Lu Qingrao and Xu Qingji's expressions changed drastically when they arrived at this location.
The yin and ghost energy here was the most concentrated within hundreds of miles.
Xu Qingji frowned, "It's this place. No wonder this ghost is so audacious."
"But no matter how audacious, anyone who dares to harm people deserves only death!"
Drawing the sword at his waist, he continued to follow the ghost energy forward.
The ghost energy finally led them to a grave without a tombstone.
"Junior Sister Lu, it's up to you."
Lu Qingrao drew her long sword and unleashed a sword energy strike towards the grave. The surrounding soil immediately exploded, revealing a jade coffin in their sight.
Xu Qingji gathered his internal energy, waiting for the malevolent ghost to appear so he could slay it.
Lu Qingrao lifted the jade coffin, but the malevolent ghost did not appear.
Inside the jade coffin was not the female ghost described by Chen Jiuyang, but a male corpse.
This male corpse had been buried for an unknown number of years. His body had not decomposed, nor was it rigid, appearing as if he were merely asleep.
Although there was yin energy on him, this person must have held a distinguished status in life, as ordinary families could not afford such a jade coffin.
Lu Qingrao frowned and asked, "Senior Brother Xu, are your Taoist spells and talismans perhaps flawed?"
Xu Qingji's brows were also tightly furrowed, "How could it be a flaw in the Taoist arts? No, there's something strange about this matter."
"Let me try again."
The surrounding ghost energy reformed into a line, heading towards a small town in the distance.
"?" Lu Qingrao asked, "Commander Xu, why is this ghost energy now pointing in another direction towards where we are going?"
Faced with Lu Qingrao's questioning, Xu Qingji's face flushed, and he forced an explanation, "That malevolent ghost must be using this jade coffin for cultivation. This current direction is where she is located."
"No need for further words, follow me!"
...
Night.
In a dream.
"Drip!"
"Drip!"
Cold rainwater fell on Chen Jiuyang.
After the sigh just now, the scene before him changed.
It was still the same old house, and it was still raining.
The decorations were festive, and the main door was wide open.
The ancient melody played again from within the old house, and this time he could hear it more clearly.
The guzheng music evoked a feeling of sadness and melancholy.
Huh, it seemed his body could move now.
Looking at the old house again, he felt a surge of confidence and walked forward, eager to see what kind of ghostly business was going on inside.
The old house was exquisitely decorated, serene and ancient. A figure sat on the wooden building, playing the guzheng.
When Chen Jiuyang clearly saw the person's face, he looked puzzled. The person then opened their mouth and uttered a few words, further deepening Chen Jiuyang's confusion.
In the next moment, he woke up.
Chen Jiuyang sat up in bed. He frowned, walked out of the Suhang Villa, and headed straight for the location of the haunted house.
Ten minutes later, he found a letter in the ruins.
He stood there, waiting.
Not long after, a carriage drove up and stopped. A well-dressed young man alighted, bowed to Chen Jiuyang, and said, "Mr. Chen, I trouble you."
The letter in Chen Jiuyang's hand flew into the young man's hand automatically.
"Mr. Chen, I apologize for the trouble."
Chen Jiuyang said, "It's nothing. Shall we go then?"
"We can't go yet. We still need to invite someone."
"Who?"
The young man looked towards a small hut in an alley behind the ruins.
After a moment of silence, Chen Jiuyang said, "Tell me, what exactly happened?"
The young man straightened his clothes, his eyes lost in memory, and as he recalled, he spoke gently, "She and I... it all started decades ago..."
...
...
Decades ago, when the Dragon Country was on the verge of war, he was the son of a merchant in a small town near Suhang. He was intelligent and handsome from a young age. At fifteen, he met Fu Niang in the southern district of Suhang.
He was buying paper, brushes, ink, and an inkstone in the southern district, while she was buying clothes and jewelry. It was raining heavily that day, and they took shelter under the same eaves, thus meeting each other.
He was skilled in painting, and she was skilled in dancing.
Fu Niang was the daughter of an official, with strict family discipline. She had already been betrothed to someone of equal social standing. However, they had secretly pledged their love to each other. He was merely the son of a merchant, and the difference in their statuses was immense.
He studied diligently and finally achieved his goal, passing the imperial examinations and obtaining the status of a scholar.
His relationship with Fu Niang was discovered by her parents. He, who should have held an official position in the local yamen near Suhang with his scholar status, was instead transferred to the front lines to serve as a soldier.
Fu Niang knelt before her family's gate for a day and a night, begging her parents to spare him.
He was young and impetuous then, full of spirit. He left only a letter for Fu Niang and then packed his belongings to join the army on the front lines.
He told Fu Niang that once he achieved merit on the front lines, he would return to marry her honorably.
He was severely wounded on the battlefield but miraculously survived and earned considerable merit. He retired with honor, and all he had to do was return home to marry Fu Niang with full ceremony.
News of his achievements reached Suhang. His family decorated their house with lanterns and festoons, arranged for a matchmaker, and set the date for his return to coincide with his wedding.
But on that day, what returned was not a living person, but a coffin.
On that day, she wore a red gown, waiting for him to marry her, but she never waited.
He had not died from severe wounds, but Fu Niang's parents had secretly hired someone to poison him.
The matter spread.
Countless rotten eggs and vegetable leaves were thrown at her family's doorstep.
The entire city cursed her family.
His parents went to demand justice, calling her a venomous heart, and her reputation in Suhang became infamous.
And she was still waiting, waiting for the man who had earned merit and would return to marry her.
That day was the beginning of autumn, and it began to rain.
She ran in the rain wearing her red wedding dress, holding his corpse, and threw herself into the river in the downpour.
"She threw herself into the river..."
Chen Jiuyang's expression was somewhat dazed.
To be together in life, to be together in death.
His emotions fluctuated. The words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat, and he could only utter, "It's good that you didn't disappoint him..."
The young man smiled, "Indeed, he was not disappointed. I have no regrets meeting Qi Niang in this life, and I can die without regret, hahahaha."
Chen Jiuyang asked, "Then why are you and she unwilling to leave?"
In life, one has obsessions that prevent them from dissipating. After seven days, they return as ghosts.
"Shi Yan" states: "Gui (ghost) as in Gui (return)."
"Zuo Zhuan": Zi Chan said: "Ghosts have a place to return to, and they will not become malevolent spirits."
"Li Yun": "The spiritual energy returns to heaven, and the form and soul return to the earth."
This young man was not a vengeful spirit, but a heroic soul of the Dragon Country.
The young man fell silent for a moment and said, "It is I who am unwilling to leave. On my way back then, my injuries worsened. I knew I could no longer return to marry her, so I wrote this letter, hoping she would see it."
"I understand your obsession. What about her?" Chen Jiuyang asked.
"Actually, it was all a misunderstanding..."
The young man led Chen Jiuyang to a small hut in the alley behind the ruins.
An old man, over ninety years old, lay on a chair, his eyes closed. The past resurfaced in his mind, and he picked up a wine bottle and took another swig.
A knock sounded at the door.
Were the Black and White Impermanence here to take him away? Heh, he was getting old; even he believed in ghosts and reincarnation now.