Chapter Seventeen: Repairing the Soul

  The master didn't say a word, he just gently shook his head. Having seen the mist earlier, he already knew something was wrong. As for Captain Zhang's current state of mind, it goes without saying. The master took a deep breath, lightly touched the paper figure, and softly muttered: "Heaven is round, earth is square, sun and moon on shoulders, Zhang Shiyan quickly appears, Taishang Laojun urgently as if by order, forgive..."

  As the voice fell, the paper man suddenly stood up by itself. A mist of fog slowly emerged from the paper man, wrapping it around and vaguely transforming into a human figure, although it was unclear and seemed to be about to dissipate at any moment. It was the appearance of a woman, which should have been Zhang Yanqiu. Although not very clear, but from her voice, facial expression, and smile, it could be seen that she must have been a beautiful girl when she was alive, an extremely rare beauty. Looking at Captain Zhang's square face, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, with a fierce appearance, I really doubted whether they were siblings or not, wondering if they weren't born to the same mother. Of course, this thought only dared to exist in my mind.

  Zhang Yanqiu appeared, the most excited was Captain Zhang, whose eyes had already been filled with tears, and he subconsciously rushed up to hug Zhang Yanqiu, his voice also becoming hoarse: "Sister——"

  But with this hug, Zhang Yanqiu's residual soul suddenly became like a mirror flower and water moon, turning into a faint blue smoke that dispersed, no longer existing in human form. Captain Zhang was stunned for a moment, unsure of what to do, only standing there foolishly in an embracing posture. He suddenly turned his head towards Master, but saw Master just sighing with a bitter smile: "Your sister was originally a residual soul, it's already not easy to condense into a human form, how can she withstand your yang energy surge? If you don't want your sister to thoroughly scatter her spirit and disappear, you'd better be honest with me. Whatever happens, ask me first."

  Captain Zhang's face flashed with sadness, and he hastily retreated a few steps, staring blankly at the green smoke. Fortunately, although the smoke dispersed, it did not dissipate due to the paper man's restraint. As Captain Zhang left, it slowly condensed back into human form on its own, but with a foolish expression.

  "Zhang Yanqiu——" The master shouted loudly, using the Taoist's ultimate move to shock her awake. Unfortunately, Zhang Yanqiu didn't react at all and just stared blankly at the master, without even giving a glance to Captain Zhang or me, as if we were beneath her notice.

  Seeing Zhang Yanqiu's non-reaction, the master's face twitched, and he couldn't help but reveal a hint of defeat. He let out a bitter laugh: "Your sister has already had her soul scattered by someone, with only one of her three souls remaining, and only two of her seven spirits left, yet still incomplete. Now she's just an idiot, doesn't know anything, and it's impossible to get any information out of her."

  Captain Zhang was stunned, wiping away tears with his hand and biting his lip, saying in a low voice: "Master, can you please save my sister? She was killed by the villain, it's not possible to just watch her soul disappear, please...".

  As she spoke, she knelt down in front of her master. The bond between siblings is like this, I don't have any brothers or sisters so I couldn't understand this feeling, but people share the same heart, and my heart didn't feel good either. Looking at my master, I also went over, stretched out my hand to grab my master's arm and said in a low voice: "Master, you're a kind person, see things through to the end, send Buddha to the west, this girl is also quite pitiful, just help her out."

  The master glared at me, hummed, but didn't speak, only circled Zhang Yanqiu twice, suddenly seeming to discover something, and involuntarily let out a sound of surprise. He then furrowed his brow, and a look of anger appeared on his face. His left hand reached out, as if grasping at the air above Zhang Yanqiu's head, and with a sudden loud shout, a yellow light burst forth from his hand. Then, I saw that within Zhang Yanqiu's body, something like a talisman was faintly visible, escaping and falling into the master's palm.

  "This is a soul-destroying talisman——" The master's tone had a hint of anger, and it was clear that he was truly furious: "All Taoist sects are kind-hearted and benevolent, even if they are dealing with evil people or malevolent spirits, they will try to help them attain enlightenment. There is no such thing as a soul-destroying talisman in any of the sects. This talisman can be said to be useless, but when it is inserted into a ghost's body, it can slowly erode its spirit until it is completely gone, leaving not even a single thread behind. Even if a Taoist master wants to eliminate an evil spirit, they will leave behind a wisp of its soul or spirit to allow the ghost to be reborn. Whoever uses this talisman has a heart that is sinister and cruel. I think your sister's soul was not dispersed by a Taoist master, but rather someone wanted to completely eradicate her soul, leaving no trace of her in this world. Did your sister commit any evil deeds or follow any heretical paths during her lifetime?"

  Captain Zhang shook his head foolishly and forced a bitter smile, saying: "Master, my sister was a university student in the past. She's been a good girl since she was young. Usually, at most, she would just go out to play with her classmates, climb mountains, swim, and that kind of thing. Her life is very simple, how could she possibly come into contact with some evil person?"

  From Zhang Yanqiu's appearance, it can be seen that this girl should have been a relatively stable girl before her death and shouldn't have gone crazy. Moreover, people in the evil way are not ordinary people who can be easily recognized. I also think this possibility is small. However, I immediately thought of another possibility and couldn't help but look at Captain Zhang, biting my teeth and hesitating for a moment: "Captain Zhang, you said your sister was killed by Li Chengdong, could it be that the Thai guy invited by Li Chengdong..."

  The master was stunned, this is also possible. Whether it's the Orthodox or the evil way, these people have some divine power, so they are all self-proclaimed and will not easily take action against ordinary people. That would make them lose their identity. Unless one possibility, that is to collect money from people and eliminate disasters, and this atmosphere is especially prevalent in Thailand.

  "It must be him, it must be him, I'm going to kill him!" Captain Zhang became agitated, his eyes bulging with blood, his face twisted in a terrifying scowl. If Li Chengdong were right in front of him, Captain Zhang would not hesitate to take his life, and his clenched fists had already turned white with rage.

  I sighed and a wave of sympathy rose in my heart: "Master, is there still any way to save this girl?"

  "Yes," the master replied succinctly, looking like it might not be too difficult, but the gaze he gave me made me shiver.

  Hearing that there was a way to save his sister, Captain Zhang's eyes lit up, and he temporarily put aside his hatred. He rushed over and knelt down in front of his master, hugging his master's leg tightly, and begged bitterly: "Master, please, I beg of you, just save my sister, even if it means bankrupting our family, I will repay you..."

  The master grunted, and with one swift motion, he pulled Captain Zhang up, despite the captain being a robust man. The master's slender appearance belied his strength. With a sly smile, he pointed at me: "You should be begging him, not me. I don't care, saving a life is worth more than building a seven-story pagoda. However, to save your sister, this young one will have to put in some effort."

  I swallowed my saliva, I don't know what the master is up to, looking at the master's sly smile, I always feel that it won't be a good thing. I scratched my head and forced out a faint smile: "Master, you wouldn't want my life, would you? Tell me what to do, see if I can help, as long as I can help, I'll definitely help."

  Since I was young, under the guidance of my teacher, I have been a helpful and kind child. As long as I can be of assistance, I am very willing to help, of course, on the premise that it won't have too much impact on me. If it would cost my life, then forget it. When I was indulging in wild thoughts, I heard Master chuckle: "Of course, it won't cost your life, nothing serious."

  "Liu Hai brothers, please, you must save my sister. Even if she can't be revived, at least let her reincarnate and become a human being again. From now on, I, Zhang Jianchen, will repay you even if I have to be a cow or a horse." Captain Zhang Jianchen pulled my arm and begged, but why do I feel like a resentful wife?

  He saw me nodding, and Master raised an eyebrow, looking me up and down, and suddenly asked a question: "Young man, are you still a virgin?"

  I was stunned, subconsciously nodded, suddenly felt very embarrassed, and immediately panicked, looking at the master's face with a "not already": "Master, you won't make me offer myself as a sacrifice, will you?"

  Who knew the master would laugh, laughing so indecently: "About right——"

  Don't mention that I was stunned at the time, even Zhang Jianchen was staring blankly at Master, unsure of what to do. What does this mean? Am I supposed to be with this female ghost or residual soul? Even if Zhang Yanqiu was beautiful when she was alive, I didn't have any interest now. I just stared blankly at Zhang Yanqiu's residual soul, my face changing unpredictably as I thought wildly. Suddenly, Master slapped the back of my head and said, "You stinky kid, what are you thinking about? You're always daydreaming. I'm only borrowing a thread of your soul to repair Zhang Yanqiu's residual soul so she can reincarnate."

  I finally felt at ease, and I smiled dryly at Master, scratching my head. It was just my imagination running wild. But what does it mean to borrow soul energy? Won't it have any impact on me? Don't save Zhang Yanqiu again, or I'll become a fool. After all, I'm still a good person, right? I swallowed my saliva and looked at Zhang Jianchen before leaning in close to Master and asking in a low voice, "Master, will this have any effect on me?"

  "There will definitely be some impact, after extracting the soul energy, you'll feel a bit weak for a while, but fortunately your mental strength is strong, so it shouldn't have too much of an effect, and you should recover quickly." Master glared at me, very dissatisfied with my distrust: "You little brat, I'm your master, would I still harm you? You're one of the best disciples of our Quanzhen Sect, I wouldn't dare to harm you."

  Since it's like that, I'm not worried anymore. I nodded to Master and just stood there waiting for him to make a move. Zhang Jianchen was extremely grateful to me on the side, but I didn't mind. Helping people isn't about wanting them to thank you; as long as I'm happy with myself, it's fine. The only thing is that I don't know how Master will proceed. Looking at Master's solemn expression, my heart couldn't help but skip a beat.