Chapter 205

At this moment, the soul-guiding bell under Lin Qingyue's crimson paper umbrella chimed and sang.

The souls trapped in the town gathered once more among Lin Qingyue and the others.

"Three souls ethereal, seven spirits drifting; gather to form life, forget not the past. All matters of yore, heed my summons!"

The cold, lingering chant, accompanied by the sound of the bell, transformed into countless specks of light that drifted and fell into the soul of every ghost.

And so, all the past events they had forgotten surfaced once again.

The thick clouds in the sky dispersed, finally revealing a sliver of gentle moonlight.

Those bewildered, aggrieved souls opened their eyes and first saw Lin Qingyue and Dongfang Qi: the woman in the black dress was as mysterious as the night, the man in white as elegant as an immortal, like a pair of beings untainted by the mundane world.

Suddenly, someone shouted, "Magistrate Zhang!"

And so, the focus of all the ghosts fell upon Lao Gui.

"Magistrate Zhang, have you come to save us? Wuu wuu, Magistrate, I knew you wouldn't abandon us!"

"Magistrate Zhang, you are a good official; we know you didn't take bribes, you were framed. We all wanted to appeal your case; the town even secretly formed a team to go to Shangluo City to petition the Emperor. But... but before we could appeal for you, we were killed first!"

The townspeople here had died as sacrifices and had lost their memories.

Lao Gui had no way to communicate with them, let alone know that they had once tried to appeal his case.

Upon learning the truth, Lao Gui's eyes moistened, and he asked with a trembling voice, "Is that true... but I am a demon, are you not afraid of me?"

"It's been over a decade, Magistrate Zhang, we know exactly what kind of person you are! Without you, how could we have had such good days?"

"We don't care if you are a demon; we only know you are our Magistrate, our parent-official!"

"Magistrate, I went to the execution ground that day to speak for you too, but alas, my words carried no weight. Later I realized, those who cursed you at the execution ground only did so because their families had been seized and they were forced to submit under threat."

"Uncle Zhang, come back! We all miss you..." A seven or eight-year-old boy tugged at Lao Gui's sleeve, looking at him with eager eyes.

This child had been born in a difficult labor, and it was Lao Gui, who happened to be passing by, who fetched a midwife to save his life; later, he even watched the child grow up day by day.

Were all the townspeople not also children he had protected and watched grow up?

So they had never betrayed him, so they all knew he had been wronged, and had even wanted to petition the Emperor for him!

The gloom that had weighed on him for years finally vanished at this moment.

Lao Gui was tearful, yet immensely comforted.

"If everyone still recognizes me as your Magistrate, then listen to me first."

He wiped away his tears and smiled with effort: "Your souls have been trapped here for over ten years; if this continues, there is no guarantee you won't eventually dissipate into nothingness. This lady—"

He pointed respectfully at Lin Qingyue and said: "This lady possesses extraordinary abilities and can transcend you so you may leave. Everyone, let go of your grievances and go to reincarnation!"

"Reincarnation? Do we still have a chance?"

"Staying here is too painful; I want to leave, I have always wanted to leave."

As lonely ghosts, without offerings or incense, every day spent in this world was a torment.

It was also because he saw them suffering that Lao Gui, unable to bear it, created the Nightmare Realm, letting them immerse themselves in their past lives to reduce their pain.

If they could leave, they would naturally wish for nothing more.

"Good, as long as everyone wants to leave! Listen to me, do not harbor any rejection or resentment, close your eyes, and let your souls relax."

Seeing that all the ghosts had obediently closed their eyes, Lao Gui turned to Lin Qingyue and said: "It is ready, please trouble you, Miss, to transcend them."

Lin Qingyue nodded, and while chanting, she gathered her spiritual power to guide the helpless souls toward the path to the Underworld.

But there were too many souls here, and the operation was truly exhausting.

Fortunately, Dongfang Qi was also a cultivator, and he assisted Lin Qingyue in transcending the ghosts.

A full night passed.

When the darkness faded and the eastern horizon was about to welcome the first ray of dawn.

All the souls in the Nightmare Town had departed.

The empty, desolate town was shrouded in a hazy morning light, with no more Yin Qi remaining.

Lin Qingyue turned her head, frowning slightly: "Why have you not left?"

Lao Gui stood under the shade of a tree, feeling somewhat anxious himself: "Yes, why haven't I left yet? I want to leave, I really want to leave, but I..."

Lin Qingyue sighed: "You cannot let go of your hatred."

Lao Gui said bitterly: "Those heartless, wicked things, it was enough that they framed me for corruption and killed me, but they actually set up such a vicious array to sacrifice all the people of my town! I hate it so much! I hate myself for not being able to protect the people, and I hate those demons for being so ruthless!"

He clutched his chest, in immense pain: "I know I should let go! I taught the people to let go of their resentment, relax their bodies, and accept transcendence. But I cannot do it myself... here... it hurts so much... I hate it so much!"

Dongfang Qi's expression changed slightly: "Not good, this has formed a Heart Demon. If not controlled, I fear he will fall into the Demonic Path!"

If a ghost's obsession is too deep to be eliminated, they become fierce spirits or fiends, completely losing their humanity and attacking ordinary people indiscriminately.

Demon ghosts are the same; once an obsession is too deep and triggers a Heart Demon, they will fall into the Demonic Path, becoming tools that only know how to kill.

Dongfang Qi was about to persuade Lao Gui to hold onto his original heart, but heard Lin Qingyue snort coldly and say domineeringly:

"What of a Heart Demon? If there is a grudge, settle the grudge; if there is a grievance, settle the grievance. The Heart Demon will naturally be eliminated; there is no need to struggle!"

Once these words were spoken, even Lao Gui was stunned: "I, can I still... take revenge? Is there still a chance?"

Lin Qingyue said: "Why not? You have only become a ghost, you have not dissipated; what is difficult about wanting revenge?"

A single word awakened the dreamer; Lao Gui patted his own forehead and murmured: "That's right, wouldn't taking revenge and eliminating the Heart Demon be enough? Why should I be here in painful struggle?"

Immediately, he felt somewhat melancholy again: "But I cannot leave this place. I have tried many times, but I can never leave. And I have no way to find that person to take revenge."

At this moment, the sunlight grew stronger, and even though Lao Gui had retreated into the shade, he was still somewhat uncomfortable from being scorched by the Yang energy.

And so, he fell into endless pain again: "In the end, it is still my wishful thinking. I cannot even resist the sunlight, so how can I talk about revenge?"

Then, at this very moment, a shadow fell from above; a crimson oil-paper umbrella blocked the scorching Yang energy, causing Lao Gui's soul to be instantly bathed in coolness, feeling comfortable throughout.

He looked up blankly and saw the soul-guiding bell under the crimson umbrella chiming and swaying, like a song of soul-soothing.

Lin Qingyue said softly: "Let's go, I will take you away."

The young girl in the black dress, holding the red umbrella, turned back to Dongfang Qi and said: "What are you still standing there for? Let's go."

"Coming!" Dongfang Qi stepped forward quickly and followed with a smile.

The small town that they had never been able to leave before was now easily navigated to find the road they had come by.