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Chapter 35 Don't get the words 'for your own good' dirty.
After dealing with the female ghost, there's still the issue of the earthbound spirit to resolve.

So they went to the construction site again and found the old woman who was tied up.

The old lady was still angrily cursing, but probably because she had been cursing for so long, she didn't have as much strength left.

The old woman's gaze turned vicious and sharp when she saw Cheng Mai, especially when she saw him pick up the stone, which made her extremely angry.

The next second, Shang Xingjian glanced at her indifferently, and the old lady quieted down on her own.

But the look in their eyes was still angry.

Cheng Mai picked up the stone and sincerely placed it next to the old lady. "I'm very sorry about what happened the night before last. I didn't know it was your son's ashes."

The old lady stared at Cheng Mai, not expecting to receive such a comment, so for a quarter of an hour, she was still stunned.

“It’s just that you’ve trapped yourself here all these years because of your son, but your son may not be here. Otherwise, why wouldn’t he come out to see you?” Cheng Mai advised.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" The old lady's eyes were bloodshot, clearly unwilling to believe what Cheng Mai said. "The Taoist priests of Xuantian Temple said that as long as I guard this place, as long as I guard my son's ashes, my son will definitely come back."

"Beheaded and displayed to the public, with his head even being carried off by wild dogs. If he wasn't extremely heinous, why couldn't he leave behind a complete corpse?" Shang Xingjian sneered.

“You’re talking nonsense. My son is a good person.”

“The son is a good person, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the old man is a good person.” Shang Xingjian looked down at the old lady. “She has only made a mess of things herself. Her self-righteous attempt to atone for her sins has only wasted Kang Zhenglian’s filial piety.”

Upon hearing this, black mist began to emanate from the old woman's body.

"Mr. Cheng, be careful, she's about to turn into a vengeful ghost."

"You're talking nonsense, I'll kill you... ah..."

Before the old woman could transform into a vengeful ghost, Shang Xingjian slapped her back to the ground, and no one even saw how he did it.

"I hate people who act all high and mighty in front of me the most." Shang Xingjian shook his hand, then wiped Cheng Mai's clothes on his shoulder. Still not satisfied, he took out a white jade basin with water from his Qiankun bag, washed his hands, and wiped Cheng Mai's shoulder clean again.

Cheng Mai: "..." She really knows how to thank me.

The old woman lay prostrate on the ground, not just in shock, but because this man actually intended to turn her into a vengeful ghost, and he hadn't even performed any rituals!

With a series of smooth movements, Shang Xingjian finally put the white jade basin back in satisfaction, then pulled out a chair and sat down. This time, the chair he took out was much more understated; at least it wasn't a dragon throne.

"Kang Liushi, a member of the Kang clan during the late Qing Dynasty, was a mean-spirited and petty woman who could not tolerate her husband's concubines. She used every means to kill them, which is her crime."

"You, who are you?"

"When her family fell into poverty, she killed three illegitimate sons while fleeing with her husband. These are her two crimes."

Shang Xingjian did not answer the old lady's question, but looked at Cheng Mai and asked, "Do you still think she's a pitiful person?"

Cheng Mai moved his lips, feeling that Shang Xingjian was doing it on purpose.

“Your son, Kang Zhenglian, is a man of great talent and learning, and he has been very successful in the imperial examinations. Unfortunately, her husband is a lazy, greedy, and cunning man who is also a gambler. In order to ensure that Kang Zhenglian’s success in the imperial examinations, you cruelly killed your husband and dumped his body in an old well. This is the third crime.” The old lady said, “They deserve to die. Everyone who blocked my son’s path deserves to die.”

"Do you know that Kang Zhenglian, who served as a judge for three lifetimes, should have sat high in the palace and protected all living beings? He was only one lifetime short of becoming a Yama, enjoying eternal prosperity. But because of your many sins, he chose to have your body carried away by wild dogs after death, so that you could never be reincarnated, in order to atone for your sins."

"You, what did you say?"

"I'm telling you, you've ruined your son's life." Shang Xingjian spoke each word slowly and deliberately, each one piercing the old lady's heart.

"No way, this can't be, you're lying to me!" the old woman screamed frantically. "Who are you? Who are you really?"

How did he know everything she did?
That was clearly something that happened over a hundred years ago.

"Parents who love their children plan far ahead for them, but you're using the wrong methods."

When Shang Xingjian got to this point, he glanced at Cheng Mai. Her mother had given up the possibility of becoming an immortal for her, just to be protected by her for one lifetime.

General Meng An should not have been under his command, but in order to stay by Cheng Mai's side, he submitted to him.

In this light, the old woman in front of me was even more repulsive.

"The Great Way is simple, and longevity is attained. Life is but a journey, and heaven and earth return to humanity. Here I am, and in this journey, humanity can find its way back." Shang Xingjian said slowly, and as soon as he finished speaking, a wisp of light floated out from the stone.

Gradually, a figure appeared in the dim light.

The man, dressed in a long gown, was refined and cultured, and one could almost see a prominent figure from a hundred years ago.

"I am Kang Zhenglian, and I greet you, senior. It has been a long time. You still have the same demeanor as before," Kang Zhenglian said warmly to Shang Xingjian.

At this moment, the word "refined and elegant" became tangible in Cheng Mai's world. There was a clear mark on this person's neck, which was not like a scar, but more like a taboo.

"Lian'er, my Lian'er!" The old lady was so excited when she saw her son that she didn't know what to do. "You, you've been here all this time, so why didn't you come out to see your mother?"

Kang Zhenglian turned to his mother and bowed his head in reverence, seemingly with a hint of helplessness. "Mother, why are you so persistent? All your past sins are my responsibility. You should have left this place long ago."

"Lian'er, do you know I've been waiting for you all this time, my Lian'er." The old lady rushed to Kang Zhenglian's side, reaching out to touch his face. "What crime have I committed? Those vile women deserved to die, and those boys too. If I hadn't killed them, my son would have starved to death. Everyone looks out for themselves, so what wrong have I done?"

"What did you do wrong?" Cheng Mai sneered when he heard this. "You were wrong because you were born in the wrong era, wrong because you tried to seek monogamy in a world of polygamy; wrong because, as a woman, you dared not cause trouble for men, but only dared to harm women; wrong because you harmed others in the name of your son."

"You keep saying you're doing this for your son's good, but in the end, you're only doing it for yourself," Cheng Mai said angrily. Her mother was willing to give up everything for her, but this woman in front of her was only doing it for her own selfish reasons. "Don't tarnish the words 'for your own good.'"

Shang Xingjian grasped Cheng Mai's wrist, knowing what she was thinking.

She didn't say anything about what happened that night, but that doesn't mean the matter is over in her mind.

"Kang Liu, you know better than anyone whether you are still clinging to this place to wait for your son, or because you are afraid that your sins are too great to be taken away by the people of the underworld. Do you still want to trap yourself here?"

The old lady flinched, and her grip on her son's hand seemed to loosen slightly.

(End of this chapter)