Chapter 524: A Young Lady’s Request
Translator: Pika
“Huh? You aren't scared of me?” The girl was surprised. Her body was semi-transparent, and there was a slightly eerie quality to her voice.
She was similar to those malicious spirits on those stairs, but her expression was much more serene. She didn’t share their viciousness and resentment.
Zu An smiled. “You’re quite cute. Why would I be scared of you?”
Even though the girl in front of him wasn’t as pretty as Pei Mianman or Mi Li, she was still a little beauty. She gave off an air of youthfulness, and the addition of her stunning outfit left him with a good impression of her.
Pei Mianman smiled when she heard what he said. Mi Li rolled her eyes. This fellow always went into full sweet-talk mode whenever he saw a girl! She was sick and tired of it.
“I do not deserve such praise,” the girl replied, a hint of redness coloring her face.
Zu An kept his momentum going. “I’m Ah Zu, and this is my friend, Pei Mianman. May I ask what your name is?”
“My name is Jiang… Jiang…” The young lady frowned midway through her sentence, seeming slightly uncertain.
“You’re Jiangjiang?” Zu An felt that this was quite the special name.
“No.” The girl shook her head and blushed. “It’s been too long, and I’ve forgotten my name. I only remember that my surname is Jiang.”
She couldn’t help but burst into tears.
Zu An was left speechless for a moment.
How could you even forget your own name? Just how much time passed?
Mi Li sighed. “She is truly pitiful.”
She suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for this poor girl. She too had been sealed away in a tomb for more than ten thousand years, all by herself. If it wasn’t for her unyielding nature and desire for revenge given her past betrayal, she might have forgotten her own name as well.
This girl was clearly much younger when she’d died, and she hadn’t lived as grandly as Mi Li herself had. When she passed away, she had to endure an even longer period of time as well. It was completely understandable that she had forgotten so many of the things that had taken place when she was still alive.
Zu An spoke up to comfort her. “ I’ll just call you Jiangjiang, then. It sounds pretty good.”
“Jiangjiang?” The young lady froze for a moment, then flashed a bright and beautiful smile. “Sure!”
“By the way… did you raise these Guman Tong? They seem to get along with you quite well.” Zu An looked at those Guman Tong who moved around her feet and swallowed.
“I didn’t raise them. But after spending so much time together, we’ve already become friends. They’re like my younger brothers.” The young lady squatted down and rubbed their heads, a doting expression on her face.
Zu An asked, “Jiangjiang, what kind of place is this?”
“This is the capital city of the Shang Dynasty, of course.” A hint of fear flashed across her face when she mentioned Yinshang. “Are you two Shang people?” she probed.
Zu An shook his head. “No, we’re not. We are only travelers who accidentally find ourselves lost in this place.”
He noticed that her expression changed when she mentioned Yinshang, and he added, “By the way, Yinshang has long been destroyed…”
“Destroyed?” The young lady seemed shocked by this, but there was an unmistakable hint of happiness in her voice.
Zu An grunted in confirmation, then roughly explained the history of the fate of the Shang Dynasty. Pei Mianman looked at him in shock. Why had she never heard about these things before? Was this also a part of the world in his dream?
As she listened to his recounting, the young lady was at times shocked and surprised. As he wrapped up his story, she expressed her gratitude to him, then said, “So, ten thousand years have already passed.”
Her emotions overcame her for a moment, and she let out a deep sigh. Another thought suddenly struck her. “Then what about the Eastern Barbarians?”
Zu An replied, “The Eastern Barbarians were wiped out as well, but they were destroyed after Yinshang.”
“So they’ve also become extinct…” The girl was lost in her own thoughts for a moment, then sighed again and said, “I knew in my heart that that was the likely outcome. No countries exist forever, after all.”
“Jiangjiang, are you an Eastern Barbarian?” Zu An asked.
The girl nodded. “I was the daughter of the leader of the Eastern Barbarians.”
“So you were their princess! There’s no need for you to feel too broken-hearted. Even though the Eastern Barbarian Country has been wiped out, their bloodline continued on, having merged with that of the other clans of the Central Plains to form the origins of the Chinese people. For example, the progenitor of the Qin State, who later on destroyed the Zhou Dynasty, was rumored to be a descendant of the Eastern Barbarians.”
He secretly turned to Mi Li and said jokingly, “Big sis empress, doesn’t this mean that this little girl might really be your grandma…?”
Mi Li was not amused.
Her face became red. She clearly found it hard to accept that this girl was actually her ancestor. “Hmph, that just means that the people of the Qin Dynasty had something to do with the Eastern Barbarians. Even though I was the empress of the Qin State, I am a daughter of the Chu State. What does that have to do with me?”
Zu An didn’t reply, but only chuckled.
Mi Li felt weirdly frustrated when she saw that smirk on his face. She really wanted to beat him up.
You have successfully trolled Mi Li for 55… 55… 55…
Sure enough, the girl’s tears turned into a smile, and her mood improved significantly. “Thank you, big brother.”
“Big brother?” Zu An had a strange look on his face. This girl is ancient enough to be the great, great grandmother of my own ancestors… How can she call me big brother?!
It seemed like she still saw herself as a teenage girl.
Now that he knew more about her, Zu An felt as though a huge boulder had been lifted off his chest. He had really been worried that she was yet another overpowered hidden boss. “Right, Jiangjiang, why are you here? Do you know how to get out of this place?”
“I was captured during a previous battle between Yinshang and Eastern Barbarians, and brought here as a prisoner.” Her face became downcast again. This was clearly a painful memory for her. “As for the exit, I can only guess. I’m not sure.”
“Please tell me,” Zu An said excitedly. Pei Mianman was also happy. She clearly didn’t wish to stay here any longer.
The young lady pointed towards the distant darkness. “There is a trial below. I heard that if you can pass the trial, not only can you leave this place, but you can obtain an unimaginable boon as well. Unfortunately, there are special restrictions that prevent me from entering.”
Pei Mianman thought things over and asked, “Jiangjiang, if you can’t go in, how do you know about it?”
The girl replied, “I overheard the people who built this place say this, many, many years ago. They couldn’t see me, so they weren’t on guard against any eavesdroppers.”
Zu An found this interesting. She was probably already a spirit back then. There’s a lot she could have overheard.
The girl suddenly raised her head to look at the two of them. “Big brother, big sister, can the two of you help me with something?”
Zu An thought about how the people of Yinshang had treated their captives, and he could imagine just how bitter her experience had been. He was immediately overcome with pity. “Jiangjiang, ask us anything you want. We’ll definitely help you as much as we can.”
“Thank you, big brother!” The young lady smiled sweetly. She pointed into the distant darkness. “There should be a jade badge over there. It’s a sacred object belonging to our Eastern Barbarian Country which is rumored to allow communication with the divine. After our defeat in the previous war, many of my clansmen were captured and used as offerings. Because of Yinshang’s formations, they have not been able to rest in peace. I do not know if you’ve encountered them, but I’ve heard that they are trapped within a staircase. With that jade badge, I can carry out a ceremony and help their souls find peace.”
“So they were your clansmen!” Zu An’s expression grew sour. Those fellows had almost devoured all of his flesh.
The young lady wept when she heard about his experience. “I’m sorry, big brother. They aren’t doing it because they want to…”
“I understand, I understand,” Zu An hurriedly consoled her. “Look, we’re all in one piece, right? Don’t worry, I’ll help you find that jade badge.”
“Thank you, big brother!” The young lady beamed with happiness. “There’s something else I would like to entrust you with. Could you help me look for my missing head later on?”
Zu An was momentarily at a loss for words.
Why did that sound so weird and creepy?
“Did I scare you guys…?” The young lady was embarrassed. With difficulty, she carried on with her explanation. “From what I remember, I was brought here by the people of Yinshang as a prisoner. According to their customs, human sacrifices made the best offerings. Because I was a special person within the court of their enemy, they cut off my head and put it on a Shang monarch’s grave to serve as an offering…”
“Jiangjiang…” Even Pei Mianman began to sob when she heard about her tragic past. She subconsciously wanted to hug her to comfort her. Unfortunately, she was a soul body, so her hands passed right through her.
Zu An was overcome with sympathy as well. “Don’t worry, I will definitely find your missing head. There is a problem, though… I won’t know which head is yours.”