Love & Redemption
Chapter 50 - 10 Wangxian Exorcises Ghosts (Part 3)

Chapter 50: Chapter 10 Wangxian Exorcises Ghosts (Part 3)

She had seen those Rice Cakes before, golden and fragrant.

There once was a youth, playing with it cheerily, tossing it to a little silver snake. The youth had a pale face, deep and profound black eyes, and often put on a serious expression.

However, she knew he was a good person.

She never met anyone like him since. So gentle yet sensitive, firm yet proud.

Was it him? Could it be him?

"You’re daydreaming again... Could you not do it now?" Linglong suddenly flew over with her Sword Control, patting her shoulder, "Watch out or you’ll fall down. We are flying in the sky, after all!"

Xuanji suddenly snapped back to reality, gave her a slight smile, and said, "I was thinking..."

"Thinking whether it’s Si Feng, right?" Linglong chuckled and interrupted her, while embracing her arms, letting the night wind blow her clothes and long hair into the air.

"It’s pointless to think! Why didn’t you write him a letter in four years? Everyone told you to write to him once your injuries healed. He urged you several times! Yet you forgot. You really have a pig’s brain!"

Xuanji could only smile bitterly. They weren’t wrong; sometimes she really was like a pig-headed person. Forget anyone else, how could she have forgotten to write to Si Feng?

Seeing Xuanji’s gloomy appearance, Linglong laughed and said, "Forget it, what’s forgotten is forgotten! If the person we saw this afternoon is really Si Feng, won’t we be meeting him soon? Don’t be upset, I’m sure he wouldn’t want to see you looking so lifeless."

Xuanji shook her head, staring blankly into the deep, dark blue night sky.

It wasn’t sorrow that she felt; it was regret, for once again, for no reason at all, she had let someone down. Without a single word for four years, he must be unhappy; otherwise, why wouldn’t he want to see her this afternoon?

"I say, your pig head is only good for daydreaming, not for serious thought," Zhong Minyan said mockingly, having approached at some point, "A face like a bitter gourd suits you less than a blank stare."

Sure enough, Xuanji went blank, which garnered laughter and applause from Zhong Minyan and Linglong, as they said in unison, "That’s the way! This look suits you best!"

Embarrassed, she scratched her head. Did she indeed suit the image of someone vacant?

Of course, now wasn’t the time to ponder that question. Sea Bowl Mountain was right beneath their feet; the three descended together, their garments fluttering loudly in the night wind.

"What’s that smell!" Linglong suddenly covered her nose and frowned, "It’s both fishy and foul!"

Xuanji also covered her nose and said softly, "It’s the same smell as in the afternoon. It’s from a demon!"

Zhong Minyan drew his sword in a flash, vigilant all around, whispering, "Be alert to our surroundings, there seems to be something."

The three of them looked down together, but the night was dark and thick below, and they couldn’t see anything clearly, only feeling that the lower they went, the stronger the fishy smell became. Linglong couldn’t bear it any longer; she opened her mouth, wanting to vomit, and managed to say, "No...! I don’t want to go down there!"

Xuanji abruptly stopped, took out a firecracker from her bosom, and with a flick of her fingers, summoned a tiny flame, lit it, and threw it down.

With a "bang," suddenly there was a bright explosion all around, and the whole mountainside lit up as if it were daylight. Below, dark things huddled together in groups became visible; startled by the light, they all took off at once, emitting strange cries of "Qu Ru, Qu Ru."

The trio felt a fishy wind rushing towards them, which was near nauseating, and they hurriedly flew higher. But the mysterious birds below flew even faster, and in the blink of an eye, a large dark flock had encircled them. In the night, their eyes were like crimson flames, countless dots converging together, creating a terrifying sight.

Linglong screamed in fear as they circled around her, pulled out her Broken Gold Sword from her waist, and swung it forth.

The Broken Gold was a divine weapon; having been wielded in her hands for many years, it had long since become second nature to her. With a swing from her at this moment, the sword immediately issued a clear and resonant cry, and a curved arc of golden light shot out, instantly scattering a large number of monster birds. The foul-smelling blood fell like rain.

In the midst of her panic, Linglong felt something strike her body, and she instinctively grabbed it—a furry, blood-drenched bird’s head. Attached to one neck were three heads that were not quite dead yet, their six blood-red, ghostly eyes fixed firmly on her.

Her screams grew even more pathetic, almost crying, as she babbled, "Xiao Liuzi! Xiao Liuzi! Where are you?!"

Zhong Minyan was right beside her, stabbing at the frightened monster birds that swooped toward them. Hearing her cries, he rushed over, extended his arm, and pulled her behind him. Suddenly, he heard the wind behind his head, pinched a sword technique, and, with his heart guiding his intention, immediately channeled True Qi into his sword, transforming it into countless beams of Sword Qi that shot down the monster birds to the ground.

"Are you hurt?!" He quickly changed direction, dodging a large flock of monster birds, and called out loudly.

Linglong clung tightly to his waist, choking up, "I’m... I’m fine. Just... got a fright... "

Now she looked pitiful, nothing like the fearless Linglong. She must have merely been acting tough; in reality, she was still a timid girl at heart.

Zhong Minyan sighed, and when he turned his head back, he didn’t see Xuanji anywhere. He broke into a cold sweat and anxiously exclaimed, "Where is Xuanji?!"

Hearing that Xuanji was missing, Linglong immediately forgot her fear, looked around for a long while, but didn’t see her anywhere. She started crying again in urgency, "Hurry...! Take me back to my own sword! I need to find her! She... She must have been knocked down by these monster birds!"

Zhong Minyan wielded his sword and chased away another large batch of monster birds, violently carving a bloody path through the sky. From a distance, Linglong saw her sword clutched in the talons of a monster bird, emitting a faint green light. She lunged forward, grasped the hilt, and with the other hand swung the Broken Gold. The bird was immediately sliced into four or five pieces, screeching as it plummeted.

Twisting her body, she steadied herself on the sword, wiped the blood from her face, and said fiercely, "If these birds dare to hurt my sister, I will grind them into pieces! Chop them into mincemeat!"

She spoke so fiercely, but who was the one crying and shouting just before?

Zhong Minyan was in no mood for banter, and simply looked around, hoping to catch sight of Xuanji’s green figure. Suddenly, he saw a big black shadow growing above them. Both of them looked up to see the monster birds abandoning them and flying upwards, gathering together, chirping noisily, and the noise was deafening.

They watched as the birds clustered into a huge dark ball, with even more monster birds continuously flying up to squeeze in, as if there was something inside enticing them. Both were stupefied by the sight.

Suddenly, there was a clear shout from the center of the sphere, followed by three Fire Dragons bursting forth, causing the flock to scatter in panic. Despite that, countless birds were incinerated on the spot. The three Fire Dragons circled the area, chasing after the three-headed monster birds. For a moment, the scent of burnt flesh overpowered the stench of blood, becoming even more unpleasant.

The two saw a green-dressed girl standing firmly amidst the soaring firelight, and it was Xuanji. She was chanting with her eyes closed. Apparently, the Fire Manipulation Technique was too fierce for her to bear; her forehead was covered in sweat, and her hands were trembling slightly.

"Three Fire Dragons! Is she playing with her life?!" Zhong Minyan knew the danger and immediately flew up to help.

Strangely, the monster birds, clearly seeing Linglong and Zhong Minyan, did not pounce on them. Though the Fire Dragons circled Xuanji and would scorch anything that got close, the birds still couldn’t bear to leave, screaming as they circled around her, unwilling to give up.

Zhong Minyan had seen this scene before; he suddenly remembered the moment from four years ago, that seriously injured Gu Diao desperately trying to get into the side passage to consume Xuanji.

What was going on with her? Why did these demons always have trouble with her?

He released Sword Qi, shooting down swathes of monster birds, and was about to call Xuanji over when he saw a dozen or so monster birds soaring into the sky, swooping down from a spot above Xuanji’s head where no Fire Dragons swirled!

"Sister, be careful!"

Linglong screamed, ready to rush to her aid, but Xuanji, struck by the birds, exhibited no resistance and the Fire Dragons around her instantly extinguished.

They watched, wide-eyed, as she fell from her sword and plummeted downward.