Red Chamber 31

By this time, Aunt Xue had already passed away.

Xue Pan was also gone.

The man had been riding his horse while drunk, only to fall from the saddle and die from the impact.

His son was still young and unable to shoulder the heavy responsibilities of being the head of the Xue family.

Fortunately, Xue Pan's wife was a formidable woman who managed to hold the entire Xue family together.

Unlike Lady Xue, Xue Pan's wife was not the type to dote on her son excessively.

Her son was well-raised and grew up to be a man of talent, eventually holding an important official position in the imperial court.

Under the guidance of Jia Hu, Xue Ke had also entered the court and was now a fourth-rank official.

Xue Baochai hosted a banquet at the Prince's Mansion, inviting her old friends to gather together.

The lives of the sisters were all proceeding smoothly.

With the exception of Qin Keqing, who had died young, and Miaoyu, who had become a nun, the other Twelve Beauties of Jinling had all found happy endings.

The registers in the Department of Ill-Fated Souls began to burn.

No matter how hard Fairy Keqing, Yinchou Jinnu, and the others tried to save them, they could not stop the spread of the flames, and could only watch helplessly as the fire consumed the Department of Ill-Fated Souls and the other three departments.

"What are we going to do?" Yinchou Jinnu asked with a bitter face.

Fairy Keqing kept a wooden expression: "Don't ask me, I don't know either."

She was already thinking about fleeing the Taixu Illusion Realm.

However, they were well aware of Fairy Jinghuan's methods; she would surely use the most vicious means to deal with anyone who tried to escape.

They were terrified of Fairy Jinghuan.

Unless they were certain that Fairy Jinghuan had no chance of making a comeback, they could not easily leave her side.

The women looked at each other, their eyes filled with realization and fear.

Suddenly, a voice rang out: "What are you doing?"

Everyone turned around immediately to see Fairy Jinghuan standing not far away.

Unlike the ethereal, fairy-like aura she once possessed, the current Fairy Jinghuan was surrounded by black mist and looked incredibly gloomy.

She had fallen into a demonic state!

Fairy Keqing swallowed nervously and spoke up: "Sister, well, the four departments have burned down."

A flash of malice rose in Fairy Jinghuan's eyes.

"To dare to burn the four departments! I will skin her alive, pull out her tendons, turn her soul into a lamp wick, and make her suffer the agony of soul-burning for eternity."

Fairy Keqing asked: "Does Sister know who the person behind this is?"

Fairy Jinghuan said coldly: "A person from another world, possessing no real power of her own. I shall descend to the mortal realm myself to dispose of her."

Fairy Keqing was surprised: "Sister can descend to the mortal realm in person?"

Fairy Jinghuan: "I have been in seclusion these days specifically to research a method to descend in person. Fortunately, I have finally succeeded."

Fairy Keqing: "Then I wish Sister a triumphant victory."

Fairy Jinghuan flew away, and the women left behind all let out a collective sigh of relief.

"How terrifying!" Chimeng Fairy whispered, "Sister Jinghuan looks so scary now."

"She has fallen into a demonic state," Fairy Keqing said in a low voice, before turning to head toward her own quarters.

"Sister Keqing, what are you going to do?"

Fairy Keqing: "Pack my bags and leave immediately."

Yinchou Jinnu: "Why?"

Fairy Keqing sighed: "She has fallen into a demonic state and will no longer have the scruples she once had. In this state, she is very likely to devour us to replenish her essence and increase her power."

The others were shocked.

But when they thought about it, it was a very real possibility.

Fairy Keqing was the one who understood Fairy Jinghuan best; if even she was choosing to flee, it proved that it was no longer safe to stay by Fairy Jinghuan's side—it was far too dangerous.

The other fairies also quickly returned to their rooms, packed their belongings, retrieved their true forms, and fled the Taixu Illusion Realm.

The entire Taixu Illusion Realm was left without a single soul, becoming completely empty.

Fairy Jinghuan arrived in the mortal realm in her true form.

Although she was suppressed by the Heavenly Dao and could not exert even half of her strength, it was more than enough to deal with mortals.

Furthermore, after falling into a demonic state, she was even more powerful than before.

And so, Fairy Jinghuan sought out Liu Jiaying.

Liu Jiaying: "??"

Fairy Jinghuan: "A person from another world?! So you are the one who ruined my arrangements?!"

Liu Jiaying glared at the woman who had suddenly appeared, feeling both confused and vigilant.

This woman was very beautiful, but she gave off a very unsettling feeling, as if she were a female ghost.

"Who are you?" Liu Jiaying asked.

"I reside above Lihen Heaven, within the Guanchou Sea; I am the Fairy Jinghuan of the Taixu Illusion Realm in the Qianxiang Cave of Fangchun Mountain. I preside over the romantic debts of the human world and manage the grievances of women and the obsessions of men."

Liu Jiaying was shocked: "You are Fairy Jinghuan?"

Good heavens! This Red Chamber world actually had immortals, and she had been tracked down by the original owner herself.

What should she do?

She was no match for Fairy Jinghuan!

However, wasn't Fairy Jinghuan supposed to be a celestial maiden? Why did she look just like a female ghost?

"You actually know who I am?! No wonder you have been ruining my arrangements! Speak, who sent you here?"

Fairy Jinghuan did not believe that an ordinary soul from the outside world could ruin a plan she had orchestrated for hundreds of years; she assumed Liu Jiaying had someone guiding her from behind the scenes, and she wanted to find out who that person was.

Liu Jiaying rolled her eyes and said, "It will scare you to death if I say it: it was Nuwa who sent me to this world."

Fairy Jinghuan: "Nonsense, you are a mere mortal, how could you possibly know Nuwa?"

Liu Jiaying sneered: "That is only because your reckless actions have already angered Nuwa. You actually schemed against Fairy Jiangzhu for your own selfish desires, and you also schemed against the Shenying Attendant of Chixia Palace and the Heaven-Mending Stone left in the human world by the Goddess, all in a delusional attempt to obtain the merit within the Heaven-Mending Stone. Since the Goddess would not deign to deal with a small fry like you herself, she sent my soul into this world to ruin your plans. If you dare to lay a hand on me, the Goddess will not let you off lightly."

Fairy Jinghuan was frightened by Liu Jiaying's words.

Liu Jiaying not only knew of Nuwa, but she also knew of Fairy Jiangzhu, the Shenying Attendant of Chixia Palace, and the Heaven-Mending Stone...

It was impossible for a mortal to know so much; naturally, someone must have told her.

Could it really have been Nuwa who told her?

Fairy Jinghuan could not help but shrink back; she was afraid that killing Liu Jiaying would anger Nuwa and cause the Goddess to take action against her personally.

However, all the schemes she had carried out were in violation of heavenly law; if discovered, she would surely be sent to the Zhantian Platform.

Since she was doomed either way, she might as well vent her hatred by personally eliminating the enemy who had ruined her plans before she died.

Thinking of this, Fairy Jinghuan's malice surged again, and she struck out at Liu Jiaying.

Liu Jiaying was terrified, never expecting that even bringing up the great Goddess Nuwa would fail to scare off Fairy Jinghuan, and instead, it had only intensified the woman's murderous intent and provoked her to attack.

How could she possibly dodge this strike from Fairy Jinghuan!

Just as Liu Jiaying stared with wide eyes, waiting for death, a streak of green light appeared before her, blocking Fairy Jinghuan's fatal blow.

"Who goes there?" Fairy Jinghuan demanded sharply.

Liu Jiaying also opened her eyes wide, wanting to see clearly who her savior was.

A figure suddenly appeared in Liu Jiaying's line of sight: "A mere Jinghuan, daring to disregard heavenly law and attack a mortal at will?!"