Chapter 85: Summoning Souls Before the Grave to No Avail

Rendong was repairing the fence for Xianyun Abode when he saw Lingxiang hopping and skipping her way up the mountain, looking to be in an exceptionally good mood. Ever since this little master returned yesterday, she had been all smiles; one could only wonder what she had encountered. Usually, whenever she returned from Wuji Hall, she would be somewhat displeased—could it be that the Sect Leader uncle-master was planning to abdicate and pass the position to her?

That would truly be...

A misfortune for the sect!

Lingxiang seemed to be in a genuinely excellent mood; as she passed by, she even greeted Rendong, and even Long Qi, whom she usually bullied, received a smile from her.

Watching Lingxiang slip into the house with light, brisk steps, Long Qi felt a sense of bewilderment: had this little girl taken the wrong medicine? How could she be so pleasant to him?

When Maidong came to Xianyun Abode at noon, Long Qi asked if Lingxiang had obtained some benefit from the Elders over the past two days, as she was constantly beaming with joy. Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Maidong remained silent for a long time.

"The day after tomorrow is the Shangyuan Festival, isn't it?" she said with a heavy face, not even making her usual jokes.

Shangyuan? What about the Shangyuan Festival?

Both Rendong and Long Qi were incredibly puzzled; even if the Shangyuan Festival was approaching, there was no reason to be this happy, was there?

Just as the two were in doubt, they heard Maidong speak again:

"Some people, on the surface, are full of joy, but in reality, it is merely to cover up the sorrow in their hearts. The more sorrowful they are, the happier they appear..."

Sorrow? Grief?

How could such thoughts possibly exist in Lingxiang?

Long Qi and Rendong were even more perplexed after hearing what Maidong said, but Maidong would not continue; she simply stood up and left Xianyun Abode.

Watching Maidong walk away, Xin Yi thought about what she had just said, lost in thought.

The next day, Long Qi and the others rose early. Although Xianyun Abode was full of wooden houses and thatched roofs, it was, after all, a major festival.

The Shangyuan Festival was the birthday of the Ziwei Yuanyang Great Emperor. Every year, mortals in the Chenjian would hang lanterns and decorate to celebrate his birth, praying for blessings and the warding off of disasters.

In the past, when it was just Lingxiang alone, it didn't matter, but now that it was a residence for four, they really ought to decorate a bit for good luck.

During the New Year's Eve, everyone had been too exhausted from the martial arts exercises to celebrate. They only heard later that the sect had held a grand ritual to welcome the gods, set up altars to offer sacrifices on the first day of the lunar year, and that mortals from below the mountain had come up to pray, creating a scene of great fervor.

Then, two days later, they went to Wuji Hall to test their Spirit Roots, and with Lingxiang going to the Ancient Bamboo Forest, they missed the day of incense offerings to the God of Wealth. They only knew that the incense at Banshan Temple had been extremely thick, with people coming and going in a bustling, lively scene.

Afterward, they were busy repairing the rooms at Xianyun Abode, so even if they wanted to join the fun at Banshan Temple, they had no opportunity.

Therefore, Long Qi had discussed with Rendong and Xin Yi early on that they should get up early on the fourteenth to decorate, so they could have a lively festival.

But by the time of mid-morning, the door to Lingxiang's room remained tightly shut, and no one knew what was wrong.

Although she usually got up the latest, she had never been like this before.

Long Qi could no longer hold back, so he went to knock on the door. Unexpectedly, the door was not locked, and it opened with a creak.

This made Long Qi even more surprised. Things were different now; Xianyun Abode was no longer inhabited by Lingxiang alone, as there were three men living there. How could she be so incautious as to not even lock her door?

He could be ignored, but did she not know there were also Xin Yi and Rendong?

Thinking this, Long Qi still quietly entered the room, only to find that there was not even a shadow of Lingxiang inside. The bedding was neat and tidy, as if it hadn't been used at all last night.

Where had Lingxiang gone?

Thinking of what Maidong had said yesterday, Long Qi suddenly felt uneasy.

Behind Qingwei Peak, in front of a grave, Lingxiang stood silently for a long time. Moonlight spilled down; with her dark hair and white robes, she looked just like a Fairy.

Just then, a cloud from nowhere obscured the clear light of the moon. Wind rose on the flat ground, blowing up sheets of Talisman Paper, and red light suddenly appeared beneath Lingxiang's feet—it was a soul-summoning array.

As the Talisman Paper fluttered, the Cinnabar painted on the paper fell into the array like withered vines, as if someone were carving them onto the ground, appearing bit by bit along with the red light.

Just as the Cinnabar from the last talisman fell, the red light instantly turned purple, then shifted to blue, until green light filled the entire array and stopped changing.

The green light lasted for a long time before gradually fading, yet nothing happened within the array.

Lingxiang smiled faintly; it was as expected.

The wind gradually stopped, and the cloud that had covered the moon seemed to come and go with the wind. The moonlight spilled down once more, leaving only blank sheets of Yellow Paper drifting down like fallen leaves.

Just then, the sound of footsteps rang out, and a hand rested on Lingxiang's shoulder.

"Every year it is the same, why must you bring this upon yourself..."

It was Fuyin Zhenren.

"The world says that the Heavenly Official bestows blessings. It seems this Heavenly Official sees that I am too ill-fated and is never willing to bestow blessings upon me; even wanting to see her is impossible to achieve," Lingxiang said, turning her head to look at Fuyin Zhenren. "I only want to see my mother one more time, but why can I never have my wish?"

Tears rolled down her pale face.

Seeing this, Fuyin Zhenren felt a pang of pain in his heart, but he did not know what to say to comfort her. He simply pulled her into his embrace, his eyes brimming with tears. He looked up at the moon, not letting the tears fall.

Taiqing, oh Taiqing, you still have your moments of fullness; when will you allow this girl to be fulfilled just once?

And in the forest not far away, Shangqing Zhenren and the other six Elders stood together in the shadows, all of them wearing plain robes.

On the auspicious day of the Shangyuan Festival when the Heavenly Official bestows blessings, the sect would hold a grand ritual at Banshan Temple. At that time, except for the Sect Leader Shangqing Zhenren and the Dharma Elder Chengxin Zhenren, all other Elders would personally attend the venue to light lamps for the believers and the high-ranking officials and nobles who came to offer incense. New disciples of the sect who wished to do so could also participate.

Lingxiang got up early that day. Although the aforementioned Elders did not include her, it did not stop her from going to join the fun, did it? At that time, a small market would stretch along the road outside the temple, and many snacks that one couldn't eat on ordinary days would appear there. If she didn't go today, she would probably have to wait another year to eat them. There would even be people selling little trinkets passed down from the capital, which she imagined would be great fun.

Especially once night fell, she could sneak down the mountain to see the lantern festival. If she were lucky enough to guess a few riddles, the prizes would surely be very generous.

Seeing that Lingxiang had actually taken out the clothes she used to wear when traveling in the mortal world, Long Qi knew she was going to play at the small market down the mountain tonight. It was a waste of the time he had spent worrying about her all day yesterday, even decorating Xianyun Abode so nicely. Who knew this girl would be so fickle—saying she wouldn't be seen and then disappearing, saying she wanted to go somewhere and just going.

However, seeing her full of anticipation, Long Qi felt his own interest in the small market down the mountain piqued, and he even began to look forward to it.

Of course, such a lively event would naturally not be without Maidong. Today, she had even specially dressed up to come to Xianyun Abode. Although she came to find Lingxiang for the festival every year, this year Xin Yi was here after all. Who knew, perhaps if he saw her dressed up like this, he would be moved by her!

It was the Shangyuan Festival, after all; surely a husband would be bestowed upon her.