The fire had long been extinguished. The villagers moved aside the collapsed beams and searched for a long time before finally finding a charred corpse. It was Xu Zifan who had set it on fire; it was indeed that old man.
The old village chief wept uncontrollably. The loss of the village's most respected elder left him with a sudden, profound emptiness. But then a woman whispered, "How come such a huge fire didn't reach the ancestral hall next door? It only burned Uncle San! Even if the ancestors were watching over us, why didn't they protect Uncle San? Could it be that Uncle San did something wicked?"
"Shut up! What do you know?!" the old village chief shouted, and the other elders also joined in the condemnation. However, the younger generation had little contact with the Third Uncle and only believed in reality. The phenomenon of burning down only one house so severely was indeed too bizarre.
As the crowd murmured amongst themselves, regardless of their words, a sense of unease lingered in their hearts. Lacking formal education, they were more inclined to believe that a tragic death was the result of countless sins. To die so horribly beside the ancestral tablets—what immense evil must one have committed!
The women were a little scared, and the old village chief didn't want to cause any more trouble, so he simply called on the villagers to work together to bury Uncle San in the cemetery, without even daring to put up a tombstone.
When such a big thing suddenly happened, Chen's father and mother's first thought was that Xu Zifan had said something was wrong with the village. They didn't mention their daughter's burial. After returning home, they secretly found Xu Zifan and wanted to ask if this would affect their daughter's reincarnation.
Xu Zifan asked Chen Yuling directly, "Do you want to be buried here?"
Chen Yuling shook her head like a rattle drum, both shocked and frightened. "There are no souls in that whole area, and so many zombies have appeared there. I don't want to go! Besides, this village is in such a bad location. Every time I walk on that mountain road, I'm worried I'll fall. I don't want my parents to come back to see me often or stay here to retire. Master, please talk to them and ask them to bury me somewhere close to them."
Xu Zifan thought for a moment and said to her parents, "This matter should not be spread. I'll let you meet Chen Yuling and tell her everything you want to say. Don't ask any more questions. What do you think?"
Mr. and Mrs. Chen immediately put aside their doubts and repeatedly promised not to ask any more questions, only hoping to see their daughter again.
Xu Zifan took out an array plate and placed it on the ground. After channeling spiritual energy into it, he told Chen Yuling to stand inside the array. As soon as Chen Yuling floated in, her form was revealed. Chen's parents immediately broke down in tears, "Our little girl! It really is our little girl! We've missed you so much!"
They rushed over to hug their daughter, but missed, their bodies passing right through Chen Yuling. The two were even more heartbroken, their hands trembling as they didn't know what to do.
Xu Zifan said, "Chen Yu's soul is weak; you can only see her for ten minutes. Any longer will harm her. Also, you'd better keep your distance, otherwise it won't be good for either of you."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yuling quickly said, "Mom and Dad, please go over there. You'll get sick if you see me. I'm fine, I'm really fine. That driver has already gone to jail and even gave you compensation. I have no more lingering feelings, so don't worry."
Mr. and Mrs. Chen hurriedly retreated, staring greedily at Chen Yuling, as if it were a farewell to the world's end.
Chen Yuling smiled and said, "Mom and Dad, I should have left long ago, but I was worried about you. I hope you can live well and not be sad for me anymore."
Chen's mother nodded repeatedly, fighting back tears. "We'll listen to you. It's your parents who have held you back. Don't worry about us. The master will help you reincarnate. May you have a good life in your next life..."
Mr. Chen's eyes were red. He wiped his face and forced a smile. "Don't be afraid, my dear. Your parents will do more good deeds to accumulate good karma for you. Your next life will definitely be better than this one. Be happy and healthy, okay?"
Chen Yuling opened her mouth as if to say something, but felt that whatever she said would only add to her parents' worries and sadness. She hesitated for a moment and then said, "Mom and Dad, bury me somewhere outside, closer to you. Uncle San was not a good person. Everyone in this cemetery has been annihilated. Mom and Dad, don't come back anymore. Live well outside."
Although Chen's parents were shocked, ten minutes were quickly passing. They didn't ask what had happened in the village, but kept telling Chen Yuling to reincarnate well and not to worry about them. Chen Yuling also advised them to live peacefully and to be healthy and happy.
Ten minutes later, Xu Zifan retrieved the array plate. Chen's parents had regained their composure, thanked him repeatedly, and went to bid farewell to the old village chief. No one knew what reason they gave, but the old village chief didn't give them a hard time when they left the village.
The old village chief urged Chen's parents to come back to the village often, then looked at Xu Zifan and Jiang Tianxin standing together and sighed, "You've come from afar, and we haven't been able to treat you well. Nobody expected something like this to happen in the village. You two should live your lives well. You never know what might happen to someone. Just live each day as it comes, there's no hurdle you can't overcome."
Xu Zifan nodded, "Okay, I got it. Don't be too sad, village chief. Take the opportunity to go out and explore. There's still a long road ahead."
The old village chief responded and waved to them, "Go on, it will be difficult to travel after dark, be careful on the road."
Several villagers came to see the old village chief off. After bidding them farewell, Xu Zifan and his group slowly walked out of the village. Standing at the village entrance again, Xu Zifan looked back and saw that the deathly aura and yin energy were gone. This small village in the mountain valley had finally regained its fresh and beautiful scenery.
Although the bodies of those elderly people were irreversibly eroded by the death energy, at least their lives would no longer be affected or exploited, which was probably the best possible outcome for them.
Mr. and Mrs. Chen buried Chen Yuling in a beautiful small town, a place she had always wanted to visit but never had the chance to. This time, Chen Yuling's spirit toured the entire town, finding great satisfaction. Mr. and Mrs. Chen also felt much better knowing they had finally done something for their daughter.
Xu Zifan performed a ritual to help Chen Yuling pass on to the afterlife, using the same array plate from before to make Chen Yuling appear in person, allowing her parents to watch their daughter reincarnate. Chen Yuling bowed to Xu Zifan and Jiang Tianxin, smiled and waved to her parents, then transformed into specks of golden stars and disappeared into the air.
Mr. and Mrs. Chen were extremely reluctant to part, but the ceremony felt like a formal farewell. They also learned that accumulating blessings could bring their daughter a better life, which gave them endless motivation. Their mental outlook was completely different, and they were filled with enthusiasm for charity.
They insisted on giving Xu Zifan a reward, but Xu Zifan refused, telling them that the trip hadn't been in vain and that they should just use the reward for charity, which was a great thing.
Chen's parents didn't ask any further questions. They were determined to do the first charity in Xu Zifan's name as a way of repaying his kindness and accumulating good fortune for him.
Xu Zifan remembered that when he first transmigrated, Shao Hua suggested that he do good deeds to change his bad luck. He even said that he would do a good deed every day. However, he was busy cultivating and had such a good talisman like Jiang Tianxin, so he forgot about it.
Now that he remembered, he said to Jiang Tianxin, "Xinxin, do you still remember our sect rules?"
Jiang Tianxin blurted out, "Never let anyone bully us?"
Xu Zifan nodded. "There's one more thing you should remember: do one good deed every day. But those of us in this line of work can't do without the five evils and three bad ones, because we reveal heavenly secrets and change other people's fates. So we should do more good deeds and use merit to offset these karmic obstacles. If we accumulate enough merit, it will also be a kind of protection for us."
Jiang Tianxin frowned in confusion, not quite understanding. "Master, isn't what we're doing about eliminating evil and protecting the innocent? We're punishing wicked people. We discovered them doing bad things, stopped them, and even saved people. Shouldn't we be given merit?"
"You saved my brother and broke the curse on my family's ancestral graves, so our whole family can live well, and the employees at my dad's company won't face the risk of losing their jobs. Isn't that a great thing? If we should be punished for this, then being a police officer and catching bad guys or saving people should also be considered changing someone's fate and should be punished."
Xu Zifan smiled slightly, "It's impossible to calculate it like that. It's like whether we earn five yuan and spend three, or earn seven yuan and spend ten. We can't calculate it clearly. Speaking of which, you're right. What we're doing now is similar to what the police do, so God won't be too harsh on us."
But if we spend our whole lives in the esoteric world, perhaps one day you will see someone on the street whose face indicates that something bad is about to happen to them. How could you possibly refrain from telling them? Once you tell them, you will change their fate. Such a thing could very well be considered as us revealing heavenly secrets.
Just like the day I learned Jiang Dong was going to have a car accident, I immediately reminded him. This could trigger a chain reaction, such as a Jiang Group employee losing their job and winning the lottery, or starting their own business and getting a better opportunity. Now that the Jiang Group is safe and sound, people like them might have missed out on a good opportunity, right?
Jiang Tianxin nodded thoughtfully, "I understand, Master. That's why you said these things are impossible to calculate. Maybe someone will die from an acute illness because they can't afford medical treatment after losing their job, or maybe someone will return to their hometown and live an unknown life after losing their job. Now that the Jiang family is fine, they can live a good life. Changing one thing can affect many people. Even if it's just a small thing, it can have a good or bad impact on people we don't know about."
Master, I will do good deeds every day. No matter how Heaven calculates things in the end, or whether I will suffer from various ailments, I think the most important thing is to have a kind heart and a clear conscience.
"Yes. Remember these two rules first, and I'll tell you the others later." Xu Zifan had no doubt about his little apprentice's promise to do good deeds every day. That was just her personality. In the end, some of the merit would fall on him. Perhaps he could take on many disciples and grand-disciples in the future, and their merits alone would be enough to keep him from going astray.
Seeing that her master was alright, Jiang Tianxin quietly began to cultivate before the car arrived home. She felt that her master must have thought she wasn't capable enough to tell her all the sect rules, so she had to cultivate diligently and do more for the sect. Then her master would tell her more sect rules.
The master and apprentice returned to the Jiang family home. Jiang's mother looked them over with heartache and urged Aunt Wang to make them some nourishing soup. Jiang Dong also ran back, chasing after them and asking all sorts of questions, wanting to know about those strange things.
Having just fought a fierce battle with a demon, returning home to be surrounded by warmth felt wonderful. Neither Xu Zifan nor Jiang Tianxin rushed to cultivate; at this moment, they only wanted to quietly enjoy the warmth of their family.