Xu Yayya was a little curious. Although she knew people couldn't live forever, she wondered how Zhu Futing had lived for ten years after being diagnosed with cancer.
"Brother Yu, what's Zhu Futing's situation now?" Xu Yayya asked.
Yu Daohan snorted. He hadn't understood why Zhu Futing, who had drowned, could come back to life, or why Zhu Youcai suddenly knew how to use magic.
"The so-called immortality is just temporarily entering the body with the soul. If I'm not mistaken, Ma Meiling made Zhu Futing drown himself in the water, and then used magic to seal his soul within the body. The body and soul are connected. Once the body loses its soul, it enters a dormant state. When Zhu Futing's soul re-enters the body, the body will no longer age. Although this method can bring people back from the dead for a short time, it slowly consumes your soul. The moment your soul dissipates, it means you truly vanish from this world, without even a chance for reincarnation."
Yu Daohan finished speaking and shook his head. "I didn't expect the Divine God Cult to be so ruthless, using such a method."
Su Yayya and Zhou Fu's expressions changed. If their souls dissipated, it meant they would disappear from this world completely.
"If that's the case, why did they sacrifice Zhu Futing's parents?" Zhou Fu was even more confused.
Yu Daohan shook his head. "The sacrifice was just a cover. If your soul enters an ordinary body, you can't use magic at all."
Zhou Fu nodded. He understood this very well. People in their line of work mainly cultivated their physical bodies. Ordinary people's bodies did not have the conditions to use magic. To use magic, one could only pay with their soul.
"However, there are exceptions, such as ghosts. Because they originally had no physical bodies and cultivated their souls, this is why most possessions are done by ghosts."
"Possessing an ordinary body makes it impossible to use magic, only consuming the soul as a price. As for Zhu Youcai using magic, he was consuming..."
Before Yu Daohan could finish, Zhou Fu directly interjected, "He was consuming the souls of Zhu Futing's parents."
"I didn't expect Ma Meiling to be so wicked. In the end, wouldn't the souls of Zhu Futing and his parents dissipate from this world?"
Zhou Fu felt a chill run down his spine. This evil sorcery was truly terrifying.
"Brother Yu, since that's the case, why didn't you help Zhu Futing's parents transcend their souls?"
Xu Yayya knew that although Brother Yu seemed indifferent, he would definitely help if he could.
Yu Daohan shook his head helplessly. "It's not that I don't want to. But once this evil sorcery is formed, it cannot be changed. Even if Zhu Futing's parents were released now, they would only be soulless entities, incapable of reincarnation."
"Alright, don't think about it anymore. I'm going to take a nap. We'll open for business tonight."
Yu Daohan yawned. He hadn't slept all night, and his body was about to collapse.
"People take risks due to greed, and ultimately die due to greed."
At precisely midnight, Yu Daohan opened the door for regular business. Three days had passed since the Zhu Futing incident. Zhou Fu had also gone to Su Lai's place to cultivate. Only Yu Daohan and Xu Yayya, who came to cook every day, remained in the shop.
"If business doesn't pick up soon, I won't even be able to afford to keep the stove going," Yu Daohan said, lying in his rocking chair and swaying back and forth.
He hadn't earned a single cent from the Zhu Futing incident, and he was struggling to pay the utility bills.
Just as Yu Daohan was contemplating whether to close shop for good, he heard the sound of a car driving over the road.
Yu Daohan turned his head and saw three girls in their early twenties getting out of a taxi. Judging by their attire, they seemed to be university students.
"This must be it." The girl leading the way looked at the three large characters "Midnight Spirit Shop" on the door plaque.
"That's right, it's called Midnight Spirit Shop." The girl beside her nodded.
The three of them walked in. Yu Daohan stood up. "Ladies, what can I do for you?"
The three girls looked at Yu Daohan simultaneously, sizing him up. One of the girls spoke, "Is Master Yu here?"
Yu Daohan coughed dryly and put on a confident smile. "I am the owner of this Midnight Spirit Shop. May I ask what help you ladies require?"
The three girls hesitated slightly, as the young man in front of them looked too young, possibly even younger than them.
"You are Master Yu?" one of the girls asked disbelievingly.
They had heard that there was a very powerful master on Old Street and had expected an old man in his fifties or sixties wearing a yellow Taoist robe. They never imagined it would be a young man even younger than them.
"Please, come in, ladies." Yu Daohan gestured for the three to sit at the tea table.
The three girls exchanged glances and nodded. The girl in the middle spoke, "Master, how much does it cost to catch a ghost?"
Yu Daohan felt a little awkward. After all, he wasn't a ghost catcher, just a referrer. As for the price, he honestly didn't know.
"Why don't you ladies tell me what happened first?" Yu Daohan said with a smile, sitting opposite the three girls.