Lu Yao, prompted by Ye Huohuo, took a closer look at the woman in the white coat.
Her eyes widened, "How could it be her?"
Ye Huohuo also recalled where she had seen this woman in the white coat before.
It was the female doctor she had seen in the illusion of the Blood-Clothed Ghost, the only one who had shown concern and warmth to that girl in prison.
After Ye Huohuo recognized her, the doubts that had been lingering in her heart were finally resolved.
"I was wondering how that girl, who became the Blood-Clothed Ghost, knew to use her own blood to stain her clothes red to become a Blood-Clothed Ghost for revenge. It turns out you instigated her. She saw you as the only beacon of light here, how could you bear to persecute such a pitiable girl!" Ye Huohuo said, pointing at the woman in the white coat.
"Although I don't know which sect or school you are from, elder, you are at least a master of the Xuanmen. You clearly had the ability to help that pitiful girl, so why didn't you? Instead, you told her how to become a vengeful spirit, and even after she died, you didn't let her seek revenge, but instead, you captured her soul here.
This goes against the consistent principles of the Xuanmen and will also damage your merits. Why would you do something that goes against the will of heaven, benefits you nothing, and brings you nothing but harm?"
Ye Huohuo couldn't understand the woman's motives for doing this.
The woman in the white coat shifted her gaze from them to the little green snake. The little green snake, by some method she used, had already fallen asleep. If they hadn't spoken to it before and been attacked by it, Ye Huohuo would have thought the little green snake coiled docilely in the woman's palm was a fake snake made of rubber.
The woman in the white coat looked at him with extremely complex emotions, including admiration, pity, and even... adoration.
Could this woman of the Xuanmen in the white coat have fallen in love with this snake?
Even if this little green snake was once a majestic king, strategizing on the battlefield and ruling the court, that was over a thousand years ago. Now it was just a small snake. How could a person fall in love with such a small snake?
"Who exactly are you?" Ye Huohuo took half a step forward, instinctively shielding Lu Yao behind her, like a vigilant fighting cock, with its feathers all puffed up. "Elder, please enlighten us. Things have come to this, and we know we are no match for you. Even if we die, can we at least die with understanding? And what was your purpose in creating the Blood-Clothed Ghost?"
The woman in the white coat looked up at the light talisman above. With a raised hand, she sent a beam of light onto it. The talisman, which had been on the verge of "dying," instantly lit up, as if re-energized.
It was then that Ye Huohuo truly saw the woman in the white coat's true appearance. It was different from the illusion. The female doctor in the illusion had fair skin and looked very delicate. But the woman before them was extremely thin and gaunt, with a sallow complexion. Upon closer inspection, she seemed to be in a state of depletion, like an oil lamp running out of fuel.
"Did I frighten you? I didn't expect you to see me like this!" The woman in the white coat's lips curved slightly, forming a wry smile. She flashed and sat beside the coffin, still steadily cradling the little green snake in her hand.
"You? This is your retribution for defying heaven and inhumanly creating the Blood-Clothed Ghost," Lu Yao blurted out, still daring to speak in this situation.
Ye Huohuo secretly tugged at her sleeve, "Elder, please don't mind this fool. She's just tactless."
The woman in the white coat shook her head indifferently. "She's not wrong. This is indeed my retribution, and it has been going on for over a thousand years. I stopped caring long ago."
"A thousand years? You mean you've lived for over a thousand years?" Lu Yao exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes and no!" The woman in the white coat gently stroked the cool, smooth scales of the little green snake with her fingertips. "Since you want to know, I haven't spoken of past stories in a long time. If it gets any longer, I might forget them myself."
She dangled her legs in front of the coffin and began to recount her story.
It turned out that this woman in the white coat was the Taoist priestess who saved Li Ke from prison, as Li Ke had mentioned before. Her Taoist name was Miaofeng.
It was just that Li Ke hadn't emphasized before that the Taoist priestess was a woman.
That year, Li Ke was sent by Li Shimin to quell a rebellion at the border. The army was traveling through a densely wooded area when they rescued a young Taoist priestess. The priestess was small and thin. She had been robbed by bandits and jumped down from the mountain. Her luck was good enough not to die from the fall, and she was rescued by Li Ke, who happened to be passing by.
The young Taoist priestess had multiple bone fractures. When the imperial physicians were treating her, they discovered she was a woman when they removed her outer garment.
Originally, according to military regulations, women were not allowed in the army during wartime, as it was considered inauspicious.
At the time, many generals opposed taking the young Taoist priestess along with the army, believing that it was too much of a loss to affect the army's luck for the sake of a woman who was barely alive.
Li Ke, however, felt that killing on the battlefield was unavoidable, and that during peacetime, one should do their best to save a life. If they had left the young Taoist priestess by the roadside, she would have certainly died.
In the end, he overruled all objections and kept Miaofeng in the military camp. He even assigned dedicated imperial physicians to care for her. During the day's march, she was placed in Li Ke's personal carriage, while Li Ke rode on horseback with the soldiers.
During rest periods, she was provided with fruits and tonics.
Miaofeng's leg injury was severe. Under the treatment of the imperial physicians, her legs were finally saved. By this time, the army led by Li Ke had been engaged in battle with the enemy for over a month. Li Ke commanded an army of 100,000, while the enemy had fewer than 50,000. Li Ke's side had a numerical advantage, but Li Ke and his subordinates were from the north, and the battleground was in the south. It was summer, and the climate was humid and hot. Many soldiers contracted malaria, leading to non-combat casualties every day.
In contrast, the enemy would often harass them, striking and then retreating, making it impossible to capture them. Li Ke had devised a plan to lure the enemy's main force into a deep valley to annihilate them, but the enemy's commander was also an experienced general and did not fall for his trap, causing him to waste manpower and resources on a futile setup.
Moreover, the soldiers at the time were very superstitious. The army suffered repeated defeats, and facing the dual pressures of failure and illness every day, someone finally voiced their dissent. Rumors spread throughout the army that the current situation was related to the presence of a woman in the camp. The calls for Li Ke to expel Miaofeng from the army grew louder.
Miaofeng's bone injury was not easily healed, and at this time, she was still unable to get out of bed. Li Ke once again dismissed the opinions of the crowd.
The supervising official who had accompanied the army also advocated for Miaofeng's expulsion from the camp, to be left to her own fate. Li Ke had rejected his suggestions several times. Therefore, he wrote a secret letter to Li Shimin, stating that Li Ke insisted on keeping a woman in the army for personal affection, which led to the army's repeated defeats.
His letter omitted the details of Miaofeng's treatment and focused on emphasizing that misfortune befell the army after Miaofeng's arrival. Li Shimin was furious upon receiving the letter. He was a warrior emperor, skilled in warfare, and deeply understood the importance of military morale. He couldn't help but feel disappointed in Li Ke and specifically issued an imperial decree ordering Li Ke to clear the military camp and forbidding women from being in the army.
Li Ke was in a difficult position upon receiving the imperial decree. Although it was said that a general could disregard the emperor's orders when in the field, that applied to matters of war where the commander had to assess the situation and make timely adjustments. The emperor, far away in the capital, could not interfere too much. However, in this matter, he could not disobey the decree.
When Miaofeng learned that the emperor had decreed her expulsion from the army, she hobbled out on crutches to seek an audience with Li Ke, intending to leave on her own.
Although she had been rescued by Li Ke for over a month, they had not exchanged a single word. This was their first formal meeting. With just one glance, Miaofeng was captivated by the heroic and scholarly aura of the young prince.
The man before her spoke with elegance, and was tall and valiant. Miaofeng felt her heart pounding uncontrollably.
She had almost forgotten her purpose for coming and remained silent with her head bowed. It was Li Ke who broke the silence.
"I know you have suffered much injustice during this time. Rest assured, no matter what others say, I firmly believe that saving a life is not wrong, and the army's victory or defeat has nothing to do with whether you are male or female. Continue to recuperate with peace of mind, and do not worry."
With just these words, Miaofeng, who had never shed a tear despite enduring much hardship and suffering since childhood, felt a pang in her heart and a sting in her nose, making her want to cry.