"Let me out, let me out! Ah..."
Lan Yin had been locked in a room, bound tightly with iron chains and tied up on the bed. He struggled and shouted constantly, but there was no way to break free. The Specter Web held him fast.
Lan Yin's hands and feet were rubbed raw, blood streaming and bone exposed, but he still couldn't break free. He tried again and again. Night had fallen; by tomorrow evening, Hank would be dead.
No matter how desperately Lan Yin screamed, no one came. His face was carved with deep sorrow, sweat pouring from his brow.
I couldn't understand why Lan Yin's father never told him about the final soul he had to collect. After a long while, Lan Yin's face was ashen, and he began to sob quietly.
The sky was now completely dark. Moonlight streamed in through the window. Lan Yin's tears had dried, but he was still anxious and restless. He twisted his body again, but still couldn't move. The Three Souls and Seven Spirits were slipping away.
Moonlight finally spilled over Lan Yin. His eyes were melancholy, glistening with tears, as if blaming himself for being powerless.
I stood quietly beside Lan Yin, clenching my fists. My mind was filled with thoughts of Rachel Lan; like Lan Yin, she'd been warned by Old Moe since childhood not to make friends lightly.
So apart from that girl named Mona Tong, Rachel Lan basically had no friends. She always walked alone, and gradually, I began to understand why I needed to witness this memory.
I don't know what kind of cruelty from the denizens of the Underworld awaits me in the next part of this memory. I stared wide-eyed, fists clenched, watching Lan Yin closely.
"You... who are you... really?"
Lan Yin looked dazed, as if he saw something before him. Suddenly, I sensed two unknown entities here. I immediately released my Specter Web to sense them, and my face changed instantly. The feeling they gave me was as if I were standing in the vastness of the starry sky, boundless and infinite.
"What are you talking about, what are you saying..."
Lan Yin began muttering to himself again.
"Great power is often born from illusion, from things that are unreal."
Suddenly, these words echoed in my mind.
Lan Yin kept mumbling under his breath. I leaned closer.
"Destiny... destiny, what is it really? Why does Hank have to die, why..."
Lan Yin kept repeating these words, as if he were in a trance.
But suddenly, I saw Lan Yin's eyes show a glimmer of hope as he looked out the window, as if he saw salvation. Gradually, I noticed an orange stream of energy appearing on Lan Yin's body. The moment that energy touched my ghost threads...
"If being earnest is the right thing, then do it. Don't be afraid."
This phrase immediately came to mind. It was by the river, when Hank said it to Lan Yin during their childhood.
And unbelievably, my heart surged with endless hope.
"I want to..."
Suddenly, Lan Yin's eyes flashed gold. He paused, then with a loud snap, the chains broke completely. The iron bars on the window bent instantly, leaving an opening to escape.
"Break destiny. As long as you don't give up, there is still hope for everything..."
I saw Lan Yin leap out the window, quickly scale the courtyard wall, and escape. I followed him all the way, but it felt as if something was controlling him.
Suddenly, Lan Yin cried out and then burst into wild laughter, flailing his arms and legs. He returned to normal, then dashed toward Hank's home outside the city.
But by dawn, Lan Yin still hadn't found Hank. He searched every street and alley but couldn't find him. Finally, at their usual tavern, Lan Yin learned that last night Hank got drunk and fought with the city's bullies again. Outnumbered, Hank was captured.
Upon hearing this, Lan Yin immediately knew where Hank was taken—a gambling den in the north of the city controlled by several bullies. He and Hank had dealt with them before.
At this moment, the sky turned gloomy and thunder rumbled. Heavy raindrops began to fall. Lan Yin kept running, smiling, certain that if he could find Hank and collect his soul when Hank died, he’d have a chance. Though he was just a novice, hope still burned in his heart.
By the time he reached the north of the city, Lan Yin was soaked through. He looked everywhere for Hank, but as soon as he arrived, he realized he was surrounded. I was shocked to see, in the northern part of the city, Hank hanging from a frame.
Lan Yin screamed madly and rushed forward. Hank was strung up on the frame, rain washing over him and dispersing pools of blood.
Lan Yin was immediately pinned to the ground.
"Hmph, Lan Yin, you brat. Relying on your family's wealth, always siding with that lunatic Hank and opposing us. Today, we'll bleed him a little. Hmph, this is the price. If you know what's good for you, go home and tell your old man to prepare a few thousand taels."
With a furious roar, white ribbons shot out from Lan Yin, instantly wrapping around everyone nearby and flinging them aside. In a flash, the crowd tumbled into the muddy ground. They seemed unable to see the ribbons, only staring in shock as Lan Yin, washed by rain, ran over and freed Hank from the frame.
In an instant, the bullies surrounded them again, but suddenly stopped. No one dared approach. Amid thunder and rain, I watched Lan Yin’s beast-like eyes as he carried Hank and ran.
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"Maowen Cai, come out!"
Lan Yin carried Hank to the dilapidated temple where Taoist Priest Maowen Cai lived. As soon as he entered and set Hank down, he shouted loudly. Then Taoist Priest Maowen Cai stepped out from behind the idol.
"Do you really want to do this? You Underworld Denizens have broken the agreement—you know the consequences better than I do."
Lan Yin said nothing, simply laid Hank's corpse down, and fell to his knees with a thud.
"Please, Priest, save Hank—even if it costs me..."
"Get up."
Maowen Cai walked over and lifted Lan Yin up.
Lan Yin nodded, then quickly took out many folded papers, grabbed scissors, and began cutting. He made dozens of paper birds, then cut his finger and dripped blood onto each one.
After making over a hundred paper birds, Lan Yin recited an incantation and scattered them outside into the pouring rain.
After making over a hundred paper birds, Lan Yin recited an incantation and scattered them outside into the pouring rain.
With a croak, I saw the old priest holding a toad he'd caught from a puddle outside. He pried Hank's mouth open and stuffed the toad inside.
"Remember, by midnight tonight, you must find his three souls and seven spirits. Normally, after death, the three souls travel to different places, waiting for the yang energy to dissipate and become ghosts. But the seven spirits slowly scatter. If they're lost, even if you revive him, he'll be a fool."
Lan Yin nodded and rushed out into the pouring rain, holding the Soul-Calling Gourd. He searched the city for a long time, and eventually found Hank's Three Souls and some of his spirits. By 10 p.m., he had gathered all Three Souls and Seven Spirits.
Lan Yin hurried back to the ruined temple, only to be stunned—his own father was standing there waiting for him. The temple was brightly lit tonight, with Maowen Cai standing to the side.
"Give me Hank's soul, Yin'er."
Suddenly, Lan Yin gritted his teeth and said,
"No, Father, I want to save him."
"Yin'er, there's no way to save him. There's no point in saying more. This is something you must experience sooner or later."
As Lan Yin's father spoke, he instantly released a red ribbon that wrapped around Lan Yin, and in a flash, snatched the Soul-Calling Gourd from his hands. Lan Yin was completely immobilized.
"Father, no, don't..."
I saw Lan Yin's father uncork the gourd, releasing a stream of white vapor. Then he placed Lan Yin's Soul-Calling Gourd on him and took out his own Silver Soul Gourd.
"Dust to dust, earth to earth, wandering souls, descend to the Underworld and report..."
Lan Yin cried out in shock. I saw streams of yellow energy flow out, swirling around the white soul. Gradually, the white part took human form—it was Hank, smiling and waving goodbye to Lan Yin.
"Hank, Hank..."
Gradually, the yellow streams vanished and Hank's soul disappeared. Lan Yin's father released him, stood before Lan Yin, and spoke slowly, word by word.
"This is the fate of a denizen of the Underworld, Yin'er. It's time for you to grow up."
With only those words left behind, Lan Yin's father departed. Lan Yin looked utterly lost, kneeling on the ground, clutching his head, and banging it over and over against the earth.
Maowen Cai walked over, silently watching Lan Yin's torment. He stood by, saying nothing, until Lan Yin's head was bloodied and he lay on the ground, face drained of life. Only then did Maowen Cai speak.
"What is meant to be will be; what is not meant to be, do not force."