Beginning and End

On the way, Old Hai carefully told us the whole story from beginning to end.

As it turned out, the person at the center of this matter was not Grandma herself, but Zhou Xuan—without a doubt.

The trouble had started two or three years earlier. Zhou Xuan, the apple of the Zhou family's eye and still a newcomer to the world, had once saved a pitiful child by ripping out and destroying the soul of an important disciple and heir of the Maoshan lineage. Though she had acted in secret, that disciple had been far too important. The orthodox Daoist line was enraged, and after investigating again and again, they eventually traced the matter back to Zhou Xuan.

Although the Maoshan disciple had been the one plotting against the child, Zhou Xuan had ultimately won. Thus, the orthodox Aristocratic Clans not only spread rumors that she had slaughtered innocents, but also repeatedly targeted her in various magical duels.

Zhou Xuan was young, yet she had mastered the subtle arts of the Zhou family's ghost-summoning techniques. She was also fiercely opposed to evil, and paid no heed to those orthodox Daoist lineages. In fact, she condemned their conduct at every turn.

So in the days that followed, whether to save people and aid the world or simply to protect herself, whenever someone from the orthodox side dared obstruct her—or even trip her up—she repaid them tit for tat. The heirs and personal disciples of those Aristocratic Clans suffered terrible losses under her spells, and some were even secretly killed.

With that, the conflict fully exploded. Several extremely powerful old monsters from the Daoist line went to the Zhou family and applied unrelenting pressure, even threatening the family head. They said that if he did not hand her over, it would be hard to say how the Zhou family's descendants might die in the future.

The Zhou family could not possibly stand against several orthodox Daoist clans. The family head backed down and intended to hand Zhou Xuan over.

Zhou Xuan's parents were from a collateral branch, so they clashed with the family head. They also informed Zhou Xuan and urged her to flee the world, warning her never to appear within the orthodox side's sight again.

Old Hai did not know where Zhou Xuan had fled afterward. He only knew that she had indeed escaped and remained hidden for a very long time.

At that point, I finally connected this with Zhou Xuan and Zhang Yidan's marriage. That wedding had taken place during this period. It seemed Zhou Xuan had fled to Grandma's place to avoid disaster, while also hoping to settle down and build a life.

According to Zhang Yidan, he had not known that Zhou Xuan was a member of the Zhou family, much less that she possessed such formidable techniques.

Yet even after changing her name and hiding in a remote mountain village like Little Yi Village, the orthodox side had ultimately found its way to her through another method. They cast a strange curse on Zhou Xuan's parents, who had been expelled from the Zhou family. I heard the curse was extremely powerful. It would not kill them right away, but it could leave them mentally deranged at every moment, making them howl like ghosts in the middle of the night.

I did not know how Zhou Xuan had received the news, but later, in order to save her parents, she really decided to return to her family home. The moment she went back, she fell into the trap laid by the Daoist clans. I heard that, like her parents, she died a horrific death. Even after she died, her body was made into someone else's Blood Corpse, to be driven and toyed with.

When I finished listening, my face had gone deathly pale. I desperately maintained a calm expression, but shock and fury surged from my heart like a spring gushing forth.

"Wuwu... Don't the police care about this?" Yu Xiaoxue began to cry, tears pattering down as she wiped them away while walking.

"The Daoist clans claim to be orthodox, but they act with sinister cruelty. Would they ever openly admit to the things they do behind people's backs? Some matters can only be learned through special channels by old fellows like us. To outsiders, even if the Daoist people had driven someone mad, it would merely look like the person had suffered a fit of hysteria and been sent to a psychiatric hospital.

"Besides, Zhou Xuan vanished without a trace, neither alive nor dead. Where would anyone even begin investigating? This isn't like stabbing someone—white blade in, red blade out—where the police can arrest the culprit and pass judgment. This time, a person was secretly killed alive." Seeing Yu Xiaoxue cry even harder, Old Hai could only sigh.

He turned his head and watched my expression change. How could he not know that I was suppressing fury on the verge of exploding? He immediately continued, "The orthodox side captured Zhou Xuan. If they had simply destroyed her soul, that would have been the end of it.

"But who could have known? Several disciples of one of those families had died at Zhou Xuan's hands, including the family's own son. They refused to let it go. They insisted on torturing Zhou Xuan until she was neither human nor ghost. And then what happened? Zhou Xuan's soul refused to dissipate and endured endless torment, unexpectedly drawing out the Zhou family's old matriarch, whose whereabouts had originally been unknown. Who was the old matriarch? She was Zhou Ying—the renowned, vengeance-sworn Zhou Old Devil."

"Heh, actually, this was a debt of karma. If the Zhou family's old matriarch had still been guarding the family, those Daoist clans might have feared her reputation and not dared go so far. They might not even have dared demand her release! But who could have expected the old matriarch to vanish without a trace during the Cultural Revolution? After hearing nothing from her for so many years, the Daoist clans assumed Zhou Ying had long since died. That was why they acted with such wild arrogance."

"After the old matriarch discovered that her granddaughter had died, she flew into a thunderous rage and stormed the Yang family, one of the Daoist clans. In that battle, the Yang family's ancestor fled in blind panic, and more than half the Yang family inexplicably lost their souls. Not only that, the old matriarch even declared that she would give her life if necessary to wipe out the Daoist clans' lineage. In that battle, the Daoist clans' strength was nearly scattered by her alone.

"However, the matter was far from over. The Daoist clans were unwilling to accept defeat, so they challenged the old matriarch to a duel. I don't know where they went to gather so many powerful helpers, but there were well over a hundred of them. They laid a Hongmen banquet outside the old town and openly declared that they were inviting Zhou Old Devil to attend alone.

"My old companion told me that the battle was truly one that turned heaven and earth dark with slaughter. The old matriarch wore her unique ghost mask and even summoned a Ghost King. The Daoist clans and their assembled experts also suffered countless casualties. Just when they were about to collapse, a reclusive master from the Maoshan branch of orthodox Daoism emerged from who knew where. Perhaps he had a grudge against the old matriarch already. He paid half his lifespan as the price to invoke a secret art I had never even heard of—the Blood Cloud Coffin—and sealed away part of the old matriarch's soul. But the old matriarch was terrifyingly powerful. Not only did she escape without a scratch, she also snatched back her granddaughter Zhou Xuan's Walking Corpse and fled the Hongmen banquet."

Old Hai told us these strange events as though he were narrating a story. Zhao He's face flushed red as he listened, cursing the Daoist clans for their treachery.

Zhao Qian had tears in her eyes. While sighing over the death of her peer Zhou Xuan, she was also awed by Zhou Old Devil's heroic spirit.

Yu Xiaoxue had gotten along best with Grandma and Zhou Xuan's sister-in-law. Her grief was no less than mine. I could tell she was deeply sentimental, because her tears never stopped.

"I know what you're thinking, too. But small fry like us, with our scraps of esoteric knowledge, are nothing but scattered sand before those orthodox Daoist clans. Even if we have some reputation, an individual's influence only reaches little places like counties, cities, or towns. To deal with the orthodox Daoist lineages once they join forces, it's practically impossible. Only someone like Zhou Xian—Old Matriarch Zhou—who inherited the Heaven-defying lineage of ghost cultivation, would have the standing to challenge the Daoist line alone."

"What happened afterward? What did those people who claim to be the orthodox heart of the Daoist line do to Senior Zhou Xian? And where did the Blood Cloud Coffin go?" Zhao He hurriedly asked. He no longer seemed particularly fond of orthodox Daoist teachings.

"Afterward, they carried the Blood Cloud Coffin to the dead town, where yin energy was heaviest, and sealed it away. As for Old Matriarch Zhou, her corpse was probably summoned back along with the Blood Cloud Coffin." Old Hai shook his head again, a trace of unwillingness showing in his eyes.

"What exactly is the Blood Cloud Coffin? If we break it open, will Grandma be all right?" Hoping there was still some way to turn things around, I asked with the last shred of hope.

"Heh, impossible. One of my old friends specializes in making coffins, and he knows about these powerful ancient relics. The Blood Cloud Coffin is immensely formidable. Once someone's soul is sealed inside it, even if they are a thousand miles away, after death they will return to the coffin on their own. And the coffin is rumored to be alive, though my old companion couldn't make heads or tails of its exact form.

"In short, when the Blood Coffin opens, run as far away as you can. Even if the Blood Cloud Coffin were placed right in front of you, there would be nothing you could do about it. Besides possessing all the abilities of the person inside, it can also command the nearby wandering souls and evil ghosts to attack anyone who approaches. Back then, several of us old fossils heard about Senior Zhou Old Devil and felt that she was a model for small sects and stray practitioners like us. We overestimated ourselves and went to see whether we could save her before the Blood Cloud Coffin took effect. But what happened in the end?

"We never even saw the Blood Cloud Coffin, and instead lost both the chicken and the rice. Several people died, and I alone escaped the dead town through an abandoned path. Now that the Blood Cloud Coffin's main body has returned to its proper place, no one can possibly break it. Do you really think you could defeat Zhou Old Devil alone? And the countless vengeful ghosts who died unjustly in that dead town?"

Old Hai sighed repeatedly and patted my shoulder. "That is why they felt safe leaving the Blood Cloud Coffin in the dead town. This Blood Cloud Coffin... cannot be broken."

His words finally let me understand the whole chain of events. It seemed Old Hai had not been the one who killed Grandma; he had even wanted to save her. This misunderstanding had truly grown enormous. Embarrassed, I said, "Old Hai, if you hadn't explained everything, I would almost have thought you were the one who killed Grandma. I'm truly sorry."

"Concern throws the mind into chaos. Besides, you're still young, and the timing and circumstances of so many things were far too coincidental. The misunderstanding was only natural, so don't dwell on it." Old Hai had no airs at all. He showed me the same concern an elder would show a junior.

Thinking of how Grandma's remains had been sealed inside the dead town along with the Blood Cloud Coffin, I burned with fury. After being apart for so long, our reunion had become a final farewell. Even in death, she had not found peace; she had been sealed away in the dead town.

I had been barely clinging to life since the day I was born, and everything that had allowed me to live until now was thanks to Grandma. So no matter how difficult it was, I would break open the Blood Cloud Coffin.

As for everyone involved in her death, I would send them to hell one by one, household by household, even if it meant becoming stained with karma that could never be washed clean.

This grudge... I had taken it too far to ever let go!