Chapter 388: Water-Suppressing Yin Official (1)

Du Yu's apology was sincere. Among the confessors, he was the only one to clearly express regret. Given the chance to do it all over again, he might have found another way to exact revenge on his enemies—one that didn't involve the boy.

The soul, driven mad by torture, now sat on the boat. The river was calm, and the wooden vessel drifted with the current.

No one knew its destination. It was like a lone boat drifting on the Yellow Springs.

Karma could not be severed, nor grudges untangled. What was destined to come would eventually arrive.

Wang Xian had his head buried deep in his chest. Du Yu was his killer, but at this moment, the one sitting beside the child was me.

Frigid yin energy radiated from his body, and resentment glided across his pale skin like fine chains.

I recalled the incantation for the Great Divine Mantra of the Big Dipper, faint starlight flickering in my hand. If this ghost dared to attack Du Yu, I would intercept it immediately.

I didn't know if Wang Xian had understood Du Yu's words. Murky, foul-smelling water constantly oozed from his body. His hair covered his eyes, and there were four distinct knife wounds on his slender fingers—likely inflicted on himself by accident while wielding the blade.

When a knife pierced flesh and caught on the bone, forcefully wrenching it out could easily injure the wielder.

From these few scars, I could picture the scene back then: driven mad by terror and fury, Wang Xian had clumsily but decisively grabbed the fruit knife from the coffee table and stabbed the stepmother who had robbed him of everything.

This was a tragedy single-handedly orchestrated by Du Yu. But if, amid it all, Wang Xian's family had given him a little more understanding and attention, this disaster might well have been avoided.

I sat side-by-side with the yin soul on the boat, my mind pondering the rights, wrongs, and cold realities of the mortal world.

Du Yu had used psychological suggestion to drive Wang Xian mad solely for revenge. He was extreme and guilty, but the ones who had pushed Du Yu to such a state were Wang Xian's father and stepmother.

An ordinary man's wrath splatters blood five steps. His fiancée had been murdered, his job lost, and he had been driven out of the city in disgrace.

This hatred fermented in his heart and had already driven Du Yu mad, turning him into a calm, calculating "lunatic."

Perhaps it was exactly because he had suffered such an ordeal that he stepped in to save me when the Jiang family forced me into a dead end.

He must have seen his younger self in me. When I was escorted to court back then, I had also made plans for a prison break. As long as there was a sliver of hope for survival, I wouldn't surrender without a fight. And once I successfully broke out, the Jiang family would definitely become the targets of my revenge.

Looking at it from my own standpoint, Du Yu's actions seemed understandable. But no matter how I defended him, Wang Xian was ultimately innocent.

Sitting at the bow, Du Yu spoke of his history with Wang Xian. Memories, like the flowing river, drifted away alongside the wooden boat.

At first, he had indeed only wanted to use Wang Xian, but after interacting deeply with the child, Du Yu had prepared to walk away on multiple occasions.

He took off his suit jacket, rolled up his shirtsleeve, and bared his arm.

Lining his sturdy muscles were scars carved by a razor blade. His face was calm, wearing that same customary smile. "Every time I wanted to back out, I would cut a gash into my arm. The pain served as a reminder: any kindness shown to the murderers is cruelty inflicted upon the dead! Whether it was the drowned KTV hostess or my fiancée, a debt of blood must be paid in blood! The unspoken rule that personal connections trump the law does not apply to me. If I cannot get justice, I will take it back my own way!"

"I ruined your life for the sake of my revenge, and you followed and tormented me for six years. I don't believe that cancels out my sins, so I longed for the day we would finally meet. Whether you demand my life or seek compensation, I will agree to it. After all, I exhausted every method just to wait for this day." Du Yu crouched in front of Wang Xian, his face showing not the slightest hint of fear. It was as if this scene had played out in his imagination countless times.

"Du Yu, calm down. I have a way to protect you." Starlight seeped from my hands, ensuring that the water dripping from the boy couldn't come within an inch of me.

"No need. I've never feared death, so naturally, I don't fear ghosts. I ruined his life; it's not excessive for him to demand my life in return." Du Yu smiled freely. Having worked for Chinese syndicates abroad over the years, he had seen many dark things, and his heart had long been tempered into a state of unwavering calm.

"I always felt like some kind of entity was following me; I just wasn't sure. Hoping to join your live stream was just to confirm whether it existed. Now that I have my answer, there's no need to drag you down anymore." Du Yu lightly cupped his hands in a salute and handed me a golden bank card. "Wanted by the whole city, broadcasting a murder live—you're far stronger than I was back then. This card holds some of my savings; I hope it can help you. I'm afraid I won't be leaving today, and there will likely be tough trials ahead for you. Be careful. Especially with Number Eleven. I suspect he isn't dead, and this cave full of floating corpses is definitely connected to him."

After speaking, Du Yu turned to look at Wang Xian. "I will follow you to atone for my sins. Even if I'm trapped half-dead in this pitch-black cave forever, I will stay with you. Back then, your only wish was to be cared for, to find an intimate friend you could talk to about anything. Now, your wish has come true."

Saying this, Du Yu actually prepared to jump off the boat. I grabbed him in one swift motion. "Are you crazy? The floating corpses have scattered, and we can get out soon. Don't do anything stupid!"

"This is what I owe him." Du Yu wasn't posturing. He shook off my hand and reached out to touch Wang Xian's head. "The first time I saw you was in the newspaper. For three months before that, we had never met, yet we talked about everything. Thank you for your trust."

As his palm was about to touch Wang Xian's hair, Wang Xian slowly raised his bowed head. It was an incredibly pure face. Sadly, the purer a person was, the more easily they were hurt.

Du Yu's hand didn't touch him. That pure face quickly warped; malice and agony took over the vast majority of his expression, leaving only a tiny sliver of hesitation.

"Watch out! He's going to hurt you!" How could a murderous grudge be overturned by a few short words? Obsession was the foundation of a ghost's existence. Once its obsession dissipated, its soul would shatter and disperse.

I shoved Du Yu away and opened my mouth to chant the incantation. Starlight erupted from my hands, and like the Star Lord of the Big Dipper, I threw a heavy punch at Wang Xian.

Startled, he turned and dove into the river. The water didn't ripple in the slightest. All that remained on the wooden boat was a cell phone, its paint peeling from being soaked in the river.

"Gao Jian, why did you do that? You saw what happened to Wang Shi and Jin Zhouzhe. With the floating corpses swarming back, neither of us will be able to leave. It would be better for me to stay here and atone."

"There are thousands of ways to atone! Who made the rule that you must be imprisoned in this pitch-black cave?" Afraid that Du Yu would do something irrational, I grabbed him with one hand while rapidly rowing the boat with the other. "I have more experience than you in this area. Sit tight. Since I invited you into this game, I will definitely bring you out!"

The wooden boat moved swiftly down the channel, but it wasn't long before something terrifying happened. Swaths of pitch-black silhouettes appeared beneath the river, their numbers continuously multiplying.

"Gao Jian, they're chasing us from behind," Du Yu warned. Toward the stern, black hair akin to aquatic weeds drifted in the water. "Go on your own. Although I didn't strike the fatal blow, Wang Xian's suicide is inextricably tied to me..."

"Cut the crap! Row!" I tossed the oar to Du Yu. Gripping the Great Divine Mantra of the Big Dipper, I shouted into the gloomy end of the tunnel, "Ten of the twelve participants are dead; your goal should be more or less achieved, right? If you don't stop now, don't blame me if the fish dies and the net breaks!"

Starlight shone from my hand. This Talisman Paper, obtained from the female Streamer, was undeniably written by a Celestial Master and brimmed with Daoist charm.

No response came from the tunnel. The floating corpses crowded toward the wooden boat, and soon, Du Yu and I would be unable to move an inch. 'Once I cast the Great Divine Mantra of the Big Dipper, the shred of Pre-Heaven True Qi in my body will definitely be drained, plunging me into a weakened state. Furthermore, I only have one Great Divine Mantra of the Big Dipper. If I use it and the enemy unleashes another killing move, I won't have any trump cards left.'

My brows furrowed as my thoughts raced. I simply put away the Great Divine Mantra of the Big Dipper, pressing one hand against my Kidney Aperture to temporarily suppress the Profound Truth Mental Method.

"Water ghosts are still ghosts! You're hiding behind the scenes manipulating them. Today, I'll see if your corpse-controlling art is ingenious, or if my ghost art is overbearing!"

Taking a step forward, I stood at the bow of the boat. Frigid yin energy raged, and a bone-piercing chill seeped out from within me.

"Yin-Yang Has an Order! All souls absolved shall ascend to immortality! Those who defy this command shall be cast into the netherworld, their bones reduced to dust in the wind!"