Chapter 702: Rescue

"So that's how it is." Chen Yu nodded slightly and said, "The Buddha saves those with affinity; this is also the tenet of your Buddhist school."

"From now on, I'll call you Dali." Liu Lianxin teased the small civet cat in her arms, then looked up and said, "You said you were looking for a girl?"

"Yes, there was a girl in a dry well at Guyue Temple at the foot of the mountain. She might have had a chance of survival, but she was already gone when we went to look for her," Chen Yu said.

"That girl is in Jizhao Nunnery on the mountain, being cared for by Huizhao Shitai. I took her away when I passed by a few days ago," Liu Lianxin smiled faintly. "It's just that someone cast a Descending Head Technique on her, and I have no way to retrieve her soul."

"Where is she? Is she alright?" Chen Yu asked.

"In a state of suspended animation, she's fine. But if her soul isn't retrieved in another two days, I'm afraid she won't be able to come back," Liu Lianxin said. "Are you looking for her? Do you have a way to bring her back?"

"I have a way to bring her back, as long as she is there," Chen Yu said happily. "Many thanks, Miss Liu."

"We are both here to ferry souls, no need for formalities. Let's go to Huizhao Shitai," Liu Lianxin smiled.

"Alright." Chen Yu nodded and followed Liu Lianxin up the mountain.

On the way, Chen Yu learned that Liu Lianxin was practicing Bitter Zen at Jizhao Nunnery while also cultivating Buddhist Dharma.

Jizhao Nunnery was built in the early days of the founding of the nation. Just as the rumors said, the area around Guyue Temple was teeming with lonely souls; it was a place of great misfortune, and there were also spirit monsters formed through cultivation causing trouble.

The purpose of building Jizhao Nunnery was to ferry the surrounding lonely souls and suppress the spirit monsters here.

Huizhao Shitai of Jizhao Nunnery was an ascetic nun who had participated in Bitter Zen here for decades; she was truly a person of immeasurable merit.

"Then why wasn't Dali there?" Chen Yu asked.

"Dali has a wild temperament, and Huizhao Shitai couldn't handle her, so I took over," Liu Lianxin smiled faintly.

As they spoke, the two had already arrived at Jizhao Nunnery, and the scene inside truly gave Chen Yu a shock.

He saw that there was a distance of several hundred meters from the main gate to the main hall; this stretch was paved with bluestone, yet there were countless wandering souls on the ground.

Jizhao Nunnery was in the middle of a Soul Ferrying Dharma Assembly. Countless wandering souls were gathered before this bluestone path. Among these souls, some were weeping bitterly, some were kneeling in repentance, and some were slapping themselves—all the states of human life were fully displayed here.

"Every night after midnight, a Soul Ferrying Dharma Assembly is held here. Those who cannot enter Reincarnation can only enter the path of Reincarnation from here after settling their evil deeds from their past lives." Liu Lianxin waved her right hand, and a green lamp appeared in her hand. She walked forward along the long corridor.

Standing before the person weeping bitterly, Liu Lianxin stopped: "In life, she loved playing mahjong and was addicted to it. Because she missed her grandson's school dismissal time due to mahjong, it led to her grandson being abducted by human traffickers. After death, her obsession remained, and she refused to leave."

"Then when will she leave?" Chen Yu asked.

"Not until her son and daughter-in-law find her grandson." Liu Lianxin walked forward, passing by a person kneeling in repentance: "This person was unfilial to their parents in life, letting their father die in a sickbed and their elderly mother starve to death at home. Thus, they severed their own path to Reincarnation and must kneel here to seek forgiveness."

"This person committed many evils in life, colluding with others to ruin families and committing adultery; they must slap themselves one hundred thousand times before they can enter Reincarnation..."

Along the way, countless lonely souls who could not enter Reincarnation wailed incessantly, complaining of their misery. They only knew their current situation was difficult, saying that all living beings suffer, yet they did not know that the things they committed in life were unforgivable.

The passage was a full hundred meters long. In this hundred-meter stretch, many lonely souls who could not enter Reincarnation due to problems in their past lives were packed densely. They wept and repented, doing their utmost to continue the penance for their past sins.

After walking through this path, Chen Yu followed Liu Lianxin to the backyard.

In the backyard, an elderly nun was striking a wooden fish, counting Buddhist Beads in her hand, and chanting Buddhist scriptures.

The nun was Huizhao Shitai; she was nearly a hundred years old.

Seeing Chen Yu enter, Huizhao smiled slightly, put down the wooden fish, pressed her palms together, and bowed slightly to Chen Yu: "Benefactor, I have finally waited for your arrival."

"The Master knows me?" Chen Yu looked at the nun in surprise, unable to react for a moment.

"I do not, but I know that the young lady placed in the room is not destined to die; she is destined to have a noble person help her in her life," Huizhao smiled faintly. "You have come, so she can be saved."

"So that's how it is." Chen Yu suddenly realized. He nodded and said, "I won't hide it from you, Master; I came here entrusted by someone. That girl's death was not an accident, but the work of a villain."

"Now that the villain has been torn apart by this civet cat, the resentment stifled in that girl's chest should also dissipate," Chen Yu said. "Now I will summon her soul back and tell her everything that happened."

"Very well, Benefactor, please follow me." Huizhao stood up shakily and walked toward a small room. Although she was old and her steps were a bit unsteady, Chen Yu always felt that there was a Spiritual Light surging within her.

Although this Huizhao was an ordinary person, she had practiced Buddhist Dharma her whole life and was a truly enlightened master, which was why her eyes had light. Moreover, she would not suffer from illness in her life and would have a peaceful end.

Upon reaching the room, he saw a girl lying on a bed; this girl was none other than the accidentally deceased Liu Tong.

Two Long-Burning Lamps were lit before her bed; these two lamps were actually Soul Guiding Lamps. If the lamps went out, the girl's soul would never be able to return.

Chen Yu stepped forward and checked the pulse at her neck, finding it still beating faintly, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Liu Tong was still alive, and she must have been subjected to the Turtle Breathing Method these past few days.

The so-called Turtle Breathing Method was a type of hibernation technique. It made the person appear to have no heartbeat or breathing, looking no different from being dead, but in fact, her body was in a state of deep hibernation.

Every pore of her body would breathe, lowering the body's consumption at an extremely low cost.

"She was sealed by me using the Turtle Breathing Method. I originally wanted to retrieve her soul, but the Master said there was a breath of resentment in this girl's chest," Liu Lianxin said faintly. "If this resentment isn't removed, it's useless to bring her back."

"I asked the Master how this resentment could be removed, and the Master said that this girl would naturally have a noble person to help her in her life. I didn't expect that noble person to be you."

"She was framed. The Descending Head Technique on her was deliberately cast, and then that person channeled all her resentment onto a girl named Zhang Yan," Chen Yu said. "That bastard is truly sinister, killing two birds with one stone."

"Then I'll leave the rest to you." Liu Lianxin smiled faintly and stepped out.

After Liu Lianxin went out, Chen Yu took out a piece of yellow cloth painted with a Taiji diagram, then placed a Soul Summoning Lamp at each of the four corners of the yellow cloth. He then lit a Talisman, recited a spell silently, and before long, a cold wind began to blow all around. Immediately after, a flash of Spiritual Light appeared in the center of the Taiji diagram, and Liu Tong's soul returned.

Her soul's brow was black, and her eyes were fierce; it was clear that there was still a breath of resentment that had not been removed.

"Who? Who summoned me here?" Liu Tong had been guarding Zhang Yan; as soon as the effect of Chen Yu's Talisman wore off, she would possess Zhang Yan again and torture her to death.

But now that she had been inexplicably summoned here, her anger could be imagined.

"It's me," Chen Yu said. "Liu Tong, I have already figured out your situation. This matter is not Zhang Yan's fault..."

"It's you again? Meddling in other people's business." Seeing Chen Yu, a look of anger appeared on Liu Tong's face. She shrieked and was about to pounce on Chen Yu.

But the four Soul Summoning Lamps emitted a faint glow, binding her firmly within them.

"Do you think you can trap me like this? You're really too naive; it's just four Soul Summoning Lamps." Liu Tong was furious. She hissed, her entire face turning ghastly pale. Her hair disheveled, she shrieked, intending to break the Soul Summoning Lamps.

"If you break these Soul Summoning Lamps, I will slash you into ashes with one sword," Chen Yu said coldly.

As Chen Yu's words fell, Lichen floated slowly in mid-air. Lichen manifested four sword shadows, the four sword tips pointing directly at Liu Tong's head.

The Seven Brilliance Weapon Spirit Lichen, although it could not exert its full strength now, was still more than enough to take the life of a fierce spirit.

"Why? Why do you want to help that villain?" Liu Tong shrieked, but her movements to break the formation stopped.

"If she were truly guilty of heinous crimes, I certainly wouldn't help her, but can't you listen to the ins and outs of the matter properly now?" Chen Yu said coldly. "If you are really like this, I don't need to explain to you; wouldn't it be better to just destroy you with one sword and be done with it?"

"Speak." Liu Tong shrank back and returned to her original appearance, though she still looked as if she were gnashing her teeth in hatred; her expression was as if she wanted to swallow Chen Yu alive.

"The rabbit harassed you, and you warned him, right?" Chen Yu said.

"Correct," Liu Tong nodded.

"Later, Rabbit held a grudge and placed a Descending Head on you, which is why you accidentally slipped," Chen Yu said. "Actually, you were only in shock after you fell. He knew that, but he still persuaded Zhang Yan, who was already distraught, to bury you."

"Why would he do that?" Liu Tong was puzzled.

"Because he wanted to kill you, and then use the Descending Head to turn you into a Ghost to go and demand Zhang Yan's Life," Chen Yu said. "You know Zhang Yan's temper; she hits and scolds people at the slightest disagreement, and Rat also held a grudge."

"By killing both of you with one stone, and doing it without leaving a trace, isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"

"Where is he? Where is he now?" Liu Tong did not believe Chen Yu's words.

"He was just torn into three pieces by a large tabby cat's claws," Chen Yu said. "This is his retribution coming for him."

"Heh, so that means there's no proof of death?" Liu Tong sneered.

"Not necessarily. I could summon his Yin Soul to confront you, but do you think I have any reason to lie to you?" Chen Yu was speechless; this girl was truly stubborn.

"Then summon his Yin Soul to confront me," Liu Tong said coldly. "Anyway, I don't believe you. You just see that the Zhang Family is wealthy and powerful, and you are biased toward their side."

"In your eyes, am I such a person?" Chen Yu looked at Liu Tong in surprise and said, "Fine, I will summon his Yin Soul to confront you now, and we'll see what else you have to say."

After Chen Yu finished speaking, he shouted in a deep voice, "Yinxian."

As Chen Yu's voice fell, a burst of black mist rose and passed by. Immediately after, a Yin Official, twelve feet tall and covered from head to toe in armor, appeared. He flicked his hand, and the arm-thick iron chain in his hand rattled with a clatter.

A semi-transparent shadow could be seen locked by the iron chain; this semi-transparent shadow was none other than Rabbit, who had just been torn into several pieces.

Yinxian was a bona fide registered Yin Official of the Underworld, belonging to the Soul Arresting Division, and was the nemesis of such newly formed Yin Souls. Even Liu Tong, who was a vengeful ghost, could not help but retreat a few steps when she saw him, not daring to look him in the eye.

This was a suppression of bloodline. She looked at Yinxian in terror, and then turned her gaze back to Chen Yu. The way she looked at Chen Yu had already changed somewhat.

This was a Yin Official, yet Chen Yu could summon such an incumbent Yin Official at will. What kind of existence was he exactly?