Chapter 22: The Enchanting Messenger

Uncle Hu knelt on the ground, clutching Xiao Jun’s lifeless body, his sobs echoing through the air. The pitiful sight brought tears to my own eyes despite my efforts to hold back the sorrow within. I forced myself to look once more at Xiao Jun’s form.

Beneath the gloomy, overcast sky, a faint, dimly glowing essence of life flickered within him. This surprised me greatly. Xiao Jun had been dead for some time—how could such vitality still linger in his body?

If this life force truly belonged to Xiao Jun, then perhaps I had a way to save him.

“Uncle Hu, don’t cry just yet. Xiao Jun’s life span isn’t fully exhausted; there’s still a chance to turn things around. I can save him, but it will be dangerous and will require your help,” I said solemnly.

“Really? You can save Xiao Jun?” Uncle Hu looked at me in disbelief, his eyes wide with shock. I understood his doubt. After all, Xiao Jun’s possession by a demon was different from the Liu family’s ordeal. They were controlled by a witch from Miaojiang—though their actions were not their own, they were still alive.

But Xiao Jun was already dead; his soul was gone. The only reason his body still moved was because it was being manipulated as a corpse.

“Is this true, July? If you can save Xiao Jun, I’m willing to do whatever it takes,” Hu Tieshou said, tears of joy trembling in his hands.

“Uncle Hu, don’t rush. I’ve already thought of a way to rescue Xiao Jun, but I’ll need your assistance,” I explained, taking down the Soul-Calming Bell from my back—a magical artifact passed down from my grandfather. It could not only pacify spirits but also gather souls.

Though Xiao Jun’s soul was lost, his death was unnatural, and his remaining lifespan had yet to expire. The three flame lamps of his life force had not been extinguished.

If we could locate his soul, there might truly be a chance to bring him back.

My words caused Uncle Hu to fall into deep thought. He wasn’t well versed in soul-binding techniques and found the concept difficult to grasp.

Seeing his puzzled expression, I continued:

“The snake carcass on the beam, the serpent formation—the big snake—all of these are manifestations of the dark sorcery used by that creature behind it. Their goal was to deceive the heavens, allowing Xiao Jun’s soul to be taken directly to the underworld!”

Only then did Uncle Hu suddenly understand, nodding slowly as if realizing what he must prepare for.

As long as Xiao Jun’s life force remained, there was naturally a way to break the evil spell.

But how exactly to proceed? That depended on my plan.

“July, what shall we do? Tell me what you need me to do,” Uncle Hu urged.

I didn’t answer immediately, instead looking up at the sky.

“We must find Xiao Jun’s soul and guide it back to life.”

Upon hearing this, Uncle Hu furrowed his brows deeply, a look of melancholy crossing his face.

“July, this is difficult. Xiao Jun’s soul is surely hidden by that evil creature. We only saw the big snake but have no idea where the real culprit hides. Finding his soul—it’s almost impossible!”

Frustrated, he slammed a fist into the ground. Stones shattered, and the wind howled fiercely. As a master of martial arts who captured demons, his power was indeed formidable.

I shook my head and said calmly:

“Uncle, it’s not as hard as you think. We don’t need to chase that evil being. We just need to wait quietly here for the underworld’s soul collectors to come.”

“These soul collectors always allow the dead to see their bodies one last time before taking them away. It’s an unchanging rule of the underworld.”

“What we must do now is wait patiently. When the soul collectors bring Xiao Jun to see his corpse, we strike and seize his soul.”

As soon as I finished speaking, I sensed Uncle Hu staring at me as if I were mad.

“July, are you insane? Trying to snatch Xiao Jun’s soul from the underworld’s agents? That’s courting death!”

I sighed and looked at him earnestly.

“Uncle Hu, do you want to save Xiao Jun? If so, listen to me till the end.”

He exhaled deeply and finally nodded. For the chance to save Xiao Jun, he was willing to do anything.

“Uncle Hu, if the two of us work together, we can handle ordinary soul collectors easily. But the one coming for Xiao Jun won’t be ordinary—it’s at least an evil spirit collector, maybe even a ghost general!”

Hearing this, Uncle Hu looked puzzled; he wasn’t very familiar with the rules of the underworld.

When my grandfather was alive, he showed me a classic text about the laws of the underworld and the methods of soul collectors. I had once thought it useless, but now I realized its importance.

The book explained that after death, souls are escorted by collectors into the underworld’s cycle of reincarnation.

There are many types of collectors: ordinary soul collectors, soul reapers, ghost collectors, and above them, the legendary ghost generals.

In especially difficult cases, even the Ten Kings of Hell intervene personally.

Since the dawn of creation, only one demon earned such distinction—the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, who once wreaked havoc in the heavens.

The well-known Black and White Impermanence are ghost generals—exceptionally powerful ghost collectors.

They only appear for the most troublesome ghosts.

Besides these ghost collectors, there are even living soul collectors. In every corner of the mortal realm, some individuals—shamans and spirit mediums—possess the ability to guide souls.

For a ghost like Xiao Jun, whose life was cut short by dark sorcery, his guide would be at least a soul reaper.

This isn’t because Xiao Jun’s grudges run deep, but because such dark enchantments involve many complications. To uphold the laws of the underworld, they have no choice.

After I finished, Uncle Hu stepped forward and patted my shoulder solemnly.

“July, what you’re suggesting is extremely dangerous. I cannot allow you to take such risks. If the enemy is a demon or evil spirit, my blade can fight to the death—even if I perish here.”

“But if it’s a soul reaper, two of us won’t stand a chance. I want to save Xiao Jun, but I won’t put you in harm’s way—that would be a betrayal to your grandfather!”

His words touched me deeply. Though we had only known each other a day, our bond felt like family, forged through my grandfather.

I looked at him resolutely.

“Uncle Hu, you must trust me on this. This whole matter began because of me—I cannot stand by. If it truly is a soul reaper escorting Xiao Jun, our chances together are still good.”

“If you don’t help me, I’ll do it alone.”

“I will fight with all my strength to bring Xiao Jun back, even if it costs me my life—I fear nothing!”

Uncle Hu was no sentimental man, but tears welled in his eyes as he listened.

“July, if you’re so confident, then we’ll do it your way. This time, I’m completely following you. But you must promise me—if danger comes, don’t be reckless. I don’t want to see you hurt!”

“Tell me, Uncle, how should I assist you?”