After Xiaojun’s mother passed away, he began to resist everyone, even his own grandfather and uncle.
In severe cases, he attempted suicide several times. Later, he was confined at home, with only Luo Yunping watching over him.
Shen Yao listened and roughly understood what had happened. "Can that warehouse still be found?"
Luo Yunping replied, "The abandoned warehouse has been demolished and is now a factory building.
After the murder occurred in the warehouse, the owner sold it to an outsider at a very low price. The outsider then converted the warehouse into a factory.
Shen Yao felt that it would be troublesome. Xiaojun's condition clearly indicated that his soul had been lost at the time.
If the soul could have been called back directly then, it would have been much easier. But now, it was different.
The soul had been lost for five years, the place had been converted into a factory, and people came and went. The soul, being timid, must be hiding somewhere now.
"Can your boss access that factory?" Shen Yao asked.
"Yes."
In Kyoto, there was no place their boss couldn't go. If the owner of that factory knew their boss was coming, he might even welcome him with open arms.
Shen Yao said, "Then have your boss make arrangements in advance. In five days, no one is allowed in the entire factory, not a single person."
Luo Yunping quickly replied, "Okay, I understand. Is there anything else needed?"
Shen Yao replied, "No, I will tell him what needs to be done when the time comes."
Upon hearing that his task was complete, Luo Yunping left the Shen residence.
The next day, Shen Yao took the items Luo Yunping had prepared and began carving with her engraving knife.
She turned a small piece of jade into a blank pendant and carved runes on it. Anyone knowledgeable would recognize Shen Yao's carving as a peace charm.
Then, she picked up several sheets of yellow paper, dipped a brush in cinnabar, and quickly drew several spirit-attracting talismans.
After some thought, she took the small piece of peach wood beside her and carved a plaque, which was a soul-pacifying talisman.
Peach trees belong to Yin, making them most suitable as vessels for containing spirits.
After finishing all the items, Shen Yao handed them over to Luo Yunping along with instructions. "Give this to your boss. Once he receives it, we can summon Xiaojun's soul."
Luo Yunping exclaimed, "!!!
"Summoning his soul?!"
"Yes, didn't I tell you? Xiaojun's condition is not an illness but a lost soul. Because the soul has been lost for such a long time, Xiaojun has lost all five senses, namely hearing, taste, touch, sight, and pain. However, he is lucky that taste and sight have not completely disappeared. Otherwise, even the greatest gods could not save him."
What Shen Yao said completely shattered Luo Yunping's worldview.
Twenty years of materialism and twenty years of scientific belief made him find this news difficult to accept.
Shen Yao did not try to persuade him further. "The sooner you give the items to your boss, the better. The reason Xiaojun has been alive for so long with his soul lost is that something has been protecting him, otherwise his soul would have long since dissipated.
In a few more days, the thing protecting him should reach its limit. I believe you know who is protecting him."
Shen Yao's words made Luo Yunping pause. Who else would protect Xiaojun? Besides Xiaojun's father, who else could it be!
Luo Yunping did not wait any longer. He immediately returned to his room and instructed someone to deliver the items to his boss without delay.
Couriers were too slow; it would be better for their own people to fly back directly by plane!
Shen Yao felt that her memory seemed to be a bit worse after becoming pregnant, but she couldn't recall what she had forgotten, so she didn't pay much attention to it.
For Shen Yao, anything she couldn't remember was definitely not particularly important.
The Mo Residence
Mo Chen held the items that Shen Yao had asked to be delivered to him.
He took out the letter in the middle. The letter was handwritten in beautiful small regular script: "The jade carving is a peace charm, carry it with you. The yellow paper is a spirit-attracting talisman, and the peach wood is made into a soul-pacifying talisman."
These were just a few dozen words, with no extra unnecessary phrases.
Mo Chen took out the peace charm, which was already tied with a string and ready to be worn.
Mo Chen held it in his hand, looked at it, and then put it on. As for what Luo Yunping had told him, Mo Chen neither fully believed nor disbelieved it.
However, regarding Shen Yao's statement that the thing protecting Xiaojun might soon dissipate, Mo Chen felt a sense of urgency.
After Shen Yao told him to clear out the factory, Mo Chen immediately had people start working on it, even compensating the factory owner with a business deal.
Even though it was not yet the five days Shen Yao mentioned, the factory had already been cleared.
As the agreed-upon five days approached, Mo Chen's anxiety grew. He felt that something that would cause him lifelong regret might happen.
When the appointed time arrived, Shen Yao had Luo Yunping call his boss.
Shen Yao took the phone. "Mr. Mo, this is Shen Yao."
Mo Chen replied, "Miss Shen."
Mo Chen's deep voice came through, and Shen Yao felt a tickle in her ear, finding it somewhat familiar.
"Have you arrived at the factory yet?"
"Yes."
Shen Yao asked him to put on headphones and place the phone down. Mo Chen did as she instructed.
"Find the old warehouse, then take out a yellow talisman and light it. No matter what you see after lighting it, pretend not to see it, make no sound, and keep walking forward. When you can no longer see anything, continue to light the yellow talisman until you reach the end."
Shen Yao's serious voice came from the headphones. Mo Chen unconsciously clenched his fist. "What if the yellow talismans run out before reaching the end?"
Shen Yao replied, "That is impossible. Once you reach the end, you must find Xiaojun's soul as quickly as possible, heading towards areas with more of those things. After finding Xiaojun, use the soul-pacifying talisman made of peach wood to take him away. After taking Xiaojun, leave immediately without looking back. No matter who calls you, do not look back."
Mo Chen looked at the yellow talisman in his hand and recalled the thing Shen Yao mentioned protecting Xiaojun. "Then Xiaojun's father..."
Shen Yao replied, "He is already dead. As long as Xiaojun leaves, he will be fine."
Mo Chen wanted to say something else, but Shen Yao interrupted him. "As long as you can find Xiaojun and take him away as quickly as possible, he will be fine."
Those things are merely lingering in the mortal world. In this era of declining magic, it is difficult to even become a malevolent spirit. Those things are merely attracted by the scent of a living soul, which is why they gather there.
Xiaojun's father is an anomaly, or perhaps it is his obsession. His obsession is to save Xiaojun, so after his death, seeing Xiaojun there, and with ghosts wanting to consume him, he instinctively protected him.
Perhaps it is also due to the good deeds he performed during his life that he has been able to remain in the mortal world for so long. Generally, the souls of the deceased can only remain in the mortal world for seven days. Those who are forcibly kept will dissipate into nothingness.