Chapter 42: Souls Returning to Their Proper Place

I was extremely worried and also felt heartache for my mother. I grabbed Old Man Jiang’s hand, and my palms were soaked with cold sweat. Old Man Jiang understood my emotions and sighed softly, saying, “Your mother is truly strong. Locking yang energy is a painful thing, not to mention having wandering spirits following behind her. She has been under this lock for so long, running back and forth, repeatedly enduring extreme mental strain. Your mother… she… she really is remarkable.”

Old Man Jiang knew very well how difficult this was, but aside from my mother, no one else could do it. He had no other choice, or rather, he did not have much confidence either.

But the most incredible thing in this world is maternal love. The power it erupts with is absolutely astonishing. My mother had somehow managed to do it.

Like a small boat drifting through a violent storm, my mother looked as if she could capsize at any moment, yet she still pressed forward through the waves, steadily guiding my second sister’s last two wandering souls home.

Old Man Jiang still quickly opened the Soul Locking Knot and then quickly sealed my second sister again. When it was finally done, he let out a long breath of relief and said, “It is done. Your second sister’s soul has fully returned.”

My father rushed out at once, excitedly touched my second sister’s head, and broke into a grin. That smile looked silly.

But I could tell just how excited my father was. He could not express it properly, so he could only laugh foolishly like that.

“If nothing goes wrong, your second sister will wake up in at most two days. She will be fully conscious. If this child is strong enough, she might even wake up tomorrow,” Old Man Jiang said happily from the side.

My mother gave a weak smile upon hearing this, then suddenly fainted without a sound.

My father immediately caught her, panic rising in his voice as it changed completely. “Master Jiang, Xiuyun… Xiuyun… what is wrong with her?”

Old Man Jiang rushed over at once, shouting, “Bad! I forgot to undo Xiuyun’s Yang Locking Knot.” As he spoke, he quickly began undoing the knot.

Knots like this could not be pulled open by force. Forcibly tearing them apart would cause many different consequences. They could only be properly untied, and without professional knowledge, doing it incorrectly would be extremely dangerous.

At this moment, while I was also worried, I looked toward my house and felt a wave of fear. After calling my second sister’s soul back four times, there were at least seven or eight ghosts gathered in our home. It was practically becoming a den of ghosts.

They all looked expressionless, and I had no idea what they were staying here for.

“Help Xiuyun onto the bed to rest. She is just an ordinary person. It is not easy for her to endure so long under the Yang Locking Knot,” Old Man Jiang said after he had already undone the knot, speaking to my panicked father.

My father supported my mother and asked uneasily, “Master Jiang, will this have any lasting effects on Xiuyun in the future?”

“There will not be any major effects. She just needs more rest, and her yang energy will recover. I will gather some herbs tomorrow and decoct them for her. She will recover even faster,” Old Man Jiang said while placing the Yang Locking Knot, now turned into a red cord, back into his bag.

My father helped my mother to rest and also told my eldest sister to go rest. Only then did I quietly say to Old Man Jiang, “Master, our house is about to become a ghost nest.”

“It is fine. These spirits are not malicious beings. I will write a talisman later to disperse them. You should also go rest early. Remember the calming mantra I taught you. Do not keep your eyes open all the time. It is very damaging to your spirit,” Old Man Jiang replied casually.

He had not said anything, but once he did, I suddenly felt my head becoming dizzy and my whole body weak. The tension from earlier had masked it, but now that I relaxed, I felt extremely uncomfortable, even slightly nauseous.

“Remember to silently recite the calming mantra before sleeping. That way you will recover faster and better. Otherwise, you brat will not even be able to move properly for the next week,” Old Man Jiang said sternly, then sent me off to sleep.

Of course I obeyed him. After washing up, as soon as I lay down, I began silently reciting the calming mantra. It actually worked. In just a short while, I drifted into deep sleep.

When I woke up the next day, the sunlight was glaring. I stretched lazily and realized I was extremely hungry, but I felt unusually energetic. The dizziness and nausea from yesterday had completely disappeared.

“Mom, Mom, what time is it? I am so hungry. What are we eating today?” I shouted while still lying in bed, but no answer came from my mother. Instead, my eldest sister walked in.

“What time? It is already midday! Eat? I will give you a serving of bamboo shoots fried with meat,” my eldest sister said as soon as she entered, pinching my cheek. She did not use force, more playful than anything.

“Aha? It is Sunday and we are not eating anything good, and you still want to feed me bamboo shoots fried meat?” I knew she was joking and happily bantered back.

“Of course. We have to use Sunday for your reeducation,” she laughed, then started tickling me. I was extremely ticklish and rolled all over the bed.

After a while, my eldest sister finally told me to get dressed and even helped me button my clothes while saying, “Mom is not feeling well today. Dad is cooking. Second sister has woken up, but she is still a bit weak.”

“What? Second sister is awake?” I jumped out of bed instantly and rushed toward her room without even finishing dressing.

My eldest sister shouted helplessly behind me, “Third child, slow down.”

“Second sister! Second sister…” I rushed into the room and saw her leaning on the bed. Was that not my second sister?

My father was feeding her porridge. From the smell, I could tell there was minced meat in it.

“Third child,” my second sister said weakly, but her familiar warmth as my sister had not changed at all.

I threw myself beside her, earning a smack from my father. “Third child, behave yourself.”

“Second sister, are you better? Are you still uncomfortable?” I could not explain why, but seeing her sitting properly on the bed with normal eyes made my nose sting. My eyes turned red as I asked.

I was terrified she would become that unconscious, unresponsive version of herself again. I was terrified of that strange, fierce gaze she once had.

“I am fine. I am okay now. It felt like I had a very long dream. I dreamed I went to a graveyard. I dreamed I walked through many places. There were unfamiliar people around me. They did not speak and looked very frightening. I was very scared and wanted to go home, but everything was dark and I could not find our home,” my second sister said while holding my hand. No matter how mature she was, she was still a child. She must have been terrified.

“It is alright, second sister. It is over now,” my eldest sister said as she came in as well, pulling her into an embrace. My father put down his bowl and gently stroked her hair, while I lowered my head and wiped my tears hard.

“I felt so awful, like I was about to disappear. Then I heard Mom calling me, holding a lantern, calling me all the way home. I do not even know how many times I walked back and forth before I finally made it home. Also, a few days ago, there was this very fierce woman who kept scaring me. Whenever she appeared, I did not dare look at her and could not even make a sound. I kept telling myself I must not be afraid of her, I must not be afraid…” my second sister kept talking nonstop. She needed an outlet.

None of us interrupted her. We just listened, then comforted her afterward.

Especially my eldest sister, who kept emphasizing that a very capable person had come to our home, so no one would dare trouble us again.

As she described it, my second sister actually seemed to recognize Old Man Jiang as well. She said, “Was it that dirty, weird old man? I remember him. He came to our house a few times when I was little, and after that, Third Child’s illness got better.”

Hearing my sisters talk about Old Man Jiang, I suddenly remembered him. I looked up and asked my father, “Dad, where is my master?”

When my father heard me ask about Old Man Jiang, he gave me a strange smile and teased, “Calling him master so quickly now?”

“I am just afraid he will hit me,” I said, though in my heart I actually respected him a lot. I just refused to admit it. I did not know why I was so contradictory. No wonder my father always hit me. I really was not very likable.

“I cannot be bothered arguing with you. Your master gave me a talisman early this morning and told me to stick it on the front door, then he left. He said he had something to do. He did not say what it was. I asked if he needed me to call you, and he said no,” my father replied.