Chapter 15

On the way, Old Hai detailed the entire story to us.

It turned out that the primary target of the conflict was not Grandma herself, but indeed Zhou Xuan.

The incident began a few years ago when Zhou Xuan, the cherished daughter of the Zhou family, had just started her career. To save a pitiful child, she extracted the soul and eliminated an important disciple of the Maoshan lineage. Although the deed was done secretly, the disciple was so crucial that the orthodox lineage became extremely enraged. They investigated repeatedly and eventually traced it back to Zhou Xuan.

Although the entire incident was due to the Maoshan disciple's malicious intentions towards the child, the outcome was that Zhou Xuan won. As a result, the orthodox lineages not only spread the news that Zhou Xuan was a ruthless killer but also targeted her in various magical duels.

Zhou Xuan, despite her young age, was deeply skilled in the Zhou family's ghost-summoning techniques and had a strong sense of justice. She held the orthodox lineages in contempt and criticized their actions. Therefore, in the days that followed, to save lives and protect herself, she retaliated against anyone from the orthodox lineages who dared to obstruct her or set traps for her. This led to significant losses for the orthodox lineages, including some being killed by her magic.

This escalated the conflict, and several powerful elders from the orthodox lineages went to the Zhou family, continuously pressuring and even threatening the head of the Zhou family. They said that if the person was not handed over, the Zhou family's descendants might die in mysterious ways.

The Zhou family, unable to resist the orthodox lineages, capitulated. The head of the Zhou family decided to hand over Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan's parents were from a collateral branch of the family, and they had a conflict with the head of the family. They informed Zhou Xuan and told her to escape and not appear in the orthodox lineages' sight again.

Later, Old Hai couldn't say where Zhou Xuan had escaped to, but he knew that she had indeed fled and remained hidden for a long time.

At this point, I connected Zhou Xuan's marriage to Zhang Yidan. The wedding took place during that time, and it seemed that Zhou Xuan was both seeking refuge with Grandma and wanting to settle down.

According to Zhang Yidan, he didn't know that Zhou Xuan was from the Zhou family and that she possessed powerful magic.

However, even after hiding in a remote mountain village like Xiaoyi, the orthodox lineages eventually found a way to track her down. They cast a strange curse on Zhou Xuan's parents, who had been expelled from the Zhou family. This curse was said to be very powerful, causing them to suffer mental abnormalities and scream at night.

I don't know how Zhou Xuan got the news, but she decided to return home to save her parents. This led her directly into a trap set by the orthodox lineages. It is said that she and her parents died a terrible death, and her body was turned into a blood corpse to be controlled and toyed with.

After hearing this, my face turned pale, and I tried to maintain a calm expression, but the shock and anger welled up inside me like a spring.

"Ugh, why don't the police care about this?" Yu Xiaoxue cried, tears streaming down her face as she walked, wiping them away.

The orthodox lineages, despite their claim to be righteous, act with extreme malice. They wouldn't openly admit to their underhanded deeds. Only we old folks can learn about such matters through special channels. To others, it would seem like the victims had a mental breakdown and were sent to a psychiatric hospital.

Moreover, since Zhou Xuan's body was never found, how could anyone investigate? This isn't like a straightforward murder where the police can arrest the culprit and make a judgment. Zhou Xuan was killed by a curse. Seeing Yu Xiaoxue cry even harder, Old Hai sighed.

He turned to look at my expression, knowing that I was suppressing my anger. He continued, "The orthodox lineages captured Zhou Xuan and made her soul dissipate. That should have been the end of it."

But who knew that one of the lineages had several disciples and even a son killed by Zhou Xuan. They were not satisfied and wanted to torture her to the point of being neither human nor ghost. This led to the emergence of Zhou Xuan's grandmother, Zhou Ying, a notorious figure known for her vendettas.

"Ha, this is a karmic debt. If Zhou Ying had still been in charge of the Zhou family, the orthodox lineages might have been more cautious and wouldn't have dared to act so recklessly. But since Zhou Ying had disappeared during the Cultural Revolution and had been out of sight for years, the orthodox lineages assumed she was dead and acted with arrogance."

When Zhou Ying discovered her granddaughter's death, she was enraged and attacked the Yang family of the orthodox lineages. The battle was so intense that the Yang family's patriarch fled in panic, and the Yang family lost half of their souls. Zhou Ying also declared that she would risk her life to destroy the orthodox lineages' lineage. This battle almost dismantled the orthodox lineages' power.

However, the conflict did not end there. The orthodox lineages, still unsatisfied, challenged Zhou Ying to a duel. They gathered many experts, numbering in the hundreds, and set up an ambush in the outskirts of an old town, inviting Zhou Ying to a single-handed battle.

According to my old friend, the battle was fierce. Zhou Ying, wearing her unique ghost mask, even summoned the Ghost King. The orthodox lineages and their allies suffered many injuries. Just as they were about to be overwhelmed, a hermit from the Maoshan lineage, who had a grudge against Zhou Ying, appeared and used a secret technique called the Blood Cloud Coffin, which I had never heard of, to trap part of Zhou Ying's soul. However, Zhou Ying was incredibly powerful and managed to escape with her granddaughter's corpse, despite being unharmed.

Old Hai narrated these strange events as if telling a story. Zhao He was flushed with anger, cursing the orthodox lineages. Zhao Qian, with tears in her eyes, was moved by Zhou Ying's heroism.

Yu Xiaoxue, who was closest to Grandma and Zhou Xuan's sister-in-law, was as heartbroken as I was. I could see that she was very emotional, and her tears never stopped.

I know what you're thinking, but we small-time practitioners are like scattered sand against the orthodox lineages. Even with our reputations, our influence is limited to small towns and counties. It's almost impossible to challenge the united orthodox lineages. Only someone like Zhou Ying, who inherited the Ghost-summoning Dao, has the power to stand up to them.

"What happened next? What did the orthodox lineages do to Zhou Ying? Where did the Blood Cloud Coffin go?" Zhao He asked urgently, seemingly less interested in the orthodox lineages now.

Later, they sealed the Blood Cloud Coffin in the most yin-filled dead town. Zhou Ying's body was likely also taken there. Old Hai shook his head, showing a hint of regret.

"What is the Blood Cloud Coffin? If we break it, will Grandma be saved? I hope there's still a chance," I asked, holding onto a glimmer of hope.

"Ha, impossible. One of my old friends, who makes coffins, knows about this ancient artifact. The Blood Cloud Coffin is very powerful. Once someone's soul is trapped inside, even if they die far away, their soul will return to the coffin. The coffin is said to be alive, and its exact form is unknown. In short, when the Blood Cloud Coffin is opened, run as far away as possible. Even if the coffin is right in front of you, you can't do anything to it. It has all the abilities of the person inside and can command surrounding ghosts to attack anyone who approaches. We old folks heard about Zhou Ying and wanted to help, but we failed. We didn't even see the Blood Cloud Coffin and lost several people. I escaped from the dead town through an abandoned path. Now that the Blood Cloud Coffin is in place, it's impossible to break it. Do you think you can defeat Zhou Ying and all the ghosts in the dead town?"

Old Hai sighed and patted my shoulder. "That's why they feel safe leaving the Blood Cloud Coffin in the dead town. It can't be broken."

His words finally made me understand the entire story. It seemed that Old Hai was not the one who harmed Grandma but was actually trying to save her. I felt embarrassed and said, "Old Hai, if you hadn't explained, I might have thought you were the one who harmed Grandma. I'm truly sorry."

"It's understandable to be concerned. Besides, you're young, and the circumstances were too coincidental. It's normal to have misunderstandings. Don't worry about it." Old Hai had no airs and treated me like a junior.

Thinking about how Grandma's body was sealed in the dead town, I felt immense anger. After so long, I had to say a final goodbye to her, and she didn't even have a proper resting place.

I owe everything to Grandma, who had kept me alive since I was born. Therefore, no matter what, I must break the Blood Cloud Coffin, no matter how difficult it is.

As for those responsible for her death, I will send them to hell one by one, even if it means taking on the karma.

This is a deep-seated grudge!