Chapter 120: Harvesting Spirits to Raise Ghosts

I sighed and asked, "Can she be granted passage to the afterlife?"

Xiao Qingwan revealed a hint of regret, and just as she was about to speak, Tu E said, "It is possible."

Xiao Qingwan looked at him in astonishment, but she ultimately said nothing.

Upon reaching a secluded spot, Li Song'er thanked Su Yi, "Thank you for letting me out."

Su Yi nodded awkwardly.

Li Song'er looked at us again, smiling sweetly, "Thank you, thank you."

Tu E began to chant an incantation. Mist began to swirl around Li Song'er, and within the dense fog, a dim, obscure path vaguely appeared behind her.

She waved at us, turned, and set off on the path, walking further and further away until she finally vanished into the mist.

Tu E stopped chanting. The mist dispersed, the dim path vanished with it, and everything returned to normal.

The matter was settled, though it was a pity that the ghosts of the eight girls had already been taken away by Zhang Haozi. I felt a surge of resentment. That damn Zhang Haozi—if I run into him again, I will definitely settle this score!

"Who exactly are you?" Xiao Qingwan stared directly at Tu E, demanding an answer. Her expression was more serious than I had ever seen.

Tu E frowned at her, and for once, he said something that actually made sense: "And you?"

Xiao Qingwan immediately fell silent.

Come to think of it, I had no idea what background Xiao Qingwan came from. Second Master Wei probably knew; at the very least, she knew about her brother.

Xiao Qingwan glanced at Second Master Wei and said nothing more.

A sudden vibration came from my chest. I took out the talisman paper containing Sister Yan from my inner pocket; it was this that was trembling.

I looked at Tu E and asked, "What's going on? Why is it vibrating?"

"I forcibly altered the runes on it, so there is some interference. It would be best to make a new container," Tu E said.

Xiao Qingwan looked at the talisman in my hand: "What is this?"

She reached out and touched the paper. "This thing has a very heavy Yin aura. Did you capture a ghost?"

I gave her a brief explanation of the situation. Upon hearing this, Xiao Qingwan widened her eyes in shock. She looked at Tu E, then back at me, and said with deep concern, "Do you have any idea what you are doing!"

I looked at her, puzzled. "What's wrong?"

She hesitated for a moment, glanced at the others, then pulled me aside and said, "You are raising a ghost!"

"I just want to help Sister Yan," I replied.

She frowned, struggling with how to explain it to me. After a moment of thought, she said, "In principle, a ghost that has been refined cannot be granted passage. If you had captured an ordinary wandering spirit, it wouldn't matter, but this soul is scattered—she has completely lost her consciousness and only obeys commands. Even if she could potentially recover, your actions are still those of a ghost-raiser, and this is not the path of the righteous."

"Regardless, I want to try," I said firmly.

Seeing that her persuasion was ineffective, Xiao Qingwan sighed, "Very well, but make sure your master, Old Ma, doesn't find out. He will never let you off."

Although Old Ma was an unconventional man, he drew a very clear line between right and wrong. Regardless, I had to try. I could not just watch Sister Yan fade away.

"Also, Tu E, be careful," she said, repeating the exact same warning Old Ma had given.

Back at the dormitory, Tu E helped me write a new charm on a blank piece of talisman paper to serve as a container for Sister Yan. He taught me the methods of refining and nourishing her. It wasn't particularly difficult; all things in the world have spirits, and one simply needs to find objects rich in spiritual energy to nourish her. As for what those objects were—ancient peach trees, old lingzhi mushrooms, antique jade, or even a newborn infant (though I would never use that)—he taught me the entire set of methods for drawing spiritual energy to nourish a ghost.

I had originally thought it would involve feeding her blood or consuming other ghosts, so simply finding objects rich in spiritual energy was a relief.

Beyond nourishment, I also needed to help her recover her consciousness, but there was no shortcut for that; it relied entirely on my own intuition. If she failed to recover her consciousness and I forcibly granted her passage, she would only be doomed to a short life in her next incarnation.

With the matter concluded, we left the next day. Xiao Qingwan left in the same direction as us.

As for that guy Zhang Haozi, his whereabouts were unknown; it was said his family had made a single phone call and he had dropped out of school immediately.

In the car, Second Master Wei said to me, "Old Ma wants you to go see him once this is over."

I had originally planned to visit Old Ma, but her tone seemed to carry a deeper meaning.

She gestured toward Tu E and added, "Have him go with you."

The feeling that something was wrong grew even stronger. Why should Tu E go with me?

A thought vaguely occurred to me, and I asked, "Was Old Ma really feeling unwell, which is why he sent you to find me?"

She nodded.

My nerves tightened instantly. Old Ma wasn't just shirking his responsibilities—something had truly happened to him! Second Master Wei having Tu E accompany me meant she must have foreseen something. My trip would likely be dangerous, and it was certainly related to this line of work!

Xiao Qingwan also realized something was off. "I'll go with you, too."

Second Master Wei looked at her and shook her head, signaling her not to go.

Having Tu E follow while stopping Xiao Qingwan meant she was afraid of implicating her, and that this was a situation she couldn't handle.

Thinking of that old woman I met before, "Fourth Aunt," it was quite possible this was related to Old Ma's enemies. Regardless, since I had entered this trade and acknowledged Old Ma as my master, his affairs were my affairs.

A text notification suddenly sounded on my phone. I picked it up to check. It was a message from the bank. When I saw the number, my heart jolted, and the phone nearly slipped from my hand.

I looked at Second Master Wei and smiled bitterly, "Second Master, was this transferred by you?"

She didn't react. Su Feiyong said, "This is the payment for this job."

"How did you know my account number?" Did they always do things before asking?

"Old Master Ma told us. He also set the price. He told me to tell you: don't forget to show your filial piety to him," Su Feiyong said.

That was it! Old Ma knew my account number because of the 150,000 incident earlier! That old man! It turned out the price wasn't set for me; it was a sum he expected me to "pay" him in filial piety!

Second Master Wei dropped us off at the train station. As I got out of the car, Su Feiyong handed me something: "Take this."

It was an ID card—Tu E's! It looked brand new, clearly just made! Good grief! Was this "real" or fake? Did they actually handle forged documents?

"Don't worry, it's 'real.' It will make things easier," Su Feiyong added.

Was this the kind of thing you could just get done on a whim? What exactly was this person's background?

Second Master Wei said, "If you need help, contact me anytime."

Her saying that meant we were truly acquainted now.

The car drove away, and Tu E and I entered the station. Our tickets had already been booked in advance.

As I sat on the train, my heart sank, and my thoughts swirled. What was really going on with Old Ma? I just hoped he would be alright.