Chapter 19. Abortion

“Taoyu is really dead?” Wen Yao hurried to catch up with Di Jiang, her face full of questions. “How could Zhong Xu kill her with a single sword strike? She was an immortal!”

Di Jiang gazed at the setting sun as darkness gradually enveloped the earth, mirroring the sinking despair in her heart.

She said indifferently, “An immortal lingering in the mortal world for a hundred years, tainted by worldly impurities, will eventually exhaust their divine energy. Moreover, she was likely already drained inside. Zhong Xu’s sword might not have been an unwelcome end for her.”

“But…”

“Enough. Let’s go meet the other Peach Blossom Immortal,” Di Jiang said and walked ahead.

Wu Ruian and Zhong Xu followed behind—one bewildered, the other burdened. The former was shocked, while the latter felt weary and powerless. Before this, he hadn’t sensed even a trace of demonic energy, which, to him, was intolerable.

Back in the inner courtyard of the Jingzhao Prefecture, they found Meng Zichang sitting dejectedly on the threshold, his eyes fixed on the distance, unfocused and distant.

“Lord Meng, why are you sitting here?” Wen Yao approached to help him up, but he brushed her hand away and looked at Zhong Xu. “Did you kill her?”

Zhong Xu nodded. “Taoyu is dead. She turned into a pool of blood. All the strange occurrences in Yangchun Manor were her doing.”

“Is that so… I see…” Meng Zichang looked disheartened, as if mourning her. After a moment, he urgently asked, “What about Taoyuan? Did she mention where Taoyuan went?” His eyes were filled with hope, tightening the hearts of those who saw him.

Zhong Xu shook his head and sighed, “She refused to say.”

“Then…” Meng Zichang’s expression darkened, and he shook his head repeatedly, tears choking his voice. “I knew it… I knew she would do this… She’s always been jealous of her sister since childhood. She hated Taoyuan!” Whether from grief or anger, Meng Zichang trembled like a sieve, and soon blood began seeping from his seven orifices.

“Lord Meng, don’t get upset. Our mistress has a way. She knows where Taoyuan is!” Wen Yao patted his back, trying to comfort him.

“Really?” Meng Zichang held his breath and looked at Di Jiang.

After pondering for a moment, Di Jiang nodded and said, “I know where she is, but before I take you to her, I want to ask you a question.”

“What question?” Meng Zichang urged, “I’ll answer everything honestly!”

“No need to be so dramatic,” Di Jiang said calmly. “I just want to ask: If one day you discover that everything you’ve steadfastly believed in isn’t what you thought, what would you do?”

After Di Jiang spoke, Meng Zichang fell silent. Those around him also lowered their heads, contemplating her words, but all wore expressions of confusion.

After a long pause, Meng Zichang finally said, “The only belief I’ve clung to in this life is to see Taoyuan again. Once I see her, what other beliefs do I have?”

“And what would you say to her when you meet?”

“I…” Meng Zichang hesitated before continuing, “I want to ask her why she left me. I once loved her so much…”

“I understand,” Di Jiang sighed and continued, “Peach wood repels ghosts. Beneath your ten-mile peach grove lies a hidden ghost. She was once an immortal but willingly fell from grace to alter your fate. For nearly a hundred years, she lived unseen under your very nose.”

As Di Jiang finished speaking, everyone was struck speechless. Meng Zichang stared at her as if he had seen a ghost.

“Wh… what?” Meng Zichang’s face was filled with shock. Trembling, he stood up, grabbed Di Jiang’s arm, and urgently asked, “You’re lying to me, right?”

Di Jiang shook her head. “I speak the truth. If you wish to see her again, burn down the ten-mile peach grove. She will come out to meet you, and there you’ll find the truth—all of it.”

After hearing this, Meng Zichang immediately ran off. When Zhong Xu realized what was happening, he chased after him.

Wen Yao stood rooted in place, dumbfounded. “Lord Meng can still run?”

“…” Di Jiang was equally surprised. After a long pause, she said, “Perhaps this is the power of love. I hope love doesn’t disappoint him.”

“What does the mistress mean?” Wen Yao looked confused.

Di Jiang smiled faintly, shook her head, and then turned to Wu Ruian. “Your Highness, burning down the grove is a major event that will surely alarm the authorities. Please assist Lord Meng in completing this final task.”

“No problem!” Wu Ruian thumped his chest and immediately went to the front courtyard to summon the constables, ordering them to help Lord Meng accomplish this task.

About half an hour later, flames engulfed the outskirts of the capital, alarming the entire Taiping Prefecture. People stopped in their tracks, pointing at the thick smoke rising from the northeastern horizon. Some more concerned citizens even brought water buckets and rushed toward the fire.

When they reached Jiudu River, they found the area sealed off by the authorities.

Soldiers had set up multiple roadblocks stretching for dozens of miles, preventing civilians from passing through. They could only watch helplessly as the vast expanse of peach trees burned to ashes.

The charred remnants of flowers blackened the river water, and the fire raged for days without ceasing.

Strangely enough, after Meng Zichang exhausted his wealth, he smelled a familiar fragrance amidst the ruins. It was subtle, sweet but not cloying—the same scent that had surrounded his pillow countless nights.

The scent of Taoyuan.

Meng Zichang stood by the riverbank, mustering his strength to shout, “Taoyuan—is that you? If you’re watching over me from above, can you come see me one last time? Only then can I die in peace!”

Alas, the fragrance lingered briefly before vanishing. Undeterred, Meng Zichang knelt by the river for an entire day.

Zhong Xu stood beside him throughout, until the sun set and darkness enveloped the land. Then, slowly, a shadow emerged next to him.

Beneath the shadow appeared the figure of a woman. Zhong Xu immediately drew his sword and pointed it at her.

The woman wore black—black clothes, black hair, black lips, and black nails. A faint, apologetic smile graced her face.

“Taoyuan… Is that you, Taoyuan? Are you really still here?” Meng Zichang tried to reach for her hand but was restrained by Zhong Xu, unable to advance further.

“She is now a ghost feeding on souls. You must not approach her.”

“What?” Meng Zichang’s face was filled with astonishment as he stared at the woman.

At this point, the female ghost didn’t speak. She simply smiled bitterly, nodding with a mix of hatred and sorrow—a look both eerie and unsettling.

“Why has this happened…” Meng Zichang’s face was filled with disbelief and anguish. “Why has Taoyu become a malevolent ghost, and you too… you…” His voice choked, unable to continue.

Fifty years had passed, and their reunion was separated by half a lifetime.

Upon seeing her, he seemed unable to recognize the person before him. Her features remained unchanged, but her aura was no longer celestial—it was now suffused with heavy ghostly energy, chillingly palpable.

“Meng Zichang, look carefully. Who am I?” The ghost’s voice was icy, and the moment she spoke, Meng Zichang felt as though struck by lightning.

“You… you’re…” Meng Zichang struggled to lift his body and looked up at her, his face filled with terror.

On her face, near the corner of her eye, was a bright red mole, identical to Taoyu’s.

“You’re… Taoyu?” Meng Zichang spat out a mouthful of blood, which quickly merged with the charred branches of the peach tree.

The woman across from him radiated ghostly energy, laughing uncontrollably. She said, “Only now do you realize I’m Taoyu? Weren’t you the one who could always tell me apart from my sister? How is it that a mere mole on her eye made you fail to recognize her? It seems you didn’t love her as much as you claimed… hahaha…”

“What exactly is going on here?” Zhong Xu raised his sword, pointing at the woman.

Under the tip of the sword, the woman’s smile vanished, and she coldly retorted, “What? Do you intend to exterminate me?”

“You are a malevolent entity. Your death is not worth regret!” Zhong Xu’s face remained calm as he prepared to strike. However, Meng Zichang desperately clung to his leg, trembling as he pleaded, “Master Zhong, wait! If I don’t uncover the truth, I cannot die in peace.”

“Die? You still want to die?” Taoyu covered her mouth and laughed pitifully. “My sister’s presence is gone. She is dead. You will never see her again.”

“Lady Meng Taoyuan was actually Taoyuan?” Zhong Xu’s brows furrowed, and for the first time, his perpetually icy face revealed shock—an emotion he had never experienced before.

And Meng Zichang’s shock was even harder to describe. It could only be likened to a stormy sea.

“What exactly happened back then… Tell me! Tell me!” Meng Zichang’s tears streamed down his face, his chest aching with dull pain. Every sense in his body was pulled taut, sending waves of piercing agony through him. He couldn’t open his eyes, emitting sounds akin to wails of despair.

Seeing this, Taoyu laughed uncontrollably. After a long while, she recounted a tale from eighty years ago.

Shortly after Meng Zichang married Taoyuan, he once again squandered his fortune. The sisters divined his fate together and realized he was not destined for great wealth. To defy fate, they would need to alter it.

Changing fate was akin to trading one life for another. Taoyuan, for Meng Zichang, decided to fall from immortality to change his destiny.

After Taoyuan left home, Taoyu caught up with her and said, “You stole Menglang’s love from me. Let me show you whether he truly loves you or if it’s only because you came before me!”

It turned out both sisters had fallen in love with Meng Zichang, but he favored the elder sister, Taoyuan, showing only pity for the younger, Taoyu.

“What do you plan to do?” Taoyuan asked.

“I will take your place and alter Menglang’s fate. But you must pay a price.”

“What price?” Taoyuan looked at her steadily, unsure of her intentions.

Taoyu placed a hand on her cheek, caressing the corner of her eye. “Sister, they say moles at the corner of the eye are tear moles, bringing a lifetime of heartbreak and endless tears. I was born with one more mole than you, and because of that, he doesn’t love me.” With a sinister smile, Taoyu pressed a red mole onto the corner of her eye.

This was the only difference between them, and now they appeared identical.

“Sister, promise me that you will never remove it. Spend your life with Menglang, forever.” Taoyu chuckled and pierced her fingertip, smearing the blood on Taoyuan’s face, binding her with a curse.

The curse forbade her from ever revealing her true identity as Taoyuan.

In truth, Taoyu’s actions were redundant. Given Taoyuan’s nature, if Taoyu took her place to fall from immortality, she would have kept her promise regardless. There was no need to waste spiritual energy casting such a curse.

After recounting this tale, Meng Zichang froze, his chest heaving violently. He struggled to breathe, his trembling hand pointing at Taoyu as if looking at a monster. No, she truly was a monstrous being now. He couldn’t comprehend how the child he had raised could transform into such a creature.

Once obedient and clever, she was now nothing short of a demon.