Chapter 118 is another story of a devoted woman and a heartless man.
As Shen Yuepo listened to the female ghost's description, his brows furrowed even more deeply.
This mysterious figure manipulates people's hearts and uses vengeful spirits to collect living souls, with the ultimate goal of reshaping the physical body.
Such evil magic is something no ordinary ghost could perform.
"Are those people who came in a few days ago dead?" Shen Yuepo continued to ask.
The woman in red quickly shook her head:
“No! According to the rules, the shadowy figure comes once every half month... According to the calendar, it won't come for another three days. I've locked those people in a dilapidated temple deep in Black Wind Valley, temporarily binding them with Yin energy.”
Shen Yuepo's eyes sharpened, and he made a decisive decision: "Take me there."
The most urgent task is to rescue those people.
"Okay." The female ghost didn't dare to say anything more. She struggled to get up and held the person named Abao in her arms.
The siblings carried Shen Yuepo through the dense forest shrouded in thick fog.
After taking a few steps, the female ghost suddenly stopped, turned around, and knelt down before Shen Yuepo with a "plop":
"Master, I know our sins are grave and cannot be redeemed even by death, but I beg you, I beg you to have mercy and send my brother into the cycle of reincarnation!"
"He...he is truly innocent. It's my fault as his older sister that I dragged him down and harmed him."
She raised her face, whose once delicate features were still faintly discernible, her voice hoarse:
"As long as you can save him and free him from this eternal torment, I, Lu Ningshuang, am willing to submit to your mercy, Master! Even if my soul is scattered and I am condemned to eternal damnation, I will have no regrets! I only ask... I only ask that you give Abao a way out!"
Upon hearing this, Abao struggled to kneel down, her tiny soul trembling, clutching her sister's sleeve tightly: "Sister, no..."
Shen Yuepo looked at the ghostly siblings kneeling before him, his eyes still calm, but beneath the frozen lake surface, subtle ripples seemed to spread.
She was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly, her voice devoid of emotion:
"First, explain in detail why you and your brother were imprisoned here. After you've finished, I'll decide whether or not to save you."
A glimmer of hope flashed in the female ghost's eyes, and she nodded hurriedly: "Okay! Okay! I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything!"
She stood up and continued leading the way, recounting the century-old story in a voice filled with resentment as she walked:
“My name is Lu Ningshuang, and this is my younger brother, Lu Wenxuan. Everyone in the family calls him Abao. We have been dead for over a hundred years.”
"At that time, my family was a well-known wealthy family in the area. My father was charitable, my mother was gentle and virtuous, and my younger brother, Abao, was clever and quick-witted."
“And I am the only eldest daughter of the Lu family.” Lu Ningshuang’s tone was tinged with reminiscence.
"The tragedy began with a scholar named Liu Wenyuan."
When this name was mentioned, the resentment around Lu Ningshuang's soul surged suddenly, and even the eerie wind in the entire Black Wind Valley seemed to become even more desolate.
"He was born with a handsome face," the female ghost's voice suddenly became ethereal, and an eerie soft light appeared in her empty eye sockets, as if she were lost in some sweet memory.
"He has a dimple on his left side when he smiles. He has beautiful handwriting and can recite many poems. His father and my father were close friends."
“That year, his father passed away, and he came to my house to study and prepare for the exam. My father saw that he was well-educated and reasonable, so he took him in.” Lu Ningshuang’s voice began to tremble.
Shen Yuepo couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Another story of a devoted woman and a heartless man."
Lu Ningshuang: "He was extremely attentive to me, showering me with sweet words, saying he had fallen in love with me at first sight and would marry no one but me in this life..."
“I was captivated by his talent and gentleness, believed his lies, and secretly pledged my life to him behind my parents’ backs. I even secretly sold my jewelry to help him go to the capital to take the imperial examination.”
"Before he left, he swore to the heavens that the day he passed the imperial examination would be the day he would bring me home in a grand sedan chair carried by eight men..."
Lu Ningshuang let out a shrill, bitter laugh: "I actually believed it! Day and night I embroidered my wedding dress, eagerly awaiting my ideal husband..."
"But what I received was not good news, but utter destruction!" Her voice suddenly rose, filled with hatred:
"He's not some poor but talented scholar at all! He's a wolf in sheep's clothing!"
"He curried favor with powerful figures in the capital. In order to marry their daughter and completely sever his ties with me, a country girl, he even falsely accused my father of transporting grain for the enemy country!"
“Overnight!” As she said this, Lu Ningshuang’s soul fluctuated violently.
"The soldiers stormed into the Lu family home like wolves and tigers, seizing our family property. My father was beheaded on the spot! My mother, unable to bear the humiliation, hanged herself..."
"The loyal servants who protected their master were also slaughtered... The entire Lu family was engulfed in blood and flames!"
"That beast had his men drag me and Abao out of the woodshed. He was standing in front of the burning ruins, wearing a brand-new official robe..."
"He looked at me, his eyes as cold as a venomous snake!"
He said, "Shuang'er, blame yourself for blocking my path to success. Don't worry, I'll give you a quick death."
"He said my eyes were filled with too much hatred, and he dared not look at them," the female ghost's voice suddenly became ethereal, and two lines of bloody tears seeped from her empty eye sockets:
"They gouged out my eyes and strangled me to death on the ground stained with my parents' blood!"
She glanced at her red wedding dress and gave a bitter smile:
"What's even more ridiculous is that after he died, he dressed me in a wedding gown, saying it was as if he had married me, and that I shouldn't hold a grudge against him!"
Lu Ningshuang's gaze fell on A Bao:
"At the time, seven-year-old Abao witnessed his family being killed. He cried out and rushed to save me, but that beast kicked him to the ground and then smashed his head with a stone..."
"Even after we're dead, that beast still won't stop!" Lu Ningshuang's hatred reached its peak:
"He found a Taoist priest from somewhere, and the priest said that our resentment was overwhelming! Especially Abao, who died tragically as a child, his resentment was the purest and most ferocious. If left unchecked, it would surely grow and seek revenge!"
"That beast was frightened... So, that evil cultist set up a soul-locking and evil-suppressing formation near my Lu family!"
Lu Ningshuang pointed to an area that was vaguely visible ahead, and even more sinister:
"They forcibly pressed my and Abao's mutilated remains into the core of the formation! They used soul-suppressing nails engraved with runes to pierce our bones, and then, they used the ashes of our parents mixed in to seal our seven orifices!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Yuepo paused slightly. What a vicious scholar!
This is the most insidious soul-locking and evil-suppressing formation. The person targeted will be trapped in the same spot for eternity, slowly tormented until their soul is completely destroyed.
"It's been a hundred years..."
Lu Ningshuang's voice suddenly lowered, but it was even more chilling than a scream:
"We're trapped here, and they want us to be annihilated? But I'll live on forever!"
“Perhaps it was because my Lu family accumulated some good karma in our previous life…” Lu Ningshuang’s voice suddenly softened, and the surging resentment around her seemed to calm down a bit.
"In the fifth year of our suppression, my soul and Abao's soul were almost scattered..."
Her empty eyes stared into the void. "Just then, a golden light suddenly pierced through the layers of gloom and fell upon us."
Golden light?
Shen Yuepo frowned slightly. She had been walking between the Yin and Yang realms for many years and had never heard of golden light actively protecting vengeful spirits.
“We waited for a very long time until that dark shadow appeared…” Lu Ningshuang’s voice lowered.
As they spoke, they had already passed through the thickest fog.
Ahead, the outline of a dilapidated temple could be vaguely seen.
Shen Yuepo suddenly stopped and raised her hand to her heart.
As she approached the ruined temple, the power that resonated with her became clearer, as if something was calling to her.
Lu Ningshuang pointed in the direction of the dilapidated temple, "Master, those people are locked up inside."
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