Chapter 213 People's hearts can change, and their Daoist heart can stray.
Zhang Qingyuan exclaimed "Ah!" and pointed at the dissipating light and shadow: "This, this is..."
“Righteous Qi Resonance,” Feng Jin suddenly spoke.
He remained seated, but when he looked up at Ji Yuan, a faint hint of approval flickered in his eyes:
“The obsession deep within her soul is not resentment, nor hatred, but a brand.”
"A brand?" Lin Yanxin asked. "What's that?"
“Something etched into her very bones.” Feng Jin tapped the stone table lightly with his fingertip. “When ordinary people die, their souls either become confused or consumed by resentment. But she was different.”
He looked at Shen Yuepo: "Did you see that?"
Shen Yuepo nodded slowly.
She saw it.
From the moment Gu Yuan began to narrate, a golden light flickered deep within his soul.
It is not the golden light of merit, but something more intense and pure.
Like iron in a furnace, forged and tempered into a steel core.
That is belief.
The wailing of Daoist Youxu suddenly echoed in Shen Yuepo's ears, "I too once had a heart full of kindness..."
Shen Yuepo closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, her eyes shone with a clear, bright light.
Human hearts can change, and the heart of the Way can stray.
On the path of spiritual practice, there are many "former good people" who have fallen into demonic obstacles.
But there are always some things that cannot be changed, cannot be deviated from, and cannot be destroyed.
For example, the oath taken by anti-drug police officers on their first day of service!
For example, the instinct to protect comrades in the midst of gunfire!
Take, for example, the conviction of anti-drug police officers!
That is a mark etched into the soul.
Reincarnation cannot wash it away, evil magic cannot corrode it, and even death cannot take it away.
“Okay.” Shen Yuepo looked at Gu Yuan and said, “I’ll contact the Special Cases Bureau to take you there tomorrow.”
Upon hearing this, Yuan bowed deeply.
This bow made the Ox-Head and Horse-Face cry even harder.
"Me too! I want to go too!" Niu Tou wiped his face, his official robe sleeves were mostly wet. "I want to see that beast go into the boiling oil with my own eyes!"
Horse-faced man grabbed him: "What are you doing? What if you scare the police officers in the mortal realm?"
"I can shrink!" Ox-Head panicked. He gathered his Yin energy, and his nine-foot body actually shrank to just over seven feet.
His once youthful face had faded to the dark complexion of an ordinary farmer. "Look, don't I look like a cart driver?"
Meng Guichen chuckled: "Yes, yes, yes, just like an old coachman who stole an official's robe."
Finally, under Feng Jin's gaze that could freeze even ghosts and immortals to death, Ox-Head and Horse-Face were taken back to the underworld by Meng Guichen.
…
Shen Yuepo placed a Soul-Nourishing Jade before the statue of the Ancestral Master, and with a light tap of his fingertip, a golden light entered the jade.
This is the Soul-Soothing Formation of the Xujing Temple.
Created by the founder of Xujing Temple, it has a remarkable effect on nourishing and protecting the remnants of the soul.
As wisps of incense smoke rose, Gu Yuan's spirit relaxed its brows within the formation.
“It’s more comfortable here than in the Samsara Ring,” Shen Yuepo said. “You should rest for now. Call me if you need anything.”
"Thanks."
In the side room, Shen Yuepo came out of the temple's bathroom after taking a bath. The room was empty; Feng Jin was not waiting for her.
About fifteen minutes later, the door was pushed open, and Feng Jin came in wearing pajamas. He didn't even glance at her and went straight to the bed.
"Fengjin".
Shen Yuepo keenly sensed that something was wrong with his mood and suddenly grabbed his hand.
Those hands were ice cold.
It wasn't because of the bath; he deliberately suppressed his body temperature.
If the Netherworld Emperor doesn't want anyone to get close, even his breath can freeze their soul.
He stopped, turned his head, and his dark golden eyes were unfathomable under the light. "What?" he asked, his voice cold.
Shen Yuepo gripped his fingers tightly: "Feng Jin, what's wrong with you?"
Feng Jin stared at her silently.
His gaze was so heavy that she almost let go.
After a long silence, he finally spoke, each word as if carved into ice:
"Shen Yuepo, you schemed against me for someone else."
Shen Yuepo's fingertips trembled.
I instantly understood; it was about Yuan.
“A soul like Gu Yuan…” Feng Jin withdrew his hand, walked to the window, and turned his back to her.
"You protected your country and its people in life, your merits are immeasurable. Even if I didn't know the full story, I would have someone look after you in the underworld. But you..."
His shoulders and back were very straight:
"Yet you deliberately told her our identities. Shen Yuepo, you're clearly scheming against me for her sake."
Shen Yuepo watched his retreating figure, lowered her head, and her long hair concealed her expression.
It was indeed her oversight.
Even if she didn't say it, with Yuan's keen perception, he should have guessed it when he saw the Ox-Head and Horse-Face.
Moreover, the oppressive aura emanating from Feng Jin is something that souls naturally fear and cannot hide from.
But she went to all that trouble.
"I..." She opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Feng Jin had already gone to the bed, lifted the covers, and lay down.
He had his back to her, the blanket was pulled up high, and he exuded an aura of "I don't want to talk to you."
Shen Yuepo sat on the edge of the bed for a while, then gently lifted the covers and lay down.
She reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. His waist was firm, and she could feel the muscle texture even through the fabric.
She pressed her face against his back, inhaling the cool fragrance of soap from the Taoist temple on his body, as well as a hint of chill from the depths of the underworld.
“Feng Jin,” she said in a muffled voice, “your current behavior is called passive-aggressive behavior.”
His body, which was turned away from her, stiffened for a moment.
Feng Jin suddenly turned around, his dark gold eyes burning like two clusters of suppressed anger.
"Ha." He sneered, "Now I finally know what it means to be the one to accuse someone first."
Shen Yuepo looked up at him, then suddenly leaned forward and quickly kissed him on the lips.
Like a dragonfly skimming the water, it touches the surface and then immediately departs.
Feng Jin's pupils contracted slightly.
Shen Yuepo stepped back to her original spot, adopting the standard posture of admitting her mistake, "I was wrong. From now on, I'll discuss everything with you first."
The air grew quiet.
Feng Jin stared at her for a long time.
He reached out, his cold fingertips gripping her waist, and pulled her towards him.
The kiss landed with a punitive force, yet softened its pressure when it touched her lips.
Shen Yuepo closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck.
The kiss was deep, as if trying to confirm something.
Feng Jin placed his palm on the back of her neck, while his other hand slid down her waistline, supporting her buttocks and pressing her into his arms.
Too close.
She could clearly feel his taut muscle lines and the unmistakable shape of his penis.
When they parted, both of them were breathing heavily.
Feng Jin pressed his forehead against hers, his voice low and hoarse.
“Chen Yuepo,” he pulled her closer, his chin resting on the top of her head, “I don’t like it when you scheme against me for the sake of others, no matter who it is or what it’s for.”
Shen Yuepo's heart suddenly trembled.
She raised her hand, her fingertips touching Feng Jin's earlobe.
The original pale white color was now flushed with a faint red due to emotional fluctuations.
She gently stroked it, as if soothing a ferocious beast that had arched its back and was about to attack.
"It won't happen again," she said softly. "I promise."
Feng Jin didn't respond, but simply pulled her into his arms.
"Go to sleep." He waved his hand, and the light went out.
But Chen Yuepo couldn't sleep.
She lay there with her eyes open, counting his heartbeats in the darkness.
When she reached the 121st, she suddenly spoke, her voice so soft it was as if she were afraid of disturbing something:
“Feng Jin, I just feel... Yuan is too pure.”
Feng Jin's fingers moved slightly at her lower back.
"She protected her country in life, and now she suffers the torment of being imprisoned in death." Shen Yuepo buried her face in his neck.
“Now her soul has been rescued, but her merits and virtues have been taken away. Even if the Book of Life and Death records it clearly, I am still worried that her next life will be difficult.”
As she spoke, her voice lowered:
"I wanted to give her something, but apart from nurturing her soul, there was nothing I could do. That's why..."
That's why I thought I was being clever and told her the truth in advance.
This was one of the few ways she could think of to make her journey a little smoother.
Feng Jin remained silent for a long time.
It was only after Shen Yuepo thought he had fallen asleep that he raised his hand and patted her back repeatedly.
The movements were very gentle, like soothing a baby.
“Chen Yuepo, you have freed her three souls. For her, this is already a form of redemption.”
He paused, his fingertips tracing her spine:
"Don't try to shoulder everything yourself. You're human, not a god. Humans make mistakes, make foolish decisions, and... make some self-righteous decisions."
That's too light a word, yet too heavy a word.
Shen Yuepo's heart suddenly clenched, as if it had been lightly and gently scratched by something soft yet sharp.
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