Chapter 98 - 95: The Truth About Summoning Souls

Chapter 98: Chapter 95: The Truth About Summoning SoulsThe lighting of lanterns was a mourning custom of the Zhou Family’s Troupe. The person announcing the death would carry a white lantern, notifying households one by one. Those who received the death notice would also take out a white lantern, light it, and hang it directly above the door beam. There were many families in the troupe, but the lanterns lit up one by one without any loud disturbances or deafening gongs. All there was, was quiet and tranquility. "Sigh, how could the Young Master be gone just like that?" "Sister-in-law, may I go see the Young Master? I’ve been listening to his storytelling for days, and now that he’s gone, I suddenly feel so empty inside." "May you find peace in this sorrow, sister-in-law. The Young Master was a good person. Someone as good as him deserves to live in the heavens." Xu Li restrained her grief. No matter whom she saw, at most there was a look of worry, but she held back the tears. *If one cries too much, the deceased’s clothes will not fit well.* This custom was well appreciated by the people in Ping Shui Prefecture. The night when the white lanterns were hung gradually turned pale. At 4:30 a.m., Little Fuzi awoke. As an apprentice, he slept in a small shared bed space, eight apprentices to a room, all in a row. He threw off the covers and took out the clothes he had held in his arms all night, turned over, and huddled in the corner to count money. Inside the clothes, he had sewn a closed pocket with a small hole just enough for a finger to reach in. His fingers probed the pocket. "One, two, three... ten..." The money in the pocket was all small bills, extra wages given to him by Zhou Xuan during this period. Little Fuzi knew exactly how much money he had. After counting it carefully once more and finding that not a single note was missing, he got up, washed his face, and went outside to sweep the courtyard. When Little Fuzi left home as an apprentice, his carpenter father told him only one thing, "If you can’t learn a great skill, make sure you’re diligent. You won’t go hungry." So he always stayed diligent, but today, as soon as he went out, he saw that many white lanterns had already been hung in the yard. It was a sign that someone in the troupe had passed away. Little Fuzi didn’t pay it much mind and swept the fallen leaves with a broom. Just then, Blueface from the Ritual Room passed by and said, "What are you sweeping for? The Young Master has died; go and take a look." "You motherfucker, are you sick? Cursing my Young Master early in the morning?" Little Fuzi felt his anger rise instantly, swinging the broom to hit Blueface. "Don’t be crazy, the Young Master really is no more. All those white lanterns are hung for him," Blueface said, retreating a few steps in fright. "Impossible... impossible..." After muttering a few times, Little Fuzi suddenly threw down the broom and ran toward Luoying Hall. Before purification, the deceased of the troupe would be placed in the Luoying Hall’s mortuary bed until all the internal mourners had come to pay their respects before being sent to the Jingyi Room. Little Fuzi started jogging, running faster and faster, and when he saw the crowd gathering at the entrance of Luoying Hall, he ran forward frantically. Reaching the door, the room was already crowded with many people. All the masters of the Zhou Family’s Troupe were there. He couldn’t see, so he pushed hard to squeeze in but couldn’t. Fortunately, he was tall, so he stood on tiptoe to see Zhou Xuan lying on the mortuary bed, his pale face, two large blood holes on his chest... Little Fuzi was stunned, dazed, and he sat lifelessly in the corner of the wall, looking toward the direction of the outer courtyard corner where Zhou Xuan would always bring him to Generate Dreams and then pay him wages higher than the masters’. He wiped his sleeve across his eyes, trembling as he spoke: "Why do good people never live long?" Zhou Xuan, in his eyes, was a good person, the best, and not just because he gave him a lot of money. In his memory, ever since the Young Master came back to life, he would greet him, smile at him, not scold or hit him, and always liked to tell him jokes. When he was scared to tears by the nightmares Zhou Xuan generated, Zhou Xuan would not say he was useless but would comfort him with kind words. Even his attitude when giving him money was never "Take it, it’s your reward," but rather "This money is what you deserve." Equality, respect, were luxurious tastes that a poor child like Little Fuzi rarely experienced in life. "I want to help the Young Master find peace." Little Fuzi seemed to have made some kind of decision, tying his trousers tightly, jogging to the outer courtyard corner to the places he and Zhou Xuan generated dreams the most, running a few steps, then smiling as he bowed, running a few more steps, smiling and bowing again, even if he couldn’t smile, he forced himself to. This was a custom in his hometown — to find peace. It was believed that after a person died, their soul would wander to the places they frequently visited in life and needed someone there to laugh and bow continuously until the soul was at peace and moved on to where it ought to be... But rumor had it that this practice was life-shortening, so in Little Fuzi’s hometown, those willing to perform the bowing were all hired old, sick, and disabled individuals—people who lived very difficult lives. Little Fuzi did not care whether it shortened life or not. He only cared about Zhou Xuan, wanting to send him off on his final journey in his own way... ... After eight o’clock in the morning, most of the troupe had finished paying their respects, and the crying was not loud as many were holding back, In Ping Shui Prefecture, funerals were almost always conducted as happy funerals where crying was least tolerated. Zhou Lingyi sat by Zhou Xuan, constantly gazing at him, while Yuan Buyu sat dazed in the corner, occasionally bursting into sudden curses. "Kill! Kill them all, no one can harm my apprentice!" Though it was an angry outburst, it resonated with deep sorrow. Yu Zhengyuan walked up to Zhou Lingyi and said, "Class Leader, it’s time for the eye-washing ceremony." "Okay, you all go out first." Zhou Lingyi stood up. Yu Zhengyuan then helped Yuan Buyu stand up, making a waving gesture, and everyone understood what needed to be done, voluntarily exiting the Luoying Hall. The hall doors closed. Zhou Lingyi, by the candlelight, wet the silk handkerchief, bunched it up in her hand, and used her fingertip to hold a corner fabric to gently wipe Zhou Xuan’s eyes. The eye-washing ceremony involved first washing the eyes, then the face, and finally the hands. This ritual was typically performed by a daughter for her parents. But Zhou Xuan only had Zhou Lingyi as a relative, so naturally, it fell upon Zhou Lingyi to handle it. While washing his eyes, her eyes red, she spoke to Zhou Xuan: "Brother, I know you always felt grateful to Grandpa for giving you a second life. You always thanked our Zhou Family! In truth, there’s no need to thank us. It’s our Zhou Family who hoped to prosper again through you. Outsiders are spreading rumors, saying that after Brother’s soul was lost, Grandpa, who had been in a coma for two years, sensed that his grandson was gone and awakened the Ancestor Tree, dormant for a hundred years, to summon your soul. In the end, it was you who came back, But that’s not it, that’s not it, The Ancestor Tree woke up by itself; it simultaneously awakened Grandpa, who found you. Grandpa, during his final moments, exhausted all his life’s brilliance to predict two outcomes. One was a grand prediction that illustrated — if we could bring you back, then the Zhou Family’s Troupe might have a chance to survive the chaos that awaited the future! There’s no need for you to thank the Zhou Family. The Zhou Family should thank you! In the beginning, Grandpa discussed finding you with me. I really didn’t care about you because after Brother became what he was, I didn’t want to mention the term brother anymore, But you came to the Zhou Family’s Troupe, and you changed me, Sometimes, I even think if the old Brother hadn’t gone bad, he might have grown up to be just like you! Brother, I’m sorry, Sister couldn’t protect you! I can only perform one last grand underworld play for you, So that you can leave... with dignity." During the time of guest condolence, Zhou Lingyi consistently reminded everyone else — not to cry, not to show sadness, but at this moment, she was already sobbing with a tear-streaked face. "Hell where none live, Fangxiang Ming Hall." This phrase was a secret code set by Zhou Lingyi and Grandpa before the soul-summoning ritual. Hell where none live referred to the Blood Well. Zhou Lingyi knew even earlier than Yuan Buyu that Zhou Xuan was a Blood Well Spirit Communicator! "After I started to see you as a brother in my heart, I also wanted you to connect with the Nuo God through the ancestral Nuomian, to become the new Nuodai! But those old creatures were stubborn! Brother, I’m sorry for not making these things clear to you while you were alive, It’s because I was afraid, Afraid you would blame our Zhou Family, would not recognize me as your sister, I was also afraid, Afraid of losing you again, you were my only remaining family... but ultimately... still...*." Zhou Lingyi had already cleaned Zhou Xuan’s eyes, face, and hands meticulously. Just then, the door slowly opened a crack, and Yu Zhengyuan came in. "Class Leader, someone outside wants to pay respects to Xuanzi." "Are they from our troupe?" "No, an outsider." "The time for guest condolence hasn’t arrived yet." "He said his name is Xia Jin," Yu Zhengyuan said. "Then let him come in," instructed Zhou Lingyi. "Okay." The door gently closed and then gently opened. A middle-aged man in a black tunic and a black bowler hat walked in. Xia Jin had a scar on his face, slanting down from the brow bone all the way to the chin, making his already fierce appearance even fiercer, like a bandit. "Sister Ling, I came too late yesterday." Xia Jin had a life-and-death bond with Zhou Lingyi; if not for her, the scar on his face wouldn’t be there but on his chest. He had always respected Zhou Lingyi, and despite being much older, he was still willing to call her "Sister Ling." "It’s not your fault, Ah Jin." "Your brother died most regrettably." Xia Jin took an envelope from his pocket and handed it to Zhou Lingyi: "After you left, I went back and checked the bones beside the Human Turtle. The information I found is in this letter. Additionally, there are two more people in your Zhou Family’s Troupe who served as the Human Turtle’s ’feet.’ The Human Turtle is very cunning; it doesn’t use the same foot for long. It only possesses the foot when feeding, so the aura of the ’feet’ on those two was very faint, but I could smell it!" Xia Jin, being an Evil Slayer and part of the God Traveling Department, knew a lot about Demon Clan’s ghost habits and scents thoroughly. "Who were the two people?" "I’ve already dealt with them. They were from your troupe, one called Lao Ma, another called Lao Tian." "Okay." Zhou Lingyi opened the letter, frowning more deeply as she read. "The Human Turtle might still have other accomplices. Just relying on Lao Ma and Lao Tian wouldn’t have been enough to bring him a lot of food, but I don’t have the time to investigate further. The God Traveling Department sent me an urgent relocation order because I took on the Human Turtle’s affairs. They were very angry and want me to report to Mingjiang Prefecture immediately. I’m about to set off." Zhou Lingyi put away the letter, saying: "Ah Jin, thank you." "There’s no need to say thanks. I’m very sorry about your brother." After bowing, Xia Jin removed his hat and bowed to Zhou Xuan’s body before leaving with large strides. Zhou Lingyi put the letter away, opened the door of Luoying Hall, and instructed Yu Zhengyuan, "Send my brother to the Jingyi Room."