The old man's eyes were filled with affection, as if the fearsome specter that looked ugly in the eyes of others was still a group of five handsome youths in his.
"You have wandered in the mortal realm for years, only because you cannot let go of these five children."
"And the price for staying in the mortal realm forever is to never enter reincarnation, to become a solitary wandering ghost, and they will never be able to see you. Do you regret it?" Bai Ran asked.
The group looked at her in confusion, not understanding who she was talking to, but the five young men caught a hint of something amiss in her words.
They looked dazedly in the direction Bai Ran was speaking, seeing nothing, yet their arms trembled inexplicably.
Never enter reincarnation? A solitary wandering ghost?
Cannot let go of five children?
"Father..." one of the young men choked out, tentatively calling.
"Is the person who used to tend the fire here?" Qin Mu Bai's eyes held a trace of sorrow.
Fang Tianhui patted his back, feeling an unspeakable sorrow within her heart. This pain of separation from loved ones, she was now experiencing it firsthand.
"Father, we, we will live well..."
"Please, you must enter reincarnation."
...
The old man's thin, hunched back was weathered with age, his white hair speckled with the marks of time.
He looked at the children before him, his choked words tinged with pleading.
Though his heart ached terribly, he could not touch them, nor wipe away their tears.
"How could I regret it? There are always some people in this world who are more important than oneself..."
Suffering is nothing compared to unfulfilled love, cruelty is nothing compared to separation by life and death.
The children were safe, and he truly didn't care if he was a solitary wandering ghost. He just wanted to be by their side.
"If you enter reincarnation, perhaps in the next life, you can be their father again. However, this will consume your lifespan in the next life."
Bai Ran's right hand was entwined with dark energy as she looked at the old man.
The old man stared blankly at Bai Ran. The next life? To be their father again?
He fell silent, and after a long while, let out a sigh, his clouded eyes filled with tears.
"Alas, if I can be their father again, what does it matter if my life is short?"
"Their childhood was already unfortunate. After I found them, six of us squeezed into a small room. Though we had little to eat and lived in poverty, I had never been so happy."
"They are my children..."
The old man's wrinkled hand trembled as he reached out to stroke the tear-streaked face of one of the young men, but his hand passed right through.
Seeing the old man agree, Bai Ran crushed the迷丹 (mi dan -迷药, a soporific drug). The five young men, tears streaming down their faces, fell into a deep sleep.
Even Fang Tianhui and Qin Mu Bai collapsed to the ground.
Dark energy dispersed, instantly dyeing the sky black.
The usually brutal and bloodthirsty ghost energy, at this moment, gently enveloped the old man.
"Ghost King Bai Ran, judges ghost soul, for reincarnation."
Bai Ran's eyes turned blood red as she lightly tapped the old man's forehead.
The old man's form began to dissipate. In a haze, a single crystal tear fell from the corner of his eye and landed on the ground.
A gust of wind blew, scattering the old man's form, and he vanished completely into the air.
"Dong"
Something that resembled a stick fell.
The ghost energy dissipated, Bai Ran's eyes returned to normal. She picked up the stick and gently placed it beside the five young men.
After waking Qin Mu Bai and Fang Tianhui, she glanced at the deceased Mu Qingdai and left.
Those who sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind.
The five young men did not sleep for long before waking up. By chance, they touched the stick beside them.
This...
The fire poker...
In the past, the five of them always teased him, laughing at him for treating a broken stick like a treasure.
Now, they looked at the old, broken fire poker and wept inconsolutely, cherishing it as a priceless gem.
...
As the Ghost King, judging the souls of all ghosts was a basic administrative ability. Reincarnation or eternal damnation lay within Bai Ran's will.
After any living being dies, if they do not receive the Ghost King's permission, their soul is not allowed to wander in the mortal realm.
They must immediately enter reincarnation, otherwise, after half a month, they will be rejected by the heavenly laws and become solitary wandering ghosts.
Immortal and indestructible, time passes like years, wandering aimlessly.
The ghosts in the spatial realm, who have been able to exist in the human world all along, besides the soul-locking formation, the most important reason is that they have received Bai Ran's permission.
Fang Tianhui remained in low spirits, whether it was because she was infected by their emotions or because she remembered something.
Qin Mu Bai would steal glances at her from time to time, knowing she was thinking of her father and wanting to comfort her, but not knowing how to start.
"I, I won't leave you!" he suddenly shouted at Fang Tianhui, his face turning bright red after he spoke.
"No, no, no! I mean! Bai Ran and I won't leave you!"
"Yes! That's it!"
"Pfft"
Seeing Qin Mu Bai's stammering and flustered appearance, Fang Tianhui laughed, amused by his demeanor.
"You big傻瓜 (shǎguā - fool), how can you be so stupid?"
Seeing Fang Tianhui finally smile, Qin Mu Bai scratched his head sheepishly.
Shi Tian, within the spatial realm, looked around with a frown on his cute face.
These two... are a bit suspicious...
Qin Mu Bai and Fang Tianhui returned to the inn, while Bai Ran headed alone to the Alchemist Guild.
As soon as she entered the guild's main gate, she noticed the extremely oppressive atmosphere within.
"Miss Bai, you're here." The young attendant greeted her, forcing a smile that was more like a grimace.
"What happened?"
The young attendant lowered his head: "Elder Liu was ambushed."
Elder Liu? Bai Ran's eyebrows furrowed: "Take me to see him."
Inside the room, Elder Liu lay quietly on the bed. The elders of the guild stood around him with somber expressions, and the Guild Master sat by the bedside, his face showing suppressed anger.
"Little Bai," the Guild Master stood up, not expecting her to return so soon.
Bai Ran approached the bedside and looked at the unconscious Elder Liu: "The Royal Family?"
The Guild Master nodded sternly. Elder Liu had suddenly disappeared, then was found severely injured and near death, dumped at the entrance of the Alchemist Guild.
And in his hand, he tightly clutched a token belonging to the Imperial Guards.
"It seems that old emperor cannot sit still any longer." The Guild Master looked at the token in his hand, his grip so strong that he crushed it.
To be able to injure Elder Liu, these guards must all be cultivators at the eighth or ninth stage of the Golden Core realm, close to entering the Nascent Soul stage.
Compared to the early Golden Core strength of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom's guards, the Azure Dragon Kingdom's foundations were indeed vast.
Bai Ran sat by the bed and felt Elder Liu's pulse. It was very stable, indicating he had taken a life-saving pill.
"Little Bai, you don't need to get involved in this matter," the Guild Master warned Bai Ran.