Chapter 278

Chapter 278: I’m Here

Jiang Liu Yi stared in confusion and stammered: “Wha… what?” His handsome face looked blank. He wondered to himself: [Admire Jin’er? Is it because she became an official? That madman Li Chang Huai would admire an official?]

He remembered that two years ago an official’s daughter fancied Li Chang Huai’s looks. The official sent a matchmaker to propose to Tianyu Mountain Villa, and Li Chang Huai had the matchmaker thrown out. He thought: [A guy that arrogant would admire an official? Unless it’s because my sister is a female official?]

Jiang Liu Yun waved him off and said with a shrug: “Brother, after tonight you’ll understand. It won’t be strange at all if anyone in this world admires Sister.”

He was right. Li Chang Huai admired Yu Zhi Yi and wanted to take her as his master. As the young manor lord of Tianyu Mountain Villa, his talent was outstanding. Since childhood he almost never met a match, especially among people his age. Jiang Liu Yi counted as one, but he was only a little stronger.

People are like that. When someone is just a bit better than you, you feel there is room to catch up. But when someone is far ahead, you know you cannot, so you see that person not as a peer but like a god. Besides, Yu Zhi Yi’s skills truly looked like miracles. Li Chang Huai’s view of the world almost shattered. After he steadied himself, he found something more exciting than martial arts. He wanted to cultivate the Dao.

Yu Zhi Yi did not care what Li Chang Huai planned. She sat beside the sleeping Qing Xuan and waited for midnight. For her, summoning a soul worked at any time. What changed was the state of the soul. Midnight has the strongest yin in a day. Calling a soul then is twice the result with half the effort and is gentle on the soul. In the day, the upright energy between heaven and earth can scorch a soul.

She was a mortal girl who loved her mother. She would not let her suffer even a little.

While she waited, she thought over what she had learned that day. Under Mount Ming there was a dragon vein. The Martial Alliance was built right on top of it, borrowing its spiritual energy and fortune. People who lived here should have had many children and great blessing. Yet everyone in the Jiang Clan showed the look of death, especially the first branch.

If these deadly fates came from natural causes, or were tied to a malevolent spirit, even so, the fact that her mother had a soul and a spirit stolen could not be natural. It was man-made. Someone wanted Mother to become dull and confused. Was it just to insult her, or for some purpose?

She remembered what Qing Xuan had said: a fox spirit wanted to steal the daughter’s everything. It felt like an invisible hand was playing with the Martial Alliance. Even her own kidnapping as a child seemed tied to that hand. She decided: [Watch and wait a bit longer.]

On the bed, Qing Xuan slept uneasily. She shook her head and called out: “Jin’er!” Yu Zhi Yi held her hand and said softly: “I’m here, don’t be afraid.”

Qing Xuan calmed down and fell into a deep sleep.

Jiang Liu Yi pushed the door open. Seeing Yu Zhi Yi leaning against the bed, worry filled his eyes as he said: “Sister, go rest first. When the time comes, I’ll wake you.”

Yu Zhi Yi looked at her mother’s hand gripping her own, then shook her head and said: “No need. I’ll sleep after we finish.”

Jiang Liu Yi glanced at his mother’s uneasy sleep, sighed, and said: “All right. I’ll stay with you.”

The night grew darker. He had wanted to ask how she had lived all these years. But when he saw Mother finally sleeping soundly, he pushed his questions down. He thought: [Forget it. She’s back. That is what matters.]

Before long, Jiang Yu Chuan and Jiang Liu Yun entered one after the other. Seeing Jiang Liu Yi guarding the bed with the mother and daughter, Jiang Yu Chuan felt very comforted. Jiang Liu Yun curled his lip and thought: [Brother is so sneaky, rushing here to raise Sister’s favor.] He trotted over, squatted by the bed, and planted himself between brother and sister.

Jiang Liu Yi went speechless. He thought: [This brat.] He decided: [Tomorrow morning I’m dragging him out to train.]

Midnight finally came. Aunt Yin had already come in. The three men looked at Yu Zhi Yi. Jiang Yu Chuan and Jiang Liu Yun were tense. Jiang Liu Yi only held a light curiosity and no real expectations. Aunt Yin felt both eager and afraid: eager that the young miss really had a way, afraid that hope would fail.

Yu Zhi Yi ignored their moods. She took out the incense and talisman paper she had prepared, pasted a talisman on Qing Xuan’s forehead, and handed each of the Jiang men a stick of soul-summoning incense. She herself took a red cord and three Five Emperors coins.

She gave her instructions and said: “When I say start, hold the incense and call my mother’s name, title, or pet name. Do not stop until I say you can. Remember that?”

The three nodded together. Their part was simple. Jiang Liu Yi still did not really believe this could heal his mother, but he did not question it. He thought: [If it works, that’s best. If it doesn’t, after this Sister won’t play at ghosts and gods.]

Aunt Yin asked nervously: “Then what should I do?”

Yu Zhi Yi thought a moment and said: “Please have some late-night food made. When we finish, everyone may want to eat. Then guard the door outside. Don’t let anyone in.”

Aunt Yin felt a bit disappointed. She had wanted to take part. But the miss was right. People would be hungry, and guarding the door mattered.

After Aunt Yin left, Yu Zhi Yi had the three light the soul-summoning incense. Then her wrist moved fast. The coins in her hand shifted places so quickly they dazzled the eye.

All three had the same thought: [If Sister learned hidden weapons, she would be incredible.]

Very soon Yu Zhi Yi broke their drifting thoughts and called: “Start!”

Jiang Liu Yi lifted the incense and called into the smoke: “Qing Xuan, come back!”

Jiang Yu Chuan’s voice shook as he called: “Wife, come back!”

Jiang Liu Yun leaned close and called: “Mother, it’s Yun. Please come back!”

Jiang Liu Yi added urgently: “Mother, Sister has been found. Please come back!”

Qing Xuan felt she was in a very long dream. When she tried to recall it, she found nothing. The dream was only darkness. She did not know how long she walked in that dark, or where the end was. She just walked, without a goal.

Suddenly, she heard familiar calls.

“Qing Xuan.”

“Wife.”

“Mother.”

Then she heard another line and froze. Someone said her daughter had been found.

[Daughter! My poor daughter!]

She remembered how her newborn had been stolen. Panic hit her. She began to run forward like mad. But the darkness seemed endless. No matter how she ran, she could not find the exit.

Yu Zhi Yi’s fingers stopped at once as she said: “Found it. So it’s here!”