Chapter 542: She Won’t Die, I Can’t Sleep!

Directional soul-calling rituals, this type of ritual spell formation, can be traced back to ancient sacrificial activities.

Ancient sacrificial activities usually had extremely complex procedures. Sometimes, going through the entire process could take several days, or even longer.

Before starting the ritual, one had to consult the almanac, choose a suitable date and proper hour. During the ritual, there was a strict sequence: lighting candles to welcome spirits, burning incense and offering tributes, playing music and toasting, reciting sacrificial words, and so on.

However, for psychics or hauntings, these procedures could all be simplified or omitted, with their own psychic energy making up for it. So when casting this type of spell formation, the strength of the caster’s psychic energy fluctuation is also a key factor affecting the success rate.

Of course, when psychics or hauntings attempt ritual-type spell formations, if they’re not confident, they can also choose an appropriate time, prepare sacrifices and ritual music to improve the spell formation’s success rate.

In fact, haunting games like Pen Fairy and saucer spirit are specialized ritual-type spell formations. It’s just that the procedures are overly simplified, there’s no clear target for the wish, and ordinary people can’t use psychic energy to make up for the missing parts of the process, so they often attract some malicious “little cuties.”

……

Lu Yibei sat obediently in front of Qing Ji, back straight, fully focused.

Like a little student listening attentively in class.

Halfway through, she seemed to sense something was off and interrupted, “Wait a minute, Ancestors, I have a question!”

Qing Ji nodded slightly. “Go ahead.”

“Listening to you, soul-calling spell formations are like using the spell to gather the undispersed soul of the deceased into a low-tier haunting.” Lu Yibei mused, “When the low-tier haunting takes shape, then through a series of operations, you lure them over–is that right?”

“……” Qing Ji thought for a moment, then nodded. “You could put it that way.

“Looking at the origins of ritual-type spell formations, their initial purpose was to use sacrificial words to call upon Ancestors, ghosts, and spirits to descend, then offer sacrifices, praying for peace at home, good weather, and prosperity for the country.

“And from some ancient texts related to sacrifices, the quality and quantity of the sacrifice often determined whether Ancestors or spirits would descend, and whether they would grant the supplicant’s wishes after descending.

“In a sense, it’s actually using sacrifices to lure a certain being to descend, then exchanging sacrifices with them.

“As for whether this exchange is fair or not, that depends on the temperament of the being you lure and the strength of the supplicant’s methods.”

“Oh~!” After hearing Qing Ji’s explanation, Lu Yibei nodded thoughtfully. “Now I get it!”

“A directional soul-calling spell formation is like sending a message to the deceased through something they were closely connected to in life, telling them to hurry over, there’s fun and good food here. When they come over all excited, you shut the door, make them stand still, and let me take a look, right?”

“Dig a pit, put in bait, and let them jump in… Isn’t this just entrapment? I’m good at that!” Lu Yibei said confidently.

Hearing this, Qing Ji’s mouth twitched, her face darkening as she replied, “Mm.”

Such a solemn and sacred spell formation, how did it get twisted like this when she explained it?

The worst part is, she’s actually damn right! Qing Ji thought.

Having received the Ancestors’ approval, Lu Yibei’s bright, watery eyes spun slyly in their sockets.

A bold idea quietly brewed in her heart.

So, when I perform the directional soul-calling spell formation, during the “bait” setting phase, wouldn’t it be best to make the “bait” as tempting as possible?

That way, the success rate of the spell formation would definitely increase a lot, right?

It’s all a trick anyway, I don’t actually have to give it to them! Lu Yibei thought secretly.

———-

On the ancient street, in front of Yanzhi Restaurant.

Huá Sāng sat at the table, staring blankly at the hand in her bowl.

All her previous teachings from Qing Ji had stayed at the theoretical level. She’d never had life-and-death combat training with Qing Ji like Lu Yibei, let alone experienced the “Qing Ji self-detonation” incident.

The scene just now left her deeply shocked, and she couldn’t help but worry–if the sect found out the remnant soul of a senior in the ferule had disappeared, how would she explain it?

Though she wasn’t afraid of sect punishment–after all, her physical and magical defenses were maxed out–her mental defense was nearly zero.

Just thinking about the process of enforcing sect rules already made her feel exhausted.

The senior who set up the punishment process back then, besides wanting to physically punish wrongdoers, must have also wanted to torment their will, Huá Sāng thought.

As Huá Sāng pondered, a rustling sound reached her ears.

Looking over, she saw the hand in her bowl start to wriggle. As it moved, the scattered bits of flesh around it floated up, forming a cloud of blood mist, outlining the shape of a human body. Then, using the remaining hand as a reference point, it gradually gathered, solidified, and fused… finally restoring its original form.

Huá Sāng stared wide-eyed at the scene before her, mouth open, just about to say something to Qing Ji, when she heard Qing Ji’s childish voice utter something strange.

“Hurry over… stand still, let me take a look… entrapment, I’m good at that!”

Huá Sāng, “……” If the senior is gone, I’ll definitely be punished by the sect, but if the senior “breaks down” and starts to stink, will I still be punished?

At this moment, her feelings were complicated.

After thoroughly learning the method of performing the directional soul-summoning spell formation from Qing Ji two or three times, and practicing it several times under Qing Ji’s guidance, Lu Yibei bid farewell to Qing Ji and let her consciousness return to reality.

The directional soul-summoning spell formation not only requires a lot of materials needed for the spell formation, but also needs items that the deceased had long-term contact with.

Although it can be practiced in the illusion, the various materials and items in reality can’t be brought in, so the soul can’t truly be summoned.

Therefore, the practical exercise of the directional soul-summoning spell formation still needs Lu Yibei to do it herself in reality.

It’s just like, no matter how proficient you are at a driving simulator, if you want to actually drive on the road, you still have to get a driver’s license.

……

Waking up on the apartment bed, Lu Yibei slowly opened her eyes. After calming herself, she reached under her pillow for her phone and glanced at the time.

05:21 AM.

There were about three hours left until dawn.

She had enough time to visit Fat Master before sunrise, to exchange disaster water for some alchemical residue needed to make Alchemical Bombs, and materials required for the directional soul-summoning spell formation.

Lu Yibei thought about this, glanced at Wang Yingying on the bedside table, and softly called, “Jacket, let’s go!”

Immediately, the wardrobe door opened, and a red-and-white color-blocked windbreaker shot out, wrapping itself around Lu Yibei and zipping up with a “zip” sound.

Today’s Calamity was the default skin.

With her keys and phone ready, carrying most of a bucket of disaster water, Lu Yibei left the apartment, went to the garage, and rode her beloved little electric scooter toward the ghost market.

She wanted to take a taxi, but Uncle Zhang Shan was scared last time.

It’s only been a day, and she’s showing up again with most of a bucket of disaster water. Uncle Zhang Shan definitely wouldn’t let her get in the car.

Riding her little electric scooter, she left Jingyi Apartment complex.

Just after passing the first camera at the entrance, the camera’s indicator light flashed, and Lu Yibei’s phone vibrated.

Lu Yibei pulled over, took out her phone, and saw a message from Online Old Pervert.

Online Pervert 0: “Wang Buliuxing, I got the Xiezhi Crown you wanted, early Western Han, guaranteed vintage.”

After reading the message, Lu Yibei was stunned for a moment and hurried to reply.

Wang Buliuxing: “So fast? How did you get it? Just to be clear, even if you guys expedited it, I’m not paying extra!”

Things like the Xiezhi Crown basically only exist in museums and tombs. The former are watched by The Midnight Watchers Society, and the latter are usually crawling with hauntings. It’s not easy to get one in a short time.

Online Pervert 0: “Funny story, our boss, after hearing your advice, went off to look for the Divine Land, remember?”

Lu Yibei, “……” When did I suggest Void to look for the Divine Land? I told it to find a good mom, right? That’s a misunderstanding–if something happens, I’m not taking the blame!

Online Pervert 0: “Our boss investigated and found that there might be a prototype of the Divine Land hidden in an ancient tomb, so he rallied a bunch of grave robbers to loot it, slipped in with them, and followed along.”

Wang Buliuxing: “And then, did it find the Divine Land prototype?”

Online Pervert 0: “Not really, but the tomb belonged to a Western Han imperial censor. The boss didn’t find the Divine Land prototype, but did find the Xiezhi Crown for you. Should I deliver it now?”

Lu Yibei pondered for a few seconds, typed a reply: “Can you send it to The Midnight Watchers Society?”

Online Pervert 0: “?”

Wang Buliuxing: “Uh, don’t misunderstand, not Hua City’s Midnight Watchers Society, it should be sent to Jinguan City’s Midnight Watchers Society, to Supervisor Xing Yuan.”

According to Lu Yibei’s understanding of Jiang Li, this kind of shady “gift,” even if she personally handed it to her and begged her to accept it, Jiang Li wouldn’t take it.

After thinking it over, the only suitable way was to give it to her through Xing Yuan, in the name of The Midnight Watchers Society.

After sending the message, Lu Yibei waited for quite a while before receiving a reply.

Online Pervert 0: “???”

Wang Buliuxing: “Don’t worry, I know her well, there won’t be any problems. How about I talk to her first and then get back to you?”

Online Pervert 0: “Okay!”

This time, the reply came especially quickly.

Lu Yibei exited the chat app, rubbed her brow, opened her contacts, searched for a while, found Xing Yuan’s number, and dialed.

“Beep—-beep—-!”

After a few busy tones, a slightly lazy voice came from the other end, “Hello, this is Jinguan City’s Midnight Watchers Society, Xing Yuan speaking. Are you turning yourself in?”

“……” Lu Yibei was silent for a few seconds, then called out coquettishly, “Godmother~! Stop messing around, it’s me!”

Xing Yuan already knew her identity, so she didn’t bother to hide it and went straight for the big move.

“Pfft!” Xing Yuan seemed quite pleased with the “Godmother” title, chuckled lightly, and asked, “Go ahead, what do you need?”

“Well, here’s the thing, I have a haunting friend……”

So, Lu Yibei spent two minutes explaining in detail to Xing Yuan how she got the Xiezhi Crown through her “haunting friend,” and planned to use Xing Yuan’s help to give it to her other “psychic friend.”

“You’re getting more and more criminal these days! A Western Han Xiezhi Crown? That’s already a national-level artifact, right?” Xing Yuan teased, “Taking such a big risk, is it really just to help a friend?”

“If it’s just a friend, I can’t help you with this. I can’t harm you, right?”

“Not just a friend, actually it’s…… you know, that thing…… you get it, right?” Lu Yibei’s cheeks flushed, she stammered for a while, and didn’t manage to say a complete sentence.

As someone who’s been through this, Xing Yuan immediately caught the subtext in Lu Yibei’s words and laughed, “Hehe, got it, you like Operator Jiang, don’t you?”

Lu Yibei scratched the back of her head, “Well, it’s not exactly like that.”

“Then I won’t help you.”

“Like.” Lu Yibei said with a blank expression.

“Hehe, alright!” Xing Yuan replied with a smile, “I’ll agree to this for you. Just tell your haunting friend to deliver the item to the head of Jiu Yan Bridge in Jinguan City at ten o’clock in the evening, three days from now.”

“As for where you got this Xiezhi Crown, I won’t ask. It can’t possibly be from any legitimate source.”

If it could be obtained legitimately, The Midnight Watchers Society would have gotten it long ago and sent Jiang Li to headquarters for Spirit Pattern advancement.

“One more thing…” Lu Yibei probed, “You won’t take the chance to catch my friend, will you?”

“You don’t trust me, but you still want my help?” Xing Yuan retorted. Just as Lu Yibei was at a loss for words, she heard from the other end of the call, “Relax, I won’t do anything to your friend.”

“But you, behave yourself. If you can’t fulfill our original agreement in a year, even if Xiao Bai tries to stop me, I’ll force you to sign the contract. Got it?”

“I got it, I got it!” Lu Yibei replied repeatedly, “I’m behaving! Good hauntings follow the law.”

“Tsk, smart mouth!” Xing Yuan spat, “Alright, that’s it for now. We’ll talk later.”

“Mm, mm, bye.”

After hanging up, Lu Yibei let out a long breath, as if she’d resolved a major worry, then sent a message to Online Old Pervert.

Wang Buliuxing: “Three days later, ten o’clock at night, Jiu Yan Bridge. No problem, right?”

Online Pervert 0: “[Long-legged lady OK]”

——–

In the early hours, a cool breeze drifted by.

On the empty, deserted streets, wisps of thin fog floated, and in the dark corners, sneaky, twisted figures were indulging in their last revelry before dawn.

On these streets, filled with an eerie atmosphere, a cute-looking girl, wearing a cat-ear peeping hat, riding a little electric scooter, humming a tune, weaved through the alleys.

“The cool breeze quietly slips into my collar, summer sneaks away unheard~♪“

Wherever she passed, the hauntings played even more wildly.

Completely unaware that her image as the King of Hauntings was being quietly tagged as the haunting diva by the hauntings, Lu Yibei rode her little scooter, enjoying the cool breeze as she headed toward the ghost market, her mind wandering.

Come to think of it, it’s been a while since she visited Fat Master.

She wondered how Gu Qianqian’s shady workshop was doing lately. If it hadn’t gone bankrupt, it should’ve supplied Fat Master with plenty of alchemy residue again, right? Lu Yibei thought.

Although Fat Master, out of merchant’s integrity, never revealed the source of his large stock of alchemy residue,

Lu Yibei had already investigated, using Ley Line Energy and haunting informants, and found that the seller dumping alchemy residue to Fat Master was Gu Qianqian, at least one or two tons a month.

At first, Lu Yibei wanted to cooperate with Gu Qianqian, but considering that bypassing the middleman and directly asking the seller for goods was unethical, and after several trips under the bridge she couldn’t find Gu Qianqian, she had to give up.

“When I caught Gu Qianqian in the Divine Land prototype, I should’ve talked to her about cooperation.” Lu Yibei muttered to herself.

Unfortunately, her memory hadn’t fully recovered at the time, and Gu Qianqian’s ghostly appearance scared her so much she completely forgot about it.

Speaking of which, she wondered how Gu Xinian was doing carrying the blame lately. She’d have to ask him sometime, Lu Yibei thought.

The disappearance of the power constructing the Divine Land prototype caused over five thousand “residents” to vanish into thin air.

Although the Divine Land prototype, with sufficient psychic energy supply, had self-repair abilities to erase the impact of the residents’ disappearance,

The number of vanished residents was so high that some of the remaining ones inevitably noticed, causing unrest.

At times like this, a hero needs to step up and take the blame.

How did that saying go… hmm, that world needs a “villain.”

And the new president of the Truth-Seeking Fellowship, Gu Xinian, is exactly that “villain”!

To clarify, Lu Yibei didn’t force Gu Xinian; he came to her on his own, volunteering to shoulder the blame.

In exchange, Lu Yibei needed to regularly update him on Gu Qianqian and Gu Xiliu’s situation, and if possible, look after them when they needed help.

Gu Xiliu was easier–she had The Midnight Watchers Society backing her, plus her adoptive parents’ family. Lu Yibei just needed to occasionally check in on her.

Gu Qianqian, though…

“I want to look after her too! After all, she’s the cheap bride Dad brought home. Even if nothing ever happens between us, I should at least look out for her a bit. But…”

But I have to actually see her first!

As the King of Hauntings in Hua City, Lu Yibei could easily track the movements of almost all hauntings and most psychics, except for the operators of The Midnight Watchers Society.

But Gu Qianqian was a typical exception, because she possessed bamboo slips connecting to the Great Serpent God’s Divine Land.

Even if Lu Yibei occasionally spotted her, before she could find her, Gu Qianqian would disappear without a trace, leaving not even a hint of energy behind.

“Luckily, we have that special relationship. Even if we’re not spouses, being friends is no problem.” Lu Yibei muttered, “Otherwise…”

Having an elusive enemy in her own territory, one whose whereabouts couldn’t be traced, she wouldn’t be able to sleep at night!

Grumbling to herself, Lu Yibei looked up and saw a familiar storefront.

Fat Master’s shop was here.