Chapter 45: Heaven’s Retribution

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The Yin Fiend inside the coffin let out a cold laugh.

“You? Just the two of you? One of you has barely grown a beard, while the other’s Taoist skills are nothing remarkable. Do you truly think you can compare with my Sister Red-Clad Chen?”

“I advise you to obediently help me return to life. Otherwise, your fate will be miserable.”

The Yin Fiend’s loyalty to Chen Hongyi far exceeded anything Uncle Hu and I had imagined.

Could Chen Hongyi really be that difficult to deal with?

I glanced at Uncle Hu and found that he was looking at me too.

I could not afford to show weakness. I had to give Uncle Hu confidence and make him believe in me.

“Chen Hongyi? She’s nothing more than a conceited woman. Here, before Chen Qiyue, she will only be a defeated opponent!”

After saying this, I pointed toward the sky with one hand and shouted:

“Azure Dragon, manifest!”

“Roar!”

A dragon’s cry rang out. Da Qing, whose transformation into a dragon was complete, instantly appeared before me. His enormous body radiated a majestic and imposing aura.

Ghosts and the spirits of the dead feared the aura of a true dragon most of all.

As Da Qing’s roar echoed through the air, the entire body of the Yin Fiend inside the coffin began trembling uncontrollably.

“Do you believe me now? My abilities far surpass your imagination. Dealing with a mere Chen Hongyi would be effortless. It just so happens that you and I share the same name and surname, as well as the same birth date and hour.”

“I want to guide you toward salvation. I do not want to see your soul scattered into nothingness. Once your soul is destroyed, you will never be able to reincarnate. Are you truly willing to let that happen?”

I put on an inscrutable expression as I spoke to the Yin Fiend before me.

“Everything I have was given to me by Sister Red-Clad. I must live. It is something I promised her, and I must fulfill that promise.”

“Even if my soul is scattered, I will have no regrets.”

The Yin Fiend was unmoved by my words.

Just as before, he still intended to use my body to return to life.

“Have you ever considered that if you successfully come back to life, Sister Red-Clad might suffer heavenly retribution?”

“Resurrecting the dead is a grave taboo forbidden by Heaven itself. No matter how profound her cultivation may be, do you really think she can surpass Heaven?”

After saying this, I pointed above my head.

My meaning was perfectly clear. Even if he exhausted every means and successfully used my body to return to life, would Chen Hongyi, as the one who cast the spell, be able to escape Heaven’s punishment?

No matter how profound her cultivation was, she would likely be unable to evade the heavenly tribulation.

After hearing this, the Yin Fiend in the coffin seemed to grasp something.

He desperately wanted to live, but he did not want to see anything happen to Sister Red-Clad either.

“Do you still intend to return to life? Even if you refuse to think of yourself, you should at least consider Chen Hongyi.”

I sensed that the corpse fiend’s aura inside the coffin had weakened considerably. It seemed that he had taken my words to heart.

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“All right. Tell me what I should do so that Sister Red-Clad will not be dragged into this.”

The Yin Fiend in the coffin pressed me for an answer. A trace of grim resolve seemed to show on his pale face.

He could accept being reduced to ashes, but nothing could happen to Sister Red-Clad.

“It is simple. Enter the Netherworld, undergo reincarnation, and be reborn.”

I did not say much. I merely told him what he most needed to do at that moment.

“Will I still be able to see Chen Hongyi again?”

The Yin Fiend looked at me almost pleadingly. From his eyes, I could tell that his feelings for Chen Hongyi ran deep.

“If you reincarnate soon, perhaps you will have the chance to see her once more. As for whether the Lady Meng’s potion will make you forget all your memories, that is something I cannot say for certain.”

I had not deceived him. He might indeed have the chance to meet Chen Hongyi again. But whether he would still remember his feelings for her by then was beyond my power to determine.

“The Lady Meng’s potion, the Netherworld, reincarnation. Ha ha…”

“In the end, it was all destined to come to nothing.”

“I am willing to enter reincarnation and be reborn. But before I leave, could I ask you to do one thing for me?”

“Tell me. As long as it is not too unreasonable, I am willing to help you.”

For some reason, I actually nodded and agreed to the Yin Fiend’s request.

“I will not ask you to do anything unreasonable. I only want you to tell Sister Red-Clad that I failed her, and that she must stop waiting for me!”

With that, the Yin Fiend looked at me, his face filled with anticipation as he awaited my reply.

I said nothing. I merely nodded gently.

I would fulfill this request for him.

Seeing that I had agreed, the Yin Fiend calmly lay back down inside the coffin.

I immediately stepped forward, invited the divine presence, and swore an oath.

To prevent any unforeseen complications, it was best to send this Yin Fiend’s soul back to the Netherworld as soon as possible.

Uncle Hu had originally wanted to stop me from agreeing to the Yin Fiend’s request, but seeing how certain I was, he eventually nodded in approval.

Once he saw that I had persuaded the Yin Fiend, he too immediately lit incense and burned paper offerings, summoning the soul-guiding messengers of the Netherworld to come and take the spirit away.

“Divine messengers of the Netherworld, your spirits travel ten thousand miles. A deceased soul lies here, dead before its time. Though its heart remains unwilling, it shall obey the law. We respectfully ask the officers of the Netherworld to come swiftly and guide it onward.”

After reciting the incantation, Uncle Hu and I burned the soul-guiding talisman and the other offerings together before the coffin.

Before long, thick white mist began drifting through the place where we stood.

Within the fog, two Netherworld officers approached—one tall and one short.

“You cast the soul-guiding spell? You claim there is a wandering spirit here in need of deliverance?”

The shorter officer looked at Uncle Hu and me with evident doubt, as though he questioned our abilities.

“That is correct. The spirit inside the coffin has released the knot in his heart and is willing to follow the two honored officers into the Netherworld for reincarnation. We ask that you escort him and allow him to be reborn.”

I clasped my hands before my chest and bowed respectfully.

“What sect or school do you belong to? When this honored officer handles his affairs, it is not for you to meddle or give orders!”

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The short ghost officer glanced at me, evidently displeased by what I had just said.

I suppressed my anger and maintained my respectful posture.

“From now on, when the Netherworld officers conduct their business, it will not be for you lowly geomancers to interfere. Otherwise, you will suffer the consequences.”

After saying this, the short officer took the broken length of chain in his hand and looped it directly around the Yin Fiend’s soul inside the coffin, dragging him out.

“Dead man Chen Qiyue, come with us. Your allotted years among the living have ended. There is nothing left in this world worth your lingering over.”

As he spoke, the short officer pulled the Yin Fiend’s soul forward.

The Yin Fiend, who had been ferocious beyond measure only moments ago, was now dragged along like a meek little lamb.

Yet just before he vanished, he still turned his head and glanced at me.

In his eyes, I seemed to see a trace of hope.

I nodded at him. I would surely fulfill the promise I had made.

But where had Chen Hongyi gone?

So much had happened today, yet she had never shown herself.

It was truly puzzling.

After the ghost officers departed, the pale mist gradually dispersed.

The dark energy above our heads vanished as well, and everything here returned to normal.

Uncle Hu and I carried the coffin away from the ground and restored the place where it had been damaged.

We replaced the well cover and put the surrounding area back in order.

Then Uncle Hu and I prepared to carry the coffin to a suitable place for burial. After all, the person inside had the same name and surname as I did, as well as the same birth date and hour.

Burying him properly might even add a little to my store of hidden virtue.

By the time we had finished, the sky had already begun to darken.

“Uncle Hu, the person in this coffin is connected to me by fate. I want to give him a proper burial. What do you think?”

I bowed toward Uncle Hu as I asked. He nodded, indicating his agreement.

“Qiyue, the person in this coffin shares your destiny. We really should bury him properly. The terrain and feng shui of this Hundred-Grave Hollow are mediocre. It would probably be unlucky to bury him here. Do you have any better ideas?”

Uncle Hu glanced around, his expression grave.

Uncle Hu was right. Hundred-Grave Hollow neither sheltered the wind nor embraced the water.

Burying the dead here would be inauspicious.

“Uncle Hu, let us wait a little longer. Everything happened too suddenly today, and I cannot find a suitable place in such a short time. How about we take the coffin back to the compound? Tomorrow morning, I will go out and find a proper place to bury him. Would that trouble you?”

“Why would it? This is the work we do. I have no objection.”

“It is just that this coffin is so heavy. How are we supposed to get it back?”

Uncle Hu frowned and asked me with a puzzled expression.

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