Chapter 4 — Obsession at the Banks of Reincarnation

Lord Yama! I beg you to show mercy and allow me to see my daughter one last time!

Yama let out a cold, mocking laugh.

Your daughter?

Are you referring to the biological daughter who has already gone to reincarnate, or the imposter who was just dragged down into the Avici hell?

Hearing this, the mother s face instantly turned as pale as a sheet. Quy Duong hurriedly stepped forward.

My Lord, we have a favor to ask of you.

Mong Mong has a great kindness toward the Quy family; we simply cannot stand by and watch her suffer such torment.

The father nodded as well, speaking in a hurried, desperate tone.

That is right, we are not asking you to pardon her crimes.

If it is possible, the three of us are willing to bear her punishment in her stead. Please, open your heart and show mercy!

Yama gazed down at the three mortals before him, the corners of his mouth twitching into a cynical smirk.

A kindness, you say?

Then tell me, what kindness has she ever shown you?

As those words fell, the great hall plunged into a heavy silence. The father remained quiet for a long time before finally speaking in a slow, halting voice.

When the fire broke out, the gas line in the house leaked. Mong Mong carried both of us out to the living room all by herself.

Before I died, I even saw Mong Mong desperately pounding on the door, crying out for someone to help us.

But the flames were too fierce, her frantic pleas swallowed by the roaring blaze. In the end, we still failed to save her.

Yama laughed again.

Is that all?

The father started in surprise, then hurriedly added.

I do not say these things to beg for her absolution, but simply to show that her true nature was kind.

Yin Yin may have harmed Mong Mong at times, but she never intended to take her life.

I beg you, show mercy and let us suffer her punishment!

Yin stared at him, the mockery in his eyes growing even deeper.

Since you are so persistent, I shall let you see for yourselves.

What kind of person your so-called kind and adopted daughter truly is!

With a fierce wave of his hand, the Mirror of Retrospection in the center of the hall suddenly blazed with light. A column of radiance shot straight up into the dome, and images began to ripple across its ancient surface. Scene after scene from the days before Quy Mong was brought home played out before them. Back then, the family of four lived in harmony and joy, completely free of the endless, bitter quarrels and biting misunderstandings that later consumed them. Then, the scene shifted, and Quy Mong was welcomed into the household. Before their eyes, Quy Mong was forever fragile and pitiful, but whenever she faced Quy Yin Yin, she was like an entirely different person. When Quy Yin Yin was tied up and dragged into the traffickers' vehicle, Quy Mong s cold voice echoed through the grand hall from a mobile phone speaker.

Either sell her deep into the mountains so she can never return, or throw her into the black market and make her vanish completely!

She has no right to live; her existence only stands in my way!

As long as Quy Yin Yin is dead, I will be the sole young mistress of the Quy family!

The voice faded, and the images on the Mirror of Retrospection winked out. The hall fell into a terrifying, suffocating quiet. The faces of the parents turned ghastly, clutching their chests as they struggled for breath. Quy Duong s face was as white as paper, his lips trembling endlessly without a single word escaping them. Yama looked coldly at the three frozen figures, his voice piercingly chill.

Well?

Viewing things from her perspective, how do you feel now?

Do you still believe your adopted daughter was the pitiful one?

Quy Duong s face was drained of all color as he shook his head in absolute disbelief.

This... how is this possible?

Yin Yin s death was truly caused by her?

Yama gave a chilling laugh.

Even with the truth laid bare before your eyes, you still refuse to believe that Quy Mong was merely acting out a performance right in front of you?

At this, he let out a bitter, self-deprecating chuckle, murmuring softly to himself.

I suppose I only have myself to blame for being so blind back then, mistakenly believing that you would provide a safe haven for her.

If I had known Yin Er would have to endure such profound suffering, how could I have ever allowed her to reincarnate as your child?

Hearing this, Quy Duong raised his head in a daze.

What did you just say?

Yin, however, did not continue, merely casting a detached glance in his direction.

Nothing at all.

I know where Quy Yin Yin is, and I can take you to see her.

The eyes of the three mortals lit up instantly, but Yin went on without pause.

Her time here has ended, and she has already departed for reincarnation.

As for the three of you, you must still pay the karmic debts of your past lives here in the underworld; your time has not yet come.

The mother suddenly shrieked, her face a mask of frantic disbelief.

That is impossible!

How could Yin Yin abandon us? Didn't she stay behind to work in the underworld precisely to wait for us?

Yama chuckled once more.

Wait for you? On what grounds should she ever wait for you?

When she was falsely accused, where were you? When she died, what were you doing?

The mother s hands instantly withdrew, trembling. Yin pulled back his gaze, speaking with biting irony.

Do you regret it now? When you abandoned her, why didn't you ever think of regretting it then?

The father s lips moved a few times before he managed a weak, halting excuse.

We... we had our own unspeakable hardships...

Hardships?

Yin finally turned his head to fix his gaze squarely upon him.

What possible hardship could ever justify treating your own flesh and blood with such vicious cruelty?

The father s expression froze instantly, robbing him of any further words. Yin withdrew his gaze once more, speaking in a low tone.

If you wish to see her just once, I can make an exception and break the rules.

But at the same time, you must pay the corresponding price for such a privilege.