When Earth Awakened, I Became a Sword Saintess

Chapter 185 : The Fairy Maiden from the Ancient Prophecy

185: The Fairy Maiden from the Ancient Prophecy

"Unlike your kind, I kindly save your people, and you repay kindness with vengeance, burn the bridge after crossing it, break your promises, just like the farmer and the viper…" Yuyin accused, one after another.

"Enough, that’s enough! I know you Xia young ladies are well-read, so stop showing off your idioms in front of this Princess!" The Ghost Princess had initially thought her an enemy, but now she realized this Xia woman might not be. While she wouldn’t trust her words so easily, her attitude softened. It was only then she became acutely aware of her body pressed against Yuyin’s back, a sensation so different, yet so full of feminine charm… Her breathing deepened, and she felt Yuyin’s faint, fragrant scent all the more keenly.

"Even so, how could a single Xia woman possibly make it here? Even the strongest of your Xia people might not be able to do that. You must explain it to me!" the Ghost Princess continued, pressing the hard dagger hilt against Yuyin’s chest.

"…Can you let me get dressed first?" Yuyin whispered, slightly out of breath.

The Ghost Princess hesitated, for a moment longer than necessary, as if she were instinctively reluctant. But she shrugged against Yuyin’s fragrant back, gave her a push, and released her.

Yuyin felt a small sense of relief. At least it wouldn’t be a fight to the death. She picked up the white gauze dress hanging nearby.

"I’m not used to being watched while I dress," Yuyin said, turning her head slightly to reveal a proud expression.

"Tsk… We’re both women, what’s there to be so fussy about? I’m warning you, don’t try anything funny. You have some strength, so you should know you can’t escape my grasp." Facing this beautiful, mature Xia woman whose allegiance was still unknown, the Ghost Princess wasn’t foolish enough to turn her back. She retreated to the other corner of the pavilion, leaning against the wall.

"Hurry up and change. I know you Xia noblewomen have so many formalities," the Ghost Princess called out.

Yuyin had intended to cover herself first, but since the Ghost Princess had considerately moved away, she relaxed. She bent down, slipped on her panties, and tied the thin white strings at her hip…

A moment later, Yuyin had put on the white outer dress. She turned to face the wall. "I’m done."

"So slow. Women who think they’re so feminine are all like this. So annoying," the Ghost Princess muttered, shaking her head. She slid the dagger back into its sheath at her waist. Confident she could handle Yuyin, she walked to the other side of the wall.

"Huh?"

This was the first time the Ghost Princess had seen Yuyin’s face.

Truly beautiful… Despite her prejudices, she couldn’t help but think it. "Besides my mother, I’ve never seen such a beautiful woman… Though, she’s nowhere near as imposing as my mother…"

Even the mighty Ghost Princess couldn’t help but feel a girlish sense of awe at the thought of her mother.

"What is it? Why are you staring at me like that?" Yuyin was, of course, used to looks of admiration and fascination, but she sensed something else, something unusual, in the Ghost Princess’s gaze.

"N-nothing!" the Ghost Princess stammered, annoyed. She composed herself, cupping her breasts, which weren’t large but had a girlish charm. "Hmph… To be frank, you woman… are quite beautiful."

Yuyin paid this reluctant compliment no mind, but she felt a slight, unexpected flutter in her heart. After all, being praised in such a perilous situation was a different experience entirely.

Just then, a commotion erupted from the front yard. Sensing the powerful fluctuations of Primordial Energy, Lu Yu, followed by Ghost Clan warriors like Da Tuo, rushed in.

"Your Highness the Fairy Maiden!" Lu Yu shouted, following the aura to the backyard.

"Your Highness the Fairy Maiden, what has happened?" Da Tuo stomped heavily, arriving moments later, followed by many male Ghosts holding weapons.

"Fai…" Seeing the two women standing in the yard, one tall and one petite, the crowd of Ghosts froze.

Yuyin’s heart was pounding. Thank goodness I got dressed, she thought. Otherwise, I’d have had to find a way to kill all these male Ghosts to preserve my honor… Of course, this was just a self-deprecating joke.

"Your Highness the Ghost Princess!?" Lu Yu’s deer-like antlers seemed to tremble. Her eyes widened as she stared at the petite girl who only reached Yuyin’s shoulder.

"That’s right, it’s me. You’re… Lu…" the Ghost Princess said casually.

"Lu Yu, greeting Your Highness the Ghost Princess."

"We pay our respects to Your Highness the Ghost Princess."

Lu Yu and the male Ghosts all knelt.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

With Lu Yu’s arrival, the misunderstanding could finally be cleared up.

Yuyin, the Ghost Princess, Lu Yu, and Da Tuo went inside the house. Soon, an Elder arrived with others. Inside, Lu Yu and the Elder recounted the entire story to the Ghost Princess.

"Heh, so you just gave this Princess’s palace to a Xia woman to live in? You let her use my bathing tub and sleep in my room, hm?" the Ghost Princess asked, her tone accusatory. Many Ghost Clan fortresses had guesthouses and palaces to accommodate high-ranking Ghost Officers and even royalty.

"Your Highness the Ghost Princess, this is the Fairy Maiden from the prophecy! She has come from the Other Shore to save our clan, to save this vast Prison Abyss!" the Elder kowtowed to the Ghost Princess and Yuyin, his voice trembling with piety.

"Yes! If it were anyone else, how could we let them enter Your Highness’s private chambers? But this is the Fairy Maiden from the ancient prophecy!" Lu Yu, having been saved by Yuyin herself, felt a deep admiration for her.

"A prophecy? Hmph… You old fogeys are all the same. Prophecies are illusions. This Princess doesn’t believe in any of them!" the Ghost Princess knelt, slamming the dagger hilt on the floor in frustration. She had two blades at her waist: one was the dagger, the other a medium-length blade of exceptional make, resembling a Tang sword.

"Y-Your Highness the Ghost Princess, you, you mustn’t say such things that go against the ancient teachings, that defy the laws of heaven…" The Elder’s already dark-green complexion turned ashen. The words terrified him, fearing they would bring disaster upon the clan.

"What’s there to be afraid of? The laws of heaven? Where were they when the Li Su were slaughtering you? Where were the ancient teachings then?" The Ghost Princess grew even angrier. Her mother was just the same, always talking about heavenly tribulations and ancient prophecies, and punishing her harshly for it. She was sick of hearing it.

"Your Highness the Ghost Princess, forgive my rudeness… But when our clan faced annihilation, wasn’t it this very Fairy Maiden from the prophecy who came to our rescue?" Lu Yu said softly, secretly thinking that if they had waited for the Ghost Princess to arrive, the fortress would have been wiped out.

"That… that was just a coincidence! Don’t treat her like some goddess just because of some prophecy. She’s just a woman who likes to bathe, gets lost, and happened to wander by here. A woman who is, at best, a little kind-hearted," the Ghost Princess said urgently, pointing at Yuyin, though it wasn’t clear if she was accusing or praising her.

"She is not the Fairy Maiden from any prophecy!"