Li Ying suddenly had a realization. This place was so strange that she had forgotten these people had died in the third month of the twentieth year of Taichang. At that time, the new policies had not yet been implemented, and the imperial examination system had not been established. It was impossible to see someone “morning in fields, evening in imperial halls.” No matter how intelligent Li’er was, his birth had already determined his fate at that time.
But if Li’er had lived until the following year, when the new policies were implemented, he would have had hope to change his fate. Unfortunately, his life was destined to forever stop at the age of six.
Cui Xun asked again: “When the immortal comes, does he leave any sacred objects?”
“Yes,” Li’er’s father said. “Each time, he gives us a bowl of sacred water. Drinking it cures any illness. It’s very effective.”
Having overseen criminal cases for three years, when Cui Xun heard this, he had a general understanding. He bowed to Li’er’s parents: “Since the immortal isn’t coming recently, we won’t wait any longer. It’s getting late, and we need to continue our journey. Until we meet again.”
Li’er’s parents nodded with smiles. Li’er, who was playing in the field, saw that Cui Xun and Li Ying were leaving and hurriedly ran over: “Are Brother and Sister leaving?”
Though a ghost, Li’er still retained his childish nature. When reluctant to part, he pouted and looked glum. Cui Xun looked at him and smiled slightly: “Yes, we’ll see you next time.”
After Cui Xun and Li Ying left the fields, Cui Xun recalled what the innkeeper had said. That morning, the innkeeper had mentioned that from Taoyuan Town to Gongzhou City would take seven or eight days, but if they could cross Wanhe Mountain, the time could be shortened to just one day. Niujia Village was on the necessary path to Wanhe Mountain. So Cui Xun headed in the direction of Wanhe Mountain, but the closer they got, the thicker the fog became. Eventually, they could barely see their hands in front of their faces. Only with Li Ying’s ghost fire were they able to barely make it through the dense fog.
Once out of the fog, they discovered they had returned to their starting point. It seemed this fog was some kind of formation, and not an easy one to break through.
With no choice, Cui Xun and Li Ying could only retrace their steps, first returning to the village entrance to decide what to do next. As they walked back, they encountered many villagers, all of exception were ghosts. When Cui Xun stepped out of the village, he frowned again, looking back at the densely packed graves before pressing his lips together and leaving.
The Kangju horse they had tied to the tree was now lying on the grass, asleep. Cui Xun and Li Ying sat on the ground. Although it was summer, the evening breeze was still somewhat chilly, especially from the direction of the Ghost Village. The wind blowing from there was bone-chillingly cold. Li Ying wanted to get the fox fur from the baggage on the Kangju horse to wrap around Cui Xun, but he stopped her: “No need.”
Li Ying asked with concern: “Aren’t you cold?”
Especially with such a severe cold condition.
Cui Xun shook his head. Li Ying didn’t quite believe him, so she reached for his hand. Indeed, Cui Xun stiffened slightly. Li Ying looked up, somewhat annoyed, and gripped more tightly. Cui Xun immediately didn’t dare move at all. Fortunately, Li Ying didn’t intend to quarrel with him today. She felt his hand, which was indeed very warm. Li Ying said, “Didn’t you miss tonight’s medicine? How is your hand so warm?”
In contrast, she had just come out of the Ghost Village, and her hands were ice cold.
Cui Xun vaguely replied: “It’s nothing.”
Li Ying wondered how his cold condition had suddenly improved after leaving Chang’an. But then she thought, perhaps as Cui Xun had said, grain by grain makes a tower. He had been taking medicine for several months, and it had finally taken effect. So she smiled brightly: “Well, I’m glad you’re better.”
She was genuinely happy for him. Perhaps because her joy was so pure, Cui Xun slightly lowered his gaze, not daring to look at her. He paused, then changed the subject: “I think I know why Li’er and the others died.”
“Why?”
In Cui Xun’s mind, everything slowly connected into a single thread, from the graves they had seen to the words of Li’er’s parents. After considering for a moment, he said: “It must be the Immortal Master Li’er mentioned. Thirty years ago, he enticed them to drink ‘sacred water’ laced with deadly poison, causing the 220 people of Niujia Village to die suddenly in one night. Afterward, that Immortal Master used an extremely vicious formation, setting it on the graves to trap their souls, making them believe they were still in the world of the living.”
Li Ying was shocked: “So that’s why they think it’s daytime whenever it’s night, and they only come out at night?”
Cui Xun nodded. Li Ying asked: “Why would the Immortal Master do this? Why kill 200 farmers? What benefit would this bring him?”
Cui Xun thought for a moment, then said: “If I’m not mistaken, it’s a life-extension method.”
“Life extension?”
Cui Xun nodded: “I previously handled a case where the people in Prince Qi’s fief accused him of wanton killing. Upon investigation, the accusation proved true. Prince Qi had contracted a serious illness. To prolong his life, he listened to a sorcerer’s advice and captured innocent people to kill, intending to transfer their remaining years to himself. The Niujia Village incident is very similar to Prince Qi’s case. The farmers of Niujia Village could barely feed or clothe themselves. What benefit would there be in killing them? Unless they possessed something valuable. And what could that be, to make the Immortal Master harbor such evil intentions? Beyond their remaining years of life, I can’t think of a second explanation.”
Li Ying listened with a racing heart: “Yes, no wonder I felt so uncomfortable approaching those graves. The graves must have been set with a prohibition against ghosts. And with their souls trapped, the Book of Life and Death in the underworld certainly wouldn’t record their death year. The remaining years of their lives could then be transferred through the Immortal Master’s methods.”
She immediately felt great sympathy for Li’er and the others. Not only had they died inexplicably, but their souls were also forever trapped in Niujia Village. They believed doing good deeds would lead to a better rebirth in the next life, not knowing they didn’t even have the chance to be reborn.
Li Ying felt saddened and asked Cui Xun, “Seventeenth Young Master, is there a way to save them?”
“Since that Immortal Master wants to use the lives of the Niujia Village people, he probably hasn’t gone far. If we find him, we can save Li’er and the others.”
“Then let’s go find…”
Li Ying’s words caught in her throat. She stared at her toes, her fingers slowly gripping her skirt: “Seventeenth Young Master, I know you’re in a hurry to reach Lingnan, because the hope for clearing the Tianwei Army’s name lies in this journey. If we go to find that Immortal Master, perhaps it will delay your trip to Lingnan…”
She trailed off, not knowing how to continue. She knew how much Cui Xun had suffered for the sake of clearing the Tianwei Army’s name. In the process, he had transformed himself into an evil ghost on the path of asuras. His heart had gradually grown cold and unfeeling. If he chose to go to Lingnan now instead of saving Li’er and the others, she wouldn’t be surprised.
But Cui Xun suddenly said: “Let’s go find that Immortal Master.”
Li Ying looked up in surprise. Cui Xun said, “It won’t cause a delay.”
Li Ying gazed steadily at Cui Xun, then suddenly smiled like a blooming flower and nodded firmly: “Good.”