"The River of the Dead... Could this be the River of Oblivion? It seems the ghost realm is far too easy to enter and exit. No wonder the human world is never short of evil spirits and ghosts."
Standing at the bow of the bamboo raft, Daniel surveyed the surroundings while silently shaking his head in his mind.
Thanks to the Candle Dragon's teleportation array, it was easy for them to enter the Hall of Impermanence in the ghost realm. That was understandable. But the fact that a mere ghost soldier could send living people out of the ghost realm without any checks along the way left Daniel feeling somewhat speechless.
"No wonder most people don't dare to go to Fengdu." Although Ren Gui hadn't explained in detail earlier, Daniel and the others knew that their first stop after leaving the ghost realm would be Fengdu, where the legendary Gate of Ghosts was said to be located.
"Ziying, are you still bothered by the fact that Mengli is a demon?" After a moment of silence, Yun Tianhe walked straight up to Murong Ziying and asked bluntly.
"Oh my, this idiot is really clueless. Why bring up such a sensitive topic?" Han Lingsha couldn't help but shake her head and mutter under her breath.
After hearing Yun Tianhe's views on demons, Murong Ziying had remained silent throughout the journey. Although his interactions with Yun Tianhe and the others had slightly changed his perspective on demons, it was nothing compared to the impact of Yun Tianqing's words.
"Right now, I don't even know what's right anymore. Like when I asked the sect leader for the Water Spirit Pearl, it seems I was wrong, but I don't understand where I went wrong." Murong Ziying seemed to be lost in confusion.
"That's different. That was entirely the fault of that stingy sect leader. If you don't know what to do, just stop thinking about it for now. Let's wait until we see Mengli before making any decisions."
"Ziying, there's nothing wrong with slaying demons and vanquishing evil. You don't need to doubt yourself. Just act with a clear conscience. As the saying goes, 'Demons are not demons, the Dao is not the Dao; good and evil reside in the hearts of men.' Every race has its good and bad people. Among humans, there are those who uphold justice and those who commit atrocities. The same goes for demons, the immortals of the heavenly realm, and the demons of the demon realm."
Seeing Murong Ziying in such a state of confusion, Daniel immediately stepped in to offer some advice. While there were good demons, the majority were hostile to humans. As a human, Daniel naturally wouldn't show mercy to such demons.
"Could there really be bad immortals in the heavenly realm?" Han Lingsha asked, puzzled.
"Why not? Lingsha, didn't you meet that fox spirit, Hu San? He was an immortal." As for the issues with the gods of the heavenly realm, Daniel didn't plan to tell Han Lingsha and the others. It would be pointless. It was better for them not to know and avoid unnecessary worry.
"That's true."
"Look, there's light ahead. Are we back in the human world?" After an unknown amount of time sailing on the River of the Dead, a glimmer of light finally appeared in the distance. Seeing it, Han Lingsha immediately became excited.
"Thank you for your help. We are deeply grateful. May we know your name?" As they were about to leave the ghost realm, Murong Ziying clasped his hands and asked the boatman.
After all, the boatman had helped them, and for Murong Ziying, it was important to repay kindness when the opportunity arose.
"My apologies for being presumptuous." After waiting for a long time without receiving a response from the boatman, Murong Ziying clasped his hands again and said no more.
"If he doesn't want to say, that's fine. We can just burn more of that paper money for him." Yun Tianhe chimed in. His experience in the ghost realm had taught him one thing: burning paper money for the spirits of the ghost realm.
"That's a good idea, but without knowing his name, who are we supposed to burn it for?" Daniel glanced at Yun Tianhe and muttered to himself.
"Can you lift your head and let me take a look?" Han Lingsha, who hadn't paid much attention to the boatman earlier, suddenly changed her expression. She looked at the boatman with a serious and somewhat incredulous expression.
"Lingsha." Yun Tianhe and Murong Ziying immediately looked at Han Lingsha, confused by her sudden change in demeanor.
"Who are you? Lift your head." Han Lingsha's voice suddenly rose.
"You're still as sharp as ever, child. I can't hide anything from you." The boatman lifted his head, revealing the face hidden beneath the bamboo hat—a stern-looking middle-aged man.
"Uncle, is it really you?" Seeing the man's face, Han Lingsha fell silent for a long time before finally speaking in a shocked voice.
"It's me, child." The boatman nodded gently.
"Uncle, why are you here? Why did you pretend not to know me? You have no idea how much I've missed you. When I was at the Wheel Mirror Platform, I thought you had already reincarnated, which is why you didn't appear." Han Lingsha's voice began to tremble, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.
"Silly child, if I had reincarnated, we wouldn't have met today. You've had a hard time all these years."
"I'm fine. But Uncle, why are you here? Why haven't you reincarnated?" Han Lingsha wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at her uncle with confusion.
"Ah, child, some things are better left unasked. Ahead is the human world. Once you return, promise me you'll forget about what happened here. And don't go searching for immortality anymore, or grave robbing. Live the life you want to live. I remember you used to hate grave robbing the most."
"Uncle, are you hiding something from me? Tell me, what's going on?"
"Ah, child, aren't you curious why I'm here rowing this boat? In fact, it's not just me. Almost all the Han family members end up doing hard labor in the ghost realm after death. I'm responsible for ferrying this bamboo raft on the River of the Dead, traveling between the human and ghost realms when necessary."
"Hard labor? Why? Why would they make you do such a thing? And what do you mean by 'all the Han family members'?" Hearing her uncle's words, Han Lingsha felt a sense of foreboding.
"Ah, the Han family has been grave robbing for generations, thinking that since the dead are already buried, the treasures in their tombs can be used to help the living. But now that you've come to the ghost realm, you should know that spirits are just like the living—they have their own emotions and thoughts. Our family has disturbed the dead, and as a result, our lifespans are short, many of us only living to our twenties or thirties. Even after death, we must perform hard labor to atone for our sins. Only after our sins are cleansed can we reincarnate."
"What? How could this be? So the reason our family has such short lives is because of this? That means all my efforts to find a way to immortality are useless. It won't help our family live longer at all."
The realization that all her efforts had been in vain and that she couldn't save her family left Han Lingsha feeling utterly despaired.
"Child, I know you've worked hard, but some things are predestined. It's not something you can fight against alone. I didn't want to tell you this, but your sixth uncle has already told me about everything you've done over the years. You didn't shoulder the burden of the entire family alone."
"What about my parents? Are they here too?"
"They're atoning for their sins in another part of the ghost realm. Child, I know you've always resented your parents, thinking they didn't love you and disliked you. But no parent truly hates their child. The reason they treated you that way was because they knew their time was short, and they didn't want you to grieve too much after they were gone. That's why they distanced themselves from you."
"I can't agree with that. There are plenty of parents who abuse their own children." Han Lingsha's uncle's words almost made Daniel want to refute him. In the Marvel world's America, cases of parents abusing or sexually assaulting their own children were far too common. If such things were brought to this era, they would undoubtedly shock many people's moral sensibilities.
"Uncle, is that really true?" Hearing that her parents didn't actually dislike her, Han Lingsha became visibly emotional.
"Of course it's true. I remember when you were little, your father would insist on watching you fall asleep every night before he could sleep himself. He was a bit foolish, always thinking that if he didn't look at you a few more times or call your name a few more times, he might not get another chance. Originally, they didn't want you to follow this path, but in the end, you still did. Sigh."
Strictly speaking, Han Lingsha had inherited the family's grave-robbing business entirely out of rebellion. In truth, Han Lingsha didn't actually like grave robbing, but because her parents seemed to dislike her, she decided to defy them by taking up the family trade. It was only later that she discovered she had quite a talent for it.
"How foolish. Life is already short enough, and they still worried about this and that, making me sad for so many years." Han Lingsha sighed softly. Resolving the misunderstanding with her parents had also lifted a weight off her heart.
"Child, you've really grown up. You've formed your own thoughts and made your own friends. I was really worried about you before—such a beautiful girl, but in this line of work, it would be hard to find a good husband. But now it seems I don't need to worry anymore. The three of you are all excellent. Child, which one do you like?"
"Uncle, don't talk nonsense. We're just friends." Han Lingsha's face flushed red at her uncle's teasing.
"Right, Lingsha and I are very good friends. Hehe." Yun Tianhe scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly.
"What are you laughing at, you idiot?" Han Lingsha shot Yun Tianhe a glare.
"I am Murong Ziying. Greetings, senior. I apologize for my earlier rudeness." Murong Ziying clasped his hands and introduced himself.
"Murong? A descendant of the Yan Kingdom?"
"How did you know?" Murong Ziying looked at Han Lingsha's uncle in surprise. Although the surname Murong wasn't common, it wasn't immediately obvious that it was connected to the Yan Kingdom, which had been destroyed long ago.
"I just had a sudden flash of insight. Seeing your appearance reminded me of a couple I saw long ago at the Reincarnation Well. Their features bore a striking resemblance to yours. Was your father's name Murong Cheng?"
"That's correct." Murong Ziying replied quickly.
"Then there's no mistake. Before they reincarnated, they said their only regret was not being able to see their youngest son one last time. They mentioned that the child was frail in his youth, so they not only had a Taoist priest divine his fate and give him a name but also sent him to a sacred mountain to cultivate, hoping he would live a long life."
"Father, mother..." Hearing that his parents had still been thinking of him before reincarnating, Murong Ziying's expression turned somber.
"There's a saying in the ghost realm: 'Leave the past behind in the next life.' Rather than holding onto the past, it's better to wish for your departed loved ones to have a smooth and peaceful reincarnation. Don't be too sad."
"Thank you for your guidance, senior."
"Alright, we've arrived. You should leave the ghost realm as soon as possible. It's not good for the living to stay here too long." As he spoke, the bamboo raft reached the shore of the River of the Dead.
"Uncle, I'll go back and tell the family to stop disturbing the dead. But if I get the chance, I'll still look for a way to immortality."
Even though she now knew the truth about the Han family's short lifespans, Han Lingsha wasn't ready to give up. This had been her obsession for years, and until it was resolved, she wouldn't consider her own future.
"The ghost realm seems so lax. It shouldn't be a problem to help Han Lingsha extend her family's lifespans. Unfortunately, there's no way to avoid their hard labor in the ghost realm. In that case, it might be better to let Han Lingsha live forever."
Yun Tianhe wasn't a major figure, and even though he had gained the Candle Dragon's favor, it only applied to him. He couldn't protect Han Lingsha. So, in the original story, after Han Lingsha's death, she would inevitably have to perform hard labor in the ghost realm. The thought of Yun Tianhe living happily with Liu Mengli in the human world while Han Lingsha toiled in the ghost realm felt unbearably tragic.
Since Daniel couldn't change the Book of Life and Death, the best solution was to let Han Lingsha live forever. This would be similar to the Candle Dragon's joke with the King of Hell.
As for the Book of Life and Death recording everything, Daniel didn't believe it. It was just the Book of Life and Death, not the Book of Fate. If someone had a fortuitous encounter, could the Book of Life and Death interfere?
This was a world of immortals and demons. There were plenty of ways to extend one's lifespan. And what if someone recorded in the Book of Life and Death became an immortal?
Han Lingsha was the host of the Wangshu Sword, which meant her talent was exceptional. She had a chance to become an immortal.
"Child, don't keep pushing yourself so hard. You should think more about yourself." As Han Lingsha's uncle, he understood her personality well. Once she set her mind on something, it was hard to change. He could only place his hopes on Yun Tianhe and the others.
"My niece can be a bit stubborn. Please take care of her."
"Lingsha can be a bit willful and unreasonable at times." Yun Tianhe nodded in agreement.
"Yun Tianhe, what are you talking about?" Yun Tianhe's words immediately provoked Han Lingsha.
"Nothing, Lingsha is a good person." Yun Tianhe's survival instincts kicked in.
"Uncle, I'm leaving."
"Go, don't worry about us."
"Senior, farewell."
"This should be the human world—Fengdu, the City of Ghosts."
"Let's go prepare some paper money."
Back in the human world, Han Lingsha's eyes were still slightly red. Saying goodbye to her uncle had been difficult for her, and she had cried for a long time before finally calming down.
The four of them then bought a large amount of paper money in Fengdu and burned it for the spirits in the ghost realm. The amount of paper money they burned this time was truly staggering, as it wasn't just for the ghost soldiers and the three birds, Feng, Ya, and Song, but also for the Han family members Han Lingsha remembered, including her uncle and parents.
Previously, Han Lingsha hadn't paid much attention to this, but now that she knew, she was determined to handle it properly.
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