Chapter 1 I Understand

I turned my head to look at the figure, "Zhang Shun?"

The few ghosts who had been hesitating earlier glared at me when they heard me shout angrily, their eyes suddenly turning bloodshot.

I flipped my hand over and drew eight Soul Severing Thorns from my body,挟them between my fingers. The cold light from the thorns shone between the figures. Zhang Shun, sitting deep within the mirror, finally waved his hand weakly and said, "Forget it. You guys go! He's no ordinary術士 (shushi, Daoist priest/exorcist), if you resist him head-on, you'll all be annihilated. Go!"

"But..." one of the ghosts resumed its original appearance, "This person doesn't come with good intentions."

Zhang Shun waved his hand again, "The Soul Severing Thorns are extraordinary. True Soul Severing Thorns can directly penetrate the netherworld. No matter where you hide, you can't escape their fatal blow. Go!"

The ghosts in the mirror stood up at the same time, bowed deeply to Zhang Shun, and then gradually disappeared into the reflection.

Zhang Shun's figure appeared simultaneously in the four mirrors, arching his hand at me with the same gesture. "術士 (shushi, Daoist priest/exorcist) Zhang Shun, greets Mr. Li."

I said faintly, "You should be clear about my intentions, right?"

Zhang Shun nodded slightly. "It's Zhang Fang who caused trouble, right? I'll use my own life to repay the trouble Zhang Fang caused! Go ahead! I definitely won't dodge or run."

I sneered, "Do you want to end it all with death, or do you want to pay with your life? I'm telling you, your life isn't worth much, it can't compensate for the entire術道 (shudao, the path of magic) of 省城 (Shengcheng, provincial capital)."

Zhang Shun was shocked. "Zhang Fang attacked the術道 (shudao, the path of magic)?"

"More than that!" I said in a deep voice, "When your Zhang family tried every means to bring 貪狼 (Tānláng, Greed Wolf Star) into his fate, you should have thought about the consequences."

"I'm not here today to discuss who is right and who is wrong about 貪狼入命 (Tānláng rùmìng, Greed Wolf Star entering fate). What I want is the truth of your death."

Zhang Shun said dryly, "I... I died at the hands of a亡灵 (wangling, the dead spirit), and I perished together with him. That's how it is."

"I understand!" I stood up and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Zhang Shun shouted sharply, "What do you understand? I haven't finished speaking yet!"

"You died at the hands of Zhang Fang." I walked forward slowly, "It's enough for me to know this. Goodbye!"

"Wait a minute!" Zhang Shun said anxiously, "I've already said that I died at the hands of a ghost. I made a mistake in business. How can you talk nonsense?"

I didn't stop walking, "I don't want to argue with you. Some things are fine as long as they are confirmed. Whether you admit it or not, 天道 (Tiandao, the Way of Heaven) will judge fairly."

Just as I was about to step out, I heard someone say, "Mr. Zhang, you don't need to listen to his scare tactics. 天道 (Tiandao, the Way of Heaven) isn't his father, why should he ask 天道 (Tiandao, the Way of Heaven) to judge fairly?"

"There's someone else!" My eyes turned cold, and the Soul Chasing Cord in my right hand flew out towards the direction of the voice.

The Soul Chasing Cord struck directly between the mirror surfaces, shattering the entire square mirror, and I dragged a ghost out of the mirror.

When the ghost bound by the Soul Chasing Cord fell to the ground, I pressed down on the top of the ghost's head with one hand, and my five fingers gathered inward slightly.

The other party screamed sharply, "You can't kill me! Ghosts don't disturb the living, and術士 (shushi, Daoist priest/exorcist) can't斩魂 (zhanhun, slay the soul) casually. Why do you want to kill me?"

I took out the Governor's Token in my left hand and held it in front of the other party. "Under the Gate of the Judge, Yin Yang Patrol Envoy, in charge of the power of life and death in the Yin and Yang worlds."

"Zhang Shun committed parricide. It's an ironclad case. You are obstructing the Yin Yang Patrol Envoy from handling the case, you deserve to be killed!"

Without waiting for the other party to beg for mercy, I suddenly tightened my five fingers and crushed the other party's soul. I shook off the phosphorescence on my hand, sneered at Zhang Shun, and strode towards the door.

"Stop!" Zhang Shun shouted through the mirror, "Even if I died at Zhang Fang's hands, I don't want to pursue it. Without a victim, you have no right to use the Heavenly Dao Secret Technique."

I walked forward quickly without saying a word. Zhang Shun simply moved to the mirror where I was standing at the door, stretching out his arms to try to stop me. "Mr. Li, listen to me. Zhang Fang is a good boy, an obedient boy. He..."

"He killed people because of the influence of 貪狼 (Tānláng, Greed Wolf Star) baleful aura. That wasn't his intention!"

I finally stopped. "Speak!"

Zhang Shun said, "Back then, we designed 貪狼入命 (Tānláng rùmìng, Greed Wolf Star entering fate). But the nature of 貪狼星 (Tānláng xīng, Greed Wolf Star) is too baleful. 歷代貪狼 (lìdài Tānláng, every generation of Greed Wolf Star) don't end well. Most of them are caused by baleful aura."

"My father came up with a way to resolve the baleful aura with the 天镜秘法 (Tian Jing Mifa, Heavenly Mirror Secret Technique). My father sealed his 地魂 (dìhún, Earthly Soul) into the Zhang family's ancestral Demon Sealing Mirror, controlling the most baleful魄 (pò, corporeal soul) of 貪狼 (Tānláng, Greed Wolf Star) natal star, preventing it from invading Zhang Fang's soul consciousness."

"Zhang Fang's fate is not a complete 貪狼 (Tānláng, Greed Wolf Star) natal fate. We forcibly changed his fate. That's why we let him 貪狼入命 (Tānláng rùmìng, Greed Wolf Star entering fate)."

Hearing this, I couldn't help but interrupt him, "You mean, your wife didn't die in childbirth back then, but you used secret techniques to control her, preventing the child from being born. You exhausted your wife's life force to nourish Zhang Fang, so that he was born when the 貪狼星 (Tānláng xīng, Greed Wolf Star) moved, right?"

Zhang Shun nodded silently before saying, "The Zhang family is doing evil!"

"I originally disagreed with doing this, but my father had already given his life to change Zhang Fang's fate. If we didn't do this... then it wasn't..."

"Get lost!" I cursed, "I'm not interested in listening to your family's grievances. Continue talking about Zhang Fang."

"As long as Zhang Fang turns twenty, his fate will be completely fixed."