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墨書 Inktalez
The old man grew increasingly anxious as he spoke, finally asking if I had time to help resolve the issue. If not, he would go up the mountain to find My Master.
I had initially thought to suggest he seek out My Master, but then I remembered that my master had mentioned during breakfast that he would be visiting the temple in the neighboring town for a few days. I wasn't sure if he would have the time.
I told the old man not to worry and that I would make a call to check.
The reason I was hesitant to take on this matter was twofold: first, I was extremely tired. Second, this area fell under my master's jurisdiction, and I didn't want to encroach on his business, especially since they were somewhat familiar with him. After making the call, my master informed me that he had already left and was rushing to get lunch over there, so he wouldn't be able to handle it. He asked me to take care of it instead.
With my master unavailable, I reluctantly agreed. Since they couldn't summon him back no matter how hard they tried, I suggested we first check on the old man's grandson.
Their home was right by the road. As I entered, the atmosphere felt quite desolate; everyone seemed to know something was amiss and stayed away from the commotion, only chatting amongst themselves outside. Only the child's grandmother came in with me.
The child appeared to be around four or five years old, eyes closed as if asleep, yet mumbling incoherently. After waking him up, he still looked dazed. The first thing he said after blinking at me shocked me: "Brother, don't go."
Hearing those words startled me because just the night before, while searching for souls on the mountain, a child's voice had said the exact same thing to me. The tone sounded almost identical. This made me believe that the soul I detected on the mountain last night was indeed that of this child who had been frightened away. What puzzled me was why this child had fled so far when it was merely a scared soul.
The child's statement startled his grandparents as well. He had been babbling nonsensically until suddenly speaking coherently. The elderly couple rushed over and grabbed my hands, exclaiming, "Young man, he recognizes you! How could he recognize you?"
I awkwardly smiled and replied, "Perhaps he saw me in a dream. Don't worry; I'll bring his soul back. But it can't be done right now; it has to wait until tonight."
The old man nodded and asked, "So what should we do now?"
I said, "I didn't sleep at all last night; I need to rest for a bit. I'll come back tonight to find you." The child's soul being up on the mountain was no ordinary case of being scared away. There must have been some reason for it going up there—perhaps following a Wandering Soul or being driven there by someone else—or maybe that place represented where it subconsciously wanted to go most. In any case, given this situation, traditional methods of summoning souls would be ineffective.
Of course, this wasn't overly complicated; all I needed to do was bring the child's soul back and perform a small Ritual to return it to its body. This situation differed from Liu Bi's sister Mu Xue's case of a Living Soul leaving its body; it was akin to a plastic cup and a glass cup both falling on the ground. The child represented the plastic cup—just pick it up and place it back where it belongs—while Mu Xue represented the glass cup that had shattered; putting it back together would only result in shards of glass.
"Alright then, you go home and rest for now; come back tonight," Old Man Xu said.
As I was leaving, the child's grandmother handed me a Red Envelope and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Little Master." I accepted the Red Envelope and replied, "It's nothing; it's what I'm here for. Tonight I'll first find the frightened soul before coming back. At that time, there shouldn't be too many people at home, and you should also keep your distance. Also, please give me two pieces of clothing that the child has worn recently but hasn't washed yet."
Old Man Xu nodded in agreement. I then asked what the child's name was; after he told me, he finally escorted me out of their home.
Upon returning home, I took a shower and had a meal, then comfortably indulged in a nap. When I woke up, it was nearly dark. After saying goodbye to my parents, I made my way back to the mountain where my master resided. I easily found the spot where I had heard the child's voice the previous night. Taking out my compass, I checked and confirmed that the presence was still there, which immediately put my mind at ease.
I had been worried on my way here because a frightened child's spirit is less likely to linger in the same place. If it had truly left, I would have to resort to other Feng Shui methods to locate it. While those methods could work, they would take a lot of time, meaning I would likely have to forgo sleep that night.
The compass indicated that there was indeed a spirit present in this location, but it couldn't confirm whether it was still the child's spirit. So, I repeated the actions from the previous night, trying to let it know that when I found it, I would turn and leave.
Sure enough, I heard the familiar childlike voice beside me: "Brother, please don't go. Help me."
Hearing this filled me with mixed emotions; I was glad that this spirit was indeed that of the child but worried because it seemed to be asking for help. Had it encountered some trouble?
I turned according to the compass's guidance and approached the boy's spirit. It was located near a massive Pine Tree—so large that I could barely wrap my arms around it.
Spirits that have been frightened away cannot be dealt with using techniques like Calling of Souls or soul collection; direct conversation is also ineffective. They often think they are just playing and do not realize they are spirits now.
So, I remained silent and took out his clothing, waving it lightly in the air. This action required no specialized knowledge; anyone could do it. It was just that ordinary people couldn't find where he was.
As the clothing fluttered, it inexplicably hung in mid-air. I knew that the child's spirit had grasped onto it. Since he had caught hold of the clothing, I could pull him along with me back home.
After walking for over forty minutes, there were times when he couldn't keep up and let go of my grip. A few stray dogs noticed us along the way, forcing me to recite a Dog Repelling Spell while hurrying onward.
By the time we reached his home, it was around eight in the evening. The house was eerily quiet; aside from an elderly person waiting in the Main Hall, there were no other visitors inside. Upon seeing me arrive, the elder promptly entered a nearby room.
Once inside the Main Hall, I began calling out the child's name repeatedly. Each time I called out, I felt a tug on the clothing behind me—his way of responding. After calling out dozens of times, the pulling sensation grew weaker. Sensing that we were close enough, I led him into his own bedroom.
Standing by his bed, I quickly shouted: "xxx is home! xxx is home! xxx is home!" As I called out, I gathered up the clothing in front of me into a ball and then forcefully pressed it against the child's stomach.
He woke up suddenly; previously lost in slumber on his bed, he opened his eyes wide. He was awake now; his spirit had returned.
However, upon waking, he burst into tears and cried out for his grandmother. The elderly couple emerged as soon as they heard their grandchild crying. Seeing him awake filled them with joy as they rushed over to embrace him, tears of excitement welling up in their eyes instantly.
I pulled Old Man Xu out of the door and asked, "Just now, after I found his soul, he asked me to help him. Do you know what that's about?"
"Thank you, young man. If you couldn't help me, I wouldn't know how to explain it to his father. Where did you find him?" Old Man Xu asked.
I told Old Man Xu about the place, and after listening, he lowered his head and fell silent for a moment before saying, "That place is where his mother had her accident. Last year, she took him up the mountain to gather Tree Mushrooms, and she slipped and fell, hitting a tree stump..."
I patted Old Man Xu on the shoulder to stop him from continuing. I understood why the child wanted my help; he lost his mother at that spot. In his subconscious, she disappeared right after falling there. So when his soul was scared away, it instinctively returned to that place, hoping to find his mother again.
After I helped him regain his soul, he wouldn't have the memories of the scared-away soul, so he wouldn't recognize me at all. I couldn't help him untangle that emotional knot. In fact, even if he did recognize me, I still wouldn't be able to help him with it. Some things run deep in one's bones, and at such a young age, he wouldn't even know how to understand it. Perhaps only time could heal him.
Leaving his home, I tightened my coat. The air outside was a bit cold—cold enough to make one forget that warmth still exists in this world. Often, when we complain about our mothers or throw tantrums, we forget that many people have grown up without a mother. Some even don't know what a mother is.
As I got into the car and turned on the engine, I suddenly felt an urge to call out for that child's mother so he could see her one last time. But then I dismissed that thought; I couldn't selfishly disturb his deceased mother or hurt the child again with something so meaningless. Besides, I didn't have time for such things; back home was Mr. Huang, who was seriously injured and waiting for me to return with help. I also wondered how well he was doing with the Oiled Paper Umbrella nourishing his soul and why he was hurt so badly.
This chapter is dedicated to Gong Qianhui's 8888 Iron Coin support for an extra update. That's all for today's update; good night to everyone!
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