Qingyi did not find this matter particularly troublesome. If one were to speak truly — all things in the world obeyed the principle of first come first served, as well as cause and effect. The vengeful ghost had spent many years absorbing human yang energy before becoming a vengeful ghost — but had he been a ghost from the very beginning?

No.

If no one had come to seize another’s body, he would simply have been Luo Yu — perhaps not safe and smooth-sailing in life, perhaps not extraordinarily gifted, but he would simply have been Luo Yu. The current Luo Yu, no matter how clever, no matter how praised — at the end of it all, everything he had was stolen.

He had stolen everything that truly belonged to Luo Yu.

Without him, Luo Yu would never have become a vengeful ghost, and so many people would never have been injured or killed. Therefore — the frail sickly body was what he deserved. Not only that, but a short lifespan too, because all of this was the direct karmic consequence of his seizing another’s body and stealing another’s fate. He deserved to bear all of it.

What was so difficult about resolving this? It was nothing more than setting right what had been made wrong — why worry about bearing any karmic debt?

The sin of killing a living person?

A person who deserved to die from the start — what sin was there in speaking of?

The truly difficult part was that even after things had been set right, Luo Yu might not live very long, because he had taken lives — karmic sins clung to him. Even if it was a karmic entanglement forged by the actions of others, the moment he had acted himself, the stain had already attached to him.

The ghost Luo Yu perhaps did not expect much in the way of a long life for himself — it had already become nothing more than an obsession. A ghost that had already transformed into a vengeful dead was steeped in obsession — there was truly no path forward, nor any path of retreat.

Before becoming a ghost, he had originally been a person — and he had been meant to be Luo Yu.

How could there be no resentment? How could one speak lightly of letting go?

If it were her, she would be resentful too.

Qingyi glanced at the ghost — its entire body radiating black energy, its ghost eyes deep red, yet filled with resentment and desolation. She followed its gaze to look at the Regional Inspector and his wife, and said: “Even though setting things right is the just course — you have no wish for that now?”

The full chain of cause and effect had already been laid out plainly. Did they still want to destroy that vengeful ghost?

Regional Inspector Luo had a square, upright face — and having spent many years navigating the official world, he carried himself with authority. He looked at Qingyi and said: “What setting right and what just course — I, Luo Bian’an, have only one son. This child, from the moment he came into this world, was raised by the two of us with our own hands, brought up to this day. He is our only child, and he is our very life. There is nothing here to set right.”

As he said this, the ghost’s resentment surged even more violently — a cold yin wind began to stir.

Regional Inspector Luo’s expression shifted slightly.

Qingyi said: “And yet your son, Inspector, is nothing more than someone who seized another’s body — and it was done through an evil arts practitioner deliberately summoned to steal another’s fate. To put it plainly and bluntly: he was never the one destined to be reborn into your household.”

“That child came into this world and landed in my, Luo Bian’an’s hands — that makes him my flesh and blood, does it not? No matter who is reincarnated, is it not all the same!” Regional Inspector Luo grew somewhat irritated and said: “We have no need of setting anything right. All we need is calm waters and still waves — for the family to be safe and at peace. As for that one over there — does your Daoist sect not always speak of karmic connections? He and the two of us have no such connection, and that cannot be forced.”

Qingyi looked toward Madam Luo: “Does the Madam feel the same?”

Madam Luo trembled, raised her head, her eyes red and swollen. She said: “Immortal Master, our Yuer — we have raised him for thirteen years, pouring our whole hearts into it. Even if we were wrong, was this not also the will of heaven? If we truly followed what you say and set things right — neither of them would survive. Our Luo family has only this one son. My husband and I are nearly fifty years old, and we truly cannot endure the grief of grey-haired parents burying a black-haired child.”

This was the deepest fear of the Luo couple, and also what troubled every Daoist who had come to help — they could not pay back a family their sole heir.

So going along with the mistake and letting it stand was the Luo family’s only choice.

“In other words, you are just going to abandon me. You know full well that I am the real one — and yet you abandon me. Ha ha ha.” The ghost, who appeared to be no more than a young teenager, let out a sinister, broken laugh. Ghost energy surged and a yin wind howled, sweeping tables and chairs inside the hall crashing over one by one.

Madam Luo was so frightened she screamed, pressing herself against the Regional Inspector’s side and trembling uncontrollably.

Regional Inspector Luo forced himself to appear calm, looked toward Qingyi: “I ask the Immortal Master to destroy the evil spirit!”

Qingyi did not move. She merely swept a glance at the vengeful ghost.

The yin wind quieted slightly.

“The ‘evil spirit’ in the Inspector’s words is in truth the one who should have been your son. He was meant to live with dignity and pride, yet was harmed by those with malicious intent, robbed of his physical form by a wicked scheme, and became a homeless wandering soul. Because he was already entered into the Book of Life and Death as having come into this world, he cannot even reincarnate.” Qingyi looked at Madam Luo and said: “Madam, you carried him for ten months. The one who was truly connected to you by blood, every kick and flutter you felt during those months — all of that came from him. And you still want to destroy him?”

The hall fell into a silent stillness.

Madam Luo’s face drained of color, tears streaming down her face. A look of pain crossed her features. She closed her eyes, her whole body shaking.

Regional Inspector Luo’s expression grew dark and threatening, and it was clear he was displeased — that the Canglang Temple had sent this tiny child, and a girl at that, felt like an insult. Were they being brushed off?

“Can the Immortal Master drive it out or not — if not, then…”

“I can.” Qingyi stood up and said: “But I am unwilling.”

Regional Inspector Luo was stunned.

“Immortal Master, I am willing to set up a longevity tablet for him, to make offerings day and night — if there is a next life, let us have another chance to be mother and son…” Madam Luo suddenly collapsed to her knees on the ground.

Qingyi gave a contemptuous laugh: “He is already a homeless wandering soul. Once destroyed, what next life is there to speak of — it would be nothing but the scattering of soul and spirit, vanishing into a wisp of smoke.”

Madam Luo’s body went rigid.

“Then are we just to be left with no one to rely upon in our old age?” Regional Inspector Luo said in an enraged voice: “We are already past fifty, with only one son who has yet to come of age…”

“Should the Inspector not be directing his anger at the one who engineered this from behind the scenes? If that person had not acted and performed those arts — seizing another’s soul, stealing another’s fate — how would things have come to this today?” Qingyi said with a light laugh: “But what you have chosen is nothing more than to let the wrong persist.”

Regional Inspector Luo’s face flushed a deep red.

Qingyi said coolly: “Forgive me — my skills are lacking, and there is nothing I can do.”

“You — you are standing by and doing nothing, watching a life be lost! Compassion is the first virtue of those who have left the secular world — to eradicate evil and protect the righteous path is what you Daoists have on your lips every day. And yet here you stand, seeing evil and refusing to destroy it. What logic is that? What difference is there between what you are doing and the evil practitioner who performed those wicked arts?” Regional Inspector Luo stamped his foot in fury. It was plain that this Daoist had the ability to drive away that vengeful ghost, yet was intending to fold her arms and do nothing — which was tantamount to taking the ghost’s side.

Regional Inspector Luo had no desire to pass judgment on all that talk of soul-seizing at birth and different spirits. He only knew that the moment this child had been placed in his arms at birth, he was Luo Bian’an’s son.

“If we are speaking of eradicating evil and protecting the righteous path, then I should be dealing with the one behind the soul-seizing and the stolen fate. A practitioner of dark arts like that — all those of the righteous path should be permitted to destroy them — and you have now reminded me of that.” The corner of Qingyi’s lips curved into a cruel arc: “Only — once evil is eradicated, your family’s son will inevitably be struck by the backlash. Given that — do you still wish for the evil to be eradicated?”

Regional Inspector Luo went pale, stumbling backward two steps.

“And furthermore — do you think that once this one is destroyed, the false Luo Yu can live to a ripe old age? No. Stolen goods remain stolen goods — they cannot be kept. His frailty is rooted precisely in this.” Qingyi said coldly: “There is no such easy bargain in this world, where one steals another’s entire life and can still live in peace and prosperity. Something always has to be given in exchange. If one has stolen another’s existence, then the most precious things must be offered up in return — such as health, and then… the number of one’s years. This is karmic retribution.”