novelraw Chapter 211 : Reunion
Chapter 211 : Reunion
211: Reunion
"Zi Qiang." Jiang Yun summoned.
A tall, athletically built woman in revealing black-and-purple armor approached, her high-heeled boots clicking against the stone. Her hair was styled in an elegant ancient fashion, swept up lightly at the crown with a braid draped over one shoulder.
"Your Majesty." The female general knelt on one knee in the hall, her expression cold, devoid of emotion.
Watching from the side, Xia Yuyin couldn't help but notice the woman's striking beauty. Her hairstyle particularly caught Yuyin's interest, a mature, classical lady's coiffure from ancient times, practical yet elegant..
"Bring them here."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The general accepted her orders with indifferent obedience.
"This General Zi Qiang is also quite powerful," Xia Yuyin thought to herself. Her aura was no weaker than those Li Su Grandmasters.
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Roughly a quarter-hour later, two young women walked through the rock-hewn corridors of the ancient castle fortress. Their clothes were tattered, yet their bodies remained unharmed and pristine. Though escorted by a group of brutish male Ghost Warriors, they wore no restraints or bindings. Zi Qiang walked ahead of them.
Surrounding campfires flickered, and every guard stared at them with bestial eyes, their ugly faces turning to track the women's movements.
"Jing, where is that woman taking us?" Lan Lianyue kept her head down, speaking softly. Her eyes held a look of grim acceptance.
"I... don't know..." Hua Yuanjing was exceptionally tall. She also spoke in a low voice, noticing that the demons seemed to pay her more attention. The hulking ghosts appeared more interested in her? That might not be a bad thing. If she could protect Lianyue, she would gladly serve as bait.
"If she means to have those demons violate us, then we'll... use everything we've cultivated these past six months and fight to the death. Better to die with honor than live in shame!" Lianyue's eyes burned with determination. If she said it, she would do it.
"Lianyue, if you want to live, I'll endure humiliation with you. If you want to die, I'll fight to the death alongside you." Hua Yuanjing felt no anger or panic. She had resolved that whatever decision Lianyue made, she would stand with her. These past six months had brought her enlightenment.
"But Lianyue, if they wanted to do that to us, they could have done it six months ago when they captured us unconscious. Why wait until now? I think... perhaps things aren't as terrible as they seem..." Hua Yuanjing offered comfort.
The two women followed the Ghost Clan warriors and Zi Qiang until they reached the upper hall of the ancient fortress.
"Enter. Do not keep Her Majesty waiting." Several exceptionally burly demon guards stood before the door. Xing Ao stepped forward to address Zi Qiang.
The stone door slowly opened.
Lan Lianyue and Hua Yuanjing entered the hall, only to see Xia Yuyin standing by a stone window, her white robes fluttering in the storm.
At that moment, Yuyin's expression mirrored their own astonishment.
"Y-Yuyin!?" Lan Lianyue's crystalline eyes widened.
"Senior Lian? Senior Jing!?" Xia Yuyin was completely stunned.
"Yuyin, is it really you?" Even Hua Yuanjing, who had already accepted death, couldn't hide her emotion.
Who could have imagined encountering Yuyin here, in this land of extreme eastern mountains and seas beyond the Prison Abyss, over a hundred thousand miles from Lingdu's Two Realms Gate?
Yuyin was truly alive! Lianyue had always believed it.
"Yuyin!"
"Senior..."
The three girls couldn't help but run toward each other. In the great hall, they clasped hands, looked at one another, then embraced without regard for the watching eyes.
"Yuyin, were you captured too?" Lianyue's eyes held both joy at seeing Yuyin alive and heartache that she had fallen into this demonic lair.
"Huh? Captured? No, no." Xia Yuyin shook her head, then noticed their tattered clothes, barely covering their thighs. She grew worried. "They didn't... do anything to you, did they?"
Xia Yuyin's expression turned severe as she looked at Jiang Yun. "Ghost King, what is the meaning of this?"
Jiang Yun sat on her throne, legs crossed, smiling leisurely as she shifted position. "What are you thinking, my fiancée? Before we're even married, you're already trying to manage your Majesty? I've done nothing to them."
"Ungrateful!" Zi Qiang grew furious at Yuyin's tone toward the Ghost King. "I was ordered to search for you but found these two women instead. As a fellow woman, having seen too many beautiful girls suffer tragic fates in the Prison Abyss, I couldn't bear to watch these flower-like maidens be ravaged by alien tribes. I rescued them and, by Her Majesty's command, placed them in a cultivation treasure ground, allowing them to cultivate our clan's ancient female cultivation techniques from the murals without cost. And you repay Her Majesty's kindness with such narrow-minded suspicion?"
Zi Qiang's ample chest heaved with anger.
"Zi Qiang, mind your tone. You will not speak to my fiancée in such a manner." Jiang Yun admonished.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Zi Qiang reluctantly knelt on one knee toward Xia Yuyin. "Your Highness, the Ghost King's fiancée, I misspoke just now. But please understand Her Majesty's intentions."
"F-Fiancée!?" Lianyue's hand unconsciously clutched Xia Yuyin's arm so tightly it hurt. "Yuyin, what's going on?"
"Well... it's a long story." Xia Yuyin turned away, her fingers touching her lips, a faint blush coloring her cheeks like a "fickle woman."
And so the three women shared the experiences of their past six months.
"I see..." Hua Yuanjing's eyes were clear with understanding.
"Yuyin, you're not actually going to marry her, are you?" Ignoring her own situation, Lianyue clutched Yuyin's sleeve, shooting a resentful glance at Jiang Yun on her throne. If Yuyin fell into the hands of this mature, powerful woman, she would surely be... subjected to this and that... No! Yuyin would be no match for her...
"Xia woman Lianyue, what kind of look are you giving Her Majesty?" Zi Qiang demanded.
Jiang Yun waved her hand. Given that Lan Lianyue and Hua Yuanjing had been captured in an alien world, their intense emotions were understandable. Most importantly, they were Yuyin's friends. She should be tolerant and give Yuyin face.
"I see there have been many misunderstandings. My intentions were good. After all, as women, I understand the suffering of falling into the Prison Abyss. You must be tired. Liuli, take your Sister Yuyin to bathe and rest. Zi Qiang, arrange new quarters for them."
"Bathe?" Lianyue watched Yuyin's figure nervously. It was getting late, yet they wanted Yuyin to bathe. What were they planning? She clutched Yuyin's sleeve tighter.
"Your Majesty, can you arrange for us to stay together? My Senior Sisters only returned to the Prison Abyss to search for me. They could have withdrawn to Earth." Xia Yuyin looked at Jiang Yun with sincere eyes.
"Hmm... very well. Liuli, Zi Qiang, take Yuyin and her friends to the Sea-Watching Palace to rest." Jiang Yun smiled faintly.