Page 65

Song Qingya is younger than Su Cheng, and she is aloof and quiet. Every time she hears Su Cheng call her "senior sister," she always looks away uncomfortably.

The Third Aunt stayed behind to perform a ritual to help the ghost children in the village pass on, and the three of them temporarily stayed at an inn.

After Xu Rong husband were taken away by the police, only the three of them remained at the hotel, and the hotel beds were later removed by the authorities.

Su Cheng handed a cup of hot tea to her Third Aunt with both hands, saying, "Master, please have some tea."

Third Aunt smiled and took the tea, taking a small sip before setting it down. She then took a black-and-white book from her bag. "This contains introductory mental and physical techniques. Study it carefully."

"Thank you, Master."

"Since you are only a nominal disciple, there's limited what I can teach you. Your future depends on your own talent and hard work."

"But remember the rules of our Three Pure Ones Sect: you must not use your knowledge to do evil or harm others!"

Su Cheng nodded seriously. The black and white book was printed with the title "Three Pure Ones Sect Mind Method and Body Method - Beginner's Edition".

Su Cheng couldn't stay in this instance for long, and naturally, she couldn't follow her Third Aunt around and learn like Song Qingya.

After she concealed the fact about the apartment and explained her situation to her Third Aunt, her Third Aunt had no choice but to abandon the idea of taking her as an inner disciple and instead take her as a nominal disciple.

Third Aunt always believed in fate when accepting disciples. Besides Song Qingya, she had two inner disciples and three nominal disciples.

Su Cheng is considered her seventh apprentice.

Compared to the inner disciples, nominal disciples are more like free-range children, but therefore their experience and learning are naturally less than those of the inner disciples.

"Here, this is a little something for us." Song Qingya took out a notebook and handed it to Su Cheng; it contained her notes.

"Thank you, senior sister."

Su Cheng gratefully accepted the notes. If she encountered any questions while reading the book later, Song Qingya's notes might come in handy.

This is much more practical than any other gift.

Song Qingya is such a thoughtful senior.

Third Aunt: "You should read the first chapter of the book's cultivation method first. Your senior sister will stay with you here. I'm going to perform a ritual to release the ghost child."

"Good."

After her Third Aunt left, Song Qingya had Su Cheng sit on the bed and meditate to relax her mind, as instructed in the book.

"Your ghost should have told you that ghosts absorb Qi to cultivate. Humans can also absorb Qi through the same method, but ghosts cultivate to condense their souls, while humans cultivate to strengthen their bodies."

"You only need to empty your mind and focus on the mantra, and your body will naturally absorb the Qi..."

Upon hearing this, Su Cheng followed Song Qingya's instructions, completely emptying her mind and repeatedly reciting the mantra.

She could still sense Song Qingya's presence beside her, but her heart became exceptionally calm, devoid of any other emotions.

As the first wisp of misty energy entered her body, the system's mechanical voice suddenly rang out:

[Ding~]

[Congratulations to the homeowner for obtaining the profession: Celestial Master!]

[The owner's wristband information has been updated. Please return to the apartment to check.]

Su Cheng was secretly pleased; this job was somewhat expected.

After calming down for a while, Su Cheng was able to return to her previous state.

Seeing the wisps of Qi slowly entering Su Cheng's body, Song Qingya nodded slightly in satisfaction, secretly marveling at the talent of her master's new disciple.

She sat down, took out her laptop from her bag, and began to organize the paranormal events involved in the Lin Family Village case.

Since the instructor doesn't know how to use computers, she had to organize these files and upload them to the association.

The talismans used in Lin Family Village, as well as the methods of raising corpses and locust trees, are strikingly similar to those of an acquaintance the association once wanted...

When Su Cheng opened her eyes again, an hour had passed.

She felt exceptionally comfortable, as if all her pent-up emotions had been released from her body.

Song Qingya was no longer in the room.

Su Cheng called out to Mu Ling, but received no response. However, she could sense that Mu Ling was inside the bracelet.

Update on information about the bracelet and the Mu Ling:

Name: Mu Ling

Identity: Vengeful Ghost

Gender: Female

Age: 22

Status: Sleeping

Skills: [Bizarre Threads: Long, supple yet sharp hair formed from condensed resentment, capable of binding and strangling], [Shared Senses: Able to achieve Shared Senses with the contractor through sight, hearing, and smell], [Ghost Mark (Activating): Can mark a specified target; when the target appears within the mark's effective range, can instantly teleport behind them]

Mu Ling transformed from Remnant Soul into Vengeful Ghost and gained a new skill, [Ghost Mark]. Her current slumber is likely due to digesting the locust tree spirit.

No one knows how long Mu Ling will remain asleep.

Su Cheng walked out of the room. Her Third Aunt and Song Qingya were eating. When they saw Su Cheng, they called her to eat with them, saying, "Looks like we don't need to save any food for you."

The meal consisted of three dishes: one meat and two vegetable dishes, prepared using ingredients that Song Qingya found in the kitchen.

After thanking her, Su Cheng sat down and picked up a piece of meat from her bowl with her chopsticks.

Finally, I can enjoy a meal in this instance without worry.

Song Qingya looks young, but her cooking skills are superb. She can stir-fry even simple cabbage until it's incredibly fragrant. It's much better than the buffet Su Cheng had in the Central Circle.

"Senior Sister Qingya's cooking skills are truly excellent."

Third Aunt wholeheartedly agreed, "Yes, Qingya's cooking skills are indeed the best."

Song Qingya was clearly used to being praised, and ate her meal calmly.

Su Cheng: "Master, have you finished the ritual to release the ghost children? Were these ghost children bought by the villagers?"

Third Aunt paused slightly, her expression grave. "That's right, these ghostly infant corpses are not descendants of Lin Family Village. As for how they came to be here, the police will need to question them further."

"This method of raising ghosts has always been regarded as evil magic. It involves sealing the fetus in a dark coffin when it cries as it leaves the mother's body."

The reason for waiting for it to cry is that crying indicates the fetus has a soul and is not stillborn.

"The soul of an infant trapped in a coffin can only become a guardian ghost child after Pact Formation with its adoptive parent."

"The evil spirits and bad luck that plagued those villagers will be replaced by ghost children."

"These ghost children cannot be raised for long; their souls will dissipate in about five years."

Song Qingya frowned. "I've almost finished compiling the information. Once the association reviews it, we'll make sure the villagers who did this pay the price."

Third Aunt nodded with satisfaction, "I trust you to handle things."

After the meal, Su Cheng went with her Third Aunt to perform a ritual to release the remaining ghost children.

She helped her Third Aunt take photos of the small coffins and then put them into bags.

The bewildered ghost children instinctively gravitated towards their gentle-smelling Third Aunt, some clinging to Third Aunt back, others gently rubbing against her legs...

These ghost children are not very aggressive, and they don't even know why or what their existence is for.

Third Aunt smiled and patted one of the little devils on the head, and the little devil immediately smiled with delight.

There are people like An Jing in this world who use evil magic to make a profit, but fortunately there are also upright people like Third Aunt.

Su Cheng suddenly realized that she could see ghosts without needing Mu Ling's perspective.

She touched her eyes; without a doubt, she had awakened her Yin-Yang Eyes.

Is it a professional skill?

The Third Aunt waved the burning talisman, chanting scriptures, while the ghost children giggled with curiosity and slowly dissipated.

Su Cheng couldn't help but ask, "Did they go to be reincarnated?"

After burning each skeleton, the Third Aunt placed it into a small jar and answered softly:

"After all things die, they transform into the energy of heaven and earth, and this energy condenses into a new soul within the newborn body... This process of rebirth can be called reincarnation."

"Find a propitious burial site and bury them together."

Su Cheng nodded and picked up several porcelain jars. She vaguely understood what her Third Aunt had just said.

Until the last little ghost child, she was the youngest of all the ghost children, probably only one year old, and her soul was the weakest.

She bit her fingertip, tilted her head slightly, and disappeared into a dazed expression.

The system's mechanical voice sounded simultaneously:

[Ding~]

[The quest "First Cry" is complete, earning 1000 points, which will be tallied upon exiting the instance.]

[Ding~]

[Congratulations to the owner of Apartment No. 1167, Street X, District E, for successfully completing all tasks in the "Coffin Keeper" instance and earning a total of 2600 points.]

[The owner will be leaving the instance in 10 minutes. Please move away from the original inhabitants as soon as possible.]

It turns out that performing rituals to release all the ghost children was simply completing the task of crying.

Su Cheng glanced at her Third Aunt. This was the first time she was reluctant to leave the instance as soon as possible; she still wanted to learn more from her Third Aunt.

"Third Aunt, I have to leave soon."

Third Aunt frowned in surprise, "So fast?"

Third Aunt had long noticed that Su Cheng was different from ordinary people.

Upon first meeting Su Cheng, she noticed that her body had been nourished by the Twin Fish Jade Pendant to the point that it was extremely suitable for cultivation.

Moreover, she had calculated Su Cheng's fortune and discovered that she was like a ghost, not belonging to this world.

"It's a pity Zhou Yang hasn't woken up yet, otherwise he would have properly thanked you for saving his life. You are his benefactor."

Su Cheng shook her head, "You say I'm Zhou Yang's benefactor, but as Zhou Yang's Third Aunt, aren't you also my benefactor...?"

If she hadn't saved Zhou Yang, she might not have become her Third Aunt's apprentice and thus wouldn't have been able to obtain a profession...

One link leads to another, just like the butterfly effect.

No one can predict what will happen in the future; we all just act according to our conscience.

Third Aunt and Su Cheng headed towards the inn, giving each other advice on what to be careful of if they encountered ghosts or monsters along the way.

When they reached the inn, Third Aunt took the bag containing the porcelain jar from Su Cheng's hand. "Here, take this."

There are 2 minutes left before Su Cheng leaves the dungeon.

Third Aunt looked into a secluded, deserted corner, and the fine lines at the corners of her eyes deepened when she smiled faintly.

"Could you go over there and get something for me?"

Su Cheng met her kind eyes, paused for a moment, then nodded. Without asking what she was looking for, she turned and headed in the direction her Third Aunt had pointed.

Everything is understood without words.

During her final three seconds in the instance, Su Cheng glanced in the direction of the inn, feeling a little regretful that the time was too short and she hadn't been able to learn more from her Third Aunt.