Chapter 58

Chapter 58: Dispersal

What happened?

Outside of Bai Zhengliu, everyone was in a daze.

Why did a figure suddenly appear just now?

Wasn’t it agreed that they couldn’t use their own weapons to fight Meng Yuniang, that they had to be careful of the vengeful ghost stabbing their weapons into their backs? Why did Brother Bai, Bai Zhengliu, hold a long sword and immediately strike at Meng Yuniang?

Why, after he struck, wasn’t he injured? On the contrary, after being hit by the swordsman’s blade, Meng Yuniang’s body seemed to melt like a candle touched by fire, splitting apart in the direction of the twenty-eight generals, while rapidly “melting” away.

As they watched that face, though frightening, could be called "beautiful" if you ignored the blood-red eyes and the blood tears on her cheeks, gradually blur, a new coldness arose in their hearts.

However, this chill appeared quickly and disappeared even faster. They soon realized that Bai Zhengliu had actually managed to hurt Meng Yuniang!

The vengeful ghost, which could originally fight against many and was invincible, not only began to "melt" under the long sword’s attack, but also emitted a muffled, pleading cry.

"Don’t kill me, don’t kill me!"

Although her face was twisted and ugly, they could still see that the blood tears on Meng Yuniang’s face had disappeared.

Her eyes, which should have been glowing red, were now completely black.

Thinking back to what Bai and Mei had mentioned, the "Lady Liu" in the "Long Residence" had dissipated peacefully after her eyes returned to their normal color, Jun family brothers' pupils shrank slightly, and light returned to their eyes.

Mei Yinghan thought even deeper. With the previous incident of seizing the sword when leaving the Guang'an County Magistrate’s mansion, and his interactions with Bai Zhengliu before and after, he already knew the origin of the twenty-eight generals. With this impression in mind, he now looked at the female general, holding the long sword and fighting alongside Bai Zhengliu, and gradually, a name began to form in his mind.

However, now was not the time to think about this.

Mei Yinghan suppressed his thoughts, took a step forward, and asked, "Brother Bai, now that she’s in this state, if we attack again, will it be the same as before?"

Bai Zhengliu’s thoughts were in turmoil—everyone else was shocked, and as the current master of the twenty-eight generals, his astonishment was even greater, not lesser. But knowing the situation was critical, he suppressed his emotions and prepared to face the enemy.

After hearing Mei Yinghan’s question, Bai Zhengliu didn’t know the answer.

It didn’t matter. He felt a slight hesitation, turned his head, and looked toward the shadow of the female general by his side.

She noticed his gaze and turned to look at him. Though it was a face he had never seen before, Bai Zhengliu could see a very complex emotion in her expression.There was comfort, pride, and also regret and sorrow.

Why was it like this? Did she recognize him...?

While thinking, the female general gave him a slight nod.

Although she didn't speak, Bai Zhengliu still understood her meaning.

The swordsman’s spirit lifted. He turned to Mei Yinghan and said, “It won’t be the same. Meng Yuniang has already lost most of her resentment from the previous strike. She no longer has her previous strength. Now, if you strike, the result will be the same as mine.”

Upon hearing this, Mei Yinghan and the Jun brothers' expressions brightened. Even Qian Gui, who was standing nearby, showed signs of eager anticipation.

His hairpin! He had figured out the hairpin he wanted to give his wife! He had been thinking about how good it would look on her for a long time! Now, it had become dark and dull, turning from the beautiful green to a blackened chicken feather!

This thing, naturally, could no longer be given to his wife. Qian Gui was angry, but he also knew that the Jianghu guests had saved him. Moreover, the hairpin was something he had taken out to save his life, and now that it had achieved its purpose, he was truly filled with gratitude.

Thus, the only way to vent his frustration about "my beautiful hairpin is gone" was to target the shrinking, trembling Meng Yuniang.

He rolled up his sleeves, his face showing fierce intent.

It wasn’t just him. Zhenxing, Baihong, and Zidian all drew their swords at this moment. They surrounded the female ghost, eyeing her with a predator's gaze.

In this situation, the female ghost trembled even more, continuing to cry, “My Qiu Lang, Wen Ge’er, father-in-law, you were wronged! I only wanted to reunite my family, wuwu!”

Bai Zhengliu lowered his gaze to look at her.

In his line of sight, the female ghost quietly raised her head, looking at the swordsman with expectation.

She pleaded, "Hero, I will never harm anyone again. I will stay at home in the future. Please don’t hurt me. I’m just a woman who was harmed by others."

Upon hearing these words, Mei Yinghan, the Jun brothers, and Qian Gui all looked at the swordsman.

Mei Yinghan's expression remained calm, while the Jun brothers’ faces clearly showed anger.

You want to reunite your family? Fine. But why did you have to kill our martial sister’s husband? Why did you have to kill so many innocent wandering souls at the Tan family’s village?Beside them, Qian Gui couldn’t help but spit and say, "Pah! ‘A helpless woman’? You were originally a poisonous woman trying to steal other people's family wealth! Later, what you did to cause so many deaths was just your true nature revealed!"

Hearing this, Meng Yuniang’s expression became even more sorrowful. But if she hadn’t been struck by the previous blow from the Twenty-Eight Generals, and was now showing this appearance, there might still be some outsiders who didn’t understand the full situation and would pity her. But now, there were only those Jianghu guests who knew how dangerous this woman was—many of them had nearly died at her hands before—so how could they be fooled by her outward appearance?

Under the light shining from the female general, Bai Zhengliu spoke faintly: "Brother Ma mentioned earlier that he had a premonition. Once he left this place, he would soon be able to be reincarnated.

"Since there’s a place for reincarnation, perhaps there are also the Ten Kings of Hell who can judge people’s actions in this world. The suffering you’ve endured and the deeds you’ve done here, they will eventually be held accountable by them.

"As for us—"

Bai Zhengliu raised the Twenty-Eight Generals once more.

Seeing this, the others followed suit and raised their weapons.

The female ghost's pupils contracted sharply as she attempted to flee.

But no one gave her that chance.

The Jianghu guests knew well the principle of "cutting the grass and removing the roots." Additionally, the Jun brothers' hatred for their lost loved ones, Bai Zhengliu's uncertainty about how long the Twenty-Eight Generals could maintain their current state, and...

Well, there was also Qian Gui’s lingering resentment, but Mei Yinghan had remained calm and unyielding throughout.

The weapons of the crowd blocked every escape route for Meng Yuniang, forcing her into a dead end. Then, they all struck down together, as if slashing into a swirl of chaotic blue smoke. The blades fell, and the vengeful ghost dispersed with it.

At that very moment, the Jianghu guests suddenly experienced a strange and mysterious feeling. As Meng Yuniang’s form dissolved, something vague and indescribable seemed to enter their limbs and hearts.

It wasn’t like the earlier glow from the hairpin or the Twenty-Eight Generals, which directly gave them warmth and benefits, lifting their spirits and healing their wounds. Instead, it wasn’t unpleasant at all, but gave them a burst of strength. When they picked up their weapons again, it felt like they were lighter in their hands.

The crowd was confused, "What’s going on?"

Bai Zhengliu looked again at the female general.

She still didn’t speak. But she smiled slightly at the young men in front of her.

Upon seeing her smile, their previously unsettled feelings suddenly calmed.

Earlier, it was the female general who had helped them kill the vengeful ghost. Now, judging by her expression, the new energy that had entered their bodies seemed to have no ill effects, at least.The crowd relaxed and returned a smile. Jun Yang even cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, senior, for stepping in to save us. It allows my brother and me to avenge our blood feud!"

With his older brother’s reminder, Jun Tao also cupped his hands and said the same words as his brother.

Then came Bai Zhengliu, Mei Yinghan, and Qian Gui. The three of them, after all, were not from Emei, so they didn’t mention anything about "avenging blood" but instead thanked the female general for saving them. They also mentioned that now that Meng Yuniang was gone, the wandering souls could go on to be reincarnated.

As the words were spoken, the light on the female general slowly faded, retreating back into the long sword.

When the crowd looked up again, they saw a forest that was eerily quiet.

—To be precise, it wasn’t just the female general and Meng Yuniang that were gone; there was still a circle of trees around them, with many wandering souls still bound to them.

With Meng Yuniang’s disappearance, they naturally broke free from the control. Now that they were free, despite still being somewhat restricted physically, each of them was overcome with joy and tears, their expressions moving.

The Jianghu guests put away their weapons and went forward to untie the souls’ restraints. The wandering souls jumped around and patted their bodies, laughing and saying, "It’s really gone! That female ghost is really gone!"

"Now it’s good, we don’t have to eat that damn banquet every day."

"Haha, wasn’t it exactly ‘seeing ghosts’?"

The crowd joked and laughed, their expressions finally showing some relief.

After the laughter, they all looked toward the Jianghu guests, their expressions slowly becoming serious.

The Jianghu guests saw this and understood.

Sure enough, in the next moment, the wandering souls stopped their playful expressions and once again bowed to them.

…

…

The sky gradually brightened.

The figures of the wandering souls slowly faded, becoming almost invisible under the sunlight.

They looked relieved, and some had already vanished from the crowd’s sight.At this moment, Ma Er suddenly looked at Bai Zhengliu.

Bai Zhengliu’s eyes shifted. Sure enough, the next second, Ma Er walked toward him.

He was about to disappear, but he could still speak. He quickly said to the swordsman, "I didn’t mention this before… but under the old pine tree, about a hundred meters east of the village entrance, I buried some things."

"It’s all money I won back from gambling," Ma Er smiled and said. "I used to think I’d use this money to find a wife one day, but now, I won’t have that chance. How about this, you help me take this money to someone else’s home..." He paused, his expression gradually growing heavy and regretful.

"If there really is a Yama’s Hall," he continued, "I’m not completely innocent. Even though I was controlled by that vengeful ghost, there are still many people I’ve harmed... sigh, we’ll just take it one step at a time. If you help me deliver the money, maybe I’ll end up rolling in the oil vat a few less times."

Bai Zhengliu listened to his words, thinking of the Jianghu guests that Ma Er had harmed with his gambling, as Nie Qing’e had mentioned. His heart grew silent.

"Alright." He agreed, "We will help deliver the money for you."

Author’s note:

Here it is, here it is!

I originally wanted to reveal the female general’s identity in this chapter, but unfortunately, I didn’t get to otz

See you in the next chapter!