"Summon... summon the soul?" Ma Daqiang glanced at his wife, then asked, "Are you saying his soul is lost?"

　　I nodded. "That's right. His soul's gone missing."

　　"No wonder Xiaodong ended up like this," Ma Daqiang muttered under his breath.

　　"The problem isn't just that," I continued. "It's been so many years. Who knows where his soul might be or if it can even be called back?"

　　At this point, Ma Daqiang understood the gravity of the situation. He dropped to his knees with a thud. "Sir, I was wrong before. I shouldn't have called you a fraud. Please, you've got to save my son! I'll pay whatever it takes!" He kept bowing his head to the ground as he spoke.

　　I quickly helped him up. "I'll do my best, but this won’t be easy. I might need your help when the time comes."

　　"Of course! Whatever you need!"

　　I glanced up at the sky; dusk was settling in. "Get ready. It’s almost time."

　　"Alright!"

　　After we carried Ma Xiaodong back inside, I had them bring out a table and set a bowl of chicken blood on it.

　　"What next?" Ma Daqiang asked.

　　"Get some paper money to burn," I replied.

　　His wife quickly brought over a small brazier and lit a pile of joss paper.

　　I wasn't idle either. Holding Ma Xiaodong’s clothes in my hands, I began chanting an incantation to awaken the spirit, circling the courtyard as I went. The night had fully descended, cloaking everything in darkness. I stared at the burning joss paper, then called out, "Step back!"

　　As they hurried to comply, I moved closer, pulling out a yellow talisman and pressing it against my chest. "Let the breath return to the dark sea, and the path of the soul be opened!" I chanted.

　　The talisman flared up in an instant, and I flung it into the brazier. With a sudden "bang!" the flames shot up violently, licking the air before just as quickly receding.

　　Without wasting a second, I ordered, "Burn the clothes!"

　　Ma Daqiang's wife wasted no time, yanking the garments off and tossing them into the fire.

　　As the flames began to consume the fabric, Ma Daqiang glanced at me, his voice tinged with worry. "Is there anything else we need to do?"

　　"Just wait," I replied.

　　"Wait?" They exchanged a bewildered look.

　　"Shh!" I silenced them, my gaze never leaving the brazier as the clothes slowly disintegrated.

　　Now, it was all about whether Ma Xiaodong's soul would respond before the flames reduced the clothes to ash. If there was no sign, the only option left would be to use the Soul-Seeking Spell—a method far more intense than the Spirit-Awakening Chant. But that was a last-ditch effort; even though it could certainly bring back his soul, it could also harm his spirit, and the price might be too steep.

　　As the final threads of fabric were about to vanish in the fire, I couldn't help but exhale in resignation, thinking, *So, it really isn't going to work, huh?*

　　And then, just when hope seemed lost, something strange began to unfold. A sudden plume of smoke rose above the dying flames, and within it, a face began to form. It was twisted and contorted beyond recognition, making it impossible to tell who it was.

　　“Mom, help me! Mom! Dad, Dad!” The agonized voice came from that distorted face, filled with desperation.

　　“Xiaodong!” Ma Xiaodong's mother lunged forward, but in the blink of an eye, the smoke vanished.

　　“Xiaodong!”

　　“Xiaodong!”

　　Ma Daqiang rushed over, frantically reaching out as if he could somehow pull Xiaodong out of the dissipating haze.

　　“Damn it, we were so close!” I gritted my teeth and said, “Enough! Stop crying already!”

　　Ma Daqiang snapped back to reality, his voice trembling with urgency, “What do we do now? What do we do?”

　　“Don’t worry, I’ll bring your son’s soul back!”

　　With that, I walked over to the table, grabbed a brush, dipped it in chicken blood, and carefully wrote “Ma Xiaodong” on a sheet of white paper. Then I folded the paper into a crane and set it down on the table.I drew in a deep breath, knowing I had no other choice but to use the Soul-Chasing Curse. Clasping my hands into a seal, I began to chant, “Black Shark of the Heavens, bind the wicked spirits, heed my call and descend without delay. Rush to where the afflicted soul is trapped, and from every direction, near and far, seize the lost soul and spirit. Bring the dead back to life, heal the ailing, by the Emperor’s decree, mercy be damned. Don’t hesitate, hurry, hurry, hurry!”

　　With that, I aimed my sword fingers at the paper crane. Instantly, it seemed to spring to life, glowing with a golden light as it flapped its wings and took flight.

　　I didn’t waste a second and sprinted after it. Sure enough, it was heading northwest—straight for Dead Man's Gulch

　　.

　　There wasn’t a moment to spare. I knew what was coming next: a vicious fight. God only knows what kind of vengeful spirits lurked in Dead Man's Gulch

　　.

　　Powerful or not, they were bound to be trouble. There’s no way they could’ve kept Xiaodong’s soul trapped for all these years without being ready to put up one hell of a fight.

　　“Sir! Sir!” Ma Daqiang and his wife were chasing after me, shouting urgently.

　　I glanced back at Ma Daqiang and said, “Quick, go grab as many bottles of baijiu as you can get your hands on!”

　　“Right away!” He spun around and bolted off.

　　“And you,” I turned to his wife, “don’t just stand there! Go to the funeral shop and buy joss paper. Get plenty of it!”

　　“Okay, I’m on it!” she replied, and dashed off in the other direction.

　　Without wasting another second, I continued pursuing the paper crane, and before long, I reached the Dead Man’s Gulch

　　.

　　Just as I’d suspected, the air was thick with eerie, restless energy. This place had clearly been sealed off before. I watched as the paper crane passed through a shimmering light, and its golden glow turned an unsettling shade of green in the blink of an eye.

　　I frowned, keeping my eyes on the crane as it drifted toward the center of the ditch. It settled onto a particular grave mound and, out of nowhere, burst into green flames.

　　“Could it be here?”

　　I felt a surge of doubt. Why this mound? Out of so many graves, what made this one special enough for the crane to choose it?

　　I lifted my gaze to the bright, unclouded moon, its cold light spilling over the landscape. Taking a deep breath, I tightened my resolve, formed a hand seal, and began chanting, “Don’t drink a drop from the Yellow Springs; let the soul return under the moon. Three souls drift back to their path, seven spirits find their way home. Return to the body, and rest in peace. Soul, appear!” As soon as I finished speaking, a faint wave of energy rolled outward. I scanned the area, but there wasn’t a single reaction. A sinking feeling crept over me—this doesn’t add up. The paper crane led me straight here, so why can’t I summon Ma Xiaodong’s soul?

　　Just then, I heard a faint rustling behind me. “You called for me?”

　　I spun around to see a figure staring back at me, his outline hazy and weak, flickering in and out of view.

　　“Ma Xiaodong?” I asked, my voice edged with urgency.

　　“Who are you?” he shot back.

　　Before I could respond, a sinister wind whipped up out of nowhere. My stomach tightened with dread. “Damn it, we’ve been discovered!”

　　I turned to him quickly, my tone urgent. “I’m here because your parents sent me. I’ve come to take you home!”

　　“My parents…”

　　“No time to explain—just move!” I bolted, but after barely two steps, an icy chill crept up my spine, followed by a strange, bone-chilling laugh.

　　My heart lurched. That sound—it wasn’t right. It was a laugh, but there was something disturbingly sorrowful about it, like it was halfway to a sob. There was no mistaking the malevolent energy in the air; this was the work of a vengeful spirit—a fierce ghost.

　　I turned my head slowly, and the sight that met my eyes hit me like a punch to the gut, making me stumble back a couple of steps in sheer shock.