If You Do a Good Deed, See It Through to the End

"Retract!"

With a sharp command from Chen Ye, the Ten Thousand Soul Banner fell into his grasp.

A light shake of the long banner was enough to hear the intermittent, miserable screams of the monk Ku'e echoing from within.

The wails of ten thousand ghosts emanated from the banner, intermingled with shrill, mournful cries, leaving Chen Ye unable to distinguish who exactly was suffering.

On the other banner, the human face of Mo Ci transformed into streaks of ink, reminding Chen Ye: "If you let these vengeful spirits have their revenge, they won't be fierce enough anymore."

Seeing the trembling white banner, Chen Ye laughed: "Master, when did you learn this trick?"

Previously, Mo Ci still had to use the white banner to roll up a charcoal pencil to write; now, he could manifest text directly.

"I just figured it out. Don't interrupt me. To you, this Ten Thousand Soul Banner is a top-tier magical treasure. If you truly let these vengeful spirits fulfill their wishes and dissipate on their own, half the value of this treasure will be ruined."

Chen Ye reassured him: "Master, please rest assured. I will keep this Old Devil alive until I have emptied out everything he knows. As for the other vengeful spirits, you can't expect me to suppress them and deny them their revenge, can you?"

"Why not? You aren't the one who killed them. That is not how the Ten Thousand Soul Banner is used. You must torment them fiercely to cultivate their malevolent energy. When you release them, you use spells to mislead them, making them see everyone as their enemy—only then will you have the power of ten thousand ghosts devouring men. Once you let them torture that monk, their malice will dissipate quickly."

Mo Ci shook with rage, and the manifested text even began to claw and glower.

Do not be fooled by the fact that the Ten Thousand Soul Banner is a common item; this particular one was a masterpiece. Whether in terms of materials or refining techniques, it was of the highest caliber. If it were to lose most of its power due to Chen Ye's womanly kindness, it would be a true pity.

Chen Ye, however, did not care, laughing: "Master, how are you doing your math? I might as well use this banner to trade for a few more sword talismans from Miss Su."

"You really think those sword talismans are ordinary spirit talismans? A sword talisman of that power was likely a life-saving treasure gifted by Su Chunyi's sect elders. This young girl certainly couldn't have refined it herself."

This line of text from Mo Ci surprised Chen Ye. His time spent cultivating was short and his level low; his ability to appraise treasures was indeed no match for Mo Ci, an Old Devil who had lived for hundreds of years.

If this were true, then the favor he owed was far too great, and Chen Ye felt a bit embarrassed.

However, owing a large favor might not be a bad thing. Reciprocity is the foundation of friendship, and Chen Ye had already promised Su Chunyi to investigate the troublesome matter of the young boys and girls. The deeper this karmic tie, the better.

Chen Ye said to Mo Ci: "In life and in work, the greatest taboo is to be a weathercock, swaying from side to side. Master, if you help someone, you should see it through to the end. If we are to cooperate with Miss Su, then we must not expose the nature of a devil halfway through."

The white banner remained silent for a long time, with no new text appearing.

Mo Ci knew that Chen Ye's words made sense. Reflecting on his own life, he had made this mistake more than once. When doing evil, he wasn't ruthless enough and failed to pull up the weeds by the roots; when doing good, he was greedy, always thinking about taking advantage of others.

The result was that after several hundred years, his cultivation had stalled at the Tongxuan Realm, and he hadn't even made a single friend he could talk to in his entire life.

Chen Ye had better talent than him and a firmer will; he would surely go much further than he ever did.

"Fine, consider it yourself."

The white banner fell silent, and no more text appeared.

Chen Ye did not disturb him and continued with his own work. First, he had to wipe away all traces of the battlefield to prevent Su Chunyi from discovering Mo Ci's existence upon her return.

After cleaning up the battlefield, Chen Ye re-counted his spoils.

He stored all the medicinal pills away. Although most were harmful, there were two bottles of pills for cultivation and healing that he could use soon.

He retrieved the Ksitigarbha Vow Sutra that had been blown away; it remained completely undamaged despite taking that strike from the Vajra Pestle. Unfortunately, this treasure could not be refined. If he could turn it into a protective artifact, it would be a hundred times more powerful than the Ten Thousand Soul Banner.

Besides that, there was the golden Buddha that had been split open, though it had now turned into a grey-black metal. He didn't know what material it was, but he figured it might be of some use, so he set it aside for now.

If he could dig out everything that Old Devil had learned, then this adventure would truly be a massive profit.

Chen Ye muttered to himself: "Indeed, a horse cannot grow fat without night grass, and a man cannot get rich without a windfall. No wonder everyone wants to be a devil; killing people and seizing treasures is so profitable. If I had to rely on my own accumulation, wouldn't it take a hundred years?"

Humming a local tune happily, Chen Ye began digging holes again, preparing to rebury the remains.

He continued to slowly perform the art of transportation, digging one hole after another, placing the remains inside, and filling them with soil.

Chen Ye was in no rush. Now that his sea of qi had condensed, meditation was of little significance, and since his spiritual energy was flowing continuously, performing such minor spells was not difficult.

"I'll just treat it as practicing my spells."

Chen Ye muttered to himself. He dug from sunrise until noon, and although he was drenched in sweat, he had only managed to bury half of the bodies.

After most of the day had passed, just as Chen Ye was busy and drenched in sweat, a streak of sword light suddenly descended from the sky. It was Su Chunyi.

However, Chen Ye was buried in his work, and his ears had not yet recovered, so he did not hear the sound of the sword energy flying.

It was not until Su Chunyi walked up to him that Chen Ye said in surprise: "Miss Su? How did you return so quickly?"

When Su Chunyi had chased after the monk Ku'e, it had taken several days. The monk's soul had only just entered the Ten Thousand Soul Banner a short while ago, so how had Su Chunyi managed to return so soon?

Su Chunyi explained: "I found that devil, but unfortunately, I only managed to slay his physical body; his soul escaped. Fearing that you were in danger, I rushed back. However, it seems I arrived late."

Su Chunyi spoke simply, but the spiritual energy in her body was nearly exhausted, and it was difficult for her to even stand steady.

That strike to kill the monk Ku'e had been her all-out effort. Su Chunyi had already consumed eighty percent of her spiritual energy, and after discovering that the monk's soul had escaped, she had thought of the various life-saving methods of the demonic sects, as well as the purpose of that corpse pit.

Worried for Chen Ye, Su Chunyi had returned on her sword without stopping to recover.

Chen Ye pointed to his ears and explained: "Miss Su, my eardrums were injured, so I cannot hear very clearly."

Hearing Chen Ye say this, Su Chunyi noticed the traces of blood remaining by his ears. She quickly took out a medicine bottle, poured out a pale cyan pill, and handed it to Chen Ye.

Chen Ye did not ask any questions and popped the pill into his mouth.

This unknown pill melted upon contact, transforming into countless streams of pure energy that surged into his limbs and bones.

At this moment, Su Chunyi grabbed Chen Ye's hand.

The young girl's hand was not soft or boneless; on the contrary, it was exceptionally strong, her slender fingers gripping Chen Ye firmly as if she feared he might break free.

Just as Chen Ye revealed a look of confusion, a stream of pure spiritual energy was sent from the palm of Su Chunyi. Chen Ye felt a warmth in his palm, and that spiritual energy merged with the power of the medicinal pill, surging toward his ears.

Chen Ye felt a slight itch in both ears, and within a few short moments, the buzzing, chaotic noise vanished entirely; his ruptured eardrums had been healed with such ease.

Using his own methods, it would have taken at least half a month to recover; the medicinal pills of these great sects were truly formidable. No, it wasn't just the pill that was impressive, but also the spiritual energy Su Chunyi had channeled, which could precisely mobilize the full medicinal effect to treat Chen Ye's ears.

If Su Chunyi hadn't intervened, it likely would have taken another hour or two to completely repair the damage to his ears.

Chen Ye released Su Chunyi's hand and said gratefully, "Thank you."

Su Chunyi smiled slightly and replied, "It is a mere trifle, not worth mentioning." However, after speaking, Su Chunyi glanced at the ghastly Ten Thousand Soul Banner nearby, then said to Chen Ye, "I imagine you have encountered many dangers, sir. Regarding the whereabouts of that fiend and the secrets within this pit, could I trouble you to enlighten me?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye felt no ripples in his heart.

If he had listened to Mo Ci earlier and treated the Ten Thousand Soul Banner as his own possession, cruelly torturing the vengeful spirits within, he would be unable to clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

But now, Chen Ye picked up the Ten Thousand Soul Banner and said confidently to Su Chunyi, "Miss Su, I only know of that fiend's attempt to seize a body and be reborn. As for the evil deeds he committed before, why don't we ask these victimized vengeful spirits ourselves?"