The spirit possessing Wei Rong was that of a starving ghost.
It had been an old man.
The year he died, the village was struck by hail, which devastated the crops, leaving many villagers without food.
The old man had managed to survive, as his cellar was filled with grain from previous years.
Yet it was his kindness that led him to save a young pregnant woman.
After she revealed this act of kindness, the old man’s home was looted, leaving him without a single grain to eat.
The old man ultimately starved to death.
Wei Rong wept bitterly, "I’m hungry, I’m really so hungry. I even tore apart my cotton quilts, and when I died, my stomach was stuffed with cotton. I regret saving her, regret being soft-hearted in that moment..."
Yue Qingqing wiped away tears as Yan Sinian took note of the key information shared by the old man.
"Based on your account, this happened at least twenty years ago, which will make it a bit difficult to investigate," he said.
Wei Rong pouted and nodded, "I know, and I didn’t want to possess this girl, but..."
Yue Qingqing showed her understanding. Rongrong liked to eat normally, and since the old man died of starvation, the fear of hunger lingered in his soul after death.
Therefore, when he saw Wei Rong eating, how could he resist?
"Next," Yan Sinian interrupted their conversation.
The spirit possessing Zhang Mingming was that of an unlucky passerby who inexplicably had his head chopped off while walking home from work, never knowing who killed him.
When the police found him, they saw only a headless corpse and struggled to identify him.
That case was still unsolved.
The headless man was not resigned to his fate; he wanted to find his head and uncover the real culprit.
Yan Sinian replied succinctly, "Understood."
For a cultivator to investigate a matter, it’s much easier than it is for ordinary people.
Next was the story of Luo Jie, who was terrified of water yet had no choice but to immerse herself in it constantly, as she had drowned.
Drowned by her own twin sister.
The parents had given birth to twin girls. The elder was always obedient, while the younger was willful.
As they grew up, the elder was praised, becoming the red flower while the younger was only a green leaf in the background.
Jealousy, like a venomous snake, bred dark thoughts.
They looked exactly the same, so why was she always the one belittled?
The real conflict arose on the day the elder received her college acceptance letter.
The younger, who had failed to get in, lured her sister to the riverside...
The girl died with bitterness, "She stole my identity to go to college, lied to our parents that she was the one who died, but they actually believed her."
Yue Qingqing read the girl’s thoughts, "Perhaps your parents didn’t truly believe her."
"Yeah, haha, it’s a pity I only learned a lot of things after I died."
The parents did not love her; they loved only a daughter who seemed excellent.
This daughter could be herself or her sister; they knew it was the sister who lived, suspected it was she who had pushed her own sister into the water.
Yet they pretended to know nothing, allowing the murderer to assume her identity and live on.
Unwilling to simply reincarnate, the girl wanted to punish her sister, to punish those parents who had raised their daughters like feeding gu worms since childhood.
Yan Sinian hummed, signaling for the last spirit attached to Li Tu to speak.
The story of Li Tu was also an unoriginal one, with a middle-aged man possessing him.
He had been burned alive by his son.
His son, a gambler who had lost his sight to addiction, had wanted money and resorted to foul means when refused.
At his son’s former workplace, a colleague had died on the job, and the insurance payout was substantial.
So, deceived by his son under the guise of filial piety, he bought insurance. Three months later, he was burned alive in his room...
Li Tu sobbed, "His mother died early, and I feared he’d lack someone to adore him. If he wanted the stars, I wouldn’t reach for the moon. Little did I know I would raise such an unfilial child."
Clearly, there was a problem with how he was raised.
After all five spirits had spoken, Yan Sinian flicked his finger against the aluminum basin.
"There’s a debt of grudge to be settled, a score of vengeance to be repaid. Within one week, I shall fulfill all your wishes."