I witnessed with my own eyes as Wang Chaoyang was hit by a massive truck, his body thrown into the air, crushed under the wheels, and torn to pieces. A long smear of blood stained the road—a sight that was truly shocking.
To say I felt nothing would be a lie.
Wang Chaoyang and I had been high school classmates for three years, though in all that time, we'd exchanged fewer than ten words. Back in school, relying on his wealthy family, he had been arrogant and domineering, often bullying other students. The victims dared not speak up.
But that alone wouldn't have cost him his life. The real reason for his death was the vile, despicable means by which he caused the death of an innocent girl. He had to pay for what he had done.
The street was already in chaos.
I stood on the rooftop, watching for a while, feeling a strange sense of melancholy.
"Uncle Huzi, prepare incense, joss paper, and the funeral rice," I instructed.
He quickly complied, bringing the items from the house.
Right there on the rooftop, I placed three sticks of incense into a censer and set out several bowls of half-cooked rice, each with two chopsticks stuck upright in them.
When the incense was lit, curls of blue smoke drifted toward the road.
The vengeful spirits from the Flesh Jar were still wandering nearby. Though they had caused Wang Chaoyang's gruesome death, their resentment remained intense.
These were all spirits who had died violently, sealed in the Flesh Jar and denied release, already seething with anger. Then I had added fuel to the fire—quite literally—turning their resentment into something monstrous.
If these spirits continued to drift around and killed innocent people, I would be karmically implicated. So, I had to re-seal them and wait until their resentment diminished before helping them pass on.
Spirits who died violently rarely accept release; they must wait until the lifespan they were meant to have in life runs out before they can reincarnate. Many never last that long—their souls scatter long before that day.
After lighting the incense, I took out the Celestial Commander's Ruler, stood before the censer, and began reciting the soul-summoning chant:
"Where does the Guide come from?
Bearing the golden tablet in hand.
Where does the Guide go?
Summoning the souls from every land.
Wanderers, do not stray afar,
By my command, return where you are.
The heavens and earth shall decide,
The living gain fortune and peace beside;
The dead return to rest with pride."
As I chanted, the incense smoke drifted eerily in one direction—the place where the spirits of the Flesh Jar were lingering.
At that moment, they were still drifting along the main road, their eyes glowing red, as if ready to devour anyone they encountered. If an unlucky, ill-fated person passed by, the spirits would surely target them.
Soon, the fragrance of the special incense reached them.
The spirits became excited, irresistibly drawn toward me.
Before long, they arrived at my side, crouching in front of the censer, greedily absorbing the scent. This incense was specially made to increase their merit, helping them move closer to reincarnation.
The offering of incense and funeral rice was irresistible to them.
While they fed, I noticed another faint shadow drifting closer—it was Wang Chaoyang, freshly dead, his form still weak and pale.
He clearly wanted to approach the incense, but before he could, the Flesh Jar spirits turned and glared at him with such malice that he froze, too afraid to come closer.
In the spirit world, he was no match for them.
He looked at me pitifully, but I acted as if I hadn't noticed.
One spirit found him annoying to look at and suddenly lunged. Terrified, Wang Chaoyang's spirit fled into the distance and vanished.
While the spirits were fully absorbed in feeding, I quickly formed a hand seal, whispered an incantation, and the Celestial Commander's Ruler in my hand flared with golden light, enveloping them.
Moments later, they dissolved into black mist and were drawn into the ruler.
The Celestial Commander's Ruler could not only exorcise evil—it could also imprison spirits, sealing them inside. The countless tiny runes etched on its surface worked to erode their resentment over time.
When the time was right, I would help them move on.
With that done, I exhaled deeply.
The matter was finally settled.
As for Wang Chaoyang—he had vanished into the distance. His fate was entirely of his own making.
Uncle Huzi and I climbed down from the rooftop. By now, the chaotic scene on the road had returned to normal.
Traffic flowed as if nothing had happened.
The world doesn't stop for anyone.
Uncle Huzi walked beside me, looking concerned. "Young Master, I have to warn you—Wang Dewen might blame you for his son's death. We should be cautious. Your master isn't here to back you up now."
"Don't worry, Uncle Huzi. I've trained under my master for eight years. I'm not so easily bullied," I said with a smile.
This time, although I hadn't gotten a cent from Li Na's family, the Wang family had paid me a million yuan—not a loss at all.
Before leaving, my master told me to earn ten million within a year. Suddenly, it didn't feel so far away.
A few days later, one afternoon, I was in my room reading one of my master's ancient books when Uncle Huzi knocked.
"Young Master, someone's here to see you."
"Who?" I asked.
"It's Miss Zhang Yunyao from the Zhang family. She brought people with her—I'm not sure why."
I had a favorable impression of Zhang Yunyao; she was the only reliable one in her family. Her father and brother… well, not so much.
Speaking of her brother, I wondered if he still had nightmares every night.