Li Guanqi shook his head and said softly, "Not necessarily."
As he maintained the Soul Binding Rope, Li Guanqi spoke again.
"I actually have a few doubts."
The ethereal beauty that appeared in the dilapidated temple on the mountain was none other than Li Lanhua.
But indeed, there was the presence of Li Lanhua on the corpse.
However, some details made him realize that something was amiss.
Li Guanqi squatted in front of the ghostly woman, muttering to himself.
"The corpse on the mountain shouldn't be yours; it must be that of the widow Zhang Cuifen."
The ghost beneath him suddenly looked up at Li Guanqi with a fierce glare and said, "Don't you dare mention that wretch in front of me again!"
"That's right, I killed them all!"
"Li Daniu was just the last one who deserved to die!"
"Young man, if you try to stop me, don't blame me for being rude!"
Li Guanqi sighed softly. He had learned some secrets from the two women that afternoon.
This matter was a scandal that had been buried over the years in Xingyun Town, and over time, no one spoke of it.
Until the recent series of murders, which reminded many people of the past events.
And the ghost at his feet was the protagonist of the entire incident.
Li Lanhua, orphaned from a young age and mute after her tongue was cut out by a broker, was sold to a place of ill repute.
Until she turned thirty, deemed worthless, she was sold again by the broker to Zhang Daniu of Xingyun Town.
Li Lanhua, tired of the mortal world, finally felt her hardships were over and she could settle down to family life.
Yet the insatiable Zhang Daniu soon took up with the town widow, Zhang Cuifen.
The once hardworking Li Lanhua seemed to have vanished from the world.
Before Zhang Daniu's affair with the widow, rumors spread through the town.
They said Li Lanhua was shameless, having stayed too long in the place of ill repute, seducing men all over town.
Li Guanqi recounted everything he knew.
But he didn't notice the ghostly woman beneath him shaking like a leaf.
Boom!!!
A terrifying surge of energy instantly sent Li Guanqi flying!
A burst of cold wind instantly enveloped the entire Xingyun Town!
Li Guanqi's expression changed dramatically as he looked down at the Soul Binding Rope in his hand.
He saw countless cracks appearing in the yellow talisman inside.
Bang!!
"I didn't seduce any men! It was him!!! It was him!!"
Li Lanhua suddenly became extremely agitated, her resentment growing immensely powerful!
Li Guanqi, with his sword box on his back, lightly leaped onto the roof, using the momentum to his advantage.
He watched the figure releasing resentment in the distance with a heavy heart.
Even then, Li Guanqi couldn't help but say, "Oh? Are you saying I'm wrong?"
Boom!!
The ghost's face twisted, transforming into another woman with seductive eyes.
Li Lanhua pointed at her own face and roared, "It's that wretched woman!"
"What does she have to do with me! I'm the one who was humiliated!"
"Why me?! Just because I'm mute, I have to bear all the slander and insults?!"
"They are the ones who should die!"
"Zhang Daniu is a beast! He let them insult me!"
Watching the crazed woman, Li Guanqi sighed inwardly and then asked, "So, the skeleton under the temple tree is Zhang Cuifen's?"
Li Lanhua's eyes turned cold, and her figure instantly transformed into a blurry shadow rushing towards Li Guanqi!
Li Guanqi's vision blurred, and in an instant, Li Lanhua's pale face appeared before him.
With his arms crossed in defense, Li Guanqi was smashed to the ground by a tremendous force.
With a thud, he crashed onto the flagstone, shattering several pieces.
Li Lanhua clutched his arms tightly, roaring maniacally, "That's right! I tore that wretched woman's soul apart!"
"I chewed it up, bite by bite! Little did I know, it would grant me even greater power!"
"I want revenge! I want them all to die a horrible death!"
"If you try to stop me, I will kill you too!"
Pinned beneath her, Li Guanqi inwardly sighed.
"She's ultimately a pitiful person, a life of suffering without a moment's joy, only to be branded a harlot."
Because from the beginning, he never felt a hint of murderous intent from her.
However, the sword spirit in the sword box behind him moved at that moment.
Li Guanqi sighed inwardly, as the sword spirit had to intervene.
A flash of sword light passed, and the ghost's body was sliced open in an instant.
The dark resentment turned into thick smoke, pouring into the sword box.
In an instant, Li Lanhua's soul became so faint it could barely maintain its form.
After realizing she had lost her power, Li Lanhua collapsed to the ground, soulless.
Then, a series of profound soul-summoning incantations appeared in Li Guanqi's mind.
These incantations were clearly more profound than those he had learned in the Great Xia Sword Sect.
Li Lanhua looked at the unconscious man with unwilling eyes, then turned to the young man with a look of pleading.
Her emaciated shadow knelt on the ground, bowing incessantly.
When Li Lanhua's form had become almost transparent, she kowtowed on the ground.
"I have no attachment to this wretched life of mine…"
"But the purity I had after redeeming myself, I valued more than my life."
"Since becoming a vengeful spirit, I have never harmed any innocent person."
"I know you, as a cultivator with a sect's mission, cannot act on my behalf, but I still implore you to avenge me!"
"Clear my name! Speak out for this mute woman, tell everyone that I am the victim of their twisted truths!"
Li Guanqi closed his eyes, feeling heavy-hearted.
He knew the truth, but no one else did.
Or perhaps… everyone knew, but they chose to remain silent.
It seemed the same, yet not the same.
Li Guanqi solemnly chanted the soul-summoning incantation.
A holy white light slowly enveloped Li Lanhua.
The woman closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks, her face bitter.
But at that moment, Li Guanqi slowly stood up and walked towards the unconscious man.
Thump!
A kick broke the man's nose, and as the pained man woke up, he was grabbed by the hair and lifted.
Li Guanqi whispered coldly into the man's ear, "Do you see her? The woman you all tormented to death."
But the man only saw the fading soul of the woman, his eyes gleaming with ecstasy.
Crack!
Li Guanqi twisted his neck, killing him.
Tears flooded from the woman's eyes as she bowed deeply to Li Guanqi and whispered, "May your path as an immortal be smooth!"
Li Guanqi stood there, watching the light fade.
He murmured, "Do you feel wronged… Those who slandered you know better than anyone how wronged you are."
The sword spirit's voice slowly asked, "Is it worth it?"
Li Guanqi smiled freely and replied, "Worth it!"
"If not for this, why would I cultivate?"
The sword spirit fell silent, and then endless primordial energy surged within Li Guanqi!
That power allowed him to break through to the sixth level of Qi Refining!
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas