Chapter Forty-Two: Beyond One’s Control

Facing the relentless wailing of Huahua, Chen Yao spoke in a deep voice, “If you persist in your delusions, you will become a murderer.”

Zilong also tried to persuade her, “Huahua, calm down. If my master meant you harm, why would he have tried to reason with you just now? Don’t let the evil thoughts in your heart consume your true nature!”

“Evil thoughts? Ha! Ha ha!”

Huahua threw back her head, eyes closed, and laughed bitterly. “If your family died before your eyes, would you be free of evil thoughts?”

Chen Yao sighed, feeling a pang in his heart. “Another aggrieved soul…”

“We can talk things through,” he said gently. “Let go of Miaomiao’s body for now. If anything happens to her, is that truly what you wish to see?” He flicked his fingers in the air, pointing at Huahua from afar. “Binding spell, release!”

Huahua hadn’t expected Chen Yao to undo her restraints so easily and was taken aback. “You Daoist charlatan, don’t feign kindness! If you want to seize Miaomiao’s body, you’re deluding yourself!”

Zilong shouted, “With my master’s power, forcing you out of Miaomiao’s body would be a trivial matter! Why are you being so obstinate?”

A sudden pain stabbed through Huahua’s heart, and she cursed angrily, “We were only kind, yet we were harmed by the wicked!”

Chen Yao sighed, “I cultivate the Dao to uphold heavenly justice. Tell me your grievances—perhaps I can help you find peace.”

Huahua’s expression shifted, and she looked anxiously at Miaomiao’s blood-soaked body. “If this standoff continues, Miaomiao will truly be in danger.”

Zilong saw her hesitation and urged again, “My master is none other than the renowned Daoist of the Sun’s Radiance. It’s rare that he offers his help—this is an opportunity you should seize!”

Huahua, her body weak, took several steps back and had to lean against a tree. “If you want me to leave Miaomiao’s body, you must promise me one thing.”

“Speak,” Chen Yao said solemnly, “but if you truly mean harm, don’t blame me for being merciless.”

The emptiness had faded from Huahua’s eyes, but her face grew paler as she said, “Take Miaomiao to Wan Zhengzheng’s home. I beg you, ask her to care for Miaomiao.”

Suddenly, her legs gave out and she collapsed.

“Has her spiritual core been damaged?” Chen Yao shook his head and chanted urgently, “Divine Lord of Spiritual Treasures, comfort this form. Let the soul and organs be soothed. By the force of the decree!”

A soft, glowing energy surged into Huahua’s body and she trembled, revitalized. “You! What are you doing?”

Zilong called out, “You are truly fortunate! That was my master’s ‘Purifying Body Divine Spell.’ To receive such aid is a rare blessing!”

Huahua felt her rapidly dwindling essence return, her strength growing.

“With my spiritual power aiding you, leave Miaomiao’s body quickly—this way, she will suffer the least harm!”

Delight filled Huahua’s heart. “This is wonderful—this Daoist’s powers are truly extraordinary. Miaomiao will be saved!”

She spun around, revealing her true soul: a young woman ghost in her twenties.

“This is my essence.” She leaned against the tree, gently embracing Miaomiao’s body. “Daoist, please check on Miaomiao! She feels so cold—I’m afraid for her…”

Chen Yao strode over, laying one hand on Miaomiao’s forehead and taking her small hand with the other. “Azure Dragon and White Tiger, array yourselves in order. Vermilion Bird and Black Tortoise, guard this form. By the force of the decree!”

After a while, Miaomiao’s body began to warm, color returning to her cheeks.

Chen Yao frowned. “Huahua, your ghostly presence is too domineering. Never possess the living again. If anything happened, there would be no salvation.”

Guilt flooded Huahua’s face. “It was my foolishness—I should have listened to your counsel sooner.”

Chen Yao nodded. “Zilong, come hold Miaomiao. Your pure yang body will help her pure yin constitution recover more quickly.”

Zilong quickly cradled Miaomiao. “Huahua, tell my master your troubles. You see now that we truly wish to help Miaomiao—we are not evildoers. As for her, entrust her to us.”

Huahua stood silently for a moment. “Then I’ll have to part with Miaomiao…”

Chen Yao said quietly, “If you wish her well, you must leave her. It’s the only way.”

Huahua bowed her head, tears streaming down her face. “Daoist, I beg you, please protect Miaomiao.”

Chen Yao nodded. “Rest assured, I will do all I can to keep her safe. Now, tell me of your grievances.”

At last, the wind stilled and the leaves fell silent.

Huahua’s face was full of memories. “If I remember correctly, I have been dead for about thirty years.”

Zilong was surprised. “Thirty years? That would be around 1986 or 1987?”

Huahua nodded. “My name in life was Yu Menglan. My parents were merchants. That year, I was twenty.”

Suddenly, her face twisted with pain. “Why? Why did everything have to be taken from me in the prime of my life?”

Righteous energy radiated from Chen Yao as he sternly called, “Yu Menglan, steady your mind!”

Snapped from her agitation by Chen Yao’s righteous aura, Yu Menglan apologized, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Chen Yao’s heart ached. “Clearly, Yu Menglan is a pitiable soul.”

He glanced at Zilong, who understood and began softly chanting the Purification Spell to help Yu Menglan regain her composure.

Yu Menglan, recalling her sorrowful past, began to weep before she could speak, tears streaming from her spectral eyes—a sight that moved the heart.

She gazed up at the distant stars, her eyes full of emotion. “My parents dearly loved each other. My father worked diligently each day, and my mother cared for me and my little sister. We were a happy family.”

At this, Yu Menglan fell silent, staring blankly into the night. “But that day, everything changed.”

Chen Yao said nothing, simply waiting for her to continue.

“That day, my four-year-old sister and I accompanied our parents south on a business trip.”

“So you had a sister,” Chen Yao thought. “This is starting to make sense.”

“I remember it rained heavily that day—the heaviest rain I’d ever seen. The road was a sea of mud, and the car crawled along slowly. Night fell, and I dozed off in the back seat, holding my sister. Suddenly, a pounding on the car window woke us.”

Yu Menglan mimicked the scene, “Open up! Open up!”

“Father stopped the car. Mother seemed anxious and scolded him softly, ‘Fool, why stop here? We’re in the middle of nowhere, and suddenly someone appears?’”

Yu Menglan smiled faintly. “My father never minded mother calling him a fool—they always loved each other, even when they argued.”

Zilong’s heart ached. “The more she clings to the past, the harder it is for her to let go.”

“The pounding grew louder and more urgent, as if some emergency had happened,” Yu Menglan recalled. “Father sighed and opened the door. That was the moment he opened the gates of hell for himself.”

Her head drooped, brows furrowing, tears streaming. “Father, you fool—such a fool!”

Chen Yao nodded. “Some fates cannot be escaped. It’s not your father’s fault.”

Yu Menglan’s agitation grew. “The man was drenched. Mother moved to the back seat, and he sat beside Father.”

Yu Menglan imitated her father’s gentle tone, “‘Friend, what happened to you? Is there anything I can do to help?’”

“‘Just take me to the market ahead. I’ll pay you well.’”

“‘The market is on our way. I don’t want your money.’”

Yu Menglan continued, “From the back seat I glanced over—he rubbed his fingers together and closed his eyes, as if pondering something.”

Chen Yao frowned. “Is that so?” He gestured, as if calculating fate.

Yu Menglan nodded. “I didn’t know it at the time, but he was making a calculation.”

Chen Yao’s gaze sharpened. “A cultivator?”

“He looked back at my sleeping sister and suddenly asked, ‘How old is this little girl? She’s so adorable.’”

“When someone praises your child, of course you let your guard down. Mother replied, ‘She’s four.’”

“‘My daughter is four too, born on March seventeenth. I wonder whether she or your daughter is older?’”

“We were delighted to hear him mention that date, since it was also my sister’s birthday,” Yu Menglan murmured. “But later, I learned it was a trap.”

“So he came prepared?” Zilong thought. “That was thirty years ago. His way of speaking—he was an old hand.”

“He was very eloquent—he seemed to know everything, and was quite handsome. Who would have thought he was a villain, cunning beyond belief.”

Chen Yao chuckled, “Was he as handsome as me?”

Yu Menglan was startled, then smiled. “Master, you are even better looking.”

Chen Yao said softly, “Yu Menglan, the past is past. I only wished to help you relax and recall details that might help us.”

Yu Menglan parted her lips slightly. “Daoist, you…”

Zilong explained, “Master uses both gentle and stern methods—he wants to understand your past. Only with your sincere cooperation can we better help Miaomiao, and you.”

Yu Menglan nodded earnestly, “Master, you are truly a sage. I—”

Chen Yao cut her off. “Enough, just continue your story.” He glanced at the time, thinking, “Things are finally moving in a good direction. I wonder how my disciples are faring?”

“Hey, newbie! First time in jail, huh?!”

A tattooed thug swaggered over to Liang Lingzhi, his face inches away. “I’m talking to you! Are you deaf or mute?!”

“I—I…” Liang Lingzhi was clearly cowed by the man’s presence.

“Damn you!” The thug slapped Liang Lingzhi hard across the face.

Caught off guard, Liang Lingzhi took the full blow. His left ear rang as he collapsed to the floor.

“What’s going on?!” a prison guard shouted, banging the bars with his baton. “Why are you all crowding here? Squat down, all of you!”

“Sir, he just fell down on his own—what’s it got to do with us?!”

The bars clanged open. “No talking back—get back and squat down!”

The tattooed thug muttered grumpily, squatting down.

The guard asked the fallen Liang Lingzhi, “Hey, are you all right?”

Clutching his burning cheek, Liang Lingzhi gritted his teeth. “I just lost my balance and fell, that’s all.”

The thug sneered, “You heard him, sir—he fell on his own.”

“I’m warning you all—don’t cause trouble!”

With that, the guard left, locking the door behind him.

“Smart answer,” the thug said, standing up. “Newcomers have to squat in the corner for a day. Dinner is ours—that’s the rule, got it?”

Liang Lingzhi nodded hurriedly and went to squat in the corner. Hands wrapped around his knees, he buried his reddened eyes in his bleach-scented prison uniform. “Ye Dong, Nian Xue, Da Chun, Xiao Bao—I miss you all so much…”