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Chapter 125: The Nature of Good and Evil
Cao Qilong was pulling my arm upward, but the water ghosts below had surprisingly strong strength. No matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't outmatch those ghosts! His face had already changed color, a result of exhausting all his strength.
Seeing his grim expression, I knew he had given it his all. Indeed, it was a miracle that he could still hold on while trying to grab me from the bridge, especially with several ghosts pulling him down from below.
I realized this was truly the end for me, so I forced a smile and said to him, "Brother, let go. This time I'm really done for. Don't waste your strength!"
At this moment, Cao Qilong's veins were bulging as he shouted, "I haven't finished speaking; how can you be done?"
After saying that, he suddenly pulled me with one hand and managed to free the other hand to chant a spell in the air, drawing a "Five Thunder Ghost-Exorcising Talisman," which he then hurled at the water ghosts…
The Five Thunder Ghost-Exorcising Talisman struck the group of lonely souls below me, instantly scattering them. My feet immediately felt lighter as the ghostly hands that had been gripping me vanished.
However, even though the lonely souls no longer held onto me, Cao Qilong had exhausted all his strength. Even if he tried with all his might now, he couldn't pull me up. He was frantic, shouting and crying in despair as he realized his limitations.
Yes, after holding on for so long without letting go, he now had no strength left. The fact that he could still grip me tightly to prevent me from falling into the water was purely sustained by a last burst of willpower!
Seeing him like this made me tear up as well. I said, "Brother, you've done your best. In our next life, we'll still be brothers!"
After saying that, I reached out to forcibly pry open his hand that was gripping my collar because I couldn't bear to see him like this.
Cao Qilong shouted, "No! Please don't do this! I'm begging you!"
I forced a bitter smile and shook my head before continuing to pry his hand away. He had already done everything he could, and now the lonely souls that had been scattered by the talisman were rushing back at us. We had no hope left.
Just as I managed to pry one of Cao Qilong's hands away and was preparing to do the same with the other hand, I suddenly felt another pair of icy hands grabbing my feet. I knew it was the lonely souls coming back to pull me down again.
At that moment, I closed my eyes and exerted all my strength to pry open Cao Qilong's other hand, ready to be dragged down by the lonely soul beneath the water.
But at that moment, the situation suddenly changed. I felt the cold ghostly hands gripping my feet underwater, and instead of pulling me down, they were lifting me up.
I was stunned and thought to myself, what is happening? Could it be that I have divine assistance? Looking down, I saw among a group of water ghosts, a female ghost was pushing the other lost souls aside while desperately trying to lift me up. This person looked very familiar; although her long hair was wet and disheveled, I recognized her eyes immediately—she was Lin Xiaoqi!
At this moment, Cao Qilong on the bridge also noticed Lin Xiaoqi and became excited. He exerted all his strength, working together with the force from below, and suddenly pulled me up.
Once I was pulled onto the bridge, I hurriedly looked down and saw Lin Xiaoqi gazing back at me with tears in her eyes. I quickly reached out my hand, wanting to call her up. But she shook her head and then dove into the yellow river water, never to resurface.
I instantly went crazy, wanting to call out to her but unable to utter a word. I could only sit on the bridge in a daze, staring at the yellow river below. Where did she go? Perhaps she was hiding again?
Cao Qilong patted me on the shoulder and said, "Let's go. She’s gone and won't come back."
Actually, I didn’t need Cao Qilong to remind me; I knew that Lin Xiaoqi had chosen not to speak on purpose to avoid me. Perhaps she didn’t want me to see her current state or maybe there were other reasons...
I shouted loudly into the river, "Xiaoqi, wait for me! When I come back next time, I will definitely bring the Ming Ship to rescue you. Trust me!"
After saying that, I stood up again and continued walking forward.
The huge waves continued crashing against us, and lost souls were still desperately lunging at the Wandering Souls on the bridge. At this point, some ghosts realized we were Yin Yang Masters; some Yin Hun were frightened and begged us to help them cross the bridge. However, we were already struggling to protect ourselves; how could we possibly help them? As the saying goes, good and evil will be rewarded accordingly; crossing this rotten wooden bridge was a punishment they could not escape from. If I didn’t help them, they had no reason to blame me.
With each crashing wave, more Wandering Souls fell into the river. Some Wandering Souls accidentally fell into the water just like I did before when the board broke beneath them, their screams echoing in my ears.
Suddenly, those ghosts behind me saw the huge waves rushing toward me and all retreated in fear, shouting, "So this Yin Yang Master is also an evil person!"
Others shouted, "He must be an evil person who has killed countless people."
"Such an evil person should be dragged into the river to become a water ghost so he can be dealt with..." The voices of various criticisms rang in my ears as if they themselves were virtuous beings. It was truly a case of being unrepentant in death.
Thinking about how Yin Chai had deliberately arranged for us to take this board bridge and how fate had toyed with my life, a surge of anger welled up inside me. I shouted angrily, "Three steps across the Bridge of Helplessness—do you know whether it is good or evil? I Pan Shenbao am full of righteousness; why do you still stir up trouble as I cross? Do you not distinguish between good and evil?"
"Three steps across the Naihe Bridge, know whether you are good or evil." This phrase is a couplet on the Naihe Bridge. The reason I shouted it out is that there is some truth to it. The bridge connects to the divine, to immortals, and to the heavenly realm, but it also connects to ghosts, the underworld, and hell. The bridge serves as a medium that establishes connections or forms transitions between the living and the dead. There is a saying that those with righteous hearts can cross the bridge as if walking on flat ground, while wicked people will trip over hooks and knives as they pass. I shouted the couplet at the Naihe Bridge amidst the crashing waves, questioning the meaning of crossing the bridge and whether there is still any reason left to discuss.
I roared in anger, watching as the towering waves approached closer and closer. My heart sank further; I thought to myself that this world has truly changed—has even the bridge lost its sense of justice?
Just as the giant wave was about to crash into me, only a meter away, something strange happened...
I saw that the wave, which seemed poised to strike us, suddenly stopped. Then, as if it had eyes, it abruptly changed direction and crashed toward the group of Wandering Souls behind us. The wave struck with a foul wind, causing the wooden bridge to shake violently. Instantly, those ghosts behind me were terrified and began to wail; they fell into the water like a string of grasshoppers, never to rise again!
Seeing them swept away by a single wave, I could only smile bitterly and shake my head. When I was attacked by the wave earlier, I wondered if they ever considered that they were truly the wicked ones. Did they think about how they would also be struck by waves? Did they not reflect on why they were crossing this Board bridge in the first place?
I pulled my thoughts back and looked at the wooden bridge before us. It no longer swayed; what was once an iron rope bridge with gaps of one or two meters between each Board was now completely flat and solid.
I realized that my earlier shout had indeed worked; the bridge truly connected with people's hearts. After all, we are kind-hearted individuals filled with righteousness, so this bridge became as easy to walk on as flat ground.
At that moment, I exchanged glances with Cao Qilong and then took a big step forward. Wherever we walked, there was calmness; wherever we went, the Boards would lay flat and complete. As soon as we stepped across, however, the surface of the bridge behind us suddenly became dilapidated again, with fierce winds blowing and towering waves crashing...
Since we were crossing the bridge as if walking on flat ground, we moved particularly quickly. Before long, we had crossed the Naihe Bridge and arrived at its other end.
Turning back to glance at the Naihe Bridge from which I had almost lost my life, it remained a hell for evildoers—a desolate sight. I couldn't help but sigh: "If one does not commit wicked deeds in life, one can cross the golden jade bridge after death; all of this is cause and effect!"
Standing at the head of Naihe Bridge and looking ahead, I saw that the path had transformed into a thoroughfare—a wide road extending forward. Directly ahead was a high platform with three large characters: "Wangxiang Platform," while on the right side of the road stood a city with tall, thick ancient walls inscribed with "Fengdu City."
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