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His hands trembled as Li Hong slowly spread his fingers, the Soul Stabilizing Pearl still swirling with Black Light. Carefully, he placed it into his sleeve pocket and sat down dejectedly, unsure why he felt such intense anger.
Lost in thought, he suddenly heard a voice in front of him asking, "Li Hong, what are you thinking about all alone?"
Li Hong looked up abruptly. "Mother—"
Li Zhangshi, dressed in a simple cloth skirt and wearing a patterned headscarf, stood five feet away, looking at Li Hong kindly. The crow's feet at the corners of her eyes seemed so familiar, and her gaze conveyed understanding, her appearance just as it had always been.
Li Hong stared blankly at his mother's familiar and comforting face, having dreamed of it countless times and secretly shed many tears. Even knowing it was an Evil Spirit impersonating her, he still wanted to look for a little longer.
"Li Zhangshi," seeing Li Hong sitting still, she seemed hesitant to approach. With a trembling voice filled with fear, she said, "Li Hong, do you think I'm someone else in disguise? No, it's really me. Mother has come to see you. But now I am not truly alive; I am a ghost... I died but still cannot rest easy about you..."
Tears streamed down her face as she wiped her swollen eyes with her age-spotted hands. The more she wiped, the more tears flowed as she cried out, "Li Hong, I have suffered so much... Ever since I died, you haven't burned even a piece of paper for me or allowed me to be buried with your father. I've become a lonely wandering soul. In the underworld, I truly cannot find peace. I heard you came here; a part of my Wandering Soul couldn't rest easy and came to see you. Only here can I feel at ease seeing my child. My dear child, I am in pain..."
Li Hong's face was wet with tears. After his mother died, he indeed hadn't been able to burn any paper money for her; where could he have found even a scrap of paper? Everything had been burned by the Golden Dog. He clenched his fists in sorrow and murmured, "Mother, I am unfilial..."
"Li Zhangshi" cried out, "Li Hong, the villagers are down there; they died unjustly... Li Hong, you must avenge us and kill those Golden Dogs to take revenge for me and all the deceased villagers! Mother was stabbed in the stomach by several Golden Dog's knives; it still hurts now. Li Hong, look up and see me..."
Her appearance changed; she was no longer the kind and gentle figure. Covered in blood with tattered clothes and several steel knives sticking out of her abdomen, she pointed at her stomach and cried out, "Li Hong, help me pull out the knives; it hurts so much..."
Li Hong's heart shattered as he fell to his knees on the ground. His nails dug into his flesh as blood oozed between his fingers.
"Throw away that pearl and come help me pull out the knives. Good child, I truly can't bear this..." Li Zhangshi cried while pleading.
Li Hong's heart felt like it was being torn apart; still sorrowfully shaking his head, he said, "Mother, please forgive your unfilial son." He stood up and held the Soul Stabilizing Pearl tightly as he walked toward Li Zhangshi.
"Li Zhangshi" shouted in panic, "Li Hong, what are you doing? Don't come closer!" She shouted while retreating.
Unable to bear it any longer, Li Hong closed his eyes; tears flowed endlessly as he steeled himself and swung the Soul Stabilizing Pearl with all his might.
A fist struck empty air. Li Hong opened his eyes, and five feet in front of him, shadows of ghosts flickered everywhere. "Mother" stood amidst a large group of Evil Spirits, filled with resentment as she stared intently at Li Hong, surrounded by the deceased villagers.
Li Shu, Zhang Ershu, Aunt Zhang Er, Aunt Wang, Stone Brother… all the deceased villagers fixed their cold gazes on Li Hong, as if they wished to devour him. The Golden Lantern Flower bushes rustled, and a large group of maimed Vengeful Spirits emerged, led by his elder brother.
Li Wu was clad in battle armor that resembled the Golden Dog outfit, covered in scars from countless blade wounds, with dozens of arrows embedded in him, blood splattered everywhere, and a long, horrifying crimson scar running down his right cheek.
Li Hong was taken aback, forgetting to distinguish between reality and illusion: "Elder brother! Weren't you conscripted? Why are you dressed as a Golden Dog? How could you be here?!"
Li Wu snorted coldly: "I received my retribution for betraying my country and died long ago on the battlefield! Now that I am dead beyond death, why can’t I be here? Little brother, you’ve really made something of yourself. You’ve forgotten all of us after falling into this place of eternal wealth and immortality? You dare to strike your sister-in-law and your mother! Very well, you’re truly impressive now!"
"No, elder brother, that's not sister-in-law; she’s not dead! She’s not mother either; they’re all disguised as Evil Spirits!" Li Hong hurriedly explained, his mind in chaos as his hands trembled. A surge of heat erupted from the Upper Dantian Purple Palace, beginning to run amok. Yet he seemed oblivious.
"Evil Spirits? Indeed, we are all ghosts now, but does becoming a ghost mean you no longer recognize us?!" Li Wu's eyes widened with fury as he took a large step forward. With a loud clang, he opened his armor to reveal a bleeding chest full of arrowheads and growled fiercely: "If you have the guts, throw that pearl at me! I’m not afraid! You’re not worth anything as my brother; I don’t want you anyway! If you dare to strike me down to the point of losing my soul!"
Li Hong's eyes widened in horror as his hands shook uncontrollably. With a splatter sound, he finally couldn’t hold back and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, droplets flying everywhere. His internal energy surged chaotically; he was on the brink of losing control. His hands trembled; he could no longer hold onto the Soul Stabilizing Pearl.
Just as the Soul Stabilizing Pearl was about to roll away, faint singing echoed from somewhere nearby—melancholic yet bold, rising higher and higher until it resonated throughout heaven and earth:
"What is the greatest suffering in this world?
The Empty Mountain Bright Moon fears to see within the Withered Poplar Wasteland.
How can one forget the bond of life and death amidst joy and sorrow?
Countless Heroic Tombs,
Endless tales of love between children."
Once again, the hooves of Chaos trample upon the Palace like brocade;
At the Red Sleeve Tower, the bitter winds and rain weep sorrowfully.
Love is hard to cross, and the heart is difficult to calm,
Unable to let go of the shadow of the Emerald Sleeve Beauty,
Unable to pour out all the passionate blood, hatred hard to dissipate.
Even with the strength of a tyrant lifting a heavy burden,
In the end, there are still few at the banks of Wu River beneath the Rainbow Bridge.
Where does the soul return, and where does the heart find peace?
Radiant Breeze and Clear Moon illuminate the world,
Green mountains bury Loyal Bones everywhere.
Even if there are three feet of tears Under the Sword,
How can one bear to hear the Nation's children wail as orphans?
Boundless Freedom, singing loudly,
In the years of flying immortals, I am proud,
Why suffer in the Long Pavilion and short pavilions without end?
In the mortal world, there are feelings and emotions,
White Hair remains ageless among the three thousand faces.
Let Time flow like a shuttle, watching Azure Sea give rise to green tides.
(From Emotional Crossing)
With only two fingers pinching the Soul Stabilizing Pearl, Li Hong was already in a daze. Upon hearing the last line, "Let Time flow like a shuttle, watching Azure Sea give rise to green tides," a realization dawned upon him.
What does love matter? What does kinship matter? What should be let go must be let go; what one does not wish to abandon should not be abandoned. A man stands tall and firm; as long as he has no regrets in his heart and before heaven and earth, what is there to fear!
The song had ceased, leaving only lingering echoes.
Li Hong closed his eyes and loosened his fingers, allowing the Soul Stabilizing Pearl to roll onto the ground. The Evil Spirit surged forward, engulfing him. Yet, within Li Hong, there was only tranquility.
His chaotic internal energy gradually returned to its path, a cool breeze flowing from the Upper Dantian Purple Palace. Before his tightly shut eyelids appeared the golden characters of the introductory chapter of the Six Spirit Salty Ritual.
In the dark space of the Upper Dantian Purple Palace, a small silver energy sphere slowly began to rotate. The faster it spun, the more its color changed—from silver-red to pink, then to crimson. When its rotation reached a speed akin to a Whirlwind, the entire vortex suddenly turned blood red.
With a loud bang, the blood-red sphere exploded. The entire space of the Upper Dantian Purple Palace transformed into blood red, no longer resembling an empty dark void.
All of Innate Vital Blood surged into the Upper Dantian Purple Palace, causing Li Hong's face to flush bright red, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.
Unbeknownst to him, numerous tiny points of Iridescence appeared around him, seemingly attracted by Li Hong, gathering like birds returning to their nest, enveloping him in a transparent cocoon of vibrant colors.
Li Hong was completely unaware of the external changes; all his focus was within the Upper Dantian Purple Palace. The exploded blood-red space began to compress rapidly under Li Hong's full concentration, shaking violently. A splitting headache ensued, as if a large hole would appear on his forehead at any moment.
At that moment, external Multicolored Light Dots began to seep into his body one by one, flowing along his meridians toward the Upper Dantian Purple Palace. Initially trickling in like a stream, it soon transformed into a great river, speeding up increasingly. Many Multicolored Light Dots surged directly from his forehead and crown chakra into him at an astonishing pace, connecting seamlessly like two slender streams of colorful light in a Whirlwind.
In the Upper Dantian Purple Palace, the blood-red gas was being rapidly compressed by the Iridescence, becoming smaller and more resistant.
Li Hong trembled violently. At that moment, a loud rumble echoed in his mind, and the inner vision of Iridescence burst forth.
A colorful Rainbow Light shot up from the top of Li Hong's head.
Li Hong felt nothing and looked inward again, discovering that the blood-red space of the Upper Dantian Purple Palace had instantly transformed back into a vast dark space. However, this time a small yet brilliantly bright Multicolored Light Sphere appeared in the center of the dark space, sparkling like a gem, slowly rotating in the middle of the space. Upon closer inspection, there was a very fine green dot in the center of the light sphere, which was the Fire Separation Pearl.
Li Hong opened his eyes, and the Iridescence that burst forth from his eyes shot out a foot long before vanishing in an instant.
The Six Spirit Salty Ritual had successfully established its foundation. Li Hong slowly stood up; aside from his slightly brighter eyes, he looked unchanged from before.
He stood up and deeply bowed to the north: "Thank you for your timely assistance, senior."
There was silence on that side, as if that grand and desolate long song was merely a fleeting dream. The Golden Lantern Flower swayed gently with the breeze, its golden light gradually becoming more radiant. The day had already broken.
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