Volume 1, Chapter 138: Dong Xuezhi’s Decision

The car pulled up outside the entrance of an alley. Chu Fangfei looked at the GPS and said, "The alley here is too narrow for the car. We’ll have to walk the rest of the way."

This was a narrow lane similar to Yangguan Hutong, though it possessed a more lived-in, bustling atmosphere. Many people lived here, mostly migrant workers renting spaces in Yanjing City.

Following the address provided by Yu Huan, they walked into the alley and arrived at the targeted courtyard house. An elderly man was tidying up one of the rooms inside.

The man spotted them first and asked, "Are you three young ladies looking to rent a room?"

"Huh?" Chu Fangfei blurted out.

The man continued, "I have a room for rent here. Right here, this one. But I should warn you, the other rooms in this courtyard are rented out to men. If you three girls don't think that's appropriate, you might want to look elsewhere."

Chu Fangfei finally regained her composure and said, "Sir, we aren't here to rent a room. We're looking for someone. Do you happen to know a person named..."

She realized then that she didn't actually know the name of the person they were looking for.

Chi Xingwan added, "A man named Pan Jun."

"Pan Jun?" The old man sighed. "Then you've come too late."

"Has he moved away?"

"No, he’s dead. Passed away just a few days ago," the man said.

Chi Xingwan asked, "Sir, could you tell us what happened? We had some important matters to discuss with Pan Jun."

The old man sighed again. "Ay, he died of illness—cancer, they said. I only found out when his wife came to me to cancel the lease a few days ago."

"Do you know where his wife is now?"

The man shook his head. "His wife ran off. I heard she was pregnant, but after Pan Jun was diagnosed with the terminal illness, she had an abortion. Once he died, she just left."

Chi Xingwan thought for a moment and asked, "Sir, do you know where Pan Jun is buried?"

"I know that," the man said, providing the address of a cemetery.

"Thank you, sir."

Upon arriving at the cemetery, they found Pan Jun’s tombstone.

"It’s him. I can feel it—it’s him!"

Dong Xuezhi stared at the photo on the tombstone, her arms trembling. She began to shriek, and within seconds, she showed signs of imminent corruption.

Chi Xingwan cast a talisman onto her. Dong Xuezhi threw her head back and let out a painful, harrowing cry before finally calming down.

"Thank you. I almost lost control of myself," Dong Xuezhi said, dazed.

Her figure was even more translucent than before. In a few more days, she would no longer be able to hold on and would vanish into thin air.

Chu Fangfei felt a pang of heartache and cursed Pan Jun, "Hmph, that piece of trash! This is his retribution. Even the heavens couldn't stand to see him thrive. Dying was too good for him!"

"Big sister, will he face retribution in hell?"

"He will," Chi Xingwan replied. "He committed crimes, and while he may have been spared in the mortal realm, that does not mean he will be spared in the afterlife. On the contrary, precisely because he escaped punishment on earth, he will face even harsher judgment once he enters the underworld."

Michelle looked pensive. "Is this what you Chinese mean by 'justice may be delayed, but it will never be absent'?"

"You could put it that way," Chi Xingwan said, looking at Dong Xuezhi. "What do you want to do now?"

Dong Xuezhi slowly crouched down. "I don't know. I... I thought I had let go, but the moment I saw that man's photo, I realized I had been lying to myself. I haven't let go at all."

"I care so much. That night, I was just out for a run..." She sobbed on the ground.

Because of one person's evil intent, her life had been destroyed.

She was supposed to have had a beautiful future. She would have gotten into her dream university, had a student life worth remembering, found a job to support herself after graduation, and perhaps even had a happy ending with her first love...

She cared deeply; she couldn't truly let it go.

For the first time in six years, Dong Xuezhi cried her heart out.

After the release, she found she was no longer in the cemetery, but in a small grove just outside it.

"Do you feel better?" Chi Xingwan asked.

Dong Xuezhi nodded. "How did we get here?"

"I brought you out," Chi Xingwan said. "I didn't want you crying in front of that tombstone. Even if he is suffering in hell now and cannot see you, I didn't want you to cry there."

Dong Xuezhi bit her lip and said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you."

Chi Xingwan asked, "So, are you ready to be reincarnated now?"

Dong Xuezhi nodded vigorously. "Yes. I want a new life."

Chu Fangfei and Michelle both smiled. They genuinely felt for Dong Xuezhi and hoped she would find happiness, even if she wouldn't be Dong Xuezhi in her next life.

Perhaps that was for the best—it is better to forget painful memories.

"Then let's do it tonight. I will send you off," Chi Xingwan said.

Chu Fangfei and Michelle were a bit puzzled. Spirit Masters generally didn't have the power to send souls to the underworld; that was the work of the ghost messengers. But Chi Xingwan was a Super-A Grade Spirit Master—a level of power they couldn't grasp—so perhaps she could do it.

Though they had questions, neither asked.

Chi Xingwan, unaware of their thoughts, asked Dong Xuezhi, "Is there anything else you want to do? Or somewhere you want to go?"

Dong Xuezhi thought for a moment and said, "I want to ride the Ferris wheel one last time."

As night fell, the largest theme park in Yanjing City lit up with colorful lights, and crowds of people flowed through the gates.

Chu Fangfei bought three tickets and entered the park with Chi Xingwan and Michelle, while Dong Xuezhi followed behind them.

Many people wanted to ride the Ferris wheel, and they waited for over half an hour before it was their turn to board.

Dong Xuezhi leaned against the glass as the wheel slowly ascended. The field of vision grew wider, and the scenery below drifted further away.

She was getting closer to the sky.

She loved the Ferris wheel. Every year on her birthday as a child, she would make her parents take her to the amusement park and have them wish her a happy birthday when the cabin reached the highest point.

Xu Fangliang had confessed his love to her on the Ferris wheel, too.

That year, she had just graduated from middle school, and the school had organized a graduation trip to this very park. Xu Fangliang had pulled her onto the Ferris wheel and, with a blushing face, told her that he had studied hard and finally made it into the same high school as her.

When the wheel reached the top, he told her he liked her.

And then, she had a boyfriend.

They had promised to attend the same university and to stay in the same city after graduation.

But now, as the Ferris wheel reached the highest point once more, neither her parents nor Xu Fangliang were by her side.

The wheel had begun its descent. It was time for her to leave.

Chi Xingwan asked her, "Do you want to see them?"

Dong Xuezhi was silent for a long while. Only after they were back on the ground did she say, "No. There's no point. Let's just leave it at this."

Everyone had already moved on, and no one needed her anymore. So, she would just slip away quietly.