Chapter 37 - Soul-Capturing Yin House (Part XIII)

Chen Shaoxian looked at the female corpse that had turned into a skeleton and sighed deeply before saying to the Zhuo Family Member, “Although this woman has caused you harm, it was not her intention. I hope you won’t hold a grudge. Moreover, whether you like to hear it or not, you have been touched by the aura of this female corpse’s fetus, which makes you somewhat her children, absurd as it sounds, but it’s true. Bow three times to this female corpse as a gesture of closure.”

The Zhuo Family Member, after hearing Chen Shaoxian’s words, respectfully bowed three times towards the coffin. After they finished bowing, Chen Shaoxian asked them to rise.

He picked up the Two-Realm Box from the ground and held it in his hands, walking over to the side of the coffin to place it on the female corpse’s abdomen. Then he bowed to the corpse and said, “I am moved by everything you’ve done for your child. I will do my best to help you. Whether you can be mother and child in the next life depends on your destiny.”

Chen Shaoxian fetched two small bowls, then filled one with rice grains and placed it in front of the coffin, inserting three sticks of incense. He filled the other bowl with clear water and used the water to dot the foreheads of the Zhuo Family Members. Afterward, he circled around them seven times, then went back to the coffin and sprinkled the clear water on the bones.

After finishing, he took the bowl from the ground and sprinkled the rice in the same manner over the bones. He walked seven steps to the northwest, burned some joss paper and Joss paper ingots, and as he threw the remaining unburned incense into the fire, he said, “Water for the soul, rice for the body, the soul and body return, come with fate, leave with fate, from now on unrelated.” Then he fiercely smashed the two bowls to the ground.

As the crisp sound of breaking echoed, the Zhuo Family Members felt a release in their hearts, as if hearing the sound of ropes snapping. They all understood that the sorcery that had been afflicting them was now resolved, and tears welled up in their eyes, overwhelmed with emotion.

Mr. Zhuo took the lead and came forward, kneeling ordinarily in front of Chen Shaoxian, saying, “Shaoxian, you have saved our entire family. You must accept our gratitude.” After saying this, he and his family bowed deeply to Chen Shaoxian.

Chen Shaoxian helped Mr. Zhuo to stand, not saying any words of courtesy, just nodding his head.

Zheng Lei noticed that Chen Shaoxian looked somewhat somber and approached him, asking, “Shaoxian, what’s wrong?”

Chen Shaoxian shook his head, looked at Zheng Lei, and suddenly smiled, saying, “How about I find you a daughter?”

Zheng Lei was somewhat confused until he heard Chen Shaoxian say, “The soul and spirit of that mother and child are difficult to reincarnation, especially the mother’s. Her own resentful energy is too strong. Although she sacrificed herself for her child, her soul and spirit have been so eroded by the resentful energy that it’s hard for them to be reborn through the normal channels between heaven and earth. They have to find another way, which puts me in a difficult position. But your coming here might be fate. Perhaps it’s heaven’s way of letting her come to your family to repay a debt.” He patted Zheng Lei on the shoulder and added, “When fate comes, you can’t escape it.”

Chen Shaoxian then called Zhuo Junfan over, and took them both to the side of the coffin, ordering someone to bring a needle.

He pricked Zheng Lei’s left middle finger and then Zhuo Junfan’s right middle finger, dropping their blood on the forehead of the female corpse and declared, “The father bestows the soul, the mother grants the spirit, to dissolve karma and transcend.” After saying this, he flicked the female corpse’s forehead, and astonishingly, the blood from Zheng Lei and Zhuo Junfan was absorbed into the dark bones.

As soon as their blood merged with the bones, the dark skeleton began to change, starting from the forehead, it cracked open as if emerging from a cocoon, and the entire skeleton turned pristine white, devoid of any ferocity.

Chen Shaoxian looked at them both and said, “The two of you have done a good deed and created a virtuous connection, you’ll be able to grow old together.”

Though initially reluctant, both felt reassured by Chen Shaoxian’s words, realizing that spending a lifetime with the one they loved was more precious than anything else.

Chen Shaoxian lit a cigarette and sat down to rest for a while, pondering over his recent decision. Suddenly, he threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stamped it out, as if making up his mind about something.

Chen Shaoxian called over Zhang Xinyi and Zhang Xinming and said, “I need to help this mother and child achieve reincarnation, but I cannot be distracted during the process. You two should know that guiding such malevolent spirits towards reincarnation might attract other malevolent spirits that resist the process, and you will need to deal with them.”

Zhang Xinyi spoke up, “Mr. Chen, but we are not very skilled. We might…”

“Don’t worry, I will teach you some methods,” Chen Shaoxian interrupted Zhang Xinyi.

Hearing this, Zhang Xinyi felt much more confident and even a bit excited, knowing that what Chen Shaoxian was about to teach them was certainly extraordinary.

Chen Shaoxian returned to the house and fetched his luggage, from which he took out two small flags and handed one to each of the Zhang brothers, Zhang Xinyi and Zhang Xinming.

The onlookers were curious about the two small flags, which were shaped like triangles with yellow bodies and jagged red borders. A yellow and red ribbon fluttered from the tip, and the flagpole was made of rattan. The phrase “Summoning the Myriad Deities” was written on the flags.

Upon realizing these were just ordinary command flags for starting a ritual, the Zhang brothers felt a sense of deflation and looked visibly disappointed.

Ignoring their demeanor, Chen Shaoxian whispered a mantra into their ears and instructed them on the precise moments to use the flags.

The brothers were shocked and stared at Chen Shaoxian, their mouths trembling with emotion.

Seeing their reaction, Chen Shaoxian nonchalantly patted their shoulders and said, “Stay calm, you’re both grown men.”

The brothers swallowed hard and managed to compose themselves.

Chen Shaoxian then crafted a simple soul guiding banner using a small bell, yellow paper, and a stick, hanging the bell on it.

He instructed a Zhuo Family Member to bring seven identical small bowls, filled them with bean oil, and twisted seven lamp wicks from cotton, placing one in each bowl.

He arranged a pair before the coffin, then another pair a short distance away, and after setting the third pair, he held the last lamp in his left hand.

After completing these tasks, Chen Shaoxian lit the wicks in all seven bowls. He then left six police officers behind, sending everyone else inside the house with strict orders not to come out or peek. He specifically cautioned Zheng Lei to keep a close eye on Zheng Ruirui, though he still felt uneasy enough to consider tying her up.

Had Zheng Lei not assured him, Chen Shaoxian might have indeed tied up Zheng Ruirui, who swore she would not let Chen Shaoxian get away easily. Yet, as she spoke, Chen Shaoxian had already walked out boldly, leaving Zheng Ruirui nearly grinding her teeth in frustration.

After Chen Shaoxian came out, he instructed the six police officers to stand in front of six lamps. He also marked each of their eyelids and Yintang with Cinnabar, cautioning them to keep their eyes closed no matter what happened.

He then asked Zhang Xinyi and Zhang Xinming to stand on either side of the coffin to protect him.

Facing the coffin, Chen Shaoxian said, “Success or failure will depend on your fate.” After finishing, he told Zhang Xinyi, “Begin.”

Zhang Xinyi reached out and lifted the lid of the Two-Realm Box, completed his task, and then returned to his original position.

Chen Shaoxian waved the soul guiding banner over the coffin seven times, causing the bells on the banner to tinkle.

Chen Shaoxian then declared, “Soul guiding banner, summon the soul. Path-Clearing Bell, lead the way. Eternal light, illuminate the path of reincarnation.”

As soon as he finished speaking, two ethereal shadows emerged one after the other from inside the coffin.

With the continuous shaking of the soul guiding banner, these two shadows slowly stood before Chen Shaoxian.

Chen Shaoxian shook the banner and stepped back, the shadows stepped forward, and the Zhang brothers maintained a balanced position with him throughout.

Chen Shaoxian continued to retreat slowly, his eyes fixed on the hands of the two shadows, thinking, “Hurry up and grab on.”

He reached the first pair of lamps when suddenly the weather turned overcast.