To Raise a Soul 34.2

Yin Le returned with the hot tea, making it inconvenient for Yu Zhen to speak freely. He made up an excuse to go to the bathroom and brought the trapped baby spirit along.

Yin Yan had done something to the baby spirit, making it expressionless but compliant. When asked a question it would spill everything it knew, sharing all of its opinions and holding nothing back. It left behind its previous fierce facade as it spoke, making it appear somewhat childlike again. 

When he had finished with his questions, Yu Zhen’s knitted brows still didn’t relax.

The baby spirit called itself San’er* because it was Qiu Xiehua’s third child. He was birthed by a secret mistress that Qiu Xiehua had after his first wife had passed away. 

^{*It’s an affectionate(and quite old fashioned) way of calling a third child. San=three. Er=child.}

From the very beginning, Qiu Xiehua had no intention of letting the child live. 

In those times, old superstitions were rampant. Qiu Xiehua looked like an upright and earnest individual but, in reality, he was a superstitious person through and through. One year, the Qiu family’s business had encountered a crisis. At the same time, he had heard of a method for changing fortunes — raising a young ghost.

Qiu Xiehua had heard of an advanced version of raising young ghosts. The ghost couldn’t be a young ghost that was invited to his family. It had to be his own child.

His third child was the one he had prepared to become a young ghost.

San’er had been ‘kidnapped’ by its nanny and it died tragically and alone in a ravine.

The innocent baby spirit was then brought back and trapped in the residence by its own father through the use of a secret technique. Later on, when Qiu Feixiong secretly caused a half-formed spirit to develop, it had absorbed the spirit and gained a sense of self.

From then on, it had stopped protecting the Qiu family, causing the Qiu family’s business to go on a decline.

All three of the half-formed spirits it had absorbed were the result of the Qiu family men causing trouble with beauties, then secretly dealing with the problem using abortion or other means.

Children who were aborted, or otherwise unfortunately lost, would normally not become half-formed spirits. If they failed to be born in that reincarnation, they could still reenter the cycle of reincarnation again. However, possibly due to the influence of Old Man Qiu or the guilty consciences of the Qiu men, once they had caused the loss of a life, they had also used Old Man Qiu’s method of trapping the departed soul via the phony ‘ceremony’ to help the spirit ‘pass on’.

Coincidentally, the time at which the baby spirit had absorbed the first half-formed spirit was around the same time that Yin Yan was born. Then the Qiu family’s business became very bad. Old Man Qiu’s superstitious nature reared its ugly head, and he blamed it on Yin Yan’s birth. 

In the end, Yu Zhen didn’t do anything to the baby spirit. Instead, he acted on his own initiative and released it.

When he arrived back in the living room, the group of people who’d gone to see Old Man Qiu had already returned. He looked at the dignified men of the Qiu family and only saw murderers whose hands were covered in blood. 

The younger generation of the Qiu family had all woken up and headed downstairs. Qiu Feixiong had two sons while Qiu Feijun had a son and a daughter. Yu Zhen glanced at each of them and realized that, apart from Qiu Feixiong’s youngest son, all of them had been tainted by something.

His eyes fell on Qiu Feixiong who continued to talk about business. He had a thin layer of negative energy on him. Lowering his own eyes, Yu Zhen gripped Yin Yan’s hand.

There was an old saying that he agreed with ‒ a human heart is scarier than the supernatural. 

The Qiu family was as Yin Le had described. They were both annoying and poison-tongued. They asked about Yu Zhen’s family background in a roundabout way, as if looking to assess his social status so they could treat him accordingly.

Unlike usual, Yu Zhen didn’t try to keep up his usual politeness. He treated them like they were empty air and Yin Le followed his lead and talked back to them. Qiu Feiting couldn’t bear to see the annoyed looks on the face of her sister’s children, so she stepped in and asked three questions that the younger generation least wanted to hear during the New Year ‒ How is your school work going? Do you have a partner? Did you have any achievements at work this year?

As he was thinking that the atmosphere in the living room was stifling, Yu Zhen’s attention was caught by the female ghost drifting in the back. She looked like she wanted to wrap herself around Qiu Junwen again but was afraid of Yin Yan. After a moment’s thought, Yu Zhen made his first attempt to use the method of drawing spirits closer that Yin Yan had taught him. He pulled the female ghost to him and then tugged on Yin Yan’s hand, indicating that he should leave the room with him. 

Yin Yan returned his hold and stood up. Looking at Qiu Feiqian and Qiu Feiting, he said, “Mom, Aunty, I’m taking Yu Zhen to the balcony for some fresh air. It’s a bit stuffy in the room so he feels a little uncomfortable.”

Qiu Feiqian looked over and saw that he truly didn’t look too well. She almost lost control of the anger built up by the unpleasant words of her impolite nieces and nephews, but she endured it and replied, “The heat in this room and certain people can really make one feel unwell. Go on. The balcony will be cold. Make sure to put on your coats before going out. And don’t stay too long. We’ll be going home soon.”

Yin Yan nodded. Then they went to the entrance hall and put on their coats and scarves before heading to the balcony

“Well, country folk will always be country folk. So used to being cold in the winter, they can’t get used to central heating,” Qiu Junwen mocked.

Qiu Feiqian’s expression turned dark, but before she had the chance to explode, Qiu Feiting threw her melon seeds aside and sharply said, “Junwen, you’re thirty-one, right? How is your work? Do you have a partner? Xiao Yan has already started working at the company and is handling some projects. When he was on assignment to the branch office, he did his job extremely well. How about you? Are you still working in that video game company that can make you big fortunes?”

“Pfffftttt,” Yin Le jeered. “Aunty, isn’t that game company old news? That plan has long fallen through. Right now, he’s running an entertainment club. It’s one that’s quiet by day, but busy by night. It’s doing very well.”

Quiet by day, but busy by night. Qiu Feiting was quite delighted at Yin Le’s phrasing and she meaningfully commented, “Oh, an entertainment club. That’s also a profitable business…”

The disdain and ridicule hidden underneath those words made Qiu Junwen turn red and feel suffocated. He couldn’t talk back since Qiu Feiting was an elder, making him feel doubly choked with resentment.

At the balcony, Yin Yan immediately waved a hand and set up a boundary so that no one could overhear. Then he quietly moved to one side, not disturbing Yu Zhen. 

Yu Zhen looked at him gratefully, then brought the female ghost, whose face was full of terror, closer to him. He relaxed his expression and asked, “Why are you harassing Qiu Junwen? And this negative energy from your body… You’ve harmed someone before?”

The female ghost frantically shook her head. She replied in a panic, “I-I haven’t hurt anyone. This was given to me by my little daughter. I’m staying around Qiu Junwen because I want to protect my son. I’m begging you, don’t get rid of me. I beg you.”

Little daughter?

Yu Zhen was surprised. He saw how she touched her belly subconsciously and he felt a sudden sadness wash over him.

If a pregnant woman died unexpectedly because of an accident, their maternal instinct or other attachments could very easily cause them to become evil spirits. The negative energy from her body was no doubt stronger than that from other ghosts.

“And the cause of your death…”

The female ghost calmed down. Tears suddenly dripped down her face as she replied, “Drug overdose… How could I have possibly taken drugs?! Qiu Junwen had someone hurt me! He didn’t want the child I was carrying! I want revenge! I want reve- No, I can’t. I want to protect Ruijie. He’s still young. I can’t leave him alone in this house. I can’t…”

Even after taking everything into account, she was still an evil spirit. Negativity dominated her being, but her maternal nature allowed her to suppress it. She had only lingered around her most hated person, making him unable to sleep at night and unable to rest whenever he laid down. Besides that, she just watched over her child from a distance.

Ghosts have reasons for their evil actions, but sometimes when people commit evil deeds, those actions were the ones that were pure evil.

Yu Zhen decided to let the ghost go. He made an opportunity to get close to her son, Qiu Ruijie. Under Yin Yan’s instruction, Yu Zhen placed a protective barrier over the boy, making him immune to the influence of ghosts and allowing the female ghost to remain close to him.

When they left the Qiu family residence, Yu Zhen was silent. Qiu Feiqian thought that he had been worn down by Qiu Junwen and the rest of the horrid company. The resentment she felt for her side of the family almost overflowed. As soon as they arrived home, she took care of their lunch, making good food for Yu Zhen in hopes of making him feel happier.

Seeing her worry, Yu Zhen forced himself to act cheerfully while he ate lunch. Then he used the excuse of a bedtime nap to return to his room. 

“Why let them go?”

Yin Yan walked behind Yu Zhen and placed his hands on his head. Then he began to gently massage it.

Yu Zhen’s attention drifted back from his thoughts. He raised his head to look at him and replied, “I just felt that they weren’t bad… Although the baby spirit absorbed three half-formed spirits, he left Xin Xiaoxiao’s spirit to roam in the villa. It’s clear that it’s not a truly evil spirit. As for Xin Xiaoxiao… She only wants to protect her child.”

“Evil spirits are fickle. Although they haven’t harmed anyone before, there’s no guarantee that they won’t do so in the future.”

Yu Zhen lowered his head. He replied quietly, “I know… If they really want to have their revenge on the Qiu family t-then where there’s a cause, there’s an effect. Innocent people will be protected, but the murderers… I don’t want to help them. I don’t want to help them at all.”

Grandpa had once said that actions will have consequences. If things are difficult because of the consequences of evil actions, let nature take its course. Heavenly law will give these causes and consequences a conclusion.

Yu Zhen couldn’t bring himself to cause the baby spirit’s soul to scatter into the winds, and he also couldn’t force a mother to leave her child so that she could enter the reincarnation cycle. As a result, he chose to let nature run its course. He would pretend he didn’t see or hear anything. In the end, the heavens would give a conclusion to these issues.

Yin Yan remained calm as he asked, “Have you thought about what might happen when the baby spirit loses its intelligence? Not only could it seek revenge, but it could also harm innocent bystanders. Not everyone in the Qiu family is bad.”

Yu Zhen froze.

“Most of the time, evil spirits can’t control themselves.”

Yu Zhen was dumbstruck. He thought of the housekeepers and guards at the Qiu family home, and of the youngest son of Qiu Feixiong. The light in his eyes dimmed a little. “Do we have to send them away? Did I…do the wrong thing?”

His heart was filled with a suffocating sense of despair. He called into question the good and bad in the world, and he doubted himself. A part of him felt unwilling to do the deed and the conflicting feelings burned within him.

The source of his feelings came from the deepest part of his soul, where his negative energy was rooted. There was a feeling of indignation and anger.

Are ghosts automatically bad? Do people have to be saved? Because the heavens favor humans, when both sides oppose each other, do we have to unconditionally stand on the side of people?

But weren’t ghosts humans before they became ghosts? Before they became ghosts, when they were still humans and were harmed by other humans, why didn’t the heavens help them? 

Isn’t there a saying that virtue will be rewarded and evil will face retribution?

Baby spirits were ignorant babies. How did they turn evil? Xin Xiaoxiao was an ordinary, beautiful young woman. She was a mother who’d believed in a scumbag. Why was she considered evil? Who will balance the accounts of her tragic death? 

There are so many innocent people in the world who have been cheated and trampled on by the people around them. They couldn’t just take the injustice lying down. They wanted revenge, they wanted to watch over their attachments, or they wanted to let go of their past and live another life. They became ‘evil spirits’, but did that mean they were truly bad? Did they deserve to die? Should everyone call for them to be hurt and exterminated?

Did they deserve it?… Could they not have even their smallest sliver of happiness?

Yu Zhen’s newly formed Taoist heart was suddenly pushed to the brink of shattering. The anger at the injustice resonated in the depths of his soul. The energy on his body slowly changed and his eyes lost focus. Faint negative energy appeared.

“Yu Zhen!”

Yin Yan’s expression changed greatly. He moved around and held Yu Zhen’s shoulder. Then he set up a barrier to block the emanating negative energy. He looked into Yu Zhen’s eyes and earnestly said, “You weren’t wrong. I’m here. You weren’t wrong. The heavens have no emotions, but we do. You can help them, restrain them. Let them live in a more appropriate manner in this world. Contradictions have always existed. There aren’t just the two choices of letting them live or letting them die. Yu Zhen, I’m here. Look at me!”

The turbulence in Yu Zhen’s heart remained in a dangerous state. Yu Zhen’s unfocused eyes slowly drifted over, as if he was looking at Yin Yan but also as if he wasn’t looking. He looked numb and empty. Reaching out a hand, he whispered, “Master… I don’t want to die… Save me…”

Bang.

As if someone had taken a hammer to it, Yin Yan’s heart was violently struck. He immediately grabbed hold of the half-extended hand that was falling downward as Yu Zhen passed out. Yin Yan’s body was as rigid as stone. His hands slowly tightened around Yu Zhen and his fingertips turned white from his tight grip.

He had pictured thousands of different things that his disciple might have said before he died, but he hadn’t thought of that. He had thought his disciple was wholeheartedly ready to die. He truly never imagined that his last words could have been something like that.

Save me. 

His disciple had asked for help.

“I’m sorry.”

He bowed his head, his voice full of sorrow and almost inaudible. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t save you. I’m sorry.”