By the time the uncle and niece returned to Shaojia, it was already dark.
Aunt Ruan Chongyue had already prepared the meal and was waiting for them to return with her twin sons.
As soon as Shao Che entered the house, he smiled and took out the rice and grain Jing Wu had bought from the basket, handing it to his wife. “A Wu earned some money today and bought some rice and grain.”
Ruan Chongyue took the heavy bag and saw that it contained not only rice and flour but also a pound of pork. She glanced in surprise at the girl sitting at the dining table, eating sweet potatoes, and couldn’t help but scold her husband. “This must have cost quite a bit. How could you let her buy food? She’s still a child!”
Shao Che scratched his head and was about to say something when he saw Jing Wu, her cheeks puffed out, speak up.
“Aunt, please accept it. I’ve been staying here for so many days and have troubled you,” Jing Wu said, feeling a bit choked from the sweet potato. She immediately took a sip of rice soup to wash it down. “Besides, I heard from Uncle that the meat pies you make are delicious. I’ve never had them before, so I bought flour, hoping you could show off your skills sometime?”
Truth be told, she had been at Shaojia for five days, eating rice soup and sweet potatoes every day. She was truly tired of it and urgently needed some meat to change up her diet.
Hearing this, Ruan Chongyue looked at the thin girl and sighed. Since she was sent to a Taoist temple at a young age, she must have had a hard time with food and clothing. At just fifteen, she looked like she was twelve or thirteen, as thin as a bamboo pole.
Compared to her twin sister, who was raised in luxury, she seemed even more pitiful. It seemed she would have to take on more embroidery work to earn some money, buy some meat, and nourish her properly.
Ruan Chongyue didn’t realize that her attitude toward Jing Wu had shifted from resistance to acceptance, and she had unconsciously begun to care for her as if she were her own daughter.
“Alright, are you going to South Street tomorrow?”
“No, I’ll be at home for the next five days. Is there any work you need help with?” Jing Wu finished eating quickly, washed her bowl, and looked up at the woman.
Watching her actions, Ruan Chongyue couldn’t help but feel indignant on her behalf. Since coming to their home, Jing Wu had always been well-behaved and sensible, and she even had such great abilities. Her sister-in-law was truly blind to treat her so poorly.
Thinking this, she sighed softly, shook her head at Jing Wu, and her tone softened involuntarily. “No, if you’re going, I’ll get up early to make meat pies for you to take with you. If you’re not going, I’ll make them later, and we can have them at noon.”
Hearing this, Jing Wu’s eyes lit up. “I’ll be home tomorrow. Thank you, Aunt!”
She was really craving meat pies!
Ruan Chongyue’s expression turned slightly awkward at this. She responded with a sound and quickly walked away.
Jing Wu didn’t notice, her mind completely occupied with the thought of tomorrow’s meat pies.
After washing up, she returned to the attic, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began converting the merit within her body.
Suddenly, she sensed an unusual presence and leaned toward the window to look outside. She saw a familiar figure walking deep into the forest.
Jing Wu frowned. Where was her second cousin going in the middle of the night? She performed Hand Seals and used Instant Teleportation to appear in front of the boy.
But she found that her second cousin, Shao Chengyang, had empty eyes and a dull expression, walking past her toward the depths of the forest.
She turned to look deeper into the forest, where a misty haze enveloped the area. There was definitely something inside.
Jing Wu did not hesitate. She grabbed the back of his collar, formed a hand seal, and channeled it into his body.
The next second, Shao Chengyang’s eyes regained focus. He looked at the person standing before him, confusion on his face. “Cousin? What are you doing here?”
“I should be asking you. Why are you running around in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?” Jing Wu released his collar, sensing the aura of a ghost on him. It seemed something had set its sights on him, so she asked, “Where’s the talisman I gave you?”
Shao Chengyang instinctively reached toward his chest, only to realize he had only worn his inner garment when he came out. He then remembered that he had placed the talisman under his pillow before going to sleep tonight.
“I left it under my pillow. I just heard a little girl calling me, and when I opened the door, I somehow ended up here.”
Jing Wu twitched the corner of her mouth, but she couldn’t bring herself to get angry at this seven- or eight-year-old child. She simply grabbed his collar and used Instant Teleportation to return home.
Shao Chengyang watched the scenery shift instantly, his mouth hanging open in awe. When they finally stopped in his own courtyard, he still hadn’t fully regained his senses.
Jing Wu had no time to worry about him. Her only thought was to go deeper into the forest to see what had targeted him.
After returning her cousin to his bedside, she retrieved the Talisman Paper from under his pillow and placed it on his chest, earnestly instructing him, “Remember, don’t go out at night again. And if you must go out, keep the talisman close to your body!”
With those words, she turned to leave, but suddenly felt a tug on the corner of her clothes. Looking back, she saw that innocent young face.
“Sister, where are you going?”
Jing Wu patted his head, not intending to explain much. “Go to sleep.”
“Sister.” Shao Chengyang’s grip didn’t loosen. His clear eyes fixed on her as he said, “It’s cold outside. Put on more clothes.”
Only then did Jing Wu realize that she, too, had only been wearing her inner garment when she went out. She nodded. “Alright. Go to sleep early, and don’t go outside again.”
Once he agreed, she went upstairs to put on a cotton-padded coat before teleporting to the depths of the forest.
She looked at the swirling black mist and walked toward it.
The deeper she went, the fainter the ghostly aura became.
Jing Wu frowned, surveying her surroundings. Had she gone the wrong way? That shouldn’t be the case.
Just as she was about to perform a divination calculation, she saw a girl of about five or six years old emerge from behind a nearby phoenix tree. The girl stood before her, looking up and asking, “Sister, did you come to play with me?”
Jing Wu looked at the girl in surprise. “Were you the one who called my cousin out to play?”
“Yes.” The girl sensed the Metaphysics aura on Jing Wu and immediately hid behind a nearby tree, speaking warily. “I call someone to play with me every night and send them back at dawn. I’ve never hurt anyone!”
Jing Wu could naturally sense the pure aura around the girl and knew she hadn’t harmed anyone. So she asked, “What’s your name? Why are you lingering here instead of moving on to reincarnation?”
“My name is Zhuzhu. Grandma told me to wait here. She said she’d come pick me up and take me home later. I just don’t know why she hasn’t come for so long. Did she get lost?”
Hearing this, Jing Wu had a suspicion. She reached out and touched the girl’s forehead, probing her memories.
Zhuzhu was born into a farming family in the neighboring Ji Village, the first child in her household. When she was six, her mother gave birth to a younger brother. Her grandmother took her to town to buy things.
When passing by here, Grandma realized she had forgotten something, so she told Zhuzhu to wait here while she went back to fetch it.
Unexpectedly, by nightfall, Grandma still hadn’t returned. Frightened, Zhuzhu hid behind this large phoenix tree.
She thought Grandma would surely come back the next day, but she didn’t. Three days passed, and Zhuzhu fainted from hunger, collapsing on the ground. That night, she was devoured by wild wolves.
Zhuzhu’s body was completely consumed by the wolves, but her soul lingered here, waiting for Grandma to come and take her away.
Over the long years, bored and lonely, Zhuzhu could only summon companions of her age to play with her. Gradually, she forgot that she was already dead.
Jing Wu withdrew his hand, a trace of pity flickering in his eyes. He crouched down and looked up at her: “How about I send you for reincarnation?”
Zhuzhu’s memories gradually resurfaced. Recalling the pain of being devoured by the wolves and the despair before her death, she couldn’t help but pout: “I want to find my Mother.”
Jing Wu lowered his gaze and sighed softly: “Even if you go, she won’t be able to see you or hear you speak.