Bone Ash (2)

o appears to be an expert – be drawn to such a placeSuddenly, my brother head-butted someone. A man wearing a mask next to him covered his nose and whimpered as he dodged."Get the hell out of here, yo..."So you're a fox spirit then." I blurted out, and immediately covered my mouth. "Sorry, sorry... It's Hu Daixian after all."

She was stunned for a moment, then giggled softly, and said in a gentle voice, "Master, you are truly a kind person..."

My brother frowned and said, "You're a fox spirit, what are you pretending to be Hu Dashan Honestly tell us the beginning and end of this matter. If your attitude is good and you confess frankly, we'll try our best to save you. But if you have bad intentions, we'll drag you straight to the underworld, understand"

"I know... this young lady can command the Black and White Impermanence Lords, she must be an extraordinary person... I dare not offend..."

She used Xi Linzhou's body to bow to me, her movements were so coquettish and endearing, but it was Xi Linzhou doing it... looking at it was a little creepy.

I estimate Xi Linzhou would want to curse me right now.

I secretly clutched the stand-in puppet she'd given me in my bag.

This decoy puppet was none other than her own decoy.

Last time she dealt with that long worm spirit, she also used this method. She first let the opponent possess her body while she herself hid inside a substitute puppet.

Then, when the opponent is weak and unguarded, suddenly activate the substitution puppet incantation, swapping the soul in the substitution puppet with your own—the opponent will be pulled into the substitution puppet.

Last time she used a voodoo doll to practice, and then pierced the top of the voodoo doll's head, making blood gush out.

This time I feel like things aren't as simple as they seem. I want to figure things out before making a decision.

“Two masters, when I was killed, the country fell into chaos. Demons ran rampant in the troubled times. That master told me that if I listened to him, I could be reborn and achieve enlightenment… I agreed to him. He nailed my head and soul together in a box, putting in some bones that didn’t belong to anyone.”

"Was the skeleton headless" My eyelids twitched.

"Yes, and that skeleton died a terrible death!" she said with lingering fear. "If it had been just beheading, that would have been one thing... In times of chaos, life is cheap, heads are seen everywhere, nothing unusual about that..."

"But the leg bone had suffered from the cruel punishment of kneeling on a spiked board, and the shin bones had been chopped off by an axe...the finger joints were ground to powder, incomplete...even the collarbone was broken...it made me very afraid...that skeleton radiated with resentment, I recited spells daily to purify my heart, only after so many years did I manage to avoid being tainted by its resentment."

She shuddered and said, “Later on, a ghost messenger came, but he didn’t take me away. He gave me a prison, and within the prison's confines, I was free to move about… which is to say, the range of this building.”

But I dare not show my face easily, I fear being wiped out by the mages, not daring to take a step out of the box... Until ten years ago that mage appeared.

It seems the key point is that mage.

My brother pressed, "After years of being with this skeleton, have you felt who it is"

"Yes! Although this skeleton doesn't have a soul, its resentment carries the grief of witnessing the country's downfall. I initially thought it belonged to a loyal minister or general who had been unjustly treated... until about a hundred years ago, a little ghost came to burn paper money and said a few words—"

"What did you say!" I asked hurriedly.

"You said... that all your enemies are about to die out, if you can be reborn then be reborn... I can't find your soul in the underworld, where have you hidden yourself"

She said seriously: "I remember very clearly, that little demon messenger was relaying a message, but who it was for, I have no idea."

I furrowed my brow, calculating the time carefully. I said to my brother, "It seems...the time and place are a bit too coincidental..."

My brother, hearing this from me, also frowned deeply: "Could it be that inside this bone box is the body of that ghost princess, Zhu Weiti"

It can be surmised that after Zhu Weiti's tragic death, her head was left exposed and eventually stolen by loyal survivors who fled south. Ultimately, Jiang Qiyun enlightened a burial site for her, offering her compassion and marking it as her final resting place.

Her body was brutally tortured before being transported back to the capital to claim rewards. In the end, she was left to rot in a mass grave. A loyal mage from the old dynasty collected her bones and wanted to gather her complete remains so that she could be resurrected.

But her spirit and head remained within Jiang Qiyun's circle, unaware of the outside world.

Thus, the fox's soul has been able to survive until today.

I pieced everything together, and my brother immediately understood. The fox girl looked panicked: "So... she's already possessed Will I be devoured by her!"

"...You're lucky to have run into us, or else you'd be in for a rough time." My brother gave her a withering look.

"Xiao Qiao, there's one thing I still don't understand. What exactly is Zhu Weiti's ability Why would the underworld show her such favoritism If Jiang Qiyun gave her time and allowed her to retain her soul and cultivation to practice because she had helped release many resentful spirits, then what about the City God and the little ghost messengers"

My brother frowned in confusion.

I see things more clearly now, because once time is connected, the reasons behind it become much easier to understand.

"Zhu Weiti was a royal descendant who fought to the death. In those times, she was considered a national hero... And did you know that the ranks of City Gods were all established during the Ming Dynasty" I replied.

During the reign of Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty, a grand ceremony was held to confer titles upon city gods throughout the land. Four ranks were established: king, duke, marquis, and earl, along with corresponding appellations. Extensive sacrifices were performed, and numerous temples dedicated to city gods were constructed.

As for the City God of Beijing, he was the most esteemed one in the entire world. It could be understood that Zhu Weiti had used his influence to get him to speak up for her.

"But to actually dare attack you, that's not just favoritism; it's a challenge to the authority of the gods... I'll definitely investigate this thoroughly later." My brother scoffed.

“Let’s just take the bones and throw them in the crematorium. We definitely don't want that ghost princess to cause any more trouble! That woman was such a pain!”

I nodded in agreement, and my brother said to the female fox again: "You take us to clean up this skeleton, and we'll spare your life. We'll find a way to get you out of here."

"...Really Thank you, Master..." the female fox whispered. "But this little witch drew a circle, I can't get out. Master, can you help me open a corner and let me leave her body"

My brother held the talisman and carefully wiped a mouth with his foot. The female fox smiled, just about to thank him, when Xi Linzhou's head, which had been drooping all along, suddenly lifted up—

She glared furiously and shouted, “Want to run! Not so easy!”

In an instant, I reached into my bag and grabbed the stand-in puppet. It was icy cold, which startled me so badly that I immediately let go!

Xi Lingzhou rushed up and snatched the puppet substitute from my backpack, clutching it tightly and saying fiercely, "Mu Xiaoqiao! Who told you to meddle! Didn't we agree to cooperate What use is a fox head if its ghost doesn't die It must vanish completely—"white flowers.And in the middle of the sea of flowers stood a towering, black gate.I am in a place where the city walls are out of sight."Are you going into town" I couldn't help but ask the butterfly...