Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 157 The Dust-covered Truth (3200 votes plus more)
The cold wind of the first month of the lunar year blew through the ruins of Peach Blossom Spring. The ghost of Liu Ziji told everyone the truth behind "Peach Blossom Spring":

"Tao Yuanming has already told you the previous story. I will start from the time when the fisherman left the Peach Blossom Spring. Although the people there repeatedly warned him not to reveal the secret of the Peach Blossom Spring, and he agreed in person, when he left, the fisherman still made many marks along the way, which shows that he was planning to come back from the beginning."

"In fact, this fisherman has evil intentions and is obsessed with money. At that time, the imperial court had heavy taxes and labor service, so there were many hidden households. In order to increase taxes and population, there was a reward for reporting hidden households."

"Now there are prizes too." Zuan couldn't help but said, "Go on."

"So the fisherman reported the Peach Blossom Spring to the government, and the governor immediately sent troops to follow the fisherman and found the place according to the marks he left. But this village, which was difficult for outsiders to find, had accumulated wealth for hundreds of years, and there were so many young women, which aroused the greed and bestiality of the officers and soldiers." Liu Ziji said with a sad face:
"So they robbed the villagers of their wealth, raped the women in the village, killed all the villagers, and finally burned down the village to cover up the evidence. When they returned, they naturally lied that they had not found the Peach Blossom Spring."

"You don't know, the peach blossoms in the Peach Blossom Spring were originally white, and they turned red after this bloody incident." Other ghosts also cried, "But we also blame ourselves. Our ancestors came here to seek refuge during the Qin Dynasty, and left us a ancestral precept of 'You can only enter, but not leave', which tells us to keep intruders in the valley, and to kill those who really don't want to, and never let them out to reveal the existence of the Peach Blossom Spring."

"We also know this ancestral precept, but we have been safe and sound for hundreds of years, so we became careless and showed our softness. We did not kill the intruder. As a result, we suffered a catastrophic disaster this time. Woohoo, it's really hard to be a good person..."

"Alas..." Ren Yuan and the others sighed and listened to Liu Ziji continue to narrate:
"Not long after, I also found the Peach Blossom Spring, and came to visit it excitedly. Although the fisherman's mark had been deliberately erased, I still found the entrance by following the footprints and ruts left by the army. After entering, I saw the village burned into ruins. Crows were pecking at the charred and rotten corpses on the ground. The whole Peach Blossom Spring turned black and gray."

"I was terrified by the hellish scene and fled in a panic. After returning, I planned to reveal the truth to the world and seek justice for the dead in Taohuayuan. But I was too cowardly and worried about retaliation from the murderer, so I didn't dare to reveal the truth. Mr. Wu Liu asked me the result of my visit. After much hesitation, I chose to lie and said that I didn't find the place."

"Not long after he left, I died of illness due to the condemnation of my conscience!" Liu Ziji said with a bitter smile: "So I am not a noble person at all, but a complete coward. My death is purely my own fault."

"No, if you don't have noble sentiments, you won't feel guilty for not reporting it." The Fifth Dimension shook his head and said, "In fact, I am also a person like you. Fortunately, I have amnesia. I will forget things once they are over and won't keep blaming myself."

"I want to forget, but I just can't." Liu Ziji smiled sadly and said, "Not only can I not forget it when I'm alive, but I'm also trapped in this paradise for a hundred years after I die. This is God's punishment for me."

"God should punish the real murderer, why would he bother with you?" Zuan curled his lips and said, "I think God is blind."

"Because only good people will waste their time among themselves." Ren Yuan said softly.

"That's right, you have to let it go. This is a world where 'killing people and setting fires will get you a golden belt, but building bridges and roads will leave no corpses'. God has died long ago." Chen Baxian also advised.

"I think so too." Even Yang Zhong couldn't help but say, "If God really exists, would he sit back and watch the world in chaos for hundreds of years, and all the Han people in the north would be wiped out?"

"Did you hear what everyone said? So there's no need for you to blame yourself anymore." Nangong also said gently: "In a hundred years, all difficulties should be overcome."

"Thank you for your comfort." Liu Ziji bowed deeply to everyone and said gratefully: "I have told you the truth today. Although it is useless, it can let the world know about the atrocities of the government troops and the tragic experience of Taohuayuan. I can finally be free..."

As he spoke, he bowed again, his figure gradually faded, and his soul completely dissipated in this paradise.

Everyone sighed and saw that the other ghosts were still there. They were all resentful ghosts who died suddenly and had no ability to free themselves.

So Ren Yuan opened an altar and recited the "Great Sutra of the Three Lives to Resolve Grievances" for them, and saved the souls of the dead in the valley, saying:
"Many sentient beings have grievances, and deep grievances are difficult to resolve. Once a grudge is formed, retribution will continue for three lifetimes. I am now spreading a wonderful sutra to resolve all grievances. If you listen to my recitation with a sincere heart, the grievances will be eliminated..."

After chanting sutras for a whole day, the vengeful spirits in the valley were finally freed one after another. They bowed to Ren Yuan one after another, and then they dissipated in the world with ease.

~~
The group left Peach Blossom Spring, went out of the mountain, and walked all the way to the Qin River. Qin River is called a stream, but in fact the water surface is two meters wide and deep enough for boats to sail. Nangong took out a palm-sized wooden boat from the deerskin bag, silently chanted a few spells, and threw it into the water. A three-meter-long sailboat appeared on the shore.

"Let's get on the boat. We can go back to Jiankang by water." She said to Ren Yuan and the other two.

"If you regret it, it's not too late." The Fifth Dimension said to Ren Yuan half-truthfully, "I have a bad memory. I might forget about you when I turn around."

"I appreciate your kindness." Ren Yuan walked straight onto the boat without any hesitation.

A Yao followed closely behind.

"Really? If we were leaving, we should have left early." Chen Baxian also staggered onto the boat.

"Let's go, we can finally go back to Beijing." Zuan patted Yang Zhong's shoulder and said with a smile: "You have been missing your wife for a long time, right?"

"Yeah." Yang Zhong nodded honestly.

~~
When the boat sailed away from the shore and drifted downstream, Ming Gui and his group also appeared.

"Sir, if they take the water route, their route is fixed. It is nothing more than from Yuanjiang River to Dongting Lake and then into the Yangtze River. We can rush ahead to intercept them." The red-striped ghost-faced 螖 suggested in a deep voice.

"Intercept your ass! Haven't you seen the fifth dimension? That's the 'strongest seven orifices in the world', more powerful than many eight orifices. Are we going to walk into its trap?" Lord Zhui said unhappily.

"Then...what should we do with that thing?" Li and others asked hurriedly.

"Let's see. It seems that the court has not yet noticed the existence of that thing, otherwise it would not be the Fifth Dimension who came, but Chen Qingzhi, Xue Dingnan, and Tan Tai Po Lu who came in person." Lord Tu said slowly: "If they go to the capital, we will also go to the capital and keep a close eye on the whereabouts of that woman."

After a pause, he whispered, "Let's wait for the prince to arrive before making a decision."

"The prince has gone south?" The Minggui people were overjoyed when they heard this. "Could it be that the time for revenge has finally come?"

"Yes." Lord Xu nodded heavily and said, "That's right."

"That's great." Mr. Chen also said happily: "When we meet the prince, please ask for a pair of hands and feet for me. I also want revenge!"

"See." Lord Xu rolled his eyes at him unhappily. "If the prince doesn't want your life."

【End of this volume】

(End of this chapter)