Chapter 122: Revenge Begets Revenge

Things had reached this point; I had no other path to follow. "Wan'er, it's alright. I'll be back soon." Deep down, I thought that even if I didn't return, there was nothing to fear. Both Wang Ying and Wan'er were human-corpse hybrids, so if the worst happened, I would simply become one too. Wasn't my mother in the Underworld now? Wasn't my second uncle a human-corpse hybrid? If this continued, we would just become a family of corpses and ghosts.

Seeing that my mind was made up, my aunt set about gathering the necessary supplies.

As she prepared the incense and spirit paper, Wan'er clung to my arm. "Brother, you must promise to come back."

I flicked her nose gently. "If I don't come back, where else would I go?"

"Just come back quickly. I will miss you. I am not human, but I want you to remain human. I want to marry you, to be your wife, I want to..." Wan'er whispered, acting coyly by my side.

"Keep your voice down! Fatty is listening," I teased.

"You two just talk; I didn't hear anything," Fatty said, glancing up from his phone.

"If you listen again, I'll bite you," Wan'er glared at him.

"Don't be like that, sister-in-law, I'm a human!" Fatty chuckled and turned away.

"Wan'er, if I became like you, wouldn't you be happy?" Looking at her soft, radiant face, I felt a warmth in my heart. Sometimes, having a girl depend on you is a form of happiness.

Wan'er shook her head like a rattle. "No, I want you exactly as you are. I cannot be human, so you must be."

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

The night grew deeper. After finishing the midnight snack Wan'er had prepared for me, my aunt began the ritual to draw out my soul.

Following her instructions, I lay down on a reed mat. She snipped a lock of hair from my head and another from Yueyue’s, mixing them together. She lit three sticks of incense, chanted a series of incantations, and finally tossed our hair into the fire.

I lay on the mat, watching her work, when suddenly a wave of dizziness washed over me. Just as I was about to drift off, my whole body jolted, and I woke with a start. I felt as though I were floating, drifting upward. I looked down and let out a startled cry.

There I lay on the floor, while another "me" hovered in the air. Beside my body sat Wan'er, Fatty, and my aunt. It was clear now: Fatty was human, and I could see him but not his soul. Conversely, I could see both the physical bodies of Wan'er and my aunt, as well as their translucent shadows—their souls—flickering within them.

Looking at Yueyue on the other side, I was shocked. Her body was crowded with many struggling, drifting shadows. No wonder she couldn't wake up.

"Dachuan, how long do you intend to wait before acting? You only have an hour," my aunt's voice echoed in my mind. She sat there with her eyes closed, not speaking; she was communicating through our souls. I hurriedly drifted toward Yueyue. Business first.

"Aunt, what should I do?" I asked as I neared her.

"Do you see her life gate? I have already unlocked the spirit talisman. Just enter through it." As she spoke, the talisman on Yueyue’s life gate drifted away, revealing a grey vortex resembling the eye of a storm. As I moved closer, the gate expanded until it looked like a deep well. I glanced back once to see Wan'er and my aunt in the distance. Wan'er was watching my physical body with worried, focused eyes, which warmed my heart. I took a leap and plunged into the vortex.

It felt like a long time before my feet touched the ground. Surprisingly, there was light here. Before me lay a maze of winding, intersecting paths; it was impossible to tell which way to go. So, this is what the human body looks like from within!

"Who are you?" A voice rang out as I hesitated. I turned to see a young man with dyed blonde hair. He looked familiar—I remembered him as the boy whose soul Yueyue had devoured at the plaza.

"Don't ask who I am. If you know what's good for you, leave now. Someone will eventually guide you to drink the Meng Po soup and cross the Naihe Bridge." My aunt had told me earlier that it was impossible for the souls consumed by Yueyue to return to their bodies; they had been dead too long, and their remains were either cremated or buried. The only path was to drive them out so my aunt could lead them to the afterlife.

The blonde boy sneered. "Who are you to tell me what to do? This is my territory. Get lost!"

My temper flared. This kid was no saint either. I didn't have time for this, so I drew the Fengchi Divine Weapon from my back. "Leave, or else!"

"Ha! You think I'm afraid of you?" Unaware of the weapon's power, he lunged at me. He had practiced some Taekwondo in life and remained arrogant even as a ghost.

I dodged and swung the blade at his head, but stopped just before impact. The kid was actually quite pathetic—killed by Yueyue for no reason. If I struck, his soul would be shattered, and he would have no next life.

Though I didn't land the blow, the force of the weapon whipped up a gust that knocked him over and sheared off a chunk of his hair. Terrified by my display, he scrambled away, clutching his head. I gave chase, covering what must have been several hundred meters in the physical world.

Just as I was about to catch him, a group of people stepped out, blocking my path.

"Who are you?" The leader was a man in his forties with a fierce, malevolent expression. The others with him looked equally unsavory. I realized then that Yueyue hadn't chosen her victims randomly; her "Yin-Absorbing Technique" was a dark art that gravitated toward the souls of the wicked.

"I am a friend. I advise you to leave and release Yueyue's soul."

"Impossible," the man growled. "This girl gathered our souls here, enslaved us, and tormented us. Now that she's wounded, it's our turn for revenge."

If it were a matter of karma, the man was right. Yueyue had killed them and bound them in agony. But I needed a living Yueyue to find out the truth about Wang Ying and Wei Qi. I had to convince them that the best outcome was to cross the Naihe Bridge and be reincarnated. Driving them out would be a virtuous act.

"Vengeance only breeds more vengeance," I said. "She was controlled by others and forced to practice this evil art. She isn't inherently bad. Let her go, and I will lead you to the bridge so you can be reborn. Isn't that better?"

The man hesitated, clearly moved by my words.

"No!" A woman stepped out from behind him, her face twisted with malice. "This girl killed us. We can be reborn, but we must kill her first!"

"Sister, please. She was a puppet. She is kind at heart," I pleaded, determined not to let them shatter her soul.

"Enough! Get out of our way, or we'll tear you apart!" The woman bared her teeth, revealing a blood-red tongue.

"If that's how it is, then don't blame me for being impolite," I said, my resolve hardening. "Those who want to leave with me, stand aside. Those who want to fight, come at me!" I didn't have time to waste; I only had half an hour left.