind the Princess’s mansion?”

“Uh…”

Zhu Wenyuan knew the Prince regarded the Princess as his precious jewel, doting on her since childhood—even going so far as to secretly copy portions of the martial divine scripture kept in the Imperial Astronomical Bureau so she could study it easily.

Now that the Princess had reached marriageable age, the Prince, as an aging father, feared most that she would fall into the wrong hands and be lured away by some scoundrel.

But the Princess was of peerless beauty and the Prince’s beloved daughter—who wouldn’t wish to become her golden-groom?

In the past, countless presumptuous young men had loitered near the Princess’s mansion, dreaming of a “noble heiress falling for a poor lad” tale.

Seeing the Prince mistake Xie Jinhuan for a rogue seeking to woo his precious daughter, Zhu Wenyuan quickly explained:

“This youth is an old friend of the Assistant Commandant Yang Dabiao—that’s why he lives in Qingquan Alley. He has had no contact with the Princess; instead, he has grown close to Miss Linghu. If Your Highness is concerned, I’ll keep a closer eye on him in the coming days.”

The Prince of Dan carefully reread the case files, pondered briefly, then said:

“Forget it. Though this youth comes from humble origins, his father died loyally for the state, he possesses talent and upright character—if Ling’er takes a liking to him, it wouldn’t be beneath her. Let fate take its course.”

“Yes.”

…

—

Thank you to the patrons 【Linjiangxianvov】【Zhi Feizhe Karlos】【Xindexinmang Chenshi Fuxiang】【Wo You Bi Ru Dao】 for their patronage!

Thank you to the patrons 【oo Beisu Qingfeng】【Qingtian Baiyu Zhu】【Jiahai Zijin Liang】【Rixin Yueyi】【Canlan Shaohua Xiao18】【Xiao Hao Lieche】【Xingguang Jin_】【Shuyou20200419165000317】【Empress Dowager Baobao Tianxia Diyi】【Baobao my lord de Gaogenxie】【CanCanNiuNiu】【Shi Laonai Ba Wanle】【Shuyou20210406212832464】【Bing Tuotuo】 and others for their ten-thousand-silver donations.

Thank you to all patrons for your support, collections, monthly votes, and recommendation tickets or2!

Our new book ranking seems to have dropped—please support with monthly votes or2!

(End of Chapter)