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How could she still harbor doubts about the Master?

Chu Yuening acknowledged with a soft sound, declining to take the money. Instead, she bent down to pick up the red plastic bag from the ground, opened it, and retrieved a brush, talisman paper, and a prepared cinnabar ink mixture from within.

Mu Rongshan's sarcasm fell on deaf ears as he devoted himself solely to the task at hand.

Chu Yuening gently shifted the child's leg aside, clearing a tiny corner of the space. She then placed the yellow talisman and cinnabar on it, and proceeded to take out a pair of scissors to cut the yellow talisman into the form of a paper figurine.

Only when she finished did she lift her gaze to ask, "What are the child's birthdate and time?"

Guan Yuanfang was taken aback for a moment, but quickly recovered and promptly recited his birth date and time.

Curious onlookers, mostly middle-aged women, would often peer out from the crowd, their heads popping up between the gaps.

"Master, why do you need the child's birthdate and time for awakening them?"

"Ah, right, aren't birth dates and times used for fortune-telling? They can also be employed in rituals?"

Observing the curiosity of many spectators, Chu Yuening lifted her eyes for a cursory glance. Finding that the inquisitive aunties had not uttered any harmful words, she elected to respond, "A person's entire life can be observed through their eight characters of birth. Whatever has transpired in the past, the eight characters are capable of registering it all."

"To fully unravel what could have led a child to such a state would require a thorough examination. This is what one might call 'throwing a stone to test the waters.'"

"Oh," the lady exclaimed, enlightened. "Just like a doctor, you must first identify the root cause before prescribing the right treatment."

Chu Yuening offered a faint smile, "That's one way to understand it, and besides, summoning souls also requires the use of one's eight characters of birth."

Having said that, she calculated the eight characters of their fate with a snap of her fingers. Very soon, she clearly understood what had transpired.

She turned to Guan Yuanfang and inquired, "A month ago, did the child bring back a note from Underground Bank to you?"

"Paper money?" Guan Yuanfang was somewhat puzzled, and he began to recall events from a month ago. Indeed, there was such an incident. With a look of urgency, he asked, "Yes! Xiaozai gave me a piece of paper money when he came back from Shatan Primary School. He said he found it on the way. When I saw that it was joss paper, I felt it was a bit ominous and promptly tossed it into the kitchen trash can."

The more I delve into memories.

Guan Yuanfang, growing increasingly alarmed, began to show signs of distress as he continued, "It seems that after losing the hell money, he inexplicably fell into a coma the very next day. Master, could it be that Shrimp's coma is somehow connected to that money?"

At this thought, Guan Yuanfang's heart was wracked with pain, as if pierced by a thousand knives.

Chu Yuening nodded. "Indeed, it is related."

At this moment.

In the crowd, a young man in a red-checked shirt appeared perplexed. "Was it Shatang Primary School a month ago?"

Scratching his head, he recalled the joss paper he had burned behind the school that day and felt a sudden pang of guilt. "No way, right? It can't be that coincidental, can it?"

He had also been burning money behind the school that day. Could it be that Xiaozai had picked up his joss paper?

But... there were so many people burning paper money that day; it probably wasn't him, was it?

What a tremendous guilt would it be if the fuse was indeed him?

Ahem.

The young man decided to observe the situation unfold a bit longer.

Here.

Chu Yuening went on, "Xiaozai picked up what we call 'ancestral money.'"

She did some mental calculations and couldn't help but laugh through her tears. "If it were an ordinary ancestral bill that you could find on any street, picking one up wouldn't be a big deal. The problem lies in the fact that the bill Xiao Zai picked up holds a different significance."

"Is the meaning different? In what way is it different?" Yu Jiqing, who had been attentively listening, seized the opportunity to slip in his question.

Chu Yuening smiled wryly as she explained, "The significance lies in the fact that this esteemed ancestor waited for a century for the younger generation's money, and all they received in the end was a single one-hundred yuan bill, not even a substantial amount."

A century's wait, and all we've received is a single one?

Those present couldn't help but respond with wry smiles.

"Oh, no wonder Xiaozhao fell unconscious."

"Imagine if, after a hundred years of our juniors laboriously burning money, it's then picked up by a child. Wouldn't I be frustrated too?"

"Not just angry, I might even have to spank the little one for misbehaving."

"Which descendant is so stingy, taking so long to burn just a hundred for them?"

Chu Yuening surmised, "The extravagant descendant was rather careless. The moment he uttered the ancestors' names, the money was whisked away by the wind, yet he didn't bother to chase after it and continue the offering."

Someone else asked, "Master, why must the joss paper be burned before it can be used?"

"Yes, burning them is necessary for the funds to enter the Heavenly Earth Bank of the underworld," Chu Yuening elaborated. "When you burn money for your ancestors, you must also focus your thoughts on their names. This ensures that the money, imbued with your wishes, successfully reaches the hands of your forebears. Don't be as careless as that younger generation member was."

Chu Yuening turned her gaze back to Guan Yuanfang. "In truth, the ancestral spirit followed Xia Zi home that very night, patiently awaiting your actions. He intended to wait until you left the money behind before finding a way to burn it, ensuring that the funds would thus make their way into his possession."

Who could have imagined that Guan Yuanfang, of all places, would toss it into the kitchen trash bin, only to have it drenched by water the very next second.

Soaked with water, the joss paper was no longer usable. Enraged, the ancestor took Xiaozhao away with them.

Guan Yuanfang was startled and promptly inquired, "Would it still be of any use if I go burn the money for him now?"

"It's no use," Chu Yuening shook her head. "Shrimpie has been taken away for too long. We must summon the soul back as soon as possible, or there could be a danger to its life."

Mu Rongshan could discern that Xiaozai had lost its primary soul, but he couldn't perceive the rest. After listening to Chu Yuening spin an elaborate tale, he called her out, saying, " quite the storyteller, aren't you? If the primary soul is lost, just summon it back; if you're truly capable, why not invite the creature's ancient ancestor up here as well?"

Chu Yuening paid him no mind, instead turning her gaze back to Xia Zai and furrowing her brow. "Hmm?"

Xiaozhai's life force was already shrouded by dark energy. What on earth was happening?

Why did Xiaozhai appear as if he was on the verge of immediate decline and death?

No longer waiting, she swiftly took up the brush and inscribed eight characters on the paper figure.

Mu Rongshan had seen through it as well, and he sneered, "I'd like to see just how this amateurish skill plans to pull someone back from the brink of death!"