Volume One, Chapter 89: Exorcism

Xu Mingyue felt a glimmer of hope rise within her. If Xing Le’s body truly had no issues, then her mental deterioration might indeed be linked to something supernatural.

And now Chi Xingwan was here…

“Xingwan, what should we do to determine Lele’s condition?” Xu Mingyue asked.

Chi Xingwan replied, “It’s simple. Just let me meet her once.”

It really was a simple request, but Xu Mingyue felt troubled. After all, Lele had been locked up at home by her family, waiting to be sent to a psychiatric hospital. Even when she herself had tried to visit Lele a few days ago, she’d been refused.

Gritting her teeth, she said, “I’ll figure something out. I promise I’ll let you see Lele.”

Xu Mingyue went to the neighbor’s house several times. Chi Xingwan waited on the third floor of Xu’s house, watching as she was repeatedly turned away, yet showing no sign of giving up.

At last, when Xu Mingyue returned, her eyes glistening with tears, she smiled at Chi Xingwan and said, “Xingwan, I did it. Auntie agreed to let Lele come to my house.”

She had tried many ways and each time had been rejected. In the end, she decided to appeal to emotion.

Xu Mingyue found Xing Le’s mother and, weeping, recounted how kind Lele had been to her as a child, how Lele was about to be sent to a closed psychiatric institution, and how she didn’t know if they’d ever see each other again. She pleaded to have Lele over to her house one last time for a reunion.

Back then, because Lele’s parents were always busy with work and often absent, they’d frequently left Lele in the care of the Xu family.

Lele would stay at the Xu house, doing homework with Xu Mingyue and waiting together for their parents to return from work.

Xu Mingyue spoke of the past in detail, her tears falling sorrowfully. Moved by these memories, Xing Le’s mother finally agreed to let Lele visit one last time before leaving.

That day, Xing Le’s mental state was relatively stable. Though she seemed dazed, she wasn’t making a scene or showing any signs of aggression.

Her mother led her carefully to the Xu house, and the moment Xu Mingyue saw Lele, she couldn’t hold back her tears.

In her memory, Lele had always been a gentle, smiling older sister—beautiful, fair-skinned, and with a melodious voice.

But now, Lele was thin, her cheeks slightly sunken, her eyes lifeless, as if she might perish any moment.

Xu Mingyue couldn’t care about anything else; she immediately turned to find Chi Xingwan.

“Xingwan, can you tell what’s wrong with Lele?”

Xing Le’s mother frowned slightly. “Mingyue, what do you mean? Didn’t you ask me to bring Lele so you could catch up?”

Xu Mingyue apologized, “Auntie, I truly wanted to reminisce with Lele, but I did hide something from you. My friend, Chi Xingwan, knows something about the supernatural—I’d like her to take a look at Lele.”

At this point, there was no reason to hide anything, so Xu Mingyue confessed the real purpose.

Xing Le’s mother looked displeased. She told Xu Mingyue, “Mingyue, I know you care about Lele, but I don’t like that you kept this from me. We’ll be leaving now.”

Xu Mingyue rushed forward to block her, anxious. “Auntie, why not let my friend take a look at Lele? What if—what if she really can find out the reason for Lele’s condition?”

Xing Le’s mother glanced at Chi Xingwan and her two companions. “Mingyue, are these the friends you mentioned? Forgive me, but are you sure you’re not being fooled?”

Xu Mingyue’s three friends, the oldest, Jin Feng, was only in his twenties. To Xing Le’s mother, it was impossible to trust them.

“Auntie, they may be young, but they’re truly capable. Please, let them help Lele,” Xu Mingyue pleaded.

“That’s enough!” Xing Le’s mother snapped. “Mingyue, I know your intentions are good, but we don’t need this.”

Xu Mingyue grew desperate, blurting out, “Why? Auntie, all these years, haven’t you always wanted to cure Lele? Didn’t you try to have an exorcism performed? Why give up now?”

Xing Le’s mother’s expression changed.

Her voice trembled. “Mingyue, you don’t know anything. Do you know what happened after that exorcism? If we could do it over, we would never have invited that master.”

Chi Xingwan raised her eyebrows, intrigued by Xing Le’s mother’s words.

Xu Mingyue asked, “Auntie, what exactly happened? Please tell me—I really want to help Lele.”

Xing Le’s mother looked at Xu Mingyue for a long time before sighing deeply. “Mingyue, I know you’re a good child. Ever since Lele’s accident, you’ve been the only one who never shunned her, the only friend who still cares for her. This is something Lele’s father and I had intended to bury in our hearts forever.”

She shuddered at the memory of the day they tried to exorcise her daughter.

“That master was well-known. We paid a hefty sum to bring him here. On the day of the exorcism, we followed all his instructions and prepared everything. When the auspicious hour came, we performed the ritual in Lele’s room.”

“At first, everything seemed fine. Once the master finished, Lele suddenly fainted. He said it was normal and that she’d recover when she woke up.”

“Her father and I saw the master out. We waited and waited. When night fell, Lele finally woke, but… but…”

Xing Le’s mother’s breathing became erratic. She paused for a long moment before continuing, “But I felt that the one who woke up was not Lele.”

“What?” Xu Mingyue gasped, covering her mouth.

“She opened her eyes—her pupils were gone, her eyes were bloodshot and bleeding. She sat on the bed, staring at us and smiling. It was terrifying. She even tried to attack us, but fortunately, after a few steps she fainted again. We tied her up, and when she woke a second time, she was back to her current self.”

Chi Xingwan pictured the scene in her mind, realizing how truly horrifying it must have been. No wonder the mention of the supernatural made Xing Le’s mother react so strongly.

She was probably terrified of Lele turning into a monster again.

But was the entity that possessed Lele truly a monster?

Chi Xingwan studied Lele.

Lele’s soul was intact; this wasn’t a case of soul loss, but she was indeed missing something.

Xu Mingyue’s first reaction upon hearing the story was to look at Chi Xingwan.

Chi Xingwan met her gaze. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious.”

She turned to Jin Feng and Chu Fangfei. “What do you two think?”

Chu Fangfei scratched her head and hesitated. “Sis, why do I sense spiritual energy around her? Is she one of us?”

Chi Xingwan nodded at her with satisfaction, then looked to Jin Feng.

Jin Feng’s cultivation was far superior to Chu Fangfei’s; he ought to see even more.

Sure enough, Jin Feng frowned and said, “She should be a spirit medium, but something has bewitched her mind, causing her spiritual energy to leave her body. That’s why she can’t awaken.”