The Return of the Zombie King ③

Chapter 4: The Sea of Suffering Has Limits

“No, Miss Si Xi, I'm really your die-hard fan! I will always remember you!” Ma Tianling couldn't contain her excitement and shouted frantically.

“Si Xi, Si Xi, I love you!” Screams were everywhere, lights were flashing everywhere, signs saying “I love you!” and “Hello, Si Xi!” were everywhere. It felt like being back in that fanatical era.

With a sigh, Si Xi Liqi (let's call her that for now) returned to reality. “Little girl, thank you. Seeing you makes me feel like I'm back in that time. How wonderful! What's your name?”

“Ma Tianling!” Ma Tianling, facing her idol face-to-face for the first time, naturally felt very excited. “Miss Si Xi, my favorite song of yours is ‘My Heart Belongs to You.' I've always been looking for my prince charming just like the song says. No matter what difficulties I meet, I will never give up!”

“Silly girl, that's just a song, you can't take it literally.” Didn't I used to be like that too, and didn't it cause me trouble? “There's no such thing as perfection in this world. Anything that's supposedly perfect is fake,” Si Xi said intermittently.

“Si-xi-lady?” Ma Tianling didn't understand.

“There are important life experiences you haven't had, so of course you cannot understand their meaning. But these are all real experiences gained through blood and tears. Trust me, it's true (classic phrase used by someone who became famous!).”

Ma Tianling wanted to ask more, but Kuang Tianyou's cold voice came: “Miss Si Xi!” In fact, Kuang Tianyou had already been frustrated: what is this little girl doing, interfering when he had urgent matters, turning it into a public entertainment show ‘Fan Dialogue with the Star'!

“Who are you?” Si Xi turned to face this man again. This man had a familiar aura: a kind of oppressive presence that she had once feared and been heartbroken over.

“It's Daddy,” Ma Tianling said.

“Daddy!” Si Xi felt a sudden tremor in her heart. “It's him! It's him! He has the same aura.” Thinking about her father's actions after her death, Si Xi felt waves of chill and began to scream “ah” in madness.

As for the suddenly crazed Si Xi, Ma Tianling was naturally terrified and confused, and Kuang Tianyou was also shocked and immediately initiated a “mental shock” in an attempt to calm her down.It must be the King of Competition, so the effect is naturally different. Si Xi calmed down. "Miss Si Xi, did you think of sad past events?" Kuang Tianyou said.

"Sir, may I ask your name?"

She really is a remarkable woman, truly deserving of her past achievements, and calmed down so quickly—even though I used a mental shock. Kuang Tianyou sighed: "My name is Kuang Tianyou."

"Mr. Kuang, why does your daughter have the surname Ma?"

"This is a rule in my wife's family: daughters inherit their mother's surname."

"Daughter?" Si Xi asked.

"The Ma family has been ghost-catching for generations. Together with the Mao family in the north, they are known as the 'Southern Ma, Northern Mao' ghost-catching families." Seeing Si Xi casually chatting as if she was not at all anxious to know the purpose of their trip—truly extraordinary—he started talking freely along with her.

"Mao family... Taoist Mao..." Si Xi murmured to herself.

"I don't understand what Miss Si Xi is talking about," Kuang Tianyou said.

"Nothing... nothing at all. Mr. Kuang, where do you work?" Si Xi asked.

"I am a detective chief."

"Detective chief. That seems to make you a capable person," Si Xi said.

"Miss Si Xi really knows how to compliment people!" Kuang Tianyou admired.

"Mr. Kuang, you are too polite. I have my reasons for saying that. Back when the truth of my death finally came out, my father gave red envelopes to the police investigating my case. Especially, he asked Officer Li to assign a trusted person—naturally including him—to manage my files, preventing the media or others with ulterior motives from accessing them. I think, other than my father—who naturally wouldn't look—the rest will never have the chance. For you to be able to see my files, you must be quite capable!" Si Xi said with some pride.

"How do you know I came to find you after seeing your files?" Kuang Tianyou was unconvinced.

"Mr. Kuang and a woman—should probably be called Mrs. Kuang—came to that house late last night. I initially planned to scare you away, but unexpectedly, Mrs. Kuang caught me. It has only been half a day since then. If you hadn't looked at my files, how would you know my name and ascertain that the ghost was definitely me? Just now, you introduced yourself personally, further confirming my guess."

"Miss Si Xi is truly clever! I, Kuang Tianyou, really admire you!"Kuang Tianyou said, "Miss Si Xi should also know the purpose of our trip by now."

"Don't keep calling me Miss Si Xi, just call me Liqi," Si Xi suddenly smiled.

As for Si Xi's 'flattery,' Kuang Tianyou naturally did not dare to take it. This woman was too shrewd! "Hmm, I think it's still better to call you Miss Si Xi."

"Truly a capable man!" Si Xi sighed in her heart. Unexpectedly, a 'traitor' appeared by Kuang Tianyou's side—Ma Tianling. "Daddy, what's wrong with calling me Liqi? Mom won't know, and even if she knows, I can vouch for you! If we call each other closely, it'll be easier to negotiate with Liqi's team, right, Sister Liqi?"

Si Xi nodded with a smile; this girl had such sweet words! Kuang Tianyou was almost infuriated: How could I reveal my secrets?! How could I ever face the world again! "It seems Mr. and Mrs. Kuang are very loving! I really envy you, Liqi." Kuang Tianyou felt dizzy.

Hehe, Kuang Tianyou gave an awkward smile, "Liqi's team, it seems we've gone a bit off topic."

"Indeed, a man who sticks to principles!" Si Xi developed a deeper understanding of Kuang Tianyou. "Alright, back to the main topic. Are you trying to exorcise me?"

"That's right."

"I, Liqi, thank you! But I'm afraid you can't do it! Don't get me wrong, I'm not underestimating you!"

"What's so difficult about it?"

"Because of something I did that brought disgrace to our family, my father became extremely angry and harshly punished me: he hired an old Taoist to perform a posthumous marriage for me—marrying me to a ghost who suffered from venereal disease. This ghost was filthy and disgusting in appearance! And that's not all, the Taoist used charms on my urn, preventing me from being reincarnated! Every day I had to face this ghost, crying all day, feeling utterly humiliated! Do you know? I once resisted and pleaded with that Taoist, but later, using ghostly magic to threaten him, he arrogantly claimed to be a descendent of the Mao family and was never afraid of me, saying he would accept money to eliminate disasters for others, and told me to accept my fate!"

"That damned Taoist Mao, how dare he treat my Sister Liqi this way! Such behavior is truly a disgrace to the ghost-hunting family tradition—I will clean up this mess!" Ma Tianling said with hatred.Kuang Tianyou was also surprised. Aken really spoke the truth: Si Xi Fenqi is truly ruthless! In the future, if there's a chance to deal with him, one really has to be careful.

"It's actually quite strange. Although I married the Fengliu ghost, the Fengliu ghost could never get close to me. Whenever he tried to harm me, he would suffer immensely just upon touching me. Later, he gave up. Afterward, I thought it might be due to that old Taoist having placed some kind of spell on me, preventing that vile ghost from getting near me," Si Xi said.

"That's the only explanation,"

"That's more like it. That old Taoist must still have some humanity," Ma Tianling said.

"Since that lustful ghost was helpless and gradually relaxed his supervision, I took the opportunity to escape. But as a result, I lost my safe place, wandering outside and became a homeless spirit. As for the later events, Mr. Kuang knows them all," she continued.

"Liqi, it seems this matter isn't too troublesome. Don't worry, we can handle it," Kuang Tianyou said. In his heart, he thought: If it really doesn't work, I can have my wife handle the ritual to help with the transcendence—it shouldn't be too difficult.

"Really? Then Liqi thanks you in advance," Si Xi said, a little excited.

"Then, Miss Liqi, will you let us see your esteemed appearance?" Kuang Tianyou asked. It turned out that Si Xi's ghost had always appeared as a mist, not showing her true form.

"Sorry, I forgot," she said. Immediately, a beautiful figure appeared. "Mr. Kuang, I have an uninvited request."

"What is it? Just say it, as long as I can help,"

"Before I am transcended, I want to see my family one more time," Si Xi said.

"This…" Kuang Tianyou really didn't want to deal with Si Xi's old family since they were ruthless. Although he was the Zombie King and feared no mortals, he hesitated. "This is beyond my ability," Kuang Tianyou declined.

"Daddy, help with this, please," Ma Tianling shook Kuang Tianyou's arm. The little rascal valued her idol even more than her parents!

"Mr. Kuang, I beg you. I know you have considerable powers," Si Xi reminded him from time to time.

"This…" Kuang Tianyou understood what Si Xi meant—the scene of breaking in had naturally been witnessed by her, so refusing was no longer feasible. "Alright, I'll try."He seemed a bit suffocated, obviously realizing he was being played by this woman.

"Mr. Kuang, I understand your difficulties." Si Xi knew that Kuang Tianyou didn't want to stir up other troubles; people with some abilities usually prefer to stay hidden and avoid conflicts. She continued: "I just want to earn my family's forgiveness."

"Your family, especially that old Si—your father was so harsh to you, and you still seek their forgiveness?" Ma Tianling said.

"That's right, my family, especially my father, was a bit harsh to me, but while he was alive, he loved me the most. Perhaps I deeply hurt his heart, which is why he did these incomprehensible things. I did indeed make mistakes, and I have no complaints about these punishments. After all, I am his daughter; I don't believe he could forget this familial bond. He will surely forgive his daughter!" Si Xi said emotionally.

"Miss Liqi, you are so sentimental, I, Kuang Tianyou, have nothing to say. Don't worry, since Mr. Si Xi Qianqi still values family ties, this matter won't be difficult to handle."

"Thank you!"

"The yang energy during the day is too strong, Miss Liqi, please be patient. At night, take us to the place where your urn is buried and find a way to remove the curse so you can settle in." Kuang Tianyou said. "Tianling." Kuang Tianyou called.

"Understood," Ma Tianling said. "Sister Liqi, bear with it, and go back into the mirror."

"Okay." As soon as she spoke, Si Xi was absorbed into the demon-receiving mirror. "Receive!" With a command, the barrier disappeared.

"Now let's see your performance," Kuang Tianyou said.

"Daddy, don't worry! I'm going to prepare." Ma Tianling left.

Kuang Tianyou sank deeply into his chair, thinking, envisioning possible future scenarios... "Ding-ling-ling," the phone rang, pulling Kuang Tianyou out of his thoughts. Looking at it, it was his wife. "Hello, you haven't come back for lunch yet, it's already past noon. Sizhene is here too; everyone is waiting for you dinner," came Ma Xiaoling's voice.

"Ah," Kuang Tianyou suddenly realized it was noon, "Coming back right away!" He certainly could not ignore his wife's call!

"Ding-dang," the door opened. "You're back!" Ma Xiaoling hurried to open the door.

"Did you run into some trouble?" Seeing a hint of fatigue on Kuang Tianyou's face, Ma Xiaoling asked with concern.

"No," Kuang Tianyou smiled.Walking further in, she exclaimed, "Wow, so many things!" All kinds—of course, all things used by women. "Xiaoling, have you opened another shop?"

"Senior brother, we hit the jackpot today," Wang Sizhen said excitedly.

"Hit the jackpot? Just don't get into trouble," Kuang Tianyou said, knowing full well that Wang Sizhen was trouble-prone, and he had often ended up taking the blame for her.

"It's true, Tianyou," Ma Xiaoling said. "We'll talk about the details while eating."

The meal lasted quite a long time. Kuang Tianyou listened with great interest and finally asked, "Who exactly is Miss Li?"

"We're not sure either. Judging by appearances, she must come from a wealthy family. Do you know? That Miss Li looks just like someone—it's as if she's that person reincarnated!"

"Like who?"

"Jin Weilai!"

"Ah? That's her! How strange, so many acquaintances from past lives have reincarnated around me. The same goes for Aken in my company, and for Zhenzhen too. What's the connection here? What does this all foreshadow?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, nothing. So, about Si Xi Jun Cai you…