Go all out

Chapter 40: Stillborn

Earlier, I’d wondered if their ancestral graves had been desecrated—after all, this really did have something to do with “smoke rising from the ancestors’ graves.” Now, it was clear that the root of all the problems might lie with Yang Yun herself. I looked down at Yang Tao and shook my head. How should I describe her fate? For someone with the “servant’s face” in this era, it wasn’t too bad—at least a glimmer of light was appearing in her Palace of Destiny. So, no matter what, this girl had hope of success one day. Though the chances were very slim, it was still better than her father’s situation. “You go inside first. Let me think of a solution,” I said to Yang Tao. “Okay, thanks, big brother,” Yang Tao nodded and walked inside. I thought for a moment, then looked at Yang Yun and asked, “I think the problem lies with you.” Yang Tao’s father’s Life Palace was completely shrouded in dark energy—not a single ray of light was visible. How could I possibly point the way? “Me?” Yang Yun furrowed his brow. “Yes, you. Think about whether you’ve ever done anything that would have harmed your moral standing in the afterlife,” I asked without mincing words. Yang Yun looked pensive for a moment. Actually, it wasn’t quite right of me to ask that. Those who become underworld officials are either people who did good deeds in life, or those whose yin energy was so dense after death that they were chosen by King Yama to join his ranks. Of course, there are bad people among the Underworld Officials—that’s true in any circle—but Yang Yun didn’t strike me as “bad”; she just seemed indifferent. “Let me think it over,” Yang Yun said, After hearing him say that, I went back inside. Yangtao’s father was slumped in a chair, and Yangtao was gently comforting him. How can I put it? Actually, everyone in this family is pretty decent, but that’s just how fate works—what can you do? We fortune-tellers can only “interfere” from the sidelines. As people walk the path of their destiny, we can remind them when to stop, when to take a detour to find some wealth, That’s all. We can only offer reminders; we cannot truly interfere with a person’s destiny. because forcibly altering one’s destiny comes at a price. “What about my daughter?” Yangtao’s father looked up at me, his eyes red. He stroked Yangtao’s hair, his face filled with self-reproach. He thought his own bad luck had harmed his child, “Your daughter’s fate is better than yours,” I said calmly. Yang Tao’s father’s expression eased slightly, and he said, “Thank you,” Just then, a cold breeze swept past me, and I heard Yang Yun’s uncertain voice in my ear. Upon hearing it, I froze for a moment, I then pulled all the money out of my pocket and placed it on the table—about seven or eight hundred—and before Yang Tao’s father could say a word, I walked out. “What you just said was true,” I asked as I walked out, Yang Yun sighed. “Well, I suppose so. Back when I’d only been a ghost officer for a short while, I encountered a woman who’d died unjustly. She was pregnant at the time—the baby was about to be born, but it had died in the womb. She knelt and begged me to give her child a chance at life. I didn’t listen; I sent her straight to the City of the Unjustly Deceased…” Hearing how desperate that woman must have been, I fell silent for a moment before asking, “Actually, you could have let her child go, right?” “I could have,” Yang Yun didn’t deny it. There was nothing technically wrong with that—it was just heartless. That was just Yang Yun’s nature: too straightforward. Thinking of this, I couldn’t help but feel anxious for Zhang Fei’er. If Yang Yun hadn’t needed my help back then, Zhang Fei’er’s fate would likely have been the same. “So has that child been reincarnated?” I couldn’t help but ask. In a case like this, where the child died in the womb, the chances of reincarnation were slim. “No. In his situation, there’s no chance of reincarnation. That’s just how the rules work,” Yang Yun said, shaking his head coldly. I fell into deep thought. If the resentment of that mother and child had been too great, it was somewhat possible that they had cursed Yang Yun’s descendants, but I wasn’t quite sure exactly how the curse worked. “Then what happened to the bodies of that mother and child?” “That’s not within my purview,” Yang Yun replied, shaking his head. I was speechless inside. “Go down to the City of the Unjustly Dead and find out where the bodies of that mother and son are now,” Yang Yun hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Wait,” I called out to him, Yang Yun turned to face me. “Sometimes, rules aren’t set in stone,” I said earnestly, looking at Yang Yun, Yang Yun gave me a deep look and nodded, then his gaze shifted to behind me. Startled, I instinctively turned my head, Yang Tao walked over, holding the money I’d just given her. She glanced around beside me with a puzzled look on her face. “Brother, who were you talking to just now?” I instinctively glanced at Yang Yun but said nothing. “Was it an old man wearing black?” Yang Tao asked softly, “How did you know that?” The words slipped out before I could stop them, and immediately I realized I’d made a huge mistake. Talking about this kind of thing with a minor in the pitch dark—she’d be terrified. “Really?” Yang Tao’s eyes lit up. Yang Yun sighed, and I was puzzled—how did Yang Tao know? Yang Tao asked tentatively, “Then, big brother, can you get that old man to come out and meet me?” I glanced at Yang Yun. He shook his head, so naturally I shook mine too. Yang Tao’s expression darkened, then she continued, “That’s okay. Then, big brother, please tell this grandpa for me that Yang Tao is very grateful to him. Because often, when I’m dreaming, I dream of this grandpa. He doesn’t say much, but he comforts me. I’m very grateful to him.” I wanted to glance at Yang Yun in surprise, but unfortunately, by the time I turned my head, he was already gone. I muttered to myself, “Having an ancestor who’s a ghost officer isn’t so bad after all.” Seeing that I wasn’t saying anything, Yang Tao sighed and handed me the money. “Brother, my dad says thank you for your kindness.” I was taken aback. Why wouldn’t she accept it? Was she afraid that taking this money might affect Yang Tao’s future financial fortune? “Tell your dad to go ahead and take it—it’s fine,” I said, shaking my head with a smile. “But…” “It’s fine. It was the ‘Grandpa in Black’ you mentioned who told me to give it to you,” “Really?” Yangtao looked both surprised and delighted. “That’s right,” I couldn’t help but ruffle Yangtao’s hair. “Aren’t you afraid of him?” “No, he’s very kind to me,” Yangtao shook her head earnestly, I smiled and told Yangtao to take the money back. After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded—her family really needed the money. I sat on the scooter and waited for a while. A chilly breeze blew past me, and I shivered just as Yang Yun appeared, looking resigned. “How did it go?” I asked curiously. “Sigh, that mother really has cursed my descendants,” Yang Yun said helplessly. “When I saw her, she was holding her child and gave me a chilling smile, as if she knew I’d come looking for her.” “So what did she say to you?” I asked urgently. Ordinary ghosts wouldn’t dare to blackmail a ghost officer, but the ghosts in the City of the Unjustly Deceased were different. That city was essentially a refugee camp; having lost their chance at reincarnation, they had nothing to lose. “She told me to give her child a chance at reincarnation and to find the remains of her and her child, which have been submerged in the river for over eight hundred years. If I do these things, she’ll spare my descendants,” Yang Yun said, sounding somewhat indignant, though his tone also betrayed a sense of helplessness. I furrowed my brow. Finding the remains wouldn’t be too difficult—knowing the location of the river, I could simply dive in and search. But a child who died in the womb has no chance of reincarnation, as Yang Yun had just mentioned. that’s going to be a problem. After all, Yang Yun is just a ghost officer—he’s not the King of Hell. How could he possibly have that kind of authority? “So what do you plan to do?” It was my turn to ask him. I could help him find the remains, but when it came to reincarnation, there was nothing I could do. “First, help me recover the remains of this mother and child,” Yang Yun said after a moment’s thought. “Alright. Where is that river?” I nodded. “It’s not too far. Just follow me,” Yang Yun said as he took off into the air. I hopped on my scooter, turned on the headlights, and followed him. After riding for about ten minutes, I started to feel a bit awkward. I’d thought he was talking about an ordinary little stream—I’m a strong swimmer, so spending a few days searching wouldn’t be a problem. But Yang Yun had taken me to a tributary of the Yangtze River! This tributary was at least several hundred meters wide. Not to mention how fast the current was—just considering the sheer size of the area, how long would it take me to find what I was looking for in a river like this? and I didn’t even have any diving gear. At this rate, I wasn’t sure if I’d even make it back up. I groaned inwardly, but there was nothing I could do. Since I’d promised him, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and keep going. After riding for about thirty minutes, the electric scooter ran out of power. Just as I was standing there speechless, Yang Yun flew up behind me, and the dead scooter suddenly started moving again at a speed that gave me a real start, The speed was at least eighty, I thought to myself. After I regained my composure, it wasn’t long before I spotted a river embankment in the distance. Yang Yun pushed me up in one go, and I saw the water glistening below. Suddenly, I froze. Didn’t Tian Zhan say there was a dragon in the Yangtze River? Although this was a tributary of a tributary of the Yangtze, it was still technically part of the Yangtze. So, was it possible we might encounter that dragon? I felt a pang of anxiety,