Jiang family

"Torn?" Jiang Shuo immediately realized, "Was there a missing page from the beginning, or did someone deliberately keep it for themselves?"

Wen Ya shook her head: "I can't be sure."

Upon hearing this, the group fell silent, whether in thought or simply speechless.

After a while, Jiang Shuo asked, "Do you think this was deliberate or a coincidence?"

Wen Ya looked him straight in the eye, not answering the question directly, but instead asking, "Has the Jiang family's soul-searching device malfunctioned?"

Jiang Shuo and Grandma Jiang both looked at her instantly. Wen Ya remained calm, while Jiang Shuo quickly composed himself: "How did you know?"

"Because it's not just the Jiang family, but also the Yuhuang Temple and the Shangguan family."

Jiang Shuo was very perceptive: "Is the failure of the soul-searching device related to the soul-returning lamp?"

Wen Ya nodded: "I've discovered that the ghosts that come to me because of the Soul-Returning Lamp are all pure and benevolent. This is mainly because some ghosts have stayed in the world for a long time without losing their minds. I've even exorcised ghosts from the founding of the People's Republic of China. So, I suspect that the Soul-Searching Device malfunctioned to make it easier for the Soul-Returning Lamp to screen ghosts."

Jiang Shuo understood almost immediately that this was a cause-and-effect relationship. First, the soul-searching device failed, and the ghosts in the world could not be locked. The exorcist could not find the wandering ghosts in time. Only then could the ghosts be sifted out from among the many ghosts to find those that fit the resurrection lamp. So when ghosts came to him, wanting to borrow the spiritual artifact to be resurrected, they became the fuel for the spiritual artifact after their obsessions were eliminated.

Jiang Shuo mentally calculated when the soul-searching devices had become ineffective, and as if confirming with Wen Ya, asked, "Did the soul-searching devices of both Yuhuang Temple and the Shangguan family become ineffective a year ago?"

Wen Ya nodded.

If everything else could be attributed to coincidence, then the failure of all the soul-searching devices must be due to human intervention.

"What kind of thing could disable all the soul-searching devices?" Jiang Shuo murmured.

At this moment, Old Madam Jiang, who had been listening silently, spoke up: "Spirit-Suppressing Array."

A hint of surprise appeared on Wen Ya's face: "Your great-aunt knows?"

The old lady nodded: "I've heard of it. It's not a proper magic array, just some unorthodox and shady methods, not something that can be taken seriously."

Wen Ya recalled what Shangguan Zheng had said and asked, "Patriarch Shangguan said that the Spirit Resting Array can affect spiritual artifacts, but so far only the Soul Searching Artifact has failed. Could there be other breaking arrays?"

The old woman denied it: "There can't be anything else, it's just the Spirit-Suppressing Array. Shangguan Zheng probably doesn't know either. If it's a wrong Spirit-Suppressing Array, it can make the Soul-Searching Device malfunction on its own."

Wen Ya and Jiang Shuo said in unison, "An incorrect Spirit Breathing Array?"

“Yes, we changed the location when setting up the formation.” Grandma Jiang smiled, seemingly embarrassed. “To be honest, Hua Mei and I discovered this secret together.”

She looked at Wen Ya, whose maternal grandmother's full name was Jiang Weihua. A nostalgic expression crossed her face: "When we were little, we loved to get together and play pranks. Whenever we found a talisman or magic array we'd never seen before, we wanted to try it out. That time, we discovered the Spirit Breathing Array. However, I drew a corner wrong when I was drawing the array, and after activating it, nothing happened. But the record said it would affect spiritual artifacts. Hua Mei wasn't satisfied and tried several spiritual artifacts before discovering that the Soul Searching Device in her hand was ineffective. When she couldn't figure it out, she discovered that she had drawn a wrong spot. After correcting it, the array was completely effective."

"Then why did the modified Spirit Breathing Array only affect the Soul Searching Device?" Si Mucheng interjected.

"I think it should be possible to specify a spirit weapon. It was a lucky accident at the time, but we didn't verify any other spirit weapons afterward, and there was too little information to study it further."

Si Mucheng was very interested in magic spells and talismans. When he heard Grandma Jiang say this, he could only sigh and say, "What a pity."

Wen Ya, who was standing to the side, suddenly frowned. If only Grandma Jiang and her own grandmother knew that the modified Spirit Breathing Array was effective against the Soul Searching Device and could make it malfunction, would her grandmother tell her grandfather?

Clearly, others had also thought of this. Moreover, the Soul-Returning Lamp was a family heirloom of the Wen family. The Soul-Searching Device malfunctioned, and the Soul-Returning Lamp was used to screen ghosts in order to activate the Soul-Returning Lamp. No matter how you look at it, it seems to be inextricably linked to the Wen family.

But Wen Ya was a member of the Wen family, a fact that was hard to say, so for a moment, no one spoke.

During the silence, Jiang Shuo suddenly looked up and met the gaze of Grandma Jiang, as if trying to convey some message. Wen Ya noticed this and asked calmly, "Is something the matter?"

Grandma Jiang seemed to have some concerns, and gently patted Wen Ya's hand: "Xiao Ya, actually, even if you hadn't come to Li City this time, I would have asked Ashuo to look for you after a while. There's something I still want to tell you."

Wen Ya sensed something serious from her tone: "What is it?"

Grandma Jiang led her to her feet and said, "Come with me."

Seeing them get up and walk out, Si Mucheng and Jiang Shuo followed Old Madam Jiang out of the reception room.

Grandma Jiang led them up to the third floor, through a long corridor, to the end, where there was a room without a door.

Wen Ya stood at the door and secretly looked around. The interior was very similar to an ancestral hall. However, while ancestral halls usually have memorial tablets, there were no tablets here, only exquisite bronze lamps.

"The Jiang family has a long-standing tradition of offering ever-burning lamps." Old Mrs. Jiang walked in and showed Wen Ya the lamp on the table. "However, the Jiang family's ever-burning lamps are a little different. They are lit with the hair of a living person and burn continuously, but the lamp goes out when the person dies."

Wen Ya raised an eyebrow.

Grandma Jiang continued, "Hua Mei's lamp was lit by our father when she was young. After she married your maternal grandfather, I was worried about her, so I lit one for him as well. Then I lit one for your mother, one for your father, and finally one for you. The lamp was lit as a memento, but I never expected that later..." The Wen family members passed away one by one, it's truly lamentable how fate can be so cruel.

Wen Ya looked over and saw the copper lamp with her name on it, its light emitting a warm glow. She didn't immediately understand the bittersweet feeling welling up inside her, as if soaked in warm water. She remained silent for a while before softly saying, "Thank you."

Grandma Jiang stroked the back of her hand: "We're all family."

She hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke up: "I brought you here because there's something else I want you to see."

Wen Ya looked puzzled. Old Mrs. Jiang slowly said, "A few months ago, the news of your grandfather's passing came. No matter what happened between him and Hua Mei, they were husband and wife after all. So many years have passed, and Hua Mei is no longer alive. All the grudges and resentments have faded with time. However, I noticed that your grandfather's eternal lamp has always been like this."

Following Grandma Jiang's words, Wen Ya looked over and saw that her lamp belonged to her maternal grandfather, with his name, Wen Tianyan, written on it. The flame of the bronze lamp flickered gently, without any ripples.

But the next moment, Wen Ya immediately realized that if a person dies, the lamp should go out, but why is her grandfather's eternal lamp still on?

Wen Ya's breathing became heavier, and her mind seemed to be stuck, unable to come to her senses for a long time.

Grandma Jiang looked at her with concern and said, "At first I thought something had gone wrong... but now I have to wonder..."

Jiang Shuo picked up the conversation: "Was it you who saw your grandfather off?"

Wen Ya understood what he meant by "send off". She hesitated for a moment, shook her head, gritted her teeth, and finally spoke: "I rushed back as soon as I received the news, but I got back too late. Grandpa had already been buried."

"You didn't see him one last time?" Old Mrs. Jiang frowned.

Wen Ya nodded: "I... also didn't find my grandfather's spirit."

Jiang Shuo has found the answer to what he cares about.

There was no corpse, no ghost, and the Jiang family's specially made everlasting lamp did not follow the rule that the lamp goes out when a person dies. All of this points to one conclusion.

But no one said a word.

Wen Ya's mind was in complete turmoil.

Grandpa didn't die? Then why did he fake his death? To activate the resurrection lamp? But why didn't he do it himself? Where is he now?

All the questions rushed to her mind, and for the first time, Wen Ya felt lost, standing there dumbfounded. This situation was beyond her comprehension, and she didn't know how to handle it.

Si Mucheng noticed the change in her emotions, stepped forward, and took her arm. He looked down at her and said, "Don't think so much. If Grandpa didn't die, you should be happy, right? Because you didn't lose a loved one."

Upon hearing this, Wen Ya, Jiang Shuo, and Grandma Jiang all looked at Si Mucheng, clearly not expecting him to say such a thing.

Si Mucheng didn't think there was anything wrong with what he said, and continued, "Since all the current situations indicate that it is related to the Soul-Returning Lamp, then let's do as you said before, take it one step at a time, and see what happens when the Soul-Returning Lamp is activated. Otherwise, just thinking wildly won't solve anything."

After hearing these words, Jiang Shuo glanced at Wen Ya thoughtfully. He roughly understood why Wen Ya, who was always alone, would accept Si Mu Cheng by her side; this man was indeed extraordinary.

Wen Ya's heart gradually calmed down, and she nodded: "In any case, let's focus on what's in front of us first."

“That’s right. Even if we take a step back and assume that the Resurrection Lamp is activated, Grandpa might automatically appear, and we’ll then know what he’s up to.”

Grandma Jiang approved, "That makes sense. Right now, everything is just speculation, and no one knows the function of the Soul-Returning Lamp yet. It's best to remain still for now."

Things have already come to this point, and although Wen Ya is determined to find her grandfather, she has no clue what to do.

No, she suddenly frowned. There was someone she had overlooked: her distant cousin, Wen Yongjie.

Wen Yongjie was by his grandfather's side during his final days. When Wen Ya rushed back, she only briefly met Wen Yongjie, who then handed her the keys to the old house along with the "resurrection lamp." Moreover, the claim that the body shouldn't be kept for too long was solely Wen Yongjie's assertion, and he completely disappeared afterward, which is highly suspicious.

"If you need anything from the Jiang family later, just ask A-Shuo. You're cousins, so don't stand on ceremony." Grandma Jiang didn't notice Wen Ya's distraction and was still comforting her.

Wen Ya snapped out of her daze and calmly squeezed Grandma Jiang's hand back: "I understand, Great-Aunt."