Soul Summoning

The Heavenly Master turned to ash, consumed by the gigantic and fierce purple flames that erupted from Chen Hao's left eye; even his Primordial Spirit was incinerated without a trace.

Seeing this, Chen Che felt both shocked and relieved. He was relieved that his grandson Chen Hao had escaped death, but he was shocked because he did not understand what the vortex in Chen Hao's left eye was all about, nor how he seemed to possess an undying body that even the Heavenly Master's Nether Soul blade could not harm. Moreover, now that Chen Hao had killed a Heavenly Master, the Nether King would surely hold him accountable, and Chen Che feared there was no way to remedy the situation.

As the ashes of the Heavenly Master dissipated, the purple vortex in Chen Hao's left eye vanished as well, and he fainted.

Chen Che hurried forward, helping Chen Hao to bed. After leaving Chen Hao's room and sitting anxiously on the sofa for a while, he went downstairs and knocked on Ye Yuqiao's door.

Before long, Ye Yuqiao opened the door, looking spirited.

"Miss, you haven't gone to bed yet?" Chen Che asked with a smile.

Ye Yuqiao's mouth curved into a slight smile, but her eyes were empty. "I haven't slept! I've been waiting for you to come to me," she said.

Chen Che's expression grew sharp as he sighed, "You anticipated that I would come to you, it seems you know everything!"

"I wonder if I may call you 'Grandpa'?" Ye Yuqiao asked with an innocent smile.

"You're Haozi's girlfriend, of course, you can call me Grandpa!"

"Grandpa, please come inside!" Ye Yuqiao ushered Chen Che into her home.

Once inside Ye Yuqiao's place, Chen Che couldn't help but glance around curiously. He found it strange that despite claiming to be an Onmyoji, Ye Yuqiao's home was devoid of any altar, and there wasn't even a hint of incense smell. Instead, the room was heavy with Yin Qi and filled with an indescribable odor.

"Grandpa, did a Heavenly Master come looking for Chen Hao earlier and was then burned to ashes by him?" Ye Yuqiao went straight to the point after sitting down.

Chen Che nodded sorrowfully, his gaze distant as he replied, "Yes! I came to ask if you know what's happening with Haozi's left eye."

"I saw that a demon had attached itself to Chen Hao's left eye! The demon's power was originally sealed, but a few days ago, he had a car accident, and a Souhooking Master broke the seal with a sword, thereby releasing the demon's power. That's how he has repeatedly escaped death," Ye Yuqiao explained slowly.

"Possessed by a demon?" Chen Che's face showed astonishment, "How did his good left eye become possessed by a demon?"

Ye Yuqiao shrugged with a smile, replying, "That I don't know. Grandpa, try to recall, has anyone ever sealed or inscribed something on Haozi's left eye?"

Ye Yuqiao's reminder made Chen Che think of the feng shui master who had sealed the Yin Yang Eye on Chen Hao shortly after his birth. His heart trembled, pondering whether it could have been that feng shui master who had attached the demon to Chen Hao's left eye. Beyond that, Chen Che could not think of any other associated events.

Seeing Chen Che deep in thought, Ye Yuqiao asked in surprise, "Grandpa, did you remember something?"

"Oh!" Chen Che came back to his senses, met Ye Yuqiao's eyes, and then quickly shifted his gaze away. After a pause, he changed the subject abruptly, "Miss, Haozi told me you are also an Onmyoji. May I ask who your master is and their respected name?"

"Grandpa, I was born with a knack for the Yin Yang Arts; I have no master. I've been an orphan since I was young, later adopted by a foreign couple and went abroad. I only recently returned to the country. Everything I've learned about the Yin Yang Arts, I picked up online or from ancient texts," she explained.

Chen Che frowned, finding Ye Yuqiao very suspicious. With narrowed eyes, he silently activated his Yin Yang Eyes and was shocked to find a yellow dog, formed from a Spirit Talisman, sitting by Ye Yuqiao's side. However, Ye Yuqiao seemed completely normal, indeed human.

"Grandpa, are you using your Yin Yang Eyes to look at me?" Ye Yuqiao asked with a smile, seemingly unoffended.

Chen Che gave an embarrassed smile, at a loss for words.

Ye Yuqiao smiled faintly again and said, "So, does Grandpa believe now that I'm not some demon or evil spirit?"

Chen Che smiled wryly and nodded. Then, he looked at Ye Yuqiao with a troubled expression, lamenting, "Now that Haozi has killed a Heavenly Master, the Nether King will not let him go, and I don't know what to do!"

"Don't worry, Grandpa!" Ye Yuqiao reassured gently, a smile ever-present on her face, seemingly unconcerned about Chen Hao's predicament. "With the power of the demon attached to his left eye protecting him, it's as if he has an undying body; they can't do anything to him. The most pressing matter now is to find a way for him to harness the demon's power for his own use, to vanquish demons and atone for his deeds."

"Hmm! So, the reason you want him to be your assistant is because you're interested in the power of his possessed left eye, right?"

"Indeed! I must say, compared to the average Onmyoji, Chen Hao certainly has more potential!"

..

After a long chat with Ye Yuqiao, Chen Che returned home. He walked into Chen Hao's room and shook him repeatedly; he was worried that Chen Hao would never wake up again.

"Grandpa, why are you waking me up in the middle of the night?" Chen Hao slowly opened his eyes, bleary with sleep, a touch of displeasure on his dark face, seemingly not remembering what had just occurred.

Chen Che helped Chen Hao get up from the bed as he spoke, "Haozi, get up quickly, it's urgent!"

"What's the matter?" Chen Hao asked wearily, his face still showing signs of sleepiness. As he spoke, his body wilted onto the bed like a wilted flower.

In his urgency, Chen Che could only yank him off the bed. With a "thump," Chen Hao hit the floor and made a muffled sound. His eyes shot open, and with renewed vigor on his face, he asked in shock, "Grandpa, what's happened?"

Chen Che stretched out his hand to pull Chen Hao up from the ground and said, "Grandpa is about to summon old Liu from the Netherworld, and I need you to ask him a few questions for me."

"Grandpa, what do you want to ask?" Chen Hao's voice trembled. He had always been terrified of Chen Che's practice of summoning spirits from the Netherworld.

He still remembered when he was younger, a man once came to their house seeking help from his grandfather, wanting to ask his deceased mother some questions. After his grandfather summoned the man's mother, her voice suddenly changed to that of an old woman's, and without saying much, she rushed to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and tried to slash the man. Chen Hao, only nine at the time, had hidden under the dining table, too afraid to make a sound. The man ended up seriously injured, and his grandfather was taken away by the police and detained for three months before being released.

Chen Che led Chen Hao to the living room and they sat down on the sofa. He got up, lit three sticks of incense at the dinner table, and then took out a wooden chair to sit opposite Chen Hao.

"I'm going to invite old Liu shortly. You just ask him where he found the reincarnation of the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord."

"Which Grand Supreme Elderly Lord's reincarnation?" Chen Hao asked, puzzled.

Chen Che looked at Chen Hao intently, hesitating for a few seconds before responding, "It's the fortune-teller who drew talismans to seal your Yin Yang left eye!"

A gleam of astonishment flashed in Chen Hao's eyes as he exclaimed, "Grandpa, why are you suddenly looking for that fortune-teller? Are you keeping something from me?"

Impatiently, Chen Che gestured dismissively at him and said, "I'll explain later, the immediate priority is to invite old Liu!"

After speaking, Chen Che took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and began smoking deeply. After a few puffs, he suddenly closed his eyes and began to tremble and quiver as if stricken by a stroke. Seeing his strange behavior, Chen Hao was too scared to move.

Two minutes passed, and as the cigarette was about to burn down to his fingers, Chen Che was still shaking violently. Seeing this, Chen Hao couldn't help but wonder if his grandfather couldn't find old Liu.

Finally, when the cigarette was almost burning his fingers, Chen Che opened his eyes. His upright eyes and twisted, evil expression told Chen Hao that he was possessed by a ghost.

"Is that Grandpa Liu?" Chen Hao cautiously inquired.

The Chen Che sitting opposite him suddenly began to sob, covering his face, and from the plaintive and melodious cries, it was clearly a woman's voice.

As Chen Hao was at a loss for what to do, Chen Che suddenly raised his hand, his left hand's fingers in the orchid shape, and gently stroked his face with his right hand. If it were Yuqiao's face, she would indeed look like a fragile and pitiful woman, her sorrow accentuated by the rain. Unfortunately, it was Grandpa's wrinkled, yet somewhat resolute face, which made for a jarring sight.

"Ning Caichen, I'm about to be reborn, why haven't you come to see me? How much longer must I wait for you?" Chen Che said plaintively, but the voice belonged to a young woman.

Chen Hao was shocked and asked incredulously while looking into Chen Che's eyes, "Are you... are you Nie Xiaoqian?"

"How could you know my name? Could it be that you are Ning Caichen? No! No! You are not Ning Caichen. My name is Li Xiaoqian, not Nie!"

Hearing this, Chen Hao felt embarrassed.

Suddenly, Chen Che's body began to shake violently again, and a few seconds later it calmed down. After a while, with his head bowed, Chen Che let out hurried gasps for air.

Sensing that his grandfather had returned, Chen Hao immediately stood up, went behind Chen Che, and supported his arms with his hands, asking with concern, "Grandpa, are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" Chen Che said with a hiss, his voice extremely weak. "Get Grandpa a cup of hot water!"

Chen Hao hurried to get water, while Chen Che sat on the chair, gasping for air. He had just been to the Netherworld. First, he went to old Liu's grave to look for him, but didn't find him. He then went to old Liu's ancestral burial ground, still to no avail. It was only after finding a Souhooking Master with whom he was somewhat familiar that he learned old Liu had never reached the Netherworld.

This left Chen Che baffled. Old Liu had died three years ago, and Chen Che had been present at his death, even watching a Souhooking Master lead old Liu away. Moreover, he had conducted the rituals for old Liu's funeral, the seventh-day rites, and the hundredth-day prayer services. If old Liu had not reported to the Netherworld, the offerings burned for him wouldn't match the records in the Netherworld. Why hadn't a messenger been sent to report this discrepancy? Could it be that the offerings were embezzled by the subordinates? For Chen Che, who had conducted rituals for the dead for decades, this was a most strange and baffling incident.

"Grandpa, your water!" At that moment, Chen Hao brought a cup steaming with heat to Chen Che.

Chen Che took the water, drank several gulps, and after putting down the cup, he said, "Haozi, it's strange. I couldn't find that old scoundrel Liu when I went down there! On my way back, a young girl latched onto me and possessed me before I could do anything!"

"That girl's name is Li Xiaoqian, waiting for her Ning Caichen!" Chen Hao said emotionlessly. He had no interest in old Liu's situation; at that moment, he just wanted to know about his Yin Yang left eye. "Grandpa, tell me about that geomancer."

Chen Che sighed wearily, not wishing to reveal the demonic attachment to Chen Hao's left eye.

Seeing that Chen Che had no intention of answering, Chen Hao continued, "Grandpa, Ye Yuqiao said my left eye holds a mysterious..."

"Haozi, Grandpa is tired and wants to go rest. Let's talk about anything else tomorrow!" Knowing that Chen Hao would question him persistently, Chen Che found an excuse to avoid the topic. Having said that, he stood up and walked toward his room.

Chen Hao watched Chen Che's retreating figure, deep in thought.