Resurrection

That night, there was a rapid knocking at the courtyard gate. Zhao Fengnian went to open it, and two gusts of cold wind, carrying a faint silvery starlight, swept into the courtyard. Qiu Rong's face was ashen, her eyes bloodshot, and her usually composed voice trembled uncontrollably. Xiao Xie knelt down as soon as he entered, sobbing uncontrollably, unable to speak coherently, only repeatedly muttering, "Young Master Tao has been locked up."

They recounted the whole story, which was basically the same as the information Zhao Fengnian had received, except for one extra detail: after accepting the bribe, the county magistrate threw Tao Wangsan into jail without even conducting a trial, clearly intending to drag things out until the storm passed before slowly fabricating a story.

Zhao Fengnian helped the two up, shaking his head with a wry smile: "Miss Qiurong, Miss Xiaoxie, it's not that we don't want to get involved. It's not appropriate for Taoist priests to interfere in the affairs of the imperial court. We are Taoist priests, not government officials. If we barge into the government office to stand up for him, we will only give him a handle to use against us, making it even harder for him to get away."

"Jinhua has more than just a county magistrate. Above the county magistrate is the prefect," Liu Jin said calmly, as if stating a fact he already knew. "If a county magistrate arrests someone, the prefect can overturn the verdict."

Qiu Rong suddenly grabbed Xiao Xie's arm and shook it hard twice. Xiao Xie stopped crying, raised her head with teary eyes, and the look of sudden realization on her face after being driven to a dead end was exactly the same as Qiu Rong's at that moment.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master." Qiu Rong bowed deeply, then pulled Xiao Xie and turned to float out of the Sanyi Temple. They were even faster than when they came, leaving only two silvery-white starlight afterimages in the night sky.

The following night, at the Jinhua Prefectural Government Office.

The prefect was awakened from his sleep by a chilly breeze. Opening his eyes, he saw two women kneeling before his bed, one in a green robe and the other in a lotus-colored long skirt. Their faces were delicate and their figures were slightly translucent in the moonlight. The prefect sat up abruptly, about to call for them, but the woman in green spoke first, her voice neither humble nor arrogant: "I am Qiu Rong, and I have a grievance to report to Your Excellency."

She recounted the entire story of the Jiang family mansion from beginning to end: how she died unjustly, how she became a ghost, how she met Tao Wangsan, and how Tao Wangsan was falsely accused after using poetry to satirize the powerful. Xiao Xie kowtowed repeatedly beside her, crying so hard she could barely speak, yet every word she uttered was a plea for Tao Wangsan's innocence.

When the prefect heard the words "bribing the education commissioner," his brows furrowed. When he heard "the county magistrate was imprisoned without trial," he slammed his hand on the edge of the bed. He carefully examined the two female ghosts and saw that each of them had a silvery-white spark between their brows, as gentle as the moon, without the slightest hint of evil. He then made up his mind.

The next morning, the prefect personally presided over the trial. The powerful figures who had offered bribes had never expected the case to involve the prefect; when summoned to court, their stories were riddled with inconsistencies, and they shifted blame among themselves. The prefect, after three trials, uncovered the entire bribery chain. The provincial education commissioner was found to have accepted bribes, the county magistrate was suspended and investigated, and Tao Wangsan was released without charge. The prefect pronounced his verdict in court and detained the accusers pending trial.

When Tao Wangsan walked out of the prison, Qiu Rong and Xiao Xie were waiting outside the door. Qiu Rong recounted how the prefect had overturned the verdict, and then mentioned the guidance from the Master of Sanyi Temple, her tone filled with relief and lingering fear after surviving a calamity.

Xiao Xie clung to Tao Wangsan's sleeve, crying and laughing, her snot and tears staining his sleeve. Tao Wangsan didn't flinch, but simply put one arm around Xiao Xie's shoulder and held Qiu Rong's hand with the other. Back in the study of the Jiang residence, they closed the door, their three hands clasped together, and no one spoke. After a long while, Tao Wangsan sniffed, trying to keep his voice from trembling: "From now on, this will be our home. We won't move."

A few days later, a Taoist priest passed through Jinhua and encountered Tao Wangsan on the street. He stared at him for a long time and said, "You have a ghostly aura about you."

Tao Wangsan was taken aback, recalling that the Taoist priest of Sanyi Temple had made a similar statement, so he no longer concealed anything and told the whole story of Qiu Rong and Xiao Xie. After listening, the Taoist stroked his beard and laughed, "These two ghosts are very good; we cannot let them down." He then drew two talismans and handed them to Tao Wangsan, "Take these back to those two ghosts and see their luck. If they hear someone crying for their daughter outside the door, they should swallow the talisman and immediately go out of the house. The first one to arrive can be resurrected." Tao Wangsan thanked him, took the talismans, and went back to give them to the two women.

More than a month later, sure enough, they heard a hearse passing by outside, and someone was crying for their daughter. Qiu Rong and Xiao Xie rushed out at the same time, but Xiao Xie forgot to swallow the talisman in her haste. Qiu Rong took the lead and swallowed the talisman, which went straight into the coffin. A faint light flashed, and the woman in the coffin slowly opened her eyes. To everyone's surprise, they opened the coffin and found that the woman had awakened.

The wealthy Hao family approached to inquire, but the woman replied, "I am not your daughter," and then recounted the truth. Hao was skeptical and tried to carry her home, but the woman refused, heading straight for Tao Wangsan's study and lying on the bed, refusing to get up. Left with no other option, Hao accepted Tao Wangsan as his son-in-law, leaving his dowry behind.

Tao Wangsan approached the woman and examined her closely. Although her appearance was different from the original Qiu Rong, her eyes held a calm yet shrewd glint, exactly like Qiu Rong's. He was overjoyed, and the two happily reminisced about the past.

Suddenly, a mournful wail was heard outside the door. It turned out to be Xiao Xie crying in the shadows. She couldn't enter the body and could only watch helplessly as Qiu Rong was reborn. Tao Wangsan felt sorry for her and went over with a lamp to comfort her. Xiao Xie cried until her clothes were soaked with tears, heartbroken, and didn't leave until dawn.

At dawn, the Hao family indeed sent maids and servants to deliver the dowry, and Hao and Tao Wangsan truly became father-in-law and son-in-law. That night, Tao Wangsan and Qiu Rong entered their bridal chamber, and Xiao Xie cried outside the door again. This went on for six or seven nights, and Tao Wangsan and Qiu Rong felt utterly miserable, unable to share a bed. Qiu Rong said, "That Taoist priest is truly an immortal. Go and beg him again; perhaps he will take pity on you and help you."

Tao Wangsan agreed wholeheartedly and went to find the Taoist priest's residence. He knelt on the ground and begged. The priest vehemently denied any possibility of intervention, but Tao Wangsan persisted in his pleas. Finally, the priest smiled and said, "This foolish scholar is truly persistent! It seems we are destined to meet, so I will use my magic to the fullest." He then followed Tao Wangsan home, asked for a quiet room, closed the door, and sat down, instructing Tao Wangsan not to ask any questions. After more than ten days, the priest neither ate nor drank. Tao Wangsan secretly peeked into the room; the priest appeared to be asleep.

One morning, a young girl lifted the curtain and came in. She was beautiful with bright eyes and white teeth, and smiled as she said, "I ran all night and I'm exhausted! You kept bothering me, so I ran a hundred miles away before I finally found a good body. The Taoist priest brought me here. When I see the person, I will hand her over to her."

As dusk fell, Xiao Xie arrived, and the woman suddenly rushed forward and embraced her. Instantly, they became one, and she collapsed to the ground, lifeless. The Taoist priest came out of the room, cupped his hands in greeting, and left. Tao Wang bowed three times. After seeing the Taoist priest off, he returned to find that the woman had regained consciousness. He helped her to bed, and she gradually recovered her spirits, though she clutched her feet, saying that her toes and thighs ached, and she wouldn't be able to get up for several days.

After Qiu Rong and Xiao Xie returned to life, Tao Wangsan took them to the City God Temple. The City God's concern for the two ghosts in matters of the underworld was secondary; his main concern was to ask the City God to introduce them to the Taoist priest who had helped them return to life.

The three knelt on the prayer mats and bowed three times. Qiu Rong explained her return to life to the City God and then offered a bowl of thanks on the incense table. The offerings on the table were gently stirred by the wind, and the incense ash fell down without any wind, as if to nod in agreement.