Chapter 13

My spiritual intuition, which usually isn't very reliable, has become exceptionally accurate at this moment. Facing this 'Great Spirit Intuition,' I really want to curse.

What I don't want to see, I end up seeing. Is it just toying with me?

Really, I don't want to see it. Because that black mass, I can roughly make out the outline of a gigantic cat, probably more than twice the size of an ordinary house cat. But spirits can't be measured by normal standards, so I don't care if it's big or small.

It's the way it looks at me that makes my heart chill.

I can be sure those are the eyes of a cat. When a cat has no attachment to a human, its eyes are the coldest, a result of their nature.

Just as cats can ward off evil, not by their yang energy, but by the煞气 (negative energy) that corresponds to the White Tiger. This is absolutely effective. If a pair of eyes, devoid of emotion, contains negative energy, anyone who sees them will feel their heart skip a beat.

And that thing in the corner clearly has a strong hatred and warning for me, which even scared away my 'informant.' I have no choice but to fight it and catch it.

I have 120% confidence in my offensive spells.

But it seems to know my intentions and suddenly darts toward the room where Old Zhou is. I burst into rage, not caring about the steps of the ritual, I can't let Old Zhou get hurt. I almost shout as I rush into Old Zhou's room.

"Old Zhou!" I shout, but Old Zhou, lying on the bed, just gazes blankly at the ceiling, not responding to me at all.

On the other side, the strangely fluttering curtains seem to mock my failure. Yes, Old Zhou has stopped calling for the cat and is becoming increasingly silent and dazed. The aftereffects of losing his soul are gradually showing.

If I can't save him tonight, I'll have to wait until tomorrow night, 48 hours after he lost his soul. I can't bear the thought of Old Zhou suffering any spiritual damage. In others' eyes, I seem cold, but in fact, I am very 'cowardly.' I dare not take any risks with the people important to me.

I feel a sharp pain on my face, but I ignore it because I know I was just scratched by the cat spirit's claws on my soul, so it's useless to do anything about it.

However, just like a skin abrasion, this soul injury is also just a 'scratch.' It's different from injuring the essence of the soul, which can self-heal, especially with my strong spiritual power.

Looking at Old Zhou, who is staring blankly at the ceiling, I feel a bit uncomfortable. Old Zhou has always been excellent, even though he is a bit 'nitpicky.' He shouldn't be in such a wretched state.

I walk over and, regardless of whether Old Zhou understands, I whisper to him, "Don't worry, buddy, you'll be fine soon." After saying that, I glance at the chain hanging around Old Zhou's neck, feeling a bit more at ease, then turn and leave the room, heading out of Old Zhou's house.

This cat spirit, with its powerful 'negative energy' claws, can injure my soul. I wonder if the reason I haven't received any messages from wandering spirits is because they are threatened by the cat spirit.

When did this city get such a creature? And it's even working with humans. I'm sure it must be working with humans.

What kind of conspiracy and truth lies behind this, and why does it involve a corpse?

At this moment, I have already pulled open the car door, and the car is speeding down the quiet streets at night. I am anxious and can't help but drive fast. At the same time, I am amazed at myself for being so engrossed in my thoughts while driving fast.

With a screech of the brakes, the 20-minute drive from Old Zhou's house to my home is shortened to 11 or 12 minutes. After getting out of the car, I don't even have time to take the key out and rush toward my house.

Opening the door, I habitually want to pay respects to my awesome ancestral master, but then I realize I need to save Old Zhou. Habits are truly terrifying, they can make actions instinctive. I shake my head and rush into my bedroom.

Then I drag out two wooden boxes from under the bed.

These two boxes are not large, placed side by side, they are about the size of a small computer desk. In the five years since I came down the mountain, I have never opened them. Due to certain reasons, I deliberately threw them under the bed, so when I pulled them out, a cloud of dust flew up, making me cough a couple of times.

Looking at these two ancient, intricately carved boxes with the Taiji and Bagua patterns, I can't help but pause. I thought I no longer cared about them, but thinking of Old Zhou, I can't help but open the two boxes.

In one of the boxes, a set of Taoist robes is neatly placed, and next to the robes is a tightly tied cloth bag. I instinctively touch the robe, then take out the tightly tied cloth bag and look at the other box.

In this box are some ritual objects: the Three Pure Ones bell, a peachwood sword, several sharp-edged coins, and various other small ritual objects and folded talismans. I take a deep breath, then pick up the coins, the peachwood sword, and from the bottom of the box, a yellow cloth bag. I put the selected items into the yellow cloth bag.

Then I close the box and, as if in a fit of pique, kick them back under the bed. But when I put the yellow cloth bag on my back, a familiar feeling can no longer be suppressed.

In that instant, time seems to flow, and I remember the twilight of a bustling city, the three figures on the rooftop, bathed in the red sunset.

"Master, Senior Brother, are we really wandering the world, exorcising demons? I really want to live like this forever." I was 18 that year, and when I said those words, I remember my eyes were dyed red by the sunset. If I could see myself in that sunset, sitting on the edge of the rooftop, looking into the distance, I would have looked full of ambition.

"Stop talking nonsense. Are we really wandering the world, exorcising demons? We just came down the mountain to make money, do rituals for others, and set up feng shui. Are you thinking too much, Senior Brother?" Senior Brother, wearing a tank top and shorts, leaned lazily against the railing, gnawing on a chicken leg. He took a swig from Master's wine flask when Master wasn't looking, then got a slap on the head from Master.

"Isn't that what we're doing? Didn't we help the client deal with the spirit that was haunting them yesterday? That's the beginning of wandering the world." I was不服气 (unconvinced), always feeling that what we were doing was special.

Senior Brother looked at me as if I were a fool and didn't say anything more.

But Master, unusually serious, said, "The world? Zheng Ling, you have never truly entered the world. If you think this world is a world, then you have been in it since the moment you were born. Why are you so fixated on when you officially entered the world? And are you happy? If you can be happy, it doesn't matter whether you are in the world or a hero."

"How can it not matter?" I had studied Daoism on the mountain for so long, and the suppressed passion of a young man is like a burning fire.

"Of course it doesn't matter. Whether it's me or Zheng Chuan, our most important thing is your happiness."

The memory breaks here, and I don't know why my eyes start to sting. When Master said those words, I was moved but didn't agree. But as time passed, I realized that happiness is truly hard to come by.

Have I been happy since I was kicked off the mountain?

"Liar, you said my happiness is the most important thing, but in the end, you took it away." I rub my stinging, swollen eyes, turn off the light, and resolutely turn to walk out the door. I know that the most important thing right now is Old Zhou's situation.

The car speeds down the quiet midnight road again. This time, the destination is the hospital where Old Zhou works. Although the female ghost was scared away, it's not without clues.

Because when the female ghost was about to tell me the location, she said a word that sounds like 'yi' (医). This word is easily overlooked because it sounds like an exclamation, but fortunately, my spiritual intuition isn't very good, so I can't have a smooth conversation. The information transmitted by the mind is more like text.

This kind of information, which is between text and mind, is hard to explain to those who haven't experienced it, but in any case, I remember the word 'yi' firmly. It's obvious where it is.

If I'm not wrong, Old Zhou's residual soul is in the hospital where Old Zhou works.

Based on the methods of residual souls that don't follow the 'usual path,' I judge that Old Zhou's residual soul should be in the basement where the bodies are stored. Now, I am driving to get there.