High noon came and sounds of distant drums echoed coming from the inner palace which marked the end of the wedding ceremony. Sweat continually dripped from Xuan Zheng's forehead as to how she would warn the celebrants calmly with the upcoming threat.
'I should act according to the situation or else the visions that I saw might turn into reality.' The happy couples Lu Jie and Wei Yue had already moved to the bridal chamber but FeiXian and YingLuo still remained at the banquet since FeiXian and MoXiao were drinking like wild animals. Seeing this sight, YingLuo just turned her head the other way and just let her husband drink with her brother.
'My bastard brother is lucky since LanRong right now is recuperating inside LanXue pavillion's secret room which his majesty, Wei Yue had permitted to let them use. When LanRong wakes up, let's see what will become of my drunkard brother.'
YingLuo just took turns looking at FeiXian and Mo Xiao alternately until she couldn't stand the smell of wine. The scent was too strong that made her walk out of the banquet hall and made her way outside instead.
Heading towards the prepared bridal chamber for her and FeiXian's alone, YingLuo brushed up her arms and loosened up her bridal robe since the dress wraps the neck much and it is difficult for her to breathe.
'Being pregnant and wearing this wedding dress at the same time and moving into the bridal chamber alone is too much for me to deal with. FeiXian must have thought first before marrying me!'
She was mumbling while walking without noticing that a tall lady was following her from behind. At last, YingLuo was about to reach the bridal room when, two slender hands pulled her from the side making her yelp shortly. The woman pulled her gently into a corner of another chamber and made her sit on a chair. The woman then hid herself at the shadows of the room's corner where only her blurred white face and slender white hands are shown. The woman snapped her fingers and the doors then suddenly shut tight.
FeiXian who was currently enjoying himself suddenly felt a shot of sting from his nape.
'Something is really off.'
From his seat, he stood up and told Mo Xiao that he was going to follow YingLuo to the bridal chamber.
"What about the drinks?"
"Let's drink later Mo Xiao. I sensed someone using a divine prowess."
"A divine being here? Someone came to-"
"Yes."
Meanwhile, inside the room, YingLuo stared menacingly at the dark corner while internally gnashing her teeth. As the sun was covered by the clouds creating a shade of darkness, the woman from the dark moved outside.
She wore a robe embroidered with white birds and from her waist, a black flute hung up freely.
"Hello dear... YingLuo... Congratulations on your wedding."
Judging from the monotonous yet soft tone of her voice, YingLuo then recognized the person who took her.
"Ayí Xuan Zheng! I haven't heard from you in a long time."
"I told you dear... I went away to repent for my sins and from that, the high immortals had given me another position."
"You are a Goddess now?"
"Yes."
YingLuo looked at her intently and it suddenly occured to her the red mark on Xuan Zheng's chest.She remembered that two moons before her wedding, her mother, Xuan Wu told her that the position as the Goddess of death was already vacated by the Goddess Wan MianSu. The mark on the red chest with the character of 誅 and the black robe embroidered with white birds suddenly hammered a conclusion in YingLuo's mind that her aunt is here to give her a warning.
"Death is inevitable wherever you go from now on ayí."
"Aye. It is inevitable."
"So tell me, who is going to die? Or rather tell me... Who are going to die?"
"If I tell you their names, it is against my nature and my role as the Goddess of Death."
"You are being selfish."
"I am not. In fact, I will tell you now what will happen and if you can stop it, you might as well avoid death."
"Tell me what will happen."
"Goddess Ji Mei will rise and many mortals will die unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Gu XiNiang succeeds in calming the enraged Goddess' heart."
"Gu- XiNiang..."
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XiNiang carefully reached out from her chest. Something is beating inside her and it is coming close. She felt her body getting light making her fall on her knees. She reached her hand out to the fountain. She stretched her hand and as soon as her hand touched the cold waters, she fell down and gradually lost her consciousness.
"Where am I?"
"Inside my heart."
"Why am I here?"
"Because your ancestors took it."
"Why am I going to pay for it?"
"Because you're a mortal!"
XiNiang awakened as she felt tremors from the ground below.
"No... It can't be... I must hurry."
Pulling a short knife from her satchel, XiNiang pointed it on her chest towards the glowing light.
"I am never part of the ones who did you wrong!"
With both of her hands, XiNiang stabbed her chest slitting it slowly while she bled like a slaughtered animal. Her divine prowess had been released and she had became a shura so she did not felt any pain while removing the Heart arrow root from inside her.
Her divine prowess allowed her to heal her wound quickly. She took some water from the fountain and put it on the root. The roots grew just a little.
'No, it's not enough!'
Using the shura's power, she placed her palm on the root. The root growed at the second phase but it never bore the Heart arrow flower.
'I don't have the time for this!'
XiNiang gave all her heart as she continued cultivating the root.
Meanwhile, outside the city walls, A gigantic treant with a face of a woman rose up high. The celebrating townsfolk's cheers turned into screams of terror as the creature laid waste to the houses on the nearby villages. Luckily, all of the villagers came to the wedding and only their houses and crops were destroyed by Ji Mei.
Lan Luo Wei and Jin Ren looked up at the sky and horrified at what they saw.
"Luo Wei... It's."
"Ji Mei! Run! Let's keep the mortals safe! Don't let her get inside WenXi city."
Jin Ren and Luo Wei gathered all of the people inside the city and afterwards, using their divine prowess, they strengthened the city barrier that was already casted by Wei Yue.
Seeing that the immortals are helping the mortals, Ji Mei's anger fueled up more causing her to behave erratically and gather huge boulder of rocks throwing them into the barrier.
With every crash of the boulders, the people inside the city screamed in fear.
Gu XiNiang heard it all from below.
"I think you all should hold a little longer."
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"What do you expect that we're going to do?"
"Just wait."
"If I don't act, people will die ayí."
"Don't be foolish YingLuo. If you act now, you will die. So as that child in your womb."
"I- I must go."
YingLuo tried to run up to the door when, Xuan Zheng bound her up with red strings on her seat.
"Ayí!"
"I am sorry but I cannot let you interfere. Leave it all to XiNiang."
Xuan Zheng wrote a note with a small piece of parchment and placed it on YingLuo's forehead.
"If FeiXian finds you, he'll also never let you go so stay put until we resolve this."
Xuan Zheng then stepped into the darkness and later vanished.
"Ayí! Ayí!"
A little while more, FeiXian along with Mo Xiao came inside the room.
"YingLuo! Thank heavens you're safe! And... What is this?"
FeiXian saw the note from her forehead and removed it and afterwards read it with his own eyes. YingLuo is now behaving more unruly and wanted to break free from the strings but after FeiXian and Mo Xiao read the note, they never dared to let YingLuo go.
"Let me go this instant Hua FeiXian!"
"I cannot and will not Hua YingLuo."
"Why youuuu!"
"This is for your own safety. You mother wanted this and you should obey her."
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As the last drop of Shura's power was drained from XiNiang's body, her wound from her chest opened up a little. Coughing up blood and spitting it on the root, the a sleek stem rose up from the lump of root and afterwards bore a bright crimson-colored flower.
"Finally. I made it in time."
Xiniang coughed up more blood as she took the flower with her. Xuan Zheng appeared from the dark and assisted her outside LanXue pavillion.
"Do you want to do it by yourself?"
"Yes."
"You are not in the condition to do so."
"Yes but as the Goddess of death, you are not allowed to interfere."
Xuan Zheng saw XiNiang's eyes burn with determination and perseverance. She is not allowed to interfere between their qualms yet...
"This is no time to think about that."
Xuan Zheng turned into a large black crane and carried XiNiang flying towards the enraged Goddess just outside the city.
"Xuan Zheng! You are crazy!"
"I will not let you die at least."
She then swooped down and XiNiang then jumped from her back up to the chest of the treant.
Her hands were bloody and shaking as she held the flowering plant. Her bloodshot eyes looked at the entry of the hollow chest carefully and afterwards, placed the flower inside.
The treant Goddess stopped moving and afterwards, she lost her consciousness.
"XiNiang.... Wake up."
"Who are you?"
"It is I, Ji Mei."
"Goddess Ji Mei.... Were you alive?"
"I am now. Thank you for bringing me back."
"Goddess.... Don't go... Don't...."
"Mortals are pain in the butt! You all deserve to die!!!"
Ji Mei enraged once again. Xuan Zheng could only look up at the path of the hollow chamber of Ji Mei's heart from afar.
"XiNiang... I know you can return her to her true self. Please.... Hold on..."