"Zhaozhao, what do you want to talk to your master about?"
There was a quick response from the conch. This time, it wasn't the senior sister or the third senior brother, but exactly Chongming, the master Zhaozhao was looking for.
Zhaozhao was overjoyed at the sound of Chongming's voice. "Master?! How did you know I was looking for you? You're so amazing!"
Chongming glanced at Mingshuang sitting upright opposite him. On the surface, he remained calm, but inside, he was greatly pleased by his little disciple's compliment.
"I've always been concerned about your matters," he said in a flat tone. But it made Zhaozhao feel elated and deeply touched.
Zhaozhao's nose tingled. For a moment, she felt like the happiest child in the world. Sweetly, she said to Chongming, "Master, I wanted to ask you something."
"What is it?"
Zhaozhao lay on the bed and blinked her eyes. "Master, you once said that I'm a treasure all over, and my blood can cure all poisons. So, can my blood bring the dead back to life?"
Clank!
The teacup in Chongming's hand dropped to the ground. It didn't break but rolled a few times. The spilled tea on the floor reflected Chongming's solemn expression.
"Master, what happened over there? What's going on—"
"Who told you that?" Zhaozhao's anxious inquiry was interrupted. Chongming's tone was serious, and Mingshuang opposite him looked stunned.
"No one told me. I'm just curious and asking," Zhaozhao said. Frightened by her master's overly serious tone, her voice dropped several notches.
Chongming bent down to pick up the teacup on the ground. He told Zhaozhao, "There's no such thing as bringing the dead back to life in this world. It's simply impossible. You've just had some good luck and can cure all poisons. You don't have that kind of ability. The art of bringing the dead back to life is just a fantasy born from people's obsessions."
"Oh." Zhaozhao poked the conch absent-mindedly. Leaning on her cheek, she continued, "Then can it wake up someone who's on the verge of death after being devoured by a ghost's yang energy? Even if it's just for a little while."
Chongming knew what she was talking about. Finally, he let out a sigh of relief.
Why didn't she just ask like this in the first place? The question about bringing the dead back to life really gave him a scare.
"Yes," Chongming regained his composure. He poured himself a cup of tea with a new cup. "You don't even need to shed your blood for this. Your spiritual energy is the purest and most natural in the world. It can temporarily replace a living person's yang energy and essence. You just need to transfer a little spiritual energy."
"Really?"
However, Zhaozhao's joy only lasted for three seconds. Chongming's voice rang out again. "But Zhaozhao, remember, humans are fragile yet unique. For those who can influence the fortune of the world, there's nothing that can completely replace them. Your spiritual energy can only make that person you mentioned wake up briefly. Do you understand?"
Zhaozhao nodded. "Yes, I understand, Master."
"Oh, right, Master. I inquired about that totem hanging in your study. It seems to be a sacrificial totem of some ancient tribe." She repeated what Song Changming had said to her master, hoping it could be of some help.
Since she could remember, she had often seen her master staring blankly at the totem in the study.
After listening, Chongming suddenly fell silent. It was a long time before he spoke. "Master knows."
"Okay! Zhaozhao has one last question. Master, do you know the Requiem Bell?"
"Yes. What do you want to know?"
"Um..." Zhaozhao tilted her head and thought for a while. Then she said, "Tell me everything you know, Master. I want to... oh, right! Broaden my horizons!"
Chongming couldn't help but smile as he told his little disciple about the Requiem Bell. Actually, it was almost the same as what Song Changyang had said, but he mentioned something Song Changyang didn't—the Requiem Bell would record the names of the souls it had summoned and pacified in their previous lives.
Hearing this, Zhaozhao's eyes lit up with excitement. She bounced up from the bed.
"How can I see the names it has recorded?"
Chongming looked at an ancient book in front of him. He found a spell on it and taught it to Zhaozhao.
Zhaozhao got the spell. At this moment, she was extremely excited. She had a hunch that she was very close to the truth, just a little bit more.
Her doubts in the underworld resurfaced. She couldn't wait to confirm them.
Outside, it was completely dark. The moon tonight was a crescent, hanging like a hook on the treetops in the distance through the window.
Zhaozhao put away the little conch. Just then, Song Yao came back.
"Yu Chu said she was going to rest, so I came back first. I know you suspect her, so I set up a formation in her room before I left. She can't escape."
Zhaozhao gave her cousin a thumbs up. Awesome!
This silly look made Song Yao laugh. She couldn't help but ruffle Zhaozhao's hair. "Where did you learn this from? Some TV show?"
Zhaozhao answered seriously and truthfully, "It's from an animated show about a group of little sheep and a wolf."
Actually, Song Yao didn't really want to know. She turned around and went into the bathroom.
When the sound of water came from the bathroom, Zhaozhao finally let out a sigh of relief. She quietly slipped out of the room.
She couldn't let her cousin know what she was going to do, and of course, she couldn't let her cousin follow her. Otherwise, her identity as a demon would be exposed.
Her cousin said Yu Chu was going to sleep, and she had set up a formation in Yu Chu's room. This had bought her some time.
Zhaozhao trotted to Mr. Chen's room. She pushed open the door, but there was no one inside.
Strange things had happened in the Chen family, and most of the servants had left. So, Yu Chu had been taking care of Mr. Chen personally during this period.
At night, if Yu Chu didn't come, there would naturally be no one in this room.
Even when the servants of the Chen family were still there, no one would probably dare to guard Mr. Chen at night because of his special condition. In fact, there was no need to guard him.
Zhaozhao placed a seal on the door of the room. She walked up to Mr. Chen's bed and stood still.
Looking at Mr. Chen's haggard appearance on the bed, she slowly raised her hands and crossed them to form a seal.
Suddenly, stars twinkled around Zhaozhao. She slowly channeled her spiritual energy into Mr. Chen's body.
A wisp of fragrant air wafted over. The small tree trimmed by the maid downstairs in the Chen family sprouted new buds and grew taller. In just a moment, it changed from a slightly bare state to a lush one.
Mr. Chen's eyelids fluttered. After struggling for a few seconds, he slowly opened his eyes. His cloudy eyes stared at Zhaozhao and moved sluggishly.
Seeing that he was awake, Zhaozhao quickly transformed into a human face, the face of the woman in the photo in the basement.
"Do you know her?"
Mr. Chen's expression became excited. He opened his mouth and tried to shout something with difficulty. He trembled as he raised his hand, trying to touch the face.
A stream of clear tears flowed from his eyes. Finally, Zhaozhao could hear what he was saying.
He was calling the woman's name. "A... Chu..."
A Chu! Yu Chu's mother's name was He Chu!
Zhaozhao quickly asked, "What's your relationship with A Chu?"
"A Chu... my lover... my lover..." He looked extremely painful. He struggled and half of his body left the bed. He was trying so hard to touch the face that Zhaozhao had transformed in mid-air.
"What about Yu Chu? Is Yu Chu your daughter?"
But Mr. Chen didn't answer. He seemed to be unable to hear any sound other than He Chu's name. He just cried.
The next second, Mr. Chen fell heavily back onto the bed. The time was up. Zhaozhao's spiritual power could only keep him awake for so long.
Zhaozhao looked at Mr. Chen on the bed. Suddenly, she turned and ran out of the room. She headed towards the underground storage room of the Chen family.
The Requiem Bell! Get the Requiem Bell!
The missing souls of He Chu and her husband, Yu Chu's strange shadow...
The speculations in her mind were gradually taking shape, waiting for a definite piece of evidence.
Zhaozhao arrived at the underground storage room. She rummaged through it from top to bottom but couldn't find the Requiem Bell.
It wasn't here. Where on earth could it be?
Could it have been taken by Yu Chu?
Zhaozhao's heart was pounding. She stood in the middle of the dim storage room, deep in thought.
"Are you looking for this?" Yu Chu's voice came from behind. Zhaozhao paused and slowly turned around.
Yu Chu was standing under the light. The light and shadow made it hard to see her expression clearly. In her hand, she was swinging the Requiem Bell that Zhaozhao had been looking for for a long time.
At the same time, a message popped up on Song Yao's phone. "The result of the paternity test you asked me to do is out. The test result shows that Yu Chu and Chen Mingyue are not parent and child. The report is below."