Grudge Breaker

Chapter 381 Who Will Save the Beauty?
"Your Highness, there must be something wrong with the contract."

"Wan'er promised you her magical powers and the abilities of all the heroes she had sworn brotherhood with, on the condition of forming a ghost marriage. At the same time, she promised me that I could use your power unconditionally after the contract was formed. And she herself could bring you under her command—am I right?"

"It sounds like a win-win situation, but Your Highness, think about it carefully."

“If I’m not mistaken, there must be a hidden condition for your pact: once she helps you fulfill your wish, your soul will dissipate on its own, and presumably the same applies to other heroes. But so far, there are already several hundred heroes who have formed a pact of ghost marriage with Wan’er. Hasn’t she been helping them all along? Why is the number increasing?”

Feeling the icy, bony fingers clamping her face growing colder, and with her jaw stiff and aching, Song Weichen hesitated whether to continue speaking when Li Kan released her.

"Go on."

"Yes, Your Highness. I believe there is only one possibility in this situation—Wan'er lied. After the contract is formed, she will not keep her promise at all. Instead, she will make you check and balance each other, and at the same time use your power to achieve her personal desires."

"The reason why Wan'er, as a Class C sorcerer, can make Class B or even higher sorcerers fear her is not because of her mana, but because she can possess the power of hundreds of heroes like you."

"She's really trying to get something for nothing, honey!"

“I bet that after the contract is formed, your wish will definitely not be fulfilled, and you will be stuck in the field and at her beck and call.”

Song Weichen presented the cup of nuptial wine to Li Kan again.
"Are you truly willing to become Wan'er's puppet?"

"Your Highness, don't you hate betrayal and deception the most? How can you tolerate Wan'er's treacherous behavior?"

Li Kan stared at Song Weichen, remaining silent for a long time. The sound of the wooden fish striking the air grew more urgent, and the temperature inside the ancestral hall dropped even further.

"The ceremony is about to end. If no one drinks this cup when the sounds of bells and wooden fish cease, everyone will die."

He finally spoke, but his eyes were as cold as his tone.

“It’s not just you, but all the other women who have formed a bond with Wan’er. They are all still alive, but they will all die.”

"On the contrary, if you drink this wine, you will be able to get my help in the future."

There is no other solution here. Believe it or not, drink it or not, it's up to you.

……

Song Weichen was numb; it seemed she couldn't avoid the nuptial wine ceremony no matter what.

If I don't drink it, my life will be in danger; if I do drink it, I'll be waiting for the ice cubes—

She could almost see Mo Tingfeng's face as black as the bottom of a pot. "It's only been a few hours, and Madam is already so eager to find herself a dead husband?" Even though he's a useless man under his name, it's still a fact that they're "married"... Song Weichen felt a headache coming on.

"Ahem, Your Highness, I was just asking casually. Is it enough for us to just drink this wine, or... is there something else more substantial involved?"

Song Weichen raised three fingers.
"I swear to God, I am indeed betrothed to my husband's family, but we haven't officially married yet. My husband is the most jealous man in the entire region, a living devil. If he knew I dared to marry behind his back, he would break my legs!"

"You mean conjugal relations?"

Li Kan gave a half-smile.

"Rest assured, I have no interest in forcing people to do things against their will."

He paused meaningfully.
"However... if you change your mind, I will be waiting for you at any time."

The ancient temple bell tolled repeatedly in the air, as if giving a final urging and warning. Wan'er returned to the ancestral hall at this moment.

"I presume my sister already understands the implications. The auspicious time is drawing to a close. If you two have anything to say, it's not too late to discuss it after you've formed your bond."

"Okay, I'll drink it."

Song Weichen looked tragic. Actually, if you look on the bright side, although the Corpse Demon King has calmed down, the threat of the necromancer is still there, and the curse on her body has not been lifted. She does need some "very underworld" power to fight poison with poison. Maybe two negatives will turn into positives?

Song Weichen quietly released Xiao Biezhi from the puppet, she was going to take a risk—she didn't know if it would work, but she would try anything.

Wan'er put the bridal veil back on Song Weichen and then brought the wine cup to her lips from under the veil.
"I will do it myself."

She took the cup, tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp, then returned the jade cup to Wan'er, at which point the sound of the wooden fish abruptly ceased.

"when--"

The sound of an ancient temple bell seemed to ring right next to his ears, making Song Weichen's scalp tingle and causing him to instinctively cover his ears and close his eyes.

Whoops!

Another gust of strange wind, mixed with a strong scent of incense, swept in, and the bridal veil was blown away again. Although she did not open her eyes, Song Weichen knew that the surrounding environment had changed—the crisp scent of mountain forest grass lingered around her nose, and her back felt warm, obviously being basked in the sunlight.

A barely perceptible smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Thank goodness, it worked!
"what!"

A sharp scream pierced Song Weichen's eardrums. He opened his eyes and found himself back at Goddess Peak, at the end of the meadow. A few more steps and he would enter a forest full of aerial roots. Before him stood Wan'er, dressed in a red wedding gown with mandarin duck patterns and wearing a double happiness veil. However, compared to before, she was now very agitated.

"You! You, you're not human!"

Beneath the bridal veil, Wan'er lowered her head, clearly looking at her hands—unlike her previous slender fingers and fair back of hand, they were now covered with a thick layer of creamy yellow down.

Wan'er panicked. Not only was downy hair growing on the back of her hands, but she also felt an intense itch in the area around her tailbone, as if... as if a tail was about to grow!

There must be something wrong with the person you've been paired with!
Could this girl in front of me be... could she not be human?
"What exactly is going on?"

As Wan'er murmured, she repeatedly touched her face under the bridal veil. Although Song Weichen couldn't see it, he could easily imagine that her previously flawless and ordinary face was now probably covered with a layer of soft yellow down.

"Boss, it's done!"

Xiao Biezhi, no longer shrinking back, boldly emerged from her clothes, crossed her arms, and sat on Wan'er's shoulder to get a close look at her.

"You know what, I actually think this weird auntie is much more agreeable now!"

As the little ball of flesh spoke, it stretched out its chubby paws, looking with satisfaction at the "same yellow down" on the back of its hands.

"what!!"

Another scream rang out, and Wan'er couldn't help but touch her coccyx, where there was a noticeable bony protrusion.

"What exactly are you?!"

"Are you being polite, ma'am?"

Song Weichen rolled her eyes.

"You're the one who's a thing! No, you're not a thing."

You scheme against others only to be schemed against yourself—serves you right!

Actually, Song Weichen had just used a trick, concealing the wedding veil so that Xiao Biezhi would drink the nuptial wine for her—she had planned it out. If it worked, she could escape unscathed. If not, she would have Xiao Rouqiu turn back time so she could drink the nuptial wine herself.

So—Li Kan probably wants to die again right now, because his sworn "wife" has been replaced with a fat guinea pig.

"Wan'er, don't you find it strange? Why did you turn into this grotesque state after I drank the nuptial wine, even though we had successfully formed a blood pact?"

"Why? Why!!" Wan'er screamed, her wedding dress billowing, on the verge of losing control.

Song Weichen did the same thing he did when he first met Wan'er—he grabbed the little trinket off his shoulder and brought it to the woman.

"Look, the answer lies in this little piece of trash."

Song Weichen casually shook his arm, revealing a wrist without a single wound.

"What you thought was my blood was actually the blood from the little brat's nose when he fell from mid-air, which accidentally splattered on my wrist."

"It is my phantom spirit, sharing the same origin, energy, and destiny as me. Therefore, Xiao Biezhi's blood is naturally the same as mine, but you can't tell the difference, and you even happily and secretly used its blood to form a blood pact."

This time, Xiao Biezhi didn't dodge. Although Song Weichen was holding her by the scruff of her neck, she still had the leisure to laugh.
"Hey hey, Auntie, aren't you surprised? It's because I, the little mouse, have formed a blood pact with you that you've grown such pretty yellow fluffy fur~"

"Thank you, Auntie! Now I can not only summon that big oaf Li Kan whenever I want, but I can also use your Yin-Yang power! Happy~"

"You bastard! I'm going to kill you!!"

With a sharp shriek, Wan'er's fingernails suddenly grew longer, resembling a ghostly claw reaching out to grab Song Weichen! Only the yellow down on the back of her hand looked somewhat comical.

Before Song Weichen could react, the two brothers had already made their move, easily tearing open space and "moving" Wan'er more than ten feet away.

At the same time, Xiao Biezhi also summoned its "ghost husband," and Li Kan and Wan'er fought each other. It was clear that the ghost marriage contract had malfunctioned due to Xiao Biezhi's blood and the fact that it had drunk the nuptial wine. Wan'er's commands were completely ineffective for Li Kan, who only obeyed the little guinea pig. Whether this was a blessing or a curse was unknown.

Li Kan was a valiant general in his lifetime, and Wan'er was quickly defeated. Just when Song Weichen thought the situation was very favorable and that she had turned misfortune into blessing, not only avoiding being forced into a marriage but also gaining a ghost general by her side for free, the situation changed again.

With a flick of her red sleeve, Wan'er scattered countless phosphorescent powders—this was actually her trick. Because of the phosphorescent powder mist, the sunlight hid behind the dark clouds, and the temperature and daylight dropped rapidly.

Countless figures emerged from the mist: swordsmen, warriors, government soldiers, and bandits. Some were as tall as mountains, while others were as rugged as bears. They surrounded Wan'er closely, numbering at least fifty, each exuding a murderous aura and possessing at least a C-level magical power!

The oppressive energy made Song Weichen lose control of his body, and he just wanted to kneel on the ground.

"whee--"

A mournful laugh, like that of a female ghost, swept over.
"Little sister, today I'll show you a little of my power. After you become a ghost, you can slowly regret not forming a pact with me!"

"Fuck me!"

A massive surge of Yin energy, carrying with it a surging killing intent, rushed towards Song Weichen! With so many Netherworld Generals, Xiao Biezhi, the Yi Shou brothers, and the Ghost General Li Kan were simply no match for them.

"Little bird, Ao Bing! Let's fight!"

In desperation, Song Weichen released both the Vermilion Bird and the Azure Dragon from his puppet.

Two puppet spirits burst forth from the sky, the Vermilion Bird flapping its wings, flames blazing across the heavens, and the Azure Dragon roaring, wind and thunder surging! They fought fiercely against Wan'er's Yin soldiers and generals!

This battle lasted at least an incense stick's time. As Wan'er's Netherworld Generals were being broken into more and more shapes, and the bodies of the Vermilion Bird and Azure Dragon were becoming increasingly faint—the puppet energy was running out.

With a lightning bolt sweeping across the tail, Song Weichen's Azure Dragon became almost transparent, forcing her to put it into her puppet. Fortunately, Wan'er's last Netherworld General was also dispelled by the Azure Dragon.

"I won."

Song Weichen spoke coldly and sarcastically.

"If you know what's good for you, you'd better tuck your tail between your legs and get lost, or you won't be able to leave when my brother comes looking for you."

In fact, Song Weichen was forcing herself to perform the Empty City Stratagem. Her puppet energy had been exhausted, and she could no longer use Vermilion Bird, Azure Dragon, or Illusionary Spirit. She was now practically a cripple.

"whee--"

An eerie laugh echoed in the mist, like the low murmur of a female ghost.

"Little sister, you can barely stand up, and you're still spouting nonsense?"

With a wave of her red sleeve, Wan'er summoned fifty or sixty more ghostly soldiers and generals of various shapes and sizes to appear beside her.

"That was just the appetizer. Win? That's nothing!"

"Sangsang, you'd better have a real brother coming to save you right now, otherwise, it'll be so boring for me to kill you."

……

"Cough cough."

Song Weichen suddenly covered her mouth and coughed, desperately suppressing the metallic taste rising in her throat. She had reached her limit. Now, let alone fighting against the Yin soldiers and generals, she didn't even have the strength to argue with Wan'er.

Aside from summoning the ice cubes, Song Weichen had no other choice.

However—she gently tugged at the corner of her mouth. She had performed quite well since the battle with the Corpse Demon King last night. If she weren't so exhausted that she couldn't even lift her hand, she would have liked to pat her head and give herself a good compliment.

……

"puff."

Unable to hold it in any longer, Song Weichen vomited a mouthful of blood, his body went limp and he collapsed onto the grass, his vision instantly blurring.

"ink……"

"Kill her!"

Wan'er's violent scream came from afar, and Song Weichen, who was lying on the grass, felt those dark and ghostly forces rapidly approaching him.

“Moting…”

"Clang! Whoosh!"

The sounds of clashing swords and spells echoed in her ears. Although she couldn't see who it was, Song Weichen knew she was saved.

It must be the Ice Block coming, but unfortunately, her limbs were as heavy as her eyelids, dragging her rapidly into the darkness—she didn't know how long she fell, but she finally landed on a soft, withered leaf, and the air was filled with the smell of burning.

Song Weichen's eyelashes fluttered slightly, as if sunlight was shining directly on her eyelids, turning the world into a gentle orange-red.
.
"Girl, wake up."

Huh? Who's calling her? Song Weichen frowned subconsciously. This wasn't Bing Tuozi's voice, but... it sounded somewhat familiar?

"girl?"

Song Weichen felt someone lift her upper body and hold her in their arms. The embrace was unfamiliar, but the voice... She tried to open her eyes.

The blurry outline gradually became clearer, revealing a somewhat thin figure. Who was it?
"You're finally awake. Can you walk?"

……

Song Weichen finally recognized the person in front of her. Her features were slightly sharp, her face was chiseled, her eyes were cold and imposing, yet she still possessed the elegance and beauty that a woman should have.

"why you?"