Chapter Forty-Seven: Love's Torment (Extended Chapter)

The woman entered the room, and this time, not only did the four junior officers stand up, but even Tianku leapt from his chair, giggling as he wiped his face with his sleeve before standing respectfully to the side. The other four had already risen, bowing in unison as they greeted her, "Greetings, Shadow Wraith!"

Shadow Wraith, whose true name was Yinsha, was the very "elder sister" Tianku had just mentioned—a member of the Ghost Banquet, though she ranked fourth among them.

Yinsha smiled bewitchingly, her beauty utterly breathtaking, a vision that could topple kingdoms. The four couldn’t help but stare, momentarily mesmerized, but quickly dropped their gazes, not daring to meet her eyes.

Yinsha approached, reaching out to affectionately ruffle Tianku’s hair before covering her mouth with a soft laugh, addressing the four officers, "You’re quite clever..."

"Indeed, elder sister," Tianku eagerly interjected, "I told you these new ones are sharp—and so much more fun than last time, when you came alone!"

He casually propped his broad-bladed sword against the ground, the metal hissing as it sank deep, splitting the blue stone tiles as if they were mere fabric.

"Never mind," Yinsha said as she gracefully took her seat, glancing at the parchment scrolls on the table with mild interest. "Already made your selections?"

"Please, Shadow Wraith, review them first!" Changsun Luan was the first to react, quickly retrieving the chosen scroll from the deputy’s hands and placing it on the table. The other three, a step behind, hurried to fetch theirs as well, but at that moment, a bone-chilling force swept over the table. Yinsha made a slight gesture, and the scrolls flew into her hands in an instant.

She leafed through the chosen parchments, selecting two, and tossed the rest aside. With a flick of her finger, the remaining, unchosen scrolls soared to her, and she examined them one by one, picking out another.

Changsun Luan, closest to the table head, saw her select from the rejected scrolls and was greatly puzzled, though he dared not ask—only furrowed his brow in confusion. Suddenly, Yinsha looked down and asked, "Changsun Luan, is there something you wish to say? Speak freely."

Her invitation emboldened him. He bowed and replied, "I have reviewed that creature and found nothing remarkable about it, so I discarded it. May I ask, what is it that Shadow Wraith values in it?"

Tianku, now intrigued, craned to peek at the parchment in Yinsha’s hand. Suddenly, he clapped with delight, unable to contain his joy. "Wonderful, wonderful! As expected of my elder sister—this monster is just my type!"

Yinsha pursed her lips, then turned to Changsun Luan. "This time, I’m choosing an attendant for little Tian. Do you understand?"

"For the Heaven Ghost? But..." Changsun Luan was even more confused by her answer. "What difference does that make?"

Before Yinsha could reply, Tianku puffed out his chest, beaming. "I just praised your cleverness, but after two sentences, you’ve shown your limits—you still don’t get it. Look here: this Six-Ugly Monkey is less than three feet tall, just like me. Isn’t that perfect?"

"That’s... that’s a good thing?" Now truly bewildered, Changsun Luan bared his teeth. "Aren’t attendants chosen for their abilities?"

Yinsha and Tianku exchanged amused glances, looking at Changsun Luan as if he were hopelessly naïve. After a moment, Yinsha replied softly, "What does ability matter to the attendants of Tianku and me?"

The four junior officers drew sharp breaths. To say nothing of her power, even Yinsha’s confidence and pride were unrivaled. No wonder the Tianshan Dune’s people could look down upon the world with such ease.

...

Outside the Luoyi Garrison, a commotion grew. Four massive Bixi beasts stomped through the gates and halted, releasing over two hundred little monsters who, under the barked orders of their instructors, quickly formed ranks. The browless man strode purposefully toward the pavilion.

When the Bixi entered the camp, the garrison’s junior officer immediately went to the gate. Watching the new arrivals line up, he turned to fetch the chosen scrolls for Shadow Wraith to review and personally inspect the newcomers. He had barely turned when a gust of icy, fragrant wind whipped past him—Yinsha had dashed out, heedless of all else, heading straight for the browless man.

Tianku followed a heartbeat later, nearly as fast, running toward the same man, wailing and calling out, "Brother Jieshen! Brother Jieshen, my sister and I are here..."

Before he could finish, Yinsha’s sudden dash had already startled everyone. The browless man shuddered, then bolted in the opposite direction as if he’d seen a ghost. With his long limbs, he covered dozens of yards in a few strides, about to vault the wall and escape.

Suddenly, his way was blocked by six ghostly figures—the attendants left by Yinsha at the flying vessel. Though they didn’t know the reason, they responded instantly, surrounding him and trapping him inside the wall.

Four more arrived, plugging any remaining gaps, ready to strike as needed—forming a deadly net.

Yet the man called Jieshen was formidable. As the six closed in, he flicked his wrist, sending a surge of invisible force that crashed into the nearest attendant.

That man’s heart sank—he barely managed to cross his arms and block with his blade, absorbing the force head-on.

Bang!

The impact hurled him backward. He thrust his blade into the ground, scraping a deep, long gash in the blue stone as he skidded for yards.

The other attendants’ pupils contracted—they already sensed their opponent’s strength from a single blow.

But the attendants, well versed in each other’s moves, split into two groups, attacking Jieshen from above and below. From afar, archers loosed a storm of arrows, filling the sky.

"Stop, stop!" Tianku shouted, shifting his stance as if to intervene, but Yinsha’s sharp cry cut him off. Her voice, usually soft as a lark, was now urgent and aggrieved: "Seize him—his life or death does not matter!"

"Sister! How can you order that—are you mad?"

Tianku panicked. Yinsha’s command was so sudden and strange that he was at a loss, but he quickly pushed aside his doubts and ordered his own attendants, "Withdraw! Do not act without my orders!"

"Any who retreat, be slain!" Yinsha’s voice was raw and hoarse, saturated with bitterness and hatred, yet it inspired not annoyance but an overwhelming sorrow, as if one’s heart would willingly be torn out to ease her pain.

"Life or death—it matters not. Wound him and you are rewarded. Retreat and you die. Let him escape and you all perish!"

Her words rang out like thunder, filling the attendants’ ears.

Conflicting orders sowed chaos, and the attendants hesitated, uncertain whom to obey. In the confusion, Jieshen deftly scattered them and tried to break free.

But it lasted only a moment. At Yinsha’s furious command, six threw themselves at Jieshen, blocking him with their very bodies. He couldn’t bring himself to strike them down, so he retreated, missing his chance to escape.

Onlookers—Ghost Valley instructors and military officers alike—were stunned by the scene. The officers of the upper armies abstained from involvement, but the Ghost Valley’s own seemed restless, especially Jieshen’s own trainees from the Zhuoyong regiment. Though awed by his strength, their camaraderie flared, and they stirred.

The gate clattered again—a small mocking-wind mechanical beast rushed in, bearing Shixing Yi and Fei Fei. Knowing Jieshen’s background, they quickly whispered a few words to the other instructors, whose faces turned odd before they split up, restraining the little monsters.

...

Meanwhile, Tianku and Yinsha had reached Jieshen. With a signal, their attendants retreated, battered but unharmed.

Jieshen ceased his escape, but his expression was awkward, a rare blush creeping across his face. He dared not meet Yinsha’s gaze, nervously rubbing his hands—a far cry from the forceful presence he’d shown moments before.

Yinsha stood facing him. The murderous frenzy of moments ago had vanished. She bit her lip, her mouth trembling, her nose quivering, her eyes reddening—on the verge of tears—yet she said nothing, only stared at Jieshen with vacant longing.

Tianku, seeing the two had not come to blows, reverted to his earlier self, bounding forward and wailing, "Brother Jieshen, where did you go? Why did you leave without a word? My sister and I searched everywhere for you—do you know how many places we looked? My sister nearly died of worry; she even fell gravely ill in Yingqiu and refused to return. I couldn’t persuade her, and if I spoke too much, she’d hit me..." Tears streaming down his face, he poured out all his grievances.

Tianku’s words laid bare their private matters, deepening Jieshen’s embarrassment. But when he heard of Yinsha’s illness, his expression changed, concern overpowering all else. "Your sister’s body is unlike others; how could she easily fall ill? Was someone troubling her? Where were Jiekong and Guchen? Did they do nothing?"

His anger mounted with each word.

"It’s not that they didn’t care—they just couldn’t find us. In the end, Brother Guchen brought my sister back..." At this, Tianku glanced at the stunned Yinsha, his eyes welling with tears. He thought for a moment, then began to sob anew. "Brother Jieshen, don’t leave us again. Come home with us—little Tian promises to behave and never slack off again!"

At the word "home," Jieshen’s anger crumbled. He moved his lips, finally speaking with difficulty, "Little Tian, it’s not so simple. I... I have my reasons."

"Tell us your troubles and we’ll face them together. If we can’t manage, can’t we ask the Dune Lord for help?" Little Tian wiped his face, smearing it like a tabby, and insisted, "I don’t care—you’re coming home with us today, or sister will lose her mind again..."

"Little Tian, I truly cannot. Don’t go bothering the Dune Lord—he can’t help either..." Jieshen kept explaining, but Tianku wouldn’t relent, pleading and sobbing, creating a scene.

Jieshen was never good with words. To others, his explanations sounded like mere excuses. As Tianku pleaded, Yinsha’s face, at first only filled with yearning, slowly hardened into icy resolve as the evasions continued.

"Little Ku, let him go!" Yinsha finally spoke, her voice as cold as the depths of winter, chilling half the parade ground. The tears on her face froze to icy shards, her determination unmistakable. "When he left, he cast all of Tianshan Dune aside. Five years have passed—how could he return for people he no longer cares for?"

"Uh... Xiao Yin..." This time, there was no avoiding it. Jieshen at last turned to face Yinsha, his face twitching as he struggled to speak. "I truly... truly have my reasons..."

But as soon as he opened his mouth, a layer of frost instantly formed on Yinsha’s face. White mist billowed around her, rolling outward—her anger unmistakable. Her voice, still soft, cut to the bone:

"So you finally deign to speak to me, Jieshen? I thought you’d never see me, never acknowledge me again!"

"Xiao Yin, come now—what are you saying?"

"I’m saying you abandoned my brother and me!" Yinsha’s snort rang out. Her jade-white right arm extended upward, ice crystals twisting into a transparent spear, its facets dazzling under the morning sun—reflecting her broken heart.

"I’ll kill you first, then share your grave—let’s see where you run this time!"

As she spoke, the parade ground filled with a haze of mist. The spear shot forth, cold and deadly, her eyes colder still. In her heart, within that frozen wasteland, love still throbbed—if she could not be with him in life, she would settle for eternity together in death. That was all she asked.