"Can you really do that?" The skinny man braced his hands on his knees and looked at Wu Ling in surprise.
"Spells and witchcraft work like this. They're similar to how spirits act, except they don't have a physical form." Wu Ling held up two fingers. "As long as you have these two things—the traditions passed down through generations and rituals that continue to evolve—you can make a spell work."
"Hmm... What about the price?" The skinny man asked eagerly. "Can I bargain with that witch?"
"Not exactly. You don't have to pay much for Charles's vengeful spirit. What she wants above all is power. There must be quite a few witches and mediums in the West who have read her story and worship her, but as far as I know, no one believes in her or imagines her as a spirit with a fixed form," Wu Ling said. "She'll gladly accept your wish and grant it, allowing herself to become a spirit. In a way, it would be like bringing her back to life."
I sucked in a breath. I could feel the skinny man beside me tense up.
"You're planning to create a new spirit? But..." Chen Xiao Qiu started to object.
"No, not a new spirit, just a ghost. If she could become a spirit, she would have done so long ago in the stories passed down among witches. Don't forget, she was once a living person, and she's been dead for many years. If her soul hasn't disappeared, it may be in the underworld, or she may have been reincarnated several times. The only thing that could appear in the mirror is her soul. The witches' beliefs aren't enough to turn her into a spirit. Even with Mr. Tan's power, it still wouldn't be enough. She'd