Chapter 387: “If Any Soul Bears Injustice, Appear Before Me!” The Water Ghost, Murder and Malice

The Northern Emperor’s Command Talisman was not just any ordinary charm, as its presiding deity held a status of the highest rank in Heaven.

He was one of the Four Sovereigns of the Celestial Court , the Northern Emperor, whose full title was the

Celestial Majesty of the North Pole, the Great Emperor Ziwei

[1], known among the common folk as the Great Emperor Ziwei.

The Northern Emperor’s Command Talisman was

not

a charm for inviting or summoning gods. Rather, it was specifically used to command spirits and summon souls, a talisman of authority rather than devotion.

Strictly speaking, if Li Yanchu used the Lord of Mount Tai's Seal, this task would have been even easier.

Unfortunately, that seal’s authority was far too great. With his current cultivation, he couldn’t yet properly wield it; for now, he could only use it to suppress ghosts, not command them.

Still, with his present skill, Li Yanchu soon finished drawing the Northern Emperor’s Command Talisman. When the vermilion brush completed the final stroke upon the yellow talisman paper, a faint Daoist resonance shimmered across its surface.

He then took out a Soul-Summoning Bell, an artifact he’d obtained while slaying a rogue cultivator outside Feiyun Prefecture. The bell was of excellent quality, and the power sealed within it was roughly equivalent to that of a talisman crafted with a thousand merit points.

Its primary function was in soul-capture and spirit confrontation, making it perfect for this task.

After his preparations were complete, Li Yanchu went out into the courtyard to practice his Telekinetic Command. This art was vital for mastering control over multiple magic artifacts during battle.

He cultivated quietly, waiting for night to fall.

***

Clang! Clang!

The night watchman’s gong echoed through the streets.

“The air is dry, beware of fire!” He called again and again, his rhythm steady as his voice faded into the cold night wind.

Within the charity gravehouse hall, the air had been thick with yin qi, and a heavy, eerie stillness blanketed the room.

Yet somehow tonight, a faint sense of calm lingered amid that chill.

Had there been a monk or a priest with spiritual sight nearby, they would have seen a gentle golden radiance spreading from the yellow talisman affixed to the forehead of a cold, beautiful corpse.

Night had fallen over Wei City, deep and still like an ancient pool.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Li Yanchu placed the female corpse in the courtyard, set apart from the others. It was his first attempt at spirit summoning, and he didn’t want to accidentally summon the wrong ghost. That would be... awkward.

He raised a hand and peeled the talisman from the corpse’s forehead.

Instantly, a surge of dense yin qi billowed forth from the body.

Without the Exorcising Talisman to hold it down, the charity gravehouse’s atmosphere turned heavy once more, radiating a cold and oppressive aura.

For any ordinary person, even the half-disabled caretaker of the hall, just stepping inside now would make one’s scalp prickle and limbs turn cold.

Li Yanchu stood there in his azure Daoist robe with the talisman paper in his right hand, and the Soul-Summoning Bell in his left.

“

Jingle... jingle...”

“Jingle... jingle...”

Li Yanchu gently shook the Soul-Summoning Bell in his hand, and at once, invisible ripples spread outward through the courtyard. The bell itself was merely an aid, used to establish a suitable spiritual resonance for the ritual.

In his right hand, he pinched the talisman paper between his fingers. His lips moved in quiet incantation, “By the decree of the Northern Emperor, this talisman subdues evil spirits. If any soul bears grievance or injustice, appear before me at once! Swiftly, in accordance with the command!”

As the final words fell from his lips, a murky breath escaped from the female corpse’s mouth. Then, the surrounding temperature plummeted instantly.

Drip!

Drip!

Li Yanchu could hear the faint sound of water dripping by his ears.

Through the dim, misty moonlight, a wet and shadowy figure gradually took shape. It was a woman with loose, dripping hair, her entire body soaked, exactly the same as the one the villagers and the constable Zuo Qian had seen in their dreams.

The woman’s eyes were vacant, confused as to why she had suddenly been summoned to this place.

She lifted her head slightly, and saw a young, handsome Daoist priest standing calmly in the courtyard.

Startled, she instinctively took a step backward.

In the next instant, Li Yanchu’s figure vanished from where he stood and reappeared in front of her, blocking her path.

“Don’t be afraid,” he said softly. “I’m not here to harm you.”

The drenched woman stared at him nervously, her lips pressed tightly together.

“The body lying here, this is yours, isn’t it?” Li Yanchu asked.

The female ghost nodded.

So obedient.

“Then there’s no mistake.” Li Yanchu’s voice grew calm and steady. “Tell me, what grievance binds your soul? Speak it clearly, and I will help you resolve it, so you won’t have to disturb the living any longer.”

The ghostly woman gazed at Li Yanchu’s sharply defined features, hesitating for a moment before letting out a faint, sorrowful sigh.

“I know you,” she said quietly. “You’re Daoist Master Li from Qingyun Temple.”

Li Yanchu raised an eyebrow. “You know me?”

The ghost nodded. “Last year, during the festival at Lady Qingyi’s Temple, I traveled to Wei City with some companions, and I caught a glimpse of you then.”

Li Yanchu thought for a moment and understood.

When alive, human thoughts were scattered and clouded; once one died and the Heavenly Secrets were obscured by his “Sun Veil,” it was natural that people wouldn’t recall him clearly.

But after death, stripped of mortal distractions, the soul became much simpler, and remembering such an encounter was hardly surprising.

“What exactly happened to you?” Li Yanchu asked.

“My name is Dong Xue,” the ghost replied softly. “I was from Qingshui County. Last month, I came to Wei City to sightsee... with the young master of the Sun family”

Dong Xue’s nature was gentle, her voice timid and halting. It took Li Yanchu quite some time, listening patiently to her fragmented words, before he finally pieced together the full story of what had happened.

She had been the beloved daughter of a wealthy family from Qingshui County, betrothed since childhood to the young master of the Sun family, her childhood sweetheart.

Their wedding day was drawing near. But one day, Young Master Sun suddenly invited her to Wei City for a river outing.

Qingshui County was close to Wei City, and by boat, it took only an hour. It was meant to be a pleasant trip.

The two of them brought no servants or maids, intending to enjoy some quiet time alone on the boat. Who could have known that partway through their journey, a gang of fierce river bandits would appear with their sabers drawn.

The Sun family’s young master, unable to endure the humiliation, was beheaded on the spot. His head was cleaved off with a single strike and kicked into the Wei River.

As for Dong Xue, she too was stabbed through the chest and drowned in the water. Up to this point, it was a simple but brutal murder.

Yet after her death, Dong Xue’s resentment gathered in her throat, refusing to dissipate, and so her spirit condensed into a wandering ghost.

But what unsettled her most was that Young Master Sun’s body had vanished. Without even his corpse left behind, how could Dong Xue possibly rest in peace? That was why she began to appear in people’s dreams.

However, the fengshui of Guanyu Village was strong and blessed by ancestral virtue, so her influence in those dreams was limited, and she could not speak clearly or reveal much.

When she appeared to Constable Zuo Qian, his body was also protected by spiritual light, so in the dream she could only tug at his clothes, unable to tell him the whole story.

It was only when Li Yanchu used his talismans to summon her in person that she could finally speak face to face and explain everything that had happened.

“I’ve already searched the Wei River,” Li Yanchu said, frowning. “There’s no sign of the young master’s body. The current there is strong, so his corpse may have been carried far downstream.”

At those words, Miss Dong’s eyes filled with tears, her expression one of deep sorrow.

“Leave this matter to me,” Li Yanchu said solemnly, “but you must not disturb the living again.”

Miss Dong bowed gracefully, her voice soft. “Many thanks, Daoist Master Li.”

Her figure slowly grew faint, and in the end, only a puddle of water was left on the ground. Li Yanchu gazed at the spot where she had vanished, his expression thoughtful.

***

The next morning, Li Yanchu went to the county office to speak with Head Constable Wang about what had happened. When he heard this, Head Constable Wang’s face showed a look of astonishment.

“River bandits within Wei City’s borders?” That was no small matter.

After the two discussed the situation, Head Constable Wang quickly grasped Li Yanchu’s implication that this might not be a simple case of piracy. There was a real possibility that someone had hired killers to commit murder.

After all, even river bandits didn’t slaughter indiscriminately. When they encountered young nobles or wealthy travelers, their usual approach was robbery or ransom, not outright killing.

Why would they kill so cleanly without hesitation, without demands?

Miss Dong was a defenseless young lady; the Sun family’s young master, from her description, was not trained in martial arts either. Subduing the two of them would’ve been simple. There was no reason for an “accidental killing.”

And from Miss Dong’s account, the bandits had killed with single, lethal strikes. They were swift and ruthless. Clearly, they hadn’t come to rob. They’d come to take lives.

From there on, the matter fell squarely within Head Constable Wang’s jurisdiction. He began following procedure at once, ordering his men to mobilize and investigate.

1. The

Great Emperor Ziwei

is one of the Four Sovereigns in Daoism, and he is regarded as the lord of the stars. In addition, he is venerated in folk religion and in certain Buddhist sects as a protective deity. ☜