Immediately afterwards, there was a crisp "click" sound from Shanshan's limb joints. In an instant, her whole body toppled over and she crawled on the ground like a spider, moving towards Mrs. Xu at an inhumanly fast speed!
The air was instantly filled with a cold chill and the stench of decay. As the ghost crawled, it let out shrill cries with sobs!
"Daddy... Mommy..."
This sudden change took everyone by surprise. No one had expected that Shanshan in the illusion would suddenly go berserk!
By the time the disciples reacted, Shanshan had already crawled in front of Mrs. Xu. She stretched out her extremely cold hands and tightly grabbed Mrs. Xu's feet!
"Mother... Shanshan misses you so much..."
Shanshan raised her head and stared at Mrs. Xu with a strange look in her eyes, making a harsh sound from her throat!
"Ah—"
Mrs. Xu let out a terrified scream, and Cui Weiqi's legs went weak, and he slumped to the ground!
Zhong Shengwan felt deeply sympathetic towards Shanshan. Seeing this child who was forced to sacrifice herself always made him think of Yuan Yuan involuntarily. So although he took out a talisman, he hesitated for a moment and couldn't bring himself to strike...
Shen Cuiyu's eyes flickered. She really didn't sense any killing intent from Shanshan. The thick resentment was more like an indelible grievance, and her actions were more like those of an infatuated child instinctively seeking the only warmth.
However, Liu Ruyan on the side took action!
Her figure was extremely swift. Two talisman papers with sharp golden light shot directly at Shanshan's soul body!
"Don't—!" Zhong Shengwan failed to stop her in time. Amidst the shrill screams, Shanshan's soul shadow trembled violently, and the illusion shattered instantly!
All the disciples' gazes were fixed on Liu Ruyan, but she showed no sign of guilt. She said seriously, "Although Shanshan is pitiful, she has now become a ghost with soaring resentment and a terrifying appearance. She even intended to harm the client! The selection for the Grand Sacrifice Ceremony is of great importance. All our words and deeds need to be verified by the court and the academy. Protecting the safety of the client is our primary responsibility and must not be neglected."
Her words were sonorous, positioning herself as a person who "considers the overall situation and makes decisive decisions". The other disciples couldn't find any fault with her.
"By now, it's clear. I think it's mostly because Shanshan was unwilling that she took away Jiaojiao's soul!"
"I also think so. It's really pitiful for this child..."
People around were chattering. The disciples thought they had found the culprit, and their expressions relaxed a lot.
Pei Yu just stood beside Shen Cuiyu and asked in a voice that only the two of them could hear:
"Do you also think this was done by Shanshan? I don't believe it."
Shen Cuiyu asked Pei Yu, "Why?"
Pei Yu blinked his eyes. His long eyelashes cast a small fan - shaped shadow on his porcelain - like face. He said indifferently, "Intuition."
"Although the evil spirit lured her, Shanshan was extremely innocent. What she said must have been from the bottom of her heart. Would a child who was willing to give up everything just to make her mother happy really take away her younger sister's soul after death?"
Shen Cuiyu was silent. She also thought the same.
............
Since all the existing clues pointed to Shanshan, the top priority was to summon back Shanshan's soul.
But after being hit by Liu Ruyan's talisman papers, no one knew if Shanshan would still show up...
Shen Cuiyu found the distraught Mrs. Xu and asked,
"Is there any of Shanshan's old belongings in the mansion?"
Mrs. Xu looked a bit unnatural. After a long time, she rummaged out an item and said awkwardly,
"When Shanshan passed away that year, many of her things were burned. This is the only thing left..."
Shen Cuiyu took it. It was a tattered rattle, exuding an old - fashioned atmosphere everywhere.
Mrs. Xu said, "This was Shanshan's favorite toy... Strangely enough, every time I shook this rattle, Jiaojiao would laugh, so I kept it..."
Shen Cuiyu was silent for a moment. She wondered what Shanshan would think when she heard this.
Seeing that Shen Cuiyu was about to summon the soul, Mrs. Xu struggled for a moment and then asked hesitantly,
"If... if it was really Shanshan who did this, what will you do to her?"
Shen Cuiyu counter - asked, "What do you think should be done?"
"...Don't hurt her. Just...超度 her." Mrs. Xu said and then averted her gaze.
Shen Cuiyu glanced at Mrs. Xu and suddenly smelled a trace of motherly love that had not completely dissipated.
Perhaps because they were too frightened in the illusion, Mrs. Xu and Cui Weiqi were now hiding in the room, deliberately avoiding this ritual.
Under the bright moonlight, Shen Cuiyu came to the courtyard. She gently shook the rattle. The dull "thud" sound accompanied the soul - summoning incantation and echoed in the silence.
At the same time, Shen Cuiyu's mind was full of thoughts.
The temptation of the evil spirit, Shanshan's voluntary sacrifice, the fixed position in the Children's Palace, the two lost souls of Jiaojiao, the great sadness in Jiaojiao's consciousness...
Everything in the world is in balance. Even if Shanshan really voluntarily sacrificed herself, where did Jiaojiao's soul come from?
It takes a great deal of fate to become parents and children. It's impossible for the evil spirit to just grab a wandering ghost and stuff it into Mrs. Xu's womb to take Shanshan's place in the Children's Palace, right?
A bold conjecture gradually emerged in Shen Cuiyu's mind.
As the soul - summoning continued, a thin figure slowly emerged. Different from the terrifying appearance in the illusion, it was still the innocent - eyed Shanshan with a shy smile.
She felt Shen Cuiyu's kindness and slowly walked closer.
Shen Cuiyu smiled gently at her and said, "Do you want to play with me?"
Shanshan nodded and obediently sat down beside Shen Cuiyu.
At the same time, Shen Cuiyu could sense the lingering obsession in Shanshan's soul body: the sadness of her parents' favoritism, the sorrow of being ignored, the envy of Jiaojiao being able to enjoy her parents' love...
This emotion was complex and intense, but there was not a trace of resentment towards anyone.
Shen Cuiyu took out a stick of Guandong candy from her pocket and gave it to Shanshan.
Shanshan was stunned for a moment, then took it shyly. But she carefully broke it in half and handed the other half back to Shen Cuiyu.
This candy was actually specially processed and was a kind of offering. Living people couldn't eat it, but Shen Cuiyu still took it.
She suddenly thought that if Shanshan could grow up smoothly, she would surely be a kind and humble child.
One person and one ghost, one big and one small, sat side by side and began to share a stick of Guandong candy.
Shen Cuiyu asked softly, "Since you can show yourself in this way, why did you scare your parents in the illusion?"
Shanshan lowered her head and said in a tiny voice, "Because... it's scarier that way. Daddy and Mommy... won't always think of me and won't be sad..."
Shen Cuiyu was slightly stunned. She didn't expect this to be the reason.
She then asked Shanshan, "Have you seen your younger sister?"
Shen Cuiyu watched Shanshan's expression carefully to see if she would go berserk at the mention of her younger sister.
But Shanshan looked confused. After a long time, she nodded.
Everyone's hearts were almost in their throats. They couldn't wait to know the whereabouts of Jiaojiao's soul!
Shen Cuiyu probed, "Why did you take away Jiaojiao's soul? Do you hate her?"
Shanshan shook her head. Her eyes were sincere and earnest. "To... protect my younger sister..."