Looking at the woman before me, her tear-streaked face.
I felt helpless too.
It reminded me of a comment I often saw online: the ghosts you fear are the people others yearn for.
The woman before me was just like that.
Her unwillingness to let go of her child had twisted her maternal love.
She chose this way to forcefully keep her child's ghost by her side.
Unbeknownst to her, this would only bring harm to both the child and herself.
The woman looked at me with a choked voice, unable to stop crying.
The child's ghost, meanwhile, hugged her mother in the car, constantly comforting her, telling her not to cry.
I couldn't bear to watch the scene any longer.
Although the woman's complexion was poor, her fortune had not yet declined to the point where ghosts were visibly apparent.
So, I said to her,
"Sister, let me open your celestial eye, and you can have a proper farewell with your child! I'll escort her down shortly."
The woman nodded repeatedly upon hearing my words.
Although she was willing to listen to me and let go,
She still wanted more time, to be with her child.
Even if it was just one more glance.
"Okay, okay..."
Her voice trembled, still choked with sobs.
As I hadn't brought the Seven Star Elixir, I could only take out an eye-opening talisman and held it in my hand.
I chanted,
"Heaven clear, earth bright, yin turbid, yang pure.
Open human spiritual eye, yin and yang distinct.
Hasten as if by imperial decree,敕!"
Since I was opening someone else's eye, the incantation had been slightly modified from when I used it on myself.
At the same moment I cast the talisman, I pressed the yellow paper directly onto the woman's forehead.
The talisman's light flashed, and it instantly turned to ash.
The woman felt a chill in her eyes and blinked several times.
Then, the little girl appeared before her eyes.
This time, she no longer needed the soul-pulling rope or the bronze mirror to see the little girl.
She could see with her own eyes, and even touch her.
"Xingxing, Xingxing..."
The woman suddenly shouted with excitement, her voice filled with reluctance and love.
She scooped the little female ghost into her arms, hugging her tightly, so very tightly...
"Mommy, Mommy don't cry..."
The little ghost spoke in a childish voice.
She still hadn't understood the fact that she might have already passed away.
Chu Yue, unable to see, still looked at the woman with a troubled expression.
I didn't rush, but waited for a while.
Then I said,
"Sister, is your home far from here?"
The woman shook her head upon hearing my words.
"Not far, it's in the old town area!"
Hearing this, I said to Chu Yue beside me,
"Why don't you go back first? I'll escort the child..."
Chu Yue shook her head.
"I'll go with you!"
Seeing Chu Yue's insistence, I didn't say anything more.
"Okay," I replied, and then said to the woman,
"Sister, take your child home.
Choose a new set of clothes for her, and get some toys.
It will be good for her journey later."
The woman calmed her emotions and nodded repeatedly.
She asked the little ghost to sit properly and went to start the car.
Because her car was a manual transmission, and coupled with her extreme emotional distress, she stalled the engine multiple times.
The car lurched forward.
Seeing this, Chu Yue said,
"Sister, let me drive for you!"
The woman now trusted us completely, especially my ability to see and help her see her child, which made her very grateful.
She didn't hesitate this time and immediately agreed.
Then, Chu Yue moved to the driver's seat, set the navigation, and began driving towards the woman's home.
The woman and her child went to the back seat.
The woman kept holding her child, constantly stroking the child's small hands and head.
The maternal love was palpable even to an outsider like me.
At the same time, I heard the woman ask me,
"Daoist Master, is it cold down there?
My child is young, will she be bullied when she goes down?
Why don't I jump off the building now, and go down with my child?
On the Path to the Underworld, we mother and daughter can travel together..."
The woman held her child, her eyes glistening with tears.
But when she spoke, she sounded so serious and certain.
If I had nodded, she might have actually done something foolish.
Her words startled me, and Chu Yue, who was driving, swerved slightly, glancing at the rearview mirror in surprise.
I was aghast and quickly stopped her,
"Sister, don't do anything rash.
You might not be aware of the rules down there.
Ghosts who commit suicide will be punished upon arrival.
They might even be unable to become human in their next life, only beasts.
At that point, you and your child will truly be separated.
Also, it's not as terrible down there as you might imagine.
It's just a change of scenery..."
I quickly explained, urging her not to entertain such misguided thoughts.
Living well was the only way to wait for a reunion with her child in the next life.
The woman probably understood, holding her child close to her face.
She didn't fear the coldness of a ghost's body, but kept saying,
"Xingxing, you must find Mommy in your next life! Remember to find me!"
And what could a child over two years old understand?
When the woman said this, she just nodded.
"I will find Mommy. No matter where Xingxing goes, she will miss Mommy and look for Mommy..."
Each word made even an outsider like me tremble.
I preferred facing vengeful spirits, malevolent ghosts, and fierce specters.
A single talisman would dispatch them, and I wouldn't feel much emotional turmoil.
It was this kind of situation that made my heart ache...