Chapter Thirty-One: The Cycle of Cause and Effect

“What!?”
Everyone was dumbfounded. Liang Lingzhi asked, “How could there be someone down there!? And not just one, but three!?”
Wan Tianze was lost in thought. “The three of them looked about seventy, hair wild and tangled, clothes in tatters. At that moment, my mind went blank; my first instinct was to flee, to run for my life! But I didn’t get far before they stopped me. I truly believed I was doomed.”
Zhengzheng listened, palms sweating, breath growing rapid. “What happened next?”
Wan Tianze smiled faintly, relief flooding his face. “No one could have expected it. They stopped me not to kill, but to ask for help, to free them from torment. It seemed they saw me as their last lifeline.”
Nianxue was startled. “Torment? What kind of torment?”
Wan Tianze took a sip of tea and explained, “I was terrified, sat for a long time before regaining my composure. According to them, they were trapped here because they lost a magical duel with a villain. When I asked how long they’d been confined, they asked what year and day it was.”
Ye Dong raised an eyebrow. “The more you say, the stranger it sounds.”
Wan Tianze gave a bitter smile. “Exactly. I told them it was 1993, but they refused to believe me.”
The group exchanged confused looks, not quite understanding Wan Tianze’s words.
Ye Dong whispered, “So how long have they been trapped?”
Wan Tianze sighed. “You may not believe it, but the year they were imprisoned was 1912. All three were exactly fifty years old then.”
The others looked at one another, clearly skeptical, their eyes full of doubt.
Ye Dong murmured, “Fifty-year-olds, with the faces of seventy? From 1912 to 1993—that’s 81 years! If you add that to fifty, they’d be 131 years old! Unless—”
Liang Lingzhi asked, “Unless what?”
Ye Dong gazed into Wan Tianze’s eyes and whispered, “Uncle Wan, did you see three ghosts? Spirits trapped for eighty-one years?”
Wan Tianze smiled with satisfaction, gently patting Ye Dong’s shoulder. “I knew you were clever! Yes, just as you said, all three were ghosts.”
Everyone was struck with shock. “What!? Ghosts!?”
Nianxue asked, “Were they trapped by the Soul-Binding Immortality spell?”
Night was falling, the lights inside glowed, but darkness still seeped in, making the atmosphere ever more eerie.
Wan Tianze pressed his lips together, breathing deeply through his nose. “According to them, when they lost the duel, they used magic to protect their vital essence, thinking they could escape death. Yet, in the end, they couldn’t avoid their fate. The most terrifying thing was, they were completely unaware of their own death.”
Ye Dong was puzzled. “How could they not know?”
Wan Tianze explained, “Because they fell into the suffering of ‘Life’s Torment,’ specifically the agony of ‘Chaotic Lostness.’”
Nianxue pondered, “So they only endured the pain of ‘Chaotic Lostness’?”
Wan Tianze gave a bitter chuckle. “Yes. Their vital essence was likely shielded by magic. In this endless prison, they wandered in confusion, repeating the same days for over eighty years. Even now, remembering it chills me to the bone.”
Everyone present showed fear, goosebumps rising on their skin.

Zhengzheng rubbed her hands and asked, “Did you help them?”
Wan Tianze gently stroked Zhengzheng’s soft hair. “They promised that if I helped them escape, they would grant me an unlimited wish.”
Xiaobao’s eyes sparkled. “Any wish at all? What did Uncle Wan ask for?”
Dachun chimed in, “So they’re like Aladdin’s lamp? You could have risen to the top in an instant!”
Wan Tianze smiled warmly, gazing at Zhengzheng with affection. “I told them, I don’t want gold or endless life. I only want a child.”
Everyone was stunned, all eyes turning to Zhengzheng.
Zhengzheng stared at Wan Tianze in disbelief. “Me!? You gave up the chance to soar for my sake!?”
Wan Tianze replied kindly, “Perhaps you don’t know—you were born prematurely. The doctor said your chances of survival were very small.”
Ye Dong and the others instantly understood. Faced with the temptation to have anything, Wan Tianze resolutely chose Zhengzheng.
“Papa!”
Zhengzheng’s eyes reddened, tears falling uncontrollably.
Wan Tianze looked at the family photo on the wall. “Luckily, I made that wish. Your mother and I found so much joy because of you.”
Zhengzheng hugged Wan Tianze’s arm tightly, sobbing. “I…”
Wan Tianze comforted her. “Daughters are always treasured.”
Nianxue patted Zhengzheng’s hand. “Silly girl, this is when you should smile.”
Looking at her father, Zhengzheng said apologetically, “Dad, I…”
Wan Tianze nodded, stopping her. “Let me finish the story first. Our father-daughter talk can wait until we’re home.”
Zhengzheng smiled through tears. “So what happened next?”
Wan Tianze’s expression grew solemn. “The three knew well the power of the Soul-Binding Immortality spell. To escape the agony of ‘Chaotic Lostness,’ they risked everything. Using all their magical skill, they taught me to set up the ‘Four-Four Grand Array.’ To ensure the formation worked, one of them sacrificed his soul, ending in total annihilation.”
Liang Lingzhi murmured, “Their bond must have been deep.”
Wan Tianze agreed. “Once the formation succeeded, the souls of the two remaining ghosts merged with mine. I endured terrible pain as I swam through the ‘Yin-Yang Ice-Fire Water,’ separated by the gate beneath the water, finally escaping the torment.”
Nianxue pondered, “Being possessed by ghosts is painful enough, let alone by two evil spirits. Uncle Wan truly risked his life for Zhengzheng. It’s admirable.”
Ye Dong asked, “What is the ‘Yin-Yang Ice-Fire Water’?”
Nianxue explained, “It’s an extremely complex array involving water. Supposedly, it’s created with four-fifths cold water and one-fifth boiling water, each sealed separately. If I’m not mistaken, there’s a hot spring beneath the water, right?”
Wan Tianze gave Nianxue a thumbs-up. “Correct. The hot spring provides the boiling water; the rest is supplied by the pond behind the old well.”
Ye Dong was amazed. “The proportions must be incredibly precise!”

Wan Tianze sighed. “If that evil sorcerer dared use the Soul-Binding Immortality formation to guard his tomb, he’s no ordinary man.”
Liang Lingzhi asked, “That water formation must be difficult to manage?”
Wan Tianze nodded. “According to those two, if a ghost passes directly through the Yin-Yang Ice-Fire formation, they’ll suffer repeatedly in the eighth level, ‘Ice Mountain Hell,’ and the ninth, ‘Boiling Oil Hell.’ It’s true hell, the pain unimaginable.”
Everyone rubbed their arms. Ye Dong nodded. “So after escaping the torment, they had to use your body to pass through the ‘Yin-Yang Ice-Fire Water.’”
He asked, “What happened after that?”
Wan Tianze gave a bitter smile. “Afterwards, my body, burdened with two century-old ghosts, collapsed once I left the old well. I was unconscious for two days and nights, seriously ill. When I awoke, my wife told me Zhengzheng had survived the danger, her life finally saved.”
Zhengzheng was overwhelmed. “What happened to the remaining two souls?”
Wan Tianze shook his head. “I truly don’t know. They vanished without a word, probably reincarnated.”
Dachun sighed. “Good deeds bring good fortune, I suppose. Did you get the paintings from the stone chamber?”
Wan Tianze smiled slightly. “Sadly, I couldn’t retrieve any treasures from inside. My dreams of getting rich from antiques were dashed.”
He held Zhengzheng’s hand and smiled. “But once she was safe, I finally felt at ease. To give your mother and you a good life, I worked hard, accumulated some capital and connections, started a transport business, and after years of effort, expanded internationally. With wealth, I took control of the orphanage. Following the instructions of the priest who left years ago, the orphanage grounds remain untouched.”
Ye Dong admired him. “He’s so humble—years of hard work summed up in one sentence.”
Nianxue poured Wan Tianze another cup of tea. “Uncle Wan, what happened next?”
Wan Tianze gazed at the painting on the wall, recalling, “Just a year ago, soon after the orphanage accident, I bought this painting at an auction for ten million yuan.”
Everyone looked at the painting, puzzled. “Is it related?”
Wan Tianze nodded, troubled. “Yes, and very much so. I remember clearly—this painting once hung in the stone chamber of the ancient tomb! I even considered taking it then!”
Ye Dong’s eyes widened in shock. “That means, apart from Uncle Wan, someone entered the tomb in the following twenty-two years!”
Wan Tianze nodded vigorously. “Yes, that’s my guess too.”
The group fell silent, each pondering the connection.
Nianxue clenched her fingers. “Could the tomb robbers have accidentally triggered the Soul-Binding Immortality formation, causing Huahua’s untimely death?”
Wan Tianze shook his head with a bitter smile. “No. To investigate, I invited an old priest to perform rituals. When we risked our lives to visit the stone chamber, we discovered the thieves didn’t trigger the formation by accident—they did it deliberately.”
Ye Dong clenched his fist. “So, Huahua was murdered!?”