"You wretch, your wickedness is too great, your obsession too deep. You know the way of heaven's cycle, yet you insist on shattering it. In the unseen world, karmic retribution seeks you out. Your current plight is entirely of your own making!" With that, Zhang Enpu laboriously formed a hand seal, preparing to finally extinguish the last wisp of Jiang Siwen's soul.

Young Master Liu inwardly agreed; this villainous scholar had committed too many evils, consuming every Earth Immortal cultivating within hundreds of miles. This fate, he supposed, was his just punishment.

Zhang Enpu raised his hand, about to strike Jiang Siwen.

Just then, a woman's voice called out, "Old Daoist, spare him!"

Young Master Liu turned toward the sound and saw a woman dressed in a crimson wedding gown standing on the hillside.

The woman seemed strangely familiar, yet he couldn't place her name.

"Siwen!" The woman drifted toward the group.

"Yun'er!" Upon seeing the woman, Jiang Siwen suddenly struggled to rise. However, after the previous 'Yin Soldiers Paving the Way' technique, his form had already dispersed, rendering him unable to stand.

Hearing Jiang Siwen speak, Young Master Liu wondered if this woman in red was Zhen Yun. No wonder she looked familiar; wasn't she Li Zhiming—the one he’d seen during his previous excursion of the primordial spirit?

It seemed the soul-summoning grand formation behind the hill had indeed drawn up Li Zhiming's true soul.

Zhen Yun floated to Jiang Siwen, supported his upper body, and the two souls embraced.

"Yun'er... I have waited for you so painfully... I have finally waited for you..." Jiang Siwen actually began to sob.

"Siwen! I know you waited for me bitterly on the path of reincarnation... It is only our fate that we could not be husband and wife in the mortal world, destined only to linger between Yin and Yang." Zhen Yun was already weeping uncontrollably.

"What does it matter... hehe... I have waited through dozens of reincarnations... As long as we can be together... that is enough..." Jiang Siwen closed his eyes, two faint tear tracks tracing down his cheeks.

After speaking, Jiang Siwen reached into his tattered clothes, pulled out a comb, and slowly placed it in Zhen Yun's hand.

"Yun'er... do you remember?... I always used this comb to style your hair... for a thousand years... This comb has been my only companion every day..."

"I remember! I remember! I remember everything! Siwen! Now we are together forever! Are you happy?"

Zhen Yun's ghost form was already soaked with tears.

Zhang Enpu's tightly furrowed brow slowly smoothed out; his hand, which had been forming the seal, was now inexplicably clasped behind his back.

"...Heh heh... It's no use... My primordial spirit is scattered... This last wisp of soul probably won't last much longer..." Jiang Siwen finished, sitting up with effort, and kowtowed to Zhang Enpu.

"Senior... The immortal spirits on this mountain... I did not consume them... I only imprisoned them on the stone tablet at the village entrance... When you lift the barrier spell, those immortal spirits can emerge... Consider it a small atonement for my past sins!"

Zhang Enpu remained silent, but Young Master Liu knew his heart had been moved.

"Yun'er... I... I cannot let you go..." Jiang Siwen managed to breathe out the last word, his voice faint as mere wisps of air.

Zhen Yun cried out mournfully, then rose and knelt before Zhang Enpu.

"Old Immortal! Have mercy on us! Siwen did all of this for me! He did not intentionally commit those wrongs! I beg you to show leniency! We could not be married in the mortal world! But grant us leave to be a pair of lonely, wandering ghosts!" Zhen Yun finished, bowing her head repeatedly, sobbing softly without pause.

Young Master Liu was deeply moved by their unwavering love. To spend hundreds of years waiting, only to find separation instead of a lifelong union, seemed terribly unfair of Heaven. However, he felt that the two before him wouldn't care; all they desired was to be together, and now, perhaps, their wish was granted.

Despite his intense dislike for the wicked scholar after their recent fierce battle, Young Master Liu now felt a faint stirring of emotion, even feeling a small, damp patch near his own eye.

"Girl, quickly rise. Your husband has done no wrong. His actions just now have atoned for his past sins. I do not blame him, and I can see your husband is a man of deep feeling!" Zhang Enpu said earnestly.

"Thank you, Daoist Master, for your mercy! Thank you, Daoist Master, for your mercy!" Zhen Yun repeatedly kowtowed, her face streaked with tears yet curved into a happy smile.

"Alas! I struck too hard. Your husband's soul will dissipate soon. Allow this old man to first cast a spell to gather and solidify his soul!" Saying this, Zhang Enpu smoothed his long robe and sat cross-legged on the ground.

He produced a palm-sized wooden sword from his robes, etched with dense rows of talismans. Zhang Enpu waved the little wooden sword through the air a few times, then placed it on the ground, its tip pointing directly at Jiang Siwen.

Simultaneously, he untied a bamboo tube from his waist, uncovered the lid sealed with red cloth, and drew out a sheet of yellow talisman paper. With a flick of his hand, the paper ignited without needing a flame. Zhang Enpu swiftly circled the bamboo container with the burning talisman, which turned to ash.

Completing this sequence of movements, Zhang Enpu nodded, then inverted the bamboo tube onto the ground. He picked up the small wooden sword and tapped the upturned container three times.

With three dull thuds—Dong! Dong! Dong!—Zhang Enpu pointed the little sword at Jiang Siwen and commanded, "Enter!"

As the words fell, Jiang Siwen flew in response toward the bamboo tube before Zhang Enpu. The tube shook a few times and then grew still.

Zhang Enpu picked up the bamboo tube and walked over to Zhen Yun. "Your husband's soul will re-coalesce inside this tube. Take this and wait at the head of the village before the rooster crows tomorrow. An emissary of the underworld will come to escort you both. You and your husband can then reincarnate sooner. Do not cling to worldly attachments, as your wish has been fulfilled. This is all I can do for you!"

"Heh heh, also, if the official you meet happens to be Black and White Impermanence, tell them your names, and say that Ninth Brother misses them!" Young Master Liu slapped his chest and chuckled.

Upon hearing the master and disciple speak, Zhen Yun knelt and bowed three times to them, saying with glistening, tearful eyes, "Thank you, Old Immortal! Thank you, Young Immortal! Heaven will see your great kindness and protect you! May good people have peace their whole lives!"

Zhen Yun then lifted the bamboo tube, gently stroking it, a look of contentment on her face as she murmured, "Brother Siwen... it's all over now... We will never be separated again... Yun'er will take you home..."

With that, Zhen Yun drifted forward a few times while holding the tube, and then vanished.

Young Master Liu was profoundly moved by the scene. Tears he could no longer suppress spilled over. It wasn't the grandeur of their love, but the unwavering conviction they held for each other. Hundreds of years of waiting, hundreds of years of guarding, never giving up, never growing weary. Through countless cycles of reincarnation and rebirth, their demands were simple: they didn't ask for eternal life in the mortal world, only to be together. Even as lonely, wandering ghosts, being united was the greatest desire of their hearts.

People always say all things possess feeling, yet the bonds between these mere spirits often surpassed human affection—so resolute, so trusting.

Staring in the direction where Zhen Yun and Jiang Siwen disappeared, Young Master Liu stood rooted for a long time. He prayed devoutly for them, wishing them a better next life, one where they could grow old together.

"Young Master, let's not delay. We must hurry to the stone tablet at the village entrance to rescue the living beings!" Zhang Enpu said, his face pale.

"But... Master, you are injured! Let's go home first; it won't be too late to go after you recover!"

"We cannot delay any longer... otherwise, the cultivation of those spirits will be affected, leading to widespread suffering." Zhang Enpu then pulled Young Master Liu toward the village entrance.

On the way, Young Master Liu felt a frantic stirring in his robes; he suspected Old Master Huang had woken up.

Zhang Enpu stopped and said to Young Master Liu, "Young Master, release the Great Immortal Huang from your robes!"

Young Master Liu was secretly surprised how Zhang Enpu knew. At that moment, Old Master Huang himself jumped from Young Master Liu’s arms onto the ground, glanced at the two men with his beady eyes, and vanished in a flash.

"I will tell you exactly how I knew about your recent activities when we return home. For now, let's go break the barrier!" Zhang Enpu then tugged Young Master Liu along, walking quickly.

Both Young Master Liu and Zhang Enpu were covered in wounds; Zhang Enpu was worse off. By the time they reached the stone tablet, sweat was pouring down Zhang Enpu's face; he looked utterly weak.

"Young Master... check the stone tablet... see if there is anything unusual," Zhang Enpu said, sitting on the ground, seemingly exhausted.

Young Master Liu dragged his weary body to the stone tablet and examined it closely.

The cyan, half-meter-tall stone tablet showed nothing unusual, except for a strange black flower growing at its base.

"Master, there is a black flower beneath the stone tablet!"

"That is the Black Resentment Jade Flower! Pull it out!" Zhang Enpu’s expression changed drastically.

Hearing Zhang Enpu, Young Master Liu reached out to pull the flower. He felt an immediate, bone-chilling coldness upon contact. With a strong tug, he uprooted the black flower entirely.

Lifting the black flower, he saw that its root was a small human head, about the size of a fist, dark and matted, its eyes closed. Young Master Liu felt a wave of nausea and threw it to the ground, stomping on it.

A sound of air rushing violently was heard.

He looked up sharply and saw countless spirits flying upward from beneath the stone tablet, including that old woman, Immortal Mother Liu.

Young Master Liu realized the barrier must be broken and let out a sigh of relief. Then, his entire body went limp, his head felt heavy, and he fainted, losing all consciousness.

When Young Master Liu opened his eyes, he found himself lying in his own home. Zhang Enpu, Old Man Liu, Wang Chunhua, and others were gathered around the kang, watching him, making him wonder if he was dreaming.

"Am I... dreaming?... What happened?... Master... Is that you all..." Young Master Liu felt his throat was terribly dry.

"You have suffered these past few days. Master is back; you are not dreaming!" Zhang Enpu said, pulling Young Master Liu into a hug.

Young Master Liu felt a faint warmth and realized he wasn't dreaming. A wave of grievance and joy washed over him, and his tears once again flowed uncontrollably.

"Alas, it is all our fault for leaving you, your mother and I. We let you suffer all this time," Old Man Liu said from the side.

"No! I am an adult now; I truly was fine," Young Master Liu said stubbornly, lifting his head.

Zhang Enpu stroked his white beard repeatedly and smiled at Young Master Liu. "Indeed, apprentice, I know everything that has happened to you these past few days. Truly impressive courage and resourcefulness."

It was then that Young Master Liu remembered Zhang Enpu had told him to let Old Master Huang go before he passed out. This meant the Master must also know something about that.

"Yes, yes! Master, how did you know about Old Master Huang? Only I knew that!" Young Master Liu struggled to sit up.

Zhang Enpu gently pressed Young Master Liu back onto the kang, covered him with a quilt, and then stopped.

"Young Master must be obedient; rest well first. After you eat, Master will tell you everything slowly," Zhang Enpu said earnestly.

It turned out that Young Master Liu had been so severely injured that he had collapsed. Zhang Enpu had carried him back, and he had suffered a high fever and remained unconscious for two days. Zhang Enpu had also been recuperating for these three days, as the blow from Jiang Siwen's Yin energy had caused him significant internal damage, and his injuries had not yet improved.

"But Master, how did you know what happened to me these last few days?" Young Master Liu asked while wolfing down a large flatbread, clearly starved. Speaking too quickly, however, a piece of saliva got caught in his trachea, causing him to cough violently, his face turning bright red.

Zhang Enpu smiled, shook his head, poured Young Master Liu a glass of water, let him drink it, and then began his tale again.

That day, when the formation was set up to fight Jiang Siwen, Zhang Enpu had just returned and gone to Gou Dan's house to find Young Master Liu. Gou Dan stammered and couldn't explain clearly, which immediately told Zhang Enpu that the two brats must have been plotting something.

So, he questioned the Five Gate-Guarding Ghosts.

It turned out those Five Gate-Guarding Ghosts were the red-eyed spirits Zhang Enpu had deliberately left behind shortly after he departed, to watch over the house against thieves or similar threats. Later, the Five Ghosts told him everything that had happened, including details about the Great Immortal Huang and the Profound Embryo Elixir. But what pleased him most was that his boy had learned the art of Qimen Dunjia. Zhang Enpu said this while patting Young Master Liu's head.

Young Master Liu nodded thoughtfully, his confusion clearing. He then asked Zhang Enpu, "What happened to Jiang Siwen and Zhen Yun afterward?"

Zhang Enpu sighed, yet a slight smile touched his lips. "They were ferried away by the underworld emissaries to be reborn before the rooster crowed that morning. I divined the next day that they would be born into two prominent families and marry—perhaps Heaven's blessing upon those two ill-fated lovers!"

Hearing this, Young Master Liu felt happy for them too. He hoped their next life would not be so cursed.