Volume 1 Who will pity the unfortunate
The nether bridge are covered by the surrounding darkness, blood can be smelled within the air, but looking around, one can"t find a single soul. Only the noise of rustling yellow spring water can be heard.
There is a vast land on the side of the bridge, bian flowers can be seen on this vast land, growing vividly with crimson red colors, giving off an impression that they had been splattered with blood.
Within the garden of bian flowers, a hidden path can be seen. Walking through the crooked path, you will find a cave dwelling at the end of this path. A sign board glowing golden words "Souls p.a.w.n Shop" hung above the cave dwelling, like a guider"s lamp in the darkness.
Xie Fei, wearing a black robe, was laying on the beauty couch, with a jade pin and a greenish silk holding his hair together. Maybe because he was holding his chin, his long sleeves loosens downwards, showing his chalk white wrist and skinny arm.
A detached expression can been seen, showing features of coldness and hard to approach, as he lazily red a book with one hand, while slightly pressing his lips together.
When he just started to feel tired, three persons came in the cave dwelling, leading the front were two persons heibai wuchang, in the back was a woman who was wearing a traditional chinese royal dress. There were bloodstains everywhere on the dress, it even left a trail of blood dripping as she walked.
Xie Fei understand that her knee cap was broken after slightly glanced her with his narrow pupils.
A light dark mist surrounded the beautiful face of the woman as she followed heibai wuchang with an indifferent expression. Only the hatred deep in her eyes gave her a weak aura of vitality.
"Daren, We have brought the newly arrived evil spirit, Xi Wen." heibai wuchang stand in front of Xie Fei, and bowed respectfully.
Xie Fei slightly adjusted his mood, and fixed his posture by slowly lifting his body upwards, with his other book holding hand hanging on his knee cap. The looks were like an excellent figure or a gongzi.
"You can leave." he waved his hands.
Heibai wuchang nodded, as they waved their horsetail whisk, lifting the soul shackles off of Xi Wen, and quietly exit the room.
Xie Fei observed Xi Wen, looking up and down. With a pedestrian expression, he slowly muttered "Do you know what place is this?"
Xi Wen subconsciously answered when she heard the pleasing voice from the male "Probably the nether world."
"It is neither right nor wrong."
Xi Wen pressed her lips together, she can feel the powerful aura exerting from the handsome young man. Thinking that the heibai wuchang were bowing respectfully just now, he must have a decent status in the nether world.
After a few moments of hesitation, she bit her lips and firmly said " I do not want to enter the transmigration circle, unless I see that man suffered for his evil deeds first, I never go into the transmigration circle."
Xie Fei lightly grinned " Allowed."
Xi Wen was surprised after hearing that word, with a doubtful look, she asked in a small voice " really?"
" If you are willing to offer your soul for as the price, then it will be granted." Xie Fei, with his serious looks, and clear voice drilled deep into her heart like river water dripping from a bamboo pipe. (T/L: It said river water dripping on a jade plate but i believe this version might be more understandable)
" Are you willing?" Xie Fei looked at her, asked her once again.
A flash was seen in Xi Wen eyes, the pair of bloodied hands unconsciously gripped her sleeves. She unexpectedly took two steps forward, and kneel, dragging the sleeves of Xie Fei fiercely nodded "I, I am willing!"
Xie Fei looked at his dirtied sleeves, knitted his eyebrows, a linger of disgust can be seen in his eyes. He pulled his sleeves back while pressing his lips, causing Xi Wen to suddenly fell on the ground.
"If it"s like that, then have a seat and proceed with your details." a chair popped near Xi Wen out of nowhere. She looked at Xin Fei"s complicated complexion, and with utmost care, slowly crawled onto the seat, and placed her hands on her lap like a timid wife.
"Can.. cam I start?" she gave a quick glance at Xie Fei and asked in a small voice.
"Yes." He nodded, returned back to his beauty couch.
Xin Wen whole life was a misfortune.
Xin Wen was the ninth princess of Daqi empire before her death. She had a congenital body at birth and a fortune teller once said " She is envied by the G.o.ds for her beauty, in this life she can not live too happy nor too sad, and she is especially not suitable to bear any child, it will be fortunate if she can live her life peacefully, so from birth, she only stayed in the royal palace. The Emperor loved and doted his daughter, granting her the t.i.tle "Anpin" princess, hoping that she can live peacefully.
After growing up, Xi Wen noticed that she was different from others, but she had a gentle nature. She knew that her body was weak so in order to not make the emperor and empress worried about her, she lived alone for sixteen years. She not only didn"t blame the heavens nor the people around her, but often went to comfort her mother, and mastered the four arts by herself.
The empress looked at her beautiful and gentle daughter, her heart became more and more unbearable at the fact that her daughter can"t rely on her brothers once she and the emperor pa.s.sed away, since her brothers were fighting for the throne and she didn"t spend time with them at all. She started to think about finding a reliable husband for her daughter.
The empress began to prepare marriage proposal feast for Xi Wen after discussing it with the emperor. They did not know where the information were leaked from, but every n.o.ble set a proposal marriage for their sons before the empress"s announcement. Even the left and right prime ministers, who are normally rivals did the same thing.
The Empress was furious and Xi Wen who got the news was also broken heart. She is also a young maiden, she also dreamed of what her future husband is like. She even thought about the sweet life after her marriage, but seeing her haggard mother, she suppressed her sorrow, and comforted her mother while smiling "I don"t want to get married, i just want to be with mother forever."
After this incident, Xi Wen buried her thoughts of marrying and having children. For her who doesn"t have much desires, it was not bad to just spend her life this way.
However once person had to came out, the person who ruined he life----Dingbei great general Liang Shao.
For centuries Liang Shao household was a merchant family, his father wanted to raise him to pick up the family"s business, but from small Liang Shao no interest in business but in art of war. His desperate father forced him to learn business, caused him to ran to the northern border to join the army out of anger. He had talents for war and within three years he rise to the dingbei great general. The emperor granted him a general"s manor and a feast when he came back from a victory.
Young, successful and handsome, he became the center of attention within the capital, with many proposal marriages from different n.o.bles. However at that time Liang Shao was prideful and arrogant, he found that these women were not befitting to become his wife, only thought that he was most suited with a girl that is the best of the best.
At the same time, the empress became sixty years old. On her birthday banquet, The pampered anpin princess made her first appearance. Her looks was like countenance of a flower, face like a moon, Her skills in guqin was wonderful, her voice sounded like the a melody of an oriole, her temperaments were gentle and sweet-tempered, Liao Shao immediately fell in love for her.
He knelt in front of the emperor and asked for the hand of marriage of his daughter. The emperor was very fond of him and accepted his proposal.
Not long after the granted marriage, news arrived from the northern border of a next coming war and Liang Shao was sent to suppressed it. He got into an accident when returning home from war and felt into a river, only to be saved by a village girl named Chen Binger. Even after knowing that Liang Shao had a fiancee, she still fell for him. Liang Shao also slowly fell in love with her during her care and company, and both of them swore an oath to stay together till death.
Anpin princess was looking forward for his return but unexpectedly got news that he went missing, which caused her to faint. After she was nurtured back to health, she found that not only did her fiance brought back another woman, he also cancelled their marriage proposal in front of everyone, and swore to take Chen Binger as his only wife.
Anpin princess persuaded her father to not execute Liang Shao, even though she was disheartened. The only punishments he gained were the removal of his general t.i.tle and the manor he was granted.
Athough Liang Shao was punished, Anping princess became a laughing stock within the capital. Xi Wen, who already felt inferior than others, became a hikikomori. Her body weakens day by day, and finally, she became bedridden. The emperor became furious about this matter and called Chen Binger upon the palace to give her 20 stick beatings to release his anger. But Chen Binger fainted after 10 hits with her lower body soaked in blood. (T/L: please don"t mind about the j.a.panese (⁎⁍̴̛ᴗ⁍̴̛⁎), the sticks they used for punishment are as thick as an adult arm and they use it on the b.u.t.t)
Chen Binger died, a body with two lives. Liang Shao almost went crazy when he received the news as he arrived home. The bedridden Xi Wen was also surprised and pleaded his father not to harm him. Liang Shao didn"t show any contempt and quietly organized a funeral. He rejected the emperor, who wanted him to stay in the capital. The emperor also felt guilty, but did not noticed the deep bond between Liang Shao and Chen Binger, and "let the tiger back to the mountains".
It did not took long for the emperor to hear that there was a hot spring in the suburbs with the miracaulous effect of sedating the mind and body, so he brought the empress and Xi Wen along with him. During the travel, Liang Shao came out of nowhere with a bunch of bandits, killed of all the royal guards, and threw the freshly cut heads of her parents in front of her.
In a dark underground jail where no lights can been seen, Xi Wen was laying there restlessly. Everyone thought she was dead, but she was captured by Liang Shao. He used her parents heads to hold a memorial ceremony for Chen Binger. His hatred towards Lin Wen was big, he tortured her, pulling off her nails, breaking her joints and bones, soldering iron..... she was slowly tortured to death.
Xi Wen widened her eyes, as if her hatred was gonna spilled out any moment, she ground her teeth and said with a hateful voice "I hate him! It was obvious that came to provoke me first, but then he went with another woman. He could have told me about this matter in private, then I can go and convince my father to withdraw the proposal, but he had to gauge the heart of a gentleman with one"s own measure, and break off the engagement in front of everyone, made me become a laughing stock and slapped the royal family"s face. How can my father, as the emperor, will not be mad?"
Tears dropped from her eyes, onto her hands, causing the blood to spread.
"I hated him even more when he did not leave the corpses as wholes of my parents, and use their heads to pay homage to Chen Binger!"
Xi Wen chest was throbbing with pain, she disappointed her mother, to let such small heart womanizer to trample all over her body, which let her father died in vain. Not worth it, not worth it.
"I also hate Chen Binger, she knew that Liang Shao had a fiancee, yet she did not avoided him, instead, she tried to capture his heart....." she paused, lowered her head with red eyes "Actually, the most hated person should be myself...."
Why did I put myself in such a delusion, to still think about marrying someone with a weak body like this. I already promise to accompany father and mother till death, why did I got blinded by Liang Shao.
The room turned silence, the air made a crack sound, opened a layer of ripples. Cui judge appeared out of nowhere, stand beside Xie Fei. Xie Fei pa.s.sed a piece of tissue to Xi Wen, and sighed "So what you want wish for?"
"I want to protect my father and mother, let Liang Shao have a taste of my revenge, as for Chen Binger, since she died because of me, I want to leave her be." Xi Wen heaved a sigh with her reddened, tears eyes.
Cui judge wrote her wishes in the evil spirit booklet with his judgement pen. Xie Fei took a sip of water from the tea cup "I can not help you directly since you are a woman, are you sure about this?"
Xi Wen slightly grinned " I am sure. If it"s you, I believe that you can help me fulfill my wishes."
Xie Fei nodded without caring what she said as Cui judge handed over the evil spirit booklet with a details written down. She turned into smoke and entered the booklet.
Translated by Cath981016
Glossary
Yellow spring water：the entrance of h.e.l.l can be found beneath the water.
Bian flower: the red spider lilly, it is said that it only grows near the entrance of h.e.l.l.
Daren: a respectful salutation for one"s parents, elder people, seniors... etc.
Anpin: the same meaning of peaceful, used as a t.i.tle.
Dingbei: the one who calmed the north, Dingbei great general is a rank given to the highest general of the northern border.
Countenance of a flower, face like a moon: a idiom portraying the beauty of a woman.
Guqin: a chinese musical instrument.
Let the tiger back to mountains: an idiom saying that one is letting a potential threat roam free.
To gauge the heart of a gentleman with one"s own measure: judging unfairly a n.o.ble person with own despicable mind.