Chapter 1624: Seven Children of Heaven's Mandate: Monster-Hunting Record 15

The trees on the mountain were no different from last night.

Only this time, Jin Chen was no longer being carried by the coffin; instead, he led the way ahead.

Because he discovered that the girl Xiao Hua didn't know the mountain path, the ghost she had conjured also stumbled about blindly, and he didn't know how much time would be wasted.

The hemp-clad ghosts, who had taken over Xiao Hua's mind, showed no ferocity toward them tonight, perhaps because they knew what was about to be done.

Not long after, Jin Chen and Rong Zixu returned to that hilltop.

"We have to go back..."

"We have to go back, we have medicine!"

"The road—there's no road left, where is the road?"

Xiao Hua's father and grandfather still stood there, their vacant gazes fixed on the direction of Xiling Town, their hearts worrying over the beloved one still languishing on the sickbed at home.

They were poor and ill-fated, never having lit a red lantern, but fortunately the family lived in harmony, passing their days without feeling hardship.

A treacherous human heart completely destroyed this mountain and also shattered this pitiful family.

Jin Chen brought the coffin to the hilltop where the Da Hua father and son stood.

Rong Zixu, fearing further trouble, stood behind Jin Chen with his sword in hand, his gaze fixed on the two souls.

The two souls, Youyou, turned around; seeing the coffin was the reason, they skipped ordinary pleasantries, their empty eyes fixed on the coffin.

"Xiao Hua..." Da Hua sighed softly, a hint of clarity appearing in his eyes.

It was because their souls had not yet dissipated, and also their final lingering attachment.

Seeing no further danger, Rong Zixu sheathed his sword and bowed gently: "What Xiao Hua longed for in life and death was nothing more than hoping the two of you may rest in peace."

At that moment, the sound of vegetation rustling from clothing came from not far away; the two of them and the two souls turned their heads, only to see Yang Yu arriving with Xiao Hua.

This was an Xiao Hua they had never seen before.

Her eyes were not numb and empty, but full of the spirit appropriate for her age; her clothes, though old, were clean and neat, and her round eyes held a sweet smile.

Xiao Hua slowly stepped forward, smiling at her father and grandfather, with a little dimple at the corner of her mouth.

"And there's more, and more!"

Jing Xingcan and Gong Simayue, one in front and one behind, had actually made a crude sedan chair from bamboo poles and a rattan chair, and brought along the elderly Xiao Hua's grandmother, whose legs were inconvenient due to age.

"Old woman!" Xiao Hua's grandfather exclaimed in shock, tears instantly falling.

They ought to have been reunited, but instead it was three dead and one alive.

Jing Xingcan rubbed his shoulders, couldn't help sighing, and, like Xu Qie, quietly reddened his eyes.

Rong Zixu watched silently for a while, then, not knowing what he had thought, glanced sideways at Jin Chen.

The first meeting long ago is still vivid in memory; they say all worldly matters are but the single word of emotion, and familial affection has always been the deepest and heaviest—how could Jin Chen's parents bear to abandon such an infant, letting him drift in a wooden basin in the icy river water?

Although the master often said they were seven given life by heavenly decree, their fate harder than ordinary people's, at that time it was truly dangerous; a slight wave would cause the infant to sink to the riverbed.

Jin Chen sensed the gaze, not understanding why, met Rong Zixu's eyes, smiled at him, and patted the soft grass beside him.

"Senior brother, sit down and rest a while; catching up will probably take most of the night."

The smile was like a bright moon and clear breeze, utterly devoid of any sorrow.

Rong Zixu walked over to sit beside Jin Chen, raised his hand to ruffle his hair, and said softly, "Want to sleep a bit?"

Jin Chen leaned lazily against his shoulder, hearing this he shook his head, his long arm looping around Rong Zixu's waist to pull him close: "No, I'm not tired either."

Such a posture was indeed intimate.

Even if Rong Zixu were as indulgent as possible, he still couldn't help feeling somewhat improper.

But whether it was the cool mountain forest night wind or the earlier worries, Rong Zixu raised his hand, then after a few moments slowly lowered it, allowing Jin Chen to hold him.

He half-closed his eyes, gazing at the youth leaning on his shoulder, his gaze soft as moonlight pouring down, before shifting his gaze after a moment.

【Villain Heartthrob Value +10, total 25!】

Jin Chen lifted his eyes, seeing Rong Zixu lower his lids, not knowing what he was thinking, and smiled again.

"Senior brother, I'm a bit cold," Jin Chen said, opening his eyes to tell a lie.

Contrary to expectation, Rong Zixu believed him, making a gesture to drape his outer robe over him, but was refused; Jin Chen only held Rong Zixu's waist, drawing closer still, nearly flush with no gap between them.

Jin Chen rubbed against Rong Zixu's shoulder socket, affectionately saying, "Holding you will keep me warm."

Rong Zixu's hands, which were holding him, paused, barely managing to support Jin Chen's back; the skin that had been rubbed sparked a heat that spread to the ear and neck, as if dusted with rouge.

"Hold on." Jin Chen urged him, then with a mischievous intent rubbed again, his lips almost brushing the skin on Rong Zixu's neck.

Rong Zixu didn't reply, merely tightening his hold on Jin Chen, suppressing the surge of emotion and involuntary feeling that filled his heart.

【Villain Heartthrob Value +5, total 30!】

Xu Qie poked Jing Xingcan, saying, "Hey, look at Xiao Chen and the senior senior brother—do you see anything?"

Jing Xingcan shrugged his shoulders, nodded, and said, "They're definitely cold; I am too."

Xu Qie: "... Meh."

——

In the midnight tears, affection runs deep, yet inevitably they must part.

Xiao Hua's grandmother did not weep; she calmly tidied the old man's clothes, wiped away the dirt, and hoarsely said, "Wait for me, ah."

"Take Xiao Hua to the Underworld and wait for me; our family will be reunited again."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hua's eyes flickered; she pleaded toward Yang Yu with her gaze, signaling them not to speak.

They well understood that a ghost possessed by a spirit and stained with human life could only have its soul scatter, with no chance of reincarnation, unable to cross the Bridge of Helplessness or pass the Ghost Gate Pass.

No one spoke among them; they watched the Da Hua father and son enter the coffin, and the ghostly resolve was fulfilled.

Rong Zixu extracted the mixed ghostly spirit within Xiao Hua's soul and stored it in the Jade Half Pot.

The old woman watched each depart in turn, then climbed onto the crude sedan chair, smiling kindly and gently saying, "Children, please send the old woman home again; the old woman will cook noodles for you."

The sun came out, the black clouds dispersed.

After the old woman finished cooking the noodles, she alone entered the room with the little flower corpse; when the Heaven's Mandate Seven Children Felt Something Off and broke in, they saw this scene before them.

The grandparent and grandchild leaned against each other, lying in the old woman's dowry-worn wooden coffin; the old woman's expression was calm, and at the moment of her passing her face still bore a warm smile.

Yang Yu covered them with the coffin lid, the seven people went to town to buy several shovels, and the two coffins were buried together in Shan Lin, where they erected a stele.

Working together, in Shan Lin they summoned back the innocent souls trapped in the painting, returning them to their bodies.

Afterward, they revealed the truth in the magistrate's office before everyone; the townspeople who heard it were very quiet, and soon dispersed.

The anomaly in Xiling Town was resolved; Magistrate Song, changing his previous arrogance, warmly invited the seven to gather in the city, but Rong Zixu refused.

The next day, the Heaven's Mandate Seven Children set out again, heading to the next place where anomalies abounded.