Vindicated After a Wrongful Death - Chapter 43

Noticing that Song Youqiu was constantly rubbing his arm, Xiang Zhongjing raised an eyebrow. “You were bitten?”

Song Youqiu gave a dry laugh and held up a single finger. “Just once. It cost me a fortune to have Master Man remove the yin energy from my hand.”

Xiang Zhongjing suppressed a smile. “Knowing how much she detests men, how did you dare to go near her?”

“I was curious, and ghost cultivators seem to have a greater need for coffins. If I’d closed that deal, it would have been a massive order,” Song Youqiu said, his smile becoming even more awkward. “I didn’t think much of it, I just figured that if I went dressed as a woman, I wouldn’t be discovered.”

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

Xiang Zhongjing nearly burst out laughing, pressing his tongue against his teeth to barely hold it in.

Song Youqiu coughed, trying to look serious. “So, Sovereign, please reconsider. Unless absolutely necessary, it’s best not to provoke Tie Haitang. she isn’t restricted by the laws of the ley lines or the Heavenly Dao, killing someone is just a casual matter to her.”

Xiang Zhongjing was deep in thought and about to speak when a cynical voice drifted from behind them.

“With those eyesores you call women’s clothes, even a blind man could tell you’re a man. Tie Haitang was being kind by not throwing you into the Lower Yinchuan River.”

Xiang Zhongjing turned around. Man Qiuxia had arrived at some point and was strolling toward them.

Xiang Zhongjing: “Why are you here?”

Man Qiuxia pointed upward. Xiang Zhongjing followed his finger and finally noticed a tall building standing right next to the Funeral Pavilion.

It was the newly built Wujin Building.

Xiang Zhongjing: “…”

Song Youqiu actually did rebuild a Wujin Building for him?!

Man Qiuxia raised an eyebrow at Xiang Zhongjing. “You’re going to find Tie Haitang?”

Xiang Zhongjing nodded.

Man Qiuxia looked him up and down, seemingly judging something. After a long while, he rubbed his chin and revealed a smile. “I have a method. Do you want to give it a try?”

Xiang Zhongjing raised an eyebrow. Before he could speak, Gu Congxu grabbed his wrist and said coldly, “He won’t.”

One didn’t need to think to know that Man Qiuxia had no good intentions, he would likely use this opportunity to mess with Xiang Zhongjing to satisfy his own strange fetishes.

Man Qiuxia was bold, but he still didn’t dare provoke the Evil Dragon. Seeing the reaction, he dropped the idea with a disappointed look. “Fine then.”

Gu Congxu breathed a sigh of relief.

Surprisingly, the pensive Xiang Zhongjing glanced at Gu Congxu with a smile and said slowly, “Don’t be like that, there’s no harm in trying.”

Gu Congxu: “…”

In the dragon’s mind, what normal man would voluntarily dress as a woman? But he had forgotten that Xiang Zhongjing was anything but normal.

There was no trace of rejection in Xiang Zhongjing’s eyes, instead, they were full of eagerness.

Gu Congxu ground his teeth. “There’s no need for this. I’ll go over there and pull her locust tree out by the roots, I don’t believe she won’t help then!”

Xiang Zhongjing laughed. “Is that what you call asking someone for help?”

Gu Congxu was choked by the response.

Man Qiuxia’s eyes lit up instantly.

Song Youqiu muttered, “But Tie Haitang will recognize him.”

“That’s because it was you,” Man Qiuxia snorted. “Dressing as a woman isn’t just about plastering rouge and powder on your face and wearing an eye-searing pink skirt. If you’d put in even a bit of effort, you wouldn’t still be on Tie Haitang’s hit list.”

Song Youqiu fell silent.

Man Qiuxia had a whole theory ready. Seeing that Xiang Zhongjing had actually agreed, he excitedly dragged him toward the Wujin Building.

Gu Congxu followed behind with gritted teeth. He wanted to convince Xiang Zhongjing to drop the idea, but he knew that with Xiang Zhongjing’s headstrong personality, he wouldn’t be easily swayed once his mind was made up.

Song Youqiu also wanted to see what a “real” cross-dresser looked like, so he scurried after them as well.

Song Youqiu was indeed impressive, the newly built Wujin Building was almost an exact replica of the one on Wujin Road. After entering, Xiang Zhongjing almost thought Song Youqiu had moved the entire building there in its original state.

Man Qiuxia was beyond excited. After leading Xiang Zhongjing into a room, he slammed the door shut with a bang, not letting anyone else see.

Gu Congxu leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed, his face so dark it looked ready to drip ink.

Song Youqiu crouched nearby, remaining silent.

As the two waited outside, the atmosphere was quiet and awkward.

The True Dragon had an air of “don’t come near me,” and no matter how friendly Song Youqiu was, he didn’t dare initiate conversation with Gu Congxu. He sat hugging his knees, waiting obediently, looking incredibly pitiful.

He hadn’t expected Gu Congxu to speak to him, but after a moment, Gu Congxu spoke with a frown.

“Do you know how that Tie Haitang became a ghost cultivator?”

Song Youqiu froze, only then realizing the dragon was talking to him. He thought for a moment and said, “She was originally a wandering ghost whose grave was destroyed and body left exposed in the wilderness. Later, someone buried her properly under a locust tree. She found a fortuitous opportunity that allowed her to absorb yin energy and manifest a physical form. Over time, she entered the ghostly path.”

Gu Congxu: “What kind of opportunity?”

If it were anyone else, Song Youqiu would have already scurried over to ask for money, but Gu Congxu’s face was a mask of coldness and his posture screamed, “Speak or I’ll eat you.” He didn’t dare use his usual tricks on the dragon and spilled everything he knew in a hurried stream of words.

“Supposedly, it’s an opportunity that can make ghosts submit, and it’s buried under that locust tree. The entire Lower Yinchuan has been made colder than the Yellow Springs because of it.”

It was precisely because the opportunity was under the tree that Tie Haitang didn’t allow anyone to approach.

Gu Congxu grew thoughtful.

Just then, the carved wooden door nearby was gently pushed open.

Hearing the door, Gu Congxu turned his head lazily. Before his gaze could focus, a red shadow lunged toward him like a butterfly, carrying the unique, crisp scent of Xiang Zhongjing.

Gu Congxu caught the red shadow head-on. As he looked down with a frown, he came face-to-face with a peerlessly beautiful countenance.

Gu Congxu suddenly stiffened.

Xiang Zhongjing’s jade-like body was wrapped in a thin red robe. His waist was encircled several times by a red silk sash embroidered with begonia patterns, making him look so slender that he might snap with a single tug.

Man Qiuxia had abandoned his usual style of intricate braids. The ink-black hair trailing past his waist was simply gathered with a freshly picked peach blossom branch, the flowers in full bloom. Only two curled locks of hair were left to frame his face, their ends resting on his shoulders and brushing against his neck as he raised his hands.

Xiang Zhongjing’s features were already androgynous, so this outfit didn’t feel out of place at all.

Xiang Zhongjing’s seemingly bone-less hands climbed onto Gu Congxu’s shoulders. He pressed himself into the dragon’s embrace and tilted his head up slightly, a seductive smile visible behind his half-veil.

Gu Congxu: “…”

It felt as though the lightning tribulation Gu Congxu had faced in his adulthood was falling once again, striking his spiritual altar and nearly shattering his soul.

Xiang Zhongjing watched with satisfaction as Gu Congxu’s vertical pupils widened in shock. He casually played with a lock of Gu Congxu’s hair, twirling it around his finger. He intentionally softened his voice into a womanly tone, asking with a smile, “Do I look good?”

Gu Congxu: “…”

A thunderous roar rang in Gu Congxu’s ears, finally snapping him back to reality. Staring at Xiang Zhongjing in a daze, he grabbed the hand playing with his hair and tried to push him away, his face turning red from the effort.

“You… you stay away from me!”

Gu Congxu had always known Xiang Zhongjing was thick-skinned and that his flirtatious talk was hard to handle, but even a dragon would never have guessed he wouldn’t feel a shred of shame about dressing as a woman. Instead, he seemed to be enjoying it. The pair of eyes exposed above the veil were full of suggestive charm, able to steal a soul with just a glance.

Gu Congxu’s scales almost stood on end. He stared at Xiang Zhongjing’s exquisite, demonic face in near terror, as if he were looking at some sort of painted ghost skin.

Song Youqiu was also staring in a daze. Man Qiuxia walked over and snorted, “See that, you blockhead? This is a real cross-dresser.”

Song Youqiu had a moment of realization. “So that’s why I got the outfit wrong. No wonder.”

Man Qiuxia expressionlessly and cruelly debunked him. “No, it’s a matter of the face. Even if you dressed like him, Tie Haitang would still beat you up.”

Song Youqiu: “…”

Having finished teasing Gu Congxu, Xiang Zhongjing was extremely satisfied with the reaction of the dragon, whose horns were almost showing. He finally decided to let the innocent, pure-hearted dragon go, releasing his grip and standing steady.

Man Qiuxia was also very satisfied, looking him up and down incessantly. “Go on, then. Tie Haitang definitely won’t recognize you. If she can recognize you looking like this, I’ll eat this entire Wujin Building.”

Man Qiuxia spoke with absolute certainty.

Xiang Zhongjing was also quite confident, though Song Youqiu, standing to the side, looked like he wanted to say something. He had a feeling that this appearance still wouldn’t fool Tie Haitang.

***

A moment later, Gu Congxu transformed into his dragon form, allowing Xiang Zhongjing to sit on his back as they soared into the sky amidst clouds and mist.

A distance of ten miles was only a single tail-flick away for a True Dragon. Soon, the two spotted the Lower Yinchuan River winding through the desolate wilderness, as well as the massive locust tree.

The peach blossoms in Xiang Zhongjing’s hair were nearly blown away. He pulled his thin robes tight, turned his head, and let out a sneeze. His voice was a bit muffled as he said, “Just drop me down there.”

Gu Congxu complied and flew down. Upon landing, he transformed into a small dragon and coiled around Xiang Zhongjing’s wrist.

The moment he coiled on, he frowned. “Your body is freezing.”

Xiang Zhongjing sneezed again and said casually, “The yin energy here is too heavy.”

After a moment of hesitation, Gu Congxu wound himself around Xiang Zhongjing’s wrist twice. A black cloak appeared out of thin air and settled on Xiang Zhongjing’s shoulders, shielding him from the surrounding chill.

Xiang Zhongjing finally felt a bit better and planned to give Man Qiuxia a thrashing for picking this outfit when they got back.

He smoothed his wind-blown hair, straightened his clothes, and began walking toward the large locust tree with a leisurely pace.

He had sacrificed so much already, he had to get some information out of Tie Haitang, otherwise, this would be a huge loss.

In places invisible to Xiang Zhongjing and Gu Congxu, thousands of vengeful ghosts had gathered under the tree. They all stared at him with cold, predatory gazes. If it weren’t for the familiar pressure emanating from the black cloak, they would have swarmed him instantly and picked him clean until only a skeleton remained.

A woman in white saw Xiang Zhongjing approaching from a distance. Sensing something, she let out a cold laugh and leapt down from the tree, her form dissolving into a wooden door.

Behind the door was a small world that resembled the gates of hell. Skeletons were everywhere, and flame-like flowers of the Yellow Springs were in full bloom. After the woman walked down a path paved with white bones, she reached a seat built from skulls at the end.

A peerlessly beautiful woman in a purple dress was sitting with one long leg propped up on the table before her, eyes downcast as she slowly inhaled the yin energy from a Yellow Springs flower.

Beside her hand lay an iron chain and hammer wrapped in dirty, old good-luck charms. From the looks of it, a single blow from that hammer could smash a human head to pieces.

She lazily finished absorbing the energy, raised her beautiful eyes, and asked plainly, “What is it?”

The woman in white looked gentle and spoke in a tone as pleasant as a spring breeze, appearing extremely fragile.

Yet the words from the “fragile” woman’s lips were anything but gentle: “Sister, another shameless grandson has come to cause trouble dressed as a woman. Should I slice him up to make soup?”

The one addressed as “Sister” was the legendary Tie Haitang. She casually tossed aside the withered flower. “Is it Song Youqiu again?”

The woman replied, “It’s not that idiot.”

Tie Haitang leaned back in her seat, crossing her long legs and swinging a jade-like toe. Her finger lightly traced the charms on the hammer beside her as she said plainly, “It’s been so many years since we’ve had some fun. Slicing him up directly would be too boring. Let him in.”

“Yes.”