Chapter 147 Summoning the Soul

Startled, the tall, thin scholar quickly said, "Young Master Lin, please...please don't do anything! I am Zu Qianqiu, I'm not a bad person!"

The short, stout man quickly added, "I'm just an old man, not a bad person! We're here to see Young Master Lin!"

"You recognize me, but I don't recognize you. Why are you following me?"

Shi Potian stepped out from behind the two of them.

At this moment, Qu Feiyan also walked over, looked the two of them up and down, and said, "Zu Qianqiu? Old man? You are the 'Yellow River Ancestor'?"

Zu Qianqiu cupped his hands and smiled, "Young lady, you have great insight. I am Zu Qianqiu, and this is the old man, known in the martial arts world as 'Old Ancestor of the Yellow River'."

Qu Feiyan curled her lip and said, "What knowledge do I have? Your names are so famous, it's impossible not to recognize you."

"Hey bro, do you know what this short, chubby ball is called?"

"I don't know. He said he's an old man, but he doesn't look old to me," Shi Potian said, shaking his head.

Qu Feiyan laughed heartily.

The old man explained, "My surname is Lao, and my given name is Touzi. My name is Lao Touzi, not because I look like an old man."

Shi Potian was dumbfounded; he couldn't believe there were such strange names in the world.

The old man continued, "I have long admired Young Hero Lin's name. Meeting you today, I can confirm that you are indeed handsome and dashing, with unparalleled martial arts skills."

Qu Feiyan curled her lip and said, "Don't give me that. Why are you following us?"

Zu Qianqiu said solemnly, "Miss, you misunderstand. We two are not following you; we have come specifically to find Young Master Lin." He looked at Shi Potian with a hint of respect in his eyes, "Young Master Lin, we heard that you have been suffering from a mental disorder, so we have come to help you. We know a master who specializes in treating such difficult and complicated illnesses, and we would like to ask you to take a look."

Shi Potian was taken aback: "A master? What kind of master?"

The old man said, "This master lives in seclusion outside Kaifeng City. She is skilled in the art of summoning souls and can help those who have lost their souls find their way back. It took us a lot of effort to persuade her to help. If the young镖头 (bodyguard/escort) is willing to go, I guarantee she will cure the illness."

Qu Feiyan frowned and said, "Summoning spell? Isn't that a deceptive trick? We still need to find Ping Yizhi, we don't have time to mess around with you."

Zu Qianqiu said, "Miss Qu, we know where Ping Yizhi lives. Why don't we lead the way for you first? If Doctor Ping can't cure you, then we'll go find that expert."

Just when I was about to fall asleep, someone offered me a pillow. Qu Feiyan happily said, "Alright. You lead the way. I was just about to ask one of my brothers from the sect to guide me."

"Are you also a member of the Sun Moon Cult, young lady?" the old man asked.

Qu Feiyan ignored him, and the old man shut up in frustration.

Zu Qianqiu and the old man led the way, while Qu Feiyan pulled Shi Potian along behind.

After walking for quite some time without arriving, Qu Feiyan suddenly said, "Do you really know where Ping Yizhi lives? Are you trying to trick us into seeing some charlatan?"

The old man patted his chest and said, "Miss Qu, don't worry. We two have some connections with Doctor Ping. How could we not know which way his door faces?"

Zu Qianqiu also said, "That's right. Doctor Ping is good in every way, but he's very demanding. He'll kill one person for every one he saves, so he might not be willing to help Young Master Lin. He also likes to go deep into the mountains and forests, saying that he has to collect herbs while they're fresh. He might not be home today."

The group wandered through the streets and alleys until they arrived at a secluded spot on the southern outskirts of the city, where a single courtyard stood all alone. Zu Qianqiu stopped in front of the courtyard and knocked on the door. After knocking for a while, no one answered. The old man pushed open the courtyard gate and saw some herbs drying in the yard, but the house was empty.

"As expected, he's not here." Zu Qianqiu sighed and said to Shi Potian, "Young Master Lin, what bad luck. Doctor Ping has probably gone up the mountain to gather herbs and won't be back until tomorrow."

Qu Feiyan frowned and asked, "Then what should we do?"

The old man's eyes darted around, and he said, "Miss Qu, the expert I mentioned earlier is not far outside the city. Since Doctor Ping isn't here, why don't we go over there and take a look? If he can cure you, it'll save us from waiting."

Qu Feiyan looked at Shi Potian.

Shi Potian saw that the Yellow River Ancestor was staring intently at him. (Cola Novels: There's always a story waiting for you to unfold.) He could only say, "Then let's go take a look."

The old man was overjoyed and quickly led the way. The group left the south gate and walked for seven or eight miles until they arrived at a small hill. On the hill stood a small temple, its doors tightly shut, surrounded by overgrown weeds, desolate and quiet, showing no sign of any incense burning.

Qu Feiyan frowned and said, "This is the residence of the master you were talking about? This is clearly a dilapidated temple."

Zu Qianqiu said, "Don't worry, young lady, the master is inside." He stepped forward and knocked on the door, three long and two short knocks, a total of five knocks.

The door creaked open, and an old woman poked her head out. She raised her droopy eyelids, glanced at the group, and said, "You've come?"

Zu Qianqiu nodded: "We're here."

"You've come a bit early." The old woman opened the door and let everyone in.

"I'm afraid it will get dark soon."

"It's better when it's dark." The old woman turned and walked inside, her voice coming from the shadows.

The temple was small, and it did not enshrine a Buddha or a Taoist deity, but rather a deity whose name could not be described, which greatly puzzled Qu Feiyan.

In front of the statue was an offering table with an incense burner, candlesticks, and several small porcelain vases. Beside the offering table stood a middle-aged woman dressed in black, her hair tied up in a high bun with a silver hairpin, her face thin, but her eyes exceptionally bright.

She looked at Shi Potian, sized him up, and said calmly, "It's him?"

Qu Feiyan disliked the old woman, tugged at Shi Potian's sleeve, and whispered, "Young man, this person doesn't look like a good person, let's go."

The woman in black had extremely sharp ears, and she sneered, "If you don't want to, then get lost. No refunds."

The old man said urgently, "We can't refuse; those are all my treasures."

Zu Qianqiu also said anxiously, "Fairy, please calm down. The young girl is ignorant. Please don't take it to heart." He then turned to Qu Feiyan and said, "Miss Qu, this fairy is highly skilled. She has healed countless people who have lost their souls. We paid a great price to get her to help us. We can't miss this opportunity."

Qu Feiyan felt uneasy, sensing something was amiss with the room, and was about to say something more when Shi Potian said, "Feifei, since we're already here, let her give it a try."

Qu Feiyan had no choice but to shut her mouth.

The old woman in black walked up to Shi Potian, stared into his eyes for a moment, then paced around him a few times, looking him up and down.

After a long silence, he stepped back and said, "Your illness is caused by losing your soul. It's not difficult to cure; just do as I say."

Shi Potian asked, "How?"

"Come with me, no strangers allowed." The old woman walked towards the room behind the statue.

Qu Feiyan protested, "No, I want to watch my little brother."

The old woman said calmly, "Then you can all get out!"

Qu Feiyan snorted angrily and said to Shi Potian, "Little brother, be careful, don't get fooled by a charlatan."

Shi Potian smiled slightly, "Don't worry, Feifei, I'll be fine."

After saying that, he stepped inside.

The room was dimly lit, with only an oil lamp and a few futons on the floor. All around were strange statues of gods.

The old woman in black walked up to Shi Potian, stared into his eyes for a moment, and suddenly said, "Sit on the futon and close your eyes."

Shi Potian sat down as instructed. The woman in black sat down on the prayer mat opposite him, took a bronze mirror from the offering table, and placed it in front of Shi Potian.

Strange runes were engraved on the back of the bronze mirror, and the surface was polished to a shine, reflecting Shi Potian's face.

"Open your eyes." The old woman's voice suddenly became ethereal, as if it came from a very distant place. "Look at yourself in the mirror."

Shi Potian opened his eyes and looked at himself in the mirror. He felt the mirror surface was getting brighter and brighter, almost blindingly so. The voice of the woman in black continued to come, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, sometimes near, sometimes far: "You're tired...you're sleepy...you really want to sleep..."

"Who are you now?" the old woman in black asked in a low voice.