Chapter 141: The Lingering Obsession: A New Desire Awakens

Su Mian woke up naturally today.

“Last night’s dream… it was truly outlandish.”

A blush crept onto her face; she couldn’t believe she had dreamt of becoming a mother!

It was utterly preposterous!

Xiao Moyuan was in the midst of preparing breakfast.

After washing up, Su Mian changed into comfortable loungewear and stepped out of the bedroom.

“Good morning.”

Su Mian leaned against the kitchen doorframe, offering her greeting.

Xiao Moyuan turned, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment, as if assessing her state.

“Good morning,” he replied.

“What beautiful dream did you have last night?”

Su Mian paused. “Huh?”

“When I woke up, you were smiling,” Xiao Moyuan explained.

“Wasn’t it a pleasant dream?”

Su Mian’s face flushed. Feeling too embarrassed to reveal the dream, she simply replied, “Uh… I don’t remember.”

****

The day passed slowly.

Su Mian diligently followed Xiao Moyuan’s instructions, completing her final practice sessions.

At three in the afternoon, Su Mian’s phone vibrated. It was a message from Qin Xuan in the club group chat:

[All evidence has been released across every platform. Public opinion has fermented, and with immense pressure from the university, officials have stated they will reopen the Chen Wan case.]

Following this were several news links from various media outlets, each with a more striking headline than the last:

“Thirty-Four Years of Injustice: The Truth Behind the University Girl’s Suicide Emerges”

“Justice Delayed, Not Denied: The Falsely Accused Nineteen-Year-Old Life”

The comment sections had exploded. In just a few hours, there were over a hundred thousand messages:

“Oh my god, thirty-four years… this girl was too pitiful.”

“The university must provide an explanation! Not a single person involved back then should be let off!”

“Justice delayed is still justice. I hope she can finally be cleared.”

“This makes me so sad. She was only nineteen… her life had just begun.”

“To those who gave false testimonies, could you truly sleep soundly for thirty-four years?”

“Share this, let more people see it! She cannot have died in vain!”

Su Mian turned off her phone and closed her eyes.

Emotions churned within her.

Could she still feel it?

Did this vindication, thirty-four years late, still hold any meaning for her?

“It does.”

Xiao Moyuan had approached her from behind, seemingly piercing through her thoughts.

His voice was calm and resolute.

“For a vengeful spirit, the truth coming to light is a crucial step towards liberation.”

He moved to sit opposite Su Mian, his gaze level with hers. “One of her obsessions was her innocence. Now, there’s a chance for that obsession to be resolved.”

Su Mian looked up at him, her eyes questioning. “What about her other obsession?”

“Perhaps her family…”

Xiao Moyuan mused.

“According to the records, her parents passed away early, and both she and her younger brother were raised by their grandmother. This lingering attachment could very well be another reason for her remaining in the human realm.”

He paused, then continued, “Tonight, we will bring both to her—her cleared reputation, and news of her family. If all goes well, her obsessions should be resolved.”

***

By five in the evening, the sky began to turn a soft yellow.

Su Mian changed into clothes suitable for movement.

Xiao Moyuan, as usual, was dressed in black: a black shirt, black trousers, topped with a thin black trench coat.

This attire made his skin appear even fairer, his demeanor colder, like the deepest shadow before nightfall.

The two made their final checks in the living room.

Xiao Moyuan confirmed that all necessary talismans and spiritual artifacts were prepared; Su Mian, meanwhile, repeatedly practiced controlling her demonic energy, ensuring her state was stable.

At precisely eight o’clock, the sky had completely darkened.

“Let’s go.” Xiao Moyuan picked up a black backpack and looked at Su Mian.

Su Mian took a deep breath and nodded.

They left, heading towards the university.

The campus was much quieter than usual. Perhaps influenced by the news, many students had returned to their dorms early, leaving the roads sparsely populated.

At this moment, outside the old teaching building, the others had already arrived.

Qin Xuan, Lu Yang, Xue li, and Hua Liang stood at the edge of the open space. Seeing Su Mian and Xiao Moyuan approach, Qin Xuan nodded.

“Everything is in order. We’ve ensured no students will come over.”

“I also spoke with the school authorities. This area is under maintenance tonight, so no unauthorized personnel will enter.”

His arrangements were as meticulous as ever.

Xue li immediately walked over and took Su Mian’s hand. “Mian Mian, are you nervous?”

Ever since the morning incident, Xue li had developed a subtle dependence and closeness towards Su Mian. Her eyes were now filled with concern.

“A little,” Su Mian admitted honestly.

“Don’t be afraid,” Xue li said earnestly, squeezing her hand. “We’re all here. And…”

She lowered her voice, glancing towards Xiao Moyuan. “Xiao Moyuan is here; he definitely won’t let anything happen to you.”

Su Mian nodded, feeling a little warmer inside.

She looked at the others—Lu Yang, though feigning composure, betrayed his nervousness with his incessant finger-rubbing; Hua Liang, on the other hand, seemed as calm as ever.

Qin Xuan stared down at his phone, his fingers rapidly scrolling, clearly monitoring the further development of public opinion.

Xiao Moyuan did not participate in these interactions. He walked directly to the center of the clearing, beginning to inspect the barrier.

His fingers traced invisible lines in the air, sensing the flow of spiritual energy.

A moment later, he spoke. “We can begin.”

Time ticked by, second by second.

The night sky deepened, sparse stars flickered on, then were slowly obscured by gathering clouds.

A breeze began to stir, at first a gentle wind carrying the coolness of an early summer night, but gradually, an unusual chill became intertwined within it.

By half past nine, all preparations were complete.

Xiao Moyuan used the barrier to completely envelop the entire clearing.

From the outside, it appeared to be just an ordinary open space; even patrolling security guards would pass by without noticing anything unusual.

However, within the barrier, a sealed spiritual field had already formed.

The formation was set up in the center of the clearing.

Seven key nodes held specially made talismans, forming a complex Seven-Star layout with Su Mian’s position at the eye of the formation as its center.

Xiao Moyuan gestured for Su Mian to stand at the formation’s eye.

Su Mian walked over and took her place.

The ground beneath her feet felt faintly warm, and she could sense the power flowing through the formation—Xiao Moyuan’s spiritual energy, pure and potent, resonating subtly with her demonic energy.

She closed her eyes, adjusted her breathing, and allowed her demonic energy to circulate steadily within her, ready to respond to the formation’s call at any moment.

Xiao Moyuan stood at the edge of the formation, maintaining a three-meter distance from her.

This distance would not interfere with the formation’s operation and also allowed him to intervene immediately should anything unexpected occur.

His figure almost melded with the darkness of the night, only his eyes glowing astonishingly bright in the gloom.

Xiao Moyuan looked at Su Mian, his voice clear in the silent barrier.

“At precisely eleven o’clock, I will activate the formation to enhance your connection with the spirit world. You need to concentrate, use your demonic energy to communicate with Chen Wan, and simultaneously present the evidence—the videos, the reports, and her brother’s words.”

He paused, his gaze sharp as a blade. “Remember, make her feel sincerity, not pity. Vengeful spirits are extremely sensitive to emotions; any pretense or charity will be counterproductive.”

“I understand.”

Su Mian clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms, the pain keeping her clear-headed.

The clouds in the night sky had completely obscured the stars and moon, leaving the world in darkness, with only the faint glow of the talismans within the barrier providing illumination.

The temperature inside the barrier noticeably dropped; Su Mian could see her own breath.

She began to summon her demonic energy, which swirled around her like a thin mist.

After intertwining with Xiao Moyuan’s spiritual energy, her control over her demonic power had become incredibly precise.

At ten fifty.

Xiao Moyuan began to chant an incantation.

The formation responded in kind; the talismans at the seven nodes simultaneously lit up, their vermilion runes seemingly coming alive, projecting complex patterns of light and shadow into the air.

Su Mian felt a powerful pull emanating from the center of the formation, as if something was tugging at her consciousness, attempting to draw her into another dimension.

She steadied her mind, and following Xiao Moyuan’s guidance, she began to use her demonic energy to construct a channel for communicating with Chen Wan.

The seven talismans simultaneously ignited with blue flames. The flames, rather than being hot, were cold, emitting a faint, eerie glow.

The formation’s light intensified, and seven beams of light shot skyward, intertwining in the night sky to form a massive net of light.

At the center of this light net was Su Mian’s position.

Su Mian felt a torrent of information flood her consciousness. She opened her eyes, concentrating all her spirit, and softly called out, “Chen Wan.”

“Senior Sister Chen Wan…”

“I have something to tell you…”

A bone-chilling aura rose from deep within the earth, gradually permeating the entire barrier.

Su Mian could feel that something was awakening.

She continued to call out, simultaneously taking out Chen Wan’s brother’s video device from her embrace and pressing play.

On the screen, the middle-aged man began to speak, his voice warm and full of nostalgia:

“Sister, it’s Xiaoyong… Thirty-four years, I’ve thought of you every day…”

The chilling aura suddenly thickened.

Gradually, a bloated figure materialized from the void.

First a blurry outline, then details: long hair, an old-fashioned school uniform, a pale face, hollow eyes…

Chen Wan’s vengeful spirit had appeared.

Her form flickered, sometimes clear as a living person, other times transparent as mist.

Her face was ashen, her eyes empty and lifeless, like two bottomless black holes.

But what was most unsettling was the aura she emitted—despair, chilling cold, evoking profound sadness.

Su Mian’s heart pounded, blood rushing to her head, then quickly cooling.

She forced herself to remain calm, continuing to play the video, while also displaying the news pages on her phone, those reports about the truth of the Chen Wan case scrolling across the screen.

She channeled her demonic energy, building a bridge of communication between herself and Chen Wan.

“Senior Sister Chen Wan, look…”

Su Mian’s voice, transmitted through her demonic energy, reached the vengeful spirit’s consciousness directly. “The truth has come out… Everyone knows you’re innocent now… The person who framed you, and those who covered up the truth, have all been punished…”

She conveyed the news headlines, the comments, and the official responses directly to Chen Wan through the spiritual connection forged by her demonic energy.

This was not merely a display, but an act of making the other party ‘feel’ society’s reaction to the event.

The vengeful spirit slowly lowered her head, looking at the invisible stream of information.

Her form trembled slightly, and in her hollow eyes, something seemed to waver.

In those long thirty-four years, it was the first time she had ‘heard’ the world declare her innocent.

Su Mian felt a massive drain on her demonic energy.

Establishing a stable spiritual connection with a special-grade vengeful spirit consumed immense energy with every passing second.

She gritted her teeth, cold sweat beading on her forehead, but her actions did not falter.

She switched to Chen Wan’s brother’s video.

On the screen, the man held his young daughter, tears welling in his eyes.

“Sister, look, this is my daughter… I named her Nianwan, ‘Nian’ for remembrance, ‘Wan’ from Chen Wan. She’s six this year, very well-behaved, very much like you when you were little…”

“I often think, if you were still here, you’d surely be a wonderful aunt. You’d teach her to read, play with her… You’d watch her grow up, get married, have children…”

“Sister, my biggest regret is that you couldn’t see my happiness…

But I’ll always remember your kindness, remember how you saved your breakfast money to buy me pencils, remember you staying up late to review homework with me… These memories have sustained me through all these years…”

The vengeful spirit’s form began to destabilize, fluctuating violently between clarity and blurriness.

Hua Liang’s expression turned grave. He said to Xiao Moyuan, “She’s struggling… good thoughts and resentment are clashing… those warm memories are awakening her human side, but thirty-four years of hatred won’t easily recede…”

“…”

Xiao Moyuan did not reply, his hands forming seals, ready to intervene at any moment.

His eyes were fixed on Su Mian, and even more intently on every change in Chen Wan.

Su Mian felt the vengeful spirit’s pain and struggle.

On one side was her longing for family and her desire for innocence; on the other, her resentment towards injustice.

Thirty-four years of accumulation could not be resolved with just a few words.

She knew she had to do something to break this stalemate.

Gritting her teeth, Su Mian made a bold decision—she took a step forward, moving beyond the protective range of the formation’s eye.

“Su Mian!” Qin Xuan exclaimed, his voice filled with shock.

But Xiao Moyuan raised a hand to stop him, his gaze firmly locked on Su Mian’s back.

He did not move, but his spiritual energy was taut as a bowstring, ready to be unleashed at any moment.

Su Mian was now completely exposed to the vengeful spirit.

Without the direct protection of the formation, if Chen Wan were to lose control, she could harm Su Mian instantly.

But Su Mian trusted her intuition—at this moment, Chen Wan was struggling on the precipice of her humanity, needing a sincere touch, not another defensive posture.

She looked directly into the vengeful spirit’s hollow eyes. Demonic energy flowed between them, establishing a deeper spiritual connection.

Through this connection, Su Mian no longer merely transmitted information; she began to share her own feelings—not pity, but empathy.

“Senior Sister, I know you’re in so much pain… so much pain…”

Su Mian’s voice trembled slightly. “Dying alone in despair… these pains are real, and you have every right to be angry, every right to resent…”

The vengeful spirit’s form solidified. Those hollow eyes seemed to ‘look’ at Su Mian; though still unfocused, her attention was completely drawn in.

“But,” Su Mian’s eyes welled with tears, “there are still people waiting for you… Your brother, he never forgot you. He said he often sees you in his dreams, still nineteen, smiling at him, telling him to study hard…”

“Senior Sister, thirty-four years… it’s time to let go. Not to forgive those who hurt you—they don’t deserve forgiveness—but for yourself… to be free from this endless suffering.”

The vengeful spirit began to tremble violently.

She slowly raised her hand, that pale, transparent hand, trembling as it reached towards the device in Su Mian’s grasp.

On the screen, Chen Wan’s brother held his daughter, smiling warmly and contentedly. Though his smile bore the marks of time, it remained as pure as ever.

“Bro… brother…” A hoarse voice, as if unused for years, echoed.

Su Mian held her breath, her heart pounding like a drum.

The vengeful spirit’s form began to change.

The bloodstains on her uniform gradually faded, restoring it to its original blue and white.

Her pale complexion regained a touch of color; though still transparent, she no longer looked so lifeless.

Most astonishingly, her eyes—those hollow black holes—once again held a faint light, a radiance belonging to a ‘person.’

She looked at her brother in the video, and a smile, incredibly slow, curved her lips upwards.

It was the genuine, warm smile of a nineteen-year-old girl seeing her beloved brother happy.

“Good… good…”

She murmured, her voice still fragmented but now imbued with emotional fluctuations. “Xiaoyong… has grown up… that’s truly good…”

Then, she turned to Su Mian, gazing deeply at her.

That look was complex and inexpressible—containing gratitude, relief, liberation, and a profound weariness spanning thirty-four years.

“Thank you…” she said.

As her words faded, the vengeful spirit’s form began to dissipate, gradually transforming into countless points of light.

These light points, tiny as dust and sparkling like stars, emitted a soft white glow as they slowly ascended into the night sky.

Wherever the light points passed, the chilling aura vanished completely.

It was over.

Chen Wan’s vengeful spirit was finally liberated.

Su Mian’s legs gave out, and her body swayed forward.

The continuous drain of demonic energy and intense mental concentration left her almost completely exhausted.

But before she could fall, a pair of hands caught her just in time.

It was Xiao Moyuan.

He had instantly appeared beside her from three meters away, his movements so swift they left only an afterimage in the air.

He said nothing, simply supporting her, allowing her to lean against him.

Su Mian could feel the rise and fall of his chest, hear his steady heartbeat, and smell the distinct scent of cedar.

Leaning into Xiao Moyuan’s embrace, Su Mian felt an unprecedented fatigue, yet her heart was filled with a light joy.

“You worked hard,” Xiao Moyuan whispered, his voice carrying a rare tenderness.

His hand gently stroked her back, and a trace of warm spiritual energy flowed into her, alleviating the emptiness caused by the depletion of her demonic power.

Su Mian shook her head, wanting to speak, but found she didn’t even have the strength to form words.

She could only grip Xiao Moyuan’s arm tightly, steadying herself against him.

Xiao Moyuan checked her condition, his brow furrowing slightly before quickly relaxing.

“Your demonic energy is heavily depleted, but there’s no serious harm. Just get some good rest and replenish your nutrients when we get back.”

He turned to the others, his voice returning to its usual calm. “That’s all for tonight. Everyone worked hard; go get some rest.”

Everyone felt a sense of relief.

Lu Yang directly collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily without any regard for his image. “Oh my god… I was so scared… I thought something terrible was going to happen… Su Mian, when you took that last step out, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest…”

The atmosphere lightened.

Everyone began to pack up the site.

Lu Yang got up from the ground, dusted off his trousers, and looking in the direction where Chen Wan had vanished, he suddenly remarked with emotion,

“But speaking of which, Chen Wan was quite pretty. So young, and she never even experienced love. What a pity.”

His lament was unintentional, a casual remark made after the tension had passed.

Normally, such words would be spoken and forgotten, unnoticed by anyone.

But this moment was different.

At this moment, Chen Wan’s spirit body had just been liberated, and her consciousness had not yet fully dissipated.

More importantly, Lu Yang’s words had struck a deeply buried chord.

The instant his words fell, an anomaly occurred.

The night sky, which had returned to calm, suddenly darkened once more.

Those points of light that had ascended and dissipated seemed to be drawn by an unseen force, abruptly reconverging from all directions!

Chen Wan.

She had returned.

But this time, she was different from before.

She no longer wore the blood-stained school uniform, but a clean, ordinary dress;

Her face was no longer pale as paper, but held the rosy hue of a young girl;

The emptiness in her eyes was replaced by a deep sorrow…

Yet, the spiritual pressure emanating from her remained at the level of a special-grade vengeful spirit.

“It’s true… I never experienced love…”

Chen Wan’s voice echoed faintly in the night sky, carrying the clear tone unique to a young girl, but steeped in heart-wrenching sorrow. “I never got to experience the joy of love… like a normal girl…”

Terrifying pressure descended once more, even more tumultuous than before!

“Step back!”

Hua Liang was the first to react, pulling Xue liu back in a hasty retreat.

Xiao Moyuan instantly shielded Su Mian behind him, three golden talismans already appearing in his hand.

Lu Yang’s eyes widened, completely bewildered. “What… what’s happening?”

“Didn’t Chen Wan’s resentment dissipate?”

“Wasn’t she liberated?”

Hua Liang, while forming hand seals to resist the spiritual pressure, quickly analyzed, “Originally, with her obsession gone, Chen Wan truly was liberated to enter reincarnation. But…”

He glanced at Lu Yang, his eyes complex. “Clearly, your words just now provoked her. They created a new obsession!”

“A new obsession?”

Lu Yang’s face was filled with disbelief. “No way… I just made a couple of casual remarks! That can’t trigger a new obsession, can it?”

Xiao Moyuan’s calm voice rang out. “It must be. It’s also possible… that all along, Chen Wan had three obsessions: her innocence, her family, and…” He looked at the sorrowful spirit in the air, “…the desire to experience love like an ordinary girl.”

“Nineteen is precisely the age when one is full of aspirations for love,” Qin Xuan interjected.

“And her life abruptly ended that year.”

“This unfulfilled desire likely remained hidden deep within her consciousness, merely overshadowed by stronger resentment.”

He suddenly thought of something and added, “Right, a few nights ago when we were setting up the formation, any mention of topics related to dating or love would cause abnormal fluctuations in the otherwise stable barrier. Now it seems…”

Lu Yang’s face went pale. “Then… what do we do?”

“She’s already dead; how can this obsession be resolved?”

“I can’t possibly…”

He suddenly choked, an absurd thought flashing through his mind.

Hua Liang shot him a glance, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness. “If you hadn’t said those last few words, perhaps this would have been resolved. But now…”

Lu Yang’s face was rigid, and he looked around.

This time, everyone’s eyes were unified, conveying only one message:

‘What else?’

‘If not you, then who?’

Lu Yang was dumbfounded, stammering, “Then… then what do we do?! I can’t possibly… I can’t possibly go and date Chen Wan to fulfill her wish, can I?”

The last sentence was merely a frantic, off-the-cuff remark, an utterly absurd hypothesis.

But after saying it, he himself froze—because it actually sounded… somewhat logical?

Xiao Moyuan then turned his head, looking at him seriously for three seconds, before calmly saying, “It’s good that you have that awareness.”

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