Chapter 1020 - 1022: Soul Snatched Away_1
The next morning, Jiang Yichun said to Bai Ruozhu, "His Majesty has already spoken with the National Master, and he has agreed to take a look at Tiger. You should lead a party to the Astrology Tower today. I have official duties to attend to, so I won’t be able to join you."
Bai Ruozhu had not expected to meet the National Master so soon. Curious and expectant, she had heard National Masters were rare and remarkable talents.
"Alright, I will take Tiger and Dongqing," Bai Ruozhu replied.
"That should be fine, but just be aware that the dark guards are not permitted to enter the tower, I’m telling you in advance to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings," Jiang Yichun said.
Bai Ruozhu nodded, "Mhm, I got it."
After Jiang Yichun went to court, Bai Ruozhu estimated the time, called Dongqing, and had someone assist Tiger to the Astrology Tower.
Over the past few days, Tiger hadn’t had another outburst, but he was unsettlingly quiet, truly befitting the identity of a puppet. Moreover, Bai Ruozhu had noticed something else: his body originally carried a slight medicinal scent, as if he had been unwell for a long time and constantly took medicine. But in these recent days, the medicinal scent on Tiger had almost completely dissipated, and a faint smell of decay was emerging.
Bai Ruozhu surmised that a corpse puppet was still a corpse after all, and probably Lu Dan had used some drug to prevent the corpse from decaying. But because Tiger had been separated from Lu Dan, the scent had slowly begun to seep out.
It was as if Tiger were going to rot away in front of everyone, a sight even more disturbing than when You Shen had died, and Poisonous Insects had burrowed out of his head, because Tiger could talk and move, too much like a living person.
Dongqing had also noticed this and her days were spent in tears. However, she dared not hope for much, only wishing for her brother’s swift release.
The three of them arrived at the entrance of the Astrology Tower, announced their presence, and were soon led inside by a boy. Following Jiang Yichun’s instructions, Bai Ruozhu had Jianqi and the others stay outside.
The boy stole a glance at them, a look of satisfaction in his eyes. Bai Ruozhu caught it and knew she had done the right thing. If she had insisted on bringing the guards inside, the boy would undoubtedly have reprimanded her, and his tone would not have been pleasant.
Without her guards, only Dongqing could assist Tiger, struggling somewhat to help him along. Fortunately, the Astrology Tower was not large, and the boy walked slowly, and soon, they spotted a figure in a green robe from behind.
"Master, the guests have arrived," the boy said, then retreated outside.
The man in the green robe turned around, and Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but startle. How could the National Master be so young? Wasn’t it said that he had been in the Astrology Tower since the time of the Former Emperor? That had been quite some years, hadn’t it? Could he possess a technique to preserve his youth?
"Madame Jiang must be mistaken. My name is Ning Yu, and I am the disciple of the National Master. My master is slightly unwell, so he has entrusted this matter to me," the man in green explained with a smile, noticing Bai Ruozhu’s confusion.
Bai Ruozhu quickly bowed in salute, as a disciple of the National Master was certainly not an ordinary person and deserved respectful treatment.
"Then I’m in your care, Mister Ning," Bai Ruozhu said politely, bowing.
Ning Yu, likely not even twenty, blushed slightly when Bai Ruozhu addressed him so courteously as "Mister Ning," revealing him to be somewhat shy.
Dongqing also hurriedly bowed in salute to Ning Yu, and Tiger remained expressionless as usual. Ning Yu turned to Tiger, and his brow furrowed suddenly.
"I have already heard about that Evil Doctor Lu Dan, never would I have imagined he would create such a sinister puppet, and to use such a young child..." Ning Yu spoke with indignation, though he appeared gentle and could not bring himself to use harsh words, which lessened the impact of his anger.
Dongqing knelt down with a thud, "Mr. Ning, please save my brother. Even if he can’t live, I hope he finds release soon and can be reincarnated."
Ning Yu hurriedly helped Dongqing up, saying with some pity, "It’s good that you discovered this in time. If your brother’s soul had been devoured for more than three years, he would never be able to find release. Instead, he would become truly possessed by the puppet, as if dying a second death as a ghost, which is far too cruel."
Thinking that Hu Zi had died less than two years ago, Dongqing breathed a huge sigh of relief.
"Alright, step back now and let me cast spells to redeem the soul inside and then destroy this corpse," Ning Yu said.
Bai Ruozhu quickly pulled Dongqing aside, retreating to the side.
Soon Ning Yu started chanting and casting spells, which seemed to be Daoist in nature. Bai Ruozhu found it intriguing and lent an ear to listen. Before she knew it, she got drawn into the chanting, finding the spell particularly comforting, making her feel much more relaxed.
But when Bai Ruozhu opened her eyes and took a closer look, she was startled to find that she was actually standing in mid-air, right above Ning Yu, who was chanting, and next to a visibly anxious Dongqing, and...
There, standing motionless, was a figure clad in the dark clothes she had recently worn for formal occasions—that was her own body, wasn’t it?
Realizing she was now in the state of a wandering soul, she immediately looked towards Ning Yu. Was this seemingly innocent young man going to harm her?
Regardless, she had to get back into her body, at least not wait until Ning Yu was done before dealing with her.
She tried to move in the air, but found it very difficult. It was as if a force was pulling her body, and another force was pulling from within her body, so she remained suspended in mid-air, only to see herself getting farther and farther away from her body.
With this realization, she began to swim through the air towards her body, using great effort. She finally moved a little closer, which gave her a glimpse of hope.
"Hurry, hurry as the sun commands, let the wandering soul swiftly reincarnate!" Ning Yu suddenly raised his voice, and several talismans appeared in his hands out of nowhere. He threw them into the air, and the talismans caught fire, turning to ash midair.
For a moment, three blurry shadows were pulled from the puppet, drawn into the burning talismans and absorbed by them. Despite their violent struggles, they couldn’t break free.
Bai Ruozhu suddenly felt an immense force pulling her, swiftly dragging her even further away from her corpse, and she was about to be taken away for reincarnation!
She couldn’t go; she had family, a husband, and a son. If she reincarnated now, her body would die, and Achun and her family would be heartbroken. She couldn’t let Dengdeng, so young, lose his mother—nothing is sadder than a child bereft of a mother’s love!
Bai Ruozhu was in tears, but as a soul, her tears wouldn’t really fall; she even yelled recklessly, yet neither Dongqing nor Ning Yu glanced her way!
They couldn’t hear her!
Bai Ruozhu was close to despair. Was she really going to be reincarnated? To die just like that? If she had known her soul would get hooked, she wouldn’t have come in, and she definitely shouldn’t have listened to those damn spells!
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It’s almost 1 AM in South Korea, and the tour group is asking us to get up at 4:30 AM. I’ll have only three and a half hours to sleep... I’m totally drunk...