“Chaosheng,” Xiao Kun reminded him, “she’s the demon of this mountain and has harmed quite a few people.”
Chaosheng hesitated slightly. Xiang Xian shot Xiao Kun a look, signaling to not rush it.
Chaosheng knelt beside Lady Hua Rui’s legs, green light glowing from his hands as he pressed it onto the broken vines.
“I didn’t harm them,” Lady Hua Rui said. “I cultivated here only to find the reincarnation of Zhang Sheng. We met by the Min River and made a vow.”
Xiang Xian asked puzzledly, “Who is Zhang Sheng?”
Under Chaosheng’s Azure Wood Power, the severed vines on Lady Hua Rui’s body began to heal, twisting together. Then light flickered, and they once again transformed into human legs.
“Back then, the White Jade Palace sent me down to the mortal world to Shu Region to search for Yao Ji’s whereabouts,” Lady Hua Rui said.
“Yao Ji?” Xiang Xian said. “That name sounds familiar.”
“Yao Ji and Azure Bird were both chief divine servants of the White Jade Palace.” Chaosheng sat beside Lady Hua Rui and said gently, “And then?”
He reached out and gently stroked the side of Lady Hua Rui’s face. This gesture made the flower demon feel long-lost comfort. She rested her head on Chaosheng’s lap, closed her eyes, and tears flowed out: “Once you enter the red dust, it’s deeper than the sea. I didn’t find her, but I met Shu Emperor Meng Chang.”
Xiang Xian and Xiao Kun were both shocked simultaneously. No wonder the name “Lady Hua Rui” was so familiar!
Xiao Kun: “You were the imperial consort of Shu Kingdom a hundred and fifty years ago!”
Lady Hua Rui nodded slowly, tears falling as she said, “The so-called imperial consort and lady were all illusions. Among the mortal world’s myriad things, the only one I cared about was His Majesty.”
Over a hundred years ago, under Great Tang rule, the Two Rivers military governor Meng Zhixiang was ordered by Tang Zhuangzong to guard Bashu. Later, he grew powerful with his troops and declared himself emperor during the Mingzong era, but Meng Zhixiang died months after ascending the throne, passing the imperial position to his son Meng Chang.
Legend had it that Shu Emperor Meng Chang was talented, handsome, and romantic. He ignored state affairs and had no ambition to contend for the Central Plains. After meeting Lady Hua Rui, Fei Hui, he indulged in pleasure every day. Chuan-Shu also enjoyed decades of abundant harvests.
However, good times didn’t last. Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin conquered the world and sent troops to Sichuan. Meng Chang indulged in pleasure, and the people of Chuan had no will to fight, so Shu, which had stood for thirty-one years, fell. Folk tales also said that after the country’s fall, Lady Hua Rui was captured by Zhao Kuangyin to Chengdu and made a noble consort, but she couldn’t forget Meng Chang and burned incense to worship daily. When Taizu asked what god she worshiped, Lady Hua Rui only replied, “Sending-off husband Zhang Sheng.”
Xiao Kun, having been in Great Liao, knew of Lady Hua Rui because of her fame as a poetess. That poem—“The king’s city raised the surrender flag, how would I know from deep in the palace? Fourteen myriad men all laid down arms, not one was a man”—had spread across the world.
“Then you returned to Qingcheng Mountain,” Chaosheng said.
“I met His Majesty at Guanjiangkou and swore by the Min River,” Lady Hua Rui said. “Lifetime after lifetime, never to part…”
“Pardon my interruption—this story is truly touching, but I need to pee,” Xiang Xian said. “I’m about to burst. Can you pause for a bit?”
Xiao Kun: “…………”
“During my cultivation, I waited all along,” Lady Hua Rui said. “I befriended Master Xuyan from the temple down the mountain, and we lived peacefully for years. Thanks to his constant persuasion, I never acted improperly toward the common folk.”
Xiao Kun said, “But you shouldn’t have captured men.”
Lady Hua Rui said softly, “At first, I thought His Majesty would reincarnate someday and return to me. The longer I waited, the more impatient I became. The little demons often listened to my tales…”
“So you must have told this story at least a few hundred times,” Xiang Xian returned and said.
“Yes.” Lady Hua Rui calmed a bit and said, “They volunteered to bring me men who might be ‘Zhang Sheng reincarnated’ for me to identify one by one.”
Chaosheng asked, “But after seeing them, why didn’t you let them go?”
Lady Hua Rui: “My obsession was too deep, and my demonic power too strong. After being with me, they all needed time to recover. They’re now locked in the side rooms in the back mountain.”
Xiao Kun said flatly, “But you harmed people in the end. Harming is harming; no amount of excuses helps. Pushing blame onto your little brothers is even more pointless.”
“I know.” Lady Hua Rui said, “From the moment the thought arose, I had fallen into a demonic barrier. Back then, my little disciple Chang Qin coveted the longevity power I brought to the mortal world.”
“Ah?” Chaosheng said. “You took a disciple?”
“I broke my sect’s precepts, falling in love with a mortal man and secretly taking a disciple.” Lady Hua Rui said, “A few years ago, she even came to visit me in the mountains. Perhaps she tampered with the Mani Heaps, infusing them with demonic qi. Those Mani Heaps were built by my own hands out of longing for His Majesty. On every full moon night, my unresolved obsession poured into them, so the demonic qi attached to my obsessions and invaded my entire body. By the time I noticed, I was already deeply trapped.”
Suddenly, Xiang Xian and Xiao Kun exchanged a knowing glance, thinking of a certain possibility.
