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Глава 22

After being hit on the head again, Ke Liang hid behind Qin Jin like a little dog.

Abbess Xiaoqian also put away her playful expression and said, "However, if the four of us were to use our combined strength to send them back to the past using astral projection, they would not know anything and might remain there forever, never to return."

"No, this time it's not just the four of them going, but all of us going. They can't solve the problem by going alone."

"If we all pass away, who will use their powers to protect their physical bodies?"

Yuan Kong looked at the sky and said, "Don't worry, I've already asked people to protect us. Our physical bodies will be fine, but I don't know if this mission can change our fate. If it can, we can change many things and avoid many tragedies."

Lu Ziming thought for a moment, then said, "Wait, what do you mean by changing one's fate?"

"It involves using hypnosis to make your soul leave your body and enter the non-material world, where you can find a time portal, go to the era you want to go to, and change the things you want to change."

After chatting for a while, everyone went to their respective meditation rooms in the temple to sleep. Fortunately, with the Four Symbols in charge, there were no ghosts that night, only bedbugs biting around, but for these people who had been working so hard for so many days, this little trouble was nothing.

I slept very late and woke up to sunlight streaming through the broken window, brightening everyone's hearts. Of all the nights I've slept, last night was the most restful.

Master Yuankong had been standing outside admiring the plum blossoms for a while. Ke Liang walked over to her and said, "They're fake. Little Qian stuck them on to deceive people."

"What is real and what is fake? As long as it is beautiful, who cares about whether it is real or fake?"

Ke Liang was exasperated. How could such a profound question be related to a basketball enthusiast like him? He quickly grabbed a washbasin and ran off.

Qin Jin walked past Abbess Yuankong, who softly said, "Although I can see clearly the chaos of this world, you are still my concern."

"But where were you when I needed you most?" Qin Jin asked tearfully before leaving, leaving Yuan Kong with a blank expression, yet a face full of pain.

Xiaoqian walked over and gently patted her shoulder to comfort her. But in this heavy moment, Xiaoqian said, "Junior sister, you're not actually that old. You should continue wearing a bra, otherwise it will sag."

Yuan Kong looked shocked, but Ke Jia Kuan and Na Lan Jing were laughing hysterically behind the window, covering their mouths.

A little while later, while everyone was having breakfast, a little nun came in. She was a girl of seven or eight years old, and when she saw Master Yuankong, she rushed into her arms.

Yuan Kong said, "Master, you have arrived."

Although the little girl was dressed in a simple nun's robe, her eyes were big and bright, and the robe truly seemed to come alive on her: "Auntie, why did you call me here?"

"Auntie is going on a long trip with these people. Could you keep watch the door for her?"

"Are you going to kill Kabeng?"

"How did you know?" Qin Jin asked in utter surprise.

Master Yuankong said, “This girl was born with special abilities. When she was four years old, her parents died in a car accident, but three days later, someone saw her parents’ bodies playing with her at the kindergarten. Later, people were afraid of her, so they sent her to my nunnery. She always called me aunt. I know that her spiritual power is very strong, comparable to that of the Yin Child. So with her protecting us, we can set off on our journey with peace of mind.”

Shishi asked, "How long will it take us?"

"The time it takes for an incense stick to burn," Ke Jiakuan said.

"What can you do in such a short time?" Qin Jin asked.

“Fool, we’ve entered different spaces, how could time be the same as here? One incense stick’s time here is equivalent to one day there. In one day, we can settle everything,” Ke Jiakuan said.

“Listen up, the Ke family and the Yu family are going, and the four of us must go. But Tang Shishi and Lu Ziming, you shouldn’t go. We were chosen by fate, but you might just be throwing your lives away. This trip is too dangerous. If we’re not careful, our souls will be trapped in that space and never come back,” Ke Jiakuan said heavily. At this point, pride was no longer the issue; life was the most precious thing.

Lu Ziming said firmly, "Although I am not from your spirit world, I am a policeman. It is my responsibility to catch the murderer. I cannot run away at this time."

Shishi was even more furious: "Old man, do you think I'm afraid of death? The four of us have been through so much together, how could we possibly be separated now!"

The older generation, looking at the unwavering friendship and fearless courage of these young people, would simply exchange glances and think to themselves, "They're just like we were when we were young."

The little girl took Master Yuankong's hand and said, "Then you should go on your journey! I will protect you and bring you back."

Yuan Kong handed his hand to Qin Jin, who then gave it to Ke Liang, who in turn gave it to Xiao Qian Ge. And so, everyone formed a circle. Everyone felt their consciousness fading, and their bodies became light and airy, as if they were about to float.

Ke Liang was terrified, but a soft voice whispered in his ear, "Don't be afraid, relax."

It was my mother's voice. So this is what astral projection is. It doesn't seem so difficult after all.

Soon everyone was separated from their bodies and saw that their physical bodies were still sitting below. The space began to darken, but it expanded infinitely. The small meditation room was so high that there was no bottom. They could only hold each other's hands tightly, not daring to let go, for fear that a gust of wind would blow them away.

Slowly, they reached the outside of the room and saw that all the trees had become pointed. Xiaoqian said, "We have arrived in the non-material world. Now we just need to find the time-space passage to go back."

But where is the time-space portal?

Xiaoqian, Yuankong, Kejiakuan, and Nalan Jing put their hands together, and a bright halo rose from their palms. The center of the four directions—the place without direction—was the distance.

That portal to time was actually hidden among the four elements.

After opening the door, Xiaoqian gave a wink, signaling the few dazed young people to go inside first.

Stepping into that time and space is like squeezing through a very narrow valley. Everyone has already come through, and the light of that time slowly closes itself, its radiance completely gone.

Ke Jiakuan said, "You must remember that although we are now the same as ordinary people, we are still just souls without physical bodies. So don't cause trouble. Stone Village is just ahead. Master Yuankong will lead the way!"

Yuan Kong walked at the front. Walking in the forest, because there was no comparison, Ke Liang and Shi Shi couldn't believe that they had gone through a time warp and arrived in the past.

Ke Liang said, "But there's no ancient atmosphere at all here!"

"How could I have given birth to such a stupid son? The era has only moved forward a little bit, back to when Qin Jin's mother was young. What ancient times could we possibly go back to? Even back then, things were quite modern," Nalan Jing scolded.

Ke Liang pointed to a movie poster on the wall and said, "You mean this is modern too?"

She was a beautiful woman, standing by the window as if missing a loved one, her face showing a happy expression, completely nostalgic.

Qin Jin smiled and looked up at the painting, but felt that the woman in the painting looked very familiar, as if she had seen her somewhere before.

No one noticed and walked right past, but the woman in the painting on the wall slowly cracked open her lips, revealing a smile, while bright red blood flowed from her eyes.

Ke Liang looked at the group of people from Stone Village and said softly, "So it turns out that the people in this village are just as lazy as the dead, whether they're alive or dead!"

Shi Shi and Lu Ziming both laughed out loud. The people in this village moved very slowly, and no one paid any attention to them, these strange people. They all seemed to only care about the farm work they were doing. Moreover, this village really seemed isolated from the world. Qin Jin had also studied history and knew what should have happened in this era. This was a time of earth-shaking changes in China, but this small village seemed to be completely unaffected. It seems that living in a remote and impoverished place has its advantages.

However, Yuan Kong walked all the way to a small house at the edge of the village. Xiao Qian, the abbot, winked at everyone to tell them that this was the place where Yuan Kong lived when she was a child, her home.

Qin Jin was excited to learn that she was going to her mother's house. Although her grandmother had passed away, it was still wonderful to see these people and things with her own eyes.

The group walked into the low house. Although Yuan Kong was Yu Dafu's younger brother, Yu Dafu had taken over the family property, so Yuan Kong did not live a very happy life.

She walked over and saw a little girl squatting on the ground drinking water. She gently called out her childhood nickname, "Jinhua." But the girl ignored her. Yuan Kong looked at the girl closely for a while and then called out, "Jinhua." The little girl stood up, looked directly into Yuan Kong's eyes, and said, "I am not Jinhua."

Just then, a couple carrying a little girl walked over, saying, "We found this child. Let's run away together! This village is always strange. Your brother is getting married, but I have a feeling something will happen on his wedding day. Anyway, we don't have any land in the village, so let's leave today!"

"Okay, let's pack our things and go now!"

The couple, carrying their child and belongings, walked out of the village.

Yuan Kong was covered in cold sweat because she knew that she was originally a child she had taken in. But if she was taken in, Qin Jin would not be a descendant of the Yu family, and Ka Beng would have no reason to hunt them down.

What exactly happened?

"Then who are you?"

"I am Kabun."

After saying this, the little girl suddenly gouged out her own eyeballs and handed them to Yuan Kong, blood gushing out continuously. Then she softly said, "You've been tricked." A smug smile appeared on her lips. She turned and walked to a locust tree in front of the door. Suddenly, many hands stretched out from the locust tree and pulled the little girl into the trunk. Ke Jia Kuan tried to use a spell to stop her, but found that he no longer knew how to use magic.

His face was deathly pale as he said, "Retreat quickly! This is a trap; we've been fooled."

Si Xiang realized something was wrong and tried to run out of the village with several children, but it was too late; the villagers were already blocking the village entrance with their heads down.

Ke Liang cursed under his breath: "All they know how to do is block the traffic."

In a panic, everyone fled to a large courtyard. Once the gate was closed, they saw that the main hall was the courtyard of Yu Dafu.

Yuan Kong said, "It's definitely not Kabeng. Our opponent is definitely not Kabeng. We're doomed. That thing that we don't know released Kabeng to lure us into a trap. It's so powerful that it can change the past. It's unbelievable!"

Xiaoqian said, "Kabang is just a curse; it doesn't have such power. What is it that insists on taking our lives?"

“That’s right, it’s the fate of the four of us, it has nothing to do with these children. If it were about taking the children’s lives, we could have done it long ago. The purpose is to lure us out by having these children who are connected to us,” Ke Jiakuan said.

Nalan Jing: "Haha, I didn't expect that they would lay in ambush for decades in order to kill us. This village definitely didn't change after the Kabeng incident. No one is powerful enough to change the past. It had already controlled this village decades ago, before we were even born."

Faced with this drastic change in the situation, no one was prepared. The magic had failed. This village was an extremely yin place, and the people in the village were not ghosts, but living dead who were being manipulated. The villagers would come and kill them.

Everyone exchanged wry smiles. This trap was far too elaborate, deceiving everyone. From the very beginning, they had been misled by Kabeng, always believing it was a curse that could be broken, involving many people and events. Now, they suddenly realized that it wasn't like that at all. Something wanted to take the Four Symbols' lives, and the Four Symbols' energy was extremely powerful. Only by using this method to trick them into a time-space shift, eliminating their magical power in an extremely yin place, could they truly achieve this. Moreover, since they were only souls without physical bodies, they were many times more vulnerable.

Only the Four Symbols can open the gate of time and space. Once the Four Symbols are removed, all sources of demon-suppressing forces in the world will be eliminated. When they reappear at that time, they can kill without any scruples or fear.

Yuan Kong regretfully patted his head and said, "I should have realized that it wasn't Ka Beng who was against us. I said long ago that Ka Beng wouldn't kill indiscriminately. I didn't expect that we would still fall into a trap."

Ke Jiakuan patted her shoulder and said, "You're just worried and confused. It's nothing."

It was only then that Qin Jin realized how deep her mother's concern for her was.

But everyone is trapped in this courtyard. How can they go back and survive?

Nalan Jing said, "Brother Kuan, think about it, what could possibly command Kabeng to kill someone? What could it be?"

The four ministers all wore expressions of extreme fear. In the instant they looked at each other, they had already made a decision.

They approached the four young people, pressed their pressure points, and then focused their minds. Slowly, a crystal ball appeared in each of their palms, and the ball flew into the hearts of the four young people. Their voices slowly came: "Now you are our successors. Tang Shishi will take over the Exorcist Clan, Lu Ziming will take over the Buddha Star, Qin Jin will take over the Lone Star, and Ke Liang will take over the Ke Family's Taoist arts. From now on, the four of you will take it upon yourselves to suppress demons."

None of the four could say it aloud, but they all thought the same thing: Why should I do this job? I didn't agree to it!

After the crystal bead was passed on, all four collapsed to the ground, seemingly exhausted. Ke Jiakuan was helped up by Ke Liang and said to Ke Liang, "The opponent you are facing now is not the Kabeng curse. This curse is not that powerful. Instead, it is a witch we hunted down more than ten years ago. She must have held a grudge since then and used Kabeng to harm you. Because you are my children, we were blinded by concern and tried to save you. We fell for her time-space teleportation trick. In the extremely yin place of time-space teleportation, it was particularly easy for her to eliminate us."

The villagers were rhythmically pounding on the door of the house. Nalan Jing hurriedly said, "But you are really my children, so I can't help but care. We can't bear to ignore you, Qin Jin, and these children."

Qin Jin supported Yuan Kong, who touched her face and said, "Mom didn't want to pass this burden on to you either. The power of witches is terrifying, but if you don't take on this burden, you'll only face death. I will send you back to your time, but you will forget everything, including your mother. But you must remember the Four Symbols and stay with them. We can't go on. I'm sorry, all the suffering you've endured is our fault. She has waited decades to kill us, and she should have gotten her wish."

"No, no, Mom, don't die. Let's go back together and escape this calamity. You can return to secular life. I still have my own house in the small town. There are wind chimes in the room, and the rag dolls you used to make for me. Let's go home. Don't die."

Yuan Kong said, "I'm sorry, I had no choice but to leave you. Actually, many times, I secretly went to see you and saw you fall on the ground with no one to help you up. I feel really guilty. I'm not a good mother. I caused you to lose your father and prevented you from experiencing love. It's my fault. Now that you're back, at least you won't think about having a bad mother anymore. Time will completely change, you will completely forget me, and you will have a happy family. But no matter how happy you are, you have to wake up, okay?"

"Mom, don't leave me. I've never hated you or blamed you. I don't want a good mom, I just want you. I used to think you left me because I was naughty, but Mom, no matter what, I will save you."

Qin Jin hugged her mother, tears streaming down her face. She never imagined that their bond would be so short; they had only just met, and now they were about to part forever.

Ke Jiakuan lay on the ground and said, "What we four can do now is to concentrate all our strength to open the time portal again and send you back. But because we disappeared, your fate will change a little and you will forget what happened now, but you must try your best to remember."

Ke Liang, abandoning his usual smiling demeanor, hugged his mother and father and said, "There is hope. No matter what, I must save you."

"Silly child, once you enter the time portal, you'll forget us and won't be in so much pain anymore. Don't cry." Nalan Jing said with a loving expression.

She touched Ke Liang's face and said, "Does it hurt when I slap your face every day?"

"It doesn't hurt, Mom didn't hit me at all." Ke Liang's tears fell drop by drop onto Nalan Jing.

Shishi looked at her and said, "Auntie, don't die."

"Shishi, I'm sorry. I really had no choice but to let you inherit the exorcism clan. Please don't blame me."

The door was open, and the villagers slowly poured in.

"Alright, children, it's time to get going. Remember your responsibilities."

The four held tightly to the hands of their loved ones, unwilling to let go, but the portal of time had already opened, and a powerful force pulled them inside.