60: Soul Upon a Ghostly Body

A biting cold wind swirled through the courtyard.

As Jiang Yan appeared at the doorway, the agonizing pain brought on by the birthmark on my face gradually eased, replaced by a warmth that spread through my whole body, dispelling the chill that had settled in my bones.

Normally, I would have been tense all over at a moment like this, too frightened to know what to do.

But now, even though I knew Jiang Yan was not human, I felt no nervousness as I looked at her. On the contrary, I even wanted to go out and ask her directly—what had she done before? Did she put the birthmark on my face because she truly wanted to protect me?

If she wanted to protect me, then why did she have my soul taken away?

I also thought that, as a spirit, Jiang Yan must have certain abilities—perhaps she knew where Old Qin was hiding, or where the souls of Cao Guangshan and Fatty, who had been taken, were now kept.

My heart was full of questions.

Jiang Yan gazed at me. Thinking that if she came inside she might alert Xu Buhuo, I steadied myself and stepped outside. Jiang Yan retreated beyond the threshold, looking at me with a gentle, doting expression that made me feel uncomfortable.

"Are you hurt?"

Only as I drew near did I see that Jiang Yan looked weak and exhausted, as if she hadn't slept for days because of something troubling her.

It was a strange feeling—hard to describe, but I could sense just by looking at her that she had been hurt before.

At the same time, as she fixed her gaze on me, I felt that something was very wrong, though I couldn't quite say what.

"I was captured by him earlier, and just managed to escape."

"Old Qin?" I asked instinctively.

Jiang Yan nodded. "Yes, it was him. He's always been scheming to harm you. Do you know why I had to take one of your souls?"

This was one of the questions burning in my mind; I'd always been curious, so I nodded.

"Because I discovered he was about to take action. If he managed to take all seven of your souls, then your three spiritual souls would be easy for him to snatch as well. But if I took one of your souls first, he couldn't take them so easily."

Hearing this, I finally understood why I had found one of my souls in Jiang Yan's coffin.

Of my seven souls, Old Qin had taken six, and Jiang Yan had taken one—not, as I had first thought, to harm me, but to protect me. If she hadn't taken a soul in advance, I would probably already be a soulless person by now.

Having figured this out, I felt a pang of guilt for suspecting Jiang Yan before. Embarrassed, I said, "Thank you."

"By the way, is Madam almost awake?" Jiang Yan suddenly asked.

Madam?

I was startled, then realized she must mean my grandmother. I hadn't expected her to know about my grandmother's faked death.

Just as I was about to reply, Jiang Yan suddenly convulsed as if struck by lightning, her whole body trembling and her face contorting. At the same time, the birthmark on my face began to burn fiercely.

"Don't say anything. He's controlling me. Don't say a word."

A hoarse voice burst from Jiang Yan's lips, and her eyes instantly turned pitch black, her sockets dark and empty. Instinctively, I stepped back.

Jiang Yan's body went rigid, her face twisted in agony. She looked just like those people in TV dramas possessed by ghosts, struggling as the host's consciousness tried to regain control from the invader.

Two wills—fighting for control of the soul and body.

Soon, Jiang Yan calmed down and the blackness faded from her eyes. She smiled at me and said, "I've been tormented by him these past days, my mind is a bit unstable. If I frightened you, don't take it to heart."

Watching Jiang Yan's gentle face, replaying the events just now in my mind, I stepped back into the courtyard.

I knew this was Old Qin's scheme.

The voice struggling a moment ago—that was the real Jiang Yan.

No wonder I had felt something was off—it was because there was truly a problem with Jiang Yan.

The last time we met, Old Qin had already captured her. Who knows what he had done during this time, but now he had completely taken control, sending Jiang Yan to speak calmly with me, trying to confirm if my grandmother had faked her death.

Jiang Yan's real consciousness realized the importance of this information and tried to stop me before I could answer. Now, her own will was clearly suppressed again.

Old Qin was truly insidious, and remarkably skillful. I could hardly imagine he would think to control a spirit to trick information out of me.

"Ziwu, I've always been protecting you. Do you still not believe me?"

Jiang Yan looked at me with gentle eyes, stepping toward me. I backed away, calculating what methods I could use against a spirit: blood from the tongue tip, or from the middle finger.

There was no time for the middle finger. I bit my tongue, holding the blood in my mouth.

"Ziwu, is your grandmother really dead?"

Jiang Yan entered the courtyard, her eyes fixed on me.

I stayed silent, continuing to retreat.

She was still pressing me about whether my grandmother had faked her death. I was one hundred percent sure—absolutely certain—that the present Jiang Yan was not the one I had known that night. Old Qin was controlling her, and he must have sensed the truth about my grandmother, using this method to trick me into revealing it.

"Not going to answer?"

Jiang Yan suddenly smiled, her expression identical to Old Qin's. Then, a chilling voice came from her mouth.

"Ziwu, don't you know your expression has already betrayed you? I knew your grandmother had faked her death. After all these years, it's time to settle this."

Her female voice turned directly into Old Qin's. Her eyes narrowed, the look in them deep and cunning; apart from her face, her demeanor was exactly like Old Qin's—horrifying and unnatural.

Still controlled by Old Qin, Jiang Yan stepped toward me with a grim face. "Since you know where she's hiding, I'll take your soul and find her myself."

A cold wind rushed at me.

Jiang Yan's eyes suddenly turned black, and her hands clamped onto my arms.

I spat the mouthful of blood I had been holding directly onto Jiang Yan's face. The blood from my tongue tip, rich in vital yang energy, made Old Qin shriek in agony through Jiang Yan's mouth.

"Seeking death, are you?" Old Qin glared at me, his black eyes sending chills through my body.

I had thought Old Qin was controlling her from afar, and that the tongue-tip blood would only harm Jiang Yan herself. But now I realized I was wrong. The blood could harm Jiang Yan, but it also hurt Old Qin, or else he wouldn't be so furious.

I spat again.

As Jiang Yan lunged at me, I spat another mouthful of blood at her.

This time, the blood splashed onto her face but had no effect.

It had failed.

I realized the tongue-tip blood could only be used once.

Jiang Yan's hands gripped my arms, her pitch-black eyes staring at me. My scalp tingled, and I felt something warm begin to rise from within my head.

He was trying to forcibly extract my soul.

"How dare you!"

A low shout sounded behind me. A bolt of yellow light shot straight into Jiang Yan's forehead. Old Qin screamed shrilly and released me, a flash of red darting out of the courtyard gate.

The prickling on my scalp slowly faded, and coolness returned. I collapsed to the ground.

"Are you alright?" Xu Buhuo helped me up, pulling back my eyelids to check me. "Good thing I got here in time. Any later and your soul would have been taken."

Looking into Xu Buhuo's serious eyes, recalling how he had just attacked Old Qin, I couldn't tell if he was truly helping me or if this was all just a ruse between him and Old Qin.

It took me a long while to compose myself. Thinking about how hurting Jiang Yan also hurt Old Qin, I couldn't help but ask, "Why did Old Qin scream in pain?"

"Have you heard of a soul possessing a ghost's body?"

I had heard of ghosts possessing humans, but never of human souls possessing ghosts. I shook my head. Xu Buhuo explained, "Normally, a person's soul can't possess a spirit's body, but there are exceptions. Spirits have forms, and with certain secret arts, a human soul can possess a spirit's body. But there are always rules—when a spirit possesses a human, charms and talismans placed on the body can harm the possessing spirit. The same applies when a soul possesses a ghost's body."

"A soul is inherently yin energy—it isn't only after death that it becomes yin. When it's within a body, charms and talismans are useless because of the flesh's protection. But once separated, the soul is just like a spirit—yang energy can harm it greatly."

Recalling Old Qin's agonized screams, I finally felt a sense of satisfaction at having hurt him.

"That old man is indeed skilled, and bold enough to possess a spirit's body directly."

"Why? Is there a risk of the spirit devouring him instead?"

I didn't know why I asked that, but it seemed possible—perhaps Jiang Yan could turn on Old Qin and devour him.

"Something like that," Xu Buhuo nodded. "In these cases, if the spirit's consciousness is strong enough, it can indeed turn the tables and devour the intruding soul."

My hatred for Old Qin made me secretly hope Jiang Yan could kill him, saving us all a great deal of trouble.

Back inside, just as I was about to sit down, Xu Buhuo turned and asked, "By the way, why did that old man send her to find you?"

"I don't know," I replied bluntly. "Jiang Yan barely said a few words before she started to struggle, and then warned me that she wasn't herself."

Though Xu Buhuo seemed normal, I still didn't quite trust him.

No one would know about my grandmother's faked death until she woke up. Once she did, Xu Buhuo's true identity would be revealed.

My answer made Xu Buhuo frown slightly. I couldn't tell if he was suspicious, but he didn't press further. After sitting quietly for a while, he returned to his room to rest.

Left in the quiet, I replayed all that had just happened—both perilous and astonishing.

I could hardly imagine that occult arts could be so wondrous—not only could a spirit possess a human, but a human soul could possess a spirit as well.

I stayed up late into the night, dozing in a chair.

Tap, tap.

Just as I was drifting off, a familiar soft sound woke me.

My father had come.

I got up and opened the door; there he stood outside.

As I wondered why he had come, he suddenly reached out his hand and opened his palm.

Lying in his palm was a key.