Chapter 60: Pandemonium of Demons

"Lady Ruyi, why don't you pay homage to the Goddess at once?"

A gentle whisper brushed against her ear, accompanied by a gust of fresh breeze that swept away the black blindfold.

Her vision cleared instantly. Before her lay a scene of resplendent gold and jade, with carved white-jade balustrades and vermilion railings. Upon a long flight of steps sat a precious throne topped with flying phoenixes and coiled dragons at its base, every whisker and feather carved from gold and jade. Behind the seat hung pearl and emerald curtains, and a slender figure stood behind them. Amidst swirling incense smoke that drifted like gauze, her jade-like face was half-concealed.

"Greetings, Goddess."

Cheng Ruyi instinctively wanted to bow in the formal manner of a civil official, but fortunately, she caught herself in time, checked the movement, and instead gave a respectful courtesy to the Goddess.

A blade-wielding female guard beside her looked displeased and said, "How can you be so casual when paying homage to the Goddess? You must perform the full grand ceremony..."

"Enough."

The voice that reached his ears was somewhat familiar. As the words fell, the shadows behind the pearl curtains stirred—

Adorned in lavish robes and golden ornaments, the beautiful woman behind the curtains possessed an alluring countenance. Her brows and eyes were steeped in exquisite and tragic beauty. Though the corners of her eyes bore faint traces of fine lines, they only added a touch of solemn majesty to her presence. Dressed in golden imperial robes that accentuated her graceful figure, and wearing a crown glittering with pearls and jades without losing her stately dignity, she wore an outer coat that looked as if it had been dyed in blood. Upon it, golden-threaded phoenixes were embroidered so vividly that they seemed to be lifting their heads to the sky, singing out in full voice.

Amidst the billowing waves of the censer smoke, she walked down upon colorful auspicious mists, truly like a heavenly mother descending to the mortal realm.

Cheng Ruyi's heart tightened instantly, and she couldn't help but grip her palms fiercely.

This person... was precisely the woman in lavish attire who had nearly sliced off his head with a flying dart and had even teased Yan Kuang with her words!

Although that day had been chaotic and hurried, her appearance, tone, and demeanor were so distinctive that it would be hard to find a second person in the world with such resemblance! Remembering that lethal flying dart from the other day made Cheng Ruyi's heart tremble.

Yet the woman had already approached. With the tip of her finger, she hooked Cheng Ruyi's chin upward, instantly causing his headscarf to slide down and reveal a row of bright red flowers pinned to his hair bun.

The two maidservants beside them couldn't help but chuckle. Cheng Ruyi guiltily shifted her gaze away and secretly pinched her own thigh to prevent her legs from trembling, thinking to herself that it was fortunate she had chosen a garment with a high collar, preventing her Adam's apple from being seen and blowing her cover.

The woman didn't speak, only letting out an ambiguous laugh, her red lips curving into a vortex amidst the alabaster skin. Then she withdrew her hand, turned her back, and said, "Very well, take her away."

"Yes, Goddess," the two maidservants replied in unison.

Cheng Ruyi was somewhat surprised, wondering to herself: since the Goddess is right here, where else is there to go?

She raised her eyes in confusion, only to see the expressions of the two maidservants instantly turn abnormally cold, the looks they cast in her direction even carrying a trace of disdain.

One of the maidservants commanded Cheng Ruyi, "Come here."

The attitude had shifted too drastically, arousing suspicion in Cheng Ruyi's mind, but she dared not ask too many questions for fear of revealing her flaw. She had no choice but to follow the two women out of the main hall, winding her way through the corridors.

Just as Cheng Ruyi was concentrating on memorizing the route, the maidservants suddenly stopped in front of a door. The other maidservant opened the room and said to Cheng Ruyi, "Go in, bathe and change your clothes."

"Elder sisters, I only bathed yesterday..." Cheng Ruyi lowered her head and whispered in response.

One of the maidservants leaned in, sniffed her neck, and then frowned, "Hmm, it really does smell quite fragrant. That saves us some trouble."

Before setting off yesterday, Liang Zhanying had given her a sachet and instructed: "A man's scent is different from a woman's. Penglai New Village is filled entirely with women. As a man, no matter how well you disguise yourself, there is always some risk. This sachet was given to me by Xueying; inside are seven kinds of herbs, with a mild fragrance that lingers for a long time. Take it to mask your scent."

Just as Cheng Ruyi thought she had escaped disaster, the other woman stubbornly insisted, "What nonsense are you talking about? Look at her, wearing tattered cloth and tacky ornaments on her head. If she is sent over looking like this and we are blamed, will you be the one to serve?"

A light gray linen skirt with a bright red flower pinned on top—if someone else were styled this way, it truly would be a bit hard on the eyes.

Before Cheng Ruyi could recover and chime in, she was shoved into the room. Then, the two maidservants began reaching out in all directions... and started stripping off her clothes!

Cheng Ruyi was greatly startled, thinking this was going too far! She instantly broke free, backed away, and hurriedly pulled her belt tight, wrapping her garments closely around herself! The maidservant looked puzzled at this and said, "We are all women, what are you afraid of?"

With that, the two of them reached for her belt again. A brilliant idea flashed through Cheng Ruyi's mind, and she gritted her teeth and fabricated a lie: "Elder sisters, you don't know, this is a unique custom in my family. Regardless of whether one is male or female, our bodies cannot be casually shown to anyone else! It can only be on the wedding night..."

"Enough, enough! Why are you being so troublesome? Aren't you going to... anyway?" One of the maidservants trailed off, hesitating, and then impatiently said to her companion, "Hold her down, I'll strip her!"

The other said, "Fine, I also want to see what is so special about her body... acting all mysterious."

The previously polite and gentle maidservant now wore a gaze full of disdain and amusement. Just as Cheng Ruyi was frantically searching for a countermeasure, one of them twisted her arm backward and pinned her against the edge of the table. At the same time, she felt her waist loosen—someone had actually untied her belt!

It's over... Cheng Ruyi's face instantly turned ashen, thinking that this time there was no King of Hell around to protect her.

"This is bad!"

A sudden cry of alarm instantly broke the deadlock. The movements of the two maidservants paused, and Cheng Ruyi seized the opportunity to break free, gritting her teeth as she tied her belt into a dead knot.

"Where is she! Where is the newly arrived person?!"

A woman dressed with equal neatness, carrying a curved blade at her waist, burst in with a panicked expression. The moment she saw Cheng Ruyi, a look of great joy washed over her face, as if she had just laid eyes upon a savior. She rushed forward, grabbed Cheng Ruyi, and pulled her along.

"Hey, what's the rush? She hasn't even been washed and dressed yet!" The two maidservants tried to block her upon seeing this, but the woman who had snatched her away retorted, "There's no time, the person is going mad!"

...

As evening fell and the sunset painted the mountain trails, Liang Zhanying, Yan Kuang, and Shen Nian rode ahead, followed by bailiffs responsible for escorting the flatbed carts carrying the skeletal remains. To avoid alarming outsiders, the carts were covered with dried grass.

Seeing that Yan Kuang had been frowning all the way, Liang Zhanying gently comforted him, "Mr. Cheng is resourceful and clever; I imagine he will be safe."

At last, Liang Zhanying added softly, "Seeing you so worried, is he... very important to you?"

At the mention of Cheng Ruyi, the space between Yan Kuang's brows tightened, and a fleeting emotion flashed across his usually placid eyes. The corners of his lips twitched slightly as if he wanted to respond, but in the end, he only uttered a deep, heavy, "Mn."

"So, all these years... has Mr. Cheng been accompanying you?" Liang Zhanying probed once more.

Hearing these words, the emotions in Yan Kuang's eyes momentarily froze, but a moment later—

He actually chuckled aloud.

"If only that were... true."

Yan Kuang murmured, his voice so low that only he could hear it. Liang Zhanying only heard him laugh and couldn't help but be slightly startled. Meanwhile, the drowsy Shen Nian heard the laughter and instantly snapped awake, exclaiming, "Did I hear that right?! Is Old Yan laughing?"

Shen Nian looked closely and saw that the stern King of Hell actually still had the trace of a smile lingering at the corners of his lips. He blinked in disbelief and said, "Old Yan, you can actually laugh!"

Yan Kuang's smile abruptly stiffened. The person who had asked him this question last time... was no longer by his side.

He wondered how that volunteering, black-hearted scholar was doing. Yan Kuang raised his head to gaze into the distance; the vast sky was boundless, and the evening glow was like fire...

Fire...?!

"Hey! What is that... thing?!"

Yan Kuang's expression instantly turned icy, and Shen Nian, riding beside him, was the first to cry out in alarm! Following the sound, everyone looked ahead and saw that amidst the faint glow of the setting sun, clusters of fire were reflecting right toward them!

"Not good!" Liang Zhanying pulled tightly on his reins and shouted, "Everyone, turn back immediately!"

As the fire drew closer, the crowd gradually made out what it was—

A crowd of villagers and townspeople, coming forward with torches in hand... Yet it was already too late for the caravan to turn around. The villagers suddenly came to a halt, and one after another, the torches in their hands were hurled toward the group!

The three horsemen in the lead bore the brunt of the attack. A ball of fire flew straight toward Shen Nian's face, but at the critical moment, Liang Zhanying swung his spear to deflect it. The three of them pulled their reins and turned their horses around instantly. Shen Nian roared, "Quick, turn around! Grab the carts and retreat!"

The dried grass on the carts ignited instantly, and the carts carrying the bones were already burning. Some bailiffs were struck and burned by the torches! Everyone rushed to put out the fire, but in this autumn mountain forest—an ideal place for arson—with fire falling like rain, how could it be easily extinguished?

Surrounded by thick smoke and blazing fire, the group fell into a deadlock for a moment! Then they heard the villagers not far away shouting at the top of their lungs:

"Burn them!"

"We must never let the evil ghosts escape!"

"Burn them... burn... burn!"

Consumed by anger, Shen Nian shouted at the villagers, "Attacking imperial officials and obstructing government business, are you planning to rebel?!"

"It's useless to say that now!" Liang Zhanying also dismounted to join the fire-fighting effort, while Yan Kuang stood guard with his sword drawn by Shen Nian's side. Who would have thought that the villagers, worked up into a frenzy, having thrown all their torches, would actually pick up farm tools and charge forward?

"This won't do..." Yan Kuang decisively commanded, "Everyone listen up, abandon the carts and retreat quickly!"

The fire burned fiercely, the dried grass had long since turned to ash, and the skeletal remains crackled in the heat. Thick smoke and bone dust filled the air around them. Liang Zhanying also shouted in agreement, "Take the wounded and retreat with me immediately!"

With that, Liang Zhanying swung his spear to snap the ropes connecting the horses to the flatbed carts! Yan Kuang also leaped off his horse, hoisted a wounded man onto his shoulder, and tossed him to Shen Nian. Both he and Liang Zhanying each scooped up a wounded man onto their horses. The bailiffs helped one another, and the crowd crossed the sea of fire, abandoning the carts and turning back.

The villagers behind were blocked by the blazing fire and did not pursue any further. Everyone heard cheers erupting from behind—it was those villagers, filled with an inexplicable and joyful elation.

...

"Go on in!"

Cheng Ruyi was hurriedly dragged by the maidservant to a lavishly decorated set of doors. Just as she wanted to ask something more, the maidservant fled as if escaping a plague.

Uncomprehending, Cheng Ruyi peered through the window paper and vaguely made out a figure inside. However, the candle flame was dim, obscuring the view, so she tentatively knocked on the door. The moment the knock landed, the doors swung wide open—

Before Cheng Ruyi could recover her wits, she was yanked inside!

Then, a sudden tightness gripped her back. Wincing in pain, Cheng Ruyi felt as though she had been tightly clasped in a embrace. At that very moment, she heard... a man's voice by her ear.

"You've finally been sent here, making this humble servant wait so long!"

Stunned, Cheng Ruyi immediately began to struggle frantically, but then a realization suddenly struck her, sending a chill straight down her spine.

That person had pinned her with a single arm... and when Cheng Ruyi steadied herself and looked up, what she saw confirmed her suspicion.

It was a tall and powerfully built man. His arm was thick and sturdy, but on the other side, that broad shoulder abruptly ended where the arm should have been.

The candlelight from behind him cast faint edges of light along the margins of his massive yet disabled body.

The light was dim, preventing a clear view of the man's expression. Cheng Ruyi steadied herself, disguised her voice, and asked, "Who are you... Where is the Goddess?"

To her surprise, the man suddenly burst into laughter! His laughter was rough and deafening. Suppressing the urge to cover her ears, Cheng Ruyi's heart sank as her hand slowly felt its way toward the hairpins at her temples...

"There is no Goddess! Come here, little bride!"

The moment their figures leaned in and crossed paths, a cry of pain rang out!

"…!"

"What kind of stinking bitch was this damn thing found from? Daring to hurt this servant? I'll disembowel you and feed you to the wolves!"