The morning light slanted in through the blinds, weaving a line of light and shadow on Lin You's shoulder.
In the shadows behind him, Zhang Xixi's afterimage slowly emerged.
Her head was still bowed at an unnatural angle, her long hair reaching her waist, and the drops at the ends of her hair were no longer pus, but clear tears.
His gaze fell on his own mangled limbs, and the corners of his festering mouth twitched slightly, as if he were laughing or crying.
I gripped the incense stick tightly, my fingernails digging into my palm.
Zhang Xixi's fingertips gently touched the back of Lin You's neck.
Lin You also shivered violently: "Master Chen, I... I feel a little cold, what's wrong?"
I took a deep look at Zhang Xixi behind Lin You and said, "Don't be nervous, she's looking at her own bones."
I deliberately sprinkled incense ash next to the severed limbs to cover her footprints: "After the ritual is completed, she won't stay here anymore."
Lin You suddenly grabbed my wrist, his eyes fixed on what was behind me: "Master! There's a shadow in the smoke! She...is she coming?!"
I want to say that she didn't just come; she was standing right behind you.
But I didn't say it aloud, because I was afraid of scaring him.
"Zhang Xixi, your lifespan in the mortal realm has ended, and you are nameless in the underworld. Today, in the name of the Three Pure Ones, we will guide you to rebirth—"
I made a hand seal and lit the incense to guide the soul.
The incense smoke curled three times into a banner, the left hand formed a sword incantation and pressed it onto the Thunderstrike Sword, while the right fingertip dipped in cinnabar drew the Rebirth Mantra on the sword.
The five coins on the sword tassel suddenly buzzed, and a layer of frost appeared on the surface of the copper coins, reflecting the chains that were faintly visible in the void.
Zhang Xixi, who had been standing behind Lin You, seemed to be sucked backward by a huge suction force.
"Huh? I felt chilly just now, but it's gone now?" Lin You looked around in confusion.
He scratched his head: "I just felt something behind me..."
Before I could finish speaking, Lin You suddenly grabbed my arm, his nails almost digging into my flesh: "Master! The mirror is broken!"
A loud "whoosh" sound came from the bathroom.
As I turned my head, I saw the water in the bathtub moving on its own without any wind, with countless bubbles rising to the surface, as if something was crawling up from the bottom.
The silver bracelet clattered as it rolled across the floor and came to rest in the shattered mirror. The reflection on the bracelet no longer showed us, but rather our wedding room from ten years ago.
Chen Li'an, dressed in a suit, was sprinkling white powder into a glass of red wine, while Zhang Xixi, dressed in a wedding dress, stood by the window, clutching an ultrasound report in her hand.
"Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Zhen, Lie, Zai, Qian!"
I took the Heavenly Steps to the bathtub, and with my sword pointing, I drew the character "破" (break) in the air.
The moment the lightning sword struck the water, the lights in the entire building suddenly turned bluish-purple.
Zhang Xixi's afterimage rose from the water, her long hair tangled with water plants and cement blocks.
This time, her expression was no longer festering and distorted, but rather a relieved smile, as if she had finally waited for this moment.
"Thanks……"
Zhang Xixi's voice was mixed with the sound of bubbles bursting. She raised her right hand and pointed to the wall behind the mirror.
It was then that I noticed that the sewage seeping from the cracks in the shattered mirror was drawing arrows on the wall, with the arrows ending at a slightly darker tile.
What place is this?
I walked over in confusion and found that it was actually a talisman for hiding a corpse.
Good heavens, no wonder the body was hidden here; not only was there no strange smell, but it hadn't been discovered yet.
It turned out to be a talisman for hiding a corpse.
I have no idea where that heartless man got this thing from.
However, although this thing is difficult to obtain, it can still be bought if you have money.
The Five Emperor Coins suddenly burst into golden light, and the thunder patterns on the sword and the silver bracelet on Zhang Xixi's wrist simultaneously became hot.
Her afterimage gradually became transparent, but before disappearing, she used her finger to write the word "seventeen" on the misty mirror.
It wasn't seventeen cuts, but rather seventeen pieces of bone still buried in the wall.
Lin You followed the arrow and suddenly pointed at the tile, exclaiming, "There's blood there!"
I took out a chisel and pried open the tile, and a small bottle wrapped in oil paper fell out.
The bottle is engraved with the words "Po San" and contains a dark red powder.
It's a Yin Sha powder made from Zhang Xixi's hair and placenta.
Lin You suddenly covered his mouth: "This is what he used to ward off ghosts?"
"more than."
I crushed the bottle, and the powder spontaneously combusted in the wind, emitting a burnt smell: "He used her remains to nurture evil spirits and her unborn child as a catalyst. This house is not a wedding room at all; it's a tomb he built for himself. Someone must have given him instructions."
A sudden clap of thunder sounded outside the window.
Zhang Xixi's afterimage transformed into countless points of light in the lightning, each point of light drifting in a different direction.
Some burrowed into the sewers, some flew to the flowerpots on the balcony, and some landed on Lin You's shoulder, lingering for three seconds before slowly dissipating.
Lin You trembled all over: "She...did she go to be reincarnated?"
I stared at the empty bathtub; the water had calmed down sometime earlier, with only the silver bracelet lying on the tiles.
The inscription "Eternal Union" on the bracelet's surface has been polished to a shine.
But it seems ironic.
Let's go.
I picked up the silver bracelet, put it in, and put it on.
The lightning sword burned in his palm: "True salvation will have to wait until the murderer is brought to justice."
Lin You followed me outside, and suddenly stopped when we passed the mirror: "Master, in the mirror... are there two people?"
I turned around and looked at the shattered mirror. Besides our reflections, there was also a blurry male figure in the mirror.
He was wearing overalls, with a kitchen knife pinned to his left breast, and he was smiling at us.
The two characters "seventeen" left by Zhang Xixi on the mirror have somehow turned into three bloody characters, "Chen Li'an," with each stroke dripping black water.
...
As we walked outside the community gate, I told Lin You that once I had truly helped Zhang Xixi pass on to the afterlife, he could keep the house if he wanted, or sell it if he wanted.
"No, no, I won't keep it. I'll just sell it."
Lin You turned pale with fright.
Even though he loves money, after this experience, he doesn't dare to stay there any longer.
"Master Chen, when...when can we perform the ritual to help the deceased pass on to the afterlife? I heard you say before that the murderer has been brought to justice, should we call the police?"
I shook my head and said no.
Sometimes, bringing someone to justice doesn't necessarily require official intervention.
After saying goodbye to Lin You, I rushed to the hospital without stopping.
...
When I pushed open the door to the hospital's intensive care unit, the smell of disinfectant mixed with the hum of the instruments hit me.
Yuan Ying lay on the hospital bed, her already thin face now even more gaunt and unrecognizable.
A feeding tube was inserted into her throat through her nasal cavity, and the needles on the back of her hand were connected to colorful IV bags, like several venomous snakes coiled around her withered arm.
“Yingniang…” My throat tightened, and I couldn’t move an inch.
Hearing the sound, her eyelids trembled slightly, her cloudy eyes turned to me, and a very faint smile appeared on her lips.
Liu Sandao sat on the plastic chair by the bed, raised his head and glanced at me indifferently: "You're here? Yingniang has been waiting for you all night."
Yuan Ying suddenly raised her hand, pulling the IV tube taut.
Liu Sandao hurriedly pressed her down: "Don't worry, this kid is right here."
But she stubbornly reached out her hand to pull me.
I quickly stepped forward and took her hand.
The calluses on Yuan Ying's palms pressed against the lines of the paper on my palm, making my heart sink.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
