"Patients with soul separation syndrome usually lie down in bed, and their souls wander outside their bodies, leading their bodies to act at night. Their behavior is no different from that of normal people. But they have no memory of what they did during the day." Chen Ling explained in a simple and clear way. "From a psychological perspective, this symptom can also be explained. It is a kind of self-protection when people are avoiding pain and fear."
"Master Chen, I know nothing about this. Please explain it to me clearly." Tang Siping lifted the child up and patted his back with his big hands to comfort him.
"You said before that Tongtong stopped talking and laughing after that. It shouldn't be referring to just daytime or night, right?" Chen Ling asked back.
Tang Siping was silent. He nodded and said with a gloomy face, "Indeed."
Chen Ling: "The symptoms Tongtong showed during the onset of the disease are completely inconsistent with the soul separation syndrome."
"But Tongtong has been staying at home all the time. What could scare him?" Tang Siping was confused. His brain was working rapidly, recalling the past.
After a while, he said slowly, "Could it be... because of my wife?"
"Mr. Tang, what did you remember?" Chen Ling looked at the child's hand tightly grasping his father's sleeve. He looked so pitiful. He didn't know what kind of monsters were hiding in his closed world.
Tang Siping said, "It was the incident where Tongtong was injured and fainted. I asked my wife afterwards, and she said that Tongtong was naughty and took a fruit knife into the study room without permission, trying to open an invitation letter I had placed on the table. After being discovered, my wife was very anxious and taught him a lesson, but Tongtong lost his temper and not only refused to hand over the fruit knife, but pointed the knife at his mother who loved him the most."
Thinking of this incident, Tang Siping frowned, feeling confused, puzzled, helpless and angry towards the naughty child.
"Master Chen, think about it, what should my wife do in this situation? Naturally, she would try to take the fruit knife away. But her legs and feet are inconvenient, and after several strenuous pulls, the knife in Tongtong's hand accidentally cut his own hand."
"Then why did he faint?" Chen Ling did not believe what Mrs. Tang told her husband, and did not show it on his face.
Tang Siping took one of the child's arms off his shoulder and showed the inside of his arm. There was a long scar on it. Due to scar removal surgery, the scar, which should have been uneven, was now only a light white mark.
"Is he injured so badly?" Wu Weiwei poked his head out from behind Chen Ling and took a look. "A child that young must be in so much pain."
Tang Siping: "That's right, Tongtong fainted right away."
This set of rhetoric is consistent with the previous general description, and there is no logical error at first glance. However, among the people present, the fat and thin brothers and Chen Ling all knew that Mrs. Tang was not a human being at all.
This perfect story was an explanation for Tang Siping's son's injury, but a lie to cover up the truth for Chen Ling and others.
Tongtong was probably frightened out of his wits because he saw Mrs. Tang being murdered, or discovered Xiaoyang's secret.
At night, the fear hidden deep in his soul would urge him to hide, he must hide, otherwise he would be eaten.
Chen Ling took a deep breath and placed his palm on the child's back.
Tongtong's body stiffened for a moment, and his hands around his father's neck tightened and tightened. Then he turned his head and stared at Chen Ling with his dark and empty eyes.
Chen Ling asked him softly: "Tongtong, do you still remember your mother?"
Tongtong stared blankly at the young man's moving mouth. His lips moved very slightly but no sound came out.
Chen Ling withdrew his hand and looked at Tang Siping, "Mr. Tang, do you believe me?"
"I believe it, of course I do." Tang Siping felt something and said excitedly, "Master Chen, do you have a way to cure my son's illness?"
Chen Ling said, "Well, since you trust me, just hand the child over to me tonight."
Tang Siping subconsciously took a half step back, feeling a little worried. "Master Chen, Tongtong is too young. He needs to be watched all the time at night. Why don't I take him with you so that I can take care of him."
Chen Ling said in an ambiguous tone: "You have thought it through."
"The child cannot be taken away." A sharp female voice interrupted the relatively peaceful atmosphere.
Mrs. Tang sat in a wheelchair and was pushed in front of everyone by the nanny.
She looked at the child in her husband's arms with tender eyes and stretched out her hands, "Tongtong, come here, let mommy hold you."
Tongtong's eyes were still lifeless, but Chen Ling noticed that the hand he was holding Tang Siping's was trembling slightly.
He smiled and looked at Mrs. Tang: "Mrs. Tang, I mean well. Tongtong's illness is not serious. He can be cured by drinking a talisman. But unfortunately, I don't have the talisman paper with me."
"Can't we treat him tomorrow?" Mrs. Tang frowned and pursed her red lips, her face full of worry for her son. "He is timid and needs an adult to accompany him to sleep every night. Master Chen can of course take the child back, but I'm afraid he will make a fuss and affect your rest."
Mrs. Tang pretended to be concerned, but in fact she was trying to stop him, which was enough to show her fear.
Tongtong must be hiding some secret that is closely related to her.
Chen Ling's attitude became firm. "It doesn't matter. The longer it takes, the more detrimental it will be to the child's soul." He looked at Tang Siping. "Mr. Tang, what do you think?"
Tang Siping was a little hesitant because of his wife's arrival.
Wu Weiwei saw his brother Chen's intention and persuaded him, "Mr. Tang, if the soul is not condensed and does not attach to the body, if Tongtong is unlucky and encounters a passing ghost, his soul can easily be taken away as a lonely soul. This Sifang Mountain is far away from the city, with few people and many trees... Even if the ghost does not come, if a ghost with evil intentions wants to occupy a body with almost no soul..."
Before he could finish his words, Tang Siping had already turned pale with fright.
He said, "Then let's listen to Mr. Chen and take the child back first." After a few seconds of pause, he asked, "Can I come with you?"
"Okay." Chen Ling took Tongtong from him. The child was like a puppet, being carried around unconsciously and without any resistance.
Mrs. Tang bit her red lips and called out worriedly, "Siping."
Tang Siping kissed her forehead soothingly, "It's okay, I'm with you."
He tucked his wife's hair behind her ears and said to the aunt, "The night dew is heavy at this time and the temperature is not high. Take your wife back quickly."
Auntie is an old servant of the Tang family. She has been taking care of Mrs. Tang since the car accident. Upon hearing this, she pulled the thin blanket on Mrs. Tang's legs and said softly, "Madam, I'll take you home first."
Mrs. Tang closed her eyes, and the veins on her forehead were so taut that they almost bulged.
When she opened her eyes again, she regained her usual gentleness, holding her husband's hand and saying, "Then I'll wait for your news at home."
Tang Siping patted the back of his wife's hand, feeling a little flustered for no reason. It was not until his aunt pushed his wife out of the office that he looked away and looked at Chen Ling pleadingly.
"Master Chen, thank you for your help."
"It's my duty." Chen Ling looked at Wu Weiwei, "Hurry up and go to my room to get the things in my bag ready."
Wu Weiwei said okay and climbed out of the window.
"Chen..." Li Hongyu paused, thinking that they had fought side by side twice before, so they were no strangers, so he changed his words and said, "Chen Ling, I'll go to the villa to guard it."
Mrs. Tang might be desperate and someone must keep an eye on her.
Chen Ling warned: "Be careful."
Tang Siping couldn't understand the riddle between the two people. He thought that Li Hongyu was just concerned about the safety of his wife. He thought that not all the Taoist priests in Qingxuan Temple were fake Taoist priests who were trying to cheat people out of money. At least Master Li Hongyu was a good person.
"Junior brother, we will follow you." The fat and thin senior brothers raised their feet and chased after the younger junior brother.
Now only the chief and deputy security captains and Tang Siping were left. Chen Ling imitated Tang Siping's previous behavior and gently patted the child's back. As he walked out, he asked, "When did Mr. Tang find out that the child was missing?"
Tang Siping: “About ten minutes ago.”
"Was you waking up in the middle of the night to look after the child?"
"Yes." Tang Siping said, "I'm always worried that he might get into an accident while hiding."
"Did Mrs. Tang know when you left the room?" Most of Chen Ling's attention was on Tongtong. When he mentioned "Mrs. Tang", the child actually grabbed his collar and tried to climb up.
He turned his face to the side, his lips just close to Tongtong's delicate ear, "It's okay, don't be afraid."
Tang Siping was happy to see the young man being so gentle to his son, and answered honestly: "Master Chen, I'll tell you the truth, my wife and I are separated."
Seeing the young man and the two security guards looking at him in surprise, he explained, "Her leg was badly injured at the time, leaving many scars. My wife was afraid that I would dislike her, so she refused to let me share a room with her after returning from the hospital."
The couple had been through so many ups and downs, how could they feel disgusted with each other because of such a thing? Tang Siping had communicated with his wife many times about this, but failed to change her mind.
Later he stopped mentioning it, thinking that once his wife had truly overcome the psychological trauma left by the car accident, the differences would be resolved.
The two security guards followed silently, admiring them in their hearts. Their President Tang treated Mrs. Tang very well and never went out to have fun. Apart from the company, he spent the whole day taking care of his own small family.
It is not an exaggeration to praise him as a gentleman and a role model for men.
Chen Ling was just the opposite of him. He suddenly felt reluctant to tell Tang Siping the truth. It was obvious that he really loved his wife.
"So when you left, you didn't know whether Mrs. Tang was in the room." Then it was very likely that Xiao Yang knew that Tang Siping had gotten up and was afraid that he would find out that he was not in the room, so he suddenly stopped his murderous intent and disappeared.
Tang Siping couldn't understand why Chen Ling had to involve his wife. He frowned in displeasure and his face was not as kind as before.
"Mr. Tang, I hope you can stay calm no matter what happens next." Chen Ling gave him a shot of prevention in advance.
Tang Siping was stunned, not knowing what was going on. He agreed, "Master Chen, don't worry. I will definitely control my emotions."
The expression on Chen Ling's face became more serious as he prepared himself mentally for what was to come.
He had never done such a thing as strengthening someone's soul before, nor had he seen his master do it. Even the piece of talisman paper he brought with him was copied a long time ago when he first came into contact with talismans in order to have a comprehensive understanding of the talisman technique.
In principle, it doesn't count as being drawn by myself at all.
Chen Ling returned to the sixth floor with a nervous mood and found that the door was half-open and a figure passed by the door.
It’s Wu Weiwei.
Hearing footsteps, he turned around and said, "Brother Chen, you're back. See if this pose is okay."
Wu Weiwei didn't dare to rummage through the things in Chen Ling's schoolbag, so he took out the things in his own bag first and made a temporary altar.
There was a wooden fish on the altar, a bowl of rice for incense sticks, and two unlit candles on the left and right sides. In front of these things, Wu Weiwei also used transparent tape to stick plastic posters of the three Taoist ancestors.
Chen Ling: “…”
Wu Weiwei pointed at the three posters and said, "Don't think they look ordinary, but every time I go to the Taoist temple to burn incense, I will bring them with me to get a little taste of the incense of our ancestors."
Zhao Xunchang once taught that an altar is optional. What is important is to have God in your heart, to have thoughts in your heart, and to have righteousness in your heart. External forms are of little significance.
When it comes to performing rituals, what matters most is the level of the person doing the ritual.
People with profound Taoism skills can draw talismans in the air to connect heaven and earth. This is not just bragging.
Chen Ling calmed his mind and thought that it was not bad to set up Wu Weiwei's altar. After all, it was the first time. It was a valuable experience for both the gods he invited and himself.
He freed one hand and pressed Wu Weiwei's shoulder, "Well done."
"Of course." Wu Weiwei pointed in the direction of the window, "Since I came here, Brother Jiang has been standing in front of the window, and I don't know what he is looking at."
As Chen Ling entered the room, he was dazzled by the fancy altar, and then he saw the man standing at the window.
Put the child in your arms on the bed and let him lie down obediently.
The young man's low coaxing voice attracted Jiang Yu's attention. The man turned around, glanced at the little boy who refused to lie down, strode over, touched the other's forehead with his fingertips, and the child lay back on the pillow and closed his eyes quietly.
Tang Siping shouted anxiously: "What happened to Tongtong?!"
"It's okay." Chen Ling said, "Just let him sleep for a while."
He raised his face and looked at Jiang Yu: "I will help Tongtong calm his soul later, you help me protect the law."
Jiang Yu. "Okay."
With the ancestor in charge, Chen Ling's wavering heart settled down. He walked to the head of the bed, picked up his schoolbag, and pulled out a stack of talisman papers from the compartment.
The contents of the talisman papers were varied, leaving Tang Siping dumbfounded. Although they were all scribbles, the crooked strokes made it obvious that they were more sophisticated than those he had gotten from other masters before.
Chen Ling flipped through the bills one by one like counting money, took one from the middle and placed it on the altar.
There was an imperial decree written on the talisman paper, but no seal at the bottom. He took off the Huangshen Yuezhang seal on his neck, took out some liquid cinnabar, dipped it on the talisman paper, and then covered the talisman paper with force.
The ordinary yellow talisman paper suddenly became a little more mysterious.
Chen Ling was a little nervous. He just closed his eyes and opened them again. He looked at Jiang Yu and said, "I'm going to start."
Jiang Yu opened his mouth and said, "Wait."
Chen Ling looked over in confusion, and saw the man put the index finger of his right hand between his lips. The fingertip was bitten, and bright red blood oozed out, staining his lips.
With warm and wet fingertips, the man touched the young man's brow. While he was stunned, he moved closer, with the tip of his nose almost touching his cheek.
"Lend me a little strength."
Jiang Yu snapped his fingers after he finished speaking, and the limp talisman paper between Chen Ling's fingers suddenly straightened.
Chen Ling did not bother to ponder the sudden and outrageous actions of his ancestors. He closed his eyes and concentrated his energy: "There are the Three Pure Ones above and the Ten Palaces below. The three souls return to peace and the seven spirits return to tranquility. The ghosts and gods above and below listen to my request. Gather the souls and spirits, and the order will come!"
The straight talisman paper moved automatically without wind, making rustling sounds.
Chen Ling felt that he had endless strength all over his body, and it seemed as if magma was rolling between his eyebrows, and the burning heat was rushing to his dantian.
With nimble fingertips, he folded the talisman into a small yellow paper man and handed it to Tang Siping, "Write the child's birth date on it."
Tang Siping came back to his senses from his daze, took the ballpoint pen that Wu Weiwei handed to him in time, and quickly wrote down the child's birth date.
He secretly felt lucky that the person who had placed the child at the door of the orphanage had left the specific birthday in the cradle, otherwise he would not know what to do today.
When the last word of the eight characters fell, the little paper man came to life and stood upright on the table.
Chen Ling took the candle off the table, put the flame on the top of the paper man's head, and then grabbed its feet and turned it upside down so that the flame would float upwards.
"Wu Weiwei, water cup."
Wu Weiwei poured water into a glass cup and just placed it on the altar. Before he withdrew his hand, the paper man, which had been burned to the point of only its toes, was pressed into the water, making a sizzling sound and gray smoke floated straight to the ceiling.
After the talisman paper enters the water, it is burned into black ash, leaving only the paper figure in the shape of a talisman, which instantly disintegrates into fine powder and dissolves in the liquid.
Chen Ling sat down beside the bed with the unpleasant drink in his hand, raised his chin towards Tang Siping, and said, "Mr. Tang, I'll hold him, you feed him."
"Oh, okay." Tang Siping took the cup in a hurry, not knowing where to start.
Chen Ling pinched the child's cheeks with two fingers, forcing him to open his teeth and lips, and said, "Feed."
Tang Siping carefully placed the cup against his son's lower lip and lifted it up little by little. The black liquid flowed into his son's mouth, but it did not overflow from his mouth as he had imagined. Instead, it flowed into his throat and into his esophagus on its own.
A cup of talisman water is only about 100 milliliters, but Tang Siping feels like he is doing a huge project.
When the work was over, he was exhausted.
Chen Ling laid the child back on the bed. The calmness on his face disappeared in an instant. He looked at Jiang Yu inquiringly, "Did you say it was done?"
Jiang Yu looked at the child's obedient sleeping face, nodded, wiped the blood on the young man's brow with his thumb, and found that it had already solidified.
He chuckled, "If you can't get rid of it, then keep it. It looks pretty good."
The corners of Chen Ling's mouth twitched, and he ran to the bathroom to look at himself in the mirror, curled his lips and complained, how could it be beautiful? What kind of appreciation level is that
Turn on the faucet, lower your head, scoop up water with one hand and pour it onto your eyebrows to wash.
After repeating the action several times, Chen Ling stood up and looked at the mirror. To his surprise, the stain could not be washed off.
Chen Ling stormed out, pointed at his forehead and asked in a low voice: "Why can't it be washed off?!"
Jiang Yu pretended to be in deep thought and said leisurely, "Maybe it's because I don't want to?"
Chen Ling's chest tightened and his cheeks puffed up. He was a business leader after all, so what was wrong with having a red dot on his forehead!
Seeing the young man's depression, Jiang Yu reluctantly pulled a tissue over and carefully wiped off the blood for him. "Since it can't be left in a conspicuous place, then leave the trace somewhere else next time."
Chen Ling blushed and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? There are people here."
Jiang Yu glanced over indifferently. The two security guards lowered their heads to light cigarettes. Tang Siping bent down to wipe his son's face, and Wu Weiwei took out his notebook and began to take notes attentively.
Chen Ling: “…”
You can’t believe that there are so many actors around him!
Jiang Yu touched the young man's head, inserted his fingers into his hair unscrupulously, and rubbed it lovingly, "Can you tell me when no one is around?"
Chen Ling clearly felt that the pace of this temptation was intensified, perhaps because the two had been getting along harmoniously for a long time, or perhaps because of his indulgence before going to bed.
"No!" He was flustered and brought up other topics, blocking the man's next words, "Why did you suddenly lend me your strength? I remember you said I needed experience and didn't interfere in the affairs of the living world."
Jiang Yu was afraid that he had really made the young man angry, so he decided to stop while he was ahead and took the young man to the window.
The sky in the early morning should have been a deep blue, but now it was filled with dark clouds, crowding over the Sifang Mountain.
Opposite the thick clouds was the plantation forest at the foot of Sifang Mountain. The trees in the forest swayed slightly, as if a huge object was passing through them.
"What's going on..." Chen Ling murmured.
"If the mountain spirit becomes powerful, it will be the foundation of the forest's spirit and complement all things in the forest. As the saying goes, a single hair can move the whole body. If Xiaoyang gets angry, the mountains and forests will collapse." Jiang Yu's tone was flat, as if any big thing in front of him was just a trivial matter that he could easily brush aside.
"But didn't he come from Xiushui City?" Even if he had roots, he should be in Xiushui City.
"Mountain elves, like other creatures in the world, need nutrients to grow."
"So Mrs. Tang advocated moving here from Xiushui City because the energy there could no longer satisfy her, not because of Mr. Tang." Chen Ling understood vaguely, and spoke faster and faster, "Sifang Mountain itself has abundant trees, and it has been a famous mountain for thousands of years, and it has a huge energy reserve. After the mountain spirit moved in, it was connected with the myriad energy of Sifang Mountain and became the master of Sifang Mountain... I thought Mrs. Tang could only control the plants, but I didn't expect that this entire mountain would become her weapon of killing..."
Jiang Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, the emotion in his eyes was unfathomable: "This Xiaoyang has been rampant in the world for probably thousands of years." He was somewhat surprised at this point.
"Master Chen." Tang Siping's voice came from behind.
His face was pale, his lips opened and closed, as if he had suffered a great blow, "I just heard... you were talking about my wife."
Chen Ling: "Mr. Tang, I don't have time to explain to you now."
The fact that the ancestor was so calm showed that the situation had not yet developed to the point of collapse.
Chen Ling seized the moment, picked up Tongtong who was still unconscious on the bed, stuffed him into Tang Siping's arms, and pushed him out, "Go inform everyone in the dormitory to leave Sifang Mountain immediately, quickly!"