I Am Your Natural Enemy

Wen Yan stepped off the boat and asked.

"Do you recognize them?"

The child’s lost soul did not answer, merely gazing at the sorcerer with a puzzled look, repeatedly asking a question.

A lost soul who was conscious and understood the Divine Land language came to Wen Yan’s side, and with a complex expression, translated for Wen Yan.

"He is asking that sorcerer why he was so obedient, yet buried alive was unbearable without struggling.

He persisted for three days before dying, and why did his mother not awaken again.

Those sorcerers told him that if he obeyed and followed instructions, his wishes would be fulfilled.

He doesn’t understand why a life for a life, his mother still hasn’t awakened.

He promised his sister that their mother would return home."

Wen Yan’s face was as somber as water; he recalled the time he raised the child’s lost soul, that small skeleton was embraced by a slightly larger one.

And at that time, only the small skeleton’s right arm lay outside.

Now, the child’s lost soul’s form also has the right arm turned into a skeleton; although other areas were riddled with holes, they remained mostly intact.

Moreover, when all the lost souls were pulled from there, there were none inside the large skeleton behind the child’s lost soul.

This meant that the lost soul of the large skeleton had long dissipated, only when Wen Yan reached out, did the skeleton willingly release its grip.

Wen Yan walked forward and patted the child’s head.

"He lied to you, from the beginning, your mother could not come back."

The child’s lost soul raised his head, understood Wen Yan’s words, and the confusion in his eyes turned into disappointment. He squatted down, lowered his head, and finally burst into tears.

"Was it because I didn’t do well enough?"

Wen Yan lifted the child’s lost soul, stroking his head.

"No, you’ve done the best you could."

Wen Yan glanced at the fallen sorcerer, and leading the child’s lost soul, walked into the island.

One more look and he felt he wouldn’t be able to hold back; dying by his hand would be too easy for this dog; better leave him to those lost souls.

Previously, he thought the limits had been reached after dealing with both plaintiff and defendant; he had greatly underestimated the depths of these fellows; they even dared to deceive children.

Inexplicably, for the first time, Wen Yan felt a little hesitant.

Wen Yan led the child’s lost soul, and not far from reaching the road, saw a plump young Taoist with a bun hairstyle and glasses standing by the roadside.

"Mount Laojun, Yan Zhikong, I’ve met Brother Wen."

"Fuyu Mountain, Wen Yan."

The two exchanged greetings; not far behind Wen Yan, lost souls wailed, the sorcerer’s cries uninterrupted.

Yan Zhikong murmured the holy name softly, seemingly a bit empathetic.

"Brother, this isn’t like you; your moves used to be swift."

"Nay, swiftly sending enemies to death is compassion, not torment."

"Do you find this inappropriate?"

"Personally, I think sending the sorcerers to heaven decisively would be better.

But I also think my opinion doesn’t matter.

What’s more important is how the lost souls feel.

My master said, advising people to be generous leads to being struck by lightning.

When I see chicken slaughter or lamb slaughter, I can’t help but feel some reluctance, it’s just human nature.

My reluctance is my business, it doesn’t concern others, I won’t advise them.

After all, such villains in my hands would be soul-scattered and bones crushed."

After pondering Yan Zhikong’s seemingly contradictory words, Wen Yan bowed and said.

"Brother is indeed sincere and perceptive."

"You do as you please, I am merely an observer."

"Alright, let’s chat slowly later."

Wen Yan waited quietly, holding a crying little lost soul.

Up till now, the little lost soul had no resentment or hatred; he still couldn’t quite comprehend why they failed, why the dead cannot revive.

For these sorcerers, it was beyond their ability to achieve.

Wen Yan merely told him the truth, without preaching, he was increasingly yearning to overturn the world.

Even now, people dared to send chaotic things into the Divine Land, daring to extend their claws to the Nanwu commandery where he lived; he couldn’t imagine what the future holds.

After a moment, a large number of lost souls entered the island, under the night sky, like a dense black cloud, moving slowly.

When most of the lost souls left, Yan Zhikong arrived at the dock, looked at the corpses on the ground, recited a couple of holy names, then flicked his wrist, igniting the yellow talisman held between his fingertips without fire.

The yellow talisman fell onto the corpses, suddenly catching fire.

Yan Zhikong quietly chanted scriptures, watching with a calm face.

Since he had seen them, and mentioned before about bone crushing and scattering ashes, the lost souls couldn’t achieve that; he, therefore, had to act kindly, cremating them for others.

In the flames, from a corpse, evil surged, a tiny bug crawled out from the ruptured abdomen, shrieked sharply in the fire, and was quickly twisted and burned into charcoal.

In the roaring flames, someone afar wanted to approach, but dared not.

When the fire began to dwindle, some people came over, Yan Zhikong slightly bowed.

"These people, I have cremated them in accordance with their last wishes, it seems they didn’t want to be buried on land; maybe it’s better to scatter them into the sea."

"Thank you for your guidance, Taoist priest," someone expressed gratitude.

"Supreme Taiyi Savior Heavenly Master," Yan Zhikong recited the holy name once more.

Someone saw Yan Zhikong seemed approachable, plucked up courage and asked.

"Those lost souls..."

"Regarding those lost souls, this humble Taoist is powerless; with the current situation, that Taoist friend has already exerted all efforts, but the lost souls are deeply obsessed and cannot be resolved. When they finish what they need to do, they will naturally dissipate."