The resentful souls received deliverance and transformed into white light flying out of the Soul-Capturing Array. Kong Hou leaned against her phoenix-headed instrument, barely maintaining her sitting posture. Her ears could hardly hear any sounds, her vision was so blurred she could only see hazy shadows, and every part of her body hurt. As long as she closed her eyes, she could fall asleep.

In a daze, a gentle and graceful woman walked out from among the countless resentful souls. She bowed to Kong Hou from afar, saying something, but Kong Hou couldn’t hear clearly. She widened her eyes wanting to see the other party’s lip movements clearly. This woman smiled at her, then turned and transformed into a streak of flowing light that disappeared.

After this woman, countless resentful souls bowed to her—rough men and farm women, elegant scholars, graceful and beautiful young ladies. Kong Hou rubbed her eyes, only regretting that her vision was too blurred right now.

A child only three or four years old ran before her. In those innocent eyes that didn’t yet understand what life and death were, the child had already become a wandering soul. Kong Hou coughed a few times and swallowed the fishy-sweet blood in her mouth—she was afraid of frightening this child.

The little child opened both arms toward her. Kong Hou bent down to pick her up and placed her on her lap. She truly had no strength to stand up, so she simply sat in the mud pit like this—at least it saved some energy.

She heard the child’s voice. This child was laughing, with large eyes containing no fear, no sorrow, only pure happiness.

Kong Hou watched as she gradually disappeared from her embrace bit by bit, transforming into flowing light and flying away. She raised her head to look at the sky with its drizzling rain. “May the next life not encounter illness and suffering, but peace for an entire lifetime.”

The dharma robe on her body had long been tattered and stained with muddy water. Kong Hou struggled with her last breath to climb up from the ground. Her head was buzzing, and her ears and nose itched unbearably. She wanted to reach up to rub her uncomfortable itchy nose but discovered her hands were covered in blood and filth, so she had to give up.

It seemed someone was calling her name. Kong Hou, whose entire body was in pain, turned her head slowly and saw Huan Zong running toward her, his flawlessly handsome face full of terror. She furrowed her brows in confusion—what was wrong with Huan Zong? Hadn’t this formation already been broken?

She wanted to speak, but when she opened her mouth, she spat out several mouthfuls of blood. Her stomach seemed filled with blood—no matter how much she vomited, it wasn’t finished. She covered her mouth. Her vision became increasingly blurred, and the entire world seemed to quiet down.

“Kong Hou!” When people are most terrified, they forget many of their abilities and can only maintain their innate instincts. Huan Zong forgot he was a cultivator, forgot everything. He ran to Kong Hou’s side in a disheveled state and reached out to embrace the fainting Kong Hou.

Kong Hou’s nose, ears, and even the corners of her eyes were bleeding. Huan Zong’s hands holding Kong Hou trembled violently as he poured all his spiritual energy unreservedly into Kong Hou’s body.

Rainwater soaked his hair, and muddy water saturated his brocade shoes. He who was always immaculate could no longer consider these things—all his attention was only on the person in his arms.

“Wake up, Kong Hou, wake up.” Huan Zong took out a bottle of Vital Energy Pills from his storage ring and with trembling hands fed them to Kong Hou’s lips. More than half the pills hadn’t reached Kong Hou’s mouth before he had already shaken them into the muddy water.

Vital Energy Pills weren’t things that dissolved upon entering the mouth. Huan Zong put the pills in his own mouth, bent down, and transferred them into Kong Hou’s mouth.

“Amitabha.” Monk Fatan, coming down from the cloud, saw this scene. He neither avoided it nor continued forward, but turned to Lin Hu and said, “Donor Lin, this old monk understands some shallow medical principles.”

The man embracing the young woman in the rain curtain wasn’t crying or making a commotion, yet he made people feel his panic and sorrow. Fatan was a Buddhist cultivator who didn’t understand romantic love between men and women, but he had witnessed many instances of love between men and women, and partings of life and death.

He thought that perhaps within the next hundred years, he wouldn’t be able to persuade these two to join the Buddhist order.

Two Vital Energy Pills entered Kong Hou’s abdomen but didn’t produce any reaction. Huan Zong placed his hand on her life pulse, preparing to continue channeling spiritual energy into her body.

“Young Master.” Lin Hu walked to his side, holding an umbrella to shield him and Kong Hou from the rain falling from the sky. “Don’t be anxious first. Let’s first ask Monk Fatan to examine Miss Kong Hou.”

Huan Zong blinked. The rainwater on his eyelashes fell. He lifted Kong Hou horizontally in his arms. No matter how dirty and filthy she was at this moment, he didn’t care at all. His toes touched the ground, and Huan Zong flew before Fatan. “Master…”

Without him saying more, Fatan reached out to take Kong Hou’s pulse. The disciples behind him, seeing Kong Hou’s current appearance, were all somewhat moved.

Blood flowing from all five orifices, ten fingers mangled and bloody, bones nearly visible. The small wounds on her body were countless, with hardly a single good spot. The delicate and charming little girl they’d first met had now almost become a person of blood.

The Buddha once sacrificed himself to feed an eagle. This Miss Kong Hou sacrificed herself to save the common people—this was great benevolence and also great righteousness. No wonder their master said she had more Buddha-nature than them.

Fatan sighed and withdrew his hand. “Miss Kong Hou overused her spiritual energy and was also attacked by the malevolent energy in the Soul-Capturing Array. Her internal organs have suffered severe damage. If it were anyone else, I’m afraid…”

With Heart-Stirring Stage cultivation to deliver so many resentful souls, it was undoubtedly gambling with her life. The fortunate thing was that Miss Kong Hou was originally a person of this realm and had the power of faith from the common people of this realm on her body. This kind of faith was almost useless to cultivators, but at this moment, in this place, faith had become Kong Hou’s life-saving talisman.

Buddhism emphasized cause and effect. The cause between the common people of this realm and Miss Kong Hou had produced a good karmic fruit.

“No need to worry—Miss Kong Hou’s life is not in danger.” Fatan saw Huan Zong staring at Kong Hou in a daze. “She only needs to find a quiet place and let Miss Kong Hou rest for a few days. However, her meridians are currently in disorder, so she temporarily cannot experience the span between two realms…”

“All immortals and Bodhisattvas.” The local provincial governor mustered his courage to approach. “This humble person’s residence has been cleaned. Please, immortals, rest at my humble abode.” He looked worriedly at Kong Hou in Huan Zong’s arms, but in front of so many immortals, he didn’t dare look too much.

Although they hadn’t understood what Princess Kong Hou had done just now, after she played that melody and made rain begin to fall from the sky, those common people who had already contracted the disease began to gradually recover. They knew then that Princess Kong Hou had saved them.

However, after seeing the princess bathed in blood and carried out by an immortal, they began to understand that even if one was an immortal, saving mortals required paying a price. To them, Princess Kong Hou was truly “one of their own.” Only after seeing that the other immortals were all very concerned about Princess Kong Hou’s condition did they feel reassured.

“No need.” Huan Zong refused the provincial governor’s invitation. “I know an even quieter place.”

The provincial governor felt uneasy in his heart and braced himself with courage to ask, “Might it not be…”

Huan Zong paid him no attention, rose into the air, and disappeared into the sky.

The worry on the provincial governor’s face grew heavier. Where was that immortal taking Princess Kong Hou?

“The epidemic in this place has been resolved. All of you should properly rebuild your homes.” Lin Hu looked toward the crowd, at the boy holding swaddled infants. “Those two children have some past connection with Immortal Kong Hou. Please take good care of them as they grow up, Your Honor.”

“Please rest assured, immortal. Once this matter here is settled, this humble person will adopt them as foster son and daughter and care for them well.” The provincial governor’s wife and children had all died in this epidemic. In his future life, having a pair of children to care for could also comfort his remaining years.

“That’s good then.” Lin Hu saw the provincial governor was a loyal and virtuous person and didn’t doubt his words. He took out a box of gold pills and a box of medicinal materials from his bosom. “Much obliged.”

“How can this be accepted?” The provincial governor saw an entire box of gold and declined to receive it. “Caring for these two children, this humble person is willing from the heart. How could I accept the immortal’s gifts?”

“This is Miss Kong Hou’s meeting gift for the two juniors. Please accept it on their behalf, Your Honor.”

The provincial governor couldn’t refuse and had to accept it.

Fatan stood quietly to the side. After Lin Hu finished delegating miscellaneous matters, he said, “Donor Lin, this old monk will take his leave first. We’ll meet again at next year’s inter-sect exchange.”

“Thank you for your assistance this time, Master.” Lin Hu performed a deep bow. “When we arrive at Pei City, I and Young Master will properly thank you again.”

“Donor Lin is too polite. Buddha delivers all people. The common people of this place, this poor monk naturally also delivers.” Fatan pressed his palms together and chanted Buddha’s name. “This action, although it saves them, is also saving ourselves.”

Lin Hu returned the bow. When he raised his head again, these monks from Qingjing Temple had already transformed into auspicious light and flown far away.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!” A young eunuch ran rolling and crawling into the hall, kneeling before Emperor Jing Hong. “Just now there was divine light flashing in the sky. The immortals have returned.”

“Truly?” Emperor Jing Hong put down the memorial in his hand, his face that hadn’t rested for many days bearing joy. “I shall go pay my respects at once.” After saying this, he hurried toward the rear palace.

Running outside the palace gate, Emperor Jing Hong saw from afar that the empress, crown prince, and others were all present, but for some reason, everyone stood outside.

“Your Majesty.” The empress saw him and performed a perfunctory bow before saying, “There seems to be an invisible wall outside. We cannot enter.”

Emperor Jing Hong stepped forward and reached out to feel. In the void there truly was an invisible wall blocking them all. He touched it several more times before putting away his expression of amazement. “This is probably an immortal technique.”

“Father Emperor, since the immortal has set up this invisible wall, they surely don’t wish for us to disturb them. Why don’t we come back later?” Although the crown prince was also worried about the epidemic in the southeast, he didn’t dare provoke the immortal’s displeasure.

“My son’s words are reasonable.” Emperor Jing Hong stepped back two paces and bowed toward the main hall. “Everyone return. Arrange for palace servants to guard this place. If the immortals have any needs, we must do our utmost to satisfy them.”

After the emperor and crown prince left, the empress looked worriedly at the tightly closed palace gate, then turned and silently departed.

After another five days passed, the palace gate still hadn’t opened, but urgent reports came from several cities in the southeast, saying the epidemic had been resolved. Someone in the sky had seen divine light—this was the blessing of the immortals, and so on.

Emperor Jing Hong swept his brush grandly and wrote a proclamation to all the people.

The general meaning was that this matter was not his achievement, but rather that Immortal Kong Hou, hearing of this realm’s great disaster, had manifested her immortal body to rescue from calamity. Emperor Jing Hong, who had been able to stand out from among many rebellious groups and ultimately seize the imperial throne, when he wanted to praise someone, even the former dynasty’s minister most skilled at flattery would feel ashamed of his inferiority.

This proclamation to all the people wrote about how Immortal Kong Hou, in order to save the common people, broke through the separation between immortal and mortal, paid such a great price to drive away the plague god harming the people, and allowed the realm to obtain peace, and so on.

After Lin Hu saw the content of the proclamation to all the people, his expression was very subtle. He copied the content and brought it back to the palace.

“I feel that this mortal emperor is actually talented at writing popular fiction…”

Huan Zong looked at Kong Hou sleeping unconscious on the bed and said expressionlessly, “You may withdraw.”

**Author’s Note:** Lin Hu: This is true popular fiction.

Huan Zong: Get lost!