Chapter 94
The Origin of Infant Spirits
"Aren't we supposed to make house calls? It's so cold outside, and he brought a baby who's only a month old. What if the baby catches a cold?"
Long Nier grasped the crux of the problem.
"He didn't mention house calls at all; it seems like he's a little afraid of us making house calls!"
I recalled my conversation with Teacher Zeng. There was a sense of insincerity in his words. It seemed that his concern for his daughter was not genuine, but rather an act.
"Afraid?"
Long Nier asked curiously, "What is he afraid of?"
"I don't know!"
I shook my head and said, "We'll know when he gets here!"
Half an hour later, I met Teacher Zeng downstairs. He was accompanied by a woman who looked somewhat like him. After introductions, I learned that she was his sister, Zeng Wenjun.
The child's name is Xiaoxiao, and she is being held by her aunt, Zeng Wenjun.
When I saw Xiaoxiao, I understood why he said Xiaoxiao was possessed by an evil spirit.
Xiao Xiao came with her eyes open, and wide open at that. She wasn't afraid of people at all. When she saw me and Long Ni'er, she tilted her head and looked at us a few more times. I was sure she could see me.
Normally, a one-month-old baby's vision is not yet fully developed and they cannot see very far, but she can see me, which is not right.
"Wow!"
After arriving on the third floor, Xiaoxiao, who was initially full of curiosity about everything around her, suddenly started crying. Her small body writhed in her swaddling clothes, not wanting to stay with us.
"Don't cry, don't cry, little one, don't cry!"
Zeng Wenjun immediately started to cheer.
Zeng Wenlei didn't dare to go forward, and just watched from the side. He felt heartache for his daughter, but even more so fear.
Fatty Lin watched coldly for a while, then suddenly stepped forward, pointed at the child, and said, "Don't cry!"
Strangely enough, after he shouted that, Xiaoxiao actually stopped crying.
Zeng Wenjun was somewhat surprised, while Teacher Zeng beamed with joy, exclaiming, "Master Lin, you are truly amazing!"
Faced with the praise, Fatty Lin remained unfazed and instead asked, "Teacher Zeng, did your wife have a miscarriage before?"
"yes!"
Teacher Zeng and her sister exchanged a glance and nodded.
"That child from before has come looking for us!"
Fatty Lin pointed at Xiao Xiao and said, "He's clinging to your daughter. Luckily you arrived early; there's still hope. If you'd come any later, he and your daughter would have become one, and it would have been much harder to handle!"
"What should we do then?" Zeng Wenjun asked hurriedly.
"Send them to the afterlife!" Fatty Lin uttered two words.
"Good, good! Just tell us what you need, and we'll cooperate fully!" Zeng Wenlei said quickly, glancing at the child in his sister's arms.
"It's simple. Give me your birth date and time, and a drop of your blood. I'll use your blood to draw out the soul of the child your wife miscarried!" Fatty Lin said.
"Does it really have to be my blood?" Zeng Wenlei asked hesitantly.
"You're the child's father, whose blood should we use if not yours?" Fatty Lin said.
He fell silent.
"The spirits of these aborted children usually don't go far; they stay by their parents' side. They have a natural affinity for their parents. In a moment, I'll use your blood to make a paper effigy to draw him out and then perform a ritual to help him pass on. Don't worry, it won't have too much of an impact on Xiaoxiao!"
Lin Pangzi thought Zeng Wenlei was worried about Xiaoxiao, so he offered an explanation.
"Don't worry, the blood draw won't hurt!"
After explaining, seeing that Zeng Wenlei still remained silent, Fatty Lin added another sentence.
"Does it have to be my father's blood?" Zeng Wenlei finally asked.
"If you have any concerns, you can use your aunt's blood!" Fatty Lin said, slightly impatiently.
Zeng Wenjun remained silent after these words were spoken.
"Wait, what's going on with you two?"
Fatty Lin finally noticed something was wrong and looked at the two sisters suspiciously.
Zeng Wenlei and his sister exchanged a glance, but remained silent.
"This matter can't be delayed. The sooner it's dealt with, the better for Xiaoxiao. It's just a little blood. What are you two thinking?" Fatty Lin said angrily.
"Can I go home and get my wife's blood?" Zeng Wenlei asked.
"It's possible, but you, as the father, are right here. Why do you insist on going home to get your wife's blood?"
Fatty Lin, with an inquisitive look, said, "Besides, this round trip will take at least an hour. The sooner we draw the infant spirit out of that little one's body, the less harm it will cause!"
Zeng Wenlei fell silent again.
"Teacher Zeng, is there more to this than meets the eye?"
Fatty Lin's face darkened.
Zeng Wenlei opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he said nothing and fell silent again.
"Teacher Zeng, in our line of work, the worst thing is for the client not to tell the truth. If you don't tell the truth, we can't do this job. You should leave. We can't save this child!" Fatty Lin directly gave them the order to leave.
"Why!"
Seeing this, Zeng Wenjun sighed, gritted her teeth, and said, "Master Lin, let me be frank, the child my sister-in-law miscarried wasn't my brother's!"
"Um?"
Upon hearing this, a thought struck me: Teacher Zeng had actually been cuckolded!
"When you miscarried, you were quite far along in the pregnancy, weren't you? It looked fully formed!"
Lin Pangzi suppressed his curiosity and pointed to the little one in Zeng Wenjun's arms.
"It's almost twenty weeks!" Zeng Wenjun said.
"Did you forcibly remove it?" Fatty Lin asked Zeng Wenlei.
"I guess so!" Zeng Wenlei said.
"If you forcibly removed it, then things will be complicated!"
After a moment's thought, Fatty Lin asked, "Do you know who the child's biological father is?"
"Know!"
Zeng Wenlei nodded.
"What was your wife's opinion when you got rid of the child?" Fatty Lin asked.
"She agreed!" Zeng Wenlei said.
Fatty Lin looked at the siblings and said, "Tell me the truth, is there anything you're hiding from us? I'm not trying to scare you, but if this infant spirit isn't handled properly, not only will Xiaoxiao be lost, but all your future children will be lost!"
This isn't meant to scare them; it's a real possibility.
However, with us here, that possibility is very small. Fatty Lin said that most likely to trick them into telling the truth so that we can determine the best course of action.
Upon hearing that they might not be able to keep any more children, the two sisters exchanged a glance, and Zeng Wenjun said, "Master Lin, the father of the child who was miscarried before had a master calculate using the fetal destiny method. He said that this child's fate is special and can bring him good fortune. He instructed us to take good care of my sister-in-law so that she can safely give birth to this child!"
"What do you mean? The child's biological father wants you to take good care of your brother and sister-in-law so that they can safely give birth to this child?" Fatty Lin was a little confused.
He was confused, but I wasn't. I remembered something Aunt Xiao once said: that when some big shots' mistresses got pregnant, they would often find someone to take over the child so that the child could have a legal status.
Teacher Zeng, could you be the one who takes over the bad deal?