Chen Xiao was certain that his mother didn't have Alzheimer's, nor was her amnesia caused by a head injury.

The most likely reason she couldn't even remember him was that Xuan Mingzi had seized her soul!

"Seized her soul?"

When Gu Zhendong heard Chen Xiao say this, he first questioned it, but then his eyes showed certainty.

He nodded and said, "Yes, Chen Xiao, I agree with this idea. It seems Xuan Mingzi knew he might fail, so he just wanted to disgust you!"

Chen Xiao sighed. What was the point of realizing this now?

Xuan Mingzi had seized his mother's soul and could have hidden it anywhere. Chen Xiao had no way to find it.

Moreover, Xuan Mingzi had only seized a wisp of her remnant soul, not the entire thing. If he had taken the whole soul, his mother wouldn't have even woken up.

Now that Xuan Mingzi was dead, Chen Xiao had no one to interrogate.

Souls weren't like physical objects that could be hidden in a fixed place.

There were countless wandering souls in the world. Finding his mother's lost soul was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

"No matter what, I must find my mother's remnant soul. Even if I have to search every corner of heaven and earth, I won't give up."

Chen Xiao gritted his teeth and said firmly.

His mother hadn't enjoyed many blessings in her life.

Recently, his strong rise had made her a target, making Chen Xiao feel even more guilty.

If it weren't for him, his mother, though working hard, could have at least enjoyed a peaceful old age.

Gongsun Yi and the others also frowned, and the atmosphere became heavy.

Suddenly, Gu Zhendong slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "That's right, I remember!"

Chen Xiao quickly looked at Gu Zhendong and asked, "Uncle Gu, what do you remember?"

Gu Zhendong excitedly said, "I remember there's a Yiwu Mountain in Qingcheng, Jiaodong, and on that mountain is the Mohe Sect. The Mohe Sect has a treasure called the Seven Fiends Blood Banner, and its greatest function is to summon souls. If we can borrow this Seven Fiends Blood Banner, I think it can definitely help summon Sister-in-law Liu's soul!"

Chen Xiao's spirits lifted immediately. "Uncle Gu, are you serious? If so, I'll set off for Qingcheng, Jiaodong, right away!"

Gu Zhendong nodded. "Of course, it's true. I've witnessed the power of the Seven Fiends Blood Banner myself. There's definitely no problem. How about this? I'm an old acquaintance of the Mohe Sect Leader. I'll go with you!"

"Uncle Gu, then I'll have to trouble you!" Chen Xiao cupped his fist in thanks.

Gu Zhendong waved his hand. "Hey, why are you being so polite with me? Time is of the essence. Let's leave now!"

"Okay!"

Without delay, Chen Xiao packed a few things and prepared to leave.

Before leaving, he instructed Gongsun Yi and Lin Zicong, "I'm entrusting my mother to you for the next few days!"

Gongsun Yi said passionately, "Rest assured, I'll protect Auntie with my life."

Lin Zicong said, "Me too!"

Chen Xiao's forehead was covered in black lines. "It's not necessary to risk your lives. Xuan Mingzi is already dead. There shouldn't be any strong enemies causing trouble in the short term. Just help me take good care of my mother!"

Gongsun Yi nodded in agreement, and Chen Xiao left with peace of mind.

He and Gu Zhendong headed to the airport, but the earliest flight to Qingcheng was not until the evening. By the time they arrived in Qingcheng, it was already dark.

Since they were seeking a favor, it wouldn't be appropriate to visit late at night, so even though he was anxious, Chen Xiao had no choice but to rest in the city for the night.

After a quick dinner, Gu Zhendong, seeing Chen Xiao's worried expression, said, "Chen Xiao, I remember there's a ghost market in Qingcheng. It has many strange things, though most are fake. But if you're lucky, you might find a hidden gem. We're idle anyway, so why don't we go take a look? It'll help us digest our food!"

Chen Xiao naturally knew what Gu Zhendong was thinking. Although he wasn't in the mood, he didn't want to reject Gu Zhendong's kindness, so he agreed.

"Alright, let's go take a look."

Many old cities had ghost markets, which were usually shady and only opened late at night or in the early morning.

They had everything: antiques, calligraphy, paintings, jade artifacts, stone carvings, old relics, and even firearms and ammunition.

However, there were more fakes than genuine items. It wasn't easy to find a hidden gem, especially in this era. People came to these places for entertainment. Not getting scammed was a win.

The ghost market was in a large shed with "Farmers Market" written on top, which looked like it had been abandoned for a long time.

To enter, you had to buy a ticket for a thousand yuan.

Gu Zhendong bought two tickets and muttered, "Everything's getting more expensive these days. The last time I came here, tickets were only three hundred yuan."

Chen Xiao asked him, "When was the last time you came?"

Gu Zhendong scratched his head, thinking for a moment. "It seems like it was fifteen or sixteen years ago. It's been too long. I can't remember."

Chen Xiao smiled. "Three hundred yuan fifteen years ago was worth more than a thousand yuan now."

Gu Zhendong chuckled awkwardly. "That's true."

The two walked inside. The shed was large, with rows of stalls.

There were many people, but judging by their clothes, most were tourists who came to join the fun.

The stall vendors shouted loudly, using slang to attract customers.

Chen Xiao and Gu Zhendong walked through the market from beginning to end. Chen Xiao didn't find anything worth buying.

True treasures possessed spiritual energy.

Chen Xiao could tell the difference between genuine and fake items with a single glance.

"Gentlemen, what are you looking for? I have everything here, guaranteed to be genuine!"

Just then, a greasy, fat stall owner approached the two and greeted them enthusiastically, then lowered his voice.

"Gentlemen, I can tell you're experts. Look, all these items are from underground, freshly dug up. They're thousands of years old. If you buy them, you're guaranteed to make a profit!"

Chen Xiao glanced at the fat stall owner's stall. A two-meter square plastic sheet was spread on the ground, with dozens of scattered objects on it. They looked old, and some were covered in verdigris.

Seeing Chen Xiao looking at his stall, the fat stall owner became more energetic and enthusiastically introduced his wares, "Young brother, feel free to look and pick. Tell me which one you like, and I'll show it to you. To be honest, my family is sick and needs money urgently, or I wouldn't be here!"

Chen Xiao ignored the fat stall owner, squatted down, picked up a rusty iron lump, and examined it closely.