After much hesitation, I decided to rescue Sun Chuang first.
The fox's arrival had sounded an alarm in my heart, indicating that someone wanted to do something to me or prevent me from doing something.
Mòlù Village had now become a trading post for antiques and old objects. It was impossible for there to be no Feng Shui masters around, nor could Wang Jun have failed to find one capable of examining ancient corpses. Why then was I specifically chosen? Moreover, Sun Chuang had introduced me to arrange a ghost marriage for Fang Huixin's daughter. If this were a coincidence, it was far too coincidental.
Ever since Fang Huixin's daughter had come back to life, I had wanted to find Sun Chuang to get a clear answer, but I hadn't been able to locate him. Now, whether for Sun Chuang's sake or for my own understanding of the truth, I had to rescue Sun Chuang first to learn the details. Furthermore, I felt that Sun Chuang might know the mystery behind my father's ten-year coma.
Having made up my mind, I said, "Brother Zhang, I'm going to use the Soul Seeking Technique to find Sun Chuang's spirit."
The Soul Seeking Technique was a secret art recorded in the margins of the "Wen Wang Yin Shen Jing." I was ecstatic when I discovered it and eventually couldn't help but tell my master, who then mocked me, saying that if I couldn't figure it out, I wouldn't be worthy of learning Yin Gua.
The Soul Seeking Technique, in essence, was profound. It could not only locate hidden Yin people and Yin objects but also the resting place of a corpse after death. As long as one knew the birth date and time, or had a medium, finding a person or Yin object was not difficult.
However, in the ten years I studied Yin Gua, I had only used the Soul Seeking Technique twice, and never on a living person.
My master had always said that using Yin Gua on the living violated the natural order and ethics. If not careful, it could result in minor injuries or, in severe cases, death.
This was one of the reasons why I had never used it on a living person since learning it.
Afterward, I took out a Soul Seeking Talisman from my bag. Its interwoven patterns were extremely complex. An ordinary person might feel dizzy just looking at it, and even I felt a sense of vertigo.
I couldn't draw such a talisman myself yet. This one I had was secretly taken from my master, intended for emergencies, but I hadn't expected to actually use it.
I wondered if my master would beat me again if he knew I had stolen his Soul Seeking Talisman and then used it on a living person.
After preparing the Soul Seeking Talisman, I lit an incense stick. For safety, I didn't use a medium from Sun Chuang's body. Instead, I took a drop of blood from his forehead.
The forehead was the seat of the celestial soul and the anchor of the life soul. This drop of blood would ensure everything went smoothly.
Seeing that I was ready, Zhang Dabiao asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
I nodded. "Brother Zhang, you have a rather important task later. This is the first time I'm using this method on a living person, so I'm not sure about the outcome or if I can bring him back."
As soon as I finished speaking, Zhang Dabiao's face showed concern. "Little brother, perhaps we shouldn't search for his spirit. What if we don't save him, and you get into trouble? What would I do then?"
Seeing the worry on Zhang Dabiao's face, I patted his arm. "It's alright, Brother Zhang. It's not just to save him; it's for myself too. The fox's appearance today was a warning. Sun Chuang's current state suggests there might be more we don't know. Besides, my father had his accident here. Sun Chuang probably saw something he shouldn't have, which is why he ended up like this."
Seeing that my mind was made up, Zhang Dabiao stopped trying to dissuade me and merely asked what he could do.
"Later, I will enter the spirit realm to search for traces. I don't know what will happen, but during the search, absolutely do not touch my body. Also, keep an eye on this incense stick; don't let it go out, or I won't be able to return."
Zhang Dabiao thumped his chest, assuring me that I could trust him.
Then, I dripped Sun Chuang's blood onto the Soul Seeking Talisman. The blood quickly dissolved, merging with the talisman and emitting a faint, dark green glow.
I then lit it. Watching the greenish smoke rise, I gritted my teeth and took a deep breath of the smoke. Suddenly, everything went black.
When I could see again, I found myself lying on a bed, with Sun Chuang beside me. Zhang Dabiao looked solemn, wearing a fox fur robe, his hands occasionally moving at his waist, ready to use his bone-piercing nails against any threat.
"Huh? Did my soul leave my body?"
I had used the Soul Seeking Technique before. Based on the birth date and time provided by family members and the medium used by the deceased, I would directly appear at the deceased's location and use surrounding landmarks to determine the approximate direction. This situation was unprecedented.
This left me somewhat bewildered.
Just then, a powerful suction force suddenly emanated from Sun Chuang's body. I instinctively tried to resist, but I found myself bound, unable to escape.
I could only let the force pull me into Sun Chuang's body.
Then, I felt darkness, and when I could see again, I realized I was seeing through Sun Chuang's eyes, as if watching a movie. It felt incredibly strange.
I saw myself waving my hand in front of Sun Chuang, and then I saw Sun Chuang looking in a mirror, applying makeup to his eyebrows. It was like watching a movie, except this movie was playing in reverse.
The scenes flashed by, some very quickly, others appearing bit by bit.
As Sun Chuang ran into the courtyard and began to eat ravenously, I paid close attention, because from this point onward was the part where Sun Chuang went missing.
The scene was pitch black, and I couldn't tell where Sun Chuang had emerged from. Apart from the occasional barking of wild dogs, there was no way to orient myself.
"Bang..."
With the final flash of the scene, Sun Chuang pushed open a door. I "saw" Sun Chuang appear in a room.
The room didn't seem large, and it was somewhat dim. A kerosene lamp on the table inside burned with a flame the size of a soybean, looking like it could be extinguished at any moment.
Next to the table stood a dark figure, wearing a cloak that enveloped their entire body, making it impossible to tell if it was male or female, or even human or ghost.
The scene then shook. Based on my judgment, this likely indicated Sun Chuang's extreme fear of the figure before him.
"You've come?"
The figure's words startled me. Was this addressed to Sun Chuang?
No, that couldn't be right. He was the one who had captured Sun Chuang, so how could he say something like that to him?
Could it be addressed to me?
I quickly dismissed this thought.
Impossible.
I was only using the Soul Seeking Technique to find Sun Chuang's spirit. Even if I found his spirit, no one should have been able to detect my presence.
Seeing my silence, the figure continued, "I don't know how you found this place, but I can sense you are inside him."
The figure's words made the hairs on my body stand on end.
Who was this figure, and how could they sense my presence?
This also confirmed that they were speaking to me.
I desperately wanted to ask why they knew of my existence and why they were detaining Sun Chuang's spirit, but when I tried to speak twice, I found I couldn't utter a sound. Only then did I realize I was merely a "spectator," able only to see and hear, but not to speak.
Perhaps sensing my thoughts, the figure chuckled and said, "I naturally cannot tell you how I sensed you. How about we make a bet? Hmm... the stake will be this boy's spirit. If you win, I will return his spirit to you. If you lose..."