The Ninth Lady is a rebellious person.

Chapter 230 The All-Purpose Shop Opens for Those with Affinity
As soon as Lang Jiuchuan uttered his "Good!", he felt a dizzying sensation as his consciousness returned to his body, and he groggily sat up from the ground.

"Child, your head is swollen." Fu Qi looked at the swollen bump on her forehead in astonishment.

Lang Jiuchuan reached out and touched it; sure enough, a small bump had appeared on his forehead, an injury he had sustained from bumping into the corner of the stool.

"It's nothing." She looked at Fu Qi, and frowned as she recalled the scene she had witnessed. "The battlefield at Fenghuo Pass is stuck in a loop, constantly repeating the scene of you sacrificing yourselves for the city. How did you, General, come to my shop, and how did you know that you were stuck in this loop?"

Fu Qi shook his head and said, "I didn't know at first, but I remember falling on the snow. Before I closed my eyes, I saw a golden light. When I opened my eyes, it was the scene of the city's destruction again. Before I closed my eyes again, the golden light grew bigger. This happened again and again, and the golden light grew bigger and bigger until it became a crack in the door. So one day I opened my eyes and it was no longer the scene of me and my brothers on the city wall, but in front of your shop."

He gave a wry smile and said, "Perhaps it is some kind of divine guidance. We have been trapped in that place for too long, so long that even the heavens could not bear it and specially sent us a way back."

Lang Jiuchuan shook his head and said, "It is Heaven's will to guide you into reincarnation so that you may be reborn as human beings, so that you may not be able to rest in peace after death."

Fu Qi did not refute it. If they were to be called loyal souls, he and his Fu family army deserved it.

His soul felt faint and weak, so Lang Jiuchuan said, "Fenghuo Pass is where your bones are buried and your souls are trapped. What I just saw was probably a memory that surfaced from your soul. I don't know exactly why you are trapped there, whether it's because of your obsession or external factors. So we have to go to that place and take a closer look to find out the reason for your souls being trapped before we can help your loyal souls on their way."

Trapping souls is not difficult; setting up a soul-trapping array is sufficient. However, it is quite unusual that the souls of the three thousand Fu family soldiers were trapped on the day they sacrificed themselves for the city, and that they kept repeating what happened on that day.

We need to go to the site to see what's going on. If it's simply because of obsession, then setting up an altar to resolve this obsession will allow the deceased's soul to be delivered to the afterlife.

The problem is that there might be other factors at play.

Fu Qi said, "Two hundred years have passed. In the past, Fenghuo Pass was three thousand li away from Fengdu. The journey is long, and you are just a child..."

Lang Jiuchuan smiled faintly: "General, I am a Celestial Master. As a Celestial Master who knows Taoist arts, I will not follow the usual path. Please rest assured about this."

Seeing that Fu Qi's soul was weak, she said, "Before that, General, would you like to nourish your soul in my treasure? Your soul is a bit weak; it will be better if you nourish it."

"I think that plaque outside is quite nice." Fu Qi pointed towards the entrance, where he could also observe the people coming and going and feel the peace and prosperity of the world.

"That's just a temporary place to stay. If you stay too long, your soul will recover, and the evil energy will become too strong. I'm afraid strangers will avoid my shop," Lang Jiuchuan said with a laugh.

Fu Qi clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I'm very sorry."

"It's alright, this shop was originally opened for those with affinity for the Dao." Lang Jiuchuan summoned the Little Nine Pagoda and said, "There is a soul-nourishing array inside the pagoda, General, don't worry."

"Then I'll trouble you." Fu Qi nodded.

Since he was willing, Lang Jiuchuan smoothly brought his soul into the tower.

Lang Jiuchuan put away the small nine-tower. Thinking of the scene he saw at Fenghuo Pass, his heart was still not at peace. He was trapped on the day he died, repeating the tragic scene of sacrificing himself for the city. Wasn't this burning his own soul?
"If General Fu had never come here, and they had continued in this cycle, what would have happened in the end?" Jiang Che asked sullenly in her mind's eye, "Would they have become immortal?"

"You can tell what will happen by looking at the general's soul. His soul is quite weak. You think it's because he's asleep? Not necessarily. It's because it's constantly burning." Lang Jiuchuan's expression was cold as he said, "If a soul wants to be reborn in the fire, it needs either a special opportunity or an unyielding will to survive. Otherwise, it will keep burning until it's reduced to ashes."

This is just like how few people can escape the burning of the Samadhi True Fire. Jiang Che's voice grew even more muffled: "If even a general with such high merit is so weak, how much better off can the soldiers be?"

Yes, that's why their mission this time is urgent.

If this drags on, those three thousand Fu family soldiers might not even be able to become ghost soldiers; they might simply be scattered to the winds.

Lang Jiuchuan said, "Two hundred years is a long time. Let's find some local chronicles to see what the old beacon pass looks like now."

Jiang Che was very eager: "Then hurry up!"

"You're quite proactive this time." Lang Jiuchuan stood up and walked out, asking, "What triggered you?"

"Heroes and their loyal souls are truly admirable," Jiang Che said. "You agreed without asking for anything in return; aren't you also moved by their loyalty?"

Lang Jiuchuan did not reply.

Zhuang Quan Hai had been waiting outside. When he saw her come out, he rushed forward and, upon seeing the redness and swelling on her forehead, exclaimed, "Ouch! Did you get into a fight with some ghostly guest?"

Lang Jiuchuan touched his temple and shook his head: "I just bumped into the corner of the table, it's nothing serious."

"Then, where is that guest?" Zhuang Quan Hai asked cautiously.

"He's temporarily gone. You've been working hard these past few days. I'll prescribe a calming medicine for you later. Just drink two doses and you'll feel better."

"Oh dear, young lady, now is not the time for me to calm down. Look, the shop has been open for so long, but not a single business has been made, not a single penny has been earned. It's on the verge of losing money."

Lang Jiuchuan stopped in his tracks, saw him tugging at his beard with a troubled expression, and laughed: "The business has already started coming in, hasn't it? This ghost customer is the first one, and more will come in the future."

"So, how much will this person be paid?" Zhuang Quan Hai asked, being a busybody.

“Some ghost visitors are not incapable of giving gold and silver to the living; they also have their own hoards. Of course, if they can’t give gold and silver, they also have things I need.”

Zhuang Quan Hai didn't ask what it was; his intuition told him it wasn't something he should ask.

"By the way, Ding Mangu knew you were here and came over to express his gratitude." Zhuang Quanhai composed himself and said, "His daughter was exonerated, and he himself was also freed from this imprisonment, all thanks to the daughter's righteousness."

Lang Jiuchuan didn't mince words, saying, "It's all about fate, just like my shop. I only do business with those who are destined to come, so you don't need to worry. If you have the right affinity, you will naturally come to my Wanshi Shop."

Seeing her so calm, Zhuang Quan Hai had nothing to say. Well, he figured the young lady of the Marquis's mansion must have no worries about food and drink. So what if she lost money? There was no cost involved anyway, and the herbs could be stored for a long time.

Lang Jiuchuan walked out of the outer hall and saw Ding Mangu sitting outside in plain clothes waiting. When he saw her, he lifted his robe and knelt down before her: "Ding Mangu thanks you for your great kindness, young lady."