The chains danced and coiled in midair like a dragon, clanging like metal. It was as though they had forcibly dragged a blurry black shadow out of Cheng Yishi's body, finally merging into the hazy phantom of the mountains behind her. Ripples spread until it vanished without a trace.
"Phew—"
Lin Tianlu exhaled a breath of stale air and closed his eyes in thought.
Now that he carefully examined the Taiyi Immortal Mountain hidden within his body, he saw that atop the originally desolate cliff, a snow-white lotus had suddenly blossomed. Its shy, delicate beauty seemed ready to burst from its bud.
He had never expected the long-silent Taiyi Mountain within him to possess such wondrous abilities.
This elegant white lotus had actually condensed from Cheng Yishi's mind and soul!
"...Mister Lin, why am I... still alive?"
Cheng Yishi's bewildered, helpless voice soon broke the silence.
Lin Tianlu opened his eyes and replied calmly, "You've already walked through the gates of hell. Do you still want to die a second time?"
"I... I'm already dead?"
Cheng Yishi grew even more confused.
"You said that you had spent your entire life in hatred, doing everything only to avenge your mother. Now that your blood feud has been avenged and your ties severed, you were about to become an evil ghost, yet you claimed that your wish had been fulfilled and sought only death."
Lin Tianlu sighed softly. "Have you ever lived for yourself?
"You drowned in blood vengeance and clung to hatred, yet you never even saw the many beautiful things in this world. There are countless magnificent mountains and rivers and wondrous sights of the human realm that you have yet to experience. To bring such a short life to an end here, do you truly—
"Have no regrets at all?"
Cheng Yishi parted her lips, but for a moment, sorrow surfaced on her face, and she was left speechless.
Looking back on her life, it truly was just as this man had said... dark, bleak, and utterly dull.
"Your first half of life as 'Cheng Yishi' ends here."
Lin Tianlu swept his sleeve, turned around, and left with his hands behind his back.
"I'm placing this chance to live in your hands. Don't ever try to take your own life again. As for the weight of this life, spend the second half of it pondering it carefully."
"M-Mister Lin!"
Seeing that he was about to leave, Cheng Yishi hurriedly shouted, "We only met by chance. Why would you go to such lengths to save my life—"
Lin Tianlu paused and glanced back with an easy smile.
"Does saving someone need a reason?
"Those who take their own lives don't all truly wish to die."
He waved his hand, said nothing more, and quietly left the cellar tunnel.
Hua Shuya, who had watched for a long while, solemnly clasped her hands in farewell to Cheng Yishi before following him away.
"..."
Cheng Yishi stood there in a daze for a long time.
She slowly lowered her head and stared blankly at her hands, their color gradually returning.
The bone-deep chill that had once coiled within her had vanished without a trace. The agitation and unease that tormented her every night had disappeared as well.
Her heart was peaceful, more tranquil than ever before, yet memories quietly surfaced of laughing and playing with her birth mother as a child.
After a long silence, Cheng Yishi let her shoulders droop and covered her face as tears streamed down, her expression resembling both a cry and a laugh.
"Mother...
"I truly was... hopelessly foolish..."
The night road was quiet, and only a thin veil of mist remained in the sky.
Everyone in Cheng Manor had long since fallen asleep. With no one standing guard, the two left the manor without the slightest hindrance.
"..."
Hua Shuya stayed close at Lin Tianlu's side and could not help asking, "Senior, why do these ghosts and monsters exist in this world?"
Even though the two ringleaders had been executed, she felt little joy.
The slaughter they had caused could not be undone, and the lives lost could not be restored. Everything that father and daughter had done in secret had already harmed who knew how many living beings and torn apart who knew how many families.
"That is simply how this world is."
"So... those common folk can only be killed for nothing, becoming food for ghosts?"
"Miss Hua, don't be too sorrowful and sentimental. All you and I can do is follow our hearts and draw our blades when we see injustice." Lin Tianlu smiled warmly and gently patted her shoulder.
"There are countless wrongful verdicts and unsolved cases in this world, and wars and conflicts break out year after year. The unjustly dead and those who die with grievances are too numerous to count. If every life required us to grieve over, resolve, and bear its burden, then even if we had three heads and six arms and could transform into countless incarnations, we would still be powerless to turn back the tide."
Hua Shuya took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry for making you worry, Senior. I was just... in a bad mood."
"It's nothing. After witnessing such a tragedy of human relations with your own eyes, no one could remain carefree."
Lin Tianlu's expression turned slightly solemn as he said earnestly, "But Miss Hua, you must remember this firmly: that righteous passion in a martial artist's heart is one of the driving forces behind your progress in the martial path. Even after witnessing more of this world's cruelty and schemes, that innocent heart of yours is the most precious thing of all. Never lose it."
Hua Shuya pondered his words and could not help raising a hand to touch her chest.
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior."
"I wouldn't call it guidance. I simply saw how sorrowful you looked and couldn't help trying to comfort you."
Seeing Lin Tianlu's warm, gentle smile, Hua Shuya hurriedly looked away as if struck by lightning. Her pretty face grew hot, and her heartbeat quickened despite herself.
But after calming down slightly, she still asked in a quiet voice,
"Senior, why... did you spare Miss Cheng?"
"Did you not look reluctant just now?"
"I simply couldn't bear to see a young woman who still possessed a conscience die. But she... ultimately became a ghost."
"You're right."
Lin Tianlu chuckled. "But Miss Cheng's body isn't that of a ghost. Although the yin energy has eroded her and left her neither human nor ghost, she can still return to a human form as long as the yin energy within her is suppressed.
"That's why I gave her a second chance at life. As for what she does in the future, that will be her own choice."
Of course, the Taiyi Mountain hidden within his body had already drawn part of Cheng Yishi's soul away and imprisoned it within the mountain. If she dared use the power of yin energy to run amok and harm others, Lin Tianlu would be able to seize that green lock at the first opportunity and shatter her soul.
Her life and death were entirely in the space of a single thought from him.
But the mysteries of Taiyi Mountain were something he would have to study carefully after returning. Even he had never anticipated this sudden ability.
"Senior, you truly are a great benefactor!"
Hua Shuya nodded in agreement, the corners of her lips lifting. Clearly, she had never considered pursuing total extermination either.
Lin Tianlu soon furrowed his brows and fell into thought.
If he had believed Cheng Yishi's words at the time and killed her, would that count as negligent homicide?
He could not help muttering to himself.
It seemed he still needed to study the laws of this dynasty. He absolutely could not muddle through life and somehow become an outlaw beyond the reach of the law.
As they walked together, they returned to the front of the residence before they knew it.
Yet both of them quickly stopped. Huddled in front of the household gate was a small child. Even though the evening wind had made him shiver violently, he had never left.
"Mister Lin!"
The child naturally spotted their return as well and could not help showing a delighted expression. "You're safe and sound!"
Lin Tianlu was slightly surprised. "You..."
"I heard from some other beggars that Mister Lin seemed to have left in a carriage with Steward Cheng." The child smiled shyly. "I was terribly worried, but I didn't dare go near Steward Cheng's manor without permission... so I could only sit here and wait for you to return."
At this point, he grew excited, yet seemed worried too. "Mister Lin, are there really ghosts haunting Steward Cheng's manor?"
"There were indeed." Lin Tianlu nodded slightly. "But don't spread this around carelessly. Most of the grievances involved are matters within the Cheng Family."
"I-I understand." The child quickly covered his mouth and whispered, "Then you and this older sister weren't injured, were you?"
"Of course not."
Lin Tianlu chuckled and patted his shoulder. "Come inside and sit for a while."
"Huh?" The child stood there blankly for a moment.
"You deserve thirty percent of the credit for resolving this matter. We should at least let you come inside to warm yourself and eat some steamed buns and mantou, shouldn't we?"
"Sir, sir?! That's too much..."
"It's nothing. I'm not bound by many old-fashioned rules."
After they opened the door and returned to the residence, Hua Shuya quickly set down her long sword and went to the kitchen to steam mantou.
The child shrank nervously into a corner, not daring to sit down casually for fear of dirtying the chairs in the household.
Only after the hot mantou had been brought out did he repeatedly bow and offer his thanks. He did not stay a moment longer, instead hugging the mantou and hurriedly apologizing before fleeing.
"That child..."
Hua Shuya watched the petite figure disappear into the darkness and was slightly at a loss for words.
Lin Tianlu gave a derisive chuckle. "He's a good child with a kind heart. He doesn't have much of the street's roughness about him, and he's sincere too."
"He stayed at the gate the entire time because... he was worried about us?"
"He was probably anxious, thinking that we might encounter danger at Cheng Manor. That's why he kept watch in front of the gate."
"To receive such consideration from Senior, he truly is a good child." Hua Shuya pressed her lips together and smiled twice. She instinctively raised a hand to tuck back her hair, only to notice that she was slightly sweaty. Her pretty face flushed, and she said in a low voice, "Senior, I'll go bathe and change first. There's still quite a lot of blood on my sleeves."
"Go ahead. Get some rest early while you're at it and ease your mind."
"Mm."
Before long, only Lin Tianlu remained in the main hall.
He patted his sleeves, rose, and headed out, planning to sit alone in the pavilion in the courtyard for a while. As he recalled the day's events along the way, he could not help sighing inwardly.
But at that moment, he suddenly felt something in his robes tremble. He hurriedly pulled open his collar, only to see the broken jade pendant hidden against his chest shoot out with a whoosh.
Smack—
Then it slammed heavily into the roof.
"..."
Lin Tianlu stared at it in stunned bewilderment.
Had it absorbed too much yin energy and... turned into a skyrocket?
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