59. Spirit-Binding Oath
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In the quiet of the Yan house, a powerful force of energy sent a wave of aura across the entire household, and Xu Weiyan suddenly dropped the book she was reading.
"My Lady!" Tong, who sat to the side, hurried over to pick the book. "Are you ok?"
But Weiyan barely heard her.
'What was that?!' She wondered.
It felt a bit familiar... somewhat like the divine cub's fledgling aura, but this was far too powerful!
And it resonated with another mystery...
Since they moved here, she and Tong had been finding black tiger fur around, especially in the cub's den and on the cub itself!
'Is some monster hiding in this house?!'
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Meanwhile, safe within Yinying 'the monster's' golden bell, Luoyin sat opposite the late Zhang Furen in his chamber, and her memories filtered into his mind.
At first, the visions were haphazard flashes of a sun-filled childhood, brilliant with barely any misfortune.
But then, these were followed by clearer visions of how she had met Lord Zhang, and the series of events following, most of which Luoyin had already guessed...
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Zhang Luoyin's mother Duan Xiu, had been from the Chuyi Sect.
The Chuyi Sect was Mid Realm's second strongest, so they ranked higher than Yueyan, and Duan Xiu had been one of the best in Chuyi Sect, fair of face and lithe, with a lotus symbol on her forehead.
She indeed resembled Luoyin, with a perfect oval face, a brilliant smile, and two twinkling dimples.
At the time, Zhang Guo, son of the Zhang family, had just become head of the household, and to solidify his stance, he journeyed to the Chuyi Sect for a series of trainings, and during this time, he and Duan Xiu met and trained together...
It wasn't long after that they fell in love, and Zhang Guo made his intentions known, asking her to marry him.
Their wedding had been an honour for both the Zhang family and the Yueyan sect, because by birth, skill or sect, Duan Xiu was superior to Zhang Guo in every way.
However, after moving to Yue City, Duan Xiu discovered that Zhang Guo had already been engaged to a girl called Huang Chun, from a prominent family, long before his journey to the Chuyi Sect.
Duan Xiu was filled with heartbreak, but Zhang Guo had fallen on his knees in begging, stating that the engagement with Huang Chun was an arrangement by his ancestors.
And so, after several days of pleading from both Zhang Guo and his mother, Duan Xiu finally agreed to let Huang Chun in as a concubine.
After that, the entire Zhang family treated Duan Xiu well, including Concubine Huang, and even though Concubine Huang gave birth before her, Duan Xiu was still favoured as the legal wife.
Things only got better after Duan Xiu gave birth to Luoyin.
Concubine Huang took even more care of her, and she often held her arm, saying things like, "Elder sister, if it wasn't for you, I would be too lonely in this household!"
Her son Zhang Cheng also doted on Luoyin, who followed him everywhere.
But it was all an act...
After Luoyin's birth, Concubine Huang's mother, Huang Su, began visiting the household a little too frequently...
Huang Su was a master of seals and potions, and she and her daughter slowly poisoned Duan Xiu, making it appear like she never recovered from childbirth.
It was only at the point of death that Duan Xiu overheard a certain discussion... A conversation between her mother-in-law, and Concubine Huang, where her mother-in-law outright accused Concubine Huang of harming Duan Xiu.
"I needed her out of the way, so we fed her the poison." Concubine Huang blatantly admitted, causing her mother-in-law to gasp in rage, and making blood nearly rise in Duan Xu's throat.
"You wicked woman!" Her mother-in-law was yelling. "How could you do such an evil thing to someone who treated you with kindness!"
But Concubine Huang remained calm. "What can you do? It's too late for her, and I'm the only wife and mother of the first Zhang son. If you reveal anything, I'll inform the Duan family that you deliberately targeted their daughter."
Concubine Huang smiled at her shocked expression. "Hmph. That woman thinks she and Zhang Guo had a fated encounter, but she was his goal before he even went to Yunchi Sect... Right?" She giggled. "Mother-in-law, you're the wicked one...
"You begged me to step aside, so he could marry that woman, all because you wanted the Duan bloodline, yet you want me to remain a concubine, after the Zhang family has swallowed up our Huang riches?" She turned to her mother-in-law with a bold expression.
"If you try anything, I'll reveal all I know to the Duan family, so you can face their wrath! There'll be no end to the Scandal, and the entire Yunchi Sect might even cut ties with Yueyan Sect!
"My family travels a lot, so I'll simply leave with my son, while the Zhang family runs into the ground!"
"You-!!" The mother-in-law was gasping in shock. "You snake! Aiyu! It's all my fault! I allowed my son to marry such a hateful woman!" She wailed.
But it was indeed too late.
Duan Xiu was already in a coma and could neither move nor speak.
Her mother-in-law felt it was better to bury the matter, rather than upturn the entire family.
And so, with hatred in her heart, Duan Xiu had unwillingly carried their secret to an early grave...
After tasting Concubine Huang's true nature, Duan Xiu became a restless ghost who sought to warn Luoyin, but this was the real reason Concubine Huang had brought in her mother.
The two already predicted that Duan Xiu would become a ghost, so they placed a seal within her, making her unable to appear or communicate before any human!
So Duan Xiu was forced to helplessly follow her son around, watching as he turned to his brother and step mother in his grief, and the damage was done before he noticed anything amiss.
By the time Huang Su, Concubine Huang, and Zhang Cheng revealed their true colours, it was too late for Luoyin as well, and he had become the Zhang family trash.
Filled with endless rage and heartbreak, Duan Xiu had tried everything to talk to Luoyin or help him, but all she could do was watch his suffering at the hands of his own family.
It was enough to turn anyone into an evil spirit, and she eventually lost herself.
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Back at present, Luoyin's brows furrowed as the visions suddenly became broken and bloody-hued flashes, as if a reddish haze covered his eyes, and the visions themselves were filled with bloody scenes from Duan Xiu's time as an evil spirit...
Duan Xiu was a fearsome evil spirit, perhaps worse than most, because Huang Su's seal within her prevented anyone from seeing her, hearing her, or even sensing her presence.
The scenes that followed were so bloody that Luoyin nearly ended the connection then and there.
But one night, quite suddenly, there was clarity and all was calm.
It took only a moment for Luoyin to realize what had happened, as Duan Xiu appeared in the caves, staring down at the bruised and lifeless body of her son.
She had briefly awoken the instant Luoyin died.
Filled with grief, she had cried and cried for more than a day, her agonized wails bouncing off the cave's walls, but soon an impossible rage overtook her, and she began transforming into an evil spirit again, far more dangerous than before!
However, a sudden wave of golden light hit her, and a familiar figure appeared, making Luoyin gasp through her eyes.
'Immortal Kai Zhen!!' He thought, as the golden light surrounded Duan Xiu, and she was calm once again.
"Duan Xiu," Immortal Kai began. "You've tasted bitterness and suffering... and the type of heartbreak a mother shouldn't have to face. Your son reminds me of a loved one, so I can at least keep you from being an evil spirit and send you to the sea of fate..."
But Duan Xiu fell to her knees. "My rage is too much!" She said, tears running down her eyes. "Please...!" She kowtowed fully, touching her forehead to the ground.
"The deities rarely manifest in physical form to aid us, but it's fate that you're here! Please help my son!"
Immortal Kai sighed and shook his head. "It is hopeless... I don't know why, but I sensed your son's death, and something drew me to this place. But though I can still sense him, there isn't an ounce of will to live... Only his grievances.
"There is no being under the heavens who can bring back the dead, but even those powerful enough to tempt fate, can't help those who desire to die."
He crouched down and touched Luoyin's head. "However, perhaps it's me being selfish, but I can offer a chance at vengeance and redemption. Please permit me to use your son's body to bring back a loved one..."
It had taken four months from that point.
Immortal Kai had preserved Luoyin's body and taught Duan Xiu how to perform the Spirit-binding ritual, while he himself transferred large amounts of qi into Luoyin.
Any caster of the Spirit-binding oath was cursed to lose any chance at rebirth, but since Immortal Kai wasn't human, he initiated the ritual, shielding Duan Xiu from the curse.
Duan Xiu didn't know who killed her son, but she suspected it was tied to his grievances, so as she performed the oath, she set her own grievances aside, letting Luoyin's grievances be the core of the oath.
Moved by her sacrifice, Immortal Kai gave her one last gift.
"I'll give you a chance to destroy just one enemy..." He said. "After that, you will become cleansed and lose all thought till you're drawn to the Sea of Fate."
Duan Xiu nodded and finished the ritual, which pulled Bailong's spirit into Zhang Luoyin, leading to his awakening...
As for Duan Xiu, she thought of her worst enemies, Concubine Huang and her mother, Huang Su.
But she knew Concubine Huang was most likely on Luoyin's list of grievances, so she let her be.
Instead, amidst the wind and heavy rain accompanying Bailong's rebirth, Duan Xiu had gone to find Huang Su, who was visiting the TianYue Temple of Yue City...
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