Generally, parents know their children best, so Sister Sun’s concerns weren’t unfounded.
Xi Mufu thought for a moment before asking Sister Sun’s son Xiao Sheng: “What inspired you to start studying seriously?”
Xiao Sheng: “Yeah.”
Sister Sun helplessly ruffled his hair: “Oh please, a poor student can’t suddenly become a top student, nor would they suddenly fall in love with studying. Get out of my son’s body right now!”
Xiao Sheng let her do as she pleased without resisting, showing no signs of anything unusual.
Xi Mufu: “…Sister Sun, are you mistaken? If he were truly possessed, an evil entity wouldn’t let you manhandle him like this.”
Sister Sun paused.
That was true. If he were really possessed, the wraith would have become furious when she kept patting his head like that.
Moreover, she’d heard that when possessed by a wraith, the body would be invaded by Yin energy and deteriorate, but her son had been eating enthusiastically these past few days, had even gained some weight, and appeared quite healthy.
She grew confused: “I… did I really get it wrong?”
Just as Xi Mufu was about to suggest she trust her child more—perhaps he had genuinely realized his mistakes and decided to work hard—she noticed Xiao Sheng’s evasive eyes and the Black Qi gathering between his brows.
She froze. Normally she didn’t use her Yin-Yang Eyes, and since Xiao Sheng had been acting normally earlier, she hadn’t used Xiang Shu to observe him either.
Now looking carefully, she detected Yin energy around him. His Life Palace was completely covered in Black Qi so thick it obscured his future Meridians.
He might truly be possessed!
Xi Mufu immediately activated her Yin-Yang Eyes and saw another young boy residing within Xiao Sheng’s body.
“No, Sister Sun, I was the one who was wrong.” She narrowed her eyes and turned to Xiao Sheng. “Did you two agree to share one body?”
Xiao Sheng didn’t appear controlled or like his body had been taken over by a wraith.
This situation, as Elder Zhang San had described, likely involved the original host permitting the wraith to share his body.
Hearing this, Xiao Sheng indeed showed a guilty expression: “N… no…”
After all, he was just a ten-year-old child, and the other boy in his body didn’t seem much older. Tricked by Xi Mufu’s bluff, they immediately revealed their flaw.
Sister Sun stared blankly at her son: “…What do you mean by sharing a body?”
Xi Mufu: “It means there are two souls in Xiao Sheng’s body—one is his own, the other is a wraith.”
Sister Sun was stunned: “Isn’t that just possession?”
Xi Mufu shook her head: “In simple possession, the wraith would immediately expel your son’s soul and take over his body. But here, your son gets along well with the other because he voluntarily allowed him in, and the other hasn’t actively harmed your son.”
Sister Sun understood—one was forced, the other was willing.
“That foolish child, why would he agree?” As his mother, she couldn’t comprehend her son’s decision. Worried, she asked Xi Mufu, “If he agreed voluntarily, will he remain unharmed?”
Xi Mufu sighed softly: “No, whenever a person is invaded by a wraith, harm is inevitable.”
Hearing this, not only Sister Sun but also Xiao Sheng and the young boy were shocked.
Especially the little boy, probably not expecting that he would harm Xiao Sheng, clearly became flustered.
Xi Mufu: “In fact, Xiao Sheng has already been invaded by Yin energy. Although he appears healthy on the surface, it won’t be long before he encounters continuous misfortune, falls ill, and ultimately loses his life.”
Sister Sun turned pale upon hearing this, grabbing Xiao Sheng’s hand tightly: “No, my son can’t be in danger!”
The little boy was also apologizing to Xiao Sheng, his eyes filled with deep remorse: “I’m sorry, Xiao Sheng, I didn’t know it would be like this.”
“It’s not your fault. I was the one who suggested it in the first place.” Xiao Sheng was actually frightened too—he hadn’t expected the consequences to be so severe—but he showed responsibility by immediately admitting it was his mistake.
Sister Sun couldn’t see the little boy or hear him speak, but she could hear what Xiao Sheng was saying. Her eyes widened in shock: “Son, are you… talking to that Yin entity? How… how could you be so bold!”
Unable to contain herself, she slapped her son hard on the back.
This reckless child—how could he be so careless as to let a Yin entity enter his body and even speak to it so kindly!
She was practically furious with rage.
“Mom, don’t hit so hard,” Xiao Sheng shrugged indifferently.
Sister Sun: “…”
The little boy glanced apologetically at Sister Sun and said to Xiao Sheng, “I’ll come out of your body right now.”
But no matter how many times he tried, he couldn’t separate himself.
This sent the entire spirit into a panic: “Why isn’t it working?”
Xiao Sheng also grew anxious: “…Can’t you leave?”
He had assumed the other’s spirit could freely enter and exit his body.
Sister Sun understood and, both angry and worried, trembled as she pleaded with Xi Mufu for help: “Xiao Fu, please think of something quickly…”
Xi Mufu glanced at Xiao Sheng and the little boy, speaking softly: “I have a type of Fu Paper here called the Evil-Expelling Talisman, which can separate the other spirit from Xiao Sheng’s body. However, doing so would cause the other spirit to vanish into nothingness, unable to reincarnate in the Underworld—it would disappear completely from this world.”
She knew Sister Sun wouldn’t care whether the other spirit vanished; her words were meant for the two children.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Xiao Sheng immediately grew frantic: “No! Sister Xiao Fu, I don’t want Xiao Ran to disappear!”
The little boy hung his head, silent, but his expression showed he was terrified of the idea of his soul scattering.
Hearing Xiao Sheng’s words, Sister Sun frowned: “Xiao Ran? Is it Hong Jie’s Xiao Ran?”
Xiao Sheng didn’t respond, but his evasive eyes made it clear she had guessed correctly.
Sister Sun murmured, “…No wonder you agreed to share your body with him.”
Hong Jie was the owner of the handicraft shop on the previous street. She knew Hong Jie very well, and Hong Jie’s son, Jiang Ran, was about the same age as her son Xiao Sheng. The two children had played together since they were in diapers and later attended the same kindergarten and elementary school, forming an exceptionally close bond.
Jiang Ran was an outstanding student, a top achiever. Sister Sun had always encouraged Xiao Sheng to learn from Jiang Ran.
Unfortunately, Jiang Ran had met a tragic fate—he accidentally drowned in a river this summer. The loss devastated Hong Jie and her husband. For the past six months, they had closed their shop and shut themselves indoors, refusing to see anyone.
Sister Sun had tried to visit them several times, but they had turned her away each time. Perhaps because Xiao Sheng and Jiang Ran were such close friends, the couple feared that seeing Xiao Sheng would reopen old wounds.
In any case, whether it was Jiang Ran or Hong Jie and her husband, they were all unfortunate souls.
“So it’s Xiao Ran…” Sister Sun said, “No wonder you’ve been so studious lately. Xiao Ran must have been doing your homework for you, right?”
Xiao Sheng guiltily lowered his head.
Sister Sun poked his forehead in exasperation: “Have you lost your mind? To avoid doing winter break homework, you made Xiao Ran help you?”
Xiao Sheng exclaimed excitedly: “Mom, Xiao Ran ranked first in the city-wide unified exams! I used to copy his homework before, but now I can’t copy it anymore. When I finally got to see him again, of course I had to ask him to do my homework! Don’t you understand the pain of being an academic underachiever?”
Sister Sun narrowed her eyes: “You used to copy all your homework before?”
Xiao Sheng: “…”
Xiao Ran, I think I’m done for.