The Greatest Village Doctor In The World

After passing seven or eight streets, Wu Yang and Ling Feng arrived at a remote place, a patch of darkness where the moonlight did not reach.

Standing on Little Fei’s back, Ling Feng glanced around, his heart filled with surprise, and muttered to himself, "Immortal Cemetery?!"

This was the public cemetery beside the Royal City of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, where all who slumbered here were soldiers and generals who had given their lives for the peace of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom.

The founding Emperor of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom personally led the people to build this cemetery beside the Royal City, and bestowed upon it the name "Immortal," symbolizing imperishable heroic souls and the undying spirit of the veterans.

Following the trail of Wu Yang’s black mist, Ling Feng entered the Immortal Cemetery.

Wu Yang’s figure stopped at the center of the cemetery, and seeing this, Ling Feng also jumped down from Little Fei’s back.

Wu Yang stood with his back to Ling Feng, arms spread wide, luxuriating and intoxicated as he savored the cemetery: "What a rich stench of death. I can almost hear the sounds of their slaughter again!"

"Roars, wails, pain, resentment—these are the departed souls. In this world, who truly goes willingly?"

"I don’t know what they did in life, but I can smell it clearly—they are all deeply unwilling. It feels like they’re about to claw their way out. Let me give you a hand!"

"Let your souls reappear in the mortal world!"

"No!" Ling Feng drew the Chaos Sword, trying to stop Wu Yang. He already realized what Wu Yang was about to do. Just like those three corpse Demons he had created earlier, he was going to summon the Wraiths from the cemetery!

"Wraiths reborn, roar across the world! All departed souls heed my command—rise!"

Wu Yang bellowed as he summoned the Wraiths. At the same time, the black mist around him trembled violently, then suddenly exploded outward. Countless streams of black fog were released, burrowing beneath each gravestone.

Ling Feng, Chaos Sword in hand, had already swung the blade into Wu Yang’s body. This time Wu Yang’s form gave a violent shudder. He slowly turned his head; the carefree look from before was gone, replaced by pain on his face, but he still forced out a smile:

"You like fighting, don’t you? Then I’ll see how you fight these Wraiths. I’ll watch how you deal with them, how you make them taste the pain of death once more!"

"Hahaha!" Wu Yang burst into mad laughter, then his body of black mist rapidly shriveled and his life force dissipated. Even so, he turned and used the last shred of his strength to push away the Chaos Sword that was slowly pressing deeper into him.

Ling Feng was astonished by Wu Yang’s final burst of strength, but just as he was about to press his advantage, a chill of yin energy suddenly swept in from behind.

Ling Feng dodged on instinct.

"Boom—"

The ground where Ling Feng had just been standing shattered with a thunderous crash. A massive axe wrapped in green light was clutched in the hands of a Wraith clad in Armor—it was the one that had ambushed Ling Feng.

Ling Feng watched as that Wraith slowly raised the giant axe again, clearly preparing to launch another attack.

But the situation all around was far from optimistic. Wraiths were continuously clawing their way up from the broken earth, each gripping the weapons they had wielded in life, their desire for battle overwhelmingly strong.

Blades and Swords kept hacking toward Ling Feng. He only kept dodging, and had even already put the Chaos Sword away.

Ling Feng did not want to raise his hand against these former Samurai. In life, they had been warriors who defended their nation; in death they should have been allowed to rest in peace, to lie here in eternal sleep, watching over the country for which they had given everything.

Looking at these Wraiths who had lost all sense of self and knew only slaughter, Ling Feng felt deep compassion, yet had no other solution. If he struck them down, their souls would suffer a second death.

An eternal death!

Yet if Ling Feng did not hold them here, these Wraiths might head into the Royal City, and then the citizens would be doomed.

"Master, what do we do now?" Little Fei looked at the Wraiths attacking nonstop, then at his master who kept dodging, and felt a stab of pity.

"Can you sense what that guy used to control these Wraiths? Is it Gu Insects? If it’s that sort of thing, you should be able to control them..."

Little Fei shook his head, rejecting Ling Feng’s guess. "Not Gu Insects. I suspect it’s that man’s own power—he magnified the resentment clinging to the Wraiths and then infused them with strength,"

"That’s why, after reviving, they keep attacking everyone nearby."

Bitterness welled up in Ling Feng’s heart and he shook his head. In truth, he had already guessed as much; he’d merely wanted to test the possibility, unwilling to face the reality.

"Master, how about..." Little Fei hesitated for a long time before he finally spoke.

"No! I cannot cut them down. If I slaughter the souls of these Wraiths, those soldiers will truly never again be reborn! Such a grave sin must never be committed!" Ling Feng said, firm and resolute.

"But if you just keep avoiding them like this, it’s not a solution either!" Little Fei said anxiously.

"Still no. Leave it for now; I’ll think of something else!"

Just as Ling Feng was still trying to think, a graceful silhouette appeared within the cemetery.

"What happened here!"

Ling Feng was still dodging when Li Xiaonian arrived here, ill-timed and out of place.

"These are... Wraiths? Why are they all..." Li Xiaonian, like Ling Feng, had no time for chit-chat, because the moment she appeared, the Wraiths surged toward her and attacked.

"It’s a long story. You just need to know that these heroic souls were resurrected by a villain, and every one of them wants to kill me!" Ling Feng said with a wry smile.

"Is it someone from the Three Realms?" Li Xiaonian’s mind was as keen as Ling Long’s; she had already more or less guessed.

"Yeah. That guy’s abilities are troublesome, and now we don’t know where he’s gone. I’m afraid he’ll keep slaughtering the citizens. Hurry and leave here to protect them. Leave this place to me!"

"How could I!"

"It’s fine, don’t worry about me. I won’t die so easily..."

"No, I mean what about these Wraiths? They are the heroic souls of my Vermilion Bird Kingdom. You’ve been circling around here for so long; you must be reluctant to strike them down, right?"

Ling Feng felt a bit awkward when he realized Li Xiaonian was not worried about him, but he quickly replied, "If I kill them all now, then they’ll really be finished, doomed to never again be reborn!"

"So I’m trying to find another way!" Ling Feng dodged another arrow shot from a Wraith’s bow.

Li Xiaonian kicked aside a broadsword, deftly avoiding the attacks from the weapons and the Wraiths’ fists.

The two fell silent. After thinking for a long time, Li Xiaonian suddenly stood at a high point and shouted:

"Hear me! I am Li Xiaonian, Queen of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom. You were once our kingdom’s warriors, each one brave enough to face a hundred foes. In death you never bowed to the enemy. How can you now be harmed by treacherous hands?"

"How can you harm the citizens of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom? How can you be driven to this madness?"

Li Xiaonian’s words seemed to have some effect. The Wraiths all ceased their attacks and stared blankly at her.

"After death, you should have entered the cycle of reincarnation as soon as possible, to be reborn. What is this now? Do you truly mean to force us to slay you with our own hands?"

"My heart cannot bear it! My heart grieves! I do not wish to strike you, but neither can we allow you to enter the city and kill our people,"

"So, stop. Just stop here and now!"

"Go to Elysium as soon as you can, and in your next life be reborn again into our Vermilion Bird Kingdom. Our nation is strong now; there will never again be wars as tragic as those of the past. You will be able to live out your lives in peace and safety!"

Li Xiaonian’s words truly took effect. Those Wraiths, once berserk, really did stop.

Ling Feng stared blankly at all this, at a loss for words.

Suddenly, the sky in the east began to pale. A streak of holy sunlight pierced through the clouds—it was already dawn, and the first light of day bathed the earth.

The instant the Wraiths in the cemetery were touched by the sun, they all lowered their weapons. Their bodies melted away like ice and snow, and faint smiles seemed to appear at the corners of their mouths.

Watching the Wraiths gradually vanish beneath the sunlight, Li Xiaonian suddenly fell to her knees and bowed from afar to these heroic souls who had once guarded the Vermilion Bird Kingdom:

"Rest in peace, soldiers!"

Ling Feng also bowed to send off these heroic souls, murmuring under his breath:

"Dust to dust, earth to earth,"

"Honored warriors, may your journey be swift and smooth!"