At the foot of the mountains where the Tingyin Pavilion was located.
Taking advantage of the Xianle Grand Ceremony, most of the Tingyin Pavilion's disciples had gone to Xianle City to help out. This was currently the best opportunity to find a gap in the sect's staffing.
A figure in a cyan robe appeared, looking quite suspicious.
Wen Li was squatting in the bushes along the only path leading down from the sect, two large leaves held over her head for camouflage. She was debating whether or not she should rob a Tingyin Pavilion disciple and interrogate them for the mountain entrance token and the passcodes.
“Step right up, step right up! Don’t miss out! Come have a look, come have a see! No loss for buying, no scam here! Thirty years of experience in soul summoning! Fair prices for all, satisfaction guaranteed! I promise a successful summon, and if nothing happens within three days, you get your money back!”
A young male cultivator in a clean, brown immortal robe strolled leisurely along the small path. His right hand occasionally rang a small bell, while his left hand held a long banner.
On the banner was written: “Soul Summoning—No Charge for the Wrong Soul.”
It seemed he wasn't a Ghost Cultivator, but rather a practitioner who had some research into souls. However, was the problem of summoning the wrong soul really just a matter of money? If he accidentally summoned a vengeful spirit, both the summoner and the client would end up dead.
Wen Li suddenly remembered what the system had said: Old Six was an artifact soul.
An artifact soul...
That counted as a soul, too, right?
“Freeze.”
“Ding-ling!”
The sudden voice on the remote mountainside path startled Bai Songxu so badly that his left hand shook, ringing the bell. He looked around the wilderness, but there was absolutely no one in sight!
This shouldn't be happening. He hadn't had a single customer in a month; there was no reason for a ghost to come knocking on his door now.
Bai Songxu quickly performed a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree bow, his tone sincere and rapid. “Brother Ghost, I was only joking! I’m just trying to make a living during the day to support my family. I have a thirty-year-old lover above me and a two-year-old puppy below me, and they're all waiting for me to go home and cook. Please, Brother Ghost, let me off!”
“...” Not good. Her legs were numb.
Since her legs had gone numb from squatting in the bushes, Wen Li couldn't stand up for the moment. She simply stretched her legs out slowly, waiting for the circulation to return, and continued to lie low while pretending to be a ghost.
“That soul summoning you mentioned—how do you do it?”
“I... I need to know the person's name from when they were alive, their Eight Characters, and the year and month they died.” Bai Songxu, still bent over and not daring to stand, answered hurriedly. “I have no ill will toward you, Brother Ghost. This small business is just to provide comfort to commoners and some cultivators whose loved ones have passed away but whose souls are still in the mortal realm and cannot be contacted.”
“Of course, I am a man of principle. There are three types of souls I will not summon.”
Wen Li felt the blood returning to her feet. “Which three?”
“Those who molested women or children while alive, those who were unfaithful in relationships, and those who were disloyal or unfilial.”
Wen Li thought about it. That artifact soul had only killed a few people and had no parents or friends, so she didn't count as disloyal or unfilial.
“Can you summon an artifact soul?” she asked, suddenly standing up from the bushes.
“Ah!”
Bai Songxu jumped in fright and reflexively held his white banner in front of him, his expression terrified. “Are you a person or a ghost?!”
“What are you afraid of if I’m a ghost? Isn't this your job?”
Wen Li reached up to remove the leaves from her head, shook the weeds off her clothes, and limped out slowly. The circulation was returning a bit slowly.
“...Oh, right.”
Bai Songxu snapped out of it. This was his bread and butter, after all. Seeing her standing in the sunlight with a shadow, he immediately realized she was a living person.
“Fellow Daoist, why did you play such a trick on me?” Bai Songxu’s expression hardened.
“ I never said I was a ghost. You assumed it yourself. Did I lie to you? Didn't I just stand up? You're the one being paranoid,” Wen Li said nonchalantly.
Bai Songxu was choked by her words. Deciding that less trouble was better than more, he figured he had just forgotten to check the divinations before leaving home today. He turned around, wanting to leave.
“Since it was a misunderstanding, I shall take my leave.”
What kind of decent person hides in the bushes in broad daylight? He suspected she was specifically waiting to rob and kill someone. This person looked quite unfriendly.
But with a flick of Wen Li’s finger, Hold On instantly appeared, blocking Bai Songxu's path.
“You... Fellow Daoist, what is the meaning of this?”
Stopped by the long sword held half a meter from his chest, Bai Songxu turned his head, frowning cautiously as he looked at her. He couldn't sense her cultivation level, so he didn't dare to act rashly.
Wen Li crossed her arms and simply asked, “Can you summon an artifact soul? Even if you haven't done it, give it a try. I’ll give you...”
“Two Low-Grade Spirit Stones.”
Her appearance of being extremely reluctant, as if she were bestowing a grand favor, made Bai Songxu's face turn pale with indignation. “Fellow Daoist, your price is far too low! Just last month, I summoned the soul of a puppy for Member Liu in Xianle City, and I charged ten thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.”
Wen Li’s focus shifted. “This industry is that profitable? Are you hiring?”
“...Well, it's not impossible.”
Bai Songxu narrowed his eyes, quickly adapting as he took on an air of importance. “If you were to take me as your master, I could show you the ropes. However, the apprenticeship fee is five hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.”
Wen Li began to seriously consider it, but not the apprenticeship part. Logically speaking, Old Four was a Ghost Cultivator and should be better at communicating with souls. In the future, she could have Old Four extract someone’s soul, then she would visit the next day as a soul-summoning master to charge a fee before putting the soul back. Wouldn't that be even more profitable!
If they didn't pay, she could just refine their soul. It was a guaranteed way to make money.
Wait, she was getting off track. Wen Li’s expression turned cold as she held the sword transformed from Hold On against Bai Songxu’s neck.
“I have no money. Are you going to summon it or not?”
“Hmph.”
Bai Songxu gave a light snort. Having roamed the world for so many years, he wasn't a pushover. He silently circulated his spiritual energy, wanting to stylishly knock the sword away and then deliver some harsh words. However...
He couldn't budge it!
“I’ll do it!”
Bai Songxu changed his face faster than turning a page, immediately showing all his teeth in a foolish, placating smile.
“I can do it, I can do it!” Even though he had never summoned an artifact soul before.
Dammit, he couldn't beat her. Now even those first two Low-Grade Spirit Stones were gone. Sob...
Wen Li led him into a small grove to avoid being spotted by passing disciples of the Tingyin Pavilion.
“I don’t know her Eight Characters. She’s an artifact soul, so I don’t know when she was born or when she died. I only know her name.”
Hearing this, Bai Songxu’s brow furrowed. “Wait, how am I supposed to summon her then? What if I summon a bunch of souls with the same name? Can you... can you handle them?”
Wen Li: “...” She should have brought Zongzheng Huangyue along.
“Just give it a try. Treat a dead horse as if it were alive. If it doesn't work, we'll just light some incense and appease those souls with good food and drink to send them away.”
“...Fine!”
Seeing that the sword was still looming behind him, Bai Songxu looked dejected as he decided to go for it. He started taking out his gear.
Lighting incense, bowing three times, and setting up an altar for the ritual.
“Ding-ling! Ding-ling!”
“Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits~”
Bai Songxu rang his bell and began to chant a series of mystical incantations. After a while, a gust of yin wind blew through the sweltering, windless forest, bringing a chill that was far colder than a natural breeze.
Wen Li was unaffected, sitting on a tree trunk and watching.
Suddenly...
Smack!
The fire pile where the paper money was being burned was suddenly brushed by a strong gust of wind, accompanied by the crisp sound of a slap.
Wen Li was startled and looked down. A bright red handprint had suddenly appeared on Bai Songxu's face.
How could soul summoning lead to the practitioner being assaulted by the client?
“...Master, are you all right?”
Since she hadn't paid any money, Wen Li still felt some respect for the person currently helping her. As for her attitude after the job was done... that was hard to say.
“I’m fine, it’s no big deal,” Bai Songxu said, waving his hand silently with an awkward smile.
“My ancestor was just woken up by my noise.”
Rate on N.U.
