"Father!" A young man rushed into the courtyard, collapsing beside his father. His hands hovered frantically over his father, unsure of how to help him.
At the sight of her brother, Young Lady Ye let out a cruel laugh. "Ah, look, your beloved son has finally arrived."
Master Ye, curled on the ground in agony, screamed, "Don't you dare touch my son!"
Young Lady Ye's expression twisted with madness as she sneered, "Don't worry, father. You'll be reunited with him in the underworld soon enough. A family reunion, yes? But—" She let out a twisted giggle. "I almost forgot... dear mother's soul is beyond saving."
"Brother, you are a cultivator," Young Lady Ye purred, her smile sharp. "You know your duty. The evil spirit must be purged, even if it is our mother. You'll do what needs to be done, won't you?" She squatted down to meet her brother's gaze, her voice playful, sweet as if she were asking him for a simple favor.
Her brother could only stare at her in stunned horror, his mind struggling to comprehend the horrors unfolding before him. The noises from his mother's courtyard had reached him earlier while he studied, but with his father present, he was confident that whatever that was happening, would be taken care of by his reliable father.
It wasn't until he sensed the unmistakable spiritual energy of the Xue Clan's ice techniques that he had grown concerned. Why would Master Xue wield his sword in his mother's courtyard? Driven by confusion, he rushed to investigate, only to find a nightmare waiting for him.
There, in the center of the chaos, was his younger sister, her hair disheveled, a wicked gleam in her eyes as she drove a hairpin deep into their father's chest, channeling dark energy that made Master Ye writhe in agonizing pain.
Young Master Ye rushed forward, panic rising in his chest, but the scene left him reeling. As a young cultivator with little experience, he had never encountered resentment energy before. He couldn't understand it—why was his father, a seasoned cultivator, howling and writhing on the ground, brought to such agony by a mere hairpin?
His sister's words only deepened his confusion as his gaze shifted from his father to the swaying figure nearby. He could barely recognize her—his mother, the woman who had doted on him since he was born. His sister's implication was clear: their mother had become an evil spirit, which meant one thing—she was dead.
He refused to accept it. He had held onto the belief that, once the haunting was dealt with, his mother would recover. But as he looked at her now—her skin a sickly yellow-gray, her eyes blank and lifeless—he knew he could no longer deny it.
Every cultivator learned from a young age that their duty is to purge the world of evil spirits. They may come in different forms - living corpses, apparitions, some even dwell in objects but the mission remains the same: exterminate them.
But this... this was his mother.
Young Master Ye trembled, his heart torn. He reached for the hilt of his sword, the familiar weight comforting in his palm, but his hand hovered in hesitation. What was he supposed to do? How could he fulfill his duty, knowing what it meant? The blade felt heavier than ever.
Si Shen's gaze softened with pity as he looked at the young boy before him, barely more than a teenager, still so innocent and unformed. His grey robes fluttered gently in the spring breeze, his hair tied neatly in the intricate updo of a typical young master. Si Shen couldn't help but remember when he was the same age—his hair tied simply in a ponytail, his face still marked by the hardships of life. He had once been as wide-eyed and horrified as Young Master Ye, witnessing his own sister's tragic end.
Si Shen could say that he empathizes with Young Master Ye, it's not something the children should go through.
Si Shen's gaze shifted to Master Ye, curled on the ground in a position that seemed to offer some small relief from the relentless pain. The corruption of his soul had not dulled the venom in his eyes as he glared at his daughter with a murderous intent so fierce, it was palpable. Si Shen was certain that, if Master Ye had the strength, he would have torn his own flesh and blood apart without hesitation. Even if Si Shen absorbed all the resentment energy festering in the elder's spirit, it wouldn't be enough to quell the hatred burning within him. Even if Si Shen somehow managed to absorb all the resentment energy that was corrupting his spirit, he would still turn into a vengeful spirit with a murderous heart.
The grim reaper Si Shen had first noticed seemed to have arrived with the intent to collect not just Madame Ye's soul, but the entire Ye family's. However, Si Shen doubted the reaper would bring back anyone today, given how things had spiraled out of control.
It had come to this—enough was enough. With a sharp clap of his hands, Si Shen's smile flickered as he addressed the chaotic scene before him.
"Alright, that's enough."
Xue RenJie shot him a look of disbelief, as if he had lost his mind. Si Shen couldn't fault him for that. With a swift tap of his umbrella on the ground, the air thickened, and darkness surged, and coiled around her wrists with a brutal force, restricting her every movement.
Si Shen approached her, his footsteps measured, and as he did, the dark tendrils tightening around Young Lady Ye's wrists made her drop the cursed hairpin into his outstretched hand with a painful wince. The moment the artifact touched his skin, Si Shen could feel the resentment energy within it stir violently, threatening to spiral out of control. He narrowed his eyes and, with a swift motion, sealed the hairpin away, pocketing it securely in his sleeve.
"Give it back to me!"
Young Lady Ye's voice tore through the air, raw with rage and frustration. Her red eyes blazed with fury as she twisted and jerked against her restraints, but the darkness only tightened, its grip like iron, unyielding as her struggles became more desperate.
Crack.
A sickening sound filled the air as one of her wrists snapped, her body slumping under the strain. Young Lady Ye's legs went limp, and a strangled howl of pain escaped her lips. She hung from her restraints like a rag doll, her body twitching in agony. The noble young lady probably had never experienced such pain in her life. Although she complained that her mother had abused her, her mother would never inflict a serious injury on her daughter.
With a narrow focus, Si Shen guided the vengeful energy that had invaded Master Ye's body, funneling it toward himself. The malevolent force, swirling with rage, was absorbed into his core.
Si Shen's gaze remained cold and unmoving as he observed the twisted angle of her wrist, the bone no longer aligned. He moved past her without a second glance, his attention shifting to Master Ye. Kneeling before the elder, Si Shen gently touched the man's skin, now withered and rapidly aging under the corrosion of resentment energy. His fingers moved with practiced precision as he traced the flow of Master Ye's disrupted meridians.
Thankfully, the resentment energy had not yet reached Master Ye's soul—his spirit was still intact. This offered Si Shen a sliver of hope. This meant that Master Ye was somewhat saved from the fate of having his soul disappear after he died. Although Si Shen could not prevent him from dying, he could absorb the resentment energy and make his passing less painful.
As Si Shen worked, Master Ye's face, once contorted with pain, slowly began to relax. The agonizing tension that had held him in its grip ebbed away, and with each passing moment, the man's suffering faded just a little more.
"Thank you..." Master Ye's voice was thick with pain, and a cough racked his body, blood spilling from his lips.
"No need to thank me, I am only easing your pain before death." Si Shen replied solemnly. With that, he finished his work, pulling the last of the resentment energy from the dying man. Master Ye's eyes flickered to his son.
"You must carry on the Ye family line," Master Ye rasped, his voice strained but urgent. "You are our only hope."
With those final words, the last of his strength seemed to leave him. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and his body went limp, lifeless in Si Shen's grasp.
"Father!" Young Master Ye's voice broke as he fell to his knees beside his father's corpse. His hands gripped the elder's body in distraught, the weight of his losses crashing down on him. His mother had just passed, and now his father was gone, too.
In a blind fury, he drew his sword, his face twisted with grief and rage, and lunged at his sister.
Si Shen snapped his fingers, and the darkness that had bound Young Lady Ye retreated, releasing her from its grasp. He made no effort to stop Young Master Ye. If he were to kill her, it would save Si Shen the trouble as well.
Before she could fully fall onto the ground, her chest was pierced by her brother's sword, and her dress was soaked in bright red color. She laid against her brother, her hands limp by her side, her eyes wide open as though she could not believe what had happened.
Young Master Ye gritted his teeth and pulled out his sword in one swift motion, his sister swayed slightly before dropping onto her knees. Blood seeped out of her mouth as her eyes seemed to linger over her parents' dead bodies before finally landing on her brother.
"If there is a next life, I hope I'll never meet any of you," Young Lady Ye whispered, her voice thick with finality. With those last words, she closed her eyes, her body trembling as she gathered the last of her strength. Slowly, she began to condense the remaining resentment energy within her.
Si Shen's eyes narrowed with realization. She's planning to self-destruct.
Annoyed by how quickly things had escalated, he leaped toward the siblings, pushing Young Master Ye aside with a single, forceful movement. In a smooth motion, he unfurled his umbrella, holding it high as though sheltering both of them from an incoming storm.
Immediately, the darkness that had initially retreated, poured down from his umbrella, covering them in a swoop.