Alibuda Chronicles Part 1: Volume 8, Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: Clearing the Clouds and Seeing the Sun.

Perhaps no one wanted it, but the day of the contract arrived regardless of our wishes.

Although the contract had been torn up, the ghosts did not swarm in; they only slowly entered from the village entrance when the appointed time arrived.

The villagers prepared for the so-called negotiation. They had done this for many years, were familiar with the process, and did not need any help. However, in the past, both parties would present their contracts, and they could point to the text on the other party's contract and say with confidence that the time had not yet come. This time, they could not repeat the old trick.

On the long street where contracts were confirmed in previous years, on one side were the villagers filled with fear and unease, and on the other side were all kinds of ghosts, some human, some birds and beasts. What they had in common was that they were all covered in wounds, with obvious signs of decay, exposing the flesh and bones inside. Some were even half-rotted away. Their eyes were filled with resentment towards the living and a thirst for flesh and blood, staring straight at us.

"It's disgusting. I don't know how those necromancers can stand it..."

My mood was like a pig waiting to be slaughtered, I couldn't feel better. Mao Yan'an next to me seemed to have come to his senses, still looking relaxed, but A Xue, who aspired to become an excellent necromancer, was pale and leaned over worriedly.

The negotiation of the contract had obviously failed; it would be strange if it succeeded under these circumstances. The horde of ghosts roared angrily, shouting indistinct words, demanding that we return the treasure, and gradually advanced.

Among the large group of ghosts, I didn't see the woman with the half-skull face from before, but I vaguely saw the apprentice priests and knights who had been killed by the ghost horde. Obviously, the spirits of those who died nearby couldn't leave and were also absorbed into the ghost horde. If we weren't careful, this would be our fate in a few moments.

"Wait, stop! The treasures you seek are here!"

Just as the horde of ghosts was closing in, about to launch a full-scale attack, I stepped forward, shaking off a bundle in my hand, instantly spilling out more than ten pieces of gold and silver jewelry.

Mao Yan'an is extremely cunning; finding anything from him is incredibly difficult. I had ordered Violet to follow Old Man Jin, one of his accomplices. Last night, she discovered him secretly going to an abandoned dwarf kiln on the outskirts of the village, digging and searching it. After he left, Violet dug open the hole and brought me the gold and silver jewelry inside.

Buried underground for many years, these gold and silver jewelry pieces had lost their original luster, but judging from the craftsmanship and patterns, they were still of considerable value. Perhaps they even held some special meaning for the person who possessed them, which explains why that woman considered them her most important treasure, clinging to them even after death.

"Take these things back, and don't bother this place again."

I shouted, and the atmosphere among the ghosts changed. First, a chill gathered, then a tattered, ornate robe slowly floated out. The skeletal beauty appeared among the ghosts, her cold gaze first glancing at me, then settling on the scattered treasures.

"Take your treasures and rest in peace. The man who killed you must be feeling terrible too. Over the years..." she

said with ill intent. I knew someone behind me would turn pale, but before I could finish, the skeletal beauty vanished, and the ghosts roared angrily.

"Treasures! Treasures! Give us back our treasures!"

I couldn't figure out what the ghosts were unhappy about with the treasures. I couldn't understand what the problem was. Faced with a horde of ghosts rushing towards me, I could only turn and run. But some were faster than me, and... there were many of them.

Led by Mao Yan'an, the entire village of Wugu immediately turned tail and fled when they heard the ghostly horde scream again. They were fast and desperate. Since the ghosts were all concentrated in one spot, a gap appeared in the encirclement of the village, giving them a good chance to escape. Unfortunately, Ah Xue and I were trapped in the center.

"Master, we..."

"Ah Xue! Run with me."

Running for our lives was nothing new to us. With Violet leading the way, using fire and lightning to force the ghosts away, Ah Xue and I broke through the encirclement.

"You...you're still holding her? Where are her father and grandfather?"

"I don't know. It was too chaotic just now. I...we can't abandon her." Too

lazy to waste words with Ah Xue, I just grabbed her hand and ran, praying that the little ghost wouldn't cry at this moment, otherwise, if Ah Xue was distracted, the three of us would surely die.

The horde of ghosts was simply too numerous. Although Violet protected us and led us out, we were eventually forced back into the village by the ghosts . In desperation, I told Violet to lead us towards the ruined dwarven kiln.

Having a dilapidated building for cover was better than fighting in open ground. Besides, there might be something Violet hadn't dug out, perhaps the treasure the ghosts were truly looking for.

"Ah Xue, use everything you've learned and practiced these past few days. Hold them off for as long as you can."

After leaving the ghosts behind and rushing into the ruined dwarven kiln, I told Ah Xue to set up a small barrier to block the pursuing ghosts and buy some time.

"Rotting evil winds, listen to my wishes, release the barrier of darkness."

The intensive training of the past few days had paid off. As soon as Ah Xue finished chanting the incantation, a black barrier immediately appeared, blocking the ghost horde.

The charge was halted, and the shrieks of the horde of ghosts were deafening. However, Ah Xue's cultivation was clearly quite limited, and the dark barrier quickly cracked under the onslaught of the ghosts; its collapse was only a matter of time.

Violet rushed ahead, and after entering the dwarven ruins that now only had a few empty walls, she immediately began digging. From the pit, she unearthed several pieces of gold jewelry, including rings and earrings.

(As expected, we dug a hole before, but... is this what it is? If we bet on the wrong thing again, we're doomed.)

Just as I was hesitating, chaos erupted outside again. From the other direction that Ah Xue had been shielding, the villagers of Misty Valley rushed in, followed by a long string of ghosts like a bundle of rice dumplings.

"Oh dear! Nephew, you're still here? There are so many ghosts outside, we can't get out..."

"Can't get out? Then you can just die outside, why did you rush back? Can't you see we're about to collapse?"

The uncle and a group of villagers rushed back at this moment. The ghosts from both sides merged, greatly increasing the pressure. The dark wall that Ah Xue had erected was about to collapse, and the ghosts were closing in on her, the closest one being only a few feet away.

Violet roared and dug something out of the hole. It was a female skeleton wrapped in tattered shreds, which seemed to be the burial place of the skeleton woman.

"This is it... Hey! The treasure has been found! That woman, what's your name? Your body is buried here..."

These words had an effect, but it didn't seem to be the kind I wanted. As soon as the bones saw the light of day, the horde of ghosts seemed to be spurred on, their attack suddenly becoming ten times more intense, just like the day the ghosts breached the priests' light barrier. A cracking sound rang out, and a withered hand, like white bone, pierced through the already weakened barrier of darkness.

"Master! Master..."

The horde of ghosts surged forward like a stampede of horses, engulfing Ah Xue in the onslaught of hundreds of vengeful spirits.

"Ah Xue!"

I was shocked. I hadn't expected to bet on this wrong thing; the bones weren't the treasure the ghosts were looking for.

Ah Xue was buried in the horde of ghosts, her life hanging by a thread. I couldn't expect a miracle. I caught a glimpse of the uncle out of the corner of my eye and immediately pulled him over, urging him to come out and confess.

"What nonsense are you talking about? It's so dangerous outside! You want me to go out? Besides, I haven't done anything. What am I supposed to confess to?"

Mao Yan'an stubbornly insisted on admitting guilt and tried to hide among the villagers, trying to escape my pull. But I didn't have time to waste with him any longer. I ran a few steps away and shouted, "Hey! I don't know anything about treasure, but the murderer you're looking for is right here!"

In the minds of the ghosts, besides the thirst for the flesh and blood of the living, there was only the obsession with revenge. The effect of this shout was no less than when the bones were unearthed earlier. The ghosts stopped what they were doing and all looked this way. The skeletal woman vaguely appeared among the ghosts.

The plan had worked. I shouted urgently, "Have you forgotten? Under the tree, the man who suffocated you with a handkerchief is right here. Do you hear me? Don't take your anger out on others. If you want revenge, you should find that man..."

Long-lost memories seemed to reappear in the ghosts' minds with my shout. As the memory became clearer, her appearance began to change. Starting with her grayish-white hand bones, flesh and blood quickly grew back on her skeletal half, restoring her to her former appearance.

The ghostly group didn't move. I heard Ah Xue's faint cries, indicating she was still safe. This was a golden opportunity; to escape this predicament, I had to seize it. I turned around, searching for the person I was about to betray. I saw Mao Yan'an hiding behind a group of villagers, secretly waving at me.

The meaning was obvious, but now was not the time for sentimentality. I pointed forward and declared loudly, "The man who killed you... it's him!"

A chilling wind howled, and the ghostly figures wailed, carrying my accusation with them. Following my pointing finger, a man, his crimes exposed, collapsed to his knees.

"I...I'm sorry...it's all my fault...I...I didn't mean to kill you back then, I don't know why it turned out like this..."

With his years of crimes exposed, the man's defenses crumbled, and he knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, a scene of utter despair.

This situation was completely different from what I expected. I had initially estimated that, given the uncle's thick skin, it was unlikely he would confess so easily. My biggest miscalculation was that the one kneeling down to confess wasn't Mao Yan'an, but Old Man Jin standing before him.

Seeing Old Man Jin kneeling and weeping, kowtowing repeatedly, this bizarre scene left me speechless.

(How...how could this be...?

Old Man Jin's weeping and confession were exactly the same as what the uncle had said before. His wrinkled, aged forehead pounded against the ground as he begged for forgiveness from his deceased wife, expressing regret for unintentionally killing her. His agitated expression was undeniable; it confirmed he was the true culprit.

If my accusations earlier had triggered the ghosts' memories to resurface, then Old Man Jin's confession was like filling in all the missing pieces of memory. All the ghosts seemed to awaken from their frenzied state, stopping their actions and parting to make way.)

"Master!"

Ah Xue rushed over and threw herself into my arms. I held her and stepped back, whispering words of comfort. Seeing the dust and tiny bloodstains covering her body, I realized she had been just a hair's breadth away from death. If I had been a moment later…

After Ah Xue, the skeletal beauty seemed to float over… Now, the skeletal parts were gone; she was a beautiful woman, her hair slightly disheveled, her skirt fluttering. She landed lightly in front of the man who had once been her husband, listening to his wailing. Her eyes flickered with confusion, then flashed with deep hatred.

"Please, forgive me! I haven't had a single day of peace these past years. Back then… I really didn't want to kill you. I only wanted to knock you unconscious, but… but how could I have known that when I left for a moment and came back you were already… already…"

A typical murderer's confession, like many kidnappers who only wanted to stop their victims from crying out for help but accidentally suffocated them—a predictable, unoriginal accident. And amidst his repentance, the woman spoke.

“Baby…baby…darling…give…darling back to me, give my darling back to me…”

Because she hadn’t spoken for so long, the first few words were hoarse and unpleasant, like two bones rubbing against each other, until finally they came together and made her meaning clear.

Yes, the murderer has been found, so what priceless treasure did he steal back then? That’s what I really want to know.

“Baby…darling…your darling is already…”

Old Man Jin said in a trembling voice, stammering before he could finish, when suddenly a commotion arose in the crowd behind him. One person pushed through the crowd, rushed to the front, and knelt down next to Old Man Jin, looking at the woman, and burst into tears.

“You…you are my mother? Father never told me…”

Jin Hanliang’s reaction was normal when he first saw his birth mother, but what he said next made us all pale, once again shocked by the unbelievable things that filled Wugu Village.

"I...I didn't know it was you...That day, you and Dad were in the woods, and I thought you were an old creditor...Dad and I finally settled down, and I even found a woman I loved. I didn't want to run away from debt

collectors anymore, so after Dad left, I found you were still breathing, and...Mother, please forgive me!" This was a truly shocking confession, though not clearly stated, it was enough to reveal the truth. Years ago, after Old Man Jin smothered her with a handkerchief, she was only unconscious, not dead. However, Jin Hanliang, who followed Old Man Jin and witnessed this, harbored evil intentions and strangled her. When Old Man Jin returned and saw the body, he thought he had killed the wrong person, never imagining his son was involved.

Murdered by her own son, her vengeful spirit lingered, its resentment stirring the spirits of the surrounding mountains and rivers, ultimately leading to the tragedy that befell Wugu Village years later.

"How could this happen? How could such a thing occur?"

Ah Xue seemed to understand, but she clearly refused to believe it, finding it even harder to comprehend how humanity could be so ugly. Such a tragic case?

For everyone, this must have been a devastating blow, especially for Jin Hanliang. He wasn't the kind of cruel and violent madman; that murder was the only one in his life, done in the hope of securing a peaceful future. But he never imagined he would commit such a grave mistake, personally killing his own mother whom he had never met, sowing the seeds of future misfortune. He was trapped in Fog Valley Village, and even his wife perished in a horde of ghosts.

Watching him kneel on the ground, struggling to crawl forward, trying to embrace his mother's legs and weep, even I could feel his deep remorse. Ah Xue kept her head bowed low. I dared not look any longer.

The villagers of Mist Valley, who had previously been dazed and dazed, seemed to have been stimulated, their eyes gradually regaining their light. Watching this scene, some sighed, some wept, as if recalling the events of the past years.

The hundreds of ghosts surrounding the villagers did the same. As the resentment subsided and they awoke from their affected state, many ghosts began to slowly retreat, some even disappearing on the spot.

Only the old man remained, having retreated to the side at some point, leaning casually against a tree, watching everything with a leisurely air. I didn't know what was so funny about this, but the expression on his face could only be described as a cold laugh.

In any case, the crisis had been averted, and as for what the treasure hidden in Mist Valley Village was, I think I understood now.

"Mother, please forgive me, it's all my fault... I... I'm worse than a pig or a dog..."

Jin Hanliang wept bitterly, beating his chest and stamping his feet. Compared to his father beside him, who kept kowtowing and repenting, this was a different kind of expression of remorse. And what he said was completely heard by the other side.

There was no unease or pain on the face of someone who had died unjustly. The face that was once half-skull now only had a gentle and peaceful smile on it, and she comforted her son's remorse with an almost sacred tone of forgiveness.

A mother's love, sometimes, is a great thing without reason. She traveled thousands of miles to retrieve her son, who had been carried away by her husband. Though she died a tragic death, her spirit remained fixated on him. Yet, this deep resentment vanished the moment she saw her son.

"My child, Mother doesn't blame you. You... are Mother's precious child."

Her fair hand gently stroked her son's hair, conveying a mother's love. The gentle movement seemed to radiate a sacred light. In that instant, Ah Xue stopped sobbing, staring blankly, even the violets at our feet stopped moving, watching this scene.

Love can dispel resentment; no wonder people often proclaim: "Love will never die, even until the end of time."

Under such influence, the surrounding ghosts either left or disappeared completely. When the last ghost's shadow faded away, the woman's body gradually became transparent.

"My dear child, take good care of yourself."

With these words, the woman smiled peacefully, her body transforming into a warm white light that slowly faded into the rising mist.

"Mother! Mother, where are you going? Don't leave us! I still have so much to say..."

Jin Hanliang cried out frantically, but he could do nothing to stop her. Death is like a lamp going out; the departed cannot linger in the world—this is an unchanging rule.

As the mist thinned slightly, I saw Jin Hanliang and his father standing there, lost and dejected. I was about to go and say a few words to them when he acted as if he didn't see me, supporting his father and staggering back towards the village.

"Hey, Brother Jin..."

Jin Hanliang ignored me, and not only him, but the villagers of Mist Valley, who had once regained their vitality, became dazed again, like a group of living dead, slowly walking back to the village. From behind, their swaying gait bore a striking resemblance to the controlled ghosts…

Thinking this, a thought flashed through my mind, and I looked around in surprise. I was astonished to find that although the ghosts had all vanished, the thick fog surrounding the entire Fog Valley Village showed no signs of dissipating. The resentment had dissipated, so why was the fog still there? Could it be…?

My thoughts were confirmed as the villagers were about to return to the village. Just as Jin Hanliang and Old Man Jin were about to enter, a figure emerged from the fog beside them and joined them.

I recognized that person, and Ah Xue cried out in shock at the familiar figure… It was Jin Hanliang's wife, the woman who had been brutally murdered by the ghosts, now returning to the village with her husband and father-in-law as if nothing had happened.

“W-why is this happening, Master?”

I already knew the answer to Ah Xue's question. I quickly turned around and glared at Mao Yan'an. He was still leaning against the tree trunk, looking lazy, as if he had seen everything but was indifferent to it. When he saw my gaze, he shrugged and smiled.

“As you can see, the festival is over. Based on past experience, the fog will dissipate in about an hour, and then we can leave.”

“This Fog Valley Village, there wasn’t a single living person left from the start, right?”

“Absolutely right. It’s a dead town. Old Man Jin, Jin Hanliang, and all the villagers you see are all spirits. It’s a good show; the actors on both sides are spirits, only one side doesn’t know it.”

Mao Yan’an smiled easily at my question, waving his hand, “The Fog Valley Village’s spirit festival is performed periodically. We just happened to be there this time. How was it? Isn’t it more interesting than a typical opera? Very immersive, right?”

“How could that be?”

Shocked, Ah Xue’s eyes widened. “What about Sister-in-law Jin? Is she also…?”

“Nothing’s wrong with her. She’s also a spirit.”

“Then… their little baby…”

“Babies die too, and of course there are infant spirits. There are even smaller infant spirits in the world. This size is nothing. You're going to be a great wizard, don't make such a fuss.”

Mao Yan'an spoke casually, his expression relaxed, almost humming a tune. But for Xue, these words were the cruelest truth. I saw her trembling, struggling to catch her breath. After a long while, she looked at me with a helpless expression, on the verge of tears, and asked why this had happened.

I passed this embarrassing task back to the uncle, and what he said was not much different from what I had expected.

"Actually, the events in Fog Valley Village happened at least a hundred years ago. The year after the murder, a large number of vengeful spirits attacked Fog Valley Village, slaughtering everyone in the village that very night, regardless of age or gender."

"Then... then why did this happen..."

"People die and become ghosts, and ghosts are reincarnated, that's normal, but not everything follows the norm. Sometimes, people die and, for some reason, don't want to be reincarnated. After a while, they even forget they are dead; or they are bound by some external force, locked in one place, never able to leave, reliving the nightmare of their death."

Fog Valley Village is such an example, Mao Yan'an said. Because the souls are bound and cannot leave this cursed land, every so often, when thick fog blankets the mountains, the spirits reassemble in the ruins, reenacting the horrific scene of the village's massacre.

“Every time a vengeance takes place, if there are outsiders, they will be dragged into it as well. After they are killed, new ghosts will be trapped here. Over the past hundred years, dozens, if not hundreds, of hunters have died here in their search for treasure. But many years ago, I came here with my friends…”

That was when Mao Yan’an was still playing rock music in the Southern Barbarians. He and two friends from his band went to Fog Valley Village and witnessed the ghosts attacking and trying to massacre the village. But that time, the three of them accomplished a task that no hunter had ever accomplished before. They not only realized that both sides of the commotion were ghosts, but also found the real culprit of the murder case from a hundred years ago and solved the case for the first time.

"At the time, we thought we had completely liberated the spirits of Fog Valley Village, but things didn't end there..."

Whether it was because one side felt too guilty or the other side harbored too much resentment, the spirits did not disappear. Even when the high monks of the Temple of Light chanted sutras, the spirits refused to be saved and remained imprisoned in the Soul Cage in a daze, repeating the same tragic events every now and then.

“The memories of the dead are fragmented. Because we solved this case before, Old Man Jin remembers me, but he doesn't remember that he himself is dead. I occasionally come to Fog Valley Village to see if they've left, but they're still here, unchanged…”

“If that's the case, you should have said so sooner.”

Remembering the reason I misjudged the situation, he snapped, “You didn't tell me beforehand, and that day you said it was someone else's story, and your expression was so strange, I thought…”

“Haha, I wasn't wrong. This is indeed my friend's story. It was just your wishful thinking that I was the murderer, my dear nephew. See, stereotypes are indeed dangerous.”

“Uncle, please answer a question for me. I don't understand, wasn't that skeleton woman already… already let go? Why…”

“Yes, when we successfully solved the case back then, we thought that was the end of it.”

Mao Yan’an nodded and said, “But the world of the underworld is more severe than we imagined. Not every ghost can be freed after resolving the regrets in its heart. Sometimes, the resentment is too deep. Even with forgiveness and love, it is still not enough to break through the spiral of death accumulated by countless resentments.”

Endless death, endless tragedy, played out repeatedly in the thick fog, forming an unending spiral of death. This was the law of the underworld. I had heard of it before, but experiencing it firsthand, the indescribable cruelty and heaviness still weighed heavily on my chest.

"It felt very real the first time you saw it, right? But after seeing it many times, you won't feel it anymore."

Mao Yan'an shrugged, took three pickaxes he had prepared beforehand from beside the tree, and tossed them to us.

"Start digging. Now you know, this village is a gathering place for ghosts, an extremely yin place. Every time there's a necromancer's ritual, a massacre takes place here. Over time, some good things might suddenly appear underground. Don't miss them. A good tracker should be able to find something to dig up anytime, anywhere."

The uncle was true to his word and had already started digging with his pickaxes. This was something I had to admire about him, because when I first encountered a necromancer's ritual, although I maintained my composure, I couldn't remain calm. My body and limbs were stiff, and my movements were slow.

“Uncle, Master… can’t we do anything?”

Ah Xue put down her pickaxe and asked urgently, “Isn’t there any way to let them rest in peace and stop this from repeating itself? They… are already dead, they’ve admitted their mistakes on one side and forgiven on the other, why can’t they rest in peace and ascend to heaven, why do they have to be trapped here like this?”

Ah Xue’s eyes were filled with fervent expectation and longing, but I could not respond, because in my knowledge, the undead can be destroyed, can be summoned and driven, but there is no way to stop a spiral of souls like this.

"Impossible. Didn't I tell you? Don't even mention you, even the high monks of Cihang Jingdian, who personally chanted incantations, couldn't deliver these vengeful spirits. They could only make a pact between the two sides, and when the spirit sacrifice came, they would exchange the pacts to settle things, without having to resort to massacring the village."

Mao Yan'an shook his head and sighed, "Girl, there are so many inequalities and injustices in the world. Although they don't make sense, they just exist there. People can't change them, so they can only learn to accept them. You're just a weak black magician. Even the high-ranking monks of the Light God Palace couldn't do it, so what makes you think you can? Take it easy and help your uncle dig."

His words were very realistic, but there was no way to refute them. Ah Xue fell silent and started digging with us using pickaxes.

The atmosphere was strange, and my mood was also chaotic. It wasn't until Mao Yan'an called out that we dug out several crystal-clear, azure-blue stones of varying sizes. Only then did I realize that Ah Xue and Violet had disappeared.

"Uncle, have you seen..."

Before I could finish my question, I suddenly sensed a fluctuation, a fluctuation of some kind of magical power, emanating from the village. Who was chanting spells over there?

The answer was all too obvious. When the uncle and I looked in that direction, streaks of bluish-purple light slowly rose from the ground, trembling and floating in the mist. Anyone with knowledge of black magic could see that these were materialized, yet formless, ghostly spirits.

One, two... the bluish-purple lights, like starlight appearing in the night, multiplied, until finally hundreds of ghostly spirits gathered and glowed, a fantastical, indescribable purple-green spectacle, exuding a chilling, eerie aura. Amidst this eerie beauty, there was an indescribable sense of dread.

We didn't know why the ghostly spirits had gathered, but we saw a graceful figure, followed by a leopard, walking slowly through the thick fog.

"That foolish woman, what is she trying to do?"

I couldn't figure it out for a moment. I only saw Ah Xue raise her arm, seemingly chanting something. Then, the purple and green soul lights that were floating around seemed to be guided, moving towards her and circling around the small circles she drew with her fingers.

"This is..."

Ah Xue's fingers pointed, flicked, picked, and raised, each different movement matching the changes in the incantation. This was a very skillful casting technique, showing that she had indeed been secretly practicing diligently these past few days. When those flickering soul lights touched her fair and delicate fingers, they crumbled and disintegrated instantly, like the first snow meeting the blazing sun, leaving no trace.

The fireflies and will-o'-the-wisps disappeared into the vast mist. Ah Xue twirled and danced lightly, her fingers drawing all sorts of graceful movements. From a distance, it was indeed a very pleasing sight, but when we realized what she was doing, we were greatly surprised.

"She's...absorbing these spirits?"

For necromancers who make a living by controlling spirits, capturing and absorbing them is commonplace.

However, spirits are ultimately malevolent beings from the mortal world, and prolonged proximity can cause significant damage to the body. Therefore, necromancers generally confine spirits within magical artifacts, such as the Myriad Soul Banner or the Myriad Spirit Blood Bead.

But from a practical standpoint, directly using the physical body as a container to absorb spirits, controlling them at will and moving with lightning speed, is the most advantageous approach. Thus, some high-level necromancers directly absorb spirits into their bodies, the number varying depending on their cultivation level.

"I see, so there's another way... As long as the spirits are forcibly absorbed, the spiral of death will be interrupted, and the necromancer ritual won't take place."

Mao Yan'an stroked his chin and smiled. "But if you're going to absorb them, you should absorb some of higher quality ones. Spirits of this level aren't very strong in combat; wouldn't it be a waste to absorb them?"

"What nonsense are you spouting? Hurry up and stop her!"

I was anxiously trying to rush forward. According to the common sense of black magic, what Ah Xue was doing wasn't a big deal, but a novice sorcerer could only handle a single-digit number of spirits at most, and what she was trying to absorb... was a hundred times the normal amount. She could lose control at any moment and be killed by the spirits exploding.

"What's the rush? If she was going to explode, she would have already. She hasn't exploded yet, so let it develop. What necromancer doesn't touch spirits?"

As I rushed out, Mao Yan'an grabbed me with unusually strong force, forcing me to stagger and stop.

"Uncle, you..."

"Look at Xue'er, she's already absorbed most of those vengeful spirits, and she doesn't seem to be in any pain."

Indeed, from this angle, Xue'er's expression was serene, showing no sign of the pain from the internal magical conflict. The faint smile on her lips and the graceful movements of her slender waist as she twirled were so beautiful they seemed to radiate a holy light. Although what actually surrounded her was just a layer of black energy generated during the practice of black magic, it still gave off a rare...compassion.

It's hard to imagine that a necromancer practicing evil black magic could do something even the high monks of the Cihang Jingdian Temple couldn't accomplish, giving people such a feeling of compassion. If you told anyone, no one would believe it, and even if you told Tianhe Xueqiong herself, she would probably laugh.

"Strange, why can she absorb so much at once? A beginner shouldn't be able to..."

While worried, I also had some doubts. Could it be that Tianhe Xueqiong's power was gradually awakening? Otherwise, why would Ah Xue be able to…

“Of course there are reasons we don’t know, why bother? The result is the most important thing. However, perhaps Xue girl benefited from the Great Sun Mirror…”

“You, what did you say?”

Shocked, I grabbed Mao Yan’an’s collar.

“I’m congratulating you, silly boy. Absorbing Yin spirits is like drug addiction. Once you’ve tried it, you can’t stop. Didn’t you always force people to practice dark magic? Now you’ve finally taken the first step steadily. Isn’t that something to celebrate?”

The uncle’s perfect smile was almost a semi-circular arc, but it gave me a chill.

Glancing at Ah Xue over there, I saw that she had already absorbed all the Yin spirits. I suddenly had a feeling that compared to the thick fog in Mist Valley Village, the fog surrounding the man in front of me was thicker and deeper…

Just as Mao Yan'an had said, an hour later, all the fog gradually dissipated, revealing the clear sky. We packed our bags, taking with us the few valuable crystals we'd dug out from the dwarven ruins, and prepared to leave Fog Valley Village to continue our journey back to Alibuda.

My mind was a bit chaotic, but the whole affair was over. Looking at the almost vanished fog, the events of the past few days left me with a strange feeling.

Not wanting to delve deeper, I turned to look at Xue. She was playing with Violet, her smile exactly the same as when we first entered the Southern Barbarian Lands. But I could imagine that the experiences of the past few days must have accumulated beneath her smile, something she could only temporarily conceal with a smile.

This thought made my heart ache a little, but before the ripples spread, I suppressed the feeling, not allowing myself to think about it any further.

"Alright, my dear nephew, let's set off. The fog has lifted; if we don't hurry, we won't make it back to Alibuda."

Indeed, a new imperial decree awaits me in Alibuda, though I hoped it would be a leisurely and comfortable job. But reality often contradicts my expectations.

Pulling the reins, I spurred my horse forward.

"Let's go, Ah Xue... and Uncle, let's get going. There are other adventures ahead."

"That's right, let's all conquer Pokémon!"

"...Hey, Uncle, what are Pokémon?"

"Oh, you don't need to know. After working as a Tracker for a while, you'll naturally understand."

"I hear you, you electric rat, spouting nonsense!"

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