The Way of Heaven

"Miss Bai, please don't misunderstand."

Seeing that the other party seemed somewhat displeased, even on the verge of turning evil, Jiang Chao quickly explained:

"What I mean is, it's not wrong for you to seek revenge on the entire village, but every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt its debtor. If you continue to indiscriminately kill innocent people like this, one day you will find yourself in the wrong, and you might even be punished by the heavens. At that time, you will suffer more losses than gains."

"The Heavenly Dao?" Bai Su Niang was slightly taken aback, the Yin energy gathering around her momentarily faltering as she asked in confusion:

"What is that?"

Jiang Chao raised his finger and pointed to the top of his head:

"Since ancient times, there has been an old saying among the people: 'Heaven is watching over us, and people are doing things.' The 'heaven' mentioned here refers to the Way of Heaven."

"The Chen family has committed countless evil deeds over the years, which is absolutely outrageous."

"Your resentment did not subside after your death, and you became a vengeful ghost, wiping out their entire family. This can be considered retribution for your evil deeds."

As Jiang Chao spoke, he pointed to the villagers gathered outside the courtyard, and continued:

"They saw you suffer such injustice, yet they remained indifferent, even adding insult to injury and aiding and abetting the evildoers. They deserve to die."

"But those children are not. They are too young to know good or evil, right or wrong. They are innocent."

"As the saying goes, the sins should not extend to the wife and children, and the calamities should not befall the innocent. There is a scale in people's hearts, and I suppose the same applies to the world."

"If you continue to kill innocent people indiscriminately, one day you will be punished by heaven, and by then it will be too late to regret it."

Jiang Chao's words were not alarmist, but rather a conclusion drawn from his observations over the past period of time.

This conclusion is unusual and should not come true so quickly, nor should it be so serious.

But now, with the world undergoing a dramatic change, anything is possible.

The mysterious Heavenly Way may no longer be the ethereal and elusive thing it once was.

Perhaps it has already gradually taken shape, watching over everything that happens in this world.

This is also what Jiang Chao is most worried about.

If the martial arts world is just a world of people, then it's not so bad.

After all, although human thought is unpredictable and ever-changing, and the human heart is incredibly complex and difficult to fathom, its destructive power is ultimately limited.

The rules of the martial arts world, constrained by human ethics and morality as well as the laws of the imperial court, are able to maintain stability.

But once the concept of the Heavenly Way is born, the situation will be different.

Heaven and earth are not benevolent, and all things are dogs.

Under the rule of Heaven, all beings are equal, but this equality will no longer be determined by human self-consciousness.

After listening to Jiang Chao's words, Bai Su Niang clearly fell into deep thought.

After a long silence, he finally spoke softly:

"I understand, young master is pleading for the children."

Jiang Chao said helplessly, "It seems the young lady still doesn't understand..."

The female ghost interrupted, saying, "I was just saying that. I understand your kindness, young master. Thank you."

Her dark eyes looked out of the courtyard, and she said softly, "But, young master, do you know how those children will survive if I release them? Their parents have all been corrupted by my yin energy and have become living dead, unable to take care of them at all."

Jiang Chao smiled and said, "You don't need to worry about this. I have a proper plan."

Jiang Chao breathed a sigh of relief. If the female ghost insisted on refusing, he would have no choice but to rid the people of this scourge.

It's not that he's unreasonable, but some things, once started, are not so easy to end.

If this female ghost continues to do evil in order to seek revenge, she will eventually be consumed by her evil thoughts and become a scourge to the region.

Now that they've come here, we can't just sit idly by and do nothing.

Firstly, it is against morality, and secondly, it goes against one's own conscience.

Fortunately, Bai Su Niang was a kind-hearted person in life, and she retained her true nature after death. She was reasonable and knew right from wrong.

The matter was settled. Jiang Chao asked Bai Su Niang to withdraw all the Yin energy that had invaded the children's bodies. He then poured the spiritual power he had recently cultivated into the children's bodies to nourish them.

Qin Shaoling then rode away to a neighboring county dozens of miles away to seek the county's help in resolving the matter.

"Since you still have a great grudge to avenge, why not tell us together, and we'll help you find your enemy?"

Jiang Chao suggested.

Bai Su Niang was slightly taken aback. "Why is young master willing to help me so much?"

Jiang Chao said, "To help those in need is what we chivalrous people should do."

After a pause, Jiang Chao smiled and said, "Besides, our help to you is not just about helping you get revenge. We also need you to be able to help us in the future and do some extraordinary things within your capabilities."

Bai Su Niang was, after all, a ghost spirit, and one of those yin souls blessed by heaven and earth, with extremely heavy yin energy. However, she controlled it very well, clearly possessing considerable spiritual power.

This would be a significant help to them.

In today's world, only through teamwork can we go further.

As the leader of this small group of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the martial arts world), Jiang Chao naturally had to do everything he could to win over more companions and make plans for the future.

As for what he will do in the future, Jiang Chao has not yet decided.

But one thing is certain: he will not live a mediocre life in the future.

I must make this journey through the martial world spectacular and worthwhile.

"Young master, please allow me to think about it carefully."

After Bai Su Niang finished speaking, she bowed to everyone and lay back down in the coffin.

The coffin lid was closed, leaving the people in the courtyard looking at each other in bewilderment.

After a long moment of stunned silence, the heroine Chu finally whispered:

"Jiang Qilin, are you crazy? You actually want to win over a female ghost?"

Jiang Chao laughed and said, "Miss Chu, you are mistaken. Although humans and ghosts are different, nothing is absolute. Now that the world has changed, what we have experienced has proven that the future of the martial world will not be smooth sailing. Having this Miss Bai as our help in dealing with evil spirits is not necessarily a bad thing."

As he spoke, Jiang Chao's face revealed an ambiguous expression:

"Besides, Miss Chu, don't forget where we're going. It's the capital, the power center of the Great Liang Dynasty, right under the emperor's nose. It's a melting pot of all sorts of people, a place where all kinds of people gather. How can you be sure we won't encounter someone like Miss Bai when we get there?"

Jiang Chao looked around, taking in the expressions of Su E, Qin Yueyao, and the Jin Yu and Qingling sisters.

"The Imperial Observatory, the Imperial Preceptor's Office, the Imperial Guard, the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and the government offices controlled by various powerful families—these places might not be convenient for us to visit if needed, but it would be much easier for Miss Bai to go and gather information."

Seeing that Jiang Chao spoke logically and that he was the backbone of the trip, Chu Nvxia and the others decided not to say anything more.

They all nodded.

Jin Yu suddenly spoke up, "Young Master, someone's here."