Chapter 67: This Seat's Heart Aches

The City God Temple marked the limits of Chu Xun's magical powers. While its steps were still protected by the barrier, the temple itself could no longer be enveloped within it.

Inside the temple, the lights flickered dimly.

A dozen ghosts who had regained their corporeal forms stood on either side. A woman dressed in red was bound and facing away from everyone, looking up at the deity statue enshrined on the altar.

Beside her, Xiaoman stood with his eyes lowered, holding a young child in his grasp.

Chu Xun cried out, "Lan-er!"

This child was none other than Chu Xun's son, Chu Lan. Mo Ran's heart tightened as the memory of the half-moon cake lingered on his tongue. Seeing the young master restrained, he wanted to step forward, but Chu Wanning stopped him.

"Don't go," Chu Wanning said.

"Why not? !"

Chu Wanning glanced at him and whispered softly, "They're all people who died two hundred years ago. Now that this illusion has become reality, I fear you might get hurt."

"..." Mo Ran only then recalled that it was indeed so. No matter what he did, the dead were still dead, and nothing could change that.

The young master screamed outside the barrier, his words muddled: "Father! Father, save me! Save Lan-er!"

Chu Xun's lips trembled as he sternly addressed Xiaoman, "What are you doing? I've never wronged you. Release him!"

But Xiaoman seemed deaf to his words, his face lowered as if he hadn't heard a thing. However, the hesitation in his heart was evident through his tightly gripping hands on Chu Lan. A black mole adorned the fleshy part of his left hand, and blue veins bulged on the back of his hand, trembling uncontrollably.

By now, the citizens who had gathered at the Governor's mansion for refuge had also rushed over. Upon witnessing the scene inside the temple, they were both shocked and enraged, murmuring among themselves:

"That's the young master's son..."

"How could this happen..."

Xiaoman sliced down with his knife, freeing the red-clothed woman from her binds. The woman regained her senses and slowly turned her head. She was exquisitely beautiful, like a lotus in a pond, with a graceful neck and handsome features. Her face was as pale as paper, but her lips were as red as blood. Her smile directed at Chu Xun was more eerie than enchanting.

The ethereal candlelight illuminated her expressive face. In that moment, both Chu Xun and some of the older people in the crowd behind him froze.

There was a tinge of sorrow in the woman's smile as she softly spoke, "My husband."

Mo Ran: "!!"

Chu Wanning: "..."

This woman was none other than Chu Xun's late wife!

With her gaze flowing like a rippling brook, Lady Chu attempted to take her son from Xiaoman's arms. Xiaoman initially resisted, but as a ghost, she possessed far greater strength than him after breaking free from constraints. With just a little effort, she managed to take the child away. Unfortunately, she had succumbed to an epidemic before the child was even a month old, so the young master had never seen his mother and continued to cry, calling out for his father and asking Chu Xun to save him.

"Good child, don't cry. Mother will take you to find your father."

With arms as slender as autumn reeds, Lady Chu scooped up the child and carried him out of the temple, stepping down the rain-soaked stone steps, all the way to the Upper Clear Boundary barrier. She stood before Chu Xun, her expression a mix of joy, sorrow, grief, and happiness.

"Husband, it's been so many years since we last met. Have... Have you been well?"

Chu Xun was unable to utter a single word. His hanging fingertips trembled, and his phoenix-like eyes, gazing at the woman beyond the barrier, gradually reddened.

In a soft voice, Lady Chu said, "Lan'er has grown so much, and you've become more composed. You're different from how I remembered you. ...Let me have a good look at you."

As she spoke, she reached out her hand and placed it against the boundary, but as a ghost, she couldn't cross it. Instead, she silently watched the person on the other side through the shimmering barrier.

With his eyes closed, Chu Xun's eyelashes were already wet with tears.

He raised his hand as well, placing it against Lady Chu's palm through the barrier. Reopening his eyes, the two gazed at each other, as if time had reversed to yesterday.

Chu Xun choked out, "My lady..."

Their family had been separated by the divide between life and death for many years, with the days they spent together countable on one's fingers.

"Did the peach blossom tree I planted beside the courtyard survive?"

Through his smile, Chu Xun's eyes shimmered with tears, "They've all grown tall and strong, providing ample shade."

Lady Chu seemed pleased, her voice gentle, "That's wonderful."

Chu Xun forced a smile, saying, "Lan-er loved that peach blossom tree. In spring, he would always play beneath its branches. He adored peach blossoms just like you, every...every Qingming Festival..." His voice cracked as he spoke, pressing his forehead against the edge of the barrier. Tears continuously rolled down his cheeks, his sobs uncontrollable, "Every Qingming Festival, he would pick the most beautiful flower to place at your grave. Wan-er, Wan-er, did you see? Every...every year, did you see?"

In the end, his sobs shattered, his words bleeding with sorrow. He wept bitterly, his demeanor of a gentleman long gone.

Lady Chu's eyes reddened too, but as a ghost, she could not shed tears. However, the sorrow etched on her face tugged at the heartstrings of those who witnessed it.

For a moment, silence fell upon the area as no one dared to speak, all silently observing the scene before them. Some could be heard softly weeping.

But then, a chilling and icy voice echoed through the air.

"She certainly does know, but very soon, she won't anymore."

Mo Ran's face paled. "It's the Ghost King!"

Chu Wanning was equally grim. "A despicable coward, hiding and not daring to show yourself!"

The Ghost King laughed in a hissing tone, like sharp nails scraping against a pot's bottom, sending shivers down everyone's spines.

"Ling Wan'er is now of my Ghost Clan. Originally, I had no intention of harming her, but since you dared to oppose me and destroy one of my eyes, I'll rip out your heart and liver, making your pain surpass mine!"

As the words faded, more than ten ghosts in the temple began to chant incantations in unison.

"The heart of humanity is long dead, past memories erased—"

Madam Chu abruptly widened her eyes and trembled as she cried, "My lord, Lan-er, take Lan-er!!"

"A mortal heart has withered, and memories of the past have vanished—"

"Lan'er! Quickly! Go to your father!"

Madam Chu pushed her child, attempting to pass him through the barrier, but the young master was like a ghost, blocked by that thin film and unable to return.

Xiaoman stood before the temple railings, looking down at them with a mix of sorrow and satisfaction. His once handsome face was now twisted nearly beyond recognition.

"It's useless. As per the Ghost King's order, I marked him with a ghostly seal. He can't enter the Upper Clear Barrier, not even a step."

The chanting behind him rose and fell like tidal waves: "A mortal heart has perished, and wisdom is lost—"

"Husband!!" Madam Chu was panic-stricken. She clutched her child and pounded on the barrier. "Husband, remove the barrier, please take it down so Lan'er can enter. Protect him, protect him—I'm... I'm almost... I..."

"A mortal heart has died, compassion fades away—"

"Husband—!!!"

Madam Chu fell to her knees, her eyes wide with terror, her body trembling. Crimson curse marks slowly crept up her face. "Child... Lan'er... You promised me you would take care of him... Please, I beg you... Remove it... Husband!!"

Chu Xun's heart was utterly shattered. He raised his hand several times, ready to cast a spell, but ultimately let them fall back down.

Outside, Chu Lan wailed in tears, looking up with a tear-streaked face as he stretched out his small hands, crying, "Father, are you... abandoning Lan-er...? Father, hold Lan-er... Daddy, hug me..."

Madam Chu held him tightly, kissing her child's cheeks. The mother knelt while the son cried, both imploring Chu Xun to open the Upper Clearing Barrier and let the child through.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted, "Young Master! You can't do this! If you remove the barrier, the remaining hundreds of citizens in Lin'an will die too — it's a scheme from the Realm of Ghosts! Young Master, please don't remove it!"

"Yes, you can't take down the barrier!" The desire for survival compelled one commoner after another to kneel before Chu Xun, their voices filled with despair. "Young Master, please, don't take it down! If you do, we'll all die!"

"Madam, please..." Some even knelt before Madam Chu. "Madam, you're merciful and compassionate. We'll be eternally grateful if you stop the young master from removing the barrier. Please, have mercy and save us from our plight. I beg of you..."

In an instant, apart from the Governor's guards and a few civilians who didn't kneel, the rest wailed in unison, their cries overpowering the pleadings of Madam Chu and the young master outside the barrier.

Chu Xun felt as if standing on a razor's edge, pierced by thousands of sharp blades that lacerated his organs and crushed his vital parts.

His wife and son were in front of him, and a hundred lives hung behind him.

In this torment, he seemed to have already died, consumed by flames until his bones turned to ash.

Yet, the eerie incantations persisted, growing ever more shrill.

"Humanity in my heart is long dead, emotions utterly extinguished—"

"Humanity in my heart is long lost, desires utterly vanished—"

More and more runes appeared on Madam Chu's face, crawling up from her fair neck to nearly cover her entire visage, even seeping into her eyes.

She seemed unable to utter a coherent sound, her throat constricted. She could only gaze despairingly at her husband, muttering brokenly.

"If you... I... will... hate you... You... for Lan'er... I hate... I..."

The curse pattern seeped into her eyes, causing her frail body to tremble violently as if she was in unbearable pain. She shut her eyes tightly.

"I HATE!!!"

A sudden shrill scream echoed, the tail end of it morphing into a beast-like howl!

Madam Chu abruptly opened her eyes, revealing a bloodthirsty glint. Her once delicate apricot-shaped eyes now bore four pupils, crowded closely together, pushing out all the whites of her eyes.

"Wan'er!"

Chu Xun was overwhelmed with grief, momentarily forgetting that the Upper Clearing Barrier could only be activated with the caster standing within it. All he wanted was to be reunited with his beloved wife. However, just as he was about to step out of the barrier, an arrow pierced through the air with a sharp whiz, striking his shoulder and halting his reaching hand.

It was a young man from the Governor's residence, still holding the pose of drawing his bow.

The youth, with his helmet fluttering, sternly addressed Chu Xun, "Young Master! Wake up! You've always taught us that the way of the righteous puts others first and oneself last. Were all your words empty promises? Now that the situation concerns you, are you willing to sacrifice a hundred lives for the sake of one person's life?"

Beside the young man, an elderly woman trembled as she spoke, "Y-you must put down your bow. How can you hurt Young Master? Everything, everything is a choice made by Young Master. He has already shown the utmost kindness. H-how can you... You are ungrateful!"

Yet, before the dispute could escalate, a sudden cry of terror echoed from ahead.

Madame Chu had descended into an utter frenzy. She who had once held her child with such tender love now behaved no differently from a wild beast. She howled at the sky, saliva dripping from her mouth as her teeth elongated abruptly.

Cry as he might, Chu Lan's voice had turned hoarse within her embrace. Through his sobs and choked sobs, he managed to call out intermittently, "Mother..."

In response, Madame Chu's blood-red claws pierced straight through his throat!

And in that moment, all sound seemed to vanish from heaven and earth.

Blooms of blood floated petal by petal.

It was as if that year, when the flowering crabapple trees blossomed, Lady Chu held her newborn child, standing by the window as she gazed at the fragrant flowers in the courtyard, their deep red petals scattering gently.

Gently swaying her child in her arms, she softly sang, "Crimson crabapples, golden crabapples, how gracefully they sway with the wind's blow. A distant child echoes in harmony, tugging at thoughts of father and mother."

Crimson crabapples... Golden crabapples...

Her tender touch that once caressed Chu Lan's hand now tore through his skull, limbs, and flesh.

How gracefully they sway with the wind's blow.

Heavy rain poured down, mixing with flowing blood, as the mother devoured her child's intestines.

A distant child echoes in harmony.

The City God Temple's pavilion stood grandly with its eaves, adorned with solemn treasures, embodying boundless compassion.

That year, when the infant was born, Mother knelt before the City God Pavilion. With her warm, slender, and pure white hands clasped together, the sound of bells rang, birds scattered, and incense smoke filled the air as she bowed, praying for her child's longevity, health, and a peaceful life, wishing for a hundred years of serenity...

With thoughts weighed down by his parents' wellbeing.

His flesh torn asunder, Chu Lan's heart was ripped out, greedily devoured by Lady Chu. Fresh blood trickled down the corners of her mouth.

"AHHHHHHHHH!!!" Chu Xun finally broke down. He knelt on the ground, clutching his head and repeatedly banging it against the earth, blood streaming down. He wailed with a shattered soul, kneeling in the rain, in the blood, before his wife and child, before the citizens of Lin'an City. He knelt before the divine statue, in the mire.

He knelt amidst sin, amidst purity.

Kneeling in gratitude, yet in hatred.

Bowed down to the dust, his very soul was torn asunder, utterly extinguished.

In shared sorrow with the eternal dust.

After an extended period, someone mustered the courage to speak, their voice trembling.

"Milord..."

"Milord, please restrain your grief..."

"Your kindness, Young Master Chu, is immeasurable and shall never be forgotten..."

"Young Master Chu embodies righteousness! Truly, he is a noble soul...!"

Someone embraced their child tightly, covering the child's eyes to shield them from the gruesome sight. Only now did they dare to relax their grip, their face pale as they spoke to Chu Xun, "Young Master, you saved our lives. Our lady and young master will surely...ascend to paradise..."

Another person spat in disdain, "Scram away with your child! Why don't you ascend to paradise with your offspring?!"

The person retreated timidly.

The quarrels seemed so distant, as if they were coming from across a vast ocean of the past. Chu Xun felt as if he had already passed away. Listening to their voices felt like hearing echoes from a bygone era.

In the midst of the torrential rain, the man was covered in filth. A translucent membrane separated him eternally from his wife and child, a haunting scene of bared bones and tears streaming down. Mo Ran gazed at this sight and suddenly recalled his past life. Had his indiscriminate killing back then given birth to not just one Chu Xun, not just one Chu Lan, not just one Lady Chu...?

He suddenly lowered his head to look at his own hands.

In a fleeting moment, it was as if I saw blood stained all over my hands.

Yet, in the blink of an eye, I realized it was still icy raindrops falling into my palm, collecting into a stream.

He trembled slightly.

But in the next moment, his hand was grasped.

It was as if he had abruptly awoken from a nightmare. He turned his gaze to see his junior apprentice brother looking at him with concern. That child's appearance was so similar to the deceased Chu Lan.

Mo Ran slowly knelt down, leveling himself with him. Like a sinner seeking forgiveness before a soul returned, he gazed at Chu Wanning with eyes brimming with rain and tears.

Chu Wanning didn't speak. Instead, he lifted his small, tender hand and stroked Mo Ran's head.

"It's all in the past," Chu Wanning whispered. "It's all memories now."

"Yes," Mo Ran replied after a long while, forcing a bitter smile. He lowered his eyelids and murmured, "All in the past."

Yet, even if they were just memories, they were still actions he had committed. Though he hadn't killed Chu Lan, how many others like Chu Lan had perished because of him?

The more Mo Ran thought, the more horrified and pained he became.

Why had he been so ruthless... Why had he been so stubborn...