Chapter 183 I don't want him to be showered with glory, I only wish for his safe return.
Time passed by, and night fell, bringing complete silence.
Even the usual chirping of insects and barking of dogs had vanished without a trace, and the entire village was plunged into a suffocating silence.
The villagers' doors and windows were all tightly closed, and not a single ray of light could be seen from inside. The entire village was dark and gloomy, like a huge tomb.
A sinister aura swept across the entire village in an instant.
Like a giant inverted bowl, it completely envelops the entire Luoshui Village.
The feeling was exactly the same as that described by Zhao Yan.
This barrier separated the inside from the outside, and also...life.
The moment the barrier formed, the deathly silence was completely shattered.
The sound of crying rang out without warning.
It's not from one direction, but from all directions.
It seems to seep from the ground, or to emerge from the cracks in the walls of every house, forming a three-dimensional, all-encompassing force.
First came the sound of a woman crying.
The sound was shrill and desperate, as if someone's heart had been ripped out by a sharp blade or their body had been burned by raging fire.
When the cries are sharp, they sound like the mournful cry of an owl; when they are low, they sound like the whimper of a dying beast.
Intermittently, the sound echoed through the empty, desolate village.
Then came the sound of children crying.
The sound of crying made one's heart clench even tighter.
Sometimes sharp and piercing, sometimes as faint as a wisp of smoke, as if it might dissipate at any moment, yet stubbornly entwined around the ear.
It drifts through every corner of the village.
One second the sound was coming from the east, and the next second it was coming from the west, making it impossible to pinpoint the source.
The village, clean and tidy during the day, is now a scene of decay...
Shen Yuepo held his breath and focused his mind, his brows furrowed tightly.
A sudden burst of inspiration emanated from her fingertips, and she drew a talisman in the air in front of her.
Then, he tapped his fingertip in mid-air.
"With a single spark of inspiration, all sounds return to their source!"
"Break through the barriers and trace the trail, by imperial decree!"
As the clear and melodious incantation ended, a wisp of light, as if possessing a life of its own, drifted towards a secluded direction deep within Luoshui Village.
Found it.
Shen Yuepo leaped down from the tree.
She ran off in the direction indicated by the beam of light.
The beam of light finally stopped at a patch of overgrown grass in the village and dissipated completely.
Before us stood a simple, low earthen mound, half-covered by weeds.
There were no tombstones, no offerings, only endless desolation.
And the heart-wrenching cries surged forth with unparalleled clarity from beneath the lonely grave, assaulting Shen Yuepo's senses.
The cries grew louder and more heart-wrenching.
Shen Yuepo stood before the grave, her cold eyes reflecting the outline of the desolate tomb.
Without the slightest hesitation, she quickly formed a hand seal.
He chanted incantations to guide the soul and soothe the spirit, and a calming light flowed from his fingertips, falling upon the lonely grave.
"May the soul find its home, and may the spirit find its place!"
"Yin and Yang are in order, their forms will be revealed! Imperial decree!"
A flash of inspiration spread out like ripples on water.
The air around the grave distorted and fluctuated, and two semi-transparent figures slowly condensed into shape within the light.
A young woman, dressed in faded old clothes, looked haggard but still had a delicate beauty, and her eyes were filled with sadness.
She was holding a little boy who looked about three or four years old tightly in her arms.
The woman stared intently at Chen Yuepo, as wary as a wounded mother beast, her voice sharp and trembling:
"You...you were sent by those people?! What else do you want from us?!"
Shen Yuepo calmly returned her gaze, his eyes clear, his voice deliberately soft, carrying a reassuring tone:
"Someone invited me here. But I'm not here to take you away."
Her gaze fell sharply on the woman's soul.
Beneath that aura of resentment, she clearly saw a faint golden light.
The golden light acted like an invisible shield, struggling to resist the resentment that was constantly eroding them.
This is by no means the woman's own doing, but rather the trace left by a close relative who possesses great merit and bestows blessings.
Seeing this persistent, protective golden light of merit, Shen Yuepo had a guess in his mind.
Upon hearing Shen Yuepo's reply, the hatred in the woman's eyes faltered slightly, and her voice trembled with a sob:
"Then...can you help us?"
Shen Yuepo nodded. "Go ahead."
The woman held the child tighter, as if he were her only support. "My name is Xia Wanggui. My husband... his name is Qiao Wangshu."
Qiao Wangshu?
Shen Yuepo felt a slight tremor in his heart.
Wang Shu, I hope your brows and eyes will relax...
I long for your safe return...
A name, a profession, a tragic story—all became clear in her mind in an instant.
When Xia Wanggui mentioned her husband's name, a brief, sweet smile appeared on her haggard face, like a ray of light shining through the gloom.
“I grew up in an orphanage, all alone… until I met him. He gave me a real home, and we had our child.”
She looked down tenderly at the child in her arms, but that tenderness was quickly overwhelmed by pain.
"But later, he was killed in action..."
"At first, the country awarded him very high honors; he was very prestigious..."
"Holding a big photo, wearing a red flower sash, parading around the village, what a great honor..." Xia Wanggui's tone was tinged with sarcasm.
"Because of its reputation as the hometown of this hero, the village has become a well-known tourist attraction, drawing many visitors to take photos..."
She raised her head, her empty eyes gazing at the dark night sky, and ghostly tears silently slid down her cheeks.
"But...who knows, I, Xia Wanggui, don't want his glory, I only wish for his safe return..."
When she spoke the last few words, her voice was as soft as a sigh.
She seemed to realize she had lost control of her emotions, and somewhat embarrassedly forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Sorry... I've gone off on a tangent..."
Just then, the little boy in her arms seemed to sense the peaceful aura emanating from Shen Yuepo and the change in his mother's emotions, and was no longer so afraid.
He timidly peeked his little head out from Xia Wanggui's arms and looked at Chen Yuepo curiously.
After a moment's hesitation, the tiny soul gently drifted away from its mother's embrace and tentatively floated closer to Chen Yuepo.
Looking at the innocent and bewildered little soul in front of him, Shen Yuepo's heart softened.
She instinctively reached into her pocket, looking for something to comfort him.
When her fingertips touched the empty pocket, she suddenly realized that she never carried candy or snacks with her.
She withdrew her hand and gently touched the top of the little boy's soul's head, as if she were really stroking his hair.
The little boy's soul felt this kind and gentle touch, and a faint smile appeared on his illusory face. He then floated a little closer to Shen Yuepo.
"And then what?" Shen Yuepo withdrew her hand, her gaze returning to Xia Wanggui. "What does your death have to do with this village?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com