Chapter 5 — Riding on the Wind

Young master, I envision a different conclusion for the tale within your book. The underworld of spirits and ghosts naturally discerns human virtue from vice, refusing to be blinded by the deceitful words of a secondary malignant spirit. As the authorities of the nether realm prepared their final judgment to cast the three souls into the cycle of reincarnation, the spirit guardian Wuchang discovered that the lingering resentment harbored by both the primary and tertiary spirits had not yet dissipated, rendering them unfit for rebirth. Consequently, the guardian granted both souls a second chance at mortal life, descending back to the earthly realm so they might purge their bitter hatreds with their own hands.

The person seated across from me merely offered a faint smile upon hearing these words. She reached gracefully into her silken sleeve, retrieving a heavily weighted money pouch, and placed it gently upon the table before me. Within it lay a generous fortune of glittering silver.

Take this coin, dear maiden, and depart far from the capital. Go forth and live the life your heart desires.

Her voice possessed a crystalline clarity, reminiscent of a mountain stream cascading smoothly over ancient stones. Hearing this, I quietly slid the silver back across the polished wood.

I am well aware that the sheer noble lineage and formidable influence of the tertiary spirit alone would suffice to crush the impoverished and yet-unambitious secondary spirit, destroying him utterly before he ever rose to power. I possess nothing in this world; coming to the imperial capital in search of vengeance serves no purpose other than to burden your grand designs, milady.

Yet, his vengeance upon me is mine alone to claim, just as your vengeance belongs solely to you. Even if you ultimately strike Xie Yuan down with your own hands, I implore you, grant me the privilege of delivering just a single kick to his wretched body. Would you allow me that, Lady Zhuan?

The aristocratic lady opposite me paused for a fraction of a moment, then delicately lifted the porcelain mask from her face. Revealed beneath was a visage of breathtaking beauty, possessing the delicate grace of blooming peach blossoms. This exquisite creature was none other than the sole daughter of the valiant Marquis of Guyuan and the revered Grand Princess, Princess Anning, known formally as Zhuan Haoqiao. She was, in the same breath, the noble bride whom Xie Yuan had married in their previous incarnation.

Lady Li, though both of you and I have traversed the boundaries of death and lived through two distinct lifetimes, this marks the very first occasion we meet face-to-face in the flesh.

Throughout my past life, I remained forever sequestered in a remote rural village, toiling endlessly to serve the aging and the young of the entire household. Whatever fragments of news I managed to gather concerning Xie Yuan trickled down solely through the vicious curses of that wicked mother-in-law and Xie Guang. Following the day he cast me aside with a writ of divorce, he married Zhuan Haoqiao. After their union, the couple appeared profoundly devoted, living in perfect harmony and mutual bliss. Yet in this present existence, piecing together the cryptic clues hidden within the Book of Wuchang, I finally managed to reconstruct the hidden half of the truth. The Marquis of Guyuan held absolute military command. Every single able-bodied male within their illustrious lineage stood guard at the distant northern frontiers. Remaining within the heavily fortified capital were only Princess Anning, Zhuan Haoqiao, and her esteemed mother, the Grand Princess Changjia. Xie Yuan had foolishly imagined that by attaching himself to such a transcendent and powerful family, he could ascend to the highest heavens in a single bound. However, it was precisely the overwhelming influence of the Zhuan family that aroused the deep suspicion and wariness of the reigning Emperor, rendering Xie Yuan's official career remarkably stagnant and fraught with frustration. For an extended period, he remained nothing more than an insignificant official loitering on the periphery of the imperial court. Not only was he utterly neglected by the sovereign, but he was also forced to endure the condescending glances of the Grand Princess day in and day out. How could a man as fiercely arrogant and intensely ambitious as Xie Yuan possibly stomach such humiliation? Consequently, he secretly pledged his allegiance to the Emperor behind closed doors on numerous occasions. In the end, he fabricated monstrous charges of treason against the entire family of the Marquis of Guyuan, stepping directly upon the fresh corpses of his wife's entire lineage to claw his way to supreme political power. Zhuan Haoqiao, without a shadow of a doubt, was the very third spirit chronicled within the mystical book.

Back in my past life, when you set that raging inferno to consume their entire estate to ashes, I quietly lent the fury of the night winds to fan your flames.

I raised my head in sheer astonishment, staring directly into the dark eyes of Zhuan Haoqiao. She continued in a measured, tranquil tone:

In our previous life, mere moments before Xie Yuan returned to his hometown to visit his family, my entire household was dragged out and beheaded by imperial decree. My burning resentment refused to disperse, lingering endlessly as I followed Xie Yuan everywhere he wandered.

I watched you closely—the forsaken first wife whom Xie Yuan incessantly claimed had abandoned and betrayed him. I witnessed with my own eyes as you brought down that devastating fire upon his home. Although I remained entirely ignorant of the underlying grievances, so long as it meant ensuring the agonizing death of Xie Yuan, I was more than willing to lend you a helping hand.

I summoned the gale-force winds to empower your blaze, watching with grim satisfaction as the towering seas of fire devoured Xie Yuan alive, before my consciousness finally faded into absolute darkness. When I awoke once more, I found myself miraculously reborn into this second youth.

She paused to take a delicate sip of tea before resuming her tale:

Upon my rebirth, the very first task I commanded my retainers to undertake was a thorough investigation into your whereabouts. My agents returned swiftly with the report that you had already successfully severed all ties and departed from the Xie household.

Because those wretched members of the Xie family had given themselves over to rampant debauchery and scandalous gatherings, they were ultimately sentenced to public decapitation by the local magistrates. The clumsy manner in which you executed your vengeance left behind traces, and the local authorities originally intended to issue a warrant for your arrest. I merely utilized a fraction of my family's influence to quietly intervene and restore your pristine, untainted status as a free citizen.

With these words, Zhuan Haoqiao slid yet another object across the table toward me. With trembling fingers, I unfolded the delicate parchment, and instantly, hot tears streamed uncontrollably down my cheeks.

This document is your original contract of servitude, alongside the official writ of divorce personally penned by the arrogant hand of Xie Yuan himself!

To this very day, Xie Yuan remains utterly convinced that current events are unfolding in exact replication of his past life. Upon receiving the forged letter I dispatched to him, he eagerly produced this fraudulent writ of repudiation without a second thought.

Lady Li, you are now a completely liberated soul. Both you and I have defied the wheel of reincarnation to live anew, yet Xie Yuan has likewise returned from the grave. You might not necessarily emerge victorious should you engage him in direct combat. It would be far wiser for you to leave the capital behind and claim the autonomous, unburdened existence you rightfully deserve.

Hearing this profound counsel, I sank into a deep, protracted silence. The mountainous weight of hatred that had long festered within the deepest recesses of my chest pressed down upon me with crushing force, flowing like an endless, turbulent river of bitter sorrow. Yet, with a mere flick of her wrist, Zhuan Haoqiao had effortlessly manipulated Xie Yuan as though he were a helpless puppet dancing upon her palm. She sat before me like an ethereal deity, lifting her hand with effortless grace to dissolve the darkest torment of my soul. Suddenly, I found myself plunged into a state of profound emptiness. I could no longer fathom what purpose remained for me to fulfill after living through a second existence. Slowly, I lifted my gaze to look upon Zhuan Haoqiao. My eyes drifted past her elegant silhouette, spanning outward beyond the carved wooden window frames, until they finally rested upon the hazy, distant peaks rising beyond the capital's outer walls—hills that looked remarkably like the silent mountains of my distant homeland.