Banquet of a Hundred Ghosts

Chapter 39

But Chen Kai couldn't listen anymore. He pointed to the dark sky above and stammered, "Two, two moons!"

Feixiao smiled. "Not bad, two moons!" She looked up at the sky, where two full moons illuminated the ground as if it were daytime, clear and beautiful. "These two moons are to prevent the souls that have come here from finding their way home!"

"Really!" Chen Kai was somewhat displeased upon hearing this. In his heart, the moon was a beautiful thing, so how could it now be used as a tool to bewitch people's souls?

"Don't go outside the light!" Fei Xiao pulled Chen Kai, who was in a daze, "Otherwise, the waters of the River of Oblivion will suck your soul away!"

Chen Kai was startled and didn't dare to breathe loudly. He obediently followed behind Fei Xiao, walking forward in the light of the lantern.

After walking for about several dozen meters, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. At first, it was one person, but later it seemed to be two. The light footsteps followed him closely, neither too fast nor too slow. When he walked fast, the footsteps walked fast; when he walked slow, the footsteps walked slow.

Chen Kai broke out in a cold sweat, too scared to turn around, fearing that he would be eaten by the ghost behind him if he did!

"Feixiao!" Chen Kai whispered, tugging at Feixiao's sleeve, "There's a ghost behind us!"

Feixiao turned around and smiled, "I knew it all along!" She then held up a lantern, "Look who's behind you!"

Only then did Chen Kai dare to turn around and glance back. Slowly, two figures appeared behind him: one in a wide robe, the other slender and graceful. Upon seeing them, Chen Kai immediately cheered, "Wang Zijin! Ximan!"

He turned back to Feixiao and asked, "How could this happen?" He was really happy. The three of them had been talking for so long, but they had never been face to face like this before.

"This is the River of Oblivion!" Ximan exclaimed. "All souls will manifest here!" She then looked around. "Little fox, I never knew you had such abilities!"

"Feixiao, I've missed you so much!" Before Feixiao could answer, Wang Zijin rushed over and grabbed Feixiao's sleeve, shaking it wildly.

"Zijin, what are you doing?" Feixiao had no way to deal with him.

"You never let me out! It's been half a year since I last saw you!"

Feixiao straightened her clothes. "Let's not talk about this anymore. We need to find that old man's soul as soon as possible!" With that, she picked up her lantern and quickened her pace to walk ahead.

The three people behind them seemed to be on a picnic, chattering incessantly, laughing and joking, just like old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time. Feixiao shook her head, unable to do anything about them, and could only lead the way alone in a sullen manner.

After walking a few dozen meters, Feixiao suddenly stopped and looked at something while holding a lantern.

"What's wrong?" Chen Kai asked him from behind.

"We've arrived!" Fei Xiao said, her expression turning serious.

"Where are we?" Chen Kai looked around and saw that it was still a vast wilderness filled with rocks.

“The River of Oblivion!” Fei Xiao said, lowering the lantern in her hand. Chen Kai looked down at his feet in the dim light, and what he saw terrified him so much that he almost lost his soul.

Less than half a meter below their feet, a canyon tens of meters wide suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The bottom was unfathomably deep and as black as ink. If you listened carefully, you could hear the sound of water rushing down below. No one knew how deep the canyon was, because the sound of water sounded so distant.

The canyon was more like a wide crack in the ground, flat and forcefully dividing the plain in two. If you didn't look carefully, you would definitely walk straight into it.

Upon seeing this, Chen Kai was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he hurriedly took two steps back, afraid that he might accidentally fall.

"This, this is the River of Oblivion?" Chen Kai pointed to the canyon beneath his feet.

"Not bad!" Feixiao said, "Be careful not to fall, or you'll have to be reborn prematurely!"

"This is supposed to be a dangerous area, so why aren't there any warning signs?" Wang Zijin asked Chen Kai from the side.

Feixiao rolled her eyes at him. It seemed that he had learned quite a bit during his time as a fox.

No one answered Wang Zijin's idiotic question, but Xi Man, with his sharp eyes, suddenly pointed to a small figure in the distance and exclaimed, "There's someone there!"

Feixiao looked carefully and said, "Let's go take a look!" After saying that, she picked up the lantern and went along the edge of the canyon towards the direction of the figure. Chen Kai stayed away from the canyon and carefully followed behind her, followed by the more timid Prince Jin.

As Chen Kai approached the man, he could see that the man had a full head of white hair and a slightly hunched back. He was overjoyed. "It's that old man! We found him so quickly! That's great!"

Feixiao glanced at the old man, but a melancholy expression appeared on her face.

"Grandpa, come with me quickly!" Chen Kai ran a few steps and grabbed his arm.

The old man slowly turned his head, his face ashen, only his eyes still bright, completely different from the people Chen Kai had met outside.

"Why are you leaving?" The old man glanced at Chen Kai, his eyes filled with sorrow.

Chen Kai was startled when he saw his face, but he still mustered up his courage and said to him, "You will only recover when you go back. Your daughter is still waiting for you outside!"

"Daughter?" When Chen Kai mentioned his daughter, the old man seemed to have been touched by something, and his voice choked up: "I came here because of my daughter!"

"Then go back for her!" Fei Xiao interjected. Most souls that haven't fallen into the River of Oblivion want to escape the real world, and this old man must be suffering a lot in the real world.

Hearing Fei Xiao's words, the old man squatted down helplessly and cried, "How can I go back! If, if you, like me, had children you raised with such care and hardship who said to you, 'You might as well be dead!' would you still want to go back?"

He then thought about why he had come here. Yes, he was a bad father. In his youth, he couldn't provide his child with a comfortable life, nor could he afford to give her more education. In his old age, he had no skills and still had to rely on his daughter to support him.

He would never forget that afternoon when his sixteen-year-old granddaughter had to apply for a vocational school, and what his middle-aged daughter said to him. He still vividly remembered her sharp voice: "How could I have a father like you? If you hadn't dragged us down, how could Xiaojie have gone back to vocational school? Her grades were good enough for high school. If it weren't for you, I would have saved up enough for her to go to university all these years!"

"How could you say such a thing?" He wasn't this old three years ago.

"What's wrong with me?" his daughter said, bursting into tears. "I don't complain that you can't give me anything, but my daughter, my daughter's happiness, I still want to give her!" After saying that, she stared at him and said fiercely, "Dad, you'd be better off dead!"

Dad, you'd be better off dead!

He would never forget the middle-aged woman in front of him, her face slightly aged, slightly swollen, etched with the marks of time, as she slowly opened her mouth and uttered those words.

From the moment he heard those words, his life ended. He could no longer experience joy. He considered suicide, but lacked the courage. He thought about finding a place to earn some money, but he had no skills when he was young, and now that he was old, no one would hire him.

And so, from some point on, he stopped liking to go out, locking himself in his room as if he hated seeing the outside world. But the more he did this, the more his daughter disliked him, and their relationship became increasingly strained.

Finally, one day, he lay on his bed at home, staring at the ceiling and crying. He really began to feel that it would be better to be dead. Yes, death was much more precious than this kind of life, at least he wouldn't be hurt by the people he cherished most.

“Even if she grows up and has her own children, she will still be the girl who held my hand and called me ‘Dad’ with her little mouth. How can I bear to burden her?” the old man cried. “I don’t know when it started, but I often come to this place. At first, I could find my way home, but after coming here so many times, I don’t want to go back!” After saying that, he said to Chen Kai and Fei Xiao, “Why are you looking for me again?”

“That’s not how it is!” Chen Kai said, “Aunt Huang is having a hard time right now. You have Alzheimer’s, but she still takes care of you. She’s not as bad as you think!”

The old man chuckled. “Young man, I’ve never thought she was bad. How could parents think their child is bad?” He glanced at the moon. “I just feel really sad. I haven’t accomplished anything in my life, and I can’t even bring happiness to my own daughter. I’m truly unworthy of being a father!”

Upon hearing this, Fei Xiao pulled Chen Kai away, "Let's go, let him continue to increase the burden on his daughter!"

The old man was taken aback. "What burden? Isn't she doing well now?"

Feixiao glanced at him: "You're so old and you're still running away from reality. You're sick and can't take care of yourself. How can your daughter live a good life?"

"Really?" The old man never dreamed that his seemingly clever choice had turned out to be an even bigger mistake. He then tugged at Fei Xiao's sleeve. "What if I could go back? Would my illness be cured?"

"If you really had Alzheimer's, there would be nothing that could be done, but you don't, so you should get better!"

"Really?" The old man rubbed his hands together excitedly, seemingly overjoyed. He must have been incredibly lonely here; if it weren't for his daughter, he probably wouldn't have been able to bear it any longer. "You, why didn't you come sooner? I didn't know any of this!"

After saying that, he said to Chen Kai and Fei Xiao, "Take me back quickly, quickly! I miss her so much. I haven't seen her for three years. After my husband passed away, she was the only one I missed!" His voice even trembled.

Feixiao nodded and led the way with a lantern. Chen Kai was very happy to see that the matter was resolved so easily.

Before they even reached the outside, the old man suddenly stopped, bowed deeply to Chen Kai and Fei Xiao, and said with emotion, "Thank you, I'm going back!" Then, with a "whoosh," he disappeared, and a ball of blue-green light shot into the sky, heading towards one of the moons.

"It seems he found his way back?" Chen Kai gazed in the direction where the soul had disappeared, a hint of melancholy in his eyes.

“Yes!” Feixiao said with a smile, “and she seems to be in a hurry to go back!”

"Everything's settled, let's go back!" Chen Kai said to Fei Xiao.

"No, it's not over yet!" came a woman's voice from behind; it was Ximan's voice.

"Why?" Chen Kai asked curiously. The old man's soul had clearly left, so what was he doing in this ghastly place?

Xi Man gave a bitter smile, "I should go too!" There seemed to be tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

"Didn't you want to become human?" Fei Xiao asked her anxiously, "Why are you leaving here?"

“I was originally a wandering soul, unable to enter the Three Realms. Who knew you had such ability to enter the River of Oblivion!” After saying this, she gave a bitter smile. “I plan to jump directly into the River of Oblivion so I can be reborn as a human!” Then she lowered her head and said, “Besides, it’s not pleasant to use someone else’s body. My own body is the best. I still hope to live openly and honestly in this world!” As she said this, a hint of embarrassment seemed to appear on her beautiful face.

Chen Kai felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this. He went over to Xi Man and said, "Since that's the case, we can't keep you here. Just do what makes you happy!" After saying this, he finally couldn't hold back his tears and cried, "Xi Man, I will always think of you. If you are truly reincarnated, remember to think of me!"

"Silly child!" Xi Man smiled at him, "How can you remember things from your past life after reincarnation?"

Chen Kai was even more heartbroken upon hearing this. Weren't their happiness and their friendship just like morning dew, fleeting in an instant?

"Let me hug you!" Ximan cried, "I'll never have that chance again!"

Chen Kai nodded, and Xi Man reached out and gently hugged him. Her embrace was very cold, but he felt it was the warmest embrace in the world.

"Are you cold?" Xi Man asked him with a smile, her eyes filled with tears.

Chen Kai shook his head. "It's not cold!"

“Don’t lie to me!” Xi Man said. “You know how much I long for human warmth. It’s so wonderful, being able to hug someone for warmth when it’s cold.” As she spoke, her voice choked with emotion. After a pause, she said to Chen Kai, “So, wish me luck!”

Upon hearing this, Chen Kai was speechless. He burst into tears, sobbing, "How could I be so useless? This was such a wonderful thing!"

"Let's go!" Ximan smiled at Feixiao, seemingly in a very good mood. "Little fox, thank you for taking care of me all this time!"

Feixiao also looked somewhat saddened, "But in the end, I still couldn't help you at all!"

"You've helped me!" Xi Man smiled. "You've given me moments of happiness that I never had in my life. I'm already very content!"

Feixiao seemed very happy to hear this, and holding up a lantern, she said, "Let us see you off! We wish you happiness!"

"How could you forget me?" Wang Zijin exclaimed from the side. "I only found out today that there was a beautiful woman in the bottle, but why are you leaving so soon?"

"You never say anything serious!" Xi Man was amused by him and burst into laughter through her tears. The two walked and talked, "If you old ghost really can't bear to part with me, just jump in with me!"

Wang Zijin winked at her and said, "Old ghost, I still have things to do. If you don't mind, you can help me cut in line. I'll come find you when I get here. Maybe we can be siblings in our next life!"

"Forget it, forget it!" Ximan quickly waved her hand, "I can't have a brother as confused as you!"

"Maybe I'm the younger sister!" Wang Zijin said longingly. "I'll definitely be an unparalleled beauty then!"

As they were chatting and laughing, Feixiao, who was in front, picked up a lantern, stood tall, and turned to Ximan, saying, "We've arrived!"

"Oh, how could it be so fast!" Ximan said, somewhat saddened. "I thought we could walk a little longer!"

After saying that, she took two steps forward and stood at the edge of the deep ravine. The wind blew her long black hair, making her slender body seem to float away with the wind.

She looked down into the darkness, wondering what she would face if she jumped, and whether all her happiness in this world would come to an end.

She stood on the edge of the cliff, the wind carrying the scent of freedom. She glanced at the surrounding plains, a freedom she had longed for for centuries before finally attaining it.

Tears streamed down her face. She dared not turn back, fearing that if she did, she would lose the will to jump. She whispered, "Little Fox, Chen Kai, Old Ghost! Goodbye!" With that, she spread her arms, leaned forward, and like a colorful butterfly, drifted into the endless abyss in the most beautiful way.

"Ximan! Ximan!" Chen Kai cried again. "I will wish you happiness every single day. I will also bless you when a shooting star comes along~ Can you hear me?" He shouted twice, but the valley floor remained in endless darkness, without the slightest echo.

"Chen Kai, let's go!" Fei Xiao pulled him back. "Xi Man will definitely be happy. Sometimes the light is just beyond the darkness. She has suffered enough. Happiness is due!"

Chen Kai nodded, head down, and followed Fei Xiao and Wang Zijin back. He hadn't expected that after coming to Wangchuan, Xi Man would also leave them. None of the three of them were in high spirits.

In this place with two moons, may Ximan's soul not lose its way, and may she eventually find the warmth she longs for.

Before the three of them had taken more than a few steps, a strong wind suddenly blew out from the ravine—no, it should be said that a very strong wind kept blowing towards the River of Oblivion.

The wind seemed to rise from the ground, making it difficult for them to stand, and the flying sand and stones squinted their eyes.

"What's going on?" Chen Kai and Wang Ziji gradually lost their footing, as if the ravine behind them was gaping open, ready to swallow them up.