The Shing Wong Temple was at the edge of Chu Xun's power. The steps of the Shing Wong Temple could still be protected by the enchantment, but the temple itself could no longer be covered by the enchantment.
In the temple, the lights were dim.
More than ten ghosts who had rebuilt their bodies stood on both sides. A woman in red was tied up with her back to the crowd. She was looking up at the statue on the table.
Beside her, Young Man stood with her eyes down. She was restraining a young child.
Chu Xun shouted, "Lan Er!"
This child was none other than Chu Xun's son, Chu Lan.
Mo Ran's heart tightened. The taste of half a piece of cake was still in his mouth. He saw that the young master was restrained and wanted to go forward, but he was stopped by Chu Wanning.
"Don't go."
"Why!"
Chu Wanning looked at him and said softly, "They're all people who died two hundred years ago.
Now that this illusion has become reality, I'm afraid you'll be hurt. "
"…" Only then did Mo Ran realize that this was indeed the case. No matter what he did, a dead person was still dead. Nothing could change it.
The young master cried outside the enchantment. He shouted vaguely, "Father!
Father, save me!
Father, save Lan Er! "
Chu Xun's lips trembled slightly. He shouted at Young Man, "What are you doing?
I didn't treat you badly. Let go of him! "
Young Man turned a deaf ear to him. She lowered her head as if she didn't hear anything. But the hesitation in his heart could be seen from his hands that were holding Chu Lan. There was a mole between his thumb and index finger on his left hand. The veins on the back of his hand were bulging and trembling.
At this time, the people who had gathered to take refuge in the government also came. When they saw the scene in the temple, they couldn't help but be shocked and angry. They whispered,
"That's the young master's son …"
"How could this be …"
Young Man raised the knife in her hand and released the rope of the woman in red. That woman came back to her senses and slowly turned her head. She was extremely beautiful, as pure as a lotus flower, with a long and delicate neck. It was just that her face was as pale as paper, but her lips were as red as blood. The way she smiled at Chu Xun was more frightening than charming.
The illusory candlelight illuminated her beautiful face. The moment they saw her face, Chu Xun and some of the older people in the crowd behind him all froze.
The woman's smile was tinged with sadness. She said softly, "Husband."
Mo Ran, "!!!"
Chu Wanning, "…"
This woman was none other than Chu Xun's deceased wife!
Mrs. Chu's eyes moved, she wanted to take her son from Young Man.
At first, Young Man was unwilling, but Mrs. Chu, as a member of the Ghost Clan, was much stronger than him after breaking free from the shackles. With a little effort, she snatched the child away.
Unfortunately, she died of an epidemic disease before the child was a month old. Therefore, the young master had never seen his mother. For a time, he cried and shouted for his father, asking Chu Xun to save him.
"Good child, don't cry. Mother will take you to find your father."
Madam Chu's slender arms picked up the child and carried him out of the temple. She walked along the rain-soaked bluestone steps all the way to the enchantment of Shang Qing. She stood in front of Chu Xun, her eyebrows showing both joy and sorrow, sadness and joy.
"Husband, we haven't seen each other for years. You … how have you been?"
Chu Xun, however, couldn't say a single word. His drooping fingertips couldn't stop trembling. His pair of phoenix eyes stared at the woman behind the barrier, and his eyes gradually turned red.
Mrs. Chu said softly, "Lan 'er is so big now. You are much calmer. You are a little different from what I thought.
… Let me take a good look at you. "
As she said, she reached out and put her hand on the enchantment. However, because of her ghostly body, she couldn't cross it. She could only look at the people behind her silently.
Chu Xun closed his eyes, but his eyelashes were already wet.
He also raised his hand. Separated by the enchantment, he pressed his palm against Mrs. Chu's. He opened his eyes again. The two looked at each other in life and death. It was like yesterday.
Chu Xun choked with sobs, "Madam …"
The family had been separated by life and death for many years. The days they spent together could be counted with fingers.
"Did the begonia flowers I planted in the courtyard that year survive?"
Chu Xun smiled, but his eyes were full of tears, "They are all as beautiful as a pavilion."
Mrs. Chu seemed to be happy. She said warmly, "That's really good."
Chu Xun also tried his best to smile, saying, "Lan 'er liked that begonia tree the most. In spring, he always played under the tree.
He liked begonia flowers as much as you. Every year … every Qingming Festival … "He said until here, but he couldn't make a happy face anymore. His forehead touched the edge of the enchantment. Tears kept rolling down his face. He was already sobbing," Every Qingming Festival, he would pick the most beautiful one and put it in front of mother's grave.
Wan 'er, Wan' er, did you see it?
Every year … Every year, did you see it? "
In the end, his sobs broke. Every word was sobbing. He didn't look like a gentleman anymore.
Mrs. Chu's eyes were also red. However, because she was a ghost, she couldn't cry. Her expression was sad, but it made people feel sad.
For a moment, there was silence. No one said anything. They all looked at the scene in front of them silently. Some people were sobbing.
However, at this time, a cold voice came from the sky.
"Of course she knows, but soon, she won't."
Mo Ran's expression changed, "It's the Ghost King!"
Chu Wanning was also very gloomy, "Shameless villain, you don't dare to show yourself!"
The Ghost King laughed. It was like his sharp nails were tearing at the bottom of a pot. It made people's hair stand on end.
"Lin Wan 'er is already part of the Ghost Clan. Originally, I didn't want to hurt her. However, you want to go against me and destroy one of my eyes. I will dig out your heart and liver and make you feel more pain than I do!"
As the Ghost King finished speaking, the dozen or so ghosts in the temple opened their mouths and chanted spells.
"The mundane heart is dead, the past is gone —"
Mrs. Chu suddenly opened her eyes wide and said in a trembling voice, "Husband, Lan 'er, take Lan' er!"
"The mundane heart is dead, the past is gone —"
"Lan 'er!
Quickly!
Quickly go to your father! "
Mrs. Chu pushed the child, wanting to pass him through the barrier. However, the young master was blocked outside by the barrier like a ghost. He couldn't return.
Young Man stood in front of the temple railings and looked down at them. Her face seemed sad and happy. Her originally handsome face was almost twisted.
"It's useless.
I followed the Ghost King's instructions and put the Ghost Clan's mark on him. He is now like a ghost and can't enter Shang Qing's barrier. "
The chanting behind her was like a tide, rising and falling continuously, "The mundane heart is dead, the wisdom is gone —"
"Husband!"
Madam Chu was already panicking to the extreme. She hugged the child in her arms and knocked on the outside of the barrier. "Husband, remove the barrier, remove the barrier and let Lan 'er in. You protect him, you protect him — I — I'm almost … I …"
"The mundane heart is dead, the compassion is gone —"
"Husband —!!!"
Mrs. Chu knelt down with a thud. Her eyes were wide open and she couldn't stop trembling. A blood-red curse mark was gradually climbing up her face, "Child — Lan 'er … you promised me to take good care of him … remove … I beg you … remove … husband!!"
Chu Xun's heart was already broken. He raised his hand several times to cast a spell, but in the end, he dropped it again.
Outside, Chu Lan was bawling her eyes out. Her face was full of tears as she raised her head. She reached out her small hands and cried, "Father, don't you want Lan 'er anymore …? Father, hug Lan' er … Father, hug …"
Mrs. Chu couldn't stop hugging him and kissing the child's cheeks. One of them was kneeling while the other was crying. They were both begging Chu Xun to remove the barrier and let the child pass.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted, "Master!
You can't!
If you can't remove the barrier, the remaining hundreds of people in Lin 'an will die — this is the Ghost Clan's scheme!
Master!
You can't remove it! "
"Yes, the barrier can't be removed!"
The desire to live made the commoners kneel down and kowtow to Chu Xun one after another. They all stammered, "Master, I beg you, the barrier can't be removed!
If it's removed, everyone will die! "
"Madam, I beg of you …" Someone even knelt down and kowtowed to Madam Chu. "Madam, you are benevolent, you have the heart of a Bodhisattva. We will be deeply grateful for your kindness for the rest of our lives. I beg of you, don't let the young master remove the barrier.
In an instant, except for the guards of the Governor's Office and a few commoners who didn't kneel down and beg, the rest of the people cried and shouted. The momentum instantly overshadowed the pleas of Mrs. Chu and the Little Master outside the barrier.
Chu Xun felt as if he was standing on a sharp awl, and as if his lungs were being pierced by tens of thousands of sharp knives. The blades grew thorns in his flesh, crushing his internal organs.
In front of him were his wife and children, behind him were the lives of a hundred people.
In this kind of torture, he seemed to have died, engulfed by fire, and his bones turned to ashes.
However, the ghosts' chanting didn't stop, but became sharper.
"The mortal heart is dead, the seven emotions are annihilated —"
"The mortal heart is dead, the six desires are annihilated —"
There were more and more runes on Mrs. Chu's face, climbing all the way up from her white neck, almost covering her entire face.
They soaked into her eyes.
It seemed that it was difficult for her to make a complete sound in her throat. She only looked at her husband in despair and murmured broken words.
"If you … I … will … hate you … you … Lan 'er … I hate … I …"
The runes soaked into her eyes. Her weak body suddenly trembled, as if she was in severe pain, and she closed her eyes tightly.
"I — hate!!!"
Suddenly, there was a shrill scream, but the ending sound became a beast-like roar!
Mrs. Chu suddenly opened her eyes, and there was blood in her eyes. There were four pupils in her originally soft almond eyes, and they were close to each other, squeezing out all the white of her eyes.
"Wan 'er!!"
Chu Xun was in extreme grief. For a moment, he forgot that the Shang Qing enchantment must be in the middle of the enchantment to be effective. He only wanted to reunite with his beloved wife. However, the moment he was about to step out of the enchantment, an arrow suddenly pierced through the air. With a whoosh, it accurately and fiercely pierced into his shoulder, stopping him from reaching out his hand.
It was a young man from the governor's office, still in the posture of drawing his bow and shooting.
The young man's hood fluttered, and he said to Chu Xun righteously, "Young master!
Wake up!
You usually teach us that there is a Dao, that all living things are the leader, and that we are the last. Are all these empty words?
Once the matter falls on your shoulders, you want to pay for the life of one person with the lives of hundreds of people?! "
An old woman beside the young man trembled and said, "You, you put down the bow. How can you hurt the young master? Everything, everything is the young master's choice. The young master has already done everything he can. How, how can you … You are ungrateful!!"
However, before they finished arguing, they suddenly heard a scream in front of them.
Madam Chu had completely gone berserk. She was originally hugging her child so lovingly, but now she was no different from a wild beast. She howled at the sky, saliva dripping from her mouth, and her teeth suddenly grew.
Chu Lan, who was in her arms, had cried herself hoarse. However, between her broken sobs, she still called out intermittently, "Mother …"
What answered him was Madam Chu's blood-red claws piercing through his throat!!!
Between heaven and earth, there was no sound.
Flowers of blood were flying one by one.
It was as if that year, the begonia flowers had bloomed. Madam Chu stood in front of the window with her newborn child in her arms, looking at the gentle fragrance in the courtyard, and the bright red flowers scattered everywhere.
The mother gently rocked the child in her arms, and softly hummed, "Red begonia, Huang Haitang, how melodious is the morning breeze.
Little Tong Xianghe is far away, making one miss Father and Mother. "
Red begonia … Huang Haitang …
Years ago, she lovingly stroked Chu Lan's hand, but now she was tearing apart Chu Lan's head, limbs, and flesh.
How melodious is the morning breeze.
The heavy rain poured, and blood flowed. The mother ate the child's intestines.
Little Tong Xianghe is far away.
The eaves of the City God Temple were majestic, solemn, and compassionate.
That year, the child was reborn. The mother knelt in front of the City God Temple, and put her warm and slender hands together. The bell rang, and the birds scattered. Amidst the incense and candles, she stood up and kowtowed, wishing her child good fortune and good health, a long life, and a peaceful life …
Making one miss Father and Mother.
Chu Lan's flesh was crushed. Chu Lan's heart was dug out, and was greedily chewed by Madam Chu. Fresh blood flowed down the corner of her mouth.
"Ah ah ah ah ah!!!!"
Chu Xun finally broke down. He knelt on the ground, held his head, and kowtowed continuously. Blood flowed out.
He cried heartbreakingly. He knelt in the rain, in the blood, in front of his wife and children, in front of the people of Lin 'an City. He knelt in front of the god's statue, and knelt in the mud.
He knelt in sin, and knelt in holiness.
He knelt in gratitude, and knelt in hatred.
He stooped into the dust, and his soul was torn apart and destroyed.
He grieved for Wan Gu Chen.
After a long time, someone finally spoke with a trembling voice.
"Young master …"
"Young master, please restrain your grief …"
"Young master's great kindness will never be forgotten …"
"Young master Chu is a righteous man. What a good man!
What a good man … "
Some people hugged their children tightly and covered their children's eyes to prevent them from seeing this hideous scene.
At this moment, he finally dared to let go of his hand. With a pale face, he said to Chu Xun, "Young master, our lives are all saved by you. Madam and Young Master will definitely … ascend to paradise …"
Another person scolded, "Take your child and get lost!
Why don't you ascend to paradise with your child?! "
The man then timidly retreated far away.
However, these quarrels were so far away that Chu Xun felt that he was already dead.
Listening to their voices, it was as if they were coming from the ocean of the past.
In the rainstorm, the man was covered in filth. That layer of transparent film separated him from his wife and children. White bones were exposed, and tears and snot were everywhere.
Mo Ran looked at the scene in front of him and suddenly thought of his previous life. When he killed the innocent, did he give birth to more than one Chu Xun, more than one Chu Lan, and more than one Madam Chu?
He suddenly lowered his head and looked at his hands.
For a moment, he vaguely saw that his hands were covered in blood.
However, in the blink of an eye, he realized that it was still cold rain. Dripping on his palm, it gathered into a stream.
He trembled slightly.
However, in the next moment, his hand was held.
He seemed to have suddenly awakened from a nightmare. He turned his eyes and saw that his Junior Brother was looking at him with concern.
That child looked so similar to the dead Chu Lan.
Mo Ran slowly knelt down until they were at the same level.
Like a sinner asking for forgiveness in front of a returnee, he looked at him with a pair of eyes stained with rain and tears.
Chu Wanning did not speak. He raised his tender little hand and patted his head.
"It's all in the past," Chu Wanning said softly, "It's all in the past."
"Yes," after a while, Mo Ran smiled sadly and lowered his eyes. He muttered, "It's all in the past."
However, even if it was all in the past, it was all in the past.
However, these were all things that he had done. Although he had never killed Chu Lan, how many people like Chu Lan had died because of him?
The more Mo Ran thought about it, the more frightened and pained he felt.
Why was he so cruel and merciless … why was he so stubborn …