But with so many things happening in Kyoto lately, the Demon King is devouring ghosts to grow stronger, and she has noticed that there are fewer wandering spirits on the streets, and not a single vengeful ghost can be seen.
“He has lost his soul.” Yuan Qi said with regret. It had been so long; the child’s other soul had probably been devoured long ago.
Seeing Yuan Qi's expression, Zhu Feiling and Cao Shi sensed something was wrong.
Zhu Fei asked, "Can it be found?"
"Let's give it a try." Yuan Qi wasn't sure either. "Where were you watching the fireworks back then?"
"The City God Temple in the east of the city on the twelfth day of the first lunar month. Every year they set off fireworks there, and it's packed with people." Zhu Feiling was also uneasy, secretly praying that his son's other soul could return.
Yuan Qi instructed Zhu Fei to bring over a long table with a bowl of water and a bowl of millet on it, and then had Zhu Huiquan stand in front of the table.
The couple watched as Yuan Qi took out three incense sticks from her cloth bag, lit them, and stuck them into the rice bowl. She then took out a talisman and a peach wood sword from the same bag. She stood in front of the table, chanting incantations and performing a ritualistic step: "Heavenly Emperor, Earthly Emperor, Supreme Lord Laozi, come to help! My child has lost his soul... Soul, return! Soul, return! Supreme Lord Laozi, hasten as the law commands!"
The talisman inserted into the peach wood sword spontaneously combusted without fire.
Following Yuan Qi's instructions, Zhu Fei and Cao Shi called out their son's name in unison.
Yuan Qi was surprised to find that a wisp of a soul had actually drifted in from the backyard.
Yuan Qi quickly guided that soul into Zhu Huiquan's body. Because it had been separated from the body for too long, that wisp of soul was somewhat weak and was about to dissipate.
After that wisp of soul entered his body, Yuan Qi took out a soul-stabilizing talisman from his cloth bag and stuck it on Zhu Huiquan's forehead. He then took out a black porcelain bottle, took out a white pill from it, pinched Zhu Huiquan's cheekbone, and put it into his mouth.
This is the Rejuvenation Pill. She refined it a few days ago and kept a bottle for herself.
"That's strange. Shouldn't it have floated in from outside? Could it be that after the soul left the body, it came back with the physical body?" Yuan Qi couldn't figure it out either, but she was already very glad that the soul hadn't been eaten by the wild ghosts.
Zhu Feiling and Cao Shi could not see the soul, but they could see Yuan Qi's strange expression and movements.
Upon hearing Yuan Qi's words, the couple's faces lit up with joy.
Zhu Feiling asked, "Little Celestial Master, my son is back?"
Yuan Qi hummed in agreement: "He has returned, but his soul has been missing for too long and he is somewhat weak. I have placed a soul-stabilizing talisman on his forehead and fed him a soul-nourishing pill. However, he will still be unconscious for several days before he wakes up."
The two of them responded with an "oh," both looking quite worried.
Cao held her husband's hand, her palms slightly sweaty, and asked worriedly, "Little Celestial Master, will my son still be mentally challenged after he wakes up?"
"It shouldn't be a problem, but the soul will be a little weak, and after being frightened, it's easy for the soul to leave the body again. This soul-stabilizing talisman needs to be worn for a period of time. I'll leave you a few soul-stabilizing talismans. Find a purse and put it in it so that the soul can always be carried with him and cannot leave his body. He should be fine in half a year."
Yuan Qi patiently showed the two the soul-stabilizing talismans: "If the cinnabar on them has faded, replace them with new ones. If you run out, come to me for more. Remember, the talisman paper must not come into contact with water, especially dirty water such as foot bath water."
The two agreed readily, their complexions improved considerably, and their worries vanished.
Cao said, "Don't worry, Little Celestial Master, I will take care of him personally."
Yuan Qi said, "Fortunately, after the soul left the body, it returned with the physical body. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to find the lost soul. It is this child's good fortune. Keep a close eye on this child; he has a bright future ahead of him."
The couple were overjoyed to hear this.
Zhu Huiquan had already been carried into the house by the servants and was lying down. Madam Cao personally changed the quilt for her son and instructed the servants not to touch the talisman on his face.
Zhu Feiling said, "My wife is three months pregnant and has been bleeding. I wonder if the young celestial master could take a look?"
Yuan Qi readily agreed. She thought Zhu Feiling was a very smart person because he didn't mind her young age and allowed her to see patients.
Zhu Fei ordered Yuan Qi to examine Cao's pulse and read her face, and had the finest tea prepared for him.
Yuan Qi took Cao's pulse and quickly came to a conclusion: Cao's bleeding was not only due to physical weakness, but also related to excessive thinking and worry, and the feng shui of the mansion was not very good.
Yuan Qi ordered Zhu Fei to bring paper and pen, wrote out the prescription, and stamped his personal seal in the lower right corner.
"I see some ominous energy in the northwest corner of the mansion. I wonder who lives there?"
Zhu Feiling frowned, then quickly remembered: "The young ladies lived in the last courtyard, and the latrine was in the northwest corner."
Yuan Qi shook his head: "Lord Zhu is well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics, but he doesn't know much about feng shui. The northwest corner is the main position, ideally for an elder of status to live in, or at the very least, it should be left empty. How can you build a latrine there? Change it quickly. If I'm not mistaken, the inner quarters of the mansion will be uneasy, with frequent disputes, and there might even be fights and bloodshed, right?"
Zhu Feiling chuckled. "You can even see that?"
"Yes, my eldest and second brothers have been arguing about the shop for many years. They have a small fight every three days, a big fight every five days, and they even get into physical fights every two or three months. Father is also quite troubled. The women and children of my eldest and second brothers also can't stand each other. They're always arguing about this or that, there's never a moment of peace. Oh dear, I'm making a fool of myself in front of you, Little Celestial Master. So it turns out that family discord is also related to feng shui... In your opinion, Little Celestial Master, would it be alright for a legitimate daughter to live in the northwest corner?"
Yuan Qi shook his head and smiled innocently: "Of course not. The younger generation cannot live in the northwest corner. Otherwise, your family will still be in chaos and there will be no peace. You can let the old man move there, or you can build an ancestral hall."
Zhu Feiling immediately understood: "Thank you, Little Celestial Master. No, let me show you around. Please point out any inappropriate parts."
Yuan Qi followed him around the Zhu residence, asking him to move the kitchen to a different location and replace some locust trees with paulownia trees.
Before leaving, Zhu Feiling personally brought over a small box: "I don't know if 30,000 taels is enough. If not, I'll ask my father for more. Little Celestial Master, I know that the Guiyuan Pill you gave my son was very expensive. I heard that only the royal family and the Xiangli clan can afford it."
"That's enough." Yuan Qi accepted the box generously, then reminded him, "If you still want the Guiyuan Pill, you can buy it at Yaoguang Pavilion. What I have here is for emergencies."
Zhu Fei muttered to himself, "So it was sold by Yaoguang Pavilion, no wonder."
After seeing Yuan Qi off, he wondered if giving his son another Guiyuan Pill would help him wake up faster, so he took the prescription Yuan Qi had given him to Yaoguang Pavilion.
Tu Shan'ang of Yaoguang Pavilion saw Yuan Qi's seal and told him the price: "Eighty thousand taels per seal."
Zhu Fei felt utterly disheartened; the little celestial master had sold it to him at a truly reasonable price!
A man in black standing nearby asked, "Excuse me, do you have any Rejuvenation Pills?"
Tu Shan'ang's face darkened: "Sold out!"
Well, even with money, you can't buy it!
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