After a long while, the black mist gradually dissipated. At this moment, Wen Zimo was covered in hideous black marks left by the evil spirits. The veins on his forehead bulged, and his body was drenched in cold sweat. He was in so much pain that he could hardly utter a sound!
Finally, it seemed that Wen Zimo could no longer bear it! He struggled to get up and staggered towards the cliff, eager to end this pain as soon as possible!
But An Huai didn't let him have his way. With a slight hook of her hand, Wen Zimo rolled back uncontrollably!
An Huai stared coldly at Wen Zimo. Her intention was clear - it would be too easy on him to die like this! Wen Zimo had to go through every bit of the pain she had once endured before she would be satisfied!
Pei Yu also looked at Wen Zimo with a cold expression and said calmly, "It's not that easy to die. Debts in the underworld will surely be repaid. But you tortured and killed your first wife, forged official documents, and remarried through deception. The laws of the mortal world won't allow you to go unpunished. I'll send you back to the Supreme Court of Judicature to count your sins one by one!"
Wen Zimo finally tasted the bitter taste of despair. He looked at An Huai with a dazed look in his eyes and his lips trembling. Before he could say anything, his eyes rolled back and he fainted straight away!
At the same time, An Huai's resentment began to dissipate rapidly, and the evil formation that had bound her for many years was completely broken by Zhong Shengwan!
Under everyone's watchful eyes, her soul body gradually became transparent and pure. Finally, it turned into little bits of fluorescent light and dissipated between heaven and earth. She was finally free and could enter the cycle of reincarnation again.
It seemed that everything had been properly resolved, but Li Jinghuai felt no joy at all. She stood there stupidly, with Wen Zimo's words echoing in her mind.
Was Song Yanling going to be reincarnated into the animal realm because she had meddled in human affairs?!
No wonder in the dream that day, Song Yanling told her to get everything ready but didn't tell Master Shen. It turned out that Song Yanling had planned everything long ago...
Looking at Song Yanling, whose figure was becoming more and more transparent, Li Jinghuai's heart felt as if it was being torn apart. The suppressed emotions finally burst out.
"Song Yanling!" Her eyes were red and her voice was hoarse. "Didn't you say you'd never lie to me? Do you think you're so great?" Tears welled up in her eyes and she could hardly speak through her sobs. "Who asked you to save me again and again?! I don't need it at all! Now, I've lost my family and my child... And now, are you going to leave me like this?"
At this point, Li Jinghuai seemed to grab at the last straw. She suddenly turned around and grabbed Shen Cuiyu's sleeve, pleading with tearful eyes:
"Master Shen, please save Yanling! If Wen Zimo could exchange his life for another's, there must be other ways in the mysterious sect! I'm willing to use my lifespan to buy her a chance at reincarnation!"
Song Yanling stared at her. Her autumn - water - like eyes were filled with sorrow, but she still forced a usual carefree smile on her lips:
"Idiot, why do we have to distinguish between you and me? As long as you're alive, it's as if I'm alive. I want you to be well and live a long life! Besides, what's wrong with being reincarnated as a kitten or a puppy? It's so free and cute!"
Shen Cuiyu looked at the two crying girls and her cold voice broke the sorrow:
"Not everything Wen Zimo said was right."
Both the girl and the ghost were stunned and looked at her in unison.
"Song Yanling's sudden appearance did disrupt the balance between yin and yang. But after all, her original intention was to save someone. The laws of the underworld also take reason and emotion into account, and there's still room for negotiation." Shen Cuiyu's gaze fell on Li Jinghuai's slightly protruding abdomen, where a ghost fetus that shouldn't have existed had once been conceived. "The formation has been broken, and the evil energy of the ghost fetus in your abdomen has completely dissipated. Now, there's only an unformed empty shell left, and no living soul has entered it."
She paused for a moment and looked at Song Yanling. "That is to say, if you're willing, you can attach your soul to this body and be reborn. But during these nine months of pregnancy, you have to practice more and accumulate good deeds."
Li Jinghuai didn't hesitate at all and immediately nodded. "I'm willing! As long as Yanling can stay, I don't care about anything!"
Song Yanling was stunned for a moment. After a while, a huge surprise instantly dispelled the sadness in her eyes. She floated to Shen Cuiyu's side like a happy little bird:
"Does that mean I can really stay? And... can I really become your disciple?!"
Li Jinghuai also stopped crying and laughed through her tears. She looked at Song Yanling curiously:
"Does that mean I'll be your mother in the future?"
Song Yanling:.........
Shen Cuiyu nodded slightly and said no more.
She motioned for Li Jinghuai to lie flat on the couch. Then she stood in front of the couch. Somehow, a bright - yellow talisman was pinched between her fingertips.
With a solemn expression, she murmured incantations. The talisman burned without wind and turned into a soft golden light that enveloped Li Jinghuai's abdomen. Then, she formed hand seals and guided Song Yanling's gradually transparent soul body to slowly merge into the golden light. The whole process was quiet and solemn, as if a sacred ceremony was being held.
When the golden light gradually dissipated, Li Jinghuai stroked her abdomen and felt a strange, weak connection of life...
This Class - A mission was successfully completed. Everyone split into two groups. Shen Cuiyu and the others returned to the Wanhsiang Academy, while Pei Yu escorted the unconscious Wen Zimo back to the capital day and night.
In the capital, this case caused quite a stir. On the day of the trial, many common people came to watch.
In this case, both the witnesses and physical evidence were conclusive. Wen's mother bitterly denounced her son's evil deeds, Li Jinghuai tearfully recounted her experiences, and An Huai's bones were unearthed from the barren slope. The injuries on the bones were exactly the same as Pei Yu's autopsy report.
After a detailed trial by the Supreme Court of Judicature, the case was clear and the evidence was overwhelming.
The court was furious and quickly approved the decision: Wen Zimo was extremely guilty and was sentenced to be beheaded in a month.
However, Wen Zimo never waited for the executioner's blade.
The evil - spirit's life - taking mark left by An Huai flared up day and night. The resentment corroded his bones, and the skin all over his body began to fester and ooze pus rapidly. The prison doctor was helpless.
In just a few days, he died in the dark prison cell in extreme pain and fear. When the prison guard found him, his body was already stinking, his face was distorted and hideous, and his death was extremely horrible.
According to the law, all of Wen Zimo's property was confiscated. After being sold, it was converted into silver. Part of it was paid to An Huai's natal family as compensation, and the other part was awarded to Li Jinghuai, which was enough to ensure her a comfortable life for the rest of her life.
Death is not the most terrible punishment. Enduring the double torture of body and mind day and night in the countdown to a definite death is the real purgatory. Wen Zimo finally couldn't escape the sanctions of both the mortal world and the underworld. Under the intertwining of mortal laws and underworld condemnation, his sinful life came to an end. Even after his death, his soul would fall into the underworld and face a more severe trial.
As for the old Wen Mansion, although it was sealed by the government, indignant common people still came every day to scold and throw stones in anger. The front door was in a mess, and its reputation was completely ruined.
............
During the days waiting for the new life to arrive, Li Jinghuai sewed her lingering concerns into the clothes stitch by stitch. She picked up the tiger - head pillow that she hadn't finished embroidering before, carefully made the last stitch, and then made many small clothes and cloth dolls by herself. Each one was soft and delicate.