"Ghost! There's a ghost!"
In the pitch - black main hall, the Buddha statues hidden in the darkness seemed to have triggered some memory in Jiang Zhiqing. She covered her ears and head tightly, cowering into a corner. Cold sweat poured down her body, and she trembled uncontrollably.
"I... I'm not guilty. Don't... don't arrest me."
Jiang Mian and Li Zhao exchanged a glance. Immediately, they stepped forward and used their bodies to block the Buddha statues. Li Zhao gently grasped Jiang Zhiqing's trembling shoulders and softened his voice.
"Yingniang, Yingniang. Look up at me. There are no evil ghosts here. I'm here, and I'll protect you."
In the past, as long as he said this, Jiang Zhiqing would quickly calm down. But today, his consolation was completely ineffective. She hugged herself tightly, deeply immersed in her own thoughts. No matter what others said, it was difficult to wake her up.
Just then, Taoist Yuanzheng returned to the hall. Seeing this, Jiang Mian quickly stepped forward to greet him. "Master! Come and take a look at my mother quickly! Right now, only you can calm her down!"
Jiang Mian grabbed Yuanzheng's sleeve and dragged him in front of Jiang Zhiqing.
Yuanzheng stumbled as he was dragged over. When he saw Jiang Zhiqing's state, his expression became solemn.
Taking out a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve, Taoist Yuanzheng took a bit of cinnabar from it and smeared it on Jiang Zhiqing's glabella. Then, he quickly drew a talisman on her face with his finger dipped in cinnabar.
Miraculously, after he drew the talisman, Jiang Zhiqing's emotions gradually calmed down. She was no longer as hysterical as before. Instead, she curled up, hugged her arms, and quietly squatted there, like a puppet without a soul.
Taoist Yuanzheng said to Li Zhao and Jiang Mian,
"The sudden outburst must be because this place has triggered her memories. Otherwise, she wouldn't have said that she was guilty and begged not to be arrested."
Li Zhao was stunned. He turned around and looked at the Buddha statues behind him. Finally, he noticed something was wrong.
"These are the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, the body - guarding Rakshasas, and the Listening Beast..."
Jiang Mian didn't know much about Buddhism. But there were many temples in Luozhou, and almost everyone worshiped Buddha. So she asked, "Father, is there something wrong with these Buddha statues?"
Li Zhao shook his head and said, "The Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha is one of the four great bodhisattvas in Buddhism. He saves sentient beings suffering in the six realms, especially those in hell. The Rakshasas are the jailers in hell, scolding sinners, and they are also one of the guardians of Buddhism."
"With these Buddha statues placed together, this side - hall is probably not for praying for blessings but for 'judging sins'."
Taoist Yuanzheng said, "Brother Li is truly knowledgeable."
"Both Buddhism and Taoism have the concept of hell. After people die, their souls enter hell. They cross the Naihe Bridge. Based on their deeds in life, they either choose to be reincarnated into the six realms or suffer in hell to eliminate their karmic obstacles."
Li Zhao looked at Jiang Zhiqing, who showed no reaction. His heart tightened painfully.
"Master, is there any way to retrieve my mother's lost soul?" Jiang Mian asked through gritted teeth.
Actually, she didn't hold much hope. After all, this incident had happened more than a decade ago. How could a person's soul stay away from the body for so long?
But Taoist Yuanzheng's words made her eyes light up again.
"If this were a desolate place, Mrs. Jiang's escaped soul would probably have dissipated long ago. But this is a Buddhist temple, where people chant scriptures all year round. This can actually nourish her scattered soul. However..."
Taoist Yuanzheng paused.
"It's not easy to retrieve a soul that has been lost for so long. It's not like the case of the crown prince back then, where lighting a few life - lamps could solve the problem. The soul has been in the Buddhist temple for so long. It may have developed its own will. It must be willing to return to Mrs. Jiang's body on its own for this to succeed."
But how could they make the lost wisp of soul willing to return to her mother's body?
Jiang Mian lowered her head and thought.
Back then, Jiang Zhiqing lost her child in Ling'an Temple. After being hit, she became insane. Something must have happened in this temple back then!
"Maybe if we reenact what happened here back then and trigger my mother's and that wisp of soul's memories, it will be willing to return to my mother's body on its own!"
"Reenact the story?" Li Zhao pondered, "Do you mean the incident of the babies being switched back then?"
Jiang Mian nodded vigorously. "Exactly."
Li Zhao frowned and hesitated. "Won't this make her condition worse?"
But Jiang Mian said, "My master's medical books once said that for a symptom like my mother's, if drugs can't cure it, reenactment might be able to retrieve her lost memories. If that lost soul is in the hall, maybe when it sees the same thing happen, it won't stand by idly."
Taoist Yuanzheng also said, "Doctor Jiang is right. This is also a feasible method. Don't worry. With this poor Taoist here, Mrs. Jiang won't be in danger."
Li Zhao looked at Jiang Zhiqing with the talisman drawn on her face.
Mujin was right. Yingniang was so scared, which meant that she must have suffered a great shock here back then. This led to the separation of her and Mujin, and she became insane and no longer recognized anyone.
He only had three years of lifespan left. If Yingniang was still like this before he passed away, who would take care of her in the future?
It was better to take a gamble. If Yingniang could regain her sanity because of this, he could leave this world with peace of mind in the future.
Finally, Li Zhao nodded. "How do you plan to reenact it, Mujin?"
Jiang Mian said, "Leave it to me, Father. You should first find a way to take mother to a place where she can't see these statues but can observe what's going on in the hall."
Seeing her confident look, Li Zhao nodded, patted her on the shoulder, and walked towards Jiang Zhiqing.
Li Zhao coaxed and carried Jiang Zhiqing to the other side of the main hall.
It was dark there. One couldn't see the surroundings clearly, but one could see Jiang Mian and the others in the center of the hall. Jiang Zhiqing stared blankly at that place, showing no reaction. Kissing her forehead gently, Li Zhao whispered, "Yingniang, don't be afraid. Mujin and I are by your side. No one can hurt you."
...
On the other side, after Li Zhao took Jiang Zhiqing away, Jiang Mian looked at the person who had remained silent all this time. "Uncle, I need you to do me a favor."
Mo Zhizhang stood up and walked towards her. Smiling faintly, he asked, "Tell me. How is 'little sister' going to order 'second brother' around this time?"
Jiang Mian wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she always felt that Mo Zhizhang's tone had changed.
Before, when he joked with her using "little sister" and "second brother", it always sounded like he was complaining. But now...
Why did it seem a bit more doting?
She didn't notice that the yellow dog beside her gritted its teeth hard when it heard Mo Zhizhang's words, wondering if it should pounce on him and give him a lesson.