Chapter 858.2: Recognition
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S T E L L A R C L O U D
[Galetron]
O R A N G E S T A R
[Alma S.] [Antonny C.] [Christine G.-L.] [K.Rom]
[Lily J.] [Nevy] [Ziana K.-P.]
Y E L L O W S T A R
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G O L D S T A R
[Anne C.] [Roxanne C.]
R A I N B O W S T A R
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T H E S U N
[Kiiayame]
C E L E S T I A L C O N Q U E R O R
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In that dream where Gu Jiao foresaw her own fate, there had been no direct connection with Ghost Mountain. The war between the State of Liang and the State of Jin hadn’t even occurred yet, as it was nine years in the future. By then… Shangguan Qing would already have died from the poison, and the true King of Ghost Mountain would also be long gone.
But in this lifetime, so many things had changed.
“And yet I still can’t explain… why I feel such a deep familiarity with Ghost Mountain… even though that dream never brought me here…”
Gu Jiao couldn’t figure it out, and eventually gave up trying.
There were secrets about herself even she couldn’t begin to unravel.
With a leap, Gu Jiao jumped down from the tree branch.
The Ghost King instantly raised his longsword and slashed toward her!
But the Black Wind King stepped in and blocked the blow. Then, under the Ghost King’s guarded and wary glare, it slowly walked over to Gu Jiao and gently nudged her with its head.
This was the person the Black Wind King wanted to protect.
Someone on its side, one of its own.
The Ghost King's verdant longsword fell.
Gu Jiao walked forward. Since they were all on the same side, she decided there was no need for courtesy or restraint.
With her small face smeared with streaming nosebleed, Gu Jiao lifted her chin boldly, her voice proud and imposing as she declared, “Let me give a proper introduction. My name is Gu Jiao, comrade-in-arms of Big Boss… well, that is, Little Ah Yue, and the newly appointed commander of the Black Wind Cavalry.”
But just as her words fell, the Ghost King’s sword slashed down once more without hesitation.
Gu Jiao was caught entirely off guard!
Which part of what she said was wrong this time?!
But it wasn’t as if the blows she had taken earlier had been in vain. At the very least, she managed to dodge this particular strike. It proved, once again, that actual combat truly was the most effective shortcut to honing one’s strength.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t fast enough to dodge the second slash.
The Ghost King’s sword halted just an inch away from her throat. Clearly, he had pulled back at the last moment. Otherwise, she would have already become a lifeless soul beneath his blade.
“Too… weak…”
He spoke with great difficulty, every word sounding as if it had to be dragged out from deep within his broken voice. After uttering those two words, he sheathed his sword and walked away with the Black Wind King.
So what you were doing just now was… testing whether I was qualified to lead the Black Wind Cavalry?
Couldn’t you have given a heads-up first, hero?
You nearly scared me to death.
Gu Jiao brushed off the dirt from the hem of her robe and took steps to follow behind.
To his left was the Black Wind King, and to his right was Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao hesitated for a moment, then asked, “You’re a member of the Xuanyuan Family, aren’t you?”
He ignored her question. When he wasn’t making a move, his posture and movements were sluggish and slow, as if even the act of walking required tremendous effort.
Did he think this was how the dead were supposed to move?
Gu Jiao didn’t get an answer, but she wasn’t particularly surprised. After all, this man had lived in seclusion from the world for who knew how many years. It was likely he had long forgotten how to properly communicate with people.
Yet the fact that he had called out the Black Wind King’s childhood name proved that he hadn’t lost all memory. Of course, it didn’t rule out the possibility of ordinary memory lapses.
After all, no one could remember every detail of their life.
Gu Jiao tilted her head slightly and glanced at the hair beneath his helmet.
It was gray and white.
He had to be of the grandfather generation, ruling out Xuanyuan Sheng and his brothers.
Surely it couldn’t be Xuanyuan Li?
Xuanyuan Li’s corpse had been personally returned and buried by Duke An. There was no possibility of a mistake there.
Besides, if Xuanyuan Li were truly still alive, he would have had no reason to remain hidden here, guarding this place like a ghost neither fully dead nor alive.
As Gu Jiao walked behind him, she took the opportunity to size him up from head to toe.
Fortunately, he didn’t seem to mind her scrutiny.
Gu Jiao noticed that his breath was unstable, his internal state was clearly in turmoil. He must have suffered a grave internal injury, one that had never truly healed.
For him, even staying alive was a form of torment. She couldn’t imagine what reason he had to persist all this time.
Was it really just to guard this burial ground of the Xuanyuan army?
Gu Jiao slowed her pace slightly as her thoughts wandered, gradually falling behind the group.
She didn’t rush to catch up, but instead lifted her gaze and looked deeply at him and the Black Wind King.
There was no doubt in her mind. Only someone from the Xuanyuan Family could provoke such visible excitement from the Black Wind King.
So regardless of whether he chose to answer her or not, Gu Jiao had already made up her mind.
As for who exactly he was within the Xuanyuan Family, Gu Jiao already had a vague suspicion forming in her heart. She just needed more evidence to confirm it.
The Ghost King was leading a person and a horse, or more precisely, leading the Black Wind King, with Gu Jiao simply tagging along as an afterthought. At this point, she was practically the Black Wind King’s little shadow.
They walked for quite a while, exiting one forest only to enter another. They even crossed a babbling stream before eventually arriving at the peak of a different mountain.
Gu Jiao had no idea where he was taking them, and in fact, she was beginning to suspect he was just circling around aimlessly.
She voiced the doubt that had been growing in her heart: “Where exactly are you taking us? Are you bringing us to where you live?”
If you would just give me the direction, I could find it myself, and I promise I wouldn’t be going in circles.
The Ghost King paused on the spot for several seconds, seemingly trying to figure out how to express those few words.
Then, after a moment of thought, he finally spoke slowly: “To… see… the… scenery.”
To show Little Ah Yue the view from the back of the mountain.
Gu Jiao: “…”
Could we not go sightseeing, please?
——Objection overruled.
Gu Jiao gave up, thoroughly confused, and climbed onto the Black Wind King's back, where she ended up falling asleep.
By the time she woke up, she realized they were no longer in the mountains and forests, but inside a spacious, expansive cave.
Luminous night pearls hung all along the cave’s walls, casting a soft, ethereal glow over the entire space. The Black Wind King kept a silent watch by her side.
As for that member of the Xuanyuan Family, the Ghost King, he was nowhere to be seen.
Gu Jiao assumed he had gone off to keep watch over the graves again. She stood up and headed out to find him, but as soon as she reached the entrance, she saw him sitting outside the cave in the exact same posture he used at the cemetery.
Seeing that there was no killing intent emanating from him, Gu Jiao approached and sat down beside him.
The Black Wind King also quietly walked out after her, looking every bit like a protective older sibling guarding its cub from being bullied by an elder.
Gu Jiao asked, “Um, may I take your pulse?”
You had to be this polite when talking to a bigshot!
“I’m a physician.” Gu Jiao explained.
He didn’t refuse.
Gu Jiao took his arm in her hands, placing three fingers on his wrist to check his pulse.
His pulse was… very strange.
It was clear he had been injured. That much was a given.
But it seemed to go beyond a simple injury. There was an odd rhythm pulsing through his body, one that would surge and weaken unpredictably.
It was precisely this strange, fluctuating pulse that allowed him to unleash such unfathomable strength.
After pondering in silence for a moment, Gu Jiao looked at him and said, “Your face is dirty. Let me wipe it for you.”
As she spoke, she pulled out a handkerchief and cautiously moved closer to his face. When she saw that he didn’t pull away, she relaxed and carefully wiped all the dirt off his face.
When the weathered, timeworn face was finally revealed in full before her eyes, Gu Jiao’s suspicion was confirmed.
“I saw your portrait in the library of the Imperial Advisor's Hall…”
“You are…”
Gu Jiao spoke his name aloud.
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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Description:
In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.
When Shi Dai suddenly transmigrates, she takes on the role of the Shi family’s young lady, the one who subjects him to countless trials, eventually leading to her demise.
The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.
From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.
***
Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.
After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, "Scared?"
Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, "The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?"
Shi Dai replied, "Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, "Don't abandon me, alri—”
Shi Dai responded, "Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah."
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
He hasn't finished his lines yet though…