The group was headed for the woods with blood dripping from the tree branches. The metallic scent of blood from the woods grew stronger over time. Brother stopped before the trees tried to urge the men to stop going, but of course, the men were as thick as wood in the head and didn't listen to him. If it were me, I would gladly throw them in the mud like the idiots they are. Now that I thought about the ghost, we are chasing something that no one has seen the face of. It takes the brides regardless of their status or their family background. It doesn't matter how pretty or ugly they look. But unhappy arranged marriages passing through aren't touched. It doesn't make any sense. The arranged brides aren't always happy, and they are spared. It sounds like only happy brides are taken. I had a feeling Brother had the same idea about what was going on as me. I wasn't going to ask specifically because we aren't at the point where we can get things done with discussion.
"Yoko Kohana," I said, nudging her arm to get her attention. She turned to me almost immediately, and she looked upset, probably with the men. She doesn't trust men, especially when it comes to people for some reason. "What happened in the temple?"
"Ugh, the men are intolerable! They can't get anything through their skulls!" She spat with this burning anger in her eyes. I couldn't help but think she was comparing it to someone she knew. All I could do was sigh and nod in agreement. Men's screaming came from the woods. Kiyoshi flinched in my arms, probably startled by the scream. He clung to me and trembled terribly. I held Kiyoshi close, and he barely relaxed in my arms. His guard was still high, and he was looking at the forest. He was trembling still. The men trudged out of the woods, shaking and dripping in blood. Kiyoshi trembled terribly and looked terrified.
"Kiyoshi," I spoke to him softly. He looked up, his face terrified and trembling from the fear he felt. "its okay, Kiyoshi; it isn't their blood."
"its not that mo-" he stopped himself from speaking. He looked like he was about to say something that he shouldn't have. "Miss, it's the bride. General Xuan Ji, the ghost bride!"
I felt things around us slow to an almost stop. I remember the story while travelling among mortals. The tragic love story between General Pei and Xuan Ji. They were in a romantic relationship, and when Xuan Ji wanted a committed relationship, he refused her. At that, Xuen Ji stabbed her own leg and mangled herself to make General Pei feel obligated and hurt. He did care for her, generously considering they were on opposing sides of the war at the time. Her dream was shattered before her eyes, and she took her own life. I do feel sorry for her, but what she has done is unforgivable. She was so obsessed with Pei Ming that she lost her love for herself. Then I heard someone getting dragged. Snapping me out of my thoughts, I looked up and saw a boy in bandages being dragged out of the woods. I set Kiyoshi down on his feet, and I moved quickly. The boy, being abused by these men, had his bandages being tugged at by the men around him. I grabbed the wrist of the man with the boy's bandages in his hand.
"that. is. ENOUGH." My voice was distorted, and my eye whites darkened, frightening the men as they jumped away from me. I picked up the boy and moved quickly, setting him with Kiyoshi. Much like Kiyoshi, the boy clung to me and hid behind my legs. Brother tried again to convince these oafs to leave the boy alone and find the real ghost groom. I knew I had to tell Brother what Kiyoshi said to me.
"Brother, Kiyoshi mentioned the ghost groom," I told him. Xie Lian looked surprised. "Akiyoshi, you said the ghost groom is a deceased woman named Xuan Ji, correct?"
"Mhmm," Kiyoshi agreed, peeking out from behind my legs. I placed my hand on Kiyoshi's head while he and the boy hid behind my legs. Xiao Ying came running to the bandaged boy and hugged him tightly, and he clung to her.
"Haha, I knew there was something fishy about you from the start!" The group's leader said, and I tried to hide my annoyance with him. "You've been in it with the groom all along! using a deceased person as an excuse!"
I stood up and nudged Xiao Ying and her friend behind me with Kiyoshi, but this didn't stop the man from ranting on and on to my brother and me for no reason.
"I've seen them myself!" The man kept talking, and his attention was focused on the kids behind me. My right hand clenched in a tight fist. "Those brides? your victims! You put on this whole show just to protect that little monster from us! But now I'll cut you down-"
Having enought I leaped forward with a jolt, faster than he could react. I slid through the dirt, and knocked him off his feet, and leaped in the air, stomping him down at his chest. I plunged him into the ground with just enough force to knock him out, but not kill him. I snapped my head to look at the men, and they shuddered, backing off quickly.
I went back to the temple with Brother following behind me. Kiyoshi led the other two kids into the temple walls, where it would be safer than outside the temple gates. Once inside, Xie Lian and I gathered up the veils. I handed mine to him so he could use them. Brother sent off Fu Yao to get the brides who were far away from the temple. Fu Yao had already left to get help. I knew things were going to get bad soon. Then, we heard men screaming and begging for help outside. I thought about the kids and rushed out quickly. Kiyoshi may be a ghost, but Xuen Ji has time and cultivated experience on her side!
When I got outside, Kiyoshi was blocking one of the corpses from the other two kids! Brother sent our Rouye and used the ribbon to attract the undead brides. They came after the ribbon as it sent out energy. I looked around at the gathering Ghost brides as they swarmed, but I couldn't see Xuen Ji anywhere. She isn't stupid; she wouldn't hide among the brides she collected to hide here. As things went on, it felt like something was moving around us in hiding. Brother had already sent Nan Feng to get the other brides. I took off to get to the kids.
"Kiyoshi!" I shouted as he was about to be swarmed by the undead brides. Kiyoshi turned back as the other kids continued to run. He lifted his arms, his only hand pointing two fingers upwards together. creating a circle movement with a dark aura trailing behind his arms. He released a very potent burst of dark mana. If Kiyoshi gains followers and trains his powers to his absolute best, then he could gain the rank of ghost king. Even then, Xuen Ji is a huge threat, even if he can defend himself.
I looked over my shoulder at Xie Lian. He locked eyes with me and made a gesture with his head to take Kiyoshi. In a few quick steps, I had taken Kiyoshi, and I ran off while he created a barrier to keep the humans in the temple safe. I ran across the forest through the trees after leaving the temple wall. I kept going until I found a clearing in the woods to hide Kiyoshi while I went back to help Brother with what was happening.
"Wait here," I told him as I moved shrubs around his hiding place. "Only come out when I repeat the promise."
"What are you going to do?" He asked, and a worried expression crossed his face. He shouldn't be. I can't leave him like this. He may be a ghost, but he is still a kid.
"My brother and I will catch Xuan Ji," I told him in a soft tone. "I'll be back before sunrise. I still have to patch you up later."
A smile flashed across my face that was meant for him. I sped off after that and went off to find my brother, knowing very well that he would need all the help he could get. I ran through the woods back to the temple and didn't stop till I saw the temple. I leaped over the wall. Xiao Ying was on the ground, and blood was under her, and my brother was held at an iron grip by a woman in red on top of him. That must be Xuen Ji. In a split second, I saw Xie Lian, covered in blood, all those years ago when I couldn't protect him.
"You, WITCH!" I shouted, shards of ice shot up from the ground, my arms felt prickles of pain, I knew I was reopening old scars, but I didn't care right now. I slashed my right hand up to the left of me, sending ice in the same direction to throw this monster off my brother. I thrust the same hand down the ice trapped Xuen Ji to the ground, as Xie Lian sent Ruye to keep her there as a precaution, if anything. Brother rushed to Xiao Ying. I leaped down and landed between him and Xuen Ji in case she tried anything.
I glanced to teh girl, even for a moment, and she was lying there, lifeless, and her friend was crying over her dead body. Tears pricked my eyes, and I froze as they fell. I turned away. It happened again, I couldn't save an innocent person again. The sound of Xuan Ji beginning to scream again. The ice began to crack. I looked to Xuen Ji. My old scars began to burn. They weren't reopened yet, and I didn't care if they did. shielding my brother as he did for me, I, Xie Mei Mei, will never lose my brother again.
Leaping towards her as she rushed towards us, before I rushed her way, my mask slid over my face. We were just inches apart in only one minute, when a loud ding of a bell went off overhead, and a golden glow beamed down on us in the temple. We both fell to our knees from what was happening. It was disorienting. I looked up, and a young man I recognized came through. I knew what he did, and I wasn't about to say anything to him. I fled and rushed off to find the boy in the woods. I made my way through the woods as fast as I could, feeling dizzy from almost using too much mana.
"Akiyoshi?" I called out. Sensing him near, I knew he was taking what I told him to heart, thankfully. "Let's get you patched up."
A little shadow sped out of the undergrowth, he crashed into my legs, and I fell. I pulled him up and held him close. His tears, my body rocked back and forth, holding him on my lap. I moved to lean against a tree while holding him in my arms.
"The moon is bright, and the wind is calm," I began to hum a lullaby to him. His uneasy sniffles began to slow down. "Gently moving cradle, mother's baby, close your eyes. Yeah, sleep, sleep, dreaming sweet dreams."
He dozed off quickly, and he was resting his head on my chest. I slid my mask back on. I felt a strong need to rest, and my arms ached from almost reopening my scars. My eyes fluttered closed. In my mind, a flash of the boy from the boy before. Except his face wasn't covered. He slowly turned to me, and across his face were the burned away scars of human face disease. The very thing that tore apart Xianle at the start, before war tore through the land.