"What?!"
Hearing me say that, Zhang Qiang, a grown man, actually glared at me with a resentful look.
I suddenly felt a chill and couldn't help but rub the goosebumps on my body.
"It won't be long, he'll probably arrive soon. I asked him to buy some common items."
Hearing me say that, Zhang Qiang felt a little better.
Seeing that the two of us had finished talking, Granny Wang also came forward.
"Oh my, you must be the apprentice Yingniang was talking about. You are indeed handsome and have inherited Yingniang's skills."
That sounds like mere small talk. I know what I look like; I can only say it's passable.
Besides, we've only just met, how would she know what skills I have?
But I remained outwardly calm and smiled as I said:
"Grandma Wang, you have such great energy and spirit! You don't look like an old person at all. You're truly vigorous in your old age!"
We exchanged a few pleasantries before getting down to business.
Granny Wang's previously relaxed and carefree expression vanished, replaced by a serious demeanor.
"Xiao Chen, I'll preside over the soul-summoning ceremony later. It's not that I don't believe in your abilities, but my grandniece Xiao Yun is a bit shy, and she'll only be willing to do it if I preside over it."
Her grandniece stood behind Wang Po, timidly tugging at her clothes.
It was obvious that Wang Po wasn't lying, but the girl was probably worried that I wasn't skilled enough and feared something might happen.
Therefore, she wanted Wang Po to personally preside over the ceremony.
As Granny Wang spoke, she observed my expression.
After all, this matter was somewhat offensive; I was just asking her to help prepare someone to take on the role of the upper body.
But I don't mind it at all; I don't have the same strong sense of self-esteem as the older generation.
On the contrary, I think it saves me trouble.
Granny Wang is quite famous in the underworld. She has personally presided over many soul-summoning ceremonies and is more skilled in this area than I am.
I hadn't slept well and was feeling a bit lethargic, so having her perform this ritual was perfect.
Seeing me nod, Grandma Wang and her grandniece both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Okay, then give me the thing."
I handed a large bag of things to Granny Wang. When Granny Wang opened it, her expression changed.
"Xiao Chen, something's not right, something's missing."
Although the items used for summoning spirits may not be exactly the same from one place to another, the minor differences are only in the details, but the general direction is the same.
But what I gave her was clearly missing many important things, and Granny Wang noticed it at a glance.
"I asked a friend to buy those things. He should be here soon. I forgot to tell you, Granny Wang."
I slapped my forehead; actually, I also wanted to see what Wang Po was capable of.
That put my mind at ease. The fact that she could spot the missing materials at a glance showed that she was definitely not someone who sought fame and fortune through deception.
After I explained it this way, Granny Wang nodded and didn't think much of it.
Luo Tianhe arrived shortly afterward, carrying a large bag and covered in sweat.
The police officers on duty at the forensic center had all seen us come before, and Zhang Qiang had given prior instructions, so they didn't stop us.
"Everyone's here."
Luo Tianhe greeted me and then handed me the large bag, which I then passed to Granny Wang.
Granny Wang opened it again and took a look, only then revealing a confident expression.
Now that we had all the materials, we got right to the point.
Zhang Qiang led us through a somewhat gloomy corridor to the morgue where the female college student's body was kept.
The air was filled with a faint smell of formaldehyde, and a faint whiff of blood could also be detected.
A white cloth covered the cold iron bed, outlining the shape of a human figure, except that the head was clearly sunken in.
Granny Wang lit three incense sticks and placed them in a small incense burner she had brought with her.
I was a little surprised, because these three incense sticks were not bought by us, but brought by Granny Wang herself.
Smoke rose in wisps, emitting a strange smell, seemingly a mixture of some kind of herb. I couldn't help but sniff, and caught a familiar scent.
It seems to be numbness!
Seeing that I seemed to have discovered something, Granny Wang smiled.
“These things are our sect’s secret weapons for summoning spirits. They can make the summoned spirits much more docile. I wouldn’t normally use this method, but this time the evil ghost is really quite malevolent.”
I nodded.
Granny Wang gestured for Xiaoyun to stand at the head of the corpse, and then began chanting incantations in a low voice.
Luo Tianhe, Zhang Qiang, and I stood in three different positions, focused and on guard.
Zhang Qiang was standing at the entrance, both as a lookout and to prevent outsiders from barging in.
Granny Wang's incantations grew more urgent; we had already told her the deceased's birth date and time beforehand.
Her withered fingers were drawing on the yellow talisman; the handwriting was messy, but it should be the deceased's birth date and time.
Suddenly, Wang Po opened her eyes wide, slammed her cane on the ground, and hissed:
"Deceased Zhang Wei, may your soul return! What grievances did you suffer? Speak them quickly!"
As soon as Wang Po finished speaking, a gust of cold wind rose out of nowhere, scattering the incense ash from the burner.
Standing at the head of the deceased, Xiaoyun suddenly shuddered, her body began to tremble violently, and her eyes rolled upwards, revealing large areas of white.
A strange, hissing sound suddenly came from her throat, as if something was choking her, and her entire demeanor instantly turned sinister and vicious.
Without changing her expression, Granny Wang grabbed Xiaoyun by the neck, making her lower her head and take a deep breath in front of the incense burner.
Immediately, her trembling lessened considerably, and the resentment on her face also subsided.
That old woman, Wang Po, is quite something.
As I threw paper money into the fire, I watched and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
At this moment, a cold wind howled, and the yin candle lit by Wang Po flickered precariously, seemingly at risk of going out at any moment.
As Wang Po presided over the ceremony, she asked:
"Do you remember how you died?"
Upon hearing Wang Po's question, my breath caught in my throat.
As Jin Ye had told us before, it is taboo to ask this kind of question during the soul-summoning ceremony.
Isn't this just reopening old wounds?
But the next moment, Xiaoyun answered honestly.
"I... I can't quite remember. It seems... it seems like I was hit by a car and killed."
I immediately realized that it must be the effect of those three incense sticks.
"Where's the car? What did the car that hit you look like? Do you remember it?"
Granny Wang continued to ask, which puzzled me.
She knew that the police had already caught the perpetrator. We just wanted to know the truth, not help find the hit-and-run driver. Was it really necessary to ask what kind of car it was?
Soon, Xiaoyun's intermittent answers made me realize Wang Po's intention.
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