16 Chapter 16

◎Jiang Hui's appearance made up for Song Jinyu's regret of not being able to play games.◎

Jiang took the bracelet from Xiao Ji, looked at it, and then twirled it.

He asked, "Where did this bracelet come from?"

Xiao Ji said, "It was given by a master at a temple in the eastern suburbs, but that master has now passed away."

Jiang returned the bracelet to Xiao Ji, stroked his gray beard, and looked at him, "You..."

Xiao Ji asked him, "Can he return to his own body?"

Jiang withdrew his gaze, smacked his lips, and said, "Yes. It's a miracle that the two of you could be together. One of you has a pure yang body, and the other was born with an unstable soul. If it weren't for you, he would have been in trouble long ago. The item that the master gave you is truly magical. It connects the two of you. The pure yang energy in your body can nourish his soul. If he stays by your side longer, he will probably be able to go back soon."

Will things still be the same after we go back?

"No..." Jiang Qu chuckled, "As the saying goes, 'When you're put in a desperate situation, you'll find a way out.' He's already died once. As long as he gets through this, the road ahead will be smooth sailing."

"But the bracelet on your wrist and the pendant around his neck are very important. You can't lose them, or he'll be finished."

Xiao Ji clenched the bracelet in her hand tighter and tighter.

Song Jinyu was completely confused.

No, what do you mean by saying he was born with an unstable soul, what do you mean by saying Xiao Ji has a pure yang body, and what do you mean by saying the bracelets and pendants on their bodies are connected?

Before he could even ask, his parents arrived late.

Perhaps knowing that Song Jinyu's life was not in danger, Zhou Qingwen rediscovered her love for life, wearing a butterfly-shaped dress and a wide sun hat that made her face look small.

The first thing she said upon seeing Song Jinyu was:

"Oh, your coat matches my clothes really well today."

Song Jinyu: "..."

Zhou Qingwen said, "I've recently made several new outfits. Come and try them on to see if they fit."

Song Jinyu dodged her grasp, "What are you trying? Can't you see the master is here?"

"Oh dear! What could a little kid like you know? Besides, haven't we finished talking?"

"We're not done talking yet. I still have questions for the master... Mom! Why did you arrest me?"

Zhou Qingwen shook the wooden doll, and overheard Song Huaishan and Jiang Qu's conversation. "What's so interesting about that? They're just asking what you two were talking about. Your dad has class this afternoon, we won't be here long. They can talk, we'll do our thing."

Song Jinyu was unable to resist at all, and with her face puffed out, she was dragged away by Zhou Qingwen.

As soon as they left, the atmosphere in the living room immediately became quiet.

Song Huaishan, still smiling, refilled Jiang Qu's empty cup with fresh tea.

"Master Jiang, please don't be offended. There are many things that Jin Yu doesn't know, and we don't want him to know either. Knowing too much won't do him any good."

Jiang Qu also laughed. With his yellow hair, he didn't look like a capable old Taoist priest, but rather like an old non-mainstream person.

"I understand, I understand... His unstable soul is a problem he's had since childhood. Could he have had dissociative identity disorder when he was a child?"

“Yes…” Song Huaishan sighed. “At first, we thought he was just sleepwalking. We took him to many hospitals and saw many doctors, but nothing worked. As he got older, it got worse and worse. Later, his mother heard that there was a very powerful master over there. With the idea of ​​giving it a try, she took him there. The master gave him this thing, and unexpectedly, it really worked.”

Jiang looked at Xiao Ji and asked, "Did your master tell you that the most important thing isn't this, but you?"

Xiao Ji was stunned.

He paused for a while, then said, "He didn't say anything, he said it was all predestined."

“Indeed, it was all destined in a dream…” Jiang Qu smacked his lips and took a sip of tea. “If it weren’t for you, Song Jinyu would have died long ago.”

“His soul is unstable, and the older he gets, the harder it is for him to control himself. When it gets dark and the yin energy is heavy, he will be bewitched by those evil things, so to outsiders it looks like he is sleepwalking.”

“And him…” He pointed at Xiao Ji, “He has a naturally pure Yang constitution. Wherever he is, you won’t find a single unclean thing within a five-mile radius. If it weren’t for him, Song Jinyu would have been torn apart and eaten by those things long ago when she was sleepwalking as a child.”

“But he alone can’t suppress it. Song Jinyu’s soul already has a crack, and as long as the crack isn’t healed, no matter how much care is given to it, it will eventually tear apart.”

Jiang Qu turned his gaze to Xiao Ji's wrist. "This string of beads and the thing around his neck form a link, connecting the two of you. Although the effect is slow, it can fill the gap in Song Jinyu's life."

Song Huaishan asked, "Then why did he become like this?"

"That's simple..." Jiang Qu said with a smile, "Did you two break up later?"

Xiao Ji remained silent.

"His soul got used to having something nourishing by his side every day, and couldn't bear the sudden separation, so it separated itself to find him."

Jiang patted Xiao Ji on the shoulder, "This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Before, his soul was in his body, and at the original absorption rate, it would have taken forever to recover. Now, it can absorb the energy much faster."

"Once the gap is filled, he will naturally be able to return to his own body."

On the other side, Song Jinyu and Zhou Qingwen were arguing, probably because they were almost finished trying on the clothes.

Xiao Ji asked Jiang Qu, "Jiang Hui said that a part of his soul remains in the original doll's body. When will he be able to absorb it completely?"

Jiang took the doll Xiao Ji handed him, closed his eyes, and felt it. "It'll be soon. He's recovering very quickly by your side. I reckon it'll be within the next day or two."

Song Jinyu and Zhou Qingwen came out cursing.

Song Jinyu said, "I'm already in my twenties, can you please stop making me clothes with such childish colors?"

Zhou Qingwen said, "So what if you're in your twenties? Besides, you're still a doll, and dolls should dress cutely."

Song Jinyu said, "Where is it cute? It's not pink at all, I want a macho color!"

Zhou Qingwen said, "If it's the picture you sent me when you called me last time, then there's no point in talking."

Song Jinyu said, "Why is it out of the question? You can embroider flowers on clothes, so what's wrong with making me an Ultraman-themed outfit!"

Zhou Qingwen flicked him on the forehead, and the dispute was over.

Song Jinyu felt that his mother didn't understand him at all. He jumped off Zhou Qingwen's hand and nimbly climbed up Xiao Ji's arm to his shoulder.

He grabbed Xiao Ji by the hair and threatened him.

"Now! Right now! Immediately! Buy me an Ultraman outfit!"

Xiao Ji: "..."

Song Huaishan coughed. "Thank you for making this trip, Master. How much is it?"

Jiang Qu smiled and said, "Your son's soul is unstable. He will need help to return to his body."

Song Huaishan: "I know, I'll have to trouble you then..."

Jiang Qu said, "I can help you for free."

Song Huaishan: "??"

“However, I have one condition.” He pointed to Xiao Ji, “My apprentice must follow him.”

This time it was Xiao Ji's turn: "?"

Song Jinyu grabbed his shoulder and looked back at Jiang.

Jiang Hui could no longer maintain his dark expression, and his ears turned noticeably red, probably because he was embarrassed by his master's unreasonable request.

Jiang Qu said, "My apprentice has a pure Yin constitution and has been able to see things since he was a child. Like Song Jinyu, he also has some problems with his soul, so he has not been able to attend classes since the start of the school year and has been on leave from school. He also needs to stay by Xiao Ji's side to replenish his soul."

Unconsciously, Song Jinyu gripped Xiao Ji's hair tighter and tighter. "Huh? Does he want to be like me?"

Jiang glanced at him and said, "You don't need to cling to him like you do."

"..."

Song Jinyu let go of her hand.

Xiao Ji pulled Ou into his arms. "We will pay whatever amount is due, but as for anything else, I'm afraid I can't do anything about it."

Faced with his refusal, Jiang Qu was not annoyed, and still had that same smiling face on his face, "Then we are powerless to help Song Jinyu with her follow-up problems."

Xiao Ji narrowed his eyes and looked at him. "Are you threatening me?"

"How could that be? We're just making a deal. We'll help you, and you help us out."

Song Jinyu thought absently, "This conversation has a strong smell of gunpowder."

Jiang Hui ultimately stayed.

Xiao Ji couldn't accept strangers living in his home, so Jiang Hui could only come during the day, from nine in the morning to six in the evening, just like clocking in for work.

Unfortunately, Xiao Ji also started working on his first day at work.

The script was being prepared for filming, and casting began. A bunch of actors lined up to audition, while Song Jinyu and Jiang Hui were playing video games in the next room.

Song Jinyu changed her clothes today.

It's a chibi-style big-headed doll with green eyes and a huge magic hat on its head, which Xiao Ji has managed to cosplay as a magician.

Unfortunately, someone's makeup skills weren't up to par; one eye was drawn bigger than the other, and when applying vermilion to the lips, their hand trembled, causing the originally smooth lines to sag.

Song Jinyu had a long face all day because of this, and only felt better after he was allowed to play with Jiang Hui.

He squatted on Jiang Hui's shoulder and watched him play games.

The boy had a sour face, his fingers tapping the screen with practiced ease. Song Jinyu thought he was a pro, so she leaned closer to take a look, and immediately: "..."

He said, "So you just light up wherever it's lit?"

Jiang Hui frowned. "The other guy is cheating. I can't move at all when I'm standing in front of him."

Song Jinyu said, "He didn't cheat. Didn't you see the weapon hanging on his waist? It's golden, and its additional skill can paralyze people. You were standing too close to him, so you got paralyzed."

Jiang Hui turned to look at him. "You've played this game before?"

Song Jinyu proudly raised her head, "How about becoming a Master Extraordinary?"

Jiang Hui paused, and his gaze toward Song Jinyu suddenly changed.

Song Jinyu rubbed her hands together, "At your level, you're only dealing with trash. They're too easy to beat. Let me teach you."

Jiang Hui's appearance made up for Song Jinyu's regret of not being able to play games when she was a doll.

Xiao Ji was unaware that the two people next door had already formed a deep friendship.

He watched the actors audition one after another, and it took them the entire morning to barely finish. He marked the actors he liked and planned to discuss it with the others before making a final decision.

People around were whispering, talking more about the actors' gossip than about their acting skills.

The girl sitting to Xiao Ji's right smiled at him and said, "Hello, Senior Xiao."

Xiao Ji was taken aback and looked at her chest, where a producer's badge was hanging, indicating she was just an intern.

The girl said, "We go to the same school. You probably don't recognize me if I say my name, but if I put it another way, you might know me..."

"Song Jinyu and I are members of the same club."