The dream ended abruptly. Feng Chengyuan suddenly opened his eyes. Not only was his face burning hot, but even the tips of his ears were bright red.
How could he dream of such a scene... It must be the red wine's fault!
It was two o'clock in the morning. All of Feng Chengyuan's drowsiness had vanished. Sighing, he walked into the bathroom and took several cold showers in a row...
................
"What? Jiang Sheng has gone crazy?"
Hong Xi walked around Jiang Sheng in disbelief. Disgusted by his slovenly appearance with drool running down his chin, he took a step back. Then he turned to Yu Nian and said, "It's really strange. He doesn't seem to be possessed by an evil spirit. Instead, it seems like he lost one of his souls from being scared."
Pei Ying was taken aback. She quickly told Yu Nian everything that had just happened. While speaking, she observed Yu Nian's expression and mumbled, "Jiang Sheng was fine this morning. How could he go crazy just after coming to Qingxin Taoist Temple? Could it be that the temple stole the show on purpose and deliberately let a ghost possess Jiang Sheng to attract customers?"
Yu Nian squinted her black eyes. Her look towards Pei Ying became inquisitive and playful. "You already suspect us so much, yet you still dare to bring Jiang Sheng to Qingxin Taoist Temple. Aren't you afraid that I'll silence you?"
Pei Ying was a bit scared under Yu Nian's stare. She took a step back and said awkwardly, "I'm just making a reasonable suspicion. If you can save Jiang Sheng, it will prove that you're okay!"
Guan Sheng, who had been silent all along, sneered. He grew up in a coffin shop and had seen all kinds of people. Naturally, he saw through Pei Ying's little thoughts and thus sneered at her.
"You're really good at calculating. Sure enough, there's nothing a shameless person can't do."
If Yu Nian could save Jiang Sheng after Pei Ying brought him to Qingxin Taoist Temple, it would be a win - win situation.
But if Jiang Sheng couldn't be saved, she could easily shift all the blame to the temple and get out of it unscathed.
Yu Nian gave Pei Ying a deep look. Then she turned to Guan Sheng and instructed, "Go to the vegetarian dining hall and get three chopsticks. Then fetch a bowl of clean water."
After saying that, Yu Nian walked up to Jiang Sheng. After carefully looking him over, she was surprised to find that the two spirits that had been following him had disappeared!
Yu Nian frowned slightly and reached out to feel Jiang Sheng's pulse.
Although Jiang Sheng was a big and strong man, his pulse was so weak that it was almost imperceptible at the moment.
Jiang Sheng seemed a bit afraid of Yu Nian. He shrank back and tried to hide behind Pei Ying, but unfortunately Yu Nian's grip was too strong and he couldn't break free.
He pursed his lips and burst into tears.
Pei Ying's eyes flickered. She quickly protected Jiang Sheng and said, "Be gentle!"
Just then, Guan Sheng brought all the things. Yu Nian let go of Jiang Sheng's hand and picked up the three red chopsticks together.
She first softly recited some incantations with strange syllables. Then, holding the chopsticks in her left hand, she rotated them three times clockwise and counter - clockwise respectively at a position a few inches above Jiang Sheng's head. Immediately, Jiang Sheng, who had been extremely noisy, became quiet in an instant. He stared blankly into the distance, looking like a living dead man.
Guan Sheng observed Yu Nian's actions intently. There was admiration and envy in his eyes that couldn't be hidden.
When he was young, he often saw ghosts. Once, he lost his soul from being scared by a horribly - looking ghost who died a violent death. The old master in the coffin shop used this soul - summoning ceremony to call his soul back.
However, the old master had specially bathed and burned incense before the ceremony, being extremely rigorous and solemn.
But Yu Nian was calm and relaxed. This soul - summoning ceremony seemed as ordinary as eating and drinking to her.
After Yu Nian inserted the red chopsticks into the water, a miraculous thing happened. After the chopsticks swayed a few times, they stood straight in the water!
After Yu Nian gave a low shout, the chopsticks seemed to be affected by an external force and "plopped" into the water.
Seeing Jiang Sheng's eyes gradually clear, Guan Sheng heaved a sigh of relief.
He knew this was a crucial step. If the chopsticks fell, the bad luck on the soul - lost person would be dispelled. Soon, his own soul would return and he would gradually recover.
But Yu Nian's tone suddenly turned cold. "Something's wrong."
Just as her voice fell, Jiang Sheng's face instantly turned deathly pale. His facial features were extremely distorted. He staggered unsteadily from side to side, roaring as if he was suffering great pain.
And the red chopsticks that had fallen before stood up again with a "bang" as if being pulled by a spider's silk. In the stalemate with Yu Nian, they actually broke with a snap!
Jiang Sheng let out a painful scream and fainted.
Everyone around was extremely frightened by this scene. Pei Ying screamed and supported Jiang Sheng. Thinking she had seized the opportunity, she shouted at Yu Nian, "What did you do? Can you really do this or not?!"
"Shut up." Yu Nian glanced at her with a cold and detached look. Her eyes were full of coldness. "Do you think this is some place where you can throw a tantrum at will?"
Pei Ying was shocked. By the time she reacted, cold sweat had already involuntarily flowed down.
... It was really unbelievable. The look in Yu Nian's eyes just now was not something a girl in her twenties could have. It was even more intimidating than the ghost hand in the apartment!!
"Master, what's going on?" Huang Shisiniang, who was lying on Yu Nian's wrist, asked.
Yu Nian said calmly, "Jiang Sheng didn't lose his soul from being scared. His soul was forcibly taken away by something."
"What? Soul - taking?!" Hong Xi was stunned for a long time. "Could it be that Jiang Sheng accidentally bumped into the Yin messengers on a mission before and his soul was taken away by the person in charge there?"
Yu Nian shook her head. "It's not very likely."
Recalling the bad luck all over Jiang Sheng, Yu Nian knew that this incident was definitely not a coincidence.
Pei Ying felt a bit scared when she noticed that the atmosphere in the temple was not right. She put down Jiang Sheng and was about to run out of the temple gate.
But after running a few steps, she suddenly fell to the ground. When she looked closely, a snake as thick as a bowl had wrapped around her calf at some point. The cold and slippery feeling made the blood in Pei Ying's whole body freeze!
"Aaaah!! There's a snake! You're really a demon temple!!"
Yu Nian was annoyed by Pei Ying's noise. She casually cast a spell to silence her.
Yu Nian walked up to Pei Ying and said softly, "You've been with Jiang Sheng for so long. Now that something has happened to him, do you think you'll be safe? Not to mention that you've already been contaminated with bad luck. The thing that has been pestering Jiang Sheng is extremely fierce. It has already marked you. No one can escape. If you don't believe it, take a look for yourself."
Pei Ying took Yu Nian's mirror blankly. A huge black handprint had been branded on her neck at some point. It was like it was charred, and black pieces of skin were constantly falling off.
Pei Ying instantly felt desperate. She touched her neck and struggled non - stop.
Yu Nian lifted the silencing spell on Pei Ying. Pei Ying instantly burst into tears. "I didn't do anything. Why does that thing want to kill me too?" She changed her arrogant attitude before and pulled at Yu Nian's sleeve, pleading, "Master, I was wrong. Please save me. I don't want to die!"