Night, so dark one couldn’t see their fingers before them.

When the Soul-Borrowing Lamp was extinguished, the villagers of Niu Village who had been working straightened their backs.

The blazing sun in their eyes instantly transformed into the remnants of dawn’s wind and a waning moon. The clear blue sky became a long, impenetrable night. Even their peaceful, beautiful village had turned into desolate, withered ruins.

The villagers were bewildered. They hadn’t yet realized they were ghosts. All two hundred and twenty people were utterly confused until they reached the graves at the village entrance and saw tombstones bearing their names. Only then did they awaken as if from a dream.

So, they were already dead.

But why had they died?

Everyone thought of the bowl of holy water given to them by the Mountain Hermit of Lingxu.

They gradually recalled the events of the night they drank the holy water.

They had died on the fourteenth day of the third month in the twentieth year of Taichang. That evening, they had collectively and willingly drunk that bowl of holy water because the Mountain Hermit had told them that after drinking it, they would ascend to the Heavenly Palace.

Their lives had been unbearably difficult. No matter how hard they toiled in the fields, they earned barely a hundred copper coins a year. From these hundred coins, they still had to pay land tax, household tax, head tax, and various other harsh levies. In the end, less than ten coins remained in their hands. Children had no clothes to wear, adults had no food to eat—they could hardly survive. Yet they dared not rebel, only enduring numbly day after day, year after year.

More terrifying still, there was no end to this life. They suffered hunger and poverty, and their descendants would suffer the same, because they were farmers, and the children of farmers could only be farmers. If they were to blame anything, they could only blame their inability to be reborn into better circumstances. Neither they nor their descendants could escape this hopeless existence.

But one day, the Mountain Hermit arrived, bringing them yearning and illusions of a better future. If they followed his instructions, their lives would improve, and after death, they could go to the Heavenly Palace with endless flatbreads to eat, countless clothes to wear, and spacious homes to live in. Everyone would remain forever young and never die, living like immortals.

So they obeyed everything the Mountain Hermit said. They performed many good deeds and used what little money they had to rearrange their homes, yet their lives showed no improvement. They remained just as poor and wretched. They grew confused. Then, the Mountain Hermit returned, telling them they had accumulated enough merit and the Heavenly Emperor had agreed to let them enter the Heavenly Palace. All they needed to do was drink the holy water, and they would enjoy eternal blessings.

Each person, including pregnant women and children, excitedly and unhesitatingly drank the holy water. But what they received in return was excruciating abdominal pain, blood flowing from all seven orifices, and sudden death.

Their souls did not go to the underworld but were confined here, taking night for day and day for night, using their lifespans to extend the Mountain Hermit’s life.

After a moment of silence, cries, curses, and complaints rose in waves—wailing over their misfortune, cursing the Mountain Hermit’s cruelty, reproaching husbands and wives for their gullibility.

After the crying, cursing, and complaining, anger spread through the crowd. They hated—hated the Mountain Hermit, hated the officials who had hastily closed their case, hated the society that left them without adequate clothing or food, hated everyone.

Black resentment quickly swirled in the air. Each person’s face became terrifyingly distorted. The crowd moved toward the exit of Niu Village. They didn’t know where they were going; they only knew they wanted revenge, to avenge themselves on every living person in this world.

Why should others still be alive when they were dead?

Just as the two hundred and twenty vengeful ghosts were about to rush toward Taoyuan Town, suddenly a paper horse carrying a jade-clothed young woman galloped toward them. The young woman rode with whip raised, racing like the wind. Upon reaching the village entrance, she pulled the reins, leaped down from the paper steed, and blocked the crowd’s path.

Lier was the first to recognize the young woman. He called out, “Elder Sister, why are you here?”

Li Ying looked at the two hundred and twenty souls filled with resentment and drew a sharp breath. She had arrived somewhat late, but fortunately, not too late.

She said, “I have come to guide you.”

A villager shouted, “Who are you? By what right do you claim to guide us?”

“I am Princess Yong’an of the Great Zhou.”

“Princess Yong’an?” The crowd exchanged glances.

Even in this most destitute village, they had heard of Princess Yong’an’s reputation. Princess Yong’an, with her immortal beauty and jade-like appearance, whose radiance moved the entire realm. She was His Majesty’s most beloved daughter. Rumor had it she ate the finest delicacies, wore the most exquisite silks, and even washed her face with powder made from crushed pearls. Everyone envied Princess Yong’an’s good fortune. Whenever they heard stories about her, they would sigh and think that in this life, it was impossible, but if in the next life they could be reborn like Princess Yong’an, how wonderful that would be.

But how could His Majesty’s most beloved Princess Yong’an come to their ghost village?

Seeming to perceive the doubt in everyone’s eyes, Li Ying said, “I have come here because, like you, I am also a ghost.”

The crowd was shocked, looking at each other in disbelief. Princess Yong’an had become a ghost? Wasn’t her Prince Consort from a noble family? Shouldn’t she have been living with a loving husband, surrounded by children, protected by His Majesty and Consort Jiang, living a complete and fulfilled life? How could she have died so young?

Li Ying nodded, “I died on the sixth day of the tenth month in the twentieth year of Taichang. You all died on the fourteenth day of the third month in the twentieth year of Taichang. Now, thirty years have passed.”

“Thirty years?” the crowd murmured. For a full thirty years, their souls had been trapped in this ghost village?

Sorrow showed on everyone’s faces, and the black resentment above their heads grew heavier. Li Ying was alarmed. She wasn’t skilled at persuasion and didn’t know how to dispel their resentment. She could only speak the most sincere words from her heart, trying her best to prevent them from becoming vengeful ghosts. She called out loudly, “Everyone, you died unjustly, and your souls have been trapped in the Soul-Borrowing Formation for thirty years. This is certainly the Mountain Hermit’s sin, but it is also the Great Zhou’s failure toward you.”

She continued steadily, “You all died suddenly in a single night. This extraordinary event went unnoticed by the Deputy Magistrate, the Regional Inspector, the Minister of Justice, and officials at all levels. They failed to find your killer—this is the first offense. Secondly, for thirty years, the Mountain Hermit committed evil deeds and performed false miracles, yet no one exposed him, causing your souls to be trapped for thirty years without release—this is the second offense. Thirdly, the reason you trusted the Mountain Hermit was that the Great Zhou gave you no hope. Despite your hard work, you still couldn’t eat your fill or keep warm. In times of famine, you could only sell your sons as servants and daughters as maids, generation after generation, without any prospect for improvement. So when the Mountain Hermit promised you a better afterlife, you readily believed him, resulting in your untimely deaths—this is the third offense. Your deaths represent the Great Zhou’s failure toward you, our Li family’s failure toward you!”

“Having gained this realm, we should have taken responsibility for all its subjects, but we failed to do so, allowing you to die clinging to false hopes. On behalf of the Li royal family, on behalf of the Great Zhou, I offer you my deepest apologies!”

Li Ying placed her hands flat together, fingers together, at her chest, and bowed deeply, formally offering an apologetic salute to these two hundred and twenty people. Everyone was stunned. Who would have thought that the Great Zhou’s most noble Princess Yong’an would apologize to them, mere lowly farmers?

But after their initial shock, some still wept uncontrollably. It was the pregnant woman Li Ying had met earlier. She had finally realized the infant in her arms was a ghost child. When she dropped it in terror, the ghost infant cackled and vanished into black smoke. Only then did the woman realize that her gullibility had also harmed her unborn child. In extreme pain, she cried out to Li Ying, “What use is your apology now? We are all dead! My child died before it was even born! Can your apology restore all these lives?”

Li Ying’s face showed compassion. She shook her head, “I cannot.”

The crowd erupted in clamor. Li Ying bit her lip and continued, “Although I cannot restore your lives, I still implore you not to be consumed by resentment and harm the people of Taoyuan Town. They are innocent.”

The pregnant woman cried, “And were we not innocent? Did we die for nothing?”

Moved by her grief, others in the crowd shouted, “That’s right! Did we die for nothing?”

“We did so many good deeds. Why did we have to die like this?”

“We cannot accept this!”

“Why are we dead while they still live? If we must die, everyone should die together!”

Chaos was about to erupt. The crowd was filled with righteous indignation, ready to surge toward Taoyuan Town. Li Ying grew anxious. The ghostly fire in her hand transformed into a green barrier, blocking the crowd’s path. She called out loudly, “Listen to me!”

Blocked by the ghostly fire and unable to advance, the crowd quieted down. Li Ying said, “If you become vengeful ghosts and harm others, even the Ten Yama Kings won’t spare you. Under their punishment, your souls will surely scatter! Why not dispel your resentment and go to the underworld for reincarnation? This way, you can be reborn as humans again!”

Someone shouted, “Reborn as humans? What kind of humans? Still, as poor people who can’t even afford to eat? To bear sons and grandsons who still can’t afford to eat? Is that reincarnation as humans or just more suffering? Better to be vengeful ghosts. If our souls scatter, so be it—it’s better than living as worthless humans!”

“It’s not like that,” Li Ying said urgently. “If you can be reborn as humans, you’ll find that today’s Great Zhou is different from thirty years ago. My father implemented new policies…”

She paused briefly at this point, biting her lip as a wave of bitterness welled up in her heart. Her father had wanted to kill her, and she had never wanted to forgive him or even mention his name. The new policies had led to her death, and she never wanted to mention those two words either. But now was not the time to dwell on personal grudges. She had to convince these people to be willing to reincarnate.

Her voice grew even louder, the clear, crisp sound like metal and stone echoing in everyone’s ears: “My father implemented new policies, abolishing many harsh taxes. He also established the imperial examination system. As long as one passes the exam, even farmers can enter government service and rise to the position of Prime Minister. Besides the Classical Learning and Advanced Scholar examinations, there are also Military, Mathematics, and Medicine examinations. Those who may not excel in academics but are strong in martial arts, outstanding in mathematics, or skilled in medicine can also find their path. For ten years, my father implemented these new policies, selecting countless talented individuals from humble backgrounds. After his death, my mother continued to strengthen these policies. After thirty years of implementation, more than half of the Great Zhou court officials now come from humble origins. Many of them were even poorer than you, but through their efforts, they changed their fate. So, if you are willing, you can too!”

The crowd looked at each other, utterly shocked. Despite their hard work and effort, they had remained impoverished. But today, someone was telling them that people like them could change their fate through effort? How could they not be stunned and moved?

Li Ying continued, “Everyone, you believed the evil Daoist’s words because you had no hope. But now it’s different. Even if you reincarnate as farmers again, you can still achieve your wishes. You can be a field laborer in the morning and enter the imperial court by evening. No longer must your descendants, generation after generation, live without hope. Everyone, as long as you’re willing to dispel your resentment and go to the underworld for rebirth, your next life still holds hope.”

A field laborer in the morning, entering the imperial court by evening… The crowd murmured these words, hope gradually kindling in their eyes. Their resentment was no longer as deep as before. Seeing this, Li Ying quickly said, “If you become vengeful ghosts and harm others, there truly will be no hope left. But if you go to the underworld now, you still have a chance to change your fate.”

The expressions on everyone’s faces gradually softened. Li Ying earnestly said, “In this life, the Great Zhou has failed you. In your next life, I hope you will still be willing to be subjects of the Great Zhou. Li Ying offers her gratitude.”

With these words, she again placed her hands together at her chest and sincerely bowed to everyone. The crowd was silent. They had died without hope, but now they were told everything was different. If they reincarnated, their next lives wouldn’t be as hopeless as this one. If that was the case, why remain as ghosts? Why not become human again?

Lier tugged at his parents’ clothes, “Mother, Father, I don’t want to kill people. I want to reincarnate. I want to take the imperial examinations. I want to live a good life.”

With the child’s innocent words, more and more people became willing to reincarnate. Even the pregnant woman who had been weeping said through her tears, “I… I don’t want my soul to scatter. I’m also willing to reincarnate. In my next life, I want to cherish my child properly.”

“I… I’m willing too.”

Throughout the crowd, voices of agreement rose one after another. The black resentment gradually dispersed, finally disappearing completely. Seeing this, Li Ying finally felt relieved. In the pitch-black night, the bright moon hung high. Her face was as pure as moonlight, her eyes as clear and clean as crystal. A breeze rose, lifting her jade-colored robes and white shawl, making her appear ethereal. Lier couldn’t help asking, “Elder Sister, are you a goddess?”

Li Ying smiled gently and shook her head, “I am not.”

She paused, then said, “I am Princess Yong’an of the Great Zhou.”

She looked around. The clear moonlight spilled across the ground, giving her entire body a gentle, peaceful glow like the moon. She said, “Subjects of the Great Zhou, go now to be reborn. May all your wishes come true in your next lives.”

The crowd exchanged glances, then knelt one by one. They bowed reverently to this princess of the Great Zhou who had saved them from their resentment. She had prevented them from becoming vengeful ghosts and having their souls scattered. In their hearts, she was like a goddess.

When Cui Xun arrived on horseback, this was the scene he witnessed. Earlier, he had awakened the agents and ordered them to investigate whether any accomplices remained at Purple Cloud Temple. Afterward, he had quickly written a memorial to the Empress Dowager. In the memorial, besides suggesting that the Mountain Hermit and the Purple Cloud Temple Daoists’ bodies be exposed for three days as a warning to others, he also wrote that the local County Captain was guilty of negligence and should be dismissed and investigated. He had also proposed several strategies for educating the common people to prevent evil Daoists like the Mountain Hermit from harming people in the future. After attending to all these matters, he had hastily bandaged his wounds, instructed the agents not to mention a word about his activities here, then mounted his Kangju horse and raced to Niu Village.

When he reached Niu Village, he saw that Li Ying had already dispelled the villagers’ resentment. The villagers were kneeling and sincerely bowing to express their gratitude. Li Ying stood among them, her robes fluttering, as holy and beautiful as a goddess from the Heavenly Palace.

He watched quietly, his dark eyes filled with tenderness.

She had saved the villagers of Niu Village, and she had saved him, too.

She was their goddess, and his goddess as well.

Moreover, she was his only redemption in this life.