Chapter 270: Sent Away Directly

At this, Huo Xingchen threw his arms around Gu Qingyin. “Mom, I love you the most.”

Gu Qingyin stroked his little head. “People who are sick can’t control themselves.”

Huo Xingchen felt upset. He took a moment to compose himself before continuing.

“Zong Yao was trapped by his own guilt. He kept thinking that if he had just obediently done his homework that day, his mom wouldn’t have had a breakdown, and their family could have continued living happily together.”

Gu Qingyin sighed inwardly. ‘The world is so simple in a child’s eyes. But when an avalanche happens, not a single snowflake is innocent. Zong Yao was just unlucky enough to be the last one to fall.’

“So how did you get out in the end?”

Huo Xingchen pressed his lips together, his eyes a little red. “I sent him on to be judged.”

Gu Qingyin hugged him tightly in comfort. “You did a good job.”

‘It was better than being trapped by his obsession, repeating the same mistakes over and over. Better to go to the Underworld, accept judgment, repay his karmic debts, and strive for a chance at reincarnation—a fresh start.’

Huo Xingchen hummed in agreement, lying still in his mother’s arms.

“What about you?” Gu Qingyin asked Huo Yunjing. “What did you run into after we split up?”

Huo Yunjing said, “The man with no real presence in this story.”

That man was truly trash, even as a ghost.

Huo Yunjing hadn’t entered the Ghost Realm. He had entered the apartment itself—a very ordinary crime scene, home to a very ordinary ghost.

This ghost had no combat ability. Its only advantage was its skill at hiding. It had concealed all the Yin Qi and ghost energy on the floor. Even the Heavenly Masters who had visited before found nothing because of its ability.

Only children could enter Zong Yao’s Ghost Realm. Men would enter the apartment, while women would enter the woman’s Ghost Realm.

One space with three overlapping spacetimes. A Heavenly Master without some serious skills would indeed be unable to find a solution.

Huo Yunjing only realized Huo Xingchen was gone when he reached the center of the living room. He had assumed Xingchen was still at the door putting on his mask, and when he turned to look, he witnessed the paper effigy disappearing.

He panicked for a moment, but then he remembered the Defense Rune on the back of Huo Xingchen’s neck, as well as his son’s own considerable skill with talismans. He forced himself to calm down and trust in his son’s abilities.

Still, he couldn’t help but feel a little anxious.

So, when he found the man, his actions were a bit rough.

The man had disguised himself as a mural, hanging on the wall with all his presence concealed.

Huo Yunjing passed by it two or three times without noticing anything wrong. In the end, it was the unnaturally clean aura around the painting that made him suspicious.

He pulled the painting straight off the wall, threw it on the floor, and lit a talisman, about to toss it onto the canvas.

The man couldn’t hold back any longer and scrambled out before the talisman’s flame could touch the painting.

Huo Yunjing lowered his gaze slightly, studying him.

Just under six feet tall, with a slender build, regular features, thick eyebrows, and large eyes.

To women, that face was indeed quite deceptive. Paired with a decent enough job, the man could probably have been called charming.

“What are you hiding for?” Huo Yunjing’s voice was cold. “No matter how much you hide, you can’t change the facts. Because of you, your wife went mad, your son died, and you didn’t escape either. Do you regret it?”

The man looked dazed for a second, then shook his head frantically. “It has nothing to do with me! It was all her fault! She’s the one who went crazy! I shouldn’t have come home that day. I’m just so unlucky!”

“If only I hadn’t been there that day, if only I wasn’t there…”

As the man mumbled to himself, his form grew fainter and fainter, as if he were about to hide himself again.

Huo Yunjing understood. ‘This is his obsession. He wants to go back to that day, hide himself, and change the outcome.’

‘So in the end, he does regret it, but he refuses to admit it to himself. This internal conflict is what created his current state.’

“Is it that hard to admit your own mistakes?” Huo Yunjing was utterly disdainful of this cowardly behavior, this need to run away even in death. He offered a sincere suggestion, “Don’t be a human in your next life. The responsibility is too heavy for you to bear.”

The man’s fading form instantly stopped. He snapped his head up, his face filled with indignation. “What do you mean I can’t bear it? Who was responsible for all the household expenses, big and small? I worked outside, she managed the home. What’s wrong with a clear division of labor?”

“What right did she have to feel tired? What right did she have to complain?” The man grew more and more agitated. “She should have taken a good look at her own sallow, haggard face! It was merciful enough of me not to divorce her!”

After hearing all this, Huo Yunjing felt he was just wasting his time. ‘There was no point in saying anything more to someone who only knew how to shift blame onto others, a man who refused to repent even in death.’

‘Besides, he was under no obligation to grant him clarity.’

No longer wanting to hear this nonsense, Huo Yunjing reached out and swiped his hand to the side. With a RIPPING sound, a fissure tore open in the void. As the crack lengthened, a pair of ancient bronze doors materialized.

The man was stunned. “What… is that?”

Huo Yunjing had no obligation to answer. He grabbed a door knocker with one hand, veins bulging on his arm. The bronze doors slowly swung open, revealing a pitch-black space within.

The man didn’t know what that place was, but he instinctively recoiled in fear. He took two steps back and was about to turn and flee when a large hand clamped down on his shoulder.

“Wrong direction,” Huo Yunjing said, his voice devoid of warmth. “Behind that door is where you’re supposed to go.”

The man shook his head in terror. “No, no, no, no, I can’t go! I can’t go!” he shouted, resisting, though he didn’t even know what he was resisting.

He just had a gut feeling that if he went through that door, he would be well and truly finished.

But no matter how much he struggled, he couldn’t break free from the hand on his shoulder. In the end, he could only watch helplessly as he was drawn closer and closer to the door, until he was completely swallowed by the darkness within.

Huo Yunjing was like someone casually tossing out a bag of trash. After throwing it in, he closed the doors with an effortless flick.

The bronze doors vanished, and the Yin Qi the man had been concealing erupted completely.

Huo Yunjing followed the Yin Qi and easily located the entrances to the two Ghost Realms. Just as he was about to enter, Huo Xingchen abruptly appeared in the study, and that Ghost Realm vanished along with him.

Huo Yunjing raised an eyebrow slightly. He walked over and ruffled the head of a clearly dispirited Huo Xingchen, praising him, “Not bad.”

Huo Xingchen remained listlessly silent.

Huo Yunjing glanced at him but didn’t press further. He just said, “Let’s go check on the paper effigy. Of the family of three, the woman is the most vicious. If we’re late, I’m afraid the effigy will be torn to shreds.”

Hearing this, Huo Xingchen perked up a little. “Let’s go.”

Sure enough, just as the father and son entered the Ghost Realm, a kitchen cleaver came flying straight at them.

Huo Yunjing didn’t dodge. He simply raised his hand and caught it.

Huo Xingchen’s eyes lit up. He gave a thumbs-up with his small hand. “Cool!”

Huo Yunjing sighed and took the opportunity to lecture, “Try to learn something good for a change.”

Huo Xingchen blinked and had just let out an “Oh” when another cleaver came flying over, aimed straight for his face.

Huo Yunjing’s gaze sharpened. He shot his hand out again, grabbed the handle, and without a moment’s pause, flung it straight back.

With a CLANG, the cleaver flew out, taking the paper effigy with it, and slammed into the woman.

Huo Yunjing: “…”

Huo Xingchen: “…”

Really, it was just an accident.