Chapter 85: Offending the Spirits

Mei Xiaotong began to sob, speaking anxiously, “She was fine before—how could things have turned out like this? Does the hospital truly see nothing?”

“I’ve already taken her to three different hospitals. If I had any other option, I wouldn’t be resorting to this.” Inside Zheng Xiao’s room, Zheng Lanxuan’s tone softened considerably.

He gestured to Mr. Zhuo. “Please, take a look at her and tell us what’s going on.”

Mr. Zhuo sat beside the bed, placed his hand on Zheng Xiao’s forehead, and then said, “She is shrouded in yin energy, her yang energy is ebbing, the symptoms are strange—medicine is powerless. She has offended a spirit or ghost!”

Though Bu Xuanxuan and her two companions did not believe in ghosts or gods, at this moment they all turned their eyes toward Mr. Zhuo.

“How can we save her?” Zheng Lanxuan asked.

Mr. Zhuo sighed, shook his head, and stood, looking at Zheng Lanxuan with an expression that revealed his difficulty, hesitating as if he wanted to speak but could not, sighing repeatedly and shaking his head.

“Speak plainly,” Zheng Lanxuan said.

Mr. Zhuo sighed again. “If you had come to me earlier, this could have been resolved easily. Now, after such a long delay, the yin has seeped into her bones and damaged her very life force—it’s no longer a simple matter of exorcising evil.”

He’s about to raise his price. Whether the matter is truly so difficult, I don’t know, but according to his price list, exorcism is the cheapest service—no more than half a million at most.

Zheng Lanxuan naturally understood his implication. “Just tell me how much you want.”

Mr. Zhuo, somewhat annoyed, replied, “What do you mean by that? It’s not just about the money. This is genuinely challenging. If it were at the outset, all that would be needed is a simple ‘sending off’ to drive away the spirit. Now, it cannot be sent away; it must be forcibly removed. If that fails, it must be captured.”

I recall that capturing a ghost was listed much further down that price sheet, with a starting price of 1.3 million. Old Chen only asked for 300,000 when he nearly lost his life—could this really be so hard, or is Mr. Zhuo more capable than Chen?

Zheng Lanxuan stopped arguing. “Do whatever you must—so long as my daughter comes through unharmed.”

“Spirits do not appear during the day. The ritual must be performed at night. I will proceed at ten o’clock tonight, but I need to make some preparations first,” Mr. Zhuo replied.

Leaving Zheng Xiao’s room, Zheng Lanxuan turned to us and said, “That’s enough—your visit is over, the patient has been seen. You can go now.”

“No!” I blurted out.

Zheng Lanxuan and Bu Xuanxuan and her friends looked at me, puzzled. I kept a grave expression, speaking with conviction. “Zheng Xiao’s condition is uncertain. As her teacher, I have a duty to look after her safety and ensure she is unharmed.”

After saying this, I cast a wary, suspicious glance at Mr. Zhuo.

Bu Xuanxuan and her two friends, prompted by my hint, rekindled their suspicion toward Mr. Zhuo, chiming in, “We’ll stay, too—we need to make sure Xiao is all right!”

Mr. Zhuo looked at us and let out a cold laugh. “You young people don’t believe in these things—I understand. But there’s much in this world you know nothing about. You must learn to be open-minded.”

I turned to Zheng Lanxuan. “Mr. Zheng, whether you agree or not, I will stay to ensure Zheng Xiao’s safety.”

Zheng Lanxuan frowned as he looked at me.

At last, Mr. Zhuo lost his composure, angrily declaring, “If you doubt my abilities, then stay and watch! But the female students must leave—women carry heavy yin, and your presence will disrupt my ritual!”

I glanced at Mr. Zhuo, then looked to Zheng Lanxuan, the master of the house, awaiting his approval.

“All right, you may stay,” Zheng Lanxuan said.

I looked at Bu Xuanxuan and her friends. They clearly wanted to stay, but I told them, “You have classes tomorrow. Go home for now—I’ll handle things here. If Xiao recovers, I’ll call you.”

“Teacher Luo, we’ll leave it in your hands,” Bu Xuanxuan said.

The three left. I had meant for Wang Yue to leave with them and then arrange for Wenzi to pick him up, but the boy stubbornly refused, insisting on staying with me. I had no choice but to let him remain.

He hadn’t been so clingy before—what happened at the café to make him so attached? What did those three wild girls tell him?

There was still plenty of time before ten o’clock, and Mr. Zhuo began his preparations for the ritual. It turned out his briefcase was filled with talismans, Bagua mirrors, and various ritual tools.

I watched as he produced two spray bottles. The labels read “rooster blood” and “black dog blood”!

Seriously? Is this for real?

I eyed the spray bottles of rooster blood and black dog blood, the collapsible peach wood sword, the miniature rattle, and what looked like printed talisman papers, then asked skeptically, “Isn’t rooster blood and black dog blood only effective when fresh?”

Old Ma had told me many such things in idle moments.

Mr. Zhuo adopted an air of professionalism. “These are developed by our company—improved rooster blood and black dog blood. The plasma doesn’t coagulate, is easy to use, and is even more effective than the ordinary kind.”

Is that true? Can it really be improved like that? He sounded convincing, but I grew even more doubtful.

“And this collapsible peach wood sword?” I had never seen one that folded; it looked like a child’s toy. Was it really effective?

“The power of the peach wood sword lies in the wood itself and its shape—the older the peach wood, the more spiritual. Whether it folds or not is irrelevant,” he explained with a hint of disdain.

I continued, “Mr. Zhuo, these talisman papers don’t seem handwritten.”

He grew impatient, snapping, “Why so many questions? If you doubt me, wait and see tonight whether I’m truly capable! Our company operates under strict standards. If we can’t solve the problem, we won’t charge a penny!”

I asked no more and decided to wait and see if he really had the skills. If he could save Zheng Xiao, it would be the best outcome.

Mr. Zhuo stuck talismans onto windows, vents, and every possible exit, claiming it would prevent the spirit from escaping.

While he worked, I chatted briefly with Zheng Lanxuan and learned Mr. Zhuo’s full name: Zhuo Tianjiang. I wondered if he had a brother named Zhuo Tianbing—then together, they’d make up the Heavenly Generals.

As night deepened, Mr. Zhuo finished his preparations and gathered the necessary ritual tools.

I glanced at the wall clock—9:50. Ten minutes to ten.

“Mr. Zhuo, are you sure you don’t need to set up an altar?” I asked.

“No need—just watch what I do,” he replied.

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