Chapter 28: The Most Man-Eating Creatures of All Are Humans

By the time Su Changling shook off the lingering haze and slowly drifted back to consciousness, the sun outside the window had already climbed three poles high.

A nameless exhaustion and weariness radiated from her spine toward her limbs. She instinctively curled her fingertips. The young girl who had been clutching her hand while she slept was startled by this slight movement. When she opened her eyes, they were still filled with a trace of sleepy confusion: "Sister Su..."

"Oh? Sister Su, you’re awake! How are you feeling? Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable?" Cheng Yingxue, now fully alert, sat bolt upright and gripped Su Changling’s hand even tighter.

The latter shook her head slightly at her: "I’m fine, just a little tired."

"By the way, Miss Cheng, was it you who brought me back?"

"Sister Su, how could I have such ability!" The young girl’s face flushed. "It was an immortal master from the mountains, dressed in green robes, who brought you back... He seemed to appear out of the bracelet on your wrist."

"Oh, right, he also temporarily entrusted my sister’s soul to your compass, saying that everything should be discussed once you woke up."

"The bracelet..." Su Changling murmured, glancing at the jade bangle on her wrist. "Ah, that must be Master Ying."

"If it is Master Ying, then it is no surprise."

The young girl’s expression remained calm as she formed a seal with her hands, releasing Cheng Yingrou’s soul from the compass.

After some time to recover, the woman’s emotions had clearly stabilized—the chilling, resentful aura that had once clouded her features was gone.

"Thank you, Immortal, for saving my life." Standing steady, Cheng Yingrou bowed gracefully. She realized that had it not been for Su Changling purging the malice and resentment from her spirit, she would likely still be a mindless, man-eating vengeful ghost—with little chance of ever being reincarnated.

"You’re welcome, Miss Cheng," Su Changling said with a casual wave of her hand. "However, this compass can only serve as your temporary abode for three days. No matter what happens after that, I must return your soul to the underworld."

"So, before then, are there any unfinished wishes you would like to see fulfilled?"

"If you speak of wishes... seeing Xue grow up to be such an outstanding young woman, I don’t think I have any left," Cheng Yingrou pondered. "If I had to say... I suppose I still wish for the truth of my death to be brought to light."

"I do not like that my hypocritical mother-in-law and her family have built their house’s honor upon my bones... But would that be too much trouble? Is it possible it might implicate my father and the others?"

"Hmm, that shouldn't be difficult to look into," Su Changling said, rubbing her chin in thought. "After I send you back to the underworld, I’ll simply split the Cheng family’s Chastity Archway in two with a single strike of my sword."

"Since you only passed away less than five years ago, if the archway collapses without cause, it will inevitably signify that there is hidden injustice behind it."

"As for your father and the others... if they can clear their own names, they naturally won't be overly implicated."

"But if they lack the ability to distance themselves from the corruption—then that is their own misfortune."

"After all, the other 'Archway of Virtue and Filial Piety' in the Cheng family courtyard was not obtained honorably, either." Su Changling’s face remained expressionless. Cheng Yingxue’s eyes widened: "Sister Su, you mean..."

"Yes, that bride from a hundred years ago also died a wrongful death," the young girl said, lowering her lashes. "Last night, I saw the scene before her death... She was starved by her in-laws for seven days, then strangled to death."

"W-what?" The young girl’s face filled with disbelief. "She was strangled to death by people?"

"...Heavens, Sister, Sister Su," Cheng Yingxue shook her head, her eyes rimmed with red. "I used to think that the most man-eating things in this world were the wolves and tigers in the mountains!"

"I never imagined that the most vicious man-eaters were never the creatures of the forest... but people!"

"People are the most soul-devouring things in this world!"

"Perhaps the benefits gained from such an archway are just too great," Su Changling said, pausing for a moment before answering. "That is why so many people follow in their footsteps, willing to abandon their conscience and morality to trade for that piece of vanity."

"Alright, Miss Cheng, Eldest Miss Cheng." The young girl rose and smoothed her wrinkled skirts, nodding gently at the woman and the girl. "You two continue your reunion. I must return to Mount Huang today. I will leave the black jade compass here, and we shall meet again later."

"Very well, Sister Su. I wish you a safe journey." Cheng Yingxue nodded, watching as Su Changling stepped onto her sword and soared into the clouds.

Under the clear sky, the girl’s silhouette looked slender and small against the daylight, appearing as though she might dissolve into the radiant golden sunlight.

The young girl stared at her departing figure for a long time before slowly turning her gaze away.

"Sister, actually, there is something troubling me right now..." Cheng Yingxue hesitated, explaining to Cheng Yingrou the opportunity she had secured from their uncle, and detailing her own hidden anxieties.

"...Given the nature of those elders in the clan," the woman mused, reaching out to stroke the girl’s hair, "it is very possible they would break their word for the sake of immediate profit."

"After all, they have never believed that women could surpass the men of the clan."

"Yes, that is exactly what I worry about," Cheng Yingxue said, tightening her jaw. "So, Sister, do you think that if the elders really do break their word as we fear... could I simply be ruthless and request to be removed from the genealogy, cutting ties with the Cheng family entirely?"

"Severing family ties is no small matter," Cheng Yingrou frowned. "But it is not an ineffective way to solve the problem."

"The main thing is, Xue, have you thought this through?"

"Have you clearly considered how you will handle the various consequences that might follow if you cut ties?"

The woman’s eyes were filled with worry. "Have you discussed this idea with your aunt? Are you sure you won't suddenly regret it in the future?"

"Not yet. I plan to draft my thoughts properly before discussing it with her in detail. Sister, you know how soft-hearted my mother is; I don’t want to startle her," Cheng Yingxue scratched her head. "As for regret—"

"Don't worry, I won't regret severing ties."

"I only fear that if I don't seize this rare opportunity, I will waste the only chance at freedom I have in this life." The young girl’s face was earnest, and as she spoke, she slightly lifted the hem of her skirt. "Especially since Sister Su has already healed my feet—"

"I don't want to waste her kindness!"

"Oh? I didn't notice yesterday—it really is true!" Cheng Yingrou’s eyes widened in surprise. "Then, since you have made up your mind, just move forward without looking back."

"Sister knows you are not an impulsive girl... No matter which path you choose in the end, I will support you as I always have!"