Chapter Forty-Three: Seizing the Soul

“Come on, Old Shen, I know I’m a bit impatient, but don’t you think your method is a bit extreme?”

After hearing Shen Chang’an’s plan, Sun Yiyuan was filled with unease.

Shen Chang’an’s face twitched. “Weren’t you the one sobbing and begging for my help, saying you couldn’t even close your eyes and hadn’t slept a wink? Now that I’ve given you a solution, you call me extreme! Oh, wonderful—since you’ve said it all, why don’t you do it yourself?”

“No, no, that’s not it… Fine, let’s do it your way.” Sun Yiyuan hesitated for a long while, but eventually agreed.

Shen Chang’an’s method wasn’t anything particularly special. The woman upstairs had just been murdered by Teacher Lu. Shen Chang’an intended to call forth her soul, stabilize it, and use her lingering resentment to track down Teacher Lu. As for whether this approach was humane, Shen Chang’an truly didn’t care anymore. In times like these, the living mattered more than the dead. Besides, with no reincarnation in this world, the souls of the dead would eventually dissipate. Whether he summoned her soul or not hardly seemed to matter.

The two men went up to the second floor. The body had already been secured, but they were an exception and allowed inside. Shen Chang’an took out a writing brush and borrowed some ink from a police officer, then started drawing talismans directly on the floor—much to Sun Yiyuan’s astonishment.

He wasn’t entirely ignorant of such things. Though he possessed no actual mystical power, thanks to family ties, he had seen real masters at work. When they drew a talisman, there would be bathing and incense burning, prayers to the heavens, lengthy rituals to commune with ancestral spirits—sometimes it took three or four days just to finish a single charm.

But Shen Chang’an? He grabbed a cheap brush, borrowed some ink, and started drawing right on the spot. Bathing and praying? Shen Chang’an continued to grumble and curse as he worked—prayers be damned!

“Are you sure this’ll work, Old Shen?”

Shen Chang’an shot him a glance and snorted, “Haven’t you used my talismans before? You tell me.”

Only then did Sun Yiyuan remember that he’d just used a focus talisman to wake those people up, and had witnessed the efficacy of Shen Chang’an’s charms many times before. In fact…his talismans seemed far more effective than those laboriously crafted by so-called masters.

Shen Chang’an ignored whatever was running through Sun Yiyuan’s mind. He finished drawing a Soul Summoning Talisman on the floor, channeled his power, and activated it.

Within moments, Shen Chang’an caught the scent of a ghost.

“Old Sun, open your yin-yang eyes,” Shen Chang’an said.

Sun Yiyuan nodded and brushed some leaves over both his and Shen Chang’an’s eyes. Suddenly, the spirit of the murdered woman appeared before them. She looked dazed and sluggish, her mind clearly lost.

“What…what happened to her?” Sun Yiyuan was anxious to see the soul so vacant. If they couldn’t find any clues even after summoning her spirit, then they were truly in trouble.

“She’s like this because her soul was half-devoured by the Five-Viscera Ghosts. Most of her soul and spirits are gone. Of course she’s like this,” Shen Chang’an replied with a cold laugh.

“So what do we do now?” Seeing the soul so incomplete, Sun Yiyuan grew even more worried. If they failed to catch the culprit and let him escape, the consequences would be dire.

“In her current state, it’s actually easier to find Teacher Lu. Fractured souls yearn for completeness. I’ll use a Soul-Guiding Talisman to lead her spirit—she’ll be drawn straight to him.”

He set to work immediately, carving the new talisman on the floor. Shen Chang’an wasn’t too familiar with these particular symbols, and since he rarely used them, they took some time to complete. Downstairs, people began to notice the commotion, but since they’d been told these two were from higher up and specially assigned to the case, and thanks to earlier events, no one questioned them further.

Except Li Xia, who couldn’t hold back and hurried over.

“What exactly are you two doing?” she demanded.

Sun Yiyuan quickly blocked her path. “Xia, just give us a moment. Old Shen is busy. Soon we’ll bring Teacher Lu to justice, don’t worry.”

Li Xia frowned. Normally, she wouldn’t have believed in any of this, but after seeing Shen Chang’an’s talisman at work, she was starting to have her suspicions.

“He’s busy—what about you?” she pressed.

Sun Yiyuan’s face turned awkward. He wasn’t being modest; he really didn’t know the first thing about exorcism. Bluffing strangers was one thing, but he didn’t want to pretend in front of his own daughter.

“Enough—Old Sun’s expertise is in geomancy, not exorcisms. It’s normal that he wouldn’t know about dealing with spirits.” Shen Chang’an stood up, smoothing things over after finishing the Soul-Guiding Talisman.

Li Xia’s expression shifted as she looked at her father. “If you don’t know how to fight ghosts, why did you chase after him before?”

Sun Yiyuan looked embarrassed. After a long pause, he muttered, “I… I was just in a hurry. I didn’t really think…”

“And now? You still want to go?”

He nodded resolutely. “I won’t be at peace until that man is brought to justice. I have to see it done myself.”

Li Xia turned straight to Shen Chang’an. “If he’s going, then so am I.”

Shen Chang’an’s brow furrowed. “Don’t be ridiculous. What are you going for?”

“My father was willing to risk his life for me. Why can’t I do the same for him?” Li Xia bit her lip, tears shimmering in her eyes.

Sun Yiyuan was stunned. He hadn’t expected such words from her. Her earlier complaints hadn’t been blame, but worry for his safety.

Seeing this, Shen Chang’an understood that Li Xia wanted to reconcile with her father. He smiled gently and said, “Enough, both of you stay here and wait.”

“No, no, Old Shen, you’re not from the Special Bureau—this matter…”

Shen Chang’an smiled. “I’m getting paid to deal with this, Old Sun. I’m not doing it for free. It’s my job.”

“But your health—” Sun Yiyuan’s voice was full of concern.

Shen Chang’an chuckled. “Even if I can only use one arm, that man is no match for me. At worst, he might escape.”

“That’s exactly what I’m worried about,” Sun Yiyuan said.

Damn, why did he suddenly feel like dragging this old rascal off to confront Teacher Lu himself?