The old woman's eyes were blurred, as if she had traveled through time and space and returned to the night when the tragedy occurred.
"She is my only daughter, Hongyao, beautiful and intelligent.
But fate was unfair to her. She fell in love with a man with a family.
This forbidden love affair eventually led to tragedy..."
Listening to the old woman's intermittent narration, we gradually pieced together the sad story.
Hong Hao suffered a lot because of her love. After being abandoned by her lover, she chose to end her life out of despair.
But because of her unresolved emotions, her soul could not leave this world and became a wandering spirit.
Qin Wuyan frowned and said in a deep voice: "This wandering spirit with strong obsessions may cause even greater disasters if it cannot be appeased."
Yuan Ling listened silently, a trace of determination flashed in her eyes.
"We must find Hong Hao's soul and help her untie her knot so that she can leave peacefully."
We decided to take action that night.
The old woman pointed out to us several places that Hongli often visited during his lifetime.
Night fell again and we began a long journey of searching for souls.
In a deserted alley, we felt a strong sense of sadness.
In the distance, we saw the figure of Hong Hao. She was wearing the red dress she loved most during her lifetime, with her long hair disheveled and her steps erratic.
She seemed to be silently expressing her sorrow and resentment.
We approached quietly, but just when we were about to touch her, she suddenly turned around, screamed, and disappeared into the night into a gust of wind.
"Chase!" Qin Wuyan shouted and took the lead in chasing after him.
We walked through the winding alleys and finally caught up with the red lotus in front of a dilapidated temple.
Hongyao stood on the steps of the temple, her face looking distorted and painful in the dim moonlight.
Her eyes were empty and lifeless, as if they had lost all luster of life.
We approached her slowly, every step felt like stepping on fragile ice, for fear of disturbing this painful soul.
Qin Wuyan held a green sword and looked solemn.
He knew that in this situation, any wrong move might arouse Hong Hao's resentment and lead to unpredictable consequences.
I cautiously stretched out my hand to Hongyao: "Hongyao, we are not here to hurt you.
We just want to help you and give your soul rest. "
Hong Hao's eyes slowly turned to me, and a trace of confusion and fear flashed in her eyes.
Suddenly, her body began to tremble violently, as if her inner struggle had reached its peak.
At this time, Yuan Ling began to recite a spell in a low voice.
Her voice is clear and calm, full of power.
With the sound of her spell, the trembling of the red lotus gradually weakened, and her face began to soften.
I continued: "Hongyao, we all know your story.
We can all feel your pain, your unwillingness and sadness.
But being held hostage by resentment and pain will only keep you from ever being able to rest. "
Red tears slowly flowed down her cheeks, and she seemed to be trying to understand my words.
Qin Wuyan stood guard quietly, ready to deal with possible changes at any time.
Suddenly, there was a strange noise from behind the temple.
We turned around and saw a group of black ghosts emerging from the shadows of the temple. Their eyes glowed faintly in the darkness, exuding suffocating malice.
Qin Wuyan immediately waved his sword to block in front of us. The green sword emitted a dazzling light and started a fierce battle with the black shadows.
Yuan Ling also quickly set up a magic circle to prevent other unknown threats.
And I continued to say to Hongyao: "Hongyao, look at these resentful ghosts around you.
You don't want to be like them, do you? You should choose to let go and choose freedom. "
Hong Hao's eyes wandered between me and the fighting around me, her expression full of hesitation and struggle.
Finally, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
When she opened her eyes again, the biting coldness and resentment had disappeared.
She said softly: "Thank you... I think I understand... It's time to leave..."
After saying that, Hong Hao's figure gradually became transparent, and finally turned into a wisp of smoke and dissipated in the air.
As she left, the black ghosts dissipated like smoke, and the temple returned to calm.
The three of us stood in front of the empty temple, feeling the silence after the battle.
Standing in front of the ruins of the temple, Qin Wuyan put away his green sword and sighed deeply: "Another soul has been liberated.
There is so much pain and resentment in this world. "
Yuan Ling nodded slightly, her eyes seemed to go through the darkness and look farther away.
“Every soul has its story, and every story carries different emotions.
All we can do is try our best to help them find peace. "
I stood quietly aside, my heart full of heaviness and emotion.
The story of Red Lotus left a deep impression on me and gave me a deeper understanding of my responsibilities as a Taoist priest.
The three of us took a short rest around the temple, and then walked slowly back to Yuan's house.
In the night, the streets of Dujiang City were quiet, with the occasional barking of dogs breaking the silence of the night.
Back at Yuan's house, we talked briefly in the living room for a while.
Qin Wuyan talked about some of his experiences in Taoism. His stories were both bizarre and full of adventures.
Yuan Ling shared some of her unique insights into Taoism and formations, which benefited me a lot.
During the conversation, I couldn't help but think of Yanshan, which I was about to go to, and all the unknowns and dangers that might be hidden there.
“The trip to Yanshan is bound to be full of hardships and dangers.
We need to be more careful. "I said thoughtfully.
Yuan Ling nodded, "Yanshan is indeed unusual, the atmosphere there is very different from the two realms of Yin and Yang that ordinary people know.
You both need to be well prepared. "
Qin Wuyan smiled slightly and showed a confident expression, "No matter how dangerous Yanshan is, as long as we work together, we will be able to overcome all difficulties."
After the conversation, we each went back to our rooms to rest.
Lying in bed, I thought about tonight's experience, and my heart was filled with mixed emotions.
The story of the red lotus root is like a mirror, reflecting the joys, sorrows, joys, loves, and hatreds of the world.
It was late at night, and the wind outside Dujiang City blew the window lattice, making a slight sound.
I closed my eyes and secretly swore in my heart that no matter how many difficulties and challenges there were ahead, I would face them bravely and live up to my status as a Taoist priest.
Early the next morning, the sun shines through the window lattice into the antique room.
I sat up from the bed, stretched, gathered my thoughts, and got ready to start a new day.
All the experiences last night are still echoing in my mind, but today seems to be another day full of unknowns.
Walking out of the room, I came to the Yuan family's dining room.
There are all kinds of food on the table, and the aroma is fragrant.
