Yu's voice fell silent, the image in the painting flickered. A faint figure of a woman dressed in ancient attire emerged from the painting; now looking at it, it appeared lifeless and devoid of vital...Chapter 78 Preparing for the Trip to the Capital (Please Give Recommendations and Add to Favorites)
Xiao Yu took down the talisman placed on Wan Jiayi's forehead, folded it up, and put it in his bag.
"Little Brother Xiao, what’s the situation When can Jiayi regain consciousness" Upon seeing Xiao Yu putting away the talisman, Wan Hongguang hurriedly asked.
Song Hushan, Song Hualing, and Zhou Ruoying all looked at Xiao Yu with anxious expressions, hoping to hear good news from him.
Xiao Yu shook his head without saying a word. He had been pondering where Wan Jiayi's soul might have gone and where it could be lost, but after thinking for a long time, he still didn't find any clues.
"Xu, you’re so capable, you must have a way to deal with this, right" Seeing Xiao Yu shake his head, Zhou Ruoying anxiously said.
Xiao Yu thought hard but couldn’t come up with better solutions. If he had enough primordial energy, using the Soul Binding Book would indeed bring Wan Jiayi's soul back, yet when he could use it was uncertain. If anything unexpected happened during that period...
The only remaining solution was to search in places she often visited or liked.
Xiao Yu looked at Song Hushan and the others seriously and said, "I hope no one outside of us will know about this matter; please keep it a secret!"
"Rest assured, Little Brother Xiao, we won’t tell anyone else. I pledge with my family's reputation to keep it a secret!" Wan Hongguang and the others exchanged glances, and Song Hushan spoke on behalf of everyone, swearing an oath.
Xiao Yu nodded. Since he obtained Zhong Kui’s lineage, he had never claimed himself as a Celestial Master nor met any peers in his path. He didn’t know if there were still people like him in the current society, so he wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble.
"Jia Yi should currently be in a state where her soul is missing. There’s no better way to address this situation, so we can only search the places she frequently visits and loves to go to, hoping to find her."
Xiao Yu said this after seeing their agreement. In fact, Xiao Yu had already revived Wan Jia Yi, which would have allowed him to stop worrying about it; however, he couldn't bring himself to do so.
Hearing that Jia Yi's soul was missing, Song Hushan and the others were momentarily stunned before they felt a shock. Although they witnessed Xiao Yu’s miraculous act of drawing talismans, when he mentioned that Jia Yi's soul had disappeared, they still found it hard to believe. Do people truly have souls Would that mean that the existence of ghosts and deities is real If such entities exist, what would they amount to
Xiao Yu seemed to understand their thoughts and said, "There are no longer any ghosts or deities in this era, and a person's soul remains within them as long as they are not dead."
What he didn’t mention was that if they encountered someone skilled in arcane arts like himself, it would be possible to rectify the situation. Of course, Xiao Yu wouldn't say so to avoid causing panic.
Song Hushan and the others felt slightly relieved upon hearing this. After all, no one wanted a ghost or deity hovering over their heads. Suddenly, they thought about what Xiao Yu said: if a person isn’t dead, their soul won’t leave them. So why is Jia Yi in such a state
"Brother Xiao, then how come Jia Yi is like this" Song Hushan asked after recalling Xiao Yu's words.
"I estimate that Jia Yi’s situation was an accident. At the time, she was on the verge of death and her soul had already left her body. After being revived, her soul didn't return to its physical form and is now unknown where it might be. The most likely places are those she frequently visits or likes."
Xiao Yu said slowly after pondering for a moment, as he believed this was the most probable scenario given Jia Yi’s current situation.
"The places she frequents and likes are all in Beijing. When do we leave" Song Hualing thought for a while. Although it seemed unbelievable, she had also seen the extraordinary phenomena when Xiao Yu drew talismans, making her unable to disbelieve him further. Moreover, Xiao Yu treated Old Zhong free of charge and so did he with his daughter; thus, she believed he was unlikely to be an impostor trying to deceive them.
Xiao Yu felt that the possibility in Beijing was the greatest because Jia Yi had sustained her injury there, meaning her soul left its body in Beijing. Furthermore, a person’s soul mainly consists of yin energy, so it generally wouldn’t manifest during the day when yang energy is abundant but would appear at night when yin energy is dense.
Ji Yi's soul is a new spirit, extremely afraid of yang energy and can only emerge at night. Therefore, she likely wouldn't leave the capital city. Moreover, the souls of living people usually go to places they loved or frequented in life where their aura remains; instinctively feeling safer there.
"I'll go back and prepare. We should set off this afternoon and arrive in the capital before dark. That's the best time to find a wandering soul!" Xiao Yusheng, along with Wan Hongguang and Song Huashan, looked at him urgently. After brief contemplation, he said.
"Alright then, we'll all go back and pack up. Little Brother Xiao, shall I pick you up from the hotel in two hours" Wan Hongguang nodded and replied.
After speaking, Xiao Yusheng walked out. Just before leaving, he turned around to remember a question and said to Wan Hongguang and Song Huashan: "Brother Wan, take Ji Yi with you when you leave. If we find her soul, the earlier it enters her body, the better!"
"Alright, alright, we'll get her ready right away!" Song Huashan responded hurriedly.
"Yusheng, is Ji Yi's body okay" Wan Hongguang and Song Huashan were so startled by their daughter losing her soul that they forgot to ask about her physical well-being until Zhou Ruoying asked.
Hearing Zhou Ruoying’s question, everyone listened attentively as it was critical for Ji Yi’s body not to have any issues if the wandering soul hadn't been found yet.
"No worries. Ji Yi's body is very healthy now, just like a normal person!" Xiao Yusheng smiled and said, satisfied that he had healed Wan Jiayi without using the Yin-Yang Life-Death Eye, which would be too heavy a burden for him at this stage.
"That’s good..." Upon hearing his words, everyone let out a long sigh of relief.
Back in the hotel, Xiao Yusheng took out the remaining cinnabar and yellow paper. After using one-third of his energy to draw a talisman at the hospital earlier, he had planned to draw more but refrained due to the crowded environment. He mixed the cinnabar with warm water, picked up his brush, calmed himself down, and started writing carefully. Currently, he mainly drew exorcism talismans and evil-exterminating talismans, which were simple yet practical.
Less than half an hour later, Xiao Yu had completed four spirit-calling talismans and four evil-exterminating talismans. Checking his essence energy levels, he found that only half of his essence energy was consumed after drawing eight talismans. Satisfied with this efficiency, he smiled and realized once again that paper talismans were the most practical option despite their reduced power compared to jade talismans. The spirit-calling talismans could still be used for over three months, while the one-time use evil-exterminating talisman did not cause him any concern, as quality was compensated by quantity.
Seeing that there was still plenty of time left on his watch, Xiao Yu crossed-legged and meditated to recover the essence energy he had expended in drawing the talismans.
At 11:30 AM, a knock on the door interrupted Xiao Yu’s meditation. Two hours had passed exactly according to his watch. Upon opening the door, Song Hushan was standing outside with an anxious look on his face.
"Brother Xiao, how is it Can we leave now"
“Mm-hmm, let’s go.” Xiao Yu picked up his backpack and followed Song Hushan downstairs.
A government-licensed sedan was parked in front of the building. After letting Xiao Yu get into the car, Song Hushan also got in.
Behind them, Song Hualing and Zhou Ruoying sat on either side of Wan Jiayi, each holding her hand. Their eyes were red from crying.
Wan Jiayi still looked as blank and lifeless as before; she stared at the backrest without blinking.
Wan Hongguang, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, turned around to see Xiao Yu getting into the car. He forced a smile that was worse than crying and nodded his head towards Xiao Yu. "Brother Xiao, I’m truly sorry for troubling you."
Xiao Yu waved dismissively at him as he replied calmly, “Eldest Brother Wan, there’s no need to be so polite. Whoever it is, if they do not violate my principles, once I see them in trouble, I would never stand idly by!”
The driver was the same man who drove Wan Hongguang; a young man of around twenty-five or twenty-six with a crew cut. He gave off an impression of being sharp and robust, exuding a faint aura of malevolence as he stared straight ahead.
Author's Note: I am at work today, this chapter was written last night, the next one will be delayed because I have to stay late for work, but it will definitely be updated tonight regardless of what time it is. Manjiang picked up a bottle and poured a full glass, holding it up towards Xiao Yu as he spoke. He then downed the entire glass without pausing; his actions also carried an implicit apology for his e...