Chapter 22: Prelude to Calling the Soul Part 1

Old Tang walked ahead of Wang Ya, leading the way, and concisely explained what had happened.

A single mulberry tree might suppress the underground yin vein in the short term, but it was hard to say over a longer period. Mulberry trees had the property of entwining yin energy, and with a yin vein beneath the ground, without setting up countermeasures, the site was very likely to turn into a true Yin Gathering Land.

On the second day after Ghost Granny escaped, Old Tang, Zhang Beauty, and Huang Qi moved to the construction site to set up a Feng Shui Bureau and transform the feng shui there. Zhang Beauty from the Yunnan Zhang Family, the professional expert, took the lead in altering the feng shui, with Huang Qi and Old Tang assisting from the side. Workers came during the day for construction, but at night, only Old Tang, Zhang Beauty, Huang Qi, and the two bodyguards remained at the site. Altering the Feng Shui Bureau was a massive project, and fearing prolonged delays might lead to further mishaps, they worked day and night without rest, often skipping meals and sleep to finish it sooner.

That evening, around nine or ten o’clock, Open-Eyed Blind suddenly felt unwell—heart palpitations, dizziness, and auditory hallucinations—so they had her go upstairs to rest for a bit. They told the bodyguard named Dong Zi to call her once dinner was ready so they could continue. After about twenty minutes, Dong Zi finished cooking and went to call her, but got no response. Terrified, he rushed to find Old Tang and Zhang Beauty. After Old Tang’s diagnosis, they confirmed that Huang Qi’s Heavenly Soul and Earthly Soul had been hooked away while she slept. Old Tang tried Call Soul but failed, so he set up a formation to protect her first, lest even her Life Soul be taken. Then they noticed a sudden surge of dense yin qi in the wasteland opposite the construction site, and ghost shadows flashing past the site’s temporary sheds. Old Tang and Zhang Beauty immediately gave chase. They split up—Old Tang headed to the wasteland, while Zhang Beauty pursued the ghost shadows.

Humans have three souls: the Heavenly and Earthly Souls often wander outside the body, while only the Life Soul remains within. Huang Qi had been exhausted from days of labor, mentally drained and physically weak, allowing the ghost entity to exploit the vulnerability and hook away her Heavenly and Earthly Souls.

As he spoke, Wang Ya followed Old Tang to the door of Open-Eyed Blind’s resting room. Old Tang pushed open the door and invited Wang Ya inside.

Though Old Tang was older than Wang Ya and more worldly, he remained very humble toward her, an expert who dealt specifically with yin spirits and ghost entities. He said to her, “Wang Ya, you’re the expert in this area. Take a look at A’qi’s condition.”

Wang Ya scanned Open-Eyed Blind’s resting room. It was a very basic single room with a small partitioned enclosure—fresh cement marks on the floor indicated it was a newly built washroom. In the center of the room stood a bed about one-and-a-half meters wide, with a simple fabric wardrobe and an iron filing cabinet against the wall. On the other side of the bed was a desk cluttered with skincare products serving as a makeshift vanity.

Open-Eyed Blind lay properly in the middle of the wooden bed. Seven lit oil lamps surrounded her, connected by red ropes, each with a talisman paper beneath. This was the Seven Star Soul-Suppressing Lamp.

Zhang Beauty sat on a chair by the bed, holding a string of cracked sandalwood beads. Her face was ashen, dark enough to drip water, and she didn’t even turn her head when Wang Ya entered. Bodyguard Dong Zi leaned against the wall by the door. One look at his face, and Wang Ya thought of four words: “Down on his luck!”

Dong Zi nodded to Wang Ya in greeting.

Wang Ya smiled and asked Dong Zi, “Your boss attracts evil so easily—haven’t you considered switching bosses?”

Dong Zi stayed silent, his face still locked in that utterly unlucky expression.

Wang Ya walked to the bedside and gave Zhang Beauty a sidelong glance, signaling her to move aside and not block her examination of Open-Eyed Blind.

Zhang Beauty glanced at Wang Ya, stood up, and stepped back a meter from the bed, staring intently at her.

Wang Ya curved her fingers into seals and pressed them to Open-Eyed Blind’s forehead, calling softly, “Huang Qi, Huang Qi!” Her voice was light and gentle, like a lover’s whisper. She called several times, changing hand seals repeatedly, but Open-Eyed Blind showed no reaction. Wang Ya exclaimed, “Well, her soul really is gone!” She hooked her fingers, grabbed a few strands of Open-Eyed Blind’s hair wrapped around her, and yanked them out forcefully.

Zhang Beauty showed a flicker of irritation and asked, “What do you need Huang Qi’s hair for?”

Wang Ya replied, “Call Soul, of course! Even a three-year-old kid knows that trick. Don’t you?” She added, “Get me scissors or nail clippers—I need a nail clipping too, and three drops of blood.”

Old Tang hesitated and asked, “A’qi’s soul has been detained; it might already be locked away. Can we even call it back?”

Wang Ya said, “We’ll know if we try, won’t we?”

Old Tang pulled out his Office Key, which had nail clippers attached. He clipped a small piece from Open-Eyed Blind’s index finger and handed it to Wang Ya. “You get the blood yourself.”

Wang Ya took the nail clipping and said, “Talisman paper, cinnabar ink, rooster blood—and best to get a three-year-old live big rooster, clay, cloth…” She rattled off a long list of materials, over thirty kinds in total. Old Tang sucked in his breath, while Zhang Beauty stared fixedly at Wang Ya, as if trying to see through her!

Wang Ya knew what they were thinking. Calling a soul didn’t require so many things—were they afraid she’d pull some trick? She said, “Calling a soul doesn’t need all this, but I’m wary of you stealing my techniques, so I’ve added extra materials. Get what you have; if not, we’ll gather the rest another day.”