Chapter 26: Resentment Festers

What? What monster?

Su Changling’s eyes widened in shock. Just as she opened her mouth to argue, she heard the old woman’s voice from outside the room—a withered, hateful tone that brooked no dissent. "A monster? What monster! She’s just lucky enough to have survived seven days of starvation without dying."

"Since she won't die of hunger, then reward her with three feet of white silk and hang her. When it’s done, we shall simply tell the magistrate’s men that she could not bear the loneliness of my son on his journey to the underworld, and that despite our attempts to dissuade her, she insisted on taking her own life to follow him in death!"

"It’s a merit that fell into our laps out of thin air... The magistrate surely won’t refuse such a thing at a time like this. If all else fails, Hongcui, take those three thousand taels of silver notes tucked away in my vanity box and deliver them to the magistrate’s residence..."

"Enough! Why are you lot still standing there? Go and prepare the white silk—don’t let it delay my son’s funeral!"

"Yes," the young maids murmured in response. Before long, two burly, stout matrons, followed by several maids carrying white silk and mourning garments, rushed into the attic.

The already cramped space became suffocatingly crowded. Watching the items in the maids' hands, Su Changling’s instinct was to fight her way out! But trapped in this mortal shell, she was pitifully weak, and her feet—bound and broken long ago—made it impossible for her to run more than a few steps.

She could only watch in despair as the hulking matrons clamped their hands onto her arms. The rough callouses on their palms scraped against her skin through her clothing, and the white silk, folded into thick layers, was tightened cruelly around her throat.

The last of the air in her lungs was squeezed out, inch by agonizing inch. Her eyes bulged, and her face turned a suffocating, bruised purple in an instant!

Why... Why, why, why, why?!

She had met Cheng Liulang no more than twice before their marriage. What did his death have to do with her? Why did his mother hate her so much?

Why, because he was dead, must she "follow him in death"?

Why must a woman be forced to follow those "Precepts for Women" and "Lessons for Women"...

Why were women in this world born unable to choose a path of their own?

She only wanted to live... They only wanted to live a life worthy of the name!

***

The resentment in Su Changling’s gut—an unknown, long-simmering bitterness—erupted at that moment. As her rage poured out, it dyed the sky a deep, blood-red.

The instant her soul left her body, she watched as the old woman reported her name to the imperial court, claiming she was a virtuous widow. Yet, on the very day the coroner inspected the corpse, the woman ordered the coffin to be dug up and her tongue to be cut out!

They wanted to leave her unable to speak, to ensure that even in the underworld, she could not plead her case before the King of Hell!

How could this be... How could this possibly be?!

Su Changling clutched her head. In an instant, the mourning clothes she wore shifted back into the simple, practical gown she usually favored. She gripped the hilt of her sword and, instinctively, struck out, shattering the small, sin-filled building.

*Boom!*

The rotted wooden beams collapsed into a pile of rubble in the blink of an eye. Faded, carved brackets scattered everywhere, and dark roof tiles buried the plaque that had once been gilded in gold and silver.

The illusion shattered. The once-noisy attic returned to a state of desolate silence. The Soul-Seeking Jade in her hand burned so hot it felt as though it would sear through her. She stared blankly ahead, seeing once more the vengeful ghost, dressed in a phoenix crown and ceremonial robes.

"Oh, you’re awake. How did that trip feel?" The vengeful ghost laughed, lifting a hand to stroke the stray hair at her temple. Her expression was a mix of allure and biting mockery.

Su Changling stared fixedly at her features, feeling that she looked like her, yet not entirely like her.

As if in a trance, she lifted the blue-steel blade in her hand. Its cold light shimmered, yet it trembled with an uncontrollable, subtle vibration.

"So, who exactly are you..."

"Can’t you tell?" The ghost interrupted her impatiently. "Or is it... that even now, you refuse to admit it?"

"I am you—Su Changling."

"I am you from a hundred years ago. I am you before you were reborn. I am the one—the one your heartless mother-in-law strangled to death in that attic!"

"How ridiculous, Changling." The ghost reached out, her fingers ghosting over the young girl’s cheek. Her gaze was as lingering as a lover’s, yet as tender as a mother’s. "You were meant to be a goddess high atop the mountain peak, yet for the sake of that laughable ideal of 'saving the world,' you insisted on descending into the mortal dust."

"But look, what good did it do for you to step down from that lofty peak? Mortals are ignorant, foolish, and self-righteous. They stepped on your flesh and blood to climb upward, turning your bones into a memorial arch of 'chastity' to bring 'glory' to their family name!"

"Look at this world—look down at this absurd and ridiculous world!" The ghost pointed sharply toward the collapsed corridor.

There, Cheng Yingxue was carefully cradling the newly awakened Cheng Yingrou, both huddled motionless under the ghostly light of the compass.

"Cheng Yingrou, who spent her life serving her in-laws, raising her brother-in-law, and enlightening countless seamstresses, was finally locked in her room and starved to death by her husband’s family. Cheng Yingxue, full of grand ambitions and talent, was nearly driven to jump off a cliff by her own clan... Even Madam Wang, who once loved pastries the most, has been worn down into nothing more than a 'Mistress Cheng,' unworthy of her own name!" The ghost cried out, and suddenly, resentment surged!

"And you—you forgot your true identity, but I remember it clearly. You abandoned your cultivation for the sake of these mortals, only to be strangled in the name of being a 'monster'!"

"Is such a world worth saving?"

"Is such a world even worth you coming down to save it!!"

The ghost’s words were like a heavy hammer, striking Su Changling’s already trembling heart.

She recalled everything she had just experienced in the illusion... and realized she could not firmly reply with a "Yes, it is worth it."

Her lips trembled, and her face turned deathly pale. At that moment, the burning-hot Soul-Seeking Jade leaped from her collar and soared into the void!

"Tsk—a little trinket made by Ling Chenzi," the ghost scoffed, flicking her finger and easily tossing the jade back into Su Changling’s arms.

A sliver of silver light appeared on the pitch-black horizon. The ghost glanced at the coming dawn and curled her lips at Su Changling. "Changling... we shall meet again tomorrow."

The ghost vanished the moment she finished speaking. However, Cheng Yingrou, shrouded in the light of the compass, did not dissipate immediately.

The yin energy coiling around the compass receded. Seeing this, Cheng Yingxue scrambled to her feet and looked toward the cold, ethereal girl standing in the void with her sword.

"Sister Su, are you alright?" The young girl’s eyes were filled with worry. Su Changling, standing high in the air, turned back slowly—

Leaving only two lines of crimson tears streaming down her face.