Chapter 2: The Little Taoist's Soul Summoning for Recommendation Tickets over 200

  I also learned from him and returned a courtesy, nodding in agreement.

  He smiled and said, "The two old gentlemen went on a cloud tour of the four seas some time ago. I won't hide it from you, sir, but previously there were also people who came here to wait for the two old gentlemen. When they were around, they would often give me some pointers. When they weren't around, they would ask me to come here and wait for someone with a predestined connection, so I could help guide them out of their confusion."

  I hastily asked, "So, Master Dao is a senior disciple of the two elderly gentlemen? May I ask how to address you and what famous mountain are you from?" Since childhood, I have liked reading ancient books, so I could respond with such elegant phrases.

  He waved his hand humbly and said, "How dare I? My name is Mao Bin, and you are too polite. I am not talented, but I have learned a little from the two old men. However, when it comes to Feng Shui, numerology, and exorcism, I can still hold my own." After speaking, he looked at me under the dim light of the street lamp and exclaimed, "Your forehead is dark, your footsteps are floating, your middle energy is not harmonious, your Dantian is not solid, and there is a black aura surrounding your body. Have you encountered a ghost?"

  I was shocked by his words. Especially "Dan Tian is not solid, black air entwines", it's indeed the same as what I experienced - being sucked in by Xiao Luqi's corpse several times, each time a hot air rose from my Dan Tian and was sucked away. Repeatedly doing so, my Dan Tian must be very unstable. Xiao Luqi was already a dead person, with extremely heavy yin energy, entwining with her for two whole days, I must have been surrounded by black air.

  Indeed, a master's move is evident at first glance. This young Cao Bin may be young in years, but his vision is surprisingly sharp.

  But I'm not stupid, so I won't reveal everything. All I can say is that a friend's girlfriend has become a vegetable and fallen into a deep sleep. Someone who knows what they're doing took a look and said she has a special physical condition, her life force is still inside her body. However, her heavenly and earthly souls have left her body and need to be summoned back, but he doesn't know how. That's why he came here seeking the advice of an expert.

  Mao Bin looked at me and smiled: "Sir, you can just say she's your girlfriend. Why make it so complicated?"

  I thought so too. Whose girlfriend got into trouble, and his buddies still ran to this strange and weird place alone to ask gods and Buddhas? He spread out his hands and said, "Fine, it's my girlfriend. What should we do now?"

  "If it were your girlfriend, that would be easy. I'm not talented, but I've learned the Soul Summoning Technique, which can help your girlfriend's soul come back. However, this method is not easy to work, the key depends on the person performing the technique, whether their mind is stable and firm..."

  As soon as I heard this, I knew that this guy meant that if he was given a bit more benefits, he would go all out and the matter would be settled. If the benefits were too small, his spirit would be slack and the chances of success would not be great. At this time, I nodded my head and said: "The Taoist priest's method is painstaking, and this soul-summoning technique must be extremely difficult, requiring a lot of mental effort from the Taoist priest. I will definitely spare no expense and not let the Taoist priest down!"

  "Excellent, excellent! The gentleman is indeed a very understanding person!" In Shanghainese, "above the road" means being very considerate, understanding of human relationships and social norms, and doing things to perfection, making people very satisfied.

  I cautiously asked: "Just don't know what this cost... will be about how much?"

  "Come on, don't be so stingy! What's the point of talking about expenses? This is a matter of sincerity in inviting the gods! The more you give, the greater the possibility of the gods' blessings!"

  I thought to myself that this person's words were laced with hidden knives, and indeed they were formidable. Without opening his mouth, he forced me to shout until I was on the verge of death. Unless he had stripped me of a layer of skin, he wouldn't let up. At this point, I steeled myself and blurted out: "That... one hundred thousand yuan?"

  Mao Bin's face suddenly changed upon hearing this, and he said: "Although it was casual, the gathering and dispersing were due to fate. It seems that the gentleman and I have little affinity. Let us part ways for now, and we will meet again in the future!"

  Damn it! Ten thousand? I've only been working for three years, and everything costs money - eating, drinking, shitting, living. It's not easy to scrape together some cash from my teeth. And ten thousand isn't even enough? You're really opening your mouth wide like a lion!

  However, after all, this is to save a life. How much is a life worth? Let's talk about insurance. Property insurance cannot exceed the property limit; otherwise, you can find someone to pretend to accidentally smash things and have the insurance company compensate you for a profit. However, personal insurance, such as flight insurance, allows you to buy multiple insurances from several companies at the same time. If something happens, several insurance companies will pay together, resulting in an astonishing compensation. A life is priceless.

  Although human life is priceless, business has a price. However, this kind of soul-calling business has extremely strong irreplaceability, you can't find anyone else if you don't look for him. So... Alas, the poor endure, the rich tolerate, sleepless and drowsy! Endured! I hastily said: "Master Dao, please don't be anxious, I'm just a poor guy, really don't have much money, how about this? You see my appearance, give you as much as you want to be satisfied, within my ability range, no ambiguity. Beyond the scope, I also can't do anything."

  Ma Bin looked me up and down, then held out five fingers.

  50,000! I bought a watch last year! This is almost all of my savings!

  Saving up 50,000 yuan is already quite an achievement for a white-collar worker in Shanghai. In this day and age, who isn't living paycheck to paycheck?

  In this absolutely seller's market and super strong arrogant guy, I was completely at a disadvantage. Could only grit my teeth and say: "Thirty thousand!"

  Mao Bin looked at me and said, "The young lady you mentioned, isn't she your girlfriend? You're even haggling over the price? Alright, three thousand is three thousand. I have a good affinity with you, so today I'll make an exception and give you a discount as a token of our new business relationship. Let's go take a look at that girl."

  I was scared as soon as I heard it.

  Look at Xiao Luqi? At this moment, she is lying in the ice box, no, maybe she has already crawled out and is waiting for me to give her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. If I go to see her, how do I explain how she died, why her parents didn't take care of her, and what kind of mentality I had to keep her body that looked like it had completely lost all signs of life?

  The key is whether this Taoist priest is reliable or not. Will he take the money and not do the job, and then report me? The crime of stealing a corpse is an act of offense, according to the law and relevant judicial interpretations. As long as you put the corpse within your own controllable range and remove it from the control of its relatives or related units such as hospitals and crematoriums, it is considered established. So now I am already a suspect in a crime, I can't withstand even a little bit of risk, anyone's report, and I will immediately go to prison to line up for food.

  "Now that we've brought up money, let's be frank and open about it. How are we going to handle this? How will the payment be made?"

  "Let's calculate the timing for summoning the soul. It should be tomorrow. So, sir, you pay one-third of the total amount as a deposit today, and I'll visit your place tomorrow to perform the ritual. After that, you pay another one-third, and finally, after the treatment is successful, you pay the last one-third. How does that sound?"

  I certainly wouldn't agree, saying that we didn't know each other at first and now you want me to pay you 10,000 yuan today, where can I find you tomorrow?

  Mao Bin said that's settled then, pay half tomorrow when we meet, and if it works, pay the other half later.

  "Huh?" I was taken aback and said, "This soul-summoning technique is supposed to take effect on the spot, isn't it?"

  "Of course not. Summoning the soul is just the first step, next we need to perform acupuncture on specific points, push the palace and pass through the blood, unblock the meridians, open up the blocked joints, and let the person's vital energy flow again in an orderly manner, only then can this person come back to life. So after summoning the soul is complete, for three consecutive days, you need to use hot water to rinse her body and move her joints."

  Seeing my puzzled face, he continued, "Don't be suspicious, sir. The vast universe is constantly circulating and evolving. Similarly, the human body has its own small circulation system that operates on its own, which is what sustains life. Now, the woman's circulation system has been blocked, and if it's not unblocked, even if her soul returns, this dormant body won't be able to move, but will become a prison for her spirit. Wouldn't that harm the woman?"

  "Alright, actually the expression on my face isn't one of suspicion, but rather... damn it, washing her body with hot water? This scene is too stunning, too explosive, too sultry, and too provocative! I'm telling you, playing wet bodied! Can I say that Master, don't do this or I'll be embarrassed?"

  However, his later remarks did sound reasonable. I was persuaded by him and could only nod in agreement. But, to be honest, I didn't dare let him go home with me, if he suddenly got a brainwave and reported me, I would have nowhere to cry.

  "So, how does this soul-calling technique actually work?"

  Mao Bin roughly told me what to prepare, he has the ritual objects, but incense burner, incense sticks, candles, candle holders and fruits for offering to gods are things I need to buy myself.

  I asked if the soul would come, and it wouldn't just enter some small cat or dog or frog's body by mistake? And then I'd be standing next to it, and accidentally get possessed myself? Cao Bin said absolutely not, the soul recognizes its own body and won't make a mistake.

  If a girl encounters such a thing, she definitely doesn't want others to know. If I cover her with a sheet, it's okay, right?

  He said it's absolutely no problem, usually you need a quilt cover, what's the big deal with a sheet.

  He counted on his fingers again, explaining that at 7 o'clock in the evening, it was the time when the You and Xu periods alternated. At that time, the sun had already set, but the sky was still bright, and the yin and yang were alternating, which was most suitable for summoning souls. So we made an appointment to meet tomorrow at 7 o'clock in the evening, I left him my address, and we went our separate ways.

  That night, I returned home very late in preparation for the soul summoning.

  As soon as I opened the door, she was already standing outside the fridge waiting for me.

  Another wave of dizziness, after she fainted, I carried her into the ice cabinet. Then I gathered up the things I had just bought, those that Mao Bin said and some of my own, and then I got onto the bed with a sway.

  This is too much! Even an iron body can't take it!

  Today was another day of shooting action scenes and suspense dramas, and I was forced to do three takes in the scorching sun. I'm really exhausted. Didn't even watch a romantic action movie, went to bed and fell asleep immediately, probably snoring loudly, didn't even move over.