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"So it turns out the lady's surname is Li!" Xing Ruyi smiled slightly and asked, "Then may I ask, what is the surname of Li Xiu Xian's Biological Father?"
"My Biological Father's surname is quite uncommon; he is surnamed Ji. Since he was born into a fishing family, he didn't have a grand name and is simply called Ji Yu."
"That's a very unique surname and an equally unique name." Xing Ruyi lightly tapped the tea bowl, "The Fox Demon has already noted what you and your son seek. However, this exorcism is different from others, and the Fox Demon still needs to think carefully about it."
"Of course!" Li Xiu Xian nodded, "Actually, I originally did not believe in such supernatural matters, but recent events have made me doubt my skepticism. If you can find a solution, that would be best; if not, my mother and I will not force it. We are temporarily residing in my adoptive father's old house. Here is the address; if you come up with a good Method, please send someone to inform us. At that time, my mother and I will visit again."
"You are too polite!" Xing Ruyi said as she stood up to see them off.
On the table, the overturned tea bowl began to make noise. Li Xiu Xian heard it, turned around, and glanced at it in confusion. Meeting Xing Ruyi's smile, he responded with a smile of his own and helped his mother leave.
After watching the mother and son depart, Xing Ruyi turned back to the table and lifted the overturned tea bowl. A dark blue ghostly figure slowly appeared.
"If you are not afraid of disappearing in the sunlight, then feel free to go outside," Xing Ruyi said as she watched the ghost hurry toward the exit. The ghost paused at the door upon hearing her words.
"I'll just call you Boss Ji then. Can you tell me what happened twenty years ago? You should know that I am not looking for Common People; since I can see you, perhaps I can help you."
"Can you really help me?" Ji Yu hesitated, but urgency crept into his voice: "I don't have much time left!"
"I know about the Three Souls and Seven Spirits; you only have one soul left that can remain in this world, relying on your son's bit of yang energy. Even so, your time is at most seven days."
"Miss?" Ji Yu looked at Xing Ruyi in shock.
"What? Did you not expect me to calculate time so accurately?" Xing Ruyi said as she took out a card and waved it in front of Ji Yu. This was a Ghost Card from the underworld; he had seen one twenty years ago when he was on his deathbed.
"You are a Yin Chai? No! You are not!" Ji Yu looked at Xing Ruyi in confusion: "You are human, not a ghost. I have never heard that living people can also be Yin Chai."
"The world is full of wonders; as long as a living person has the ability, what’s so strange about being a Yin Chai?" Xing Ruyi beckoned with her finger, causing Ji Yu to float over involuntarily. Xing Ruyi smiled as she looked at his somewhat blurry features, "Now then, what exactly happened twenty years ago? You should know that you only have seven days left; after that, your last trace of soul will disperse. When that time comes, will you be able to leave without regrets?"
"Twenty years ago," Ji Yu looked up, as if his gaze could penetrate the roof, and his thoughts traversed through time.
Ji Yu clearly remembered that it was a good day; he had woken up early. After bidding farewell to his wife, he took his fishing gear as usual and headed to the riverbank. On the way, he encountered a Taoist priest who told him that his wife was pregnant, but as a father, he would not have the chance to witness the birth of his child. The priest warned him that his fate was dark, and today he would face a calamity.
Such words were unbelievable to Ji Yu, especially since the priest did not seem like a genuine Taoist but rather someone trying to swindle people in the marketplace. He cursed at the priest and continued on to the riverbank.
The Luoyang River was as calm as ever, with fishing boats occasionally passing by, creating gentle rippling sounds. The fishermen's songs echoed; although their tones were ordinary and not particularly melodious, they carried a unique feeling when heard. He walked to the spot where he had cast his net the previous day and scooped it up with his hands, only to find that the fishing net was surprisingly heavy. Ji Yu's heart leaped with joy as he mustered all his strength to pull the net up. However, when he finally saw what was inside the net, all color drained from his face, and he collapsed onto the ground.
"What did you catch? Could it be a corpse?"
Ji Yu shook his head; although his features were unclear, it was evident that he was in a state of shock. It was clear that whatever he had caught back then was extraordinary; otherwise, after twenty years, he would not still feel such lingering fear.
"If it were just a corpse, why would I be afraid?" Ji Yu replied.
"True! You met your wife after the great flood. There must have been corpses everywhere at that time, and being from a fishing family, you must have seen many floating bodies in the river. If it were merely a corpse, it certainly wouldn't have left you so terrified."
Ji Yu nodded: "It wasn't a floating corpse; it was something far more terrifying!"
"What was it?" Xing Ruyi pressed on.
Ji Yu looked up at her and softly uttered two words: "Water Ghost!"
"Water Ghost?" Xing Ruyi was taken aback.
The Water Ghost, also known as Water Tiger or River God, has its origins in the early Warring States period in Ye County of Wei Kingdom. Every rainy season brought floods that often claimed many lives and properties. Local shamans used the excuse of "marrying the River God" to collude with officials for financial gain, requiring sacrifices of young women to please the River God. It wasn't until a new county magistrate named Ximen Bao arrived in Ye County that this superstition was dispelled. Later on, the concept of the River God spread to Japan during the Golden Tang Dynasty and became widely known as Kappa.
Ancient texts like "Underworld Records" also describe this Water Ghost as having a naked human form with varying heights; it possesses eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and lips but wears a basin on its head. It is said to be powerful in water but loses its strength once out of it. This means that the Water Ghost resembles an unclothed person of varying sizes who often lurks underwater; only in water does it become incredibly fierce—once out of water, it is powerless. For fishermen, the existence of Water Ghosts is terrifying; thus, it's easy to understand why Ji Yu was so frightened when he saw what was in his net.
"And then what happened? What did you do?" Xing Ruyi asked again.
"I was very scared, staring at that water ghost for a long time. Later, I realized that the water ghost was dead; it didn't move at all. I don't know where I found the courage, but I stood up and threw the fishing net along with the water ghost back into the river. After that, I lost all desire to fish and hurriedly returned home in a daze."
"You went straight home?"
"Yes, I went home, but on the way, I encountered that Taoist again. He told me that I had a deathly aura and probably wouldn't live until sunset. Although he knew the truth, he couldn't reveal it. While he couldn't help me keep my life, he could tell me a way to continue existing in this world."
"Did you believe him?"
"I was very confused at the time and didn't know whether to believe him or not. The Taoist didn't force me; he just said that if I understood, I should bring three things to find him."
"What things?"
"He gave me a round peace talisman, my hair, and some rice that was being eaten at home."
"I understand the peace talisman, but hair and rice—does he want to perform some kind of ritual?"
Ji Yu nodded slightly: "I suppose so! The Taoist told me that with these three items, he could help seal my soul."
"Seal your soul?" Xing Ruyi thought she had navigated between the realms of life and death for half a year, but this concept of sealing a soul was new to her and felt quite intriguing.
"Sealing a soul means that when a person dies, their spirit is sealed within a designated object, turning that object into a pair of eyes left in the mortal world. The deceased can observe worldly affairs through these eyes and see people, objects, and events they wish to see. However, these eyes cannot move freely; aside from thinking and observing what happens around them, they can only watch helplessly without being able to do anything." A fox appeared out of nowhere, graceful as ever. It walked over to Xing Ruyi, picked her up effortlessly, placed her on its lap, and then glanced lightly at Ji Yu: "A single grain of rice usually signifies one year's time. The amount of rice you bring will determine how much time the Taoist gives you. However, I think there is one thing he definitely didn't make clear to you: to seal a soul, the deceased must offer one soul and one spirit as compensation to the practitioner. Once the sealing time is up for the practitioner, their soul will scatter and disappear forever from this world."
"No! He told me!" Ji Yu countered: "Not only that, but he also warned me that this sealing technique should be used cautiously."
"Oh?" The fox raised an eyebrow: "This sealing technique is not a righteous spell; any practitioner must have their own motives. The one you encountered is indeed rare for having a conscience."
"Do you remember what that Taoist looked like?" Xing Ruyi asked curiously.
Originally, Xing Ruyi asked purely out of curiosity. She did not expect that the Taoist described by Ji Yu resembled someone both she and the fox knew well.
“Moxuyou!” Xing Ruyi couldn't help but utter those three words, while the fox furrowed his brow slightly and remained silent.
“Do you know him, miss?”
“I do, of course I do. He is the old immortal that my fox speaks of, the Taoist who grows younger with age,” Xing Ruyi casually replied. Ji Yu was momentarily taken aback. The fox that Xing Ruyi mentioned was unknown to him, but judging by the situation, it should refer to the handsome young man in white before them. As for the terms “old immortal” and “growing younger,” he couldn’t connect them to that Taoist from years ago. According to the timeline, that Taoist would now be a man in his sixties or seventies; no matter how ethereal he appeared, he had nothing to do with youth.
What Ji Yu thought in his heart, of course, he wouldn’t share with Xing Ruyi. As for Xing Ruyi, after mumbling a few words, she redirected the conversation back to Ji Yu. She asked, “Did you really go home to get rice for Moxuyou?”
Ji Yu nodded, “I didn’t believe it at first, but thinking about that water ghost made me inexplicably anxious.”
“No wonder. When the lady recalled that day, your face didn’t look too good.”
“After experiencing so much in one day, it’s inevitable that my face would look bad.” Ji Yu smiled bitterly and shook his head. “When I got home, I was still in a state of turmoil. I worried whether what that Taoist said was true. If I didn’t survive until sunset, what would happen to my wife and our child? So, I made an excuse to send my wife away and pondered for half a day before taking some hair and rice to find that Taoist.”
“No wonder someone saw you sneaking out of Fish Tavern with something and spun a story about it. They claimed you took all the silver coins from Fish Tavern and eloped with another woman!”
“I didn’t!” Ji Yu hurriedly explained.
“I know you didn’t, because before sunset that day—when Fish Tavern was experiencing high heat—you were already dead!”
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