The madam hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she still walked inside.
Besides her, a maid and two servants followed close behind.
Once they entered the courtyard, the confusion on the madam's face deepened.
She had seen places where some practitioners lived, but they were always gloomy and filled with yin energy, or had all sorts of strange, supernatural features. They seemed downright uncanny, and it was obvious at a glance that they were no ordinary places.
Zhou Yan's place, on the other hand, was far too ordinary. It looked just like the home of a normal family.
But the madam was no ordinary person. She came from a prominent family and knew that one could not judge by appearances. She also understood that people of unusual talents and abilities were often eccentric.
If the other party wasn't a fraud, then a place like this meant he was a truly formidable master.
She understood the principle of returning to simplicity.
"Madam, please sit. Everyone else, go outside and wait."
Zhou Yan flicked his sleeve and spoke.
The madam's eyes shifted. She gave the servants a slight nod, and they obediently filed outside.
Zhou Yan sat down and looked at the madam. "I've examined your situation. You are indeed afflicted by yin energy, and its source is closely connected to you. That's what has caused the problem..."
He had just secretly activated his spiritual sight, and a dazzling radiance had nearly blinded him.
This woman's origins were definitely no ordinary matter. Apart from the aura of several Magic Artifacts she wore, she was also enveloped in a layer of pale-yellow fortune.
Normally, even a powerful vengeful ghost wouldn't be able to approach someone in such a situation.
But...
Zhou Yan glanced at the infant spirit by the madam's feet. Its eyes shifted between childish innocence and a fierce, sinister glare.
If he wasn't mistaken, this was the infant spirit formed from the fetus the noblewoman had lost. It had already fallen into a half-demonic state.
That was also why it could approach her without being blocked by her fortune or the Magic Artifacts she wore.
And if the infant spirit transformed into a demonic infant, the madam's life would likely be in danger.
The noblewoman looked at Zhou Yan and said in a low voice, "Please speak plainly, Master."
"An infant spirit!"
Zhou Yan didn't mince words.
The noblewoman's body jerked, and she lowered her head, seemingly trembling.
After a long while, she raised her head and looked at Zhou Yan hopefully. "Master, can I see my poor child?"
Zhou Yan felt slightly relieved.
It seemed the infant spirit hadn't been deliberately aborted; it had been an accident.
That would spare him from getting caught up in some melodramatic scheme among the wealthy.
Doctor Zhuang had been so vague about it probably because he had similar concerns.
Still, Zhou Yan unhesitatingly refused the noblewoman's request.
"The living and the dead follow different paths. If you were never meant to meet, what's the point in seeing each other? What you need to do now is sever this bond and live your life in peace. Don't dwell on anything else..."
The noblewoman tried to plead further, but Zhou Yan coldly refused every time.
He had been through plenty by now, witnessing all kinds of grudges and tangled relationships. His empathy had gradually worn away.
If he kept every grievance in his heart and sympathized with everyone involved, he might as well give up living.
In the end, the noblewoman could only concede.
"Please show mercy, Master. Let my poor child be freed and sent on to reincarnation."
Only then did Zhou Yan's expression turn solemn. He nodded and said, "Don't worry, Madam. As long as a ghost hasn't harmed anyone, practitioners like us follow Heaven's will and leave these poor spirits a way out."
The noblewoman didn't know whether Zhou Yan was telling the truth, but seeing his solemn expression, she chose to believe him.
Of course, that was also because of what she had seen.
If he had been one of those sinister-looking practitioners, she would have remained skeptical.
With the noblewoman's consent, Zhou Yan immediately began casting the Ghost-Suppressing Incantation.
The infant spirit was instantly provoked. Its once-clear eyes turned pitch-black, filled with venom, hatred, and madness.
"You won't let me be reborn? I'll kill her..."
"I'll crawl back into her belly and be born again..."
"Get away..."
The infant spirit was quite powerful, stronger than some wandering ghosts.
Zhou Yan was a little surprised. It seemed this wasn't the first time the infant spirit had been aborted. No wonder it harbored such deep resentment and possessed such strength.
He secretly urged his soul power. A thought flew out, swiftly taking the invisible form of a Yaksha, which viciously thrust its fork at the infant spirit.
A trace of fear appeared on the infant spirit's face when it saw the Yaksha.
But it had already become demonic. The fear soon vanished, and its eyes grew even more crazed. It even charged straight at the Yaksha.
"Waaah, waaah..."
The infant spirit waved its tiny hands, wanting to fight the Yaksha.
But the Yaksha was a Buddhist guardian deity. Dealing with a mere infant spirit was as easy as could be.
With a single thrust, the Yaksha impaled the infant spirit on its iron fork.
The infant spirit tried to break free, but it couldn't escape. Instead, the Yaksha beat it soundly, driving away much of the malice and yin energy within it. Even its body grew limp and feeble.
"Bind!"
Seeing this, Zhou Yan slowly extended his right hand. He held a wooden talisman plaque made from locust wood.
Locust wood was known as the ghost tree. Made into a talisman plaque, it could provide ghosts with temporary shelter.
Since he had agreed to help, and the infant spirit hadn't taken anyone's life, he naturally wouldn't casually beat it until its soul scattered.
Instead, he planned to seal it away for the time being, then ask someone to perform a rite of salvation.
As for Zhou Yan himself, he was decent at fighting, but knew absolutely nothing about sending spirits on their way.
"All done."
Zhou Yan put away the locust-wood talisman plaque and spoke to the noblewoman.
The noblewoman could feel it herself. Once the infant spirit was taken away, her whole body felt suddenly at ease.
At the same time, however, a heart-wrenching pain rose within her.
It was brief—so brief that she could almost have thought she'd imagined it.
But she knew perfectly well that it wasn't an illusion. Her child had been taken away.
Although that child had never been born, it was still a piece of her flesh and blood. In her heart, she had long since regarded it as her child.
Unfortunately...
"My child..."
The noblewoman murmured through her tears, her face heartbreakingly sorrowful.
Zhou Yan felt nothing at all. He merely said, "The infant spirit has been taken away. You should leave at once, Madam."
His tone was calm, yet utterly indifferent.
The noblewoman nodded slightly.
She composed herself, left a banknote behind, then politely took her leave.
Only after they had gone did Zhou Yan pick up the banknote. It was worth a full five hundred silver dollars.
This was the largest fee he had ever received for driving out a ghost.
Before you continue