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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 31: The Resurrected Paper Figurine
At this moment, Mr. Lin seemed to recall something I had mentioned before and asked me if I really saw Xiaoqi.
I nodded and said that I had indeed been with her these past few days, and not just me—many of our classmates from high school were also hanging out together. Everyone could testify to it.
Mr. Lin was very surprised. He said it was impossible; she had been dead for several years, and her body was cremated. How could she possibly come back as a living person to play with us?
I also found it strange and wondered if I had been dreaming these past few days or if I had been possessed by a ghost, living in an illusion. But that couldn't be true; the injury on my back was real.
At that moment, Mr. Lin suggested that perhaps she really had come back.
Hearing this, I was stunned for a while. Indeed, some people return after death to the places they knew in life, seeking out familiar faces. However, if that were the case, she wouldn't let all her classmates see her because only those with bad luck—those with heavy Yin Qi—can see ghosts. Moreover, ghosts cannot appear during the day; the strong sunlight would disperse them due to Yang Qi. So I shook my head, denying Mr. Lin's suggestion.
Just then, my eyes suddenly caught sight of the Paper Figure on the bed, and I was shocked to see that the fingers of this White Paper Man were red. I leaned in closer and realized that it was the Red Medicine from my back!
I exclaimed, "It was this thing that applied medicine on me last night!"
Mr. Lin jumped in surprise and told me not to scare him. I replied that I wasn't scaring him and asked him to look at the red substance on its hand—wasn't it Red Medicine?
Mr. Lin didn't dare to look and said it was impossible; it was just a Paper Figurine. How could a Paper Figurine apply medicine?
I said, "Didn't you say Xiaoqi had been dead for several years? Yet two days ago, I was clearly with her. Last night she invited me to your house because of my injury on my back; she brought Red Medicine to treat it. Now Xiaoqi is gone, but this Paper Figurine has so much Red Medicine on its hand! How do you explain that? The one who applied medicine on me last night was this Paper Figure, and it's also the one that's been playing with me these past few days!"
Mr. Lin was both astonished and frightened. He pointed at the Paper Figurine and said it was impossible; look at it—it couldn't even move! How could it apply medicine or play with us?
I thought for a moment and muttered, "It must be Xiaoqi who returned and possessed this Paper Figurine so she could walk under the sun."
Mr. Lin naturally heard my muttering and panickedly asked if I meant that Xiaoqi really came back. But where was she now? Where was she?
I sighed; perhaps she had already left!
Looking at the motionless Paper Figure before me, I suddenly felt a sense of loss. I desperately hoped that this was just a dream and that everything was fake—that when I woke up, Lin Xiaoqi would still be lively and appear before me so I could continue playing with her.
But at this moment, I knew very well that none of this was a dream; it was real—Lin Xiaoqi had truly left, leaving behind only a cold Paper Figure.
Mr. Lin heard that his Daughter had come back, and tears fell again as he said, "What happened to Daughter? It was so strange when she left, and now she is not at peace even after death. Isn't it supposed to be reincarnation after death? Why would she come back?"
I thought for a moment and told Mr. Lin that Lin Xiaoqi must have been taken by that Granny to be a servant, which is why she couldn't reincarnate.
Mr. Lin showed a shocked expression and said, "How could this be possible? How could Xiaoqi be taken as a servant after death? Shouldn't she go to the Underworld for reincarnation? And why should I believe what you say?"
Although he said this, his expression clearly indicated that he actually accepted what I was saying; otherwise, he wouldn't be so worried.
I sighed, feeling very sad. Just think about it: a young girl was taken away by an Old Lady, unable to reincarnate after death, controlled every day by her, forced into servitude, unable to escape. Just thinking about Lin Xiaoqi's situation made my heart ache.
However, facts are facts, and no one can change them. I told Mr. Lin that I worked in the field of Yin Yang, so I wouldn't lie to him. Xiaoqi had broken that Granny's Paper Figurine, which is why Granny wanted Xiaoqi to repay her by being her servant. If I'm not mistaken, Xiaoqi is definitely still being controlled by that Granny down below. Maybe these past few days she managed to escape to the surface and attached herself to the Paper Figurine, but now she might have been caught again!
Mr. Lin was very scared and worried. When he heard that I worked in the field of Yin Yang, he immediately grabbed my hand and begged me to help save her, not letting her continue suffering down there.
I told Mr. Lin not to worry; even if he didn't say anything, I would do my best. Indeed, knowing that Lin Xiaoqi might be suffering down below made my heart ache terribly. Although these past few days I had only been with the Paper Figurine, I knew it must be Lin Xiaoqi. For some reason, ever since I saw her this time, I've been thinking about her constantly; perhaps I've fallen for her! Of course, I also knew that it wasn't just now that I started liking her; I had secretly admired her since we were in school together, even when I was with Xia Ling.
So, I asked Mr. Lin if he remembered where the young man who burned the Paper Figurine lived. Mr. Lin said he remembered; although it had been several years, as long as he hadn't moved, he could find him.
I nodded and asked him to take me there today. If I could find out his grandmother's name, I would call her up for a good talk. If she was willing to let Xiaoqi go, that would be fine; if she still wanted to bully people like this, then I would make her pay!
Seeing that I was willing to help and sounded confident about it, Mr. Lin naturally felt less worried than before. So we didn't delay any longer; we packed up and went downstairs to find Grandma's Grandson...
Mr. Lin drove me directly to an Intersection, where he said was the place where Lin Xiaoqi had an incident and where the Young Man burned the Joss Paper. And that Grandma's Grandson lived across the street.
Soon we got out of the car and arrived outside the house of the Granny's grandson. The person who opened the door was indeed the same man who burned the Joss Paper Paper Figurine a few years ago.
The man was in his thirties and looked at us curiously as he asked who we were looking for.
Mr. Lin said, "Do you remember me? A few years ago my daughter had an incident at this Intersection. Because of the Paper Figurine, I came looking for you with the police..."
Upon hearing this, the Grandma's Grandson recalled and said, "Oh, it's you! How come you've found me again? Is there something wrong? But honestly, I don't know anything; you probably won't get any help from me."
Mr. Lin replied, "My daughter broke the Paper Figurine you burned for your grandmother; it's very likely she's been taken by your grandmother as a servant. You know how young my daughter is—if that's true, how pitiful would that be? So I'm asking you for help; please tell us your grandmother's name so we can call her up for a proper talk."
The other party looked surprised and also suspiciously at us; clearly, they didn't quite believe what Mr. Lin was saying. Indeed, putting aside whether or not Lin Xiaoqi had really been taken by her grandmother, just being able to call back someone who has died for questioning seemed quite unbelievable. At least it couldn't be explained scientifically.
Seeing his reaction, I spoke up and said, "Brother, we truly came here sincerely seeking your help. As a parent myself, I'm sure if you heard your child might be suffering like this, you'd be quite anxious too. Moreover, we just want to call your grandmother up for a chat; we won't harm her at all."
The man said, "No, it's just that I really don't understand what you all are saying. Is it true what the rumors say about Crossing the Yin?"
I nodded and told him that as long as he provided me with his grandmother's name, I could help.
After considering for a moment, the man asked me if it really wouldn't be harmful to his grandmother.
I nodded. To be honest, calling upon the deceased for questioning would indeed not harm them; however, as the saying goes, they should rest in peace after death. It is disrespectful to frequently summon them without reason. Of course, we had urgent matters that necessitated this action.
However, I had another plan in mind. If Granny truly refused to cooperate, then I would indeed have to take action against her. Naturally, I couldn't disclose this to the man before me.
Seeing that I assured him it wouldn't harm his grandmother, the man sighed and nodded, providing us with his grandmother's name. However, he had one request: he wanted to be present when we summoned his grandmother.
With Granny's name confirmed, I informed him that we would perform the soul summoning ritual tonight at midnight at Intersection. We then left the man's home and began preparing for the summoning.
Crossing the Yin generally falls into two categories. One is called Soul Summoning. This means that instead of descending into the Underworld, we directly call upon the desired Yin Hun. Those who practice this often worship Three Aunts, ghost kings, or Land God as their Masters, effectively becoming 'Yin Messengers'. If someone has passed away and their relatives wish to communicate or if there were important matters left unaddressed at the time of death, they can seek help from a 'Yin Messenger' to summon the soul for questioning. However, once a person has been dead for Four Seven days, it becomes very difficult to summon them because they may have already entered reincarnation.
There are many practitioners of Soul Summoning in folk traditions; almost every region has such individuals. However, most who claim they can perform Soul Summoning are often deceivers looking to profit from others. Very few can genuinely summon souls.
The other form of Crossing the Yin involves the practitioner descending into the Underworld themselves and taking a journey there. This method is also referred to as Crossing the Yin or falling into yin in folk practices. This type of Crossing the Yin is used within Yin-Yang Dao, meaning that a Yin Yang Master goes down themselves. Sometimes they can bring others along, but this method is even less commonly practiced now. Those who can bring people for Crossing the Yin are hard to deceive since the subject experiences it firsthand; if someone claims they can take you for Crossing the Yin, they likely possess genuine skills.
Of course, entering the Underworld is not an easy feat. After all, living beings carry Yang Fire. Without true ability, one could return severely ill or may not return at all!
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