Chapter 24

Lang Xiao had never performed a blessing ritual before, so she called Daoist Master Wenyuan for advice before heading out.

"Why are you asking about this?" Master Wenyuan was puzzled.

Lang Xiao replied calmly, "I was entrusted with a task."

Master Wenyuan found this quite interesting; asking a demon to perform a blessing ritual—he wondered if the gods and Buddhas being prayed to would even respond.

"The steps for a blessing ritual are quite complex. I can't explain them clearly over the phone. Tell you what, I'll send you a video; you can watch it yourselves."

They had added each other on WeChat, so Master Wenyuan sent the video immediately.

"But knowing the steps won't do you much good. You lack the ritual banners, incense burners, and ceremonial instruments required. You also need to set up the Five Offerings, all of which must be prepared on the spot. It’s quite a hassle if you aren't a professional priest. Also, you probably aren't familiar with the scriptures to be chanted. I'll send you a copy of those as well. You can follow our Taoist temple's official account for more information; we often share videos of scripture recitations and popular science about Taoism. Remember to follow us!"

Lang Xiao frowned as she hung up, waiting a long time before receiving a two-hour-long video.

Her brow furrowed deeper. When she opened it, she saw a priest preparing the altar, arranging instruments, swords, seals, and command flags. Once everything was set, he began chanting and performing penance. The long, rhythmic chanting made both demons feel uncomfortable, even through the screen.

After the chanting, the priest began to perform the "stepping on the stars and measuring the dipper" ritual, reciting incantations while forming hand seals.

The entire process was solemn, sacred, and incredibly complex. Lang Xiao closed the video before it finished and had no intention of watching it again.

Hu Yuanfei, who hadn't finished watching, asked in surprise, "Why turn it off? We weren't done yet."

Lang Xiao interrupted him, "No need."

"Giving up on learning it? Are you going to decline the job?" Hu Yuanfei asked with a hint of regret.

Lang Xiao shook her head. "No. Who says you can't take the job just because you don't know how to perform a standard ritual? We’ll just go directly."

After all, the purpose of the ritual was to resolve the client's troubles. As long as she could handle the situation, the method didn't matter; achieving the goal was what counted.

Watching the video had taken up a lot of time, and it was already afternoon by the time they set out.

In the afternoon, the two demons and the cub caught a taxi. To their surprise, it had only been a few days since they last visited this apartment complex and building.

It was three or four o'clock when they arrived at Tang Qianran's home. She had been waiting all day and hurried to welcome them in. The timing was unfortunate; her husband, Han Ming, had taken time off to wait with her but had been called away for work at the last minute.

As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, Hu Yuanfei and Lang Xiao instinctively glanced to the right. A thick, oppressive sense of resentment and ghostly aura seeped through the door. There was some on the left side as well, but it was merely a faint ghostly aura with no resentment.

It seemed the little ghost had made a move.

Tang Qianran looked at the two of them with some surprise, unsure which one was the person she was looking for. They didn't look like Taoist priests; they looked more like models on a runway, and the child being held looked like a prop.

"You are..."

Hu Yuanfei turned his head, his gaze sweeping over Tang Qianran’s legs. He wore a polite smile. "You must be Ms. Tang. We are the ones who accepted your commission. I am Hu Yuanfei, and she is Lang Xiao. We didn't have anyone to watch the child, so we brought her along. You don't mind, do you?"

Tang Qianran loved children, so she didn't mind at all. She complimented Qing Yao and warmly said, "It's cold outside, please come in and sit down."

The two followed her inside. Before the door closed, their sharp demon ears heard the sound of chanting and bells coming from the Wu family's apartment next door. It seemed they were performing a ritual.

The moment the chanting sounded, the little ghost beside Tang Qianran, who had been calm and peaceful, suddenly became unstable. His ghostly aura began to leak out, and his skin turned rapidly pale.

Lang Xiao raised her hand, using her demonic energy to erect a barrier at the door, blocking the leakage of the ghostly aura and preventing the little ghost from heading to the apartment next door.

Noticing the demonic energy, the little ghost looked up and glared at Lang Xiao, his eyes filled with resentment and malice. A wisp of ghostly aura silently coiled toward them.

Both demons saw it, but neither cared. The little ghost was so weak that this amount of aura had no effect on them. However, it was a different story for Qing Yao. Lang Xiao’s face turned cold as she scanned the little ghost, only to see Qing Yao reaching out her hand, playfully grabbing at the drifting aura as if it were a silk ribbon. Her fingers clawed at the air, and she let out excited "ah-ah" sounds.

But there wasn't much aura, and it soon drifted away. Qing Yao looked at the little ghost with disappointment, reaching out her hands again as if signaling him to play with her.

The little ghost’s eyes met the cub's. Qing Yao didn't care about his frightening appearance; she gave him a friendly smile.

The little ghost suddenly froze. This child could see him, and she wasn't afraid.

The ghostly aura on his body dissipated instantly. The little ghost regained his senses and backed away, afraid of affecting the cub.

Qing Yao, finally finding something interesting, leaned her entire upper body forward to reach for it.

Tang Qianran was talking to the two demons about her situation. Seeing Qing Yao’s posture, she instinctively looked in the direction the child was reaching—toward the balcony. Aside from the closed balcony door, there was nothing there.

"What is she looking at?" Tang Qianran asked instinctively.

Lang Xiao pulled Qing Yao back and set her on the floor. As soon as she landed, she crawled forward nimbly, reaching the little ghost in a flash. The little ghost retreated further until his entire body was pressed against the wall. Qing Yao followed him to the wall and curiously scratched at it.

Lang Xiao said, "She’s just being playful."

Tang Qianran acknowledged this with an "oh" and steered the conversation back to her late eldest son.

"I’ve felt him around me lately. He leans against my arm and touches my stomach. When I sleep, he curls up against my hair—it was a habit he had since he was little, and he never grew out of it."

As she spoke, the little ghost pressed against the wall looked at his mother with longing, desperate to lean against her again.

Qing Yao didn't manage to pry him off the wall, but she did catch a wisp of ghostly aura. She chased it as it drifted, crawling and pulling herself up along the wall, having the time of her life.

Lang Xiao kept a close eye on Qing Yao. Both demons knew she could see ghosts, but they didn't know she could grasp ghostly aura—this was certainly not something a normal infant could do.

Lang Xiao gave Hu Yuanfei a look, and he rushed over to scoop up Qing Yao, who was still busy playing with the aura.

Lang Xiao had finished listening to Tang Qianran’s account. She was silent for a moment before asking, "Are you sure you only want me to bless Tongtong and pray that he lives well in that other world?"

Tang Qianran gripped her fingers tightly. "I thought that after all these years, Tongtong would have been reincarnated. He was so sensible and polite; he must have been born into a good family. But ever since I felt him appear, I’ve felt so sad. Is it because I miss him too much that he couldn't move on? Did he see that I have another child and fear I’d forget him, so he came back to remind me he’s still here? Otherwise, why couldn't I feel him before? Why only recently?"

Lang Xiao asked, "When did you first start feeling him?"

"Two months ago, when my husband and I went to the hospital for a prenatal checkup, and we also visited the pediatric department."

Lang Xiao seemed to remember something. She looked back at the wall. The little ghost had emerged and was now huddled in a corner, motionless. As she scrutinized his appearance, he looked familiar. After thinking for a long time, she realized: this was the ghost child she had seen crying loudly in the pediatric corridor when Qing Yao had been hospitalized for diarrhea and a fever! He had been crying so fiercely and loudly that she had taken a second look. She remembered him searching the crowd for an adult, looking like a child who had been lost and couldn't find his parents.

So, Tongtong had never been reincarnated. After he died, he became a ghost, trapped in the pediatric ward until his parents returned, allowing him to find them and follow them home.

The little ghost’s aura was weak. Although it was no longer leaking, he would naturally dissipate in a few years if left alone. However, his parents, living with him day and night, would be plagued by bad luck and illness due to the yin energy.

In any case, they couldn't just leave it be, especially with a newborn on the way; the excessive yin energy might cause the baby to die young.

As they spoke, the bell sounds next door grew louder. Tang Qianran heard nothing, but the little ghost and the two demons heard it clearly. Tongtong’s expression changed instantly. A puddle of water quickly formed at his feet, and his hair and clothes became soaked, as if he had just climbed out of a river.

Lang Xiao watched Tongtong’s state and asked quickly, "How did Tongtong die?"

Tang Qianran felt uncomfortable hearing the word "die," but she choked out, "He had a weak heart since he was little. He was frailer than other children, but we took great care of him, and he was fine. That time, he went to play by the river and accidentally fell in. When they pulled him out, he was unconscious but still breathing. We rushed him to the hospital, but he suffered heart failure due to shock and suffocation. We couldn't save him."

Hu Yuanfei immediately felt something was wrong. How could an accidental drowning cause such intense resentment?

"Just an accidental drowning? Are you sure he wasn't pushed?"

Tang Qianran stared at him, wide-eyed. "That’s what the police said. We called them immediately, but they couldn't find any evidence. You are experts—have you seen Tongtong? Is he here? What did he say?"

Both demons looked toward the side. The drenched Tongtong seemed to be losing his senses. An invisible force was pulling at his body, clearly the result of the ritual being performed next door. Tongtong’s strength had increased due to his resentment, but he was still weak; he couldn't even kill anyone. If he were pulled over there, he would be beaten until his soul scattered.

Lang Xiao channeled her demonic energy and tapped Tongtong’s forehead. He instantly regained his clarity. When he realized he was being bound, he struggled. His ghostly aura slammed into the barrier on the door, and the room temperature dropped by several degrees.

Tang Qianran rubbed her arms, suddenly feeling cold.

Lang Xiao stood up. "I think you’re tired. We understand the situation. We need to go prepare some tools and will be back soon. Why don't you go rest in the bedroom and wait for us?"

As she spoke, she helped Tang Qianran into the bedroom. Tang Qianran looked at her in a daze but eventually stood up and obediently went inside.

After closing the door, Lang Xiao shook her head. The incessant clanging from next door was really ruining her mood for work.