Demonfall City's origin story definitely had its questionable areas.
Yes, matters of the heart could not be controlled. But no matter how one looked at it, after Lei He sacrificed his life to save both his beloved Qian Qiqi and best friend Lan Fangyan, it definitely seemed a little awkward that the latter two had ended up getting married to each other.
Of course, there was theoretically nothing wrong with it since Lei He had already passed on by then, but this matter would still be difficult to pass the morality compass held by many.
Therefore, it was not surprising to see that this part of the story had been conveniently left out of the popularised version that spread across the region.
But what if there was more to the story than met the eye?
Others might be able to accept it, but what if Lei He himself felt let down by how things played out in the end?
To have sacrificed his life for the masses as a martyr, only to see his best friend take his place in marrying his beloved, becoming a couple adored and admired by the world... would his spirit be able to rest in peace this way?
And perhaps the more important question was that, in their battle against the Night Emperor, did Lei He even truly intend to sacrifice his life for Lan Fangyan and Qian Qiqi?
In a situation where the latter two were the only witnesses, the narrative was completely up to them to craft. Nobody would be able to question a single word that they say!
Everyone present, be it the cultivators or the two mortals, stared at Zhao Yunxiao in shock, unable to process what he just said.
Lei He?
The spirit possessing the pendant... was actually the noble Sir Lei He?
No way!
However, it remained a fact that the spirit had weakened upon hearing Lei He's name. The ordinary mortals might not be aware of how the Soul Suppression Shell Array worked, but Gu Qiansi, Lu Zhiying, and Nie Hanchang definitely did. By identifying the spirit, the array would sap away a large portion of the spirit's strength, allowing it to be subdued without issue.
This meant that Zhao Yunxiao was right. It was indeed Lei He's spirit possessing the pendant!
Among those present, only Zhao Yunxiao kept his eyes on the weakened spirit in front of him, his focus not wavering one bit. His essence energy rushed into the Soul Suppression Shell Array, causing the threads of purple light to tighten their constriction on the spirit.
Lei He's past contributions to the stability of the region did not absolve him of the vicious acts that he had done. Now that his spirit was weakened, Zhao Yunxiao was not intending to let him off the hook!
"Purge!"
As the threads of purple light once again attempted to drag Lei He's spirit away from the pendant, the spirit suddenly roared in rage.
The threads that were binding him ever so tightly suddenly expanded, clearly unable to withstand the powerful burst of strength from the spirit.
"Tch!"
Nie Hanchang and Lu Zhiying frowned in unison as they felt the strain on them skyrocket in an instant. The spirit was clearly enraged, and was now struggling with far greater might than before.
Zhao Yunxiao widened his eyes in shock.
Lei He's spirit had completely regained his strength?
Impossible!
How? Did this spirit not belong to Lei He?
But if that were the case, then why had it been weakened earlier?
"W-What's wrong?" Cai Caoyuan asked nervously. "Why did it grow bigger again?"
"Keep quiet if you don't want to end up like him!" Gu Qiansi snapped at him.
Cai Caoyuan glanced at the fully bound Ling Jiping and immediately shut his mouth.
Zhao Yunxiao took a deep breath to calm himself.
Damn it!
The way it was, it would be impossible to purge it from the pendant in a clean manner. They could still go ahead and destroy the spirit by force, but doing so could risk hurting Ling Jiping in the process.
Should they still go ahead?
He already had the answer to that question before they even started. After all, he was not nearly arrogant enough to have believed that their identification of the spirit would be 100% correct.
"Abort," Zhao Yunxiao said with a slight tinge of resignation.
It was a shame, but there was no need to rush. The spirit was not going anywhere, and they had time to gather more information and make further preparations.
Hearing his instructions, Nie Hanchang and Lu Zhiying did not hesitate. Together with Zhao Yunxiao, the trio gradually retracted their energy from the Soul Suppression Shell Array, causing the purple light to grow dim.
"Hahaha! You maggots want to subdue me? In your dreams!" the spirit's distorted voice sounded out once more, clearly realising that the cultivators had given up. "If you know what's best for you, you'd leave right away! Keep provoking me, and don't blame me if more people die. Not just that, but even you would not be able to escape unscathed!"
As those words echoed through the chamber, the constricted spirit rapidly returned to the pendant. Only then did the emblem of the Soul Suppression Shell Array dissipate from view.
Zhao Yunxiao let out a sigh before slowly getting to his feet, as did Nie Hanchang and Lu Zhiying.
"Is it over? Did you... fail?" Cai Caoyuan asked cautiously, disappointment clearly showing on his face.
"That is indeed the case," Zhao Yunxiao admitted truthfully. "We will spend some time to make further preparations before making our second attempt. In the meantime, I would once again like to suggest that we hold onto the pendant for safekeeping."
"T-That's non-negotiable!" Cai Caoyuan's firmly rejected despite his shaking voice. "I cannot allow the pendant to leave our hands! It is the backbone of the performance. Without it, the performance will be finished... I will be finished!"
"Is the performance even important now?" Ling Jiping shouted. He had regained his senses after the spirit disappeared, and thus had been released by Gu Qiansi. "There is a vicious spirit staying inside the pendant! Who cares if it is the martyr Lei He? He is out to kill me! There is no way that I will be wearing that pendant- no, there is no way that I will be taking part in the performance again until that spirit is taken care of!"
"Are you saying that you are quitting?" Cai Caoyuan furrowed his brows.
"That is exactly what I am saying! I would be crazy not to do so!" Ling Jiping shouted in rage.
"Calm down and don't be too quick to decide. Things have been rather controlled so far, haven't they? Don't worry, we will take care of things," Cai Caoyuan persuaded with gritted teeth. "And remember, we still have a contract!"
"Screw the contract! You can lodge a complaint against me to the city lord!" Ling Jiping retorted.
"Wait, Ling Jiping!" Zhao Yunxiao called out the moment he saw Ling Jiping make for the stairs. "Now that the spirit has been angered, it would be best that you come with us instead. I'm not sure how far entrenched the spirit's claws are within your mind, but we can at least protect you if you are with us."
"You can protect me? The same way you can get rid of the spirit? Thank you for the offer, but I'd rather not!" Ling Jiping snapped. "Lei He's spirit is clearly possessing the pendant because he is unhappy with the performance. So, I'm sure I will be fine as long as I just stay away! If you would so kindly stop meddling with my affairs, I would be extremely grateful!"
"What kind of attitude is that, you ungrateful prick? The young heroes are here to help!" Cai Caoyuan chided.
"You are not my boss anymore, so you have no right to tell me what to think!" Ling Jiping retorted.
"If you don't want to come with us, I won't force you. However, take this with you," Zhao Yunxiao said before tossing a talisman over to Ling Jiping. "As long as you are carrying this protective talisman, you should be fine."
Zhao Yunxiao was well aware of how emotionally distraught Ling Jiping must be feeling right now. After all, he had just seen with his own two eyes how the pendant that he had worn numerous times in the past had actually been housing a vicious spirit that was out to kill. Not just that, but his body had also been momentarily taken over, turned into a zombie-like state that was just about to tear off his own wrist with his teeth!
Those were not experiences that one could shake off just like that, so his reaction was definitely understandable.
Ling Jiping caught the talisman and took a quick glance at the people present. "I will be taking my leave then."
With that, Ling Jiping descended down the stairs.
"Now that Ling Jiping has left, I guess the performance would have to stop for a while?" Zhao Yunxiao asked. "In that case, can we take the pendant now?"
"Please just stop talking about the pendant. I can agree to any other condition except for that!" Cai Caoyuan pleaded, though his eyes shone with a determined light. "And don't worry about the performance. It will go on, with or without Ling Jiping! I have already prepared another actor to take over in the event that Ling Jiping decides to quit!"
Zhao Yunxiao was not too surprised to hear that.
Even if Ling Jiping did not quit on his own accord, who knew what would happen to him with the curse in effect?
It would not be surprising if Ling Jiping failed to show up for work any of these days, regardless of whether it was of his own accord.
However...
"Even after seeing what is residing inside the pendant, are you still going to let this new actor wear it for the performance?" Gu Qiansi asked the question that was in Zhao Yunxiao's mind. "Don't you feel guilty for putting your employees in harm's way?"
"What? The spirit is the evil one, so don't put the blame on me. I am just trying to make a living! Without the performance, I will be finished as well! Without me and the Good Luck Theatre Group paying their wages, perhaps they would have already died of hunger out in the streets!" Cai Caoyuan anxiously defended himself. "What's more, I think I have already done my part by inviting you here. It is not my fault that you failed to get rid of the spirit!"
Normally, he would never have even dared think of speaking to the cultivators in such a disrespectful manner. However, just like Ling Jiping, he was still reeling from the shock of the scene from earlier. Coupled with Gu Qiansi's accusation being thrown his way, his mind had immediately switched to a primitive defensive mode.
"You are just shirking your resp-!" Gu Qiansi said, though Zhao Yunxiao quickly stopped her by placing his hand on her shoulder.
"It's fine, we won't take the pendant," Zhao Yunxiao said. "However, we will be back within three days to perform another exorcism of the pendant. At that time, we would need you to cooperate."
"R-Right, sure," Cai Caoyuan stuttered in response. "I will cooperate."
Zhao Yunxiao did not say more, promptly leading the group out of the shophouse. However, the group could not help but notice two familiar faces as they were making their way out of the building.
It was none other than Wen Guoping and Jue Qishi – the eloping young couple whom they had encountered on their way to Demonfall City. From the looks of it, the couple was trying to seek employment here at the Good Luck Theatre Group.
That said, considering how enamoured they were with the origin story of Demonfall, perhaps coming here to seek their fortunes was to be expected as well.
Zhao Yunxiao's group left silently without going up to greet them, fully conscious of how much the young couple intended to carve out their own lives within the city.
That night, the group once again stood at a corner of the open plaza, silently watching on as the Good Luck Theatre Group put on another spectacular show. It was announced to the crowd that Ling Jiping had retired, replaced by a young actor named Xi Hei.
While some of Ling Jiping's fans in the audiences seemed to be unhappy about this abrupt change, most of their unhappiness was quickly dispersed by the new addition's great acting.
But unlike his predecessor, Xi Hei could not help but flinch upon delivering the final line of his character Lei He – right at the moment when the pendant emitted energy undulations.
Zhao Yunxiao let out a helpless sigh.
Now, they had one more person that they had to take care of. But on the bright side, at least the situation did not appear to have deteriorated much, despite them triggering the spirit that resided within the pendant. From what they could see, the energy undulations did not seem to have changed from before.
This meant that they at least still had some time to gather more information.
Or so, they thought.
Unfortunately, they would soon come to realise that this was the final night that Ling Jiping would ever walk the surface of this earth.