The Spirit Tablet

"I'm burning paper money for you; today is your 47th day memorial service..."

Hong San's expression remained extremely horrified; his lips trembled, and his face was deathly pale. It was too damn terrifying. With the eyesight and intuition of a martial artist, he was certain that Kang De had truly appeared out of thin air and overturned the offering table. This was burning paper money, not summoning a spirit. How could someone who was already dead suddenly come back to life?

He said in a trembling voice, "My lord, is there any wish you haven't fulfilled, or anything you lack? Tell me in a dream, and I'll take care of it for you immediately. Why trouble yourself to come here in person? Humans and ghosts are different..."

Kang De glared and said, "Bullshit! What nonsense are you spouting? Tell me, what did you do? Stop playing dumb with me!"

Hong San was almost in tears. He was naturally weak-willed, and Kang De was someone he had served. He was born shorter than Kang De, and he knew what this man had done—the huge Glittering Sand was wiped out by him all by himself. The ruthlessness and bloodthirstiness of his methods made him shudder just thinking about it.

After sneaking out of the Glittering Sand Manor that day, he didn't immediately flee, but hid nearby. That night, he saw a terrifying mushroom cloud rise from the manor, just like a drought demon circling around there. It was truly frightening—if he hadn't escaped then, his fate would have been unimaginable.

So he's very scared now.

The return of ghosts to the human world is terrifying enough, but it's especially frightening when such ruthless people, with their extreme bloodlust and deep hatred, inevitably transform into malevolent spirits after death, making them ten or even a hundred times more terrifying.

Could it be that he thinks I'm a fish that slipped through the net, and he's going to come and take my life?

Thinking of this, Hong San wanted to slap himself.

Damn it, offering incense and prayers every day, burning paper money and making offerings every seven days—it's like constantly teasing this old man who's having a good time in the underworld. "Grandpa, do you remember me? I'm Hong San! Hey, I ran away, but I didn't die at your hands. You're dead, but I'm still alive. Not only that, I can still burn paper money and offer incense for you. How wonderful! What would you like to eat today?"

So the old man, unable to bear it any longer, came up and started slashing at him...

Hong San was filled with remorse and fear. He immediately prostrated himself on the ground and kowtowed, "Sir, please forgive me this time. Considering that I have been offering incense and praying devoutly every day these past few days, and besides, Glittering Sand's matter has nothing to do with me. I even reminded you beforehand. I hope our merits and demerits can be offset..."

Seeing this, Kang De frowned, deep in thought. He pointed his gun at Hong San and looked down at the things he had crushed. The ground was a mess, a wooden table was broken into pieces, and various dishes were scattered all over the floor, including sausages, bread, roast chicken, and a large pig's head.

Amidst the chaos, a wooden memorial tablet lay.

Kang De looked closely and saw the inscription. "The memorial tablet of Mr. Goth, the son-in-law of Goethe."

"..."

With a snap, the memorial tablet was shattered by Kang De's foot, startling Hong San. This was all too surreal; he didn't come back on the seventh day after death, but he came back on the forty-ninth day and even stomped on his own memorial tablet.

He had never seen anything like this in his entire life.

Upon seeing the memorial tablet, Kang De was almost convinced that Hong San was indeed burning paper money for him. But that wasn't important. What mattered was that he should have returned to the valley the way he came, so how could he...?

As he looked around, he said, "You..."

He had barely uttered a single word when his eyes narrowed.

Because he discovered something in the broken altar room.

To be precise, it's something placed on a plate.

Kang De stared intently, then his expression changed drastically, and he demanded sharply, "Where did you obtain this?"

Hong San was startled and looked up to see Kang De pointing to something on the ground. He glanced at it and then timidly said, "It's... it was given to me by Princess Tina..."

"Shit."

Kang De said coldly, "Who do you think you are? Why would she give you the Crimson Scroll?"

There's no mistake, the thing placed on the table is the Crimson Scroll obtained from the mysterious rift in the Holy Seal Archipelago... something that those elven soldiers were willing to sacrifice their lives and dignity to give to humanity.

Evidence regarding the Veil Invasion.

It concerns the safety and future of the entire world.

Tina said she would take this item back to the mainland as evidence to inform the various races of the mainland of the signs of the Veil's renewed invasion, and use this to incite international public opinion to force the Elves to stop the war.

Unfortunately, all of these plans were shattered in the crimson of Glittering Sand.

That night, Samuel arrogantly pointed out Tina's naiveté and childishness, because the so-called scrolls and Black Beast were ultimately just signs, not facts. The Veil creatures had not launched a large-scale invasion, nor had they committed countless massacres or destroyed nations and races. Things hadn't reached the point of imminent danger, so how could the various countries of the continent, who were attacking and scheming for their own interests, easily unite?

These words must have had a profound impact on Tina's mindset, shaking and upsetting her completely.

But no matter what, it wasn't enough of a reason for her to throw the scroll at Hong San...

"That's true, how could a lowly person dare to lie?"

In his desperation, Hong San swore an oath and confessed everything, spilling the beans. "Since the destruction of Glittering Sand, I've had nowhere to go and have been wandering around every day. After several days, I felt that things had settled down, so I decided to return to Glimmering Sand Castle. After all, I had saved up some money, and if I retrieve it, it will at least serve as capital..."

He sighed, "I waited for several days, thinking that Master Kang had left and wouldn't make things difficult for me. Unexpectedly, I ran into Princess Goth, who had returned, and that horrible woman..."

According to his confession, Hong San secretly went back to get the money, but happened to run into Princess Tina who was returning from digging up a grave. Before he could get close, he was just spying from a distance when he was discovered by the powerful and incredibly perceptive Sword Saint Cascading Snow, who slashed at him from a distance and almost killed him.

Fortunately, the princess recognized him.

"Her Highness spared my life, but assigned me a task."

Hong San said, "She said that I had served you before, so she ordered me, Cathayan, to do one last thing for you, and then she handed this scroll to me."

"The princess said she had more important things to do, and then instructed me to travel in disguise from the south along the land route into Goth territory, directly to the capital, and then deliver this scroll to the Archduke of Goth. She also gave me a letter as proof, and said that you would be buried in the Taidariel Family cemetery..."

Kang De frowned upon hearing this, still disbelieving. "Why would such an important matter be entrusted to you?"

Hong San shook his head vigorously, like a rattle-drum. "This humble servant doesn't know either..."

He continued, "Furthermore, Her Highness the Princess also said that if I hear any news on my journey that she has been assassinated or captured, or that Goth's capital has been captured, then I need not go. I should find a secluded and deserted place, erect a tombstone for you, bury this scroll in the grave as your keepsake, and then my mission will be accomplished..."

If Goth were to die, would the Crimson Scroll be buried on the spot?

Upon hearing this, Kang De was deeply shaken.

This means the secrets of the Holy Seal Archipelago will vanish from the world; the sacrifice of the elves and the Veil Invasion will never be known to the world again... Thus, the races of the continent will be unprepared, and one day, when the Veil is lifted and natural disasters strike, the entire world will likely be plunged into chaos and destruction...

But Tina... doesn't seem to care anymore.

Yes, the country is gone, who cares about that kind of thing?

Kang De vaguely understood Tina's feelings.

That's why she entrusted such an important Crimson Scroll to Hong San, a complete stranger and someone she couldn't even trust. She didn't care whether he would keep his promise, whether he would lose the Hong San, or even whether Hong San.

After experiencing betrayal and separation from loved ones, after her homeland was embroiled in conspiracies and schemes, after witnessing the darkness and sorrow of this world, and after deciding to step forward and make one last crazy gamble for Goth, it is not surprising that she made such a choice.

It's practically the biggest black humor in the world.

If she were to die, if Goth were to perish, then the fate of the world would be in the hands of a less-than-reliable, less-than-honest and courageous servant of Cathay... Who could have imagined this?

What a wicked and twisted sense of humor this is! Such a huge joke.

Kang De sighed silently.

This incident clearly shows that Tina's mental state... is very abnormal.

Indeed, after the Glittering Sand Incident, Kang De went mad, and Tina was probably not much different, as the princess had also lost hope... Kang De eventually returned to his homeland and found peace, but Tina did not find redemption; her homeland was still engulfed in the flames of war.

He said coldly, "Get up."

Hong San's face lit up with joy, and he asked cautiously, "Sir, you're not going to kill me?"

Kang De shouted, "I'll just leave your dog's head on for now... I didn't realize, Hong San, you're not so bad. You kept your promise and showed some consideration, knowing to offer incense regularly. I really appreciate you."

At this point, his tone softened.

His experience in Glittering Sand Town was enough to change his life forever.

This made him, a somewhat naive and naive young man, much more profound and mature.

When he gave alms to the little beggar, Hong San stood by and disagreed, saying that the beggar was talking nonsense and that his claim of repaying the debt was not credible.

Kang De didn't take it seriously at the time, but what happened later proved everything... It was this guy who kept talking about being a lackey who reminded him to be careful in the castle. Later, Tina spared his life and made him do things, which he kept his promise. She even knew to burn paper money and offer incense to him, who was "already dead."

By any measure, he has far more conscience than those people.

Just then, Hong San whispered, "Master, when are you leaving?"

--This guy thinks I'm a vengeful ghost reincarnated.

Kang De's mind raced, and his playful spirit was piqued. He said coldly, "I'm not leaving this time. This place is so much fun, much more interesting than over there. What, you think...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Hong San pounced on Kang De's feet like a tiger, grabbed his leg, and shouted, "Master, this is wonderful! It's wonderful that we don't have to go back! Please, considering how filial I've been these past few days, and how much I've done for you, have mercy and take me with you..."

"I really don't want to be some kind of mountain lord..."

￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥

PS1: First update, 3000 words... Surprising, isn't it!