The moment Xuan Yi entered the main hall, she was assaulted by the stench of the water ghost. She wrinkled her nose in slight disgust and eyed the woman sitting on one of the chairs, looking meek and quiet.
The lady was drenched from head to toe with water still dripping from her wet clothes that clung onto her wrinkled skin. This was the result of death from drowning. The body would remain in the state it was when it died and Xuan Yi is not really fond of the water dirtying her main hall like this.
If her master was here, he would have flipped the table and stormed out.
"Demon Lord, Your Highness!" The woman dropped to her knees the moment she saw Xuan Yi entered the main hall.
Chen Xiu stood up and had the decency to not meet Xuan Yi's glare as he opened his fan and averted his eyes.
Xuan Yi rolled her eyes inwardly in annoyance before she held out her hand towards the water ghost, stopping her from crawling towards her.
"Stand up and talk properly, this lady here is quite interested in what made you kneel outside the palace for so long." Xuan Yi stood in front of her and folded her arms.
"This servant has a wish and begs the demon lord to fulfill," the woman did not stand up but she did stop kowtowing. She kneeled and tilted her head up to look at the infamous demon lord she has heard so much about on her way here.
They say that although her exterior is extremely frosty, she is actually more compassionate compared to the previous demon lord. If one's plea is desperate enough to reach her, to move her cold heart, she might just lend a hand.
Looking at her cold face and the obvious irritation in her eyes, the servant prayed that she would at least hear her out.
Xuan Yi wanted to smack Chen Xiu hard on his head. Does he think she is some sort of charity center? There is a procedure for everything and he just discarded all of that and bought a dead person to her. On top of that, it just has to be a water ghost.
Her carpet is ruined by the looks of it.
Water ghosts are the souls of people who died by drowning. They would always be in a drenched state even after death. Some people suspect that it is because they stay in the water long enough to die that their souls are soaked as well. But Xuan Yi isn't really concerned about the reason right now. She is pissed that her rest was disrupted but she has to give some face to the stupid earth god standing beside the water ghost and so, she chose to compromise.
"My help does not come cheap. What do you have to offer?" Xuan Yi solemnly asked. She is not going to do charity, she is not that kind. Unless she can get something out of it, there is no way she is going to help this woman no matter how desperate she is.
"Anything, your highness." There was no hesitation in the water ghost's reply. Her eyes glimmered with hope. As long as the demon lord is able to help her, she is willing to sacrifice anything.
"Anything? Even if I want your soul?" Xuan Yi let out a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "If your soul is given to me, there is no reincarnation. It will just disperse into nothing so are you genuinely willing to offer your soul as sacrifice?" Xuan Yi bent down to the ghost's eye level and stare into her as if staring into her very soul.
"This servant is willing," the water ghost stared back without any sense of fear. Xuan Yi nodded in return. She like her eyes, it has been quite a while since any human dared to stare straight at her without trembling.
"Very well, let's hear your story then." Xuan Yi gestured for her to stand up and she did but she kept a slight bow when talking.
A well-trained servant, Xuan Yi noted in her mind. Even after her death, she still remembers her status and her etiquette. She must have come from a large family or maybe even the palace.
"This humble servant is from the Yun family of the Mu village. This servant serves the only daughter of the Yun family, young miss Yun Le, and had watched her from when she was young. Young miss Yun Le is gentle and virtuous. She is engaged with the Ma family who is one of the wealthiest families in the neighboring village. In the beginning, the young miss was indifferent to the engagement but when she first saw young master Ma, she fell in love with him. Young master Ma has a bright future and young miss is the most beautiful miss in the Mu village so everyone had said this is a good match." The water ghost had an adoring set of eyes as she narrates her story. Her eyes seemed to light up every time she mentions that young miss of hers but Xuan Yi knew this marriage wasn't going to get a happy ending.
"Although young miss is in love with young master Ma, her love was not returned. This servant was frustrated at young master Ma. Our family young miss is the most beautiful and virtuous miss in the village, in what way is he not satisfied with her? This servant shared young miss's pain and she told this servant that young master Ma has fallen in love with someone else and wanted to annul the engagement. This servant was furious so this servant went to find young master Ma and teach him a lesson for making our young miss cry. But when this servant found young master Ma, this servant saw something unbelievable." Xuan Yi crossed her arms and stared at the servant intently, engrossed in the story.
"Could it be that he is dead?" Xuan Yi blurted out. A mysterious murder, that sounded quite fun. Xuan Yi doesn't mind solving a few murders or two.
"No, your highness. Young master Ma is very much alive. He was with his lover!" Xuan Yi felt her eyes went wide with shock. Meeting his lover in his fiancee's house? Is this young master Ma an idiot? But wait, why would he meet his lover in his fiancee's house? Of all places? Xuan Yi's face was full of questions and the servant explained.
"This servant saw with her own two eyes that young master Ma was embracing a person in the guest room he was staying in. After making our young miss cry until this extent, he does not comfort her but goes to his lover. This servant was very angry and wanted to strangle young master Ma but when this servant saw who his lover is, this servant could not bear to do anything." It was as if the water ghost was experiencing it all over again. Her eyes dimmed fleetingly as she remembered who she saw in her mistress's fiance's room.
Xuan Yi inched forward a little, waiting for the servant to continue.
"It was young miss's elder brother, young master Yun Qi." The servant whispered as if she herself could not believe it.
Xuan Yi felt her mind explode. In these ancient times, cut sleeves are not many and even if they were one, they would not admit it. Because the pressure for men to marry and carry on the family line is immense. Xuan Yi patted herself on her back. It was truly a good thing not to turn away the water ghost. She has gotten herself an interesting job.
"So, what is the wish? Do I need to separate them? Make them forget about their feelings for each other?" Xuan Yi asked the servant.
But the servant shook her head in response. "No, your highness. If it is young master Yun Qi, then this servant cannot help young miss at all. This servant went back to young miss and asked her if she knew who young master Ma's lover is. Young miss said she knows and she said that there is nothing to worry about because she will settle this matter. This servant finds young miss strangely calm but did not question it. If young miss is able to settle this and marry out peacefully, then there is nothing this servant could wish for. But a few weeks later, this servant found out that young miss is going to kill her brother. This servant tried to caution her against it but young miss refused to listen. In the end, it was young miss herself who pushed this servant into the river to silence me." The servant teared up as she reached the end of her story. She does not seem angry at her mistress for killing her and Xuan Yi lamented at the loss of such a good servant. It's really rare to see such a dedicated servant who does not strive for their own ambitions and serve their masters with all of what they have.
Although Xuan Yi has a few questions she wants to confirm with the water ghost, she feels that it can wait for later.
"So, what do you want this lady to do for you?"
"Your highness, please stop the young miss." the servant dropped to her knees once more and wailed, abandoning all dignity as she bowed till her forehead touched the ground.
"Alright, this lady accepts your job request but please stop ruining my carpet more than you have to." Xuan Yi's voice could be heard over the servant's head but when she looked up, she could only see wisps of black trails in her place.
"Where-" the water ghost was confused. Where did the demon lord go?
"Lady Xuan Yi has gone to stop your young miss. Please stand up and wait for her in the guest room, this lord is sure she will take a while before coming back." Chen Xiu snapped his fan close before he glanced at the maidservant Xuan Yi left behind.
The maidservant sensed the glance and went forward to help the water ghost up. She then bowed lightly towards Chen Xiu before leading the water ghost away.
Chen Xiu let out a helpless smile before he went to find the head maidservant of the demon palace. It seems like that little maidservant held a grudge against him for sending her to bring her mistress over. Really, the servants in the demon palace do take after their mistress. Chen Xiu heaved a sigh, hoping that at the very least, the head maidservant would give him some face and arrange a guest room for him to stay. He is very much intrigued about this story as well and wanted to see how it ends.
After the earth god left the main hall, the maidservants who were hiding in the shadows quickly went to work on fixing the carpet. They know how much their mistress loves her carpets. Their heads would roll if the carpet is ruined beyond repair. Remembering their mistress's angry face, they immediately worked even harder and cursed the water ghost occasionally.