A month passed without Ping Hai seeing the young girl nor his brother.

It was nighttime. He tossed around and around in bed, wondering just how far Yi Ran and his nearing-to-death brother had gone. Perhaps, they found a doctor and his older brother had been cured. Then, Yi Ran and his older brother would live happily and ever after...

Or maybe both of them have long perished.

Ping Hai forced himself to not think much. He shoved his face into the pillow, with sleep looming all over Square Town.

He'd woken up to the sound of screams.

Tumbling out from his bed, Ping Hai peered out of the window. He saw blood running down the streets, with the liquid staining cobblestone in colours of crimson red. It was like a flood. Corpses collapsed and scattered all over the streets, with their wounds so horrible that not a single body could be recognizable.

What used to be the streets of Square Town—a place full of prosperity and life—had become a place where the living bid farewell and crossed over to Hell.

"MAMA!!! HELP ME!" A child cried on the streets.

His mother had caressed his head in her arms, protecting the child from the culprit of the bloodbath, "Why must you do this!"

The culprit wore a black cloak, with their face smeared in dirt and familiar scars. Yi Ran wielded a sword, which created metal sparks from dragging across the cobblestone ground. "Why?" Her voice was awfully dry and monotone-like, sounding as if she'd strained her throat.

Her eyes were bloodshot red. Back then, when I went around the entire village asking for help... nobody came! I circled the entirety of Square Village from dusk till dawn!

I even went to the neighbouring villages and cities... they all refused me. It's so simple. You all could've given me at least... some coins. Even one coin was enough to make a difference! But he died... he passed away... you're all damn murderers!

Nobody knew what thoughts roamed in her mind.

Her sword slashed and the pair of mother-and-son collapsed. Blood squirted out from their cut throats, and their life had been drained of.

Yi Ran felt like it wasn't enough. She stabbed her sword at the mother's corpse, watching her blade slide in through the abdomen and out. Puddles of blood had painted the cobblestone, making the streets become a sea of corpses.

She barged into many houses, with her sword doing all the work. Ping Hai found himself shaking all over, from head to toe. Yi Ran has come back... and now, she has become a murderer...

"Ah-Hai," His mother ran into his bedroom, her expression terror-stricken. "We have to get out of here." She was about to pull her son along, but then, her old body had froze. A dagger from the window had pierced through her neck, opening a horrendous wound.

Ping Hai watched, aghast. Then, a droplet of blood had sprayed onto his cheeks. Lips charred, Ping Hai felt like his heart was being squeezed and crushed.

"MOM!!!" He cried.

Crouching down to get closer to his mother's corpse, Ping Hai's tears were never-ending. His body shook and headed to his wails. The cries and bloodshed out in Square Town had stopped. Aside from Ping Hai's sobs, there were no more sounds.

"Mom... mom..." His sobs became quieter, because there was the sound of footsteps from behind.

Yi Ran stood behind his back, unmoved. Her pupils were unwavering and not even a fluctuation of emotion had appeared, as she staring at her enemy. She brandished her sword, pointing it at Ping Hai's back. "Are there any last words you have? If you ask the right questions, I might spare an answer."

"I..." Ping Hai's shoulder shook up and down. He tried to withstand the overwhelming pressure and fear. "There's nothing I want to know."

"Nothing?" The tip of the sword was only a fabric away from piercing his skin. Yi Ran cooed, "Is there truly nothing you want to know? How your older brother died? How Square Town is a filthy place where it's worse than a bunch of demons?"

Ping Hai's eyes closed. "My older brother deserved his death."

The sword pierced through his clothes.

Ping Hai's closed eyes had opened in shock, as a sharp pain etched through his spine. A large wound was scarred across his back, however, the sword had only been scratching the surface. Few beads of blood began to spill down the wound. "Ahh!" Ping Hai feared the pain.

"If you don't want to know, I'll write it all down on your back." Yi Ran deadpanned. She continued to brandish her sword, but then was interrupted.

"Don't!" Ping Hai shook. "I want to know..."

"Want to know what?" Yi Ran replied half-heartedly. Her black robes have long been stained in blood, stinking of odour.

Ping Hai raised his head to look at her. "I want to know why you've come back to kill us."

Yi Ran grabbed his wrists. "It's very simple." A gloomy smile was on her lips, "I've carried Ah-Sha over to hundreds of towns... we travel in day and night. It would've been nice if we could forever travel alone together. But... they told me there was no use in giving me money."

"I wonder why..." She lowered her head.

Ping Hai noticed that droplets of tears had fallen on the wooden boards. The grip on his wrists was stone cold, had many callouses, and a rough texture.

Then, the grip became tighter. "Ah-Sha never wanted to talk to me. I thought that he was mad at me for separating him from his family. It turned out... the entire month..." Yi Ran laughed maniacally. I was carrying a corpse on my back...

Ping Hai's wrist was snapped in halves. His wailing screams echoed through the shrine, and a bit of incense dropped from the incense sticks.

Yi Ran thought, if Square Town had spared me some coins... then Ah-Sha wouldn't have died. She snapped Ping Hai's other wrist in half, with the bone-cracking sound and screams going wild. You all killed Ah-Sha! All I'm doing here is giving the murderers their punishment, and getting justice for the victim!

Ping Hai panted. His breath was rigid and heavy, as groans spilled out from his mouth.

Both of his wrists were snapped broken. The pain aching at his hands were immense, like two blades were piercing through his bones.

"Ping Hai." Yi Ran smiled. "I'll be sure that you receive your retribution."

She raised her blade.

There was the sound of wailing screams and horrendous cries, all just alone from a single man in the shrine. What used to be a place for Yi Ran to shelter from the snow... became a place unrested of blood and massacre.

Yi Ran had slit many deep scars at Ping Hai, all over from his abdomen, back, arms, legs, and chest.

However, they weren't too deep. She just wanted Ping Hai to suffer. "Your punishment," She snapped, "Is to die from blood loss."

She turned her back away from him.

Ping Hai's legs were broken as well, making him unable to move. He watched motionlessly, as Yi Ran stepped out from his shrine. Yi Ran had left the shrine, appearing on the blood-filled streets. Ping Hai noticed the large window in his room, which allowed him to always clearly see the view outside.

It was this window that let him see Yi Ran.

This window will let him see Yi Ran for the last time.

Ping Hai looked out from the window from where he laid. There was the scene of Yi Ran taking out a match. She scrubbed it, with a small flame flickering on top. "Goodbye, Square Town." She mouthed.

Throwing the fire in a pile of readied alcohol, it was fast for the entire village to get caught on fire.

Ping Hai watched haggardly, as the fire neared to his shrine.

To his surprise, he noticed how a figure moved in the darkness. That figure was mysterious and tall, belonging to a tall man, with a black cloak covering over his features. Ping Hai watched the tall man outstretch a hand to Yi Ran, with the latter completely numb to the former's compassion.

"I will help you." The tall man offered. His voice was deep and masculine.

Yi Ran glared at him. "Help me with what?"

"Help you to revive your loved one." Just that answer was able to stun Yi Ran on the spot. She didn't believe the mysterious man's words at first. But then, she watched the tall man snap his fingers. All of a sudden, the fire roared a blue colour.

Yi Ran found the entire scene to be breathtaking.

It was blue fire. It was also the beginning of her hope.

"And in return," the man took Yi Ran's hand into his own, "You will follow my every order. We will destroy this horrible world together."

Ping Hai's eyes became bloodshot from staring. His blood seeped further, with the warmth draining from his life. Then, the blue fire engulfed him whole.

The two couples awoke.

Upon seeing that, Shen Qingqiu hurriedly asked them, "What's the personal code?"

"Your fan." Wei Wuxian answered precisely. The others followed along, recounting all their previous words and conversations. This made Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe sigh in relief. "So, nothing has gone wrong."

Wei Wuxian nodded. The two couples looked at one another, then explained the entire story to the remaining pair.

After learning of the story, Shen Qingqiu's face was pale. It turned out that Square Town was such an unbelievable place in the past. It was hard to believe that not a single villager reached out to help Yi Ran when she was in need. This drove her to insanity, to 'sanctify the just', and 'execute the evil'.

In this type of situation, nobody was really in the wrong.

Most villagers didn't want to give away money, especially when it came to the fact that others can instead. While, Yi Ran already had a bad reputation in Square Town. Nobody wanted to help her. While, Ping Hai was driven on his hatred of his brother, so he didn't want to help either. This left Yi Ran no choice but to travel a month with a corpse on her back.

"Shizun." Luo Binghe was worried for his lover. "Don't let it bother you so much."

There will always be right and wrong in the cultivation world. However, who exactly was right and wrong in this story? Would it be Yi Ran, who slaughtered a village? Or would it be the village, who inadvertently killed a person beloved to the young girl?

Perhaps, the villain was none of them.

However, most of the blame would be pinned onto...

"Ping Hai," Hua Cheng turned their attention to the ghost. The three couples simultaneously looked at the ghost, finding their gaze on him a bit different than before.

Xie Lian asked, "Could you tell us why Yi Ran has come back?"

Now that Square Town has been rebuilt into a new village of better people, why does Yi Ran have to return and try to set it aflame again?

Ping Hai raised his fatigued head. "To find... Ah-Sha... and... kill...us..."

"Then, Ping Hai," Xie Lian asked, "What happened to... your older brother?"

Ping Hai's ghostly body had shook a couple of times before he answered. "...he is cruel... he... has no... regrets. He... isn't... a ghost."

The three couples found their eyes widening. Ghosts were spirits of the dead, when they have become a sort of form. Malicious ghosts hurt others, while their harm can be classified on four levels. However, as to the reason why people become ghosts... that is either because they have a strong resentment to their life, or that they have regrets.

But... if the dead has none of the two... that means they won't become a ghost.

It turned out that Ping Sha was so cruel. He had no regrets nor resentment to his death, because he'd already fulfilled his role. He had Yi Ran suffer.

"Where is Yi Ran?" Wei Wuxian asked.

Ping Hai lifted his dark-circled eyes. "Front... gate... ghosts... stopping... her... from... entering..."

"Wei-xiong," Shen Qingqiu was surprised at the question. "Do you have a plan?"

Wei Wuxian nodded. He smiled, "But we'll need Ping Hai's cooperation." They turned once again to look at the ghost. "What do you say, Ping Hai?"

Ping Hai was silent for a while. His regret was that he never once got to help others. He had good intentions for Yi Ran, but never once did anything. He wanted to make Yi Ran happy, but didn't do anything when she needed money. This time... he won't make the same mistake.

He then responded, "I... will help."

Ping Hai croaked out choppy words, "But promise... promise... me that... in... the end..." He choked on his words, "I... will... get... to... rest... in... peace."

He bowed his head. "Thank you."

Luo Binghe: What to do? Shizun is upset from the story! I knew that this wasn't a good nap time story!

Wei Wuxian: Who the hell told you that this was a nap time story! 😤

Luo Binghe: In order to pacify my Shizun, I will sing Shizun a lullaby!

Shen Qingqiu: Oh? Let's hear

Luo Binghe: It is named "The Regret of Chunshan".

Shen Qingqiu has left the chat room

Wei Wuxian: What's it about?

Luo Binghe: Oh, nothing. Just a song I heard about Shizun and I.

Wei Wuxian: ...and where did you hear it from?

Luo Binghe: *shy* from the brothel, why?

Who do you think was in the right and wrong? Is Yi Ran's massacre truly excusable? Is Ping Hai's decision to do nothing the right choice to make?

Does anyone have any predictions on the backstory of Bo Fan and Nu Wang, now that Yi Ran's past is revealed?

Oh, and fun fact. Ping Hai's speech as a ghost is really lofty, e.x.: There are always... a... rest... in... between.

This is because he'd been tortured so badly and screamed so much that as a ghost, his vocal chords are broken, and he could barely say a word.