Volume One, Chapter Two: At Most, Only Half a Year Left to Live

Instead, what stood before her was a wisp of a spirit, its form shrouded in a faint aura of purple and gold. From the moment she awoke, the figure had lingered in the room, quietly observing her for some time.

“You can see me?” The man’s voice betrayed his surprise.

Yun Mojiu lay back, her expression tranquil. “Not only can I see you, but I also know you are under a Soul-Separation Curse. At first, your spirit would only leave your body for a few seconds. But as time passes, the intervals grow longer, and as the symptoms worsen, your physical body will suffer. Judging by your current state, I suspect your legs can no longer support you.”

At these words, Xiao Junhe’s thick brows furrowed deeply. Everything she said was true.

“Moreover, the person who harmed you wanted more than just your slow demise. They also sought to steal your fortune. So, in addition to the curse, they set up a great fortune-transference array. The two work together, each amplifying the other. Every time your soul leaves your body, the purple-gold aura is drawn away and transferred to your assailant. Once it is entirely drained from you, death will be close at hand. Still, you’ve had the help of a benefactor, which is why your fortune has not been completely siphoned off. But that doesn’t stop the curse from working. By my estimation, you have at most half a year left to live.”

Xiao Junhe’s eyes narrowed. This woman’s words not only echoed the master Yikong’s diagnosis, but were even more detailed. Who exactly was she?

“Since you can see through the curse I suffer, do you have a way to break it?” Hope flickered in Xiao Junhe’s heart, though his face remained impassive. Even Yikong, a grandmaster of the mystical arts, had been unable to unravel the curse and array upon him. Over the years, he had sought help from many experts, but none had produced satisfactory results. This young and beautiful woman had described his affliction with eerie accuracy, but he dared not hope for too much.

“There is a way, but…”

“But what?”

“But I can’t completely restore you yet—I can only alleviate your symptoms. Afterward, though your soul may still occasionally leave your body, the intervals will gradually shorten, your body will no longer be harmed, and your legs will be able to stand once more.”

She had just tested her abilities—having been reborn, her spiritual power was diminished. The curse and array afflicting this man were formidable; unless she regained the peak of her former strength, she could not easily attempt to break them. Otherwise, there was a fifty percent chance that not only would he fail to be saved, but she herself would suffer a backlash.

He was a stranger to her; she had no reason to take such a risk.

At her words, Xiao Junhe’s hands clenched unconsciously. Was it truly possible for him to walk again? His lifeless heart felt as though a pebble had been tossed into its still waters, sending ripples through the calm.

“However, this method is not a permanent solution. Every week, you will need to come to me to have the array and curse temporarily suppressed, until I can fully break them.”

“That is already more than enough,” Xiao Junhe said with quiet gratitude. After so long, his body had only continued to deteriorate, and there had been no hope. Now someone offered to ease his suffering, to let him walk again, and perhaps even break the curse entirely in the future—what more could he ask for?

“Yet, all things have cause and effect. My help is the cause; as for the effect…”

“I understand. As long as you are willing to help, you will be well compensated. One million a week, and when you finally rid me of the curse and array, I will pay a lump sum of one hundred million.”

Yun Mojiu thought to herself: Well, this man knows how things work.

She rose at a leisurely pace.

“What are you doing?” Xiao Junhe took two steps forward.

“Naturally, I’m being discharged from the hospital. I don’t have any talisman paper on me; I’ll need to buy yellow paper and cinnabar to make the talismans required to help you.”

“But your hand…”

Xiao Junhe looked uneasily at her bandaged wrist. He had heard that this woman had attempted suicide. It puzzled him, for judging from their conversation, she hardly seemed the type for such despair.

“It’s nothing, just a minor injury,” Yun Mojiu replied, waving her hand dismissively. She had already channeled some spiritual energy into the wound as soon as she awoke; by now, it was mostly healed. Leaving the hospital would be no problem.

Upon discharge, Yun Mojiu was just about to hail a cab when she saw a woman of about twenty-eight anxiously questioning passersby.

“Excuse me, have you seen a little girl, about four years old, wearing a pink princess dress and very cute?”

Receiving only a shake of the head, the woman hurried to stop someone else. With each negative answer, her anxiety grew, her eyes reddening as tears threatened to fall.

“You’d better call the police,” someone suggested.

The woman quickly fumbled for her phone.

Gazing at the woman's face, Yun Mojiu calculated quietly. Her expression changed at once, and she strode toward the woman.

“Do you have something that belongs to your daughter?” she asked.

The woman, Qin Meng, stared at her in confusion. “May I ask who you are?”

“Who I am is unimportant. What matters is that your daughter is in great danger. If you want to save her, give me something of hers. I can divine her location and bring you to her.”

“A diviner? Are you a swindler?” interjected a nearby middle-aged woman, eyeing Yun Mojiu suspiciously as she grabbed Qin Meng’s arm. “Don’t listen to her—just wait for the police. That’s more reliable.” She scolded, “You’re young, pretty, and clean-looking. Why are you already cheating people at your age?”

Yun Mojiu frowned but had no wish to argue. The little girl’s situation was urgent; every wasted minute increased the danger. Her eyes steady, she looked at Qin Meng. “Whether I’m a fraud or not, the facts will speak for themselves. I don’t want your money. Just give me something of your daughter’s; I’ll go and search for her while you wait here for the police. This way, you’re covering both options, aren’t you?”

Yun Mojiu was not one to meddle in others’ affairs. But her calculations revealed that this woman’s daughter was somehow connected to her. She did not know the source of this bond, but now that she had encountered it, she could not simply turn a blind eye.

Looking into Yun Mojiu’s calm gaze, Qin Meng felt an inexplicable trust. She quickly pulled a sweat cloth from her bag.

“Will this do?”

Yun Mojiu nodded. “It will.”

“Wait, young lady, do you really believe her? What if she’s a con artist?” the older woman asked, still wary.

Tears glimmered in Qin Meng’s eyes. “Even if it’s a scam, I have to try every possibility. She’s not asking for money—just a sweat cloth. What could she possibly gain? The police aren’t here yet, and when they arrive, there’ll still be an investigation. I can’t afford to wait any longer!”