The door was knocked open after an unknown amount of time. Yu Daochen groggily opened it and saw Xu Yaya's smiling face: "Brother Yu, it's time to eat."
Yu Daochen shook his head and followed Xu Yaya to the kitchen. It was the usual setup: one soup, two meat dishes, and two vegetable dishes, but the specific dishes and soup were different. Yu Daochen picked up the rice bowl filled by Xu Yaya and began to eat.
"By the way, did Old Xu teach you any spells?" Yu Daochen asked while eating.
Xu Yaya swallowed her food and nodded. "Since we came to Jiangdu, my dad has been teaching me spells and combat techniques."
Yu Daochen nodded and picked up a piece of meat. After the meal, Xu Yaya washed the dishes, while Yu Daochen returned to his room, sat on the bed with his hands on his knees, closed his eyes, and gradually, everything around him fell silent. Yu Daochen could clearly hear his own heartbeat as he began to enter a state of tranquility.
From the moment he entered this line of work, a stream of qi would appear within his body. A person's power in spells depended on the amount of qi they possessed. For instance, Yu Daochen could currently use the Tian Gan Palm five times consecutively. Cultivating this qi primarily relied on understanding and enlightenment. The pursuit of enlightenment involved being undisturbed by external factors and calming one's mind. The best way to achieve this was through meditation, commonly known as entering a state of tranquility.
Unknowingly, it was time for dinner. After dinner, Yu Daochen, as usual, lit the stove in the pottery kiln, preparing to open for business. The sky gradually darkened.
At precisely midnight, Yu Daochen did not open for business. Instead, he took out two joss sticks from a drawer, glanced at them, shook his head helplessly, and walked to the backyard.
Arriving at the door, Yu Daochen lit the joss sticks and placed them in the gap under the door.
"Soul-soothing incense. It aids sleep and has an effect similar to sleeping pills."
Yu Daochen watched the soul-soothing incense burn halfway before getting up and walking to the front shop. He took out three yellow talismans he had prepared from under the counter and walked outside.
Standing at the threshold, Yu Daochen turned his head and said, "You should have told me."
"What difference does it make whether I tell you or not? You're going anyway." That familiar voice sounded.
Yu Daochen said nothing and stepped out the door. A lone figure was slowly walking down the old street. Yu Daochen took out his phone, found a number, and dialed it.
Soon, the call was answered. "Master Yu, what can I do for you?"
"Where is Lü Cheng hospitalized?" Yu Daochen asked directly.
Yang Yuan hesitated for a moment before replying, "The Tenth Floor of the Seventh People's Hospital."
"Alright," Yu Daochen said and hung up the phone.
At the entrance of the Seventh People's Hospital, Yu Daochen looked up at the building and took out a yellow talisman from his pocket, sticking it onto his hand.
"Eye-concealing talisman. It has a similar effect to Old Xu's eye-concealing technique. Although not as powerful as his, it can create a special aura on the face, making one's face appear blurred."
Yu Daochen entered the hospital and, instead of taking the elevator, went up the stairs. At one in the morning, there was no one on the stairs. As Yu Daochen walked, dark shadows followed him.
Up to the seventh floor, Yu Daochen impatiently turned his head, glared, and cursed, "Get lost!" As soon as he finished speaking, the shadows scattered in fear.
Reaching the tenth floor, Yu Daochen walked down the corridor, his eyes scanning each ward. Finally, he stopped at the door of the third-to-last room.
This was a standard single room. Yu Daochen glanced at the corridor, directly opened the door, and walked in. Upon entering, he felt an oppressive chill, terrifyingly cold.
Yu Daochen looked at Lü Cheng lying on the hospital bed, his eyes suddenly turning cold.
The reason Lü Cheng's soul could not be summoned was that the soul-鎮魂石 (zhen hun shi - soul-鎮魂 stone) had sealed his soul within his body, preventing it from leaving.
Yu Daochen took out a yellow talisman, held it between his eyebrows, and chanted, "Heart without stillness, magic without connection, summon the soul to reveal its divine power. Soul, come!" As soon as he finished speaking, a stream of yellow energy appeared from the talisman in his hand.
Yu Daochen waved his hand, and the yellow talisman floated above Lü Cheng. The yellow energy directly extracted Lü Cheng's soul from his body.
"Soul-extracting talisman. It can directly pull a person's soul out of their body."
The extracted Lü Cheng looked at his own body lying on the hospital bed and then at Yu Daochen, shouting in terror, "Help! Someone, help!"
Yu Daochen shook his head, his voice low. "It's useless. You are in a soul state; ordinary people cannot hear you."
Lü Cheng looked at Yu Daochen with eyes full of fear and horror. "I was wrong. Please, spare me."
"When you recover, I don't want you to say who injured you," Yu Daochen said, staring at Lü Cheng.
Lü Cheng nodded quickly, his voice trembling with excitement. "I know, I know. I'll say I didn't see who it was."
Yu Daochen nodded and turned to walk out the door. But after taking one step, Yu Daochen suddenly turned back, stomped his foot backward, lunged at Lü Cheng, and a golden light flashed in his hand as he struck.
Lü Cheng's face, which had been filled with joy, turned to terror as he saw Yu Daochen turn and rush towards him. Before he could utter half a word, Yu Daochen's palm had already struck him.
Yu Daochen watched as Lü Cheng's soul slowly dissipated like specks of starlight, his face expressionless. "I'm sorry. I don't want to gamble with her safety."
Yu Daochen walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. The machines inside suddenly beeped, and two doctors, hearing the sound, rushed over. As Yu Daochen entered the elevator, he felt a chill on his back.
The elevator quickly reached the first floor. Yu Daochen stepped out of the hospital and into a small alley. "He's dead."
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a gust of wind blow past his back, and the chill disappeared.
Yu Daochen walked down the street. At two in the morning, the streets were deserted except for the occasional passing car.
Soon, Yu Daochen arrived at an old building. He walked to the corner, took out a yellow talisman, and stuck it on the wall. He stepped onto the talisman and felt a stream of energy lift him upwards. Using that momentum, Yu Daochen grabbed the railing of the second-floor balcony and flipped in.
Yu Daochen moved stealthily towards the living room. Moonlight illuminated the living room. Yu Daochen took out a joss stick, lit it, and stuck it into an apple. He placed the apple by the bedroom door and then sat on the sofa.
Yang Yuan, who was sound asleep in the bedroom, smelled smoke and suddenly opened his eyes. He picked up the ashtray on the table and quietly crept towards the living room.
The bedroom door was gently opened. Seeing the door open, Yu Daochen lowered his voice. "Don't worry, it's just soul-soothing incense."
Yang Yuan followed the sound and looked. Through the moonlight, he saw a figure sitting on the sofa. He quietly closed the bedroom door and, in a low voice, said, "Master Yu, why didn't you just say whatever it was over the phone?"
Yu Daochen looked at Yang Yuan by the bedroom door. "Lü Cheng is dead."
Yang Yuan walked over and sat opposite Yu Daochen. "I know."
Yu Daochen continued, "I killed him."
Yang Yuan opposite him sighed. "I already guessed."