Zhao Kuo’s facial expression changed. He looked frightened. 

A dark light appeared and cut through the sky. Right after, the small sword in my grandpa’s hand disappeared, and the dark light cut Zhao Kuo’s neck. 

The girl’s head was cut off. It flew away into the distance, with blood spurting several meters high into the sky. 

The bronze sword slipped through her fingers, clanging on the ground. 

A wisp of dark smoke detached itself from the ancient bronze sword. It rose as if it was about to run away, but my grandfather didn’t give it the chance to do so. He took out a small porcelain bottle and aimed it at the dark smoke.

The wisp of dark smoke shook as if it had encountered its archenemy. It rushed back and forth in the air but couldn’t escape my grandfather’s palm. Grandpa opened his eyes wide, and the wisp was eventually sucked into the small bottle. 

At the same time, all the skeleton soldiers in the valley had turned into soulless vessels. They cracked and slumped, with their bones and armor scattering on the ground. 

I thought about taking some belongings from those skeletons to compensate for the trauma I had suffered. However, the skeletons were like ice cubes on the ground. They slowly melted away. 

Zen Master Baimei brought his palms together. “Merciful Buddha.” 

I didn’t know if Zen Master Baimei’s ‘Merciful Buddha’ chants had any real power. Regardless, it made people feel more comfortable. 

Perhaps this Buddhist mantra could free Zhao Kuo’s soul.

Yin Xinyue descended from the mountain flank to the valley. “It’s a pity that the little girl couldn’t make it.” Her voice was gloomy. 

I was reminded that the little girl was dead along with Zhao Kuo. My grandpa had beheaded her body. 

Grandpa strolled toward me with his hands clasped behind his back. “It’s okay. This little girl’s life hasn’t ended yet. I have a solution.”

Then, he asked me to go and pick up her head. 

Although the girl’s head was detached from her body, she was still breathing. When I saw her, I was shocked.

Grandpa squatted and put a talisman into her mouth. He then advised us, “When you head back, get a coffin made from a willow tree. It should be from old willow trees that have been growing for more than thirty years by a river. Attach her head to her body and place her body into the coffin with forty-nine leeches. Then, bury the coffin and wait for three days before unearthing it. She will wake up when the time comes.”

I was puzzled since this method didn’t sound that reliable.

Zen Master Baimei suddenly asked, “Brother Yaoyang are you leaving already?” 

I lifted my head and saw that my grandfather had walked a dozen of meters already. Only the shadow of his back was visible. 

I hurried to call him. “Grandpa? You haven’t seen your granddaughter-in-law yet!”

“I did…” 

I wanted to talk to him more, but my grandpa quickened his pace. 

I rushed after him, but his figure dimmed in the dark. Eventually, he disappeared. 

I felt a little hurt as I looked in his direction, not knowing what to say.  

Later that night, Company Commander Chen let us stay in the watchtower. 

While we stayed in Company Commander Chen’s room, we started to boisterously discuss the ancient bronze sword.

“I can’t believe that an ordinary-looking ancient sword could create such a horrible disaster,” I said.

“A sword is just a dead item. People’s hate triggered the disaster, not the sword,” said Chuyi.

Company Commander Chen didn’t understand our business. However, he had seen the skeletons come back to life with his own eyes. 

“If I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I would never have believed that ghosts really existed in this world.” Company Commander Chen began to sweat. 

“Merciful Buddha.” Zen Master Baimei brought his palms together in front of his chest. “Benefactor Chen, you’d better forget this event.”

“Why is that?” Company Commander Chen was surprised.

“Because our country doesn’t accept superstitious beliefs,” said Zen Master Baimei.

“But there are myriads of skeletons in this valley. There is firm evidence, isn’t there? There’s no way to deny it!” Company Commander Chen wasn’t convinced.

Zen Master Baimei shook his head. “You’re still young. Benefactor Chen, if you don’t believe me, tomorrow, you can send someone to search the valley. But I’m sure you won’t even be able to find half a bone.”

Zen Master Baimei was very direct. At first, Company Commander Chen wasn’t pleased. However, after thinking about the relationship between Zen Master Baimei and the higher-ups, he didn’t dare to comment any further.

The next day at dawn, Company Commander Chen, who wanted to see this through, sent two military trucks with his soldiers to the mountain to unearth the skeletons. 

It was exactly as Zen Master Baimei had told him. They dug the place for three days but found nothing.

The skeleton soldiers that had swarmed us like a rising tide had vanished into thin air. No one knew where they had gone. 

In the end, since the bronze sword was a national treasure, we handed it to a museum in Wuhan City. The curators made it their most important item in the museum and displayed it in the most eye-catching position.  

Although my heart ached, we had no choice. I was just an ordinary antique merchant, and while I could buy antiques, I didn’t dare to touch national treasures. 

I knew this the moment I saw the bronze sword. The task wasn’t going to be profitable, and the risks involved were too great. That was why I didn’t want to accept the mission. 

But in the end, I still became involved in this event. 

After one week, the girl woke up. The cut on her neck had miraculously healed, and she didn’t have any recollection of the event. She said that she had a long dream where she had become a general and was hit by many arrows. 

We all knew she had seen Zhao Kuo’s memory.

The girl’s name was Zhao Lin, and although it was impossible to check if her ancestor was really a fellow of the Zhao state during the Warring States Period, we had enough reason to believe that she was Zhao Kuo’s descendant.

Everybody had a grudge. The only difference was the way they chose to deal with it.

The more one thought about it, the more the flames of hatred in their heart would burn, consuming them.

After the tribulation, brothers would meet and forget all grudges!