Chapter 5: From Today Onwards, I Am Your Disciple p2
Mu Qiandan conjured a ball of spiritual energy, the faint blue light not as bright as the flames, but enough to see vaguely.
She walked to the platform, slowly climbing the steps, one hand moving to her waist, gripping the hilt of her dagger. Her gaze fixed on the edge of the coffin, as she ascended, her view gradually falling into the coffin.
The faint light illuminated the interior, revealing an emaciated man, reduced to skin and bones.
He was curled up like a baby, his clothes unchanged for a long time, emanating a sour smell that had fermented in the enclosed space. His long hair was infested with lice, messy and unkempt, his face, however, clean-shaven.
He didn’t know how long he had been in this secret room, his cheeks sunken, clearly hadn’t eaten in a while. No one had locked him in here, yet somehow, he had starved himself to this state.
Mu Qiandan had a bad feeling. This guy seemed to have gone mad; could she really rely on him to release Liu Cailiang’s soul?
Shifting the light, she saw a well-preserved female corpse lying beneath Liu He. Her clothes were mostly decayed, her flesh decomposed, her eye sockets hollow, only the withered bones remaining.
A corpse…
Mu Qiandan’s eyelids twitched, a wave of nausea rising from within. She forced it down.
This wasn’t the first time she had seen a corpse. In fact, the last one she saw hadn’t even been dead for long, so what was she afraid of?
But the familiar headache returned, clinging to her like a spiderweb. She abruptly closed her eyes, the scene flashing in her mind again.
The cold wind outside was like a knife, the person’s body still warm, their unseeing eyes staring at her, like an omen of a curse.
Mu Qiandan’s hand trembled. She thought she could handle it, but the overwhelming memories made her dizzy. Her strength momentarily vanished, causing her to stumble, the spiritual energy in her hand dissipating.
A scream echoed in her ears, her heart pounding like a drum. She regulated her breathing, habitually biting her lip. As the dizziness subsided, she opened her eyes, seeing ragged clothes in her blurring vision.
She hadn’t fallen; Shang Shang had caught her.
Without waiting for Mu Qiandan to speak, seeing her steady herself, Shang Shang stepped back, conjured another fireball, and examined the inside of the coffin.
The chamber was silent, only Liu He’s mumbling breaking the quiet.
The coldness gradually receded, and Mu Qiandan’s dizziness faded. She glanced sideways, seeing the girl’s jade-like face in the firelight. She held the fireball in her palm, her serious expression unchanged, as if pondering why Liu He had become like this.
Li Biyuan suddenly exclaimed, ‘I found it!’
Mu Qiandan snapped back, asking, ‘The method for crossing over?’
Li Biyuan replied, ‘No, the method for guiding a soul. I found the simplest one. You just need to use your spiritual energy to create a bridge for the soul, and place something the soul cares about on the other side to guide it.’
Mu Qiandan repeated, ‘Something the soul cares about…’
She looked at the coffin again, deliberately avoiding the corpse, focusing on the emaciated man, an idea forming in her mind.
Just then, they heard footsteps in the passage, more than one person this time. Looking back, they saw Liu Ying and Miao Lan approaching.
They must have run back. Liu Ying was drenched in sweat, panting, one of his shoes almost falling off. His daughter, however, was nestled safely in his arms, not a hair out of place.
Miao Lan checked her daughter’s forehead, then looked at the cold stone walls, moving closer to Liu Ying, her eyes fixed on the two figures on the platform. Mu Qiandan said, “Don’t move, stay there.”
Turning back to the coffin, she tried to wake Liu He. But his eyes were tightly shut, his lips blue, his body trembling. It was no use relying on him; it seemed she had to use the soul-guiding method.
Li Biyuan explained the details of the spell, and Mu Qiandan, pressing two fingers to her temple, memorized them. It didn’t sound difficult, she just hoped it would work.
Earlier, in the rush, there hadn’t been time, but now, with a moment of respite, Liu Ying quietly explained everything to Miao Lan. Learning that Liu He was responsible for her daughter’s suffering, Miao Lan was heartbroken and furious, clutching Liu Ling’s small hand, tears streaming down her face.
Meanwhile, fortunately, Mu Qiandan’s pouch seemed to contain everything. She easily found the necessary items.
She uncorked a porcelain bottle, applied the special solution to Liu He’s forehead, drew a small cross with the tip of her dagger, and then released a surge of spiritual energy, creating a faint blue bridge between Liu He and Liu Ling.
The effects of the exorcism incense and green water had worn off, and the ghost had hidden itself. But summoned by the spiritual energy and drawn by the blood of his relatives, it slowly materialized.
Liu Ying finally saw his father’s ghost. Even though he knew it was a being from another world, he couldn’t help but call out, “Father.”
The ghost, no longer conscious, still responded.
Seeing him motionless, Mu Qiandan stepped down from the platform and approached Liu Cailiang. Noticing he was reluctant to let go of his granddaughter, she covered Liu Ling’s nose and mouth with her hand, briefly cutting off her breath.
Liu Cailiang’s expression turned blank, and he slowly released Liu Ling. He stood there, lost, then, drawn by the blood of his relatives, stepped onto the spiritual bridge, walking towards Liu He, as if crossing the bridge to the afterlife.
The moment the ghost left her, Liu Ling gasped deeply, like a drowning victim finally reaching the shore. The dark, deathly pallor on her face gradually receded; she should recover soon.
Liu Ying and Miao Lan exchanged glances, tears welling up in their eyes. Looking at Liu Cailiang, he had reached the coffin, looking down at his emaciated son, sighing softly.
Beside him, the fragmented soul of a woman appeared. Liu Ying recognized her, crying out, “Mother!”
The woman didn’t respond. She stood shoulder to shoulder with Liu Cailiang, her figure flickering, as if about to disappear.
Liu Cailiang took her hand and whispered something in her ear. The woman shook her head, also sighing, then gently placed her hand on Liu He’s head, stroking it, just like she used to when he was a child.
In the next instant, the spiritual bridge shattered, and the two ghosts vanished.
Silence returned to the chamber. Liu Ying stood there for a moment, then handed his daughter to Miao Lan and rushed to the coffin, only to find Liu He’s eyes open, but his breath gone.
Seeing his brother’s lifeless body, all past grievances vanished. Overcome with grief, Liu Ying knelt by the coffin, silent.
Mu Qiandan walked over, glanced inside, and asked casually, “He was your brother, why were your personalities so different?”
Having just lost his relatives, Liu Ying no longer had the heart to hide anything and told the whole story.
It turned out that when his older brother, Liu He, was born, the family was at its poorest. His father was busy with his business, and his mother worked outside the home, both toiling tirelessly. They lacked the time and energy for basic parenting and often neglected their son’s emotional needs.
Despite their shortcomings as parents, the child was always obedient, never causing trouble, even willingly helping with chores. Worried about leaving such a young child at home alone, his mother often took him along to do odd jobs.
One day, his mother took on a laundry job, taking Liu He with her to the riverbank. Needing to relieve herself, she told her son to watch the clothes and make sure no one took them.
Seeing his mother’s weary steps, Liu He, wanting to help, tried to do some laundry himself. But he was too young, and the winter clothes were heavy. Focusing all his energy on the task, he slipped on some moss and fell into the river.
Children often played in the river, so it shouldn’t have been dangerous, but he was extremely unlucky. That day, a large turtle, the size of a wok, was lurking in the river. Seeing a boy fall in, mistaking him for a fish, it bit him.
By the time his mother returned, he had been severely injured. He survived, but his health remained frail, and he could never marry or have children.
Five years later, their father’s business stabilized. With his mother’s health deteriorating from overwork, his father stopped traveling, staying home to care for them.
Soon after, his younger brother, Liu Ying, was born. The family was already wealthy by then, so despite being raised in the same family, his and Liu He’s early lives were vastly different.
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