Chapter 67: Redemption

With these words, the oppressive feeling that shrouded the lobby dissipated, and Zhang Yuanqing and Xie Lingxi breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the sense of danger from being stared at by a hungry wolf disappear.

The woman at the front desk narrowed her eyes and scrutinized the young man and woman sitting at a table nearby. She casually glanced outside the inn without leaving any traces.

"I understand. Please wait a moment," she said in a cold tone before walking deep into the inn, her high heels clicking away.

Phew... Xie Lingxi exhaled, her face turning pale. She said in a low voice, "Zhang Yuanqing, I suddenly remembered something..."

Zhang Yuanqing looked at her sideways.

Xie Lingxi shared her speculation, "We didn't find any information on 'Master Wu Hen.' Is it possible that it's not because he's not well-known, but because our permissions are too low..."

A front desk attendant possessing such terrifying pressure, what level of master was Wu Hen? One could only imagine.

Zhang Yuanqing nodded gravely, "I thought of that too. That's why I was planning to escape just now, and I was pretty confident in my ability to do so."

"Ah?" Xie Lingxi was shocked. She widened her eyes, "My legs completely turned weak, and I didn't even have the thought of escaping. I just wanted to bury my head in your armpit."

So, that's why I had the confidence to escape. All I need to do is run faster than my teammates... Zhang Yuanqing secretly complained. He opened his arms and clasped Xie Lingxi's head in his armpit, asking, "Does this give you a sense of security?"

"Zhang Yuanqing, let go of me, quickly, it's embarrassing..." Xie Lingxi struggled.

She took her head out from Zhang Yuanqing's armpit, adjusted her headband-style earphones, and lowered her voice, "Zhang Yuanqing, my earphones are props that can monitor all movements within a radius of 500 meters."

She focused her attention and said softly, "The woman went into the elevator... the elevator stopped on the fourth floor... she opened the second door on the left side of the elevator... she disappeared?!"

Xie Lingxi looked up in astonishment, "She disappeared." She meant that the room isolated external surveillance?

Zhang Yuanqing patted the little girl's shoulder, gesturing for her to calm down.

The two of them waited in silence. During the process, Xie Lingxi frequently looked outside the inn to confirm that the bodyguards brought by the family were still keeping an eye on her, which provided her with some sense of security.

After about ten minutes, Xie Lingxi whispered, "She's coming out now..."

A few minutes later, Zhang Yuanqing heard the elevator's "ding," and the carriage returned to the first floor. Then the sound of high heels clicking away signaled the attractive aunt's return to the lobby. She looked at them and said, "What kind of room do you two need?"

"Follow me," she said coldly, scanning the serious expressions of the young couple. She added with a sneer, "If you're scared, you can turn back now."

Zhang Yuanqing smiled and replied, "Sister, you have a kind and compassionate look. We are not afraid."

Xie Lingxi spoke gently, "Auntie, we are just here to deliver a message, and we mean no harm."

The woman's expression softened slightly as she nodded and led them to the elevator, taking them to the fourth floor.

Standing in the hallway, she looked towards the second room on the left side of the elevator and said, "Go inside."

Zhang Yuanqing saw the room number: 404!

"Leave with me," he said, pulling Xie Lingxi to the door and turning the handle. As the lock clicked, a moment of silence enveloped them, and a powerful force seemed to surround them. Suddenly, the scenery before them changed rapidly.

The carpet in the hallway turned into simple blue porcelain, the white-painted walls transformed into a mix of bricks and wood, and the bright lights became flickering candle flames.

In front of them was a grand hall of a temple, with a high dome decorated with intricate patterns and celestial beings. Under the dome, there stood a five-meter-tall golden Buddha, his expression compassionate yet imposing.

On the altar table, there were eighteen thick candles burning brightly. Beneath the statue of Buddha sat a monk dressed in blue robes, his tall figure almost as high as Xie Lingxi when sitting.

Zhang Yuanqing and Xie Lingxi exchanged fearful and serious glances. Just a moment ago, they were in the hotel hallway, and now they found themselves in this strange temple. If it weren't for the lack of the usual notification sound for entering a realm, they would have suspected that they had entered another spiritual realm for a mission.

This Master Wuhen is even more terrifying than I imagined. What level of spiritual realm practitioner could possess such abilities? Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath and gazed respectfully at the back of the monk in blue robes.

"Are you Master Wuhen?"

"Night Roamer and Musician, are you from the official organizations?" The deep, hoarse voice echoed in a strange tone, as if enduring some kind of pain.

"Yes," Zhang Yuanqing answered truthfully, not daring to conceal anything.

The hall fell into silence for more than ten seconds before the hoarse voice echoed again, "Ashamed to be called a father, what did he say before he died?"

Zhang Yuanqing's voice unconsciously became low, "He asked me to tell the master: I am sorry, even now, I still don't know whether it's me who is wrong or this world."

As he said this, he once again recalled the look of loathing and sorrow in his father's eyes before his death.

The silence in the hall lasted so long that it made Zhang Yuanqing and Xie Lingxi nervous.

Finally, Master Wuhen sighed, "I understand."

Xie Lingxi hesitated for a moment and mustered the courage to ask softly, "Master, he saved my life. He is not an evil person. Why did he become a practitioner of the evil path?"

The monk in blue robes replied slowly: "

"Before, he had a daughter who was intelligent and well-behaved, excelling in her studies from a young age. However, things changed when she entered university. She started pursuing material possessions and blindly compared herself to her classmates. To support his daughter, my father worked tirelessly day and night, but he couldn't keep up with her increasing demands. One day, he discovered that his daughter had borrowed a large sum of money online and was blackmailed with inappropriate photos.

"He couldn't afford to repay those debts and felt that his daughter had brought shame upon the family. They had a heated argument, and he threatened to sever ties with her. My father believed that all of this was his daughter's fault. He saw her become materialistic, selfish, and unrecognizable.

"Later, a loan company took control of the girl and forced her into the flesh trade, exploiting and humiliating her without restraint. In utter despair, she chose to end her life by jumping off a building."

The hoarse voice of Master Wuhen was filled with sorrow and regret, as he continued, "My daughter's death was a painful blow for me. I couldn't forgive myself for not understanding her struggles and for my harsh words that day. I blamed her, but in truth, I was the one who failed her as a father. I became lost, filled with bitterness and resentment, and I couldn't find peace in my heart."

Zhang Yuanqing and Xie Lingxi listened attentively to Master Wuhen's heartbreaking story. Zhang Yuanqing felt his heart ache for the master's painful past and the tragedy that had befallen his daughter.

Xie Lingxi's eyes were moist, and she couldn't help but reach out to hold Master Wuhen's hand, expressing her sympathy and understanding.

Master Wuhen continued, "I turned to the evil path out of despair, seeking power to change the past, to protect those I love, and to find redemption for my mistakes. However, the path I chose only led me deeper into darkness. I thought I could use this power to avenge my daughter, but all I found was more pain and suffering."

He took a deep breath, looking at the young pair before him with a mix of emotions. "You two are still young, and you still have a chance to make the right choices. Don't let hatred and despair consume you. Learn from my mistakes and choose the path of light and compassion."

Zhang Yuanqing and Xie Lingxi nodded, deeply moved by Master Wuhen's words. They realized that no matter how difficult their own paths might be, they must hold on to their principles and not lose themselves in darkness.

As they left the temple, Zhang Yuanqing and Xie Lingxi felt a sense of enlightenment. They had come here to deliver a message, but they received an invaluable lesson about life and the importance of staying true to oneself. They knew that their journey had just begun, and they were determined to walk it with courage and compassion.

"Kui Wei Renfu was devastated, and he began to believe that the fault was his own. He thought that if he could provide a luxurious material life for his daughter or have enough money to pay off her debts, the tragedy would not have happened. He regretted the argument they had, realizing that if he had comforted and accompanied his daughter, things might have turned out differently. He blamed himself for pushing his daughter into the abyss with his own hands.

"After his daughter's death, he decided to sue the loan company and the wicked individuals who tormented and forced her into her desperate situation. However, that loan company had significant influence in the local area, and he lost the lawsuit.

"He fell into depression, realizing that the fault was not his daughter's but his own and the world's. He believed that people were unable to change their surroundings and were influenced by the environment. In a society where material possessions and money were constantly emphasized, people were bound to be affected and become materialistic. No one could escape it.

"His daughter hadn't yet experienced the harshness of society and didn't understand the dangers of being enticed into consumption and borrowing money. She ended up on an irreversible path. This world is despicable, and he decided to seek revenge for his daughter personally...

"He broke into the loan company, killed those who had humiliated and driven his daughter to her death, and then fled the scene. It was that act of slaughter that granted him the Role Card and made him the Tempter."

Master Wuhen's voice was filled with a mixture of emotions as he shared the tragic tale. He continued, "Kui Wei Renfu is an extremist, but he is not a bloodthirsty villain. However, once someone becomes an evil occupation, there is no turning back. He went further and further down this path, advancing in levels, but sinking into greater pain.

"Until one day, he met me and followed me on a path of cultivation, seeking redemption for the hatred in his heart. However, he was too extreme and unwilling to reconcile with this world. Perhaps death would be the best outcome for him..."

Zhang Yuanqing finally understood why he wanted to save Xie Lingxi. His daughter was about the same age as this girl, and he regretted not saving her when she jumped off the building. He wished he could have leaped forward and saved his daughter instead of Xie Lingxi.

Looking at the young girl, Xie Lingxi, Zhang Yuanqing felt a pang of emotion. Her eyes were teary, and he knew that this story resonated deeply with her.

Zhang Yuanqing sighed and said, "Master, I believe he has already found his redemption."

Without turning to face them, Master Wuhen waved his hand gently, and two faint lights floated out from his sleeve, landing at the feet of Xie Lingxi and Zhang Yuanqing.

As they looked closer, they saw two jet-black jade stones, each about half a palm-sized. Inside the stones, black glows surged and transformed into various shapes, surreal and dreamlike.

After just a few seconds of looking at them, Xie Lingxi and Zhang Yuanqing felt their vision darken, and they felt dizzy.

"Thank you for bringing back his message. These are called 'Dream-Linking Jade Talismans.' When you crush them, you can contact me. If you encounter danger, I will intervene once to help you. This is only valid in the real world; it won't work in the Spirit Realm," said Master Wuhen in a calm tone.

"Leave," said Master Wuhen.

The Buddha statue and the candlelight distorted and shattered, and Zhang Yuanqing and Xie Lingxi found themselves back in the hotel room. They stood at the open door, looking inside at a standard single room.

At their feet lay the two black jade stones.

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