Breaking the Coffin, Seeing the Sunlight

The warm, fresh blood touched the icy cold lips. For Pei Ji, it was like a sweet, life-giving spring suddenly pouring into the depths of a desert that was parched and cracking.

He instinctively wanted to resist. To resist this charity from a weak, ordinary person. To resist this feeling of being controlled. A thousand years ago, he commanded thousands of troops; with a single order, he could raise mountains of bones and rivers of blood. When did he ever stoop to needing to suck the blood of a blind man who couldn't even protect himself, just to cling to a meager existence?

But the craving of his body far surpassed that pitiful shred of self-respect and reason.

What that blood contained was not just the vitality of the living, but an extremely rare pure yang energy. This current slid down his throat like a raging fire, instantly igniting the deathly cold within his limbs and bones. His soul, which had been on the verge of scattering, now crazily and greedily absorbed this power, like a withered tree finally receiving rain after a long drought.

He snapped his eyes open.

A ghostly green light flashed and vanished in the darkness. His gaze was a mix of a thousand years of resentment and the feverish madness of rebirth. He hesitated no longer, vigorously sucking the warm liquid, his icy tongue ruthlessly licking the wound on her palm, deep enough to reveal the bone.

Jiang Ying clenched her teeth tightly, refusing to let out a cry of pain. The sharp pain radiating from her palm felt like it was tearing her nerves apart. Each suck was like a tug-of-war on her very soul. Even more terrifying was the rapidly intensifying dizziness that came with the blood loss. Large patches of stars began to appear before her eyes (even though she couldn't see anything to begin with, her brain still conjured this illusion), and her body uncontrollably grew cold and began to shiver.

She could feel his icy tongue wandering over the wound. The touch was slick, cold, and carried a chilling greed, as if he were savoring some exquisite vintage.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn passed, or maybe it was just a fleeting moment—in extreme pain, the concept of time becomes blurred.

Pei Ji finally pushed her hand away.

He sat up. His yin energy was several times denser than before. His body, which had become semi-transparent due to depleted power, was now solid again, and even faintly emitted a cold, eerie glow in the darkness.

"Enough." His voice was still harsh and cold, rough as sandpaper, but it was clearly lacking the previous weakness and the exhaustion that threatened to dissipate at any moment.

Jiang Ying let her hand fall limply. She gasped for air, fumbling with her trembling right hand to tear a relatively clean strip of cloth from the hem of her wedding dress. Using her teeth to help, she hastily and tightly bandaged the wound on her palm.

The blood loss made a chill seep into her from the very marrow of her bones. She had to curl her body into an even tighter ball, wrapping her arms tightly around her knees, trying to hold onto the meager warmth remaining in her shell.

"You really don't hold back when it comes to harming yourself," Pei Ji said, looking at her trembling, silent back, his tone complex. A thousand years ago, those soldiers who swore they would die for him might not have possessed this same ruthless resolve when facing a real blade.

"If I didn't save you, I'd die too." Jiang Ying's voice was very soft, like smoke that could be scattered by the wind at any moment, but her tone was remarkably rational and calm. "We're in the same boat now. If the general dies, I can't live either. If I live, I can still be of some use to the general."

Pei Ji gave a cold snort. In the same boat? He was the esteemed Grand General of the Pacified East; no one in this world had ever dared to compare him to such a lowly insect.

But he didn't argue. Because she was right. This damned blood oath of the ghost marriage had bound them tightly together.

"What does the general plan to do next?" Jiang Ying took a deep breath, suppressing the churning in her stomach, and asked softly.

"First, find a place where I can fully recover my strength." Pei Ji stood up, his tall figure casting a heavy shadow in the dilapidated temple. His gaze turned toward the thick night outside the temple, peering through the broken lattice windows into the unknown darkness beyond.

"This place isn't safe. The smell of blood just now, and the yin energy from those wandering souls that dissipated, might attract other, more troublesome things."

He paused, a flicker of killing intent flashing in his narrow eyes, and added, "And the Jiang family. Your dear legitimate mother went to all this trouble to send you for a ghost marriage. There's no way she'll let you go back alive to ruin her daughter's wedding. They won't give up easily."

Jiang Ying's heart immediately clenched again, as if squeezed tightly by an invisible hand. The Jiang family... the place where she had endured a twelve-year nightmare. That side courtyard filled with scheming, cruelty, and beatings. If she were dragged back, the torture awaiting her would be worse than death. She would rather die in this desolate wilderness than ever return to that den of demons.

Pei Ji looked at her instantly paler face, seeming to see through the deepest fears in her heart.

"Relax. As long as you're useful, I won't let you die." There was not a trace of comfort in his tone, only the cold calculus of self-interest. "After all, I still need your blood."

He walked over and, without giving Jiang Ying any time to prepare, once again scooped an arm around her slender waist.

Jiang Ying had grown accustomed to his rough, impersonal way of carrying people. She didn't struggle, silently closing her eyes, her hands gripping the front of his robe, burying her face against his chest, which radiated an icy coldness.

Daybreak.

When the first faint rays of sunlight pierced through the thick clouds and fell upon the endless mountain ranges, Pei Ji brought Jiang Ying to a stop before a hidden cliffside cave.

This place was remote, the mountain terrain steep and treacherous, difficult even for birds to cross. The cave entrance was concealed by dense vines and shrubs. The cave itself was deep, dark, but exceptionally dry and secluded—a perfect hiding spot.

"Rest here." He set her down carelessly.

The morning sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the vines at the cave entrance, casting dappled patches of light. Although Jiang Ying couldn't see, she could clearly feel the long-missed warmth of the sun falling on her cheeks.

She leaned against the uneven cave wall, deeply and greedily inhaling the air, fragrant with morning dew and the scent of grass and trees.

This was what it truly felt like to be alive. No burning incense, no smell of blood—only the scent of earth and leaves.

Pei Ji paid no heed to her sentimentality. He strode to the deepest part of the cave, found a flat stone slab, and sat down cross-legged. He needed to quickly refine the pure yang energy in Jiang Ying's blood to stabilize his newly restored soul body and prepare for the road ahead.

"Don't wander off. There are many wild beasts in the mountains. With your delicate skin and bones, you wouldn't even be a snack for them. If you run into danger, call out loudly." Before closing his eyes, he left a cold warning.

Jiang Ying obediently nodded. She was blind, lost in these deep mountains, unable to even tell north from south. Where could she possibly run? Wandering off would only mean certain death.

Time passed. Inside the cave, aside from the sound of wind blowing past the entrance, all was silent.

Jiang Ying carefully groped around near the cave entrance and found a slightly flat rock to sit on. Tired, hungry, cold, and weakened by blood loss, exhaustion washed over her like a tide. She leaned against the cold stone wall, her consciousness gradually blurring, and she unknowingly fell asleep.

In her dream, she was back in the great fire of her sixth year.

The fire that had changed the course of her life.

The sky was half red with the raging flames, the heat so intense it felt like it would scorch a person. She was trapped in the burning house, thick smoke choking her until she couldn't breathe. Her mother's desperate cries were so feeble in the sea of fire:

"Ying'er! My Ying'er!"

And outside the door, Madam Jiang's twisted face, full of malice and glee.

"Burn her to death! The door is locked; let's see how she escapes! Burn this little wretch to death, and no one will stand in my daughter's way!"

"No! Mother! Save me!" Little Jiang Ying cried helplessly in the sea of fire, until a burning beam crashed down heavily, sparks flying into her eyes...

"Ah!"

Jiang Ying jolted awake, her body drenched in cold sweat, the damp, sticky clothes clinging uncomfortably to her skin.

She gasped for breath, her heart pounding violently in her chest, as if it would break through her ribs.

Around her was still the deathly silence of darkness. She frantically felt the rough stone walls around her until she felt the cold, hard surface, confirming that she was still in the cave and not back in that devouring fire.

"Had a nightmare?"

A low, icy voice suddenly sounded extremely close to her ear, devoid of any warmth.

Jiang Ying was startled and instinctively shrank back.

She turned her head, sensing Pei Ji's distinctive, cold yin energy less than a foot away from her.

"You... you've recovered?" she asked tentatively, her voice still trembling from the shock of just waking from the nightmare.

"Far from it." Pei Ji's tone was irritable, apparently extremely dissatisfied with his recovery speed. "I've recovered less than thirty percent."

He looked down at Jiang Ying's paper-pale face and the strands of hair plastered to her cheeks by cold sweat, his brow slightly furrowing.

This mortal was too weak. Like a flower about to wither, ready to fall apart in the wind at any moment. If she died, the blood oath would immediately backfire. He had only just managed to see the light of day again; he didn't want to turn to ashes along with this burden.

"Grrr..."

A highly inappropriate, clear protest sounded abruptly in the silent cave.

Jiang Ying's face instantly flushed bright red, even her ears burning as if on fire. She hadn't had a single drop of water since being forced into the wedding dress yesterday morning. Then she was drugged and lost so much blood. Now she was starving, her stomach feeling like it was on fire.

Pei Ji looked down at her flat stomach, then at her embarrassed face, and let out a cold laugh.

"Mortals really are troublesome creatures. Eating, drinking, shitting, pissing—can't do without any of it."

He straightened up, turned, and strode toward the cave entrance.

"Where are you going?" Jiang Ying asked, a little panicked. In this strange environment, Pei Ji, though terrifying, was her only lifeline. If he left...

"To get you something to eat." The icy voice drifted back from afar, tinged with impatience.

Jiang Ying was stunned, her hands unconsciously twisting together. This moody, murderous thousand-year-old ghost king was going to find food for her, a burden?

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a commotion came from the cave entrance.

Pei Ji was back.

"Catch."

He said coldly, tossing something accurately into Jiang Ying's arms.

Jiang Ying was startled, fumbling to pick up the object that had landed in her lap.

It was furry, soft to the touch, and... still warm. She could even feel a faint spasm.

It was a freshly dead hare.

"This... this is raw." Jiang Ying's hand touched a sticky wetness—blood. She was a bit hesitant and felt nauseous.

"And what? Did you expect this general to personally start a fire, skin it, roast it, and feed it to your mouth?" Pei Ji's voice was full of sarcasm. "Eat it or starve. If you die, I'll just bear the backlash and serious injury and find another way."

Jiang Ying bit her lip, her fingers gripping the hare's fur tightly. Although she couldn't see, when she was a child in that side courtyard, to survive and avoid starving to death, she had eaten raw rats she caught in the kitchen corners. The feeling of that foul, raw meat sliding down her throat was still fresh in her memory.

But now, she didn't want to eat it raw. She had already died once. She wanted to live like a human being.

She didn't argue. Instead, she bent down and felt around on the ground. Soon, she found a piece of sharp-edged gravel.

"What are you doing?" Pei Ji watched her sudden movement, somewhat puzzled.

Jiang Ying didn't answer. Using the sharp stone, she relied on touch to skillfully cut a slit in the hare's belly, then skinned it and cleaned out the innards. Her movements were slow because of her blindness, but they were remarkably steady and practiced.

Pei Ji watched as her eyes, though sightless, guided hands that deftly performed the work of a butcher. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes. A young lady raised in the inner chambers, even if unloved and blind, shouldn't know how to do such bloody, vulgar work.

It seemed her days in the Jiang family were even more interesting than he had imagined.

"It's cleaned." Jiang Ying casually wiped the blood from her hands with her sleeve and held up the skinned hare. "General, could I trouble you for a light?""You want fire?" Pei Ji squinted, his gaze turning dangerous. Ghosts are inherently afraid of objects of extreme yang. Although he wasn't afraid of ordinary mortal fire, he instinctively loathed that scorching heat that represented vitality.

"Yes." Jiang Ying nodded, meeting his gaze without flinching. "I want to eat cooked food. If I get sick from eating raw meat—fever, diarrhea—it won't do you any good either, General. It will only hold you back."

Pei Ji stared at her pale but stubborn face for a moment.

Suddenly, he let out a cold snort and flicked his long sleeve.

A soft *puff* sounded.

A clump of dark green Ghost Fire ignited out of thin air on the ground before Jiang Ying. The flames didn't dance with the wind; they burned silently, exuding an eerie stillness.

"This fire has no heat," Pei Ji said coldly. "Whether you can roast anything with it depends on your own skill."

Jiang Ying reached out a hand and cautiously approached the greenish flames. Sure enough, she couldn't feel even a trace of normal fire's heat. Instead, a bone-piercing chill spread from her fingertips.

"It's fine. As long as it can cook."

She fumbled around and found a relatively straight branch, skewered the cleaned rabbit, and positioned it above the Ghost Fire by feel.

Though it was a cold, eerie Ghost Fire, it indeed contained some kind of energy that could alter the state of matter. Before long, the cave was filled with a faint, strangely fragrant scent of roasting meat.

There was no salt, no seasoning of any kind, and it might not even have been fully cooked through. But when Jiang Ying tore off a slightly warm piece and stuffed it into her mouth, the long-missed taste of food still made her eyes sting with heat.

She ate quickly, her cheeks bulging, yet it wasn't crude—instead, there was a cautious preciousness in every bite. She chewed each mouthful thoroughly.

Pei Ji leaned against the cold stone wall of the cave, arms crossed. He watched her wolf down the food, his gaze growing deep.

This woman, weak as an ant, possessed such tenacious vitality. She neither feared death nor bent under humiliation. She always seemed to find a way to survive even in the direst of circumstances.

Interesting.

Far more interesting than those cowards a thousand years ago who could only weep and beg for mercy.

Just as Jiang Ying was halfway through her meal and finally felt something in her stomach—

Pei Ji suddenly straightened up. His previously languid demeanor vanished, replaced by a tense alertness as if facing a great enemy. His eyes sharp as a hawk's, he stared fiercely at the only mountain path outside the cave.

"Someone's coming."

Jiang Ying immediately stopped chewing, the meat still stuck in her throat as she asked nervously, in a muffled voice, "Is it the Jiang family catching up?"

"No." Pei Ji's voice carried a rare gravity, even a trace of barely perceptible excitement. "Not those mortals. It's someone from the Mystic Sect."

The moment he finished speaking, a clear, vigorous voice—brimming with murderous intent—rang out from afar outside the cave like a great bell, shaking the leaves on the surrounding trees:

"Monster of a thousand years inside! Come out now and meet your death!"