Episode 12: One Hundred Thousand Wronged Spirits

  "Do you really want to know........." The dark clouds covered the sky, blocking out even the last bit of weak moonlight, enveloping the thin figure in boundless darkness. The low voice from his mouth seemed to be responding to Li Yan's inquiry, yet also seemed to be muttering to himself:

  "My name is Shuǐshēng, I live in a small town by the Yellow River. There are my relatives, friends, and I remember that at that time, I had a wife who was gentle and beautiful, we loved each other very much. We also had an adorable daughter named Níng'ér. Although our life wasn't wealthy, I was happy and content..."

  "I still remember that year, my daughter Shui Ning was five years old. That day happened to be the grand ceremony of worshiping the Yellow River God. Worshiping the Yellow River is a big event every year. Our fellow villagers have always enshrined a golden bull, which is our town's river god cow. It has been protecting tens of thousands of people in our ten towns and twenty-eight villages for over a hundred years, ensuring good weather and preventing disasters from the flooding of the Yellow River..."

  "On that day, in our town, a few people came, led by one named Yang Lin. They said they were here to inspect the town and the townspeople warmly welcomed them. However, no one expected that on that very night, they would steal our town's River God Cow..."

  "Disaster struck, on this very night, the Yellow River burst its banks, floodwaters surged to the sky, inundating our town, inundating ten towns and twenty-eight villages, even more land. My daughter was swept away by the big water, my wife died, I myself was trapped in a cave at the bottom of the water..."

  "Everywhere was water, I thought I had died, but at that moment, my wife and fellow villagers suddenly appeared beside me, entered my body, gave me strength, and let me survive..."

  "The floodwaters have receded, I'm still alive, but I've lost my wife, lost my daughter, and all the villagers are gone too. Am I really still alive? I don't know what to do, I wander aimlessly, through ten towns and twenty-eight villages, the souls of tens of thousands of villagers have entered my body, they tell me that I must take back the things in the village, make those who did wrong receive punishment, only then can the resentment be calmed, and let all the villagers rest in peace..."

  "So, I lived on, left my hometown and set out to find these people. The world is vast, the sea of people is boundless, I kept searching for them, one day, two days... a year, two years... Gradually, I discovered that others couldn't see themselves, didn't need to eat or drink, didn't need to breathe, and could even control the ghosts in their bodies... I knew that perhaps I was no longer human..."

  "Finally, heaven rewards those who are diligent. For thirty-eight years, I searched for thirty-eight years and finally found them. Do you know? They sold our town's River God Cow and made a fortune from it, becoming rich. When I found the first one of them, he was already the CEO of a listed company, worth hundreds of millions. But what does that matter? I still killed him and his family, one by one..."

  "One by one, I finally killed those people and their families, until now only the Yangs are left. But what I never expected was that my daughter Shui Ning, who was swept away by the flood back then, didn't die after all, and she even married Yang Lin's son and had a daughter..."

  "I want to avenge, the hatred of tens of thousands of people, I must avenge, but I also cannot abandon my daughter. I really don't know what to do, I've been stuck here for half a year already, but I really don't know what to do..."

  "I'm really sorry, I think. I don't know what to do about this either." Li Yan's face couldn't help but reveal a bitter smile, and with his divine insight, as well as the many causes and effects involved in this matter, he could confirm that the aquatic creature's words were all true.

  To be honest, he came today to investigate the scene and get to the bottom of this so-called haunting, in order to conveniently collect his hefty reward. However, he never expected that he would inadvertently drag out such a big case, which was definitely not what he had hoped for.

  "Although it's vague, I can sense that you're incredibly powerful, far surpassing the Ghost King I encountered in the past. Is this why the Yang family invited you to deal with us?" The voice of the Water Born was low and hoarse, shrouded in darkness, yet it evoked an inexplicable sense of sorrow.

  The River God Cow is the faith of tens of millions of people for centuries, in a sense, it can be considered a divine spirit, suppressing the surrounding Yellow River water, and precisely because of this, the theft of the River God Cow has brought about huge consequences: the Yellow River bursts its banks, and the flood erupts!

  Tens of thousands of people lost their lives, no wonder the resentment is hard to calm down. These vengeful spirits gathered together, even the King of Ghosts would have to take a detour. Most importantly, the karma and cause-and-effect involved in this reincarnation cycle are too great, so even the Underworld is reluctant to intervene in this matter.

  It has to be said that Yang Lin and his cohorts, for their own selfish desires, actually brought about such a catastrophic disaster, which is truly a heinous crime, deserving of severe punishment!

  Li Yan may not be a chivalrous hero who upholds justice and eliminates evil, but he would absolutely refuse to help someone like that deal with Water Birth. Even if doing so could bring him an unimaginable fortune. However, in life, there are things one is willing to do and things one is not; some principles remain unchanged even after reincarnation.

  Thinking of this, Li Yan smiled slightly and said calmly: "No, I just saw that the sky was overcast with dark clouds here, so I came over to take a look out of curiosity. What do you want to do, just continue."

  "Are you pitying me or sympathizing with me..." Two drops of crimson tears, like rubies, rolled out from the corners of Shui Sheng's eyes, shining with a faint sorrowful light in the darkness.

  Li Yan couldn't help but let out a sigh, saying: "My name is Li Yan, I'm a loose immortal. I'll give you some of my spiritual energy. If you need help, come find me. Although my powers are limited, I can still offer some assistance within my capabilities. This spiritual light can allow you to manifest your body on the night of May 5th, when the yang energy is at its strongest. At that time, perhaps you'll be able to resolve the wishes in your heart..." As soon as he finished speaking, he stretched out his hand and a ray of spiritual light appeared at his fingertips, instantly disappearing into the forehead of Shui Sheng.

  His body slightly stunned, and then he felt something, Shuisheng couldn't help but say: "Thank you, thank you..." As a person who has lived in darkness for forty years, being able to see the light of day again is the happiest thing in the world. Perhaps, for Li Yan, this help was just a casual act, but for Shuisheng, it was more important than anything else.

  "Maybe." Li Yan smiled self-deprecatingly and shook his head lightly.

  Shuǐ Shēng seemed very excited, he took off a green crystal pendant from his neck and handed it over, saying: "This is my most precious thing now, I give it to you, hoping you can accept it."

  Li Yan didn't respond, silently taking the emerald crystal, but when he grasped the ring in his hand, his body suddenly shook, and between his eyebrows, a few hints of deep emotion that were almost like a smile appeared unintentionally.

  "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with this stone?" Shui Sheng hastily asked, after all, he didn't want to give Li Yan anything bad.

  "It's nothing, just found this stone to be quite interesting." Li Yan smiled slightly on his face, then immediately put away the ring, bid farewell to Shui Sheng, and turned into a stream of light, throwing himself into the endless dark night sky, disappearing without a trace.

  Looking at Li Yan's receding back, Shui Sheng couldn't help but stare blankly at the Yang family villa for a long time. After a while, he finally couldn't help but let out a soft sigh: Perhaps it was also time to put an end to this matter...