Chapter 195 A Chan’s Proposal…

Chapter 195: A Chan's Suggestion...

Though A Chan’s suggestion was adopted, the convoy did not change its route and continued along the predetermined path. Bai Zhanhuang, accompanied by only a few trusted confidants, broke away from the group and headed toward Wailing Ghost Mountain.

The mountain wasn’t far from their current location—only a few hours away. By the time their carriage reached the Wailing Ghost Mountain territory, it was already dusk.

The sky was painted with the hues of sunset, the dying light cleaving the land into two halves, while Wailing Ghost Mountain lay shrouded in shadows.

Less than three months had passed since A Chan’s last visit. Back then, with Bai Xiuming by her side, she had found the place merely quiet. Now, however, an eerie wind howled through the air.

As the carriage stopped at the mountain’s base, A Chan and Bai Zhanhuang disembarked. Huang Wu took point, guiding them up the mountain.

Bai Zhanhuang walked ahead of A Chan, who noticed he had handed his ring to Bei Huai, who now held it.

It seemed they had lifted the seal on the ring.

Huang Wu appeared to have a specific destination in mind as she led them upward. Among the group, A Chan was the least physically fit. By the time they reached the mountainside, her ragged breathing was the only sound.

Bai Zhanhuang turned and extended his hand to her. "Need a hand?"

In the past, A Chan had been stronger than him, making it easy to forget that she was merely mortal now.

Perhaps there was some benefit to this—at least now, she no longer felt so ethereal, as if she might vanish from his side at any moment.

A Chan glanced at the offered hand but turned her head away.

Unfazed, Bai Zhanhuang nodded to Bei Huai, who cut a two-finger-thick branch from a nearby tree. After smoothing and trimming it to a suitable length, he handed it to A Chan.

This time, she didn’t refuse. With the hiking staff, the rest of the climb became much easier.

Still, by the time they reached their destination, she was gasping for breath.

They stood atop a low peak, its summit sparsely vegetated.

The sun hadn’t fully set yet, allowing A Chan to faintly discern the surrounding mountains—a ring of peaks encircling a sunken basin at the center.

Noticing her gaze, Bai Zhanhuang said, "That’s where the Ghost Gate lies."

"The Shang ancestors actually dared to build their family atop the Ghost Gate. Quite impressive," A Chan mused.

Bai Zhanhuang watched her face for a moment before remarking, "You wouldn’t have said such things before."

"Hm?" A Chan looked puzzled.

"You were indifferent to what humans had done. Nothing they accomplished could move you."

A Chan had always been indifferent toward humans—she certainly wouldn’t have expressed admiration.

Now, she seemed almost human.

Was it because she had become one that she understood humanity? Pity he wasn't by her side when that change occurred.

"Really?" A Chan seemed distant. Her transformation had begun when she took on Ji Chan’s identity.

She had assumed Ji Chan’s life, inherited her emotions, and accepted Xiao Lin Shi as family. That was why she was so enraged upon learning of Xiao Lin Shi’s suffering—why she had intervened.

Later, it had been to break the chains binding her soul.

But with time, her mindset had gradually shifted. She had started connecting with those around her, no longer merely pretending—though she hadn’t realized it herself.

A Chan wondered. What had her parents intended with those chains?

Her momentary distraction ended as the sun finally disappeared below the horizon.

Darkness enveloped Wailing Ghost Mountain. Huang Wu found a flat clearing, lit a bonfire, and began heating some food over the flames.

"You must be tired after such a long climb. Rest here." Bai Zhanhuang dropped the subject and led A Chan back to the fire.

A whole chicken roasted over the flames. As they approached, Huang Wu stepped aside and joined Bei Huai and the others in standing guard.

A Chan sat on a smooth stone nearby while Bai Zhanhuang took charge of roasting.

The night grew darker, and the mountaintop colder. Even by the fire, A Chan couldn't stop shivering.

After over half an hour, the chicken was finally ready.

Eagerly, A Chan grabbed the roasted chicken wing he handed her and began eating.

Bai Zhanhuang just studied her from across the flickering flames, occasionally tending the fire but not eating himself.

Though the marinated chicken had been prepared in advance, his cooking skills were decent. A Chan devoured it happily.

She finished an entire wing, a drumstick, and an unleavened bread before accepting the handkerchief Bai Zhanhuang offered.

After wiping her hands, she noticed no one else was eating. "Aren’t you hungry?" she asked.

"No hurry. They’ll eat once we descend," he replied.

Tossing the used handkerchief into the fire, the flames flared up briefly, casting light into A Chan’s eyes as she met Bai Zhanhuang’s gaze. "How can you be so sure they’ll make it down the mountain?"

Undeterred, he replied, "Because I never enter battle unprepared."

After a pause, he asked, "If Bai Xiuming dies here, would you mourn him?"

"If you succeed, I’ll give you your answer."

Bai Zhanhuang threw a stick into the fire and smiled. "Then it seems I’ll know your answer by tonight."

A Chan didn't respond directly. "You’ve prepared so thoroughly. Did it ever occur to you that he might not come?"

His keen ears picked up the oddity in her words. "What do you mean?"

"Did I forget to mention? We parted ways—just a few days ago."

His eyes widened—clearly, this was unexpected.

"Don’t worry, though. Your trap won't be wasted. He’ll come." A Chan’s lips curled slightly as she added, "Weren’t you always asking what made him so special?"

She lifted her gaze to the night sky and whispered, "His worth is... even after we’ve gone our separate ways, I’m certain he’ll come for me."

At that moment, Bei Yan, who had been standing guard nearby, suddenly shouted, "Your Highness, be careful!"

In the next instant, he appeared beside Bai Zhanhuang, clutching his chest, the stench of blood heavy in the air. Someone had struck from the darkness—though they’d failed to kill him.

A Chan only caught a glimpse of him before she was hauled upright and pushed toward Bai Zhanhuang.

Bai Zhanhuang stood, clamping onto A Chan’s arm as his keen gaze swept across the unnaturally still mountaintop.

Then, a faint rustle came from the distance. As Huang Wu started forward, Bai Zhanhuang’s calm voice commanded, "Stand down. He’s luring us away."

Bai Xiuming was after A Chan.

Huang Wu and Bei Huai slowly retreated, their eyes darting warily. The air seemed to freeze, and A Chan could only hear her own breathing and the steady drip-drip of Bei Yan's blood hitting the earth.

Bai Zhanhuang cut through the tension: "Bai Xiuming, since you're here, why not show yourself? Funny thing - A Chan's been missing you too."

Only the sound of wind rustling through the grass and trees echoed across the mountaintop—there was no response.

Without warning, Huang Wu and Bei Huai simultaneously struck in one direction. As Huang Wu's figure flashed past, A Chan noticed her eyes had turned a glowing green, luminous in the darkness.

At some point, she had called forth a ghost servant.

Under the combined assault of the two and a fourth-rank ghost servant, Bai Xiuming finally revealed himself.

With Huang Wu and Bei Huai pressing forward relentlessly and the ghost servant lurking behind, Bai Xiuming was cornered the moment he showed himself.

A Chan couldn’t clearly see the figures clashing in the dark, but she knew how dangerous three against one was.

A muffled grunt sounded, and A Chan’s pulse jumped. She instinctively tried to pull her hand back, only for Bai Zhanhuang to tighten his grip.

Standing calmly beside her, Bai Zhanhuang remarked, "As you said, he did come. Shame he overplayed his hand."

A Chan said nothing.

Apparently feeling chatty, Bai Zhanhuang tilted his head toward her. "Did I forget to mention? He was ambushed in Qingzhou and suffered severe injuries."

A Chan’s eyes flickered before she spoke, "It seems colder here. Is the Ghost Gate's seal weakening?"

"Perhaps."

"Want to know why I picked this spot?"

"Why?" Bai Zhanhuang asked with interest.

"Bai Xiuming," A Chan suddenly called out.

Distracted, Bai Xiuming glanced at her mid-fight.

Before she could continue, Bei Yan beside her struck without hesitation, attempting to restrain her—only to be repelled by a sudden surge of demonic qi from A Chan’s body.

Even Bai Zhanhuang’s grip on her wrist was forced open.

Under their stunned gazes, A Chan shouted, "Huang Wu’s right shoulder!"

Hearing her voice, Bai Xiuming didn’t hesitate. Despite being flanked by the ghost servant and Bei Huai, he endured a slash from the ghost servant and drove his blade straight through Huang Wu’s right shoulder, giving it a brutal twist.

Everything happened too abruptly. By the time Huang Wu realized the ghost eye on her shoulder had been pierced, her ghost servant screeched like a banshee and lunged at her instead.

After years of enslavement, it hungered to turn on its master rather than obey any longer!

The three-against-one battle instantly turned into one-on-one. With Huang Wu devoured by her own ghost servant, Bei Huai had no choice but to focus entirely on Bai Xiuming, not daring to blink.

Bei Yan, guarding Bai Zhanhuang, rushed forward to assist Bei Huai—only to bite off more than he could chew and underestimate Bai Xiuming.

Though both were injured, they weren't evenly matched.

With just one barely perceptible opening, Bei Yan felt a fleeting shadow brush past him. The blade sliced through soft flesh, sending ice through his veins.

In an instant, the tables had turned.

As Bei Yan’s head flew from his body, a thick fog suddenly rose in the mountains. The ghost servant that had been tearing into Huang Wu vanished without a trace, leaving only her mangled corpse, eyes frozen wide.

She would never know how A Chan had discovered her fatal weakness.

The fog spread rapidly. Instead of pursuing Bei Huai, Bai Xiuming bolted straight for A Chan.

A Chan was locked in a stalemate with Bai Zhanhuang when two figures approached in quick succession. Bai Zhanhuang reached for her, but a blade came sweeping for his arm, forcing him back.

Bei Huai flashed forward, yanking Bai Zhanhuang clear just in time to spare him from losing an arm. Meanwhile, Bai Xiuming hooked an arm around A Chan’s waist and retreated.

A Chan wasn’t surprised by Bai Xiuming’s choice, for the world around them had turned nightmarish.

The dense white fog began bleeding red. From the depths where the Ghost Gate lay, a murmuring began to rise.

At first distant and indistinct, the shrill wails soon seemed to whisper right in A Chan's ears.

It wasn’t the cry of a single ghost—but many.

A clammy sweat broke out on her skin. The vibrant foliage blackened in an eye-blink, and the ground turned slick—the mark of suffocating yin energy.

Bai Xiuming swept A Chan along swiftly through the forest, yet no matter how far they ran, the fog clung to them. They were trapped in the Wailing Ghost Mountain.

Finally, he changed direction, taking her to another mountain where a crumbling shrine hunched.

As they entered, Bai Xiuming faltered. A Chan’s hand brushed against his chest—slick with blood. Her fingers came away stained with his blood.

She hadn't noticed until now, but his clothes were soaked through.

"Bai Xiuming."

Her voice hitched slightly. He hadn’t spoken, just the ragged pull of his breath growing heavier.

Burying his blade point-first at the shrine’s entrance, Bai Xiuming leaned his weight against her and whispered in her ear, "Don’t be afraid. I've got you."