“I know you're suffering. But your past life is over, and your next life is destined to be a very good one. Why put yourself through this?” Ling Wu could no longer bring herself to speak harshly to her.
Qingchen had used his divine sense to let her witness Shen Qingyu's past. Now, all she felt was heartache for her.
Those damned people deserved the plague! Good thing she hadn't rashly scattered immortal medicine everywhere. She'd nearly wasted it on dogs!
Yes, Ling Wu hated evil that fiercely.
“I can't accept it, Immortal. I can't!” Shen Qingyu seemed to be crying.
“The last person who burned me to death is about to die of the illness too. I know my sins are grave. I don't ask you immortals to forgive me. But I have one final request. Please grant it.”
Ling Wu looked at Qingchen. Only after he nodded did she dare reply. “You want to ask about Zhou Yan?”
Separation from those one loved. Encounters with those one hated. Desires that could never be fulfilled.
Shen Qingyu hadn't become a restless, unquiet soul with such overwhelming resentment solely because of her death. Her obsession lay with Zhou Yan.
The man who had said he believed her and would take her away.
“Please tell me, Immortal. Has he married and had children? Was he lying to me that day?”
Love began without warning and grew beyond all measure.
Her soul was trapped in Seven Bridges Town. She had searched everywhere but found no sign of Zhou Yan.
She wanted to ask why he'd lied, which of his words had ever been true.
“What if I told you his feelings were sincere?” Sadness rose in Ling Wu.
Shen Qingyu knew nothing, for she was mortal. But under her master's spell, Ling Wu had witnessed everything clearly.
Shen Qingyu's spirit went taut. Her expression blanked.
“Then why did he... that day?”
“Come with us.”
Only by resolving her obsession could they rid Seven Bridges Town of the plague completely.
So Ling Wu willingly took on the role of the underworld officer handling the case.
Helping others was her favorite pastime.
In Yong'an Town, before a dilapidated thatched cottage.
A man sat beneath a tree, gazing vacantly into the distance and murmuring endlessly, “Ah-Yu, Ah-Yu.”
Zhou Yan.
Most of Shen Qingyu's hatred had dissipated after Ling Wu's words. Seeing him like this left only heartache.
“How did he become this way?”
Ling Wu wanted to speak, but couldn't find the words.
Ah, their story had wounded her. They clearly loved each other, but fate refused to let them be together.
Qingchen gently stroked Ling Wu's head and conjured the Mirror of Mortal Life, letting Shen Qingyu watch the past she had never known.
That day, Zhou Yan had barely reached home before his mother scolded him.
But there was no time. If he didn't leave, death would part him from Ah-Yu.
Not daring to delay, he packed a few clothes and prepared to go.
Before leaving, he kowtowed three times to his mother. “Mother, I know I'm unfilial. But you watched Ah-Yu grow up. Surely you don't want to see those people kill her. They've all gone mad. None of it is her fault, but they blame everything on her.”
“I'll take her away until things settle down. I won't take a single coin from home. It's all yours. Once we're settled, I'll write to you. Later, I'll certainly come and bring you to live with us.”
His mother pounded her walking stick against the ground. “Foolish! Utterly foolish!”
“You'd throw away a splendid future for an orphan girl? What's so good about her that you'd do this? I've heard everything. She's the reason everyone fell ill. She harmed them all for her own selfish ends!”
“I told you long ago to stay away from her. You wouldn't listen.”
“She didn't!” Zhou Yan cried angrily. “Ah-Yu isn't like that!”
His mother wanted to say more, but knew he was determined to leave.
She told him to wait, brought a bowl of porridge from the kitchen, and said with a cold face, “How will you take her anywhere on an empty stomach? Eat something.”
Zhou Yan thought there would be time later. Eventually, he'd have a chance to explain everything to his mother.
So he suspected nothing and drank it all.
He wiped his mouth and was about to speak when dizziness struck. The next instant, his body went limp and he fell.
His mother smiled in satisfaction.
“I'm sorry, Yan'er. I can't watch you go to your death. Let that woman die. You're so young, so promising. You'll have no shortage of good matches,” she murmured, helping him onto the bed.
“So that was it. That was it...” Watching the mirror, Shen Qingyu burst into sobs.
“I misunderstood him. It was my fault. I thought... I thought he...” Her sobbing brought another wave of sorrow to Ling Wu.
She could never bear seeing a beauty cry.
She handed Shen Qingyu a handkerchief. Shen Qingyu took it, but the tears wouldn't stop.
“His mother brought him to Yong'an Town that same day. He didn't wake for three days,” Ling Wu said slowly, explaining what followed. “She was the mother who bore and raised him, and they'd depended on each other for so long. Questioning her could change nothing. The day he woke, he ran back to Seven Bridges Town to find you. All he found were charred ruins.”
“You can imagine how he reacted. On the way back, he was lost in grief and wanted to die. He lost his footing and fell off a cliff. His life was saved, but his mind became impaired. Every day, all he does is repeat your name.”
“His mother has spent these days in regret.”
What she regretted was ever letting him meet Shen Qingyu. Had she known it would end this way, she would have killed that little wretch herself.
Ling Wu left those words unsaid.
Shen Qingyu had suffered enough. Better not to tell her.
She only cried. Whether for herself or Zhou Yan, Ling Wu couldn't tell.
Suddenly, Zhou Yan looked toward them, a trace of confusion in his eyes.
Ling Wu jumped. She and her master were invisible, and Shen Qingyu was a ghost. None of the three had a visible physical presence. How could he see them?
While she wondered, his mother's voice came from the house. “Yan'er, come and eat.”
Zhou Yan obediently went inside. Only then did Ling Wu relax.
Shen Qingyu followed eagerly, probably hoping for a little more time to look at her beloved before leaving.
Ling Wu hurried after her. She couldn't lose her at this point. Pitiful as the woman was, if she took the chance to slip away, Ling Wu would be the one in trouble.
Looking at the childlike Zhou Yan, his mother sighed repeatedly and muttered.
“Ah, my poor Yan'er. We've relied on each other for so long. All I wanted was for you to pass the examinations and at least have a good life yourself. How did it turn out like this? What will happen to you if I die first?”
At that painful thought, she wiped her eyes. “I can't bear to kill you before I go! My Yan'er...”
Zhou Yan didn't understand what she was saying. He merely smiled foolishly at her, still calling, “Ah-Yu.”
Hearing those syllables, his mother cried harder. So did Shen Qingyu.
“It's my fault,” she whispered. “His mother is right. I ruined him. With his talent, he would surely have passed next year's imperial examinations with distinction. Plenty of wealthy women would have wanted to marry him. I'm only an orphan. How could I ever deserve him?”
“I should have known from the beginning. We had no future together.”
Seeing her about to cry again, Ling Wu was at a loss.
She cried too—for instance, when her master confined her as punishment, or when she couldn't win an argument with Sixth Senior Brother.
But she had never experienced anything like this and had no idea how to comfort her.
She wanted to speak to her master. Looking up, she realized Qingchen hadn't followed.
He was gazing at the sky with narrowed eyes and a weary expression. She couldn't tell what he was thinking.
While she was distracted, Shen Qingyu suddenly knelt before her and pleaded, “I know my sins are grave. I've taken too many lives, and I won't evade the punishment I deserve. But seeing him, I can't bear it. You're an immortal. Please help me! In my next life, I'll serve you as an ox or a horse to repay you!”
She certainly knew how to raise Ling Wu's status. Ling Wu hadn't even ascended yet. What sort of immortal was she?
And serving as an ox or horse could be forgotten. Her talisman skills might be mediocre, but she could still fly on clouds. She didn't need that kind of labor.
“Of course, of course.” Still, when someone praised her, she naturally had to accept it.
Granting Shen Qingyu's request, she raised her hand. A talisman flew from it.
As it neared Zhou Yan, it became a streak of golden light and entered his temple.
Before long, he fell asleep again, murmuring, “Ah-Yu.”
It was the last time he would call her name.
With her wish fulfilled, the resentment surrounding Shen Qingyu dispersed completely. Ling Wu felt thoroughly satisfied too. Delivering all beings from suffering was what she did best.
“When he wakes, he'll have forgotten you completely. As you said, he'll pass the examinations and marry another woman. Will you regret it?”
“Your powers truly are extraordinary, Immortal.” Shen Qingyu gave Zhou Yan one final lingering look and smiled faintly. “As long as he's well, everything is well. What is there to regret?”
Ling Wu waved shyly, responding only to the first part. “Oh, not at all.”
If she had a tail, it would have been sticking straight into the sky with pride.
Qingchen came over too. Seeing what she'd done, he smiled and shook his head. “Mortal destinies are written by the Lord of Fate himself. After this, Ah-Wu, he may come to argue with your master.”
Ling Wu didn't think anyone in the Six Realms dared raise their voice at Qingchen. She could take that remark lightly.
Grinning, she replied, “Then you'll have to stop him, Master. This lovely face of your disciple's can't take a beating.”
Helplessly, Qingchen tapped her forehead, then turned to Shen Qingyu. “Your obsession is resolved. Once you cross the Naihe Bridge, you'll forget your attachments to this world. Go where you belong.”
He formed a seal and summoned the Black and White Impermanence.
Before long, two ghostly figures appeared. Each held a soul-reaping implement. One was a soul-hooking chain. Ling Wu couldn't identify the other: it looked partly like a fly whisk, partly like a whip.
The chain trailed to the ground, clinking with every step and making the hairs on her body stand up.
Those two looked... far too much like ghosts. Frightened, she hid behind her master.
Things from below really were different. Even at this distance, she could feel their innate yin chill.
A cold breeze swept past, setting her shivering.
“Thank you for your assistance, Immortal Lord. We will take her now.” The white-robed one bowed respectfully and signaled the black-robed one to put the chain around Shen Qingyu.
“No matter,” Qingchen replied flatly, without expression.
That was how he usually treated everyone else.
Before leaving, the white-robed one looked at Ling Wu. Apparently trying to appear friendly, he spread his lips.
Unfortunately, the gesture stretched his already scarlet mouth almost to his ears. Combined with his pallor, he looked exactly like a ghost coming to claim a life.
Even in broad daylight, Ling Wu was terrified.
“Anything else?” Qingchen asked.
He could plainly see her fear of the pair.
“The Ghost Lord specifically instructed us to say that you and Miss Ah-Wu have greatly assisted the Ghost Realm. When she has time, he hopes she will visit. He will personally host her and offer his thanks.”
“Thanks for the invitation.” A polite refusal. Ling Wu was adamant.
Whoever wanted to visit a place like that could go. Not her!
She was mortal flesh and blood. What if one of those ghosts possessed her?
White Impermanence didn't reply. He had delivered Gu Yuan's message. The rest was up to Ling Wu.
Once they left, her tense body abruptly relaxed.
Only afterward did she realize that the ghost had called her by name. How did something from below know her name? And who was this Ghost Lord?
Something flashed through her mind, too quickly to grasp. She let it go.
“Time to deal with the plague, Ah-Wu.” Qingchen interrupted her thoughts and carried her to the water source with a spell.
Under his gaze, Ling Wu reluctantly took out the immortal medicine, dawdling and refusing to pour it in.
Guessing her thoughts, Qingchen teased, “That scoundrel was the last one. He was taken away two hours ago.”
Oh dear. Master had seen through her little scheme.
Clearly, her cultivation was still too shallow before his venerable self.
She couldn't help it. She was a good person with firm loves and hates. Since she had encountered it, she would avenge what Shen Qingyu couldn't.
She had no duty to keep bad people alive.
“Master sees all!”
Ling Wu tilted the bottle, sending the immortal medicine into the lake. It quickly dispersed the black vapor above it. Gradually, a gentle golden glow rose from the water.
At last, the plague that had haunted the mortals of Seven Bridges Town for years was over.
“Master, what punishments will Shen Qingyu receive in the Ghost Realm?” she couldn't help asking on their way back.
She had killed many people, but in fairness, they had deserved it.
Sometimes, standing by and doing nothing was another way of causing harm.
“A journey through a mountain of blades and a sea of fire.”
Ling Wu breathed out in relief. At least she wasn't being sent through the eighteen levels of hell.
She had long heard of the Ghost Realm's punishments.
The suffering escalated, each level more terrifying than the last. Very few ghosts emerged from all eighteen unscathed.
Losing arms and legs was routine. Imagine already being a ghost, then enduring punishment ten thousand times worse than mortal suffering. That was truly being unable to live or die!
Suddenly, Qingchen spoke in an unreadable tone. “Ah-Wu is kindhearted indeed, able to pity even a ghost.”
Ling Wu swallowed her words again and again. She had no idea how to answer.
Finally, she met his gaze pitifully and slowly voiced what was in her heart. “Your disciple doesn't understand what's wrong, Master.”
Qingchen swayed slightly. After a long silence, she heard him sigh.