The room was cold and damp, with patches of mildew on the wet walls, as if water would drip at any moment.
The resentment that was so close took on a cold and violent form, almost brushing against Gu Zhisang's face.
If it weren't for the 'Soul Locking Formation' that had been set up in the room to trap it tightly, it would probably rush directly into Gu Zhisang's spiritual platform and tear apart Gu Zhisang's spiritual intelligence.
"You have been consumed by hatred and have fallen into a state of demonic obsession."
Gu Zhisang remained calm from beginning to end, and was not frightened by the sudden attack from the resentment:
"Is it really worth it to drag the innocent people of the whole city to their deaths just for a few scums, become a sinner for all eternity, and become a devil hated by everyone?"
"If you stop now, you will still have a chance to survive the hellfire and be reborn. If you continue to be stubborn, no one will be able to save you!"
Liu Chunxin is indeed pitiful and innocent.
But it eventually lost its mind in hatred and resentment and made a big mistake.
It stands to reason that although the water ghosts who drowned in the lake also have a certain amount of negative energy and resentment, they will more or less have some impact on the surrounding people if they flow to the land along the "ladder to heaven" of the pavilion in the middle of the lake.
But it won’t be this big.
Their abilities are magnified several times based on the resentment that Liu Chunxin allowed to spread wantonly across the city in order to avenge Liang Youkang and the other two, so that they can invade innocent and psychologically vulnerable people;
Eventually, these people committed suicide by the "Goddess Lake" and became substitutes for the water ghosts.
This was the case with the old lady who jumped into the lake, and also with Wen Lisheng's son.
They did not harm Liu Chunxin, but lost their lives because of Liu Chunxin's resentment.
At the same time, the deaths of these people also left behind evil forces, which lingered on Liu Chunxin's body and were the "evil consequences" caused by them.
The 'hell fire' that Gu Zhisang mentioned means that evil karma harms the body like fire. It is also a special kind of flame in the eighteen levels of hell in the underworld, which specifically burns sinners.
If you have done many bad things and harmed others during your lifetime, you will go to hell to be punished and burned by the "fire of karma" after you die.
When all the evil deeds in the soul have been burned out and the punishment they deserved has been suffered, these evil ghosts and bad ghosts will have a new chance to reincarnate.
However, if they encounter ghosts who have committed serious crimes and caused the deaths of too many people, they will not even have the chance to bear the punishment of "karma fire".
Either they are directly sentenced to "soul-scattering", or they lose the right to reincarnate and remain forever in the eighteen levels of hell, suffering from mountains of swords and seas of fire, cold and scorching heat.
It was neither emotional nor logical for Gu Zhisang to want Liu Chunxin to end up like this.
"Heaven...is unfair! Revenge!"
The twisted resentment emitted bursts of weeping and blood-curdling sounds. With each sharper wailing, the rolling dark fog in the formation became thicker, and the temperature in the living room also became lower and lower.
Seeing this, Gu Zhisang frowned slightly, realizing that the ghost, whose rationality had been devoured by resentment, would not listen to what he said.
She sighed softly and could only choose to use tough measures.
Just based on the strength of the creatures transformed from resentment, Gu Zhisang guessed that Liu Chunxin's true form had surpassed that of ordinary ghosts and was close to the most powerful "red ghost" among all the evil ghosts.
With her ability, she could purify and liberate the soul simply by using mantras, but it would take a lot of time and energy.
Seeing that the walls of the B&B were covered with mold-like stains that were about to spread to the furniture, she chose a faster method to purify the negative energy and resentment.
Gu Zhisang formed seals with his hands, and his fingertips easily formed a seal with three fingers knocking and one finger upright.
Her expression was extremely solemn as she chanted the spell, the airflow around her also subtly changed, and her voice was ethereal and indescribably sacred.
"The Jade Purity begins to turn green, the True Talisman announces the alliance, pushes the two to move, and merges into one to become the True. The Five Thunders, the Five Thunders, quickly meet the Yellow Ning mist and change, roaring like lightning, coming as soon as they hear the call, and quickly send out the Yang sound."
This mantra is called the 'Five Thunder Mantra' and its function is to draw thunder and gather yang.
Thunder and lightning are exactly what the evil creatures in the world fear the most.
The amount of thunder and lightning that can be gathered after chanting the spell often depends on the ability of the master who is performing the spell. The stronger the master's ability, the more and stronger thunder and lightning the "Five Thunder Spell" can attract.
Gu Zhisang just made a move, and slight 'crackling' sounds were heard around her body. Hair-like arcs of electricity moved around her body, instantly dispelling the dancing resentment.
Feeling the extremely masculine and strong power in her, the crazy transformed resentful spirit weakened a little and began to retreat.
Before it could try to escape underground, Gu Zhisang suddenly opened his eyes after the last sound. Silver-white electric arcs gathered near the ceiling of the living room out of thin air and struck the ghost in the formation fiercely.
The resentful spirit of Liu Chunxin let out a sharp scream and struggled frantically, causing the talismans around him to make a "whooshing" sound.
Even so, the 'Soul Locking Formation' set up by Gu Zhisang remained motionless, with no signs of breaking.
After only a few dense and powerful lightning strikes, the resentment in the formation shrank to the size of a fist.
The walls of the living room were originally covered with damp and dirty spots due to the resentment of water ghosts, but now they are all gone, and the white walls look so clean.
Because Gu Zhisang's soul was too powerful, the lightning she attracted was also very powerful, and in the end even the sky nearby was filled with dark clouds.
A few minutes later, there was a sign of impending storm.
The homestay that Ge Liaochan rented for Gu Zhisang happened to be right next to the "Shennv Lake".
The balcony of the room has floor-to-ceiling windows, and you can watch the sun rise and set from the window on weekdays.
At this time, through the window, Gu Zhisang could see some residents walking on the shore and tourists visiting the place walking hurriedly, as if they were all shocked by the sudden change in the celestial phenomenon.
"It was sunny just now, why did it suddenly become cloudy? What a horrible weather..."
"Let's go! It's going to thunder and it's definitely going to rain!"
“…”
Looking at the faint gray mist on the lake that was like water vapor and invisible to the human eye, Gu Zhisang seemed to be thinking about something.
He paused for a moment when he was about to stop, and then took out a thin jade talisman from his bag.
This is a 'talisman to summon gods', which can be used to invite gods to possess you and use some of the gods' abilities.
Having said that, the one who came could not possibly be a true god. At most, he could be a fragment of his spirit, or even just a bit of spiritual energy.
But this does not prevent the "Summoning God Talisman" from being the talisman with the highest failure rate and the most difficult to use in the metaphysical world.
If you are not a powerful master of mysticism, you will often remain silent nine times out of ten.
Liu Chunxin's resentment, which had shrunk to its smallest and weakest level, suddenly felt a sense of panic when she saw Gu Zhisang's actions.
Gu Zhisang, holding the "Summoning God Talisman" between her fingertips, chanted the "Summoning God Mantra", and the talisman between her fingertips trembled slightly.
When she finished chanting the last line of the spell, she threw the talisman upwards:
"Nine Heavens Yingyuan Thunder Voice Universal Transformation Heavenly Lord!"
The jade talisman turned into dust, and the next second, dark clouds covering the city and the "Goddess Lake" surged. The tiny arcs of electricity that were originally eager to try in the clouds condensed into a ball and exploded in the sky above the "Goddess Lake" with a deafening thunder.
The silver lightning with a faint purple streak almost illuminated half the sky, and frightened the people near the "Goddess Lake" and made them scream in fear.
Two more bolts of lightning with slightly weaker momentum struck, and fine rain fell on the lake.
It lasted for about a few minutes and then stopped again.
This time, the dark clouds over the city dissipated very quickly, and passers-by who had not had time to take shelter from the rain slowed down their pace, looking a little surprised.
After the rain, the "Shennv Lake" was sparkling, far from the dead feeling before, and the air in the city was much fresher.
Even many people who were in a bad mood at home were quite surprised. Although there was thunder outside the window disturbing them, the depressed feeling in their hearts was now swept away.
What the people of this city don't know is that in the eyes of Gu Zhisang, who possesses spiritual perception, the negative energy and resentment on the lake that was struck by thunder, and even the resentment spreading to every corner of the city, have completely disappeared.
In a short period of time, the water ghosts under the "Goddess Lake" no longer dared to get excited and make trouble.
Even she herself was somewhat surprised by the power of this prayer.
Gu Zhisang looked towards the living room again. The walls and the chandelier above the ceiling had returned to their original state, and the resentment in the formation had also disappeared.
She made a hand gesture again and sat cross-legged on the spot.
A moment later, a light gray mist appeared on the empty ground again, but this time it was calmer and much smaller than before.
After the gray fog condensed again, Gu Zhisang opened his eyes and saw a humanoid ghost that was completely different from the previous one.
The ghost's appearance was frozen in his early thirties, with slightly long hair and a standard oval face, but there was an obvious impact dent on the back of his head.
It was Liu Chunxin at the moment before her death.
Having regained its sanity, it no longer looked ferocious and terrifying.
There was alertness and surprise in its red eyes, but more of it was deep resentment and sorrow, and it did not speak for a long time.
It hates the mysterious master.
It was that mysterious master who turned it into a state that was neither human nor ghost, causing it to suffer excruciating pain day and night, so it had no good feelings towards Gu Zhisang.
Liu Chunxin knew that he was much more powerful than ordinary ghosts. Any water ghosts that had died under the water over the past hundred years could be easily torn to pieces by him.
But even so, its body still cannot escape from its confinement and cannot leave the bottom of the lake.
However, the young master in front of it was able to summon its soul to the ground. His strength was unfathomable. How could it not be afraid?
Liu Chunxin didn't say anything, so Gu Zhisang took the initiative to say, "Do you know that you have violated many underworld laws and harmed innocent people?"
刘纯欣冷冷嗤笑：“我生前不无辜么？文力生没有罪么？可就算是这样我还是落得如此下场，那个禽兽不如的畜生却被功德庇护着逍遥法外，那个时候公道和理法又在哪里？！”
“既然如此，那我就自己给自己讨一个公道，至于新泉村里那些造谣我偷人、不检点的村民，他们活该！其余人……只能怪他们自己运气不好了。”
听到它冷冰冰的说辞，顾之桑便明白刘纯欣这是心态彻底被扭曲了。
但好在它并不是全无软肋。
它还有在意的人，就是它的儿子梁呈。
若非如此刘纯欣也不会生前就因为种种顾虑忍辱负重，死后怨气失控了还要停留在梁呈的学校里。
于是顾之桑道：“既然你不在意自己，那梁呈你也不在乎了么。”
刘纯欣的视线陡然发狠，死死盯着顾之桑几乎要把她撕碎。
半晌它才冷笑一声：“你们道貌岸然的家伙就只会拿孩子来作威胁，我就知道你接近梁呈不安好心！”
“罢了，我同你们这些人同在一个世界里也觉得恶心，不就是要我死要我消失么……”
反正梁有康是活不长了，文力生的儿子也被它搞死了，赵混混承认自己杀人入狱，少说也要蹲个二三十年。
它也算为自己报仇了。
顾之桑听着鬼魂一副视死如归、随时准备魂飞魄散的样子：？
“你是不是还不知道，赵混混翻供了，现在梁有康被确判为杀害你的真凶，而文力生的所作所为也全都被他爆出来了，我们现在在搜集证据。”
“只要证据确凿，随时能够下令逮捕，还你一个公道。”
刘纯欣愣住了：“你、你说什么？”
顾之桑道：“是真的。”
她语气平静，把昨天发生的一切、包括证物的发现都说了一遍，过了许久刘纯欣的脸上才露出一个似笑非哭的表情。
明明是如释负重的，可却没由来让人感觉到它的心酸和悲哀。
“所以你接近梁呈、你过来不是为了对付我的？”
顾之桑说道：“我确实是你的照片中看到，你是一个对孩子很好很好的母亲，你放心不下梁呈，确实也知道接近梁呈就能把你引出来，但我的目的是拿到证物——那个扔在湖底有录像记录的手机，是为了把文力生绳之于法。”
“也是为了查找你滞留在此地、在‘神女湖’中的原因，而后超度你。”
“至于你本人的凄苦和罪责，是惩罚还是打散魂魄，这些都是要等你到了地府由阎王殿评判。”
顾之桑越说，刘纯欣的表情越复杂，其中还夹杂着欣喜。
良久之后它身上的深灰色转浅淡了些，深深朝着顾之桑鞠了一躬，表示自己之所以异常愤怒，是以为顾之桑提到儿子梁呈是和文力生一样，拿儿子威胁自己。
顾之桑：……
“你想多了，我让你为梁呈想想只是想告诉你，祖辈的行为确实会影响到后辈的福泽，梁呈已经有了一个这样的杀人犯父亲，若是你身上的孽障再深厚，多多少少会影响到了他的气运。”
“况且人鬼殊途，就算你是存着保护他的心留在他身边，长期下来你的怨气阴气还是会损害他的健康。”
“不过你也不用太担心，我看过梁呈的面相，他确实是个挺不错的孩子，性情坚毅，未来就算没有家庭的支持也会有出息。”
虽然的荫德和罪责确实能够影响到后代，但每个人的人生究竟能活成什么样子，还是要看自己。
正如文力生身上的功德之力。
那是他父亲一辈子福泽，现在却都被他嚯嚯没了。
几个月之后没了功德的保护，过去他所做的恶事都会反噬到他的身上。
刘纯欣彻底没疑惑了，它垂下了头颅：“大人，我认罪。我确实为了报仇伤害了这座城市和一些人，但我说实话，能够亲手惩处仇人，我不后悔。”
“我愿意去地狱接受惩罚，哪怕魂飞魄散我也认了。”
它顿了顿又道：“至于您说的手机，文力生他不放心梁有康，给了钱就让梁有康把手机给他。他砸碎了之后丢到了湖底，捞上来也没用，但是我知道那个人是个变态，我的怨气凝结成实体后曾经跟着他回了文家好几次，看到他……”
后面的话刘纯欣不知想到了什么，神情嫌恶而憎恨：
“我看到他把我拍的视频都拷贝到了自己的电脑里，没人的时候就自己观看，电脑文件夹里不仅有我的视频照片，还有好几个女人的！”
顾之桑让她形容了一下文力生放电脑的位置，说道：“放心吧，拿到视频后就能给他定罪了。”
“对了，我看你的等级再进阶，就要踏入‘鬼将’了，你为何进阶的这么快？你的身体是不是没在棺材里，另有玄机？”
刘纯欣有些茫然，说道：“我不清楚什么是‘鬼将’，但我知道之所以进阶快，应该是我太恨那些人了……怨念源源不断，影响到的人，能力就越强。”
“大师你猜得也对，我的尸体现在还在湖底！”
说到这儿，刘纯欣的眼中再次爆发出恨意。
据它所说，三个月前那个云游的道士根本就没有为它做法超度，更没有下葬它。
那玄师把它曝尸在灵堂，不知为何那几天它的五感还特别强，能把村子里的人那一句句调侃、斥骂听得一清二楚。
刘纯欣在灵堂躺了三天，就听了三天自己的‘风流韵事’。
原本就怨气冲天的它更是被激发了恨意。
再然后它只记得那个云游道士在它的尸体心脏部位钉了一个血红的钉子，而后夜黑风高之时，再一次把它的尸体投入了湖中。
这一次它不是被石头压着，而是无形的大山压着，尸体漂不上去、魂魄不能离开‘神女湖’。
无论白天夜晚，那枚钉子都让它神魂剧痛、痛苦不堪。
总之这一桩桩一件件事，都在把它逼上怒而癫狂的路，最后刘纯欣的理智终于被怨恨淹没，肆无忌惮地释放阴气为祸人间。
——
两日之后，警方成功找到了文力生的电脑，从电脑中拿到了刘纯欣自己录的证据。
除此之外还有其他几位受害者，在被警方联系后也陆陆续续站了出来，指认文力生。
无论文力生再怎么狡辩、喊冤，在如山的铁证之下也只能哑口无言。
而令人惊讶、觉得无比玄乎是，在文力生被抓捕的当天，‘神女湖’岸边散步的百姓们就惊呼一声，指着不远处的湖面上。
消失了一个多星期的男孩儿尸体，就飘**在水面上！
警署审讯室中
文力生的弟弟文勇生坐在凳子上，双手交叉抿着唇闭口不言。
警员：“你真的不知道你哥哥的所作所为吗？你有没有暗中保护他、替他遮掩？”
可无论他们怎么审问，文勇生都不说话。
监听室内听得干着急的警员叹气道：“这家伙嘴巴也太锯了，真能忍啊。”
顾之桑冷笑一声，“就算他再怎么沉默，也改变不了他心虚、心怀可笑的愧疚。”
文勇生当然知道，他那么聪明敏锐、年纪轻轻就前途无量的政客，怎么可能发现不了兄长的愚蠢。
从这两兄弟的面相上来看，文力生的父亲当年因为救人受了重伤，但对方一家子仅仅是慰问感激，并没有帮助文父治疗。
当时刚刚上大学的文力生每天出去打几份工，赚自己和弟弟的生活费、学费，父亲的医药费，两个月瘦得皮包骨头。
饶是这样，文父还是在伤痛中去世了。
这也是文力生心态变化、坚定自己以后绝对不要做个好人的开端。
而学生时期被亲哥哥拉扯着的文勇生，也是立志以后一定会让兄长富贵。
所以他一有实权，就把文力生插入了清闲的职位，这也是他唯一一次动用这种‘特权’。
后续文勇生也发现了兄长在感情上多有不端，甚至越来越过分，他愤怒过失望过，但在文力生痛哭流涕、跪在地上请他帮忙的时候，他还是做不到看着亲人去坐牢。
他忽略了那些受害者的悲惨境遇，用工作麻木自己，做实绩、两袖清风，似乎这样就能洗清他心中的愧疚。
正是文勇生一次次的纵容、包庇，最终才导致了‘刘纯欣们’的悲剧。
所以文勇生绝不无辜。
他受牵连也好、被罢职也好，都是在为他的纵容赎罪。
根据警署推测，梁有康杀人抛尸，情节严重并且恶意隐瞒、死不悔改，会被判处死刑。
至于其余两人同时涉嫌强/奸罪等多重罪名。
赵混混是从犯、参与了抛尸；
而文力生则是强迫多名女性、涉嫌学历造假滥用职权等等。
总之综合评判下来惩罚也绝对不会轻。
文勇生身处要职，却知情不报、多次隐瞒，除了要被革职调查外，也将面临着法律的处罚。
案件真相大白后，引起了当地、全湘省乃至全国的轰动和瞩目。
What is most gratifying is that Xia State just passed new regulations on rape laws two months ago, which implement physical castration for rapists like Wen Lisheng.
The whole network applauded for a while.
As for the villagers in Xinquan Village who had spread rumors and slandered Liu Chunxin, they once again became fence-sitters, saying things like "Xiao Liu usually looks quiet and gentle and doesn't seem like someone who would have the guts to do something like that", "Liang Youkang is such a beast, he had signs of that when he drank and beat his wife before!"
They don't seem to have broken any law and there is no punishment.
But Gu Zhisang knew that every villager who spread the rumors had red bumps in his mouth that were invisible to the naked eye, like eyeballs.
That is their 'karma of the tongue'.
After death, in the underworld, these "verbal karma" must be repaid. The lighter punishment is going to hell and being punished, while the heavier punishment is having the tongue pulled out and the nose picked out.
…
After everything was settled, Gu Zhisang decided to solve the problem of Liu Chunxin's body in "Goddess Lake".
According to Liu Chunxin herself, the nail driven into the heart of its corpse was some kind of evil creature. Under the day and night torture of pain and negative emotions, it was difficult for her not to collapse.
In addition, Liu Chunxin is now close to being a "ghost general". Even if he is placed in the underworld, he can become a famous ghost. The nail that can suppress its body must be no ordinary thing.
Coupled with the excellent Feng Shui location of the "Goddess Lake" where winds gather and energy gathers, and where mountains and water surround, Gu Zhisang could almost confirm that the so-called wandering Taoist priest was treating Liu Chunxin as the "spirit" nurtured in the lake.
If she hadn't taken on the case and discovered the clues, I'm afraid that when Liu Chunxin broke through the "ghost general" one day and broke free from the nails, the local people would not have discovered it.
By then, "Shennv Lake" and its surrounding areas will surely become a hell on earth.
When he thought of this, Gu Zhisang became angry.
The Spirit Group headquarters was also very nervous when they heard her speculation about the underwater corpse. They contacted Gu Zhisang that day and asked her if she needed support or to relocate the local residents as soon as possible.
Gu Zhisang said: "There is no need to go to great lengths. Liu Chunxin's resentment has basically been resolved and she is easy to talk to. She does not have that much hatred towards this city, and her son lives in it."
"After I discussed it with it, it promised that until we find a way to crack it, it would try its best to endure the torture of the blood nails in its body and restrain the resentment and negative energy in its body to prevent it from spreading again. We just need to crack it as soon as possible.
Besides, after the blood nails are removed and its body floats on the lake, it will not rely on its status as a 'ghost general' to commit evil and wreak havoc on the world. If it violates the contract, I will kill it myself."
The spirit team asked, "Then how can we make Liu Chunxin's body float to the surface? Should Coach Gu go into the water?"
Gu Zhisang curled his lips slightly, "We don't have to go in. There is something in the water that wants Liu Chunxin to leave even more."
According to Liu Chunxin, there are indeed spiritual creatures in the "Goddess Lake"!