Chapter 402

Chapter 402

◎Dispelling Resentment◎

As long as it didn’t involve catching ghosts, Xia Junyan handled all the rote tasks exceptionally well.

By the time he had everything prepared and the right time for the summoning came, Tang Huaying had also woken up.

She couldn’t remember sleeping this well since graduation. The moment she closed her eyes, she was out, with no dreams, just pure deep sleep. She woke up refreshed, her body feeling lighter, as if she’d shed a couple of pounds.

Hearing from Yu Yingqiu that the Taoist had calming incense, Tang Huaying decided she wanted to buy some. A thousand a gram? Big deal? Only those who suffered from insomnia and nightmares understood how precious good sleep truly was.

After a full, restful sleep, her mood was light. Things that had previously felt overwhelmingly frustrating now seemed trivial, even though they hadn’t been resolved yet. Relaxed, she leaned against her best friend, watching Xia Junyan do what looked like a shamanic dance—wait, no, a spirit summoning.

Incense, candles, paper money, and summoning banners—whether real or imagined, the room seemed to grow colder as Xia Junyan began chanting scriptures they couldn’t understand. Tang Huaying instinctively checked her phone to see if the smart heating system was malfunctioning, but it was operating normally.

Yu Yingqiu edged closer to Tang Huaying, clutching a pillow. Tang Huaying leaned in too.

Just then, the rising incense smoke suddenly veered. The smoke from two burning sticks slowly formed a circle. Then a chill swept through, and a misty silhouette materialized in the room.

Tang Huaying rubbed her eyes and whispered, “Is there someone there, or are my eyes playing tricks?”

Yu Yingqiu replied, “There is someone. I see her too.”

The room was filled with ritual smoke, so they didn’t need the Heaven's Eye Charm to see the lingering ghost that had been called forth.

Gradually, the apparition solidified, no longer just a shadow. A woman in a traditional horse-face skirt appeared before them.

Xiao Ye quietly asked Ji Nanxing, “How come I can see her too?”

Ji Nanxing answered, “The smoke manifests the spirit. No charm is needed.”

Though incense that manifested spirits was even more expensive than the Heaven's Eye Charm. Xia Junyan was cash-poor but well-equipped.

With the spirit successfully summoned, Xia Junyan let out a relieved sigh. Good, good—ghost-catching wasn’t his forte, but his summoning skills were still intact.

Ji Nanxing lit another stick of incense, and as the smoke drifted toward the spirit, she slowly opened her eyes.

Suddenly transported elsewhere, Xue Suqin remained calm. She first glanced at the people in the room, then surveyed her surroundings. The place felt faintly familiar, and after a moment, she realized—this was where she had first departed.

Ji Nanxing spoke to her, “Did you kill Tang Qi, Liu Guang, and Wang Fu?”

Xue Suqin blinked. “I did kill three people, but I don’t know if they’re the ones you mentioned.”

Tang Huaying and Yu Yingqiu instinctively leaned back. This stunning ghost nonchalantly admitted to killing three people—it was downright chilling.

Xia Junyan asked, “Why did you kill them?”

Xue Suqin smiled. “Because they deserved it.”

A laughing ghost chilled them more than a wailing one. Aside from the unshakably calm Xiao Ye, the two ordinary people in the room wished they could vanish on the spot, afraid they’d be collateral damage if things turned violent.

Xia Junyan pressed, “You killed Liu Guang and Wang Fu for their affair. But why Tang Qi?”

Xue Suqin raised a hand as if to adjust her hair, only to realize it was loose. She lowered her hand again. “A concubine’s son. Just like his mother—restless, ungrateful. A wolf you could never tame. He deserved to die.”

If only she could have reached the place where the concubine was kept, or found the man who had favored his mistress over his wife—she would have killed them all.

Xue Suqin’s voice was soft, her expression far from ferocious, but the hatred radiating from her was impossible to ignore.

Here is the revised translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

Her attire and demeanor clearly showed she wasn't from their time, and her words—"a concubine's son"—were even more outdated. The two girls exchanged glances, realizing they were looking at an ancient beauty. And what a beauty she was—not just in looks, but in an otherworldly elegance that defied description.

People are visual creatures, and since Xue Suqin had remained perfectly still since appearing, speaking with restrained anger yet maintaining her dignified poise, the girls found their fear gradually fading.

Ji Nanxing asked, "How did you die?"

The two friends, who had just relaxed, immediately tensed again. Was this appropriate to ask? Everyone knew you shouldn't ask ghosts how they died—it could make even the gentlest spirit go berserk.

Xue Suqin didn't rage. She simply lowered her gaze, her delicate eyebrows knitting together in an expression mingling sorrow, resentment, and regret.

When she remained silent, Ji Nanxing didn't press. "The living and dead belong to separate worlds. You shouldn't remain here. We need to guide you to the afterlife—where you belong."

Xue Suqin asked softly, "Where I belong? And where is that?"

Xia Junyan replied, "Certainly not here. You've killed three people. As Taoist priests, we can't let you roam free. We have to send you on."

Xue Suqin gave a hollow, mirthless laugh as she looked at them. "This wide world has no place for a woman to rest. I only killed those who deserved it, yet still the world rejects me."

Ji Nanxing said, "The paths of yin and yang weren't meant to cross."

Her eyes fell on the white jade hairpin on the table. Xue Suqin picked it up, tracing its familiar patterns with tender fingers, her gaze distant with memory. "In all my years, my happiest times were as a child. My mother found fine jade and had a bridal hair set made for me. Now only this pin remains."

Her fingers lingered on the intricate designs. "Men have the whole world—it showers them with every privilege. They roam freely, chase their dreams, while women are trapped behind walls, puppets to their every whim."

She raised her eyes. "Even after centuries dead, I'm still not free—still being judged by you."

Ji Nanxing smiled faintly. "You were educated—not like uneducated women back then. You know society has its laws. Your era was unfair to women, and even now I can't say we've achieved full equality. But you know what you've done. No society would let you keep killing."

Xue Suqin knew this well. Whether her victims deserved it or not, life and death weren't hers to decide. If everyone took such vengeance, chaos would reign. She only regretted not seeing more of this world, or striking down one more faithless man before leaving.

Each faithless man gone meant one fewer broken-hearted woman.

Meeting Ji Nanxing's gaze, she finally answered his question. "I am Xue Suqin of Hezhou's Xue clan. My father was Vice Minister of Revenue. I married his student, Liu Hantang of Taizhou's Liu family. A mere scholar, he rose quickly through my father's influence, reaching the fifth rank before age thirty—everyone called him a prodigy. Our marriage seemed happy: he served the state while I managed the household and bore his children. I never failed in my duties to anyone."

A bitter smile touched her lips. "I thought we'd grow old together. Instead, I burned to death in the very temple where I'd prayed daily for his success, our parents' health, our children's obedience. My husband barred the door. My own son set the flames."

Her voice shook. "He laughed in another woman's arms. My son called another woman 'Mother.' Only then I learned their scheme—to use my family's status, steal my dowry. They'd swapped my baby at birth with his mistress's child. For over a decade I was deceived. When my father died with no heir, they showed their true faces."

What hurt most wasn't her husband's betrayal, but the child she'd loved. That tiny baby she'd raised herself, never trusting to others. She'd hired the best tutors, found renowned mentors, taken him often to her family home—using her father's connections to broaden his horizons.

She'd thought she raised a gentleman. But how could one born from poisoned roots ever grow straight?

She died swearing never again to be a wife, never again to be caged, never again to take a man's name before her own.

How cruel this world was to women! Their talents equaled any man's, yet they lived obedient to father, then husband, then son—never themselves.

The world was vast, yet women's chambers, seemingly safe, were just gilded cages—a life never truly lived.

Xue Suqin gave a slight bow. "I have no regrets, though I know I acted from hatred, not reason. Still...I wonder what became of them after my death?"

Xiao Ye consulted his notes. "Executed. The family was disgraced—men exiled, women made courtesans. Liu Hantang's son Liu Weixuan bought a post as county magistrate. Later he stole funds meant for bridge repairs. The resulting flood destroyed crops and lives. Liu Weixuan was executed. Liu Hantang died in exile."

They'd been minor figures—only remembered for the disaster they caused.

Xue Suqin laughed—a sound of bitter triumph. Retribution. This was what became of a concubine's son—a curse upon his whole family.

Cheaters never prosper. Xue Suqin had been a ghost born from resentment, her deathbed hatred so strong it clung to her treasured hairpin. Now, after wandering so long and learning her enemies' fates, even if bitterness remained, she began letting go of the living world.

Ji Nanxing set up an incense tower for her, while Xia Junyan recited the passing-on chant. It burned all night before Xue Suqin's resentment was finally sent away.

Tang Huaying asked curiously, "This is resentment, not a soul. Will she dissipate after being sent away?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head. "No. It's both resentment and a fragment of her spirit. In the future, it will undergo reincarnation and cultivation. Once it develops the three hun and seven po again, it can be reborn as a human."

Yu Yingqiu asked, "Then what can we do for her?"

Though the resentful spirit had killed people—those cheating spouses they didn’t know and wouldn’t judge—Tang Qi was somewhat innocent. But selfishly speaking, Sister Ghost did all this to seek justice for her friend.

Moreover, she had suffered so much in life—betrayed by her lover, betrayed by the child she raised with her own hands. Even after all that, she still retained some rationality, not descending into madness and hating everyone. It was truly remarkable. If there was anything they could do to help, they wanted to do it.

Ji Nanxing said, "If you want, you can go to Yuchun Temple and light an eternal lamp for her. I’ll write a talisman for you later—just attach it to the lamp."

He didn’t know Xue Suqin’s birth details. Even historical records likely wouldn’t list a woman from the inner quarters. But knowing her name and imprinting the residual aura onto the talisman would ensure that the blessings of the eternal lamp would reach her, even after reincarnation.

The two girls nodded. Looking at the brightening sky outside, they stretched, working out the stiffness from sitting all night. The ritual was done, the dawn had come, and the matter was finally over.

Leaving the Tang residence, Xia Junyan yawned as he followed Ji Nanxing toward their parked car, muttering, "Total rip-off. Such a scam."

Ji Nanxing chuckled. "They offered you payment, but you were the one who said you’d only charge for the materials. Flat broke but still playing the big spender."

Xia Junyan sighed. "They’re regulars at my talisman shop. Consider it after-sales service—I couldn’t just demand a fortune. Hey, by the way, do you need any talismans? Rent’s due next month, and I’m screwed."

Xiao Ye unzipped his small bag, pulled out a stack of various talismans, and flared them into a fan with a thumb flick.

Xia Junyan moaned dramatically—looks like he’d have to find more jobs, or he wouldn’t even make rent!