"Thud!"
Song Xiyan slammed her head hard against the ground. As blood sprayed from her forehead, she looked up with reddened eyes and shouted, "I choose the second option!"
Yama couldn't help but exhale in relief. Keeping his expression neutral, he moved his brush across the Book of Life and Death.
"Song Xiyan, since you have agreed to the second choice, as long as you succeed in setting things right, the fates of all those connected to your karma will be masked by me."
Song Xiyan looked up in shock, then immediately understood. This was a gift from Yama; she had become his blade and his quill in the mortal realm. From this day forward, she would settle her grudges and exact her revenge! Even Yama would not stop her!
"My Lord, I... I wish to change my name."
She smiled brilliantly, her beauty radiant. "This flesh and blood of mine already repaid the debt of my parents' upbringing the moment I died. The name they gave me—I do not wish to be called Song Xiyan anymore."
Yama looked down at her. "Judging by that look, you have already decided on a name?"
She nodded, her eyes shining. "I shall call myself Lingxiao."
Yama swept his brush across the Book of Life and Death, where the words appeared: "Female, Lingxiao, one without a heart, lifespan: ten years."
From this moment on, Song Xiyan was truly dead, and the one reborn was named Lingxiao!
He tossed a token to her. "Lingxiao, this is the Ghost Envoy Token of the Underworld. You have three chances to call upon us for help. Ten years—the mortal realm is in your hands."
Lingxiao caught the token and bowed low, touching her forehead to the ground. "Lingxiao shall never fail your command, My Lord!"
***
In the Hall of Yama, Yama flew inside, only to see someone sitting by his favorite chessboard, dressed in white and holding a black stone, wreaking havoc on the game he had been playing.
"Oh! You! That is a legendary game—you cannot just move pieces at random!"
Yama rushed over in a panic. The man looked up, a faint smile touching his cold, indifferent eyes. "You are obsessed with the game of chess, yet the mortal world is being turned into a mess by demons and monsters. You are so anxious just because I disordered your pieces—have you thought about me at all?"
Yama hurriedly snatched the pieces back and muttered, "I have already found a solution for you. That woman had her destiny stolen and now possesses the Seven Killings fate. Furthermore, she... no, she has ties to that person; their fates are intertwined. She is a resilient soul. With her there, that person will not go off track again."
The man nodded slightly and said coolly, "If you had chosen someone else rashly today, I would not have just messed up your chessboard."
Yama paused, then resignedly said, "I feel I have already given her enough..."
The man stood up. "Let her do as she pleases. For these ten years, you are not to hinder her in anything."
Yama scratched his head. "That is what I said at the start, but for those not connected to her karma..."
He looked up, but the man had already vanished. Yama clapped his hands in frustration. "You! You had better not do anything reckless!"
There was no response.
***
The ghost envoy who escorted Lingxiao back to the mortal realm asked, "Lingxiao, why did you choose that name?"
Lingxiao touched her empty chest, a sliver of warmth finally appearing amidst her cold hatred. "I had actually forgotten, but there was a moment of good fortune in my life."
On a biting cold day in the twelfth lunar month, after she had been framed for adultery and fled the temple to survive, she was starving and freezing to death on the road. In her hazy state, a pair of hands reached out.
"It is too cold. Do not fall asleep."
She opened her eyes to see a man with long, thin, frail fingers; the blue veins were clearly visible beneath his translucent skin. He had taken off his outer robe to cover her and offered her a hot water bottle and a bag of steaming meat buns.
"All suffering is merely a trial of this world. I am leaving the capital now. Even though we are only passing acquaintances, I cannot bear to watch you die before me. You are a pitiful soul, though perhaps my own days are no better than yours..."
He laughed at himself, then looked at her. "But I can tell you do not want to die. Not everyone can be a Lingxiao flower growing on a cliffside, but I believe you can."
He smiled gently. Snowflakes fell onto his shoulders but did not melt for a long time. His hands were cold, and his body was the same.
Back then, she had gripped the water bottle tightly. "How—how can I thank you!"
He shook his head with a smile. "Since we are both suffering souls in this world, there is no need for thanks. I do not know if I shall return from this journey..."
Her eyes were red. "Then, at least let me know your name!"
He laughed, but then suddenly broke into a violent coughing fit. "Cough, cough!" He hurriedly covered his mouth with a handkerchief, but she still saw the blood soaking through it—a deep purple color.
He sighed. Before boarding his carriage, he gently patted her head.
"If we are fated to meet again, you may call me Changsheng. It is the childhood name my late mother gave me; no one has called me by it since she passed."
After he boarded the carriage, the hot water and the buns kept Lingxiao alive. That stranger's kindness gave her the courage to keep going. Yet, Lingxiao never imagined she would soon encounter Zhang Yuan, who coveted her flesh and blood and took her life.
Lingxiao smiled at the ghost envoy. "My return is twofold: first, for revenge; second, to save my benefactor and set his destiny straight."
"He was the only kindness I received in my previous life. Even if it was just that little bit, it is enough."
The ghost envoy sighed, holding his lantern. "A heartless being, devoid of emotion and desire—once you return, your life may not be much better than before. You are a 'living dead'; you cannot endure long exposure to sunlight. Even if you do not die, you will suffer greatly. Remember, your sense of pain has not vanished."
Lingxiao smiled. "The Lord told me that as long as my 'living dead' body is not missing limbs, it will recover. In that case, what is a little pain?"
She reached out her hand. "The rest of the path I must walk alone. I will remember your advice. When I return in ten years, I will buy you a jug of Underworld wine."
The ghost envoy paused. He had only offered a few words of kindness, and yet this person had taken them to heart. He sighed inwardly and handed her the lantern.
"Lingxiao, the path ahead is difficult. May you have a safe journey."
Lingxiao took the lantern, nodded with a smile, and turned to walk, step by step, out of the Ghost Gate.
The wind rose before her, the dim, yellow lantern light piercing the fog. Her blood-stained embroidered shoes stepped lightly onto the mist, and when they landed, they crunched against withered branches and dead leaves. The wind whipped up the thick fog, and faint flickers of firelight shone from within it.
The sound of shovels hitting dirt grew deeper and more resonant. A cold gust of wind instantly extinguished the torches held by the servants.
Those who do no evil fear no knocking at the door.
They screamed in terror, but in the next moment, from within the paulownia wood coffin, came the sharp sound of fingernails scratching against wood.
Everyone collapsed to the ground in fright. "Ah! A ghost! There’s a ghost!"
"The corpse has reanimated! It’s reanimated!"
The coffin lid was blasted away in an instant! Lingxiao had returned to the mortal realm!