Chapter 0004: The Three-Corpse Soul-Binding Formation

Jiang Kongqing, who had just caught up, could not help but widen her eyes at the scene before her.

In the corner of the room, three small bronze coin swords were arranged in a triangle. Each sword bore a yellow talisman paper, and at the center of the triangle sat an old-fashioned wine jar, its mouth sealed with another yellow talisman.

Zhang Xiao frowned and murmured, "A Soul-Restraining Formation of Three Corpses? It seems someone has deliberately targeted us..."

Jiang Kongqing didn’t catch what Zhang Xiao said and hurriedly asked, "What did you say?"

Zhang Xiao didn’t answer. Instead, he raised his right hand, biting the tip of his index finger until blood welled up. He flicked his finger, sending a bead of blood onto one of the talismans atop a bronze sword. Instantly, the talisman ignited with a sudden flame.

In a flash, Zhang Xiao repeated the motion with two more fingers, sending a drop of blood onto each remaining talisman. All three talisman papers were consumed by fire.

As the last of the yellow talismans burned away, the three bronze coin swords fell apart, their coins scattering across the floor. Immediately, the talisman sealing the mouth of the wine jar caught fire as well.

Jiang Kongqing was transfixed with shock. The yellow talismans, set aflame by nothing but a touch of blood, defied everything she understood about the world.

Zhang Xiao put his finger in his mouth to staunch the bleeding, then exhaled in relief. "Done. Your father’s soul and spirits are sealed in that jar. My yang energy is too strong to touch it—if I do, he’ll be lost forever. I’ll need you to hold the jar."

Summoning her courage, Jiang Kongqing walked up and lifted the jar. A chill seeped into her hands, cold enough to bite to the bone. Peering inside, she saw a straw doll with a small nail driven into its back; a lock of hair was tied to the nail.

"Keep that straw doll safe, and do not remove the nail. Let’s return to the hospital and release his soul there—then all will be well," Zhang Xiao instructed.

Still incredulous, Jiang Kongqing set the jar down, carefully holding the straw doll. "You’re saying my father’s soul is inside this doll?"

"Exactly. This is a Soul-Restraining Formation of Three Corpses, a crooked sorcery. Someone set this up to deliberately imprison your father’s soul."

Without further delay, they hurried back to the hospital.

Inside the ward, Zheng Shaowen and Master Zhang were gone. Following Zhang Xiao’s instructions, Jiang Kongqing placed the straw doll on her father’s chest. She then pulled the nail from the doll’s back. The lock of hair bound to the nail smoldered, releasing a thin wisp of blue smoke, which swiftly turned to ash.

Jiang Kongqing seemed to see a formless, gray mist rise and drift toward her father, slipping into his body through his nostrils.

They waited, but her father showed no sign of waking. Jiang Kongqing turned to Zhang Xiao, anxious. "What’s happening? Why isn’t my father awake?"

Zhang Xiao smiled. "Be patient. When a soul returns to the body, it takes time for the mind to recover."

After a while, Jiang Yan’s fingers twitched, and his eyelids fluttered open.

Relief washed over Jiang Kongqing as she saw her father awaken at last.

"What happened to me?" Jiang Yan’s eyes were not fully open, but his awareness had returned. Seeing his daughter’s worried face, he spoke softly.

"Dad, you fainted earlier, but you’re all right now." Jiang Kongqing held his hand, smiling.

Jiang Yan gave a noncommittal hum, then noticed Zhang Xiao standing by. "And this is…?"

Zhang Xiao, undaunted, smiled and raised his hand in greeting. "Father-in-law, I’m your son-in-law, Zhang Xiao."

At this, Jiang Kongqing shot Zhang Xiao a fierce glare before turning back to her father. "Don’t listen to his nonsense, dad. You’ve just woken up—rest for a while."

Still groggy, Jiang Yan only nodded and closed his eyes to rest.

Seeing her father asleep, Jiang Kongqing gestured for Zhang Xiao to leave the room with her.

In the corridor, she crossed her arms and fixed Zhang Xiao with a stare. "Thank you for what you did. Don’t worry, the Jiang family will show our gratitude."

Zhang Xiao grinned. "If you really want to thank me, lend me the Goddess’s Tear."

Jiang Kongqing thought he was hinting at marriage. Irritated, she replied, "Are you ever going to stop? I’m already engaged—you’ve met my fiancé."

"You don’t like him, do you?" Zhang Xiao asked suddenly.

Jiang Kongqing was taken aback, staring at him in a daze. Zhang Xiao smiled softly. "It’s clear from the way you look at him—you don’t like him. If that’s true, why go through with it?"

She lowered her head, her tone subdued. "Born into a family like mine, some choices aren’t ours to make."

Zhang Xiao’s expression sharpened, even angered by her answer. "That’s nonsense. If a person can’t even choose their own fate, what’s the point of being human at all?"

Jiang Kongqing didn’t argue, only smiled faintly. "If you were in my place, maybe you wouldn’t say that. But let’s get back to the point. Why do you insist on getting the Goddess’s Tear? What do you want it for?"

Zhang Xiao smiled knowingly, his tone calm. "I need it to prolong my life."

Jiang Kongqing frowned. "What kind of nonsense is that? Are you being serious or not?"

Clearly, she didn’t believe him, thinking Zhang Xiao was just being glib.

He shrugged. "Believe it or not, it’s up to you."

He stroked his chin. "There’s something odd about what happened to your father."

Jiang Kongqing, tired of correcting his way of addressing her father, frowned. "I think so too. But who would do such a thing? And for what purpose?"

Zhang Xiao looked at her strangely. Feeling uncomfortable, she asked, "Is there something on my face?"

He sighed, covering his forehead with one hand. "You really aren’t very bright, are you? First, no one would be stupid enough to set up a formation in such an obvious place. That means the person didn’t really intend to kill your father, but wanted to achieve something else. Second, think about today—of everyone you saw, besides me, who else could have solved this?"

The realization dawned on Jiang Kongqing. "You mean Master Zhang?"

Zhang Xiao shrugged. "It must be him, but he’s just following orders. As for who gave those orders, I don’t need to say, do I?"

Following orders? Who else could it be but Zheng Shaowen?

"But why would Zheng Shaowen do this?" Jiang Kongqing was confused. Their wedding was next month—the Jiang and Zheng families were about to be joined. Why would he risk doing something so foolish now?

"Maybe he just wanted to impress you. After all, you don’t treat him like a bride-to-be would treat her fiancé. Watching him fawn over you at the hospital made it obvious—men crave the adoration of women," Zhang Xiao pointed out.

"Unforgivable! How could he do such a thing!" Jiang Kongqing was furious. Her father was the only family she truly cared for—how could she not be angry?

They lingered in the corridor for a while. Later, when Jiang Yan awoke, Jiang Kongqing told him everything that had happened. He, too, found it hard to believe Zheng Shaowen would do such a thing, but he trusted his daughter implicitly.

She then introduced Zhang Xiao, and upon learning he had saved him, Jiang Yan was deeply grateful and promised a generous reward.

However, when Zhang Xiao said all he wanted was the Goddess’s Tear, Jiang Yan’s face darkened in embarrassment. "Zhang Xiao, it’s not that I’m stingy. You saved my life—if you wanted something worth fifty million, even a hundred million, I wouldn’t hesitate. But the Goddess’s Tear is your mother’s dowry for Kongqing…"

Zhang Xiao smiled gently. "I understand, so as I said, if I marry your daughter, that’s enough."

Jiang Kongqing hadn’t expected Zhang Xiao to bring this up again and blushed. Jiang Yan was momentarily stunned, thinking to himself how greedy this young man was.

He could not agree to such an absurd proposal, but didn’t want to offend Zhang Xiao either. He forced a smile. "To be honest, Kongqing is already engaged to Zheng Shaowen, and the wedding is next month. If you want any other reward, just name your price and I’ll see to it."

Zhang Xiao looked puzzled. "If you know Zheng Shaowen orchestrated this, why are you still marrying your daughter to him?"

Jiang Yan looked at Jiang Kongqing with guilt and sighed. "Frankly, I have no choice. In recent years, I don’t know why but the Jiang family business has been in decline. Branches have closed, major projects slipped away, and now we’re barely holding on. Without the Zheng family’s support, the Jiang Corporation will soon vanish completely."

Zhang Xiao retorted, "If you’re so broke, why pretend otherwise? You said you wouldn’t blink at a hundred million..."

Jiang Yan flushed, realizing he had indeed exaggerated earlier.

Then Zhang Xiao said, "Actually, the reason for your family’s decline isn’t what you think. Someone’s been sabotaging you from the shadows."

Jiang Yan and Jiang Kongqing were both startled.

"What do you mean?" Jiang Yan pressed.

With a touch of reluctance, Zhang Xiao replied, "All right. Since you’re my future father-in-law, I’ll help you one more time."