Chapter 103 – Soul Return

That night, both the railway bureau and the public security bureau mobilized their forces, spending the entire night to suppress the incident. It was said that the case was eventually portrayed as the work of a theft gang, with the security guard having been drugged by the culprits. The shattered glass and explosions were attributed to malfunctioning tools used in the crime. As for the middle-aged man lying in the back alley, his death was also labeled as an accident caused by myocardial infarction. As for the reason why the entire building of Block 6 had fallen into a deep sleep, no reasonable explanation was ever provided, and the matter was glossed over with vague excuses.

While the police were still handling the aftermath, Wei Yang and the others had already been taken to the hospital. Master Zeng’s injuries were not minor. Not only had his old fracture in his arm not healed, but he had also suffered internal injuries due to the backlash from the spell, and he was directly sent for treatment. Zhang Xiuqi, unusually, did not stay by Wei Yang’s side this time but remained by his uncle’s hospital bed without leaving. Thus, the task of summoning the soul fell on Wei Yang.

“Fortunately, there were no major issues this time. We’ve already resolved the matter of the soul. Please prepare a clean bowl and a bottle of mineral water,” Wei Yang said with a calm and reassuring smile to the anxious Yao family.

If it had been before, some might have still harbored doubts. However, this time, the Yao family’s brother-in-law had also been involved in the case and was well aware of the mysterious aspects of it. Therefore, he had complete faith in Master Wei’s words. Soon, a porcelain bowl and clean water were prepared, and following Wei Yang’s instructions, the curtains in the hospital room were drawn to block out the sunlight.

Seeing that everything was ready, Wei Yang did not hesitate. He took out a small piece of jade from his pocket and placed it in Old Yao’s palm. Then, he pulled out a Yellow Talisman, lit it with a match, and threw it into the empty bowl beside him. After the talisman paper had burned to ash, he poured in the mineral water, stirred it, and had the Yao family feed it to the old man.

In reality, the talisman paper was a Calming Talisman he had obtained from Brother Qi, which wasn’t particularly powerful—it could only speed up the soul’s return to the body. The real key was the Dead Jade in Old Yao’s hand. Earlier, the Little Celestial Master had performed a soul-summoning ritual at the Yao residence, attaching the living soul to the Dead Jade. As long as the jade was placed near Old Yao or held in his mouth, and a Soul Returning Technique was recited, the soul would naturally return to the old man’s body.

However, this method didn’t seem “professional” enough, so Wei Yang opted for the talisman water method to summon the soul. Whether in folk tales or movies, talisman water always carried a sense of grandeur. Faced with such a “traditional practice,” the Yao family not only had no objections but also showed even more reverence.

After feeding Old Yao about half a bowl of water, less than a minute later, the old man’s throat made a gurgling sound, and he slowly opened his eyes. Perhaps not expecting so many people around him, he was momentarily stunned before weakly asking, “What’s going on…”

“Dad!” The old man was still in a daze, but the people around him were crying and laughing, all trying to tell him what had happened over the past two days. Wei Yang didn’t interrupt, waiting for the family to vent their emotions and give a rough account of the events before clearing his throat and interjecting, “Old Yao has just had his soul returned and needs proper rest. There’s no need to rush; let the old man recover gradually. Also, if you don’t mind, could everyone please step out for a moment? I have a few questions to ask Old Yao about this incident. It won’t take long.”

Even if a doctor had suggested this, some might have been reluctant to leave the room just as the old man had woken up. However, Master Wei’s words carried weight, and without hesitation, the Yao family quieted down and obediently left the room. Once everyone was gone, Wei Yang looked at the still-confused old man and smiled, asking, “Old Yao, are you feeling any discomfort now?”

Although he had never met Wei Yang before, Old Yao had already heard about him from his son. Skeptically, he examined the “master” who had been brought in by his old friend and hesitantly replied, “No, just a bit of chest tightness and discomfort.”

“That’s a side effect of the soul not fully attaching to the body. It’ll be fine once the stiffness completely subsides,” Wei Yang casually reassured him before shifting the topic. “Actually, what I want to ask is quite simple. Your soul-loss condition this time was caused by human intervention. This kind of soul-snatching technique is very rare. Have you offended anyone related to this before?”

Old Yao’s mouth fell open in surprise, and it took him a long time to recover. “How could that be? I’m not some important figure, and I’ve been retired for years. How could I have offended someone like that? Are you sure this wasn’t a mistake?”

Wei Yang shook his head and asked instead, “If it’s not about offending someone, could it be that someone is coveting your collection? Earlier, at Uncle Qi’s place, I saw that book you collected. The value of the Taoist techniques in that book far exceeds its value as a cultural relic. And those Water Script materials—I believe you’re well aware that these are closely related to witchcraft and metaphysics, right?”

Hearing this, Old Yao finally remembered. “Ah, you’re the Ah Yang that Liu Qi mentioned, aren’t you? The one who found the Bone Formation? I almost forgot about that. Indeed, someone did approach me recently, wanting to buy some of my items, especially that notebook from the Five Dynasties period. They offered a very high price, though I’m not sure where they heard about it. I’d only had the book for a few days and hadn’t fully studied it yet, so I turned them down.”

And then this happened. Wei Yang’s heart sank. It seemed those people were indeed interested in the book, given how coincidentally they had appeared. But from his perspective, the book was just a draft. How could it attract such a high-level Jiangtou Master?

After some thought, Wei Yang asked the crucial question: “Old Yao, think carefully. When you acquired that book, did you receive anything else with it? Something else related to the Water Script, or perhaps other works by the same author…”

“This…” Old Yao frowned, as if remembering something. “Now that you mention it, I did think the book’s cover looked a bit strange, as if it had been tampered with. For an ancient book of that age, it’s rare for anyone to meddle with the cover or inner pages. Could it be this…”

“Did you mention this to anyone else?” Wei Yang immediately pressed.

“Of course not. I hadn’t fully studied it yet, so how could I bring it up with my old friends? I’d be too embarrassed if I got it wrong. Even when I handed the book to Liu Qi, I didn’t say a word, wanting to see if he could spot anything unusual.” Old Yao answered promptly, clearly having not mentioned it to anyone.

What seemed like a small matter in the antique circle might be a huge deal to certain people. Wei Yang sighed softly. “I’m afraid the issue lies here… Old Yao, regarding the Witch Bone I obtained and the draft you collected, does anyone else know about this?”

“Very few. Only about three or five people in the circle know. I was also wondering who leaked the information…” Gradually, Old Yao began to sense something amiss and quickly asked, “Could what happened to me be related to this book?”

“It’s highly possible,” Wei Yang answered truthfully. Although he didn’t know exactly what the other party was after, their persistence suggested they wouldn’t give up until they got it.

Old Yao’s face turned pale. “How could this happen? It’s just a book!” After a moment of thought, he quickly added, “Is Liu Qi with you this time? Could you call him over? I’d like to ask him about the situation…”

Knowing that the two old men likely had things to discuss, Wei Yang nodded, opened the hospital room door, and stepped out. The group was still waiting outside, and Yao Shuping immediately approached as soon as Master Wei emerged. “Master Wei, do you think this matter has been completely resolved?”

Wei Yang smiled but didn’t answer directly. Instead, he said, “Let’s find the person who escaped first. Old Yao wants to ask Uncle Qi a few things. Could you please contact him?”

Uncle Qi had returned home the day before, saying he needed to retrieve something, likely having guessed it was related to the book. Upon hearing this, Yao Shuping nodded immediately. “Uncle Qi should be back this afternoon. I’ll call him later. What about my father’s condition? Could there be any other complications…”

After all, the old man had lost his soul, and given his age, without further “medical advice,” it was hard to feel at ease. Wei Yang seemed to have anticipated this question and directly pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. “Prepare two doses of the medicine listed here. If there are no changes within seven days, the soul will be completely stabilized. We’ll also stay at the hospital for a couple more days to keep an eye on Old Yao’s condition.”

This finally put everyone’s minds at ease. They were profusely grateful and wanted to offer some form of repayment, but Wei Yang politely declined with a smile. After exchanging a few more words with the Yao family, he turned and headed toward the VIP ward upstairs. Master Zeng had been placed in the VIP ward and had just undergone a series of examinations. He was still resting in bed, so it was time to visit him.

However, standing at the door of the ward, Wei Yang suddenly felt at a loss. The professionalism he had displayed earlier had completely vanished, replaced by an overwhelming sense of guilt. After all, he was the one who had led the Little Celestial Master astray. The extent of the “uncle’s disapproval” on Zhang Xiuqi’s actions was something Wei Yang knew all too well. As for Master Zeng, his own behavior could hardly be considered proper—it was almost on par with the crime of abducting a minor, something that would likely result in being beaten to death if caught. Considering how much Master Zeng cared for the Little Celestial Master, Wei Yang was understandably terrified.

After standing at the door for a long time, Wei Yang finally took a deep breath and pushed it open. As the door swung open, two pairs of eyes immediately turned toward him. Wei Yang ignored the Little Celestial Master’s gaze and awkwardly greeted the man lying on the hospital bed. “Master Zeng, you’re awake. Are you feeling better?”

Zeng Jingxuan gave him a faint smile. “Not bad. I’ve been awake for a while now. Thank you for taking care of Xiao Qi during this time.”

The man’s smile was gentle, but his complexion was far from good. Compared to the first time Wei Yang had seen him, he seemed to have lost a significant amount of weight. His temples were dotted with streaks of gray, and his beard, which hadn’t been shaved in a long time, almost covered his jaw. His lips were pale, devoid of any color, making his face appear aged and haggard. One of his arms was in a cast, reportedly due to a poorly treated fracture that had been reset. The immortal-like aura he once exuded had largely dissipated. Although Zeng Jingxuan’s eyes still held a certain brightness, they had lost some of their vitality. It wasn’t hard to imagine what the man had endured over the past month.

Hearing Master Zeng’s words of gratitude, Wei Yang found himself at a loss for words. Zhang Xiuqi, however, had already stood up and walked over to Wei Yang, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the bed. This was the first time in a long while that he had been away from Wei Yang for so long, and if it weren’t for needing to watch over his uncle, he might have already gone out to look for him.

This move startled Wei Yang, breaking him out in a cold sweat. However, he didn’t do anything to draw unnecessary attention and quickly followed Zhang Xiuqi to the bedside. Zeng Jingxuan frowned slightly but didn’t say anything, instead smiling at Wei Yang. “How did things go over there?”

He was asking about Old Yao’s soul. Wei Yang quickly replied, “Old Yao has woken up, and his soul seems to have returned well. Here, this is the Dead Jade that was used…”

As he spoke, Wei Yang subtly pulled his hand free from the Little Celestial Master’s grasp and took out the Dead Jade from his pocket, handing it to Master Zeng. Zeng Jingxuan took the jade and examined it. “Indeed, the return was clean. You’ve worked hard.”

“Ah, it’s nothing. This time, it’s all thanks to Master Zeng’s intervention. Otherwise, who knows how things would have turned out,” Wei Yang quickly replied, then added, “I’ve already asked Old Yao. It seems those two Jiangtou Masters were after an ancient book—a manuscript from a Mao Mountain Sect predecessor during the Five Dynasties period. It seems to be related to the Water Script… er, I mean, the Extinction Script…”

“The Mao Mountain Sect? And for the Extinction Script?” Zeng Jingxuan’s brows furrowed, and he suddenly looked at Wei Yang’s neck, his expression immediately changing. “What’s that around your neck? Let me see!”