Chapter 157: Soul Restoration

Little Fei had matters to attend to and left, so I returned home.

Seeing the expression of displeasure on my face, Wan'er asked me what was wrong, and I told her the truth. Wan'er's expression also grew dejected. After a long moment, she said, "Brother, let's just drop this matter. Although there are many people in our family, very few of us actually eat. In the future, I can just support you; we don't need to contend with others over petty things. You should take more time to consider how to help Sister Ying recover quickly."

A warm surge washed over me. This silly girl was simply too considerate. I replied, "Wan'er, you're overthinking it. I just couldn't swallow that breath. We still have money for food." I took out the money Li Zheng had given me last night.

"There you go then! The village chief is a worldly fool, but who are you? You are General Ziyi! No need to lower yourself to his level." As she spoke, Wan'er walked over and hugged my arm. Wang Ying, standing to the side, stared blankly at the two of us with a silly grin. Wan'er gave a bitter smile and hurriedly let go of my arm. "Brother, I'm sorry!"

Before Wang Ying returned, Wan'er often used to hug my arm—it had been a completely natural thing back then. Now, Wan'er had changed somewhat, which showed just how deeply considerate this girl truly was. She was mindful of Wang Ying's feelings!

"Wan'er, you've been wronged. I believe Wang Ying will get better, and she will eventually accept you." In my heart, I felt terribly guilty toward Wan'er. In the past, she only had to look after me, but now she was not only taking care of me but also helping to look after Wang Ying. It was genuinely difficult for her.

"Brother, what are you saying? Isn't all this destiny? I'm happy to do anything for you."

Things had reached this point, and the most urgent task was to help Wang Ying recover her memory quickly. But how was one supposed to restore someone's lost memory? The last time her soul had scattered, the Blood Exquisite had gathered it back together; this time, however, she had lost her memory rather than having her soul scatter, which should theoretically be better than a dispersed soul.

For a moment, I was completely at a loss. Everyone who could help me was absent—Wei Qi, my aunt, Wang Danian... and so on. None of them were within my sight. What was I supposed to do?

After turning it over and over in my mind, I remembered a Yin-walker. He lived in the Left Family Village and was called Zuo Zilong. During his seventieth birthday in the spring, he had washed his hands of the underworld business and retired. My second uncle had mentioned to me back then that Zuo Zilong possessed genuine skills, and it was a pity he no longer walked the Yin paths. I decided to go seek his counsel and see if he knew any methods to help Wan'er wake up swiftly.

No sooner thought than done. I arranged for Wan'er to look after Wang Ying, bought some gifts, borrowed Li Xiaofei's bicycle, and headed straight toward Left Family Village. Left Family Village was not very far from our village—about ten kilometers or so—but the mountain paths were difficult to traverse, and it took me over an hour to arrive.

I had been to his house before, but I had forgotten exactly where he lived. After inquiring among the villagers, I discovered he had moved to a new place: a large courtyard with five brick-tiled rooms. It seemed this old gentleman had made a tidy profit.

After knocking on the door, a woman in her thirties came out to open it and asked whom I was looking for. I said I was looking for Old Man Zuo. She looked me over a few times before finally letting me enter.

Inside, I saw Zuo Zilong sitting in the courtyard playing with a child, cradling a baby of five or six months old and laughing with it. Upon seeing me, he handed the baby into the woman's arms, then looked at me with a hint of puzzlement. "It's you?"

"Old Man Zuo, you still remember me?" This made me quite happy; if he recognized me, things would be much easier to handle.

"Wang Liang's son, right? I recognize you. Do you have business with me?" I felt somewhat disappointed. Although Zuo Zilong recognized me, his attitude was not particularly warm.

Just think, this was also understandable. After all, we had only crossed paths a few times with no deep friendship to speak of—where would warmth come from? I handed over the gifts I was holding. "Old Man Zuo, these are tokens of my respect for you."

Zuo Zilong took the items and placed them on the stool he had just been sitting on. "Child, did your father send you to find me?"

I was startled. The moment I stepped through the door, he had declared I was Wang Liang's son. It was true I had met him before, but I had come with my second uncle, not my father. Why did he keep bringing up my old man in every sentence?

"Old Man Zuo, the one who came with me was my second uncle, Wang Jun, not my father," I said.

"I know. Wang Jun is your uncle, and Wang Liang is your father!" After saying this, Zuo Zilong called out toward the inner rooms, "Mother of the child, bring out a small stool!"

The woman in her thirties walked out, holding the baby in one hand and a small stool in the other, and handed it to me with a smile. I felt a momentary spin in my head. This woman was Zuo Zilong's wife? An age-gap marriage! No wonder this older brother had washed his hands of the business and quit—he was settling down to enjoy his twilight years!

"Old Man Zuo, you know my father?"

"Of course I know him. In the past, I was very close with your grandfather, so I was also close with your father. Later on, our paths diverged, and we grew distant. However, your father came to look for me a month ago," Zuo Zilong said.

I was completely dizzy. My father came to look for him? How could he come? My father had no legs—how could he possibly walk over to see him? And what for? "Old Man Zuo, are you telling the truth or making things up?"

"You child, why would I lie to you? Your father came to find me, asking me to join him and accomplish great things. I told him I had washed my hands of it and would never dabble in this trade again. Your father even joked that if I ever did this work again, he would kill me," Zuo Zilong said with an impassive expression.

"Old Man Zuo, how did my father get here?"

Zuo Zilong cast a puzzled glance at me. "You child, how else could he get here? He walked right in on his own two feet! I even treated him to good wine and fine dishes. I thought he had dispatched you to recruit me to join him in his grand enterprise."

I shook my head. In my heart, I really didn't want to bring up my old man, but I couldn't help myself. "Old Man Zuo, what is my father's condition like?"

Zuo Zilong furrowed his brow, fished a smartphone out from his waistband, and said, "You child, isn't this your father?"

I glanced at his screen. It was a photograph of Zuo Zilong and my old man together. I naturally recognized my father's face, but his body was completely intact—his lower limbs were sound, and both his hands were sound. What—what was the meaning of this?

"I wasn't wrong, was I?" Zuo Zilong took the phone back.

I couldn't understand why my father was missing limbs in front of me, yet completely whole in front of others. It seemed he had been deceiving me. As the Ghost King, pulling off a trick or two with illusionary techniques was well within his repertoire. Why would he use illusions to deceive me? Suddenly, it dawned on me. He was trying to win me over, trying to enlist me to deal with my second uncle.

The more I thought about it, the more my head hurt, so I simply stopped thinking about it. The affairs of adults had nothing to do with me; what I needed to do was help Wang Ying recover her wits as quickly as possible. "No, no. Old Man Zuo, I didn't come regarding my father's matters. I have another important issue for which I need your help."

Zuo Zilong looked somewhat surprised. "You really aren't a lobbyist for your father?"

"Old Man Zuo, I'm not close with my father! I haven't seen him since I was five years old, so I don't have any feelings for him. I came to see you for an entirely different reason." Naturally, I didn't want to admit I had seen my father. Up to now, my father was the very last person I wanted to mention.

Ghost King, great demon, liar!

"Speak, then. This old man will help wherever I can. But let's get it straight beforehand: I've already washed my hands of it, so I can't help you with any of those underworld Jianghu matters!" Zuo Zilong said.

"Old Man Zuo, since you're so capable, why did you wash your hands of it?" I asked, uncomprehending.

Zuo Zilong's gaze drifted for a moment before a bitter smile surfaced. "If I hadn't washed my hands of it, I would've had to help your father. If I didn't help him, it would mean certain death. So, I washed my hands of it, took a wife, and had a child—considering it living out my remaining years in peace." After finishing this, a trace of desolate melancholy flashed across his face. I sighed inwardly; from his forlorn expression, I could tell that marrying and having children wasn't truly what he desired.

"Grandfather, let's not dwell on this. I've run into a troublesome matter. It happened like this..." I quickly recounted the process by which Wang Ying had lost her memory.

Upon hearing my story, Zuo Zilong remarked, "Child, you truly are of the same family! You've actually ended up walking your father's path as well."

A flash of light went off in my mind. "My father's path? What path?"

Zuo Zilong shook his head. "Child, I have a wife and child; let's not talk about your father anymore. Nine times out of ten, your wife's soul has suffered damage and needs to be repaired."

"Repair her soul? How do we repair it?" A wave of excitement surged within me; at last, there was some glimmer of hope.

"Kill someone, take their soul, and place it into your wife's primordial apertures. That way, your wife's soul will devour the other person's soul and assimilate it as her own, and she will be able to wake up completely," Zuo Zilong said, stroking his beard.