Ling Rong harbored resentment—resentment for her father's murder, betrayal, the killing of herself and her child, and most importantly, the suppression of their souls.
She never imagined that her once gentle and kind spouse, driven by ambition for wealth, would not only kill them but also suppress their souls, causing them to suffer freezing torment at the bottom of the lake, unable to reincarnate.
He was truly ruthless!
Because of this, Ling Rong's resentment was heavy, hastening Xie Qikang's decline.
"With such heavy resentment, when you approached him, you could have dragged him into hell instead of tormenting him. Why didn't you kill him?" Qin Liuxi inquired.
Ling Rong replied, "To let him die easily would have been too generous. I wanted to torment him little by little, making him restless day and night. Do you know, seeing him grow thinner and more panicked, while still pretending to be virtuous to the Zhou family, brought me great satisfaction? The Zhou family thought he was a good man, but little did they know, he had long been keeping a concubine and fathered a child. It's her foolishness and ignorance to mistake a villain for a good man."
She sighed and then chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Forget it, what right do I have to judge her? Am I not just like her?"
"Since Xie Qikang was able to seek dark magic to suppress your souls, why wasn't he vigilant when such strange things started happening?" Qin Liuxi found the situation inexplicable.
Given Xie Qikang's past actions, with him suffering from a strange illness for over half a year, unable to find the main cause, he should have considered the possibility of dark magic being at play. As the saying goes, a guilty conscience needs no accuser, but he was indeed guilty, which is why he worried. Normally, one would think he would have inquired about it. How was it that Xie Qikang didn't?
"He did search for it. He sent his men to find the dark practitioner, frightening them out of their wits," Ling Rong explained.
Qin Liuxi narrowed her eyes, her voice sharp. "Did you harm innocent people?"
Ling Rong felt a chill run down her spine, her face filled with vigilance and wariness, trembling as she replied, "No, I didn't harm them, just frightened them so badly they lay in bed for two days. They went to the temple themselves to get an amulet."
"What about Xie Qikang?"
"He naturally sent others again. I didn't dare to do anything evil, so I ignored it. It was fortunate that the Taoist he sent reported last year that the Taoist had died. But he is relentless, still intent on finding someone to deal with us mother and son." Ling Rong gritted her teeth, her eyes bloodshot.
Qin Liuxi remarked, "His recent trip to Ning Prefecture wasn't to seek medical treatment, but for answers?"
"I heard there's a Longyun Taoist temple in Ning Prefecture, where the Taoists are quite skilled," Ling Rong replied.
Qin Liuxi nodded knowingly. "So you were planning to strangle him on the way. Why haven't you acted yet? Taking revenge when it's due would settle everything."
Ling Rong fell silent, looking at her questioningly. "Master, are you advising me to refrain?"
"I advise you on nothing. Without suffering oneself, one cannot understand the suffering of others. As long as you do not harm innocent people, tit for tat. Why should I bother? Just know that taking life breeds karmic retribution. Even as a resentful spirit, your deeds are recorded in the Book of Life and Death. Once you kill, you become an evil spirit, recorded in the book, and you will be punished in the Three Evil Realms in the underworld. Even he won't be able to reincarnate into a favorable life." Qin Liuxi pointed to the ghost by her feet.
Ling Rong looked down at her child, her eyes filled with tenderness. "I am aware of that. That's why I dare not take drastic measures. But, Master, as your Daoist teachings often say, karma will have its due. How can someone like him, akin to an evil spirit, live a carefree life? It's unjust."
"You need not be so aggrieved. His days are numbered," Qin Liuxi said. "Wasn't his mother's death due to heart palpitations?"
"How did you know?" Ling Rong asked.
"His lips turned purple, his eyelids swelled—signs of a weak heart. Whether inherited or acquired, it's a heart condition. Now that his life force is dwindling, with ominous signs such as withered life gate and knife-like marks on his earlobes, and dark clouds gathering in the heavens, influenced by your resentment, within three days, he will succumb to a heart attack."
Ling Rong was stunned. She thought Qin Liuxi had spoken those words in the room to imply that Xie Qikang would be killed by her. However, he would die of illness?