Xu Zifan put the little boy to sleep in the bedroom and immediately notified Cheng Zhuang to invite Cheng's father over. Only then did Cheng's father realize that Yu Cailan had actually gone to Qingfeng Temple for help. He felt extremely ashamed and arrived with a very sour expression.
Yu Cailan was startled when she saw them coming. She choked up and said, "Lao Cheng, I really have no choice. My baby is my heart and soul. Now he doesn't recognize me at all and talks nonsense all day long. I can't take it anymore. I want my baby to come back."
She lowered her voice and said, "If outsiders find out, they might spread rumors, which wouldn't be good for you. I only humbled myself to ask Master Qingfeng for help because I'm doing this for the good of my family. I thought that as a woman with a mother's heart, it's not shameful for me to humble myself. I didn't expect him to bring you here. I didn't think things through."
Cheng's father was very angry, but after hearing what she said next, his anger subsided somewhat. This matter had become quite ugly; people were already asking him about it. What if word got out that his youngest son had become mentally ill and didn't recognize his biological mother? What would become of his reputation? This woman came from an ordinary background, but fortunately, she always thought of him first, so there was nothing to be ashamed of.
Seeing that Yu Cailan had easily appeased her father with just a few words, Cheng Zhuang scoffed sarcastically and followed the young Taoist priest into the house first. Once everyone was seated, Yu Cailan, unable to find her son, anxiously asked, "Taoist priest, how is the baby? Is he alright? Why did you call Lao Cheng and Xiao Zhuang here?"
Xu Zifan placed a carved bronze mirror on the table. "No rush. This child's matter is closely related to Mrs. Cheng's past; it's Mrs. Cheng's karmic debt. I think it's inappropriate to do things according to Mrs. Cheng's wishes. It would be better to invite Mr. Cheng and his son here to explain the situation. As a family, shouldn't we be clear about everything?"
Yu Cailan's face changed drastically, and she exclaimed in disbelief, "What nonsense are you talking about?!"
Cheng's father sensed something was wrong and gave Yu Cailan a suspicious look. He said in a deep voice, "Master Qingfeng, what does my wife intend to do to Xiao An? What do you mean by 'karmic debt'? Please explain yourself clearly."
"Master Qingfeng!" Yu Cailan called out softly, her eyes wide with panic as she glared at Xu Zifan. "Don't talk nonsense! I've come to beg you only to save my son!"
Xu Zifan remained unaffected by her and calmly said, "Mrs. Cheng wanted me to eliminate the violent soul within Young Master Cheng and restore him to his original obedient self. However, after my examination, I discovered that the current Young Master Cheng is the truly complete Young Master Cheng. In other words, his previous obedience was due to the absence of a part of his soul, which made him incomplete. That's why he was so obedient to Mrs. Cheng, trying to please Mr. Cheng and help Mrs. Cheng achieve her wishes."
Cheng's father had a bad feeling. Before Yu Cailan could speak, he stopped her, glaring at her and scolding, "Whether he's talking nonsense or not, I'll listen to him myself. Now shut up! I don't want to hear another word from you!"
Yu Cailan flinched, then immediately turned to look at Xu Zifan pleadingly. Cheng's father shook off her hand and gritted his teeth, saying, "Master Qingfeng, please continue!"
Xu Zifan took a sip of tea and said, "Since Young Master Cheng's soul is now intact, I naturally cannot destroy him, otherwise Young Master Cheng will die. The reason I invited you two here is to discuss how to handle this matter. The reason why Young Master Cheng's personality has changed so drastically is because Mr. Cheng Zhuang was possessed by a ghost before and brought a strong ghostly aura home, causing Young Master Cheng to be tainted by the ghostly aura."
Yu Cailan immediately felt a glimmer of hope, "So it was Cheng Zhuang who harmed the baby like this? Is that right?"
Cheng's father glanced at Cheng Zhuang, who said with dissatisfaction, "What does this have to do with me? Daoist Qingfeng, you've picked a fight with me time and time again. Are you targeting me? Didn't you just say that boy was this woman's sin? Why are you dragging me into this? Could it be that she bribed you to frame me?"
Cheng's father slammed his hand on the table. "Enough! You two shut up! Aren't you embarrassed enough already?"
Yu Cailan and Cheng Zhuang looked away from each other, their mutual disgust reaching its peak at that moment. Yu Cailan hoped that all the blame lay with Cheng Zhuang, who resented his stepmother's petty scheming.
Xu Zifan waited until they quieted down before smiling and saying, "Listen to me, gentlemen. The ghostly aura on Mr. Cheng Zhuang's body activated the memories in Young Master Cheng's soul, like a key that made Young Master Cheng's soul whole. The reason he targeted Mrs. Cheng is because he has been by her side for twenty years."
Yu Cailan realized something, her face turned pale, and her eyes were filled with terror.
Xu Zifan looked at her and said, "That's right, just as you thought. Young Master Cheng's soul is the child you aborted, your second son. The things you did to induce the abortion severely abused the fetus in your womb, causing him to become an infant spirit unable to leave. He stayed by your side for many years and was reborn as your child, your third son—Young Master Cheng. His body is your third son, but his soul is your second son. He is your karmic debt, here to settle accounts with you."
Xu Zifan spoke slowly and deliberately, which made Yu Cailan's heart clench, her face turn pale and her body go limp!
"No, impossible... How... how could there be ghosts in this world? Impossible, you're talking nonsense..." Yu Cailan retorted, but her mind was racing through the past twenty years. No wonder she was so unlucky and had such a hard time. It turned out that there was a little ghost causing trouble for her!
These past few years... these past few years were only peaceful because the little ghost was reincarnated and she gave birth to him. But now this little ghost has had his memories awakened by Cheng Zhuang's ghostly energy and is tormenting her again. He's here for revenge!
Yu Cailan was terrified. Her eldest son had once caused his father's death, and she believed in such things deep down. She was truly afraid; she couldn't even care less about her father.
Right beside him, she anxiously begged Xu Zifan for help, "You must have a way, you must have one, right? You are a Taoist priest, you can't let this little devil harm people, especially his own mother, that's unfilial! He'll be struck by lightning! You must subdue him!"
Xu Zifan asked calmly, "I just said that destroying his current soul is the same as killing him. Does Mrs. Cheng mean that your son should die?"
"I...I didn't..." Yu Cailan stammered, covering her face and crying, "Then what should I do? Do you want me to die? What did I do wrong? I became a widow, leaving my hometown to work hard, and I can't even support myself. What's wrong with me aborting him? Do you want him to be born and suffer with me? I had no choice..."
It took Cheng's father a long time to sort out these things before he finally asked, unable to bear it any longer, "Xiao An... is Xiao An really my child? Is he still my child?"
"That depends on how you interpret it. His body is your son, that's true, but his soul is clearly Mrs. Cheng's child with her previous husband." Xu Zifan said this deliberately, and sure enough, he saw Mr. Cheng's face turn ugly, with a hint of disgust.
Given Cheng's father's personality, how could he possibly tolerate such a son? This isn't just a wandering ghost; this little devil is also his wife's son with her ex-husband. In his eyes, that's just too disgusting. Isn't it like raising someone else's son after all? Just look at how much trouble that kid has caused these past few days, and you'll know he'll never be tamed!
Cheng Zhuang said, "Dad, I don't care about what happened before, and I don't mind having a few more younger brothers and sisters, but Xiao An is no longer my brother. He's a little devil who's looking to settle scores with Yu Cailan. Do you still want a son like that?"
I told you I was possessed by a ghost, but you didn't believe me. Lately, I've been pale and weak at home, and all the gigs I've been offered have fallen through—I've had terrible luck! It's all because I've been exposed to a ghost. That little ghost's entire soul is a reincarnated ghost; what kind of mess will it make of our family?
"At that point, he'll probably ruin your official position, my career, and everything our family has. He's here for revenge!"
Even if Cheng's father thought so in his heart, he couldn't say it in front of outsiders. He raised his hand to interrupt him and frowned, saying, "I will consider this matter. We'll talk about it when we get back."
Cheng Zhuang thought he was going to protect the mother and son, and he was furious. He stood up and said, "I don't agree to bringing any ghosts home, and Yu Cailan is not allowed to go back either. Who knows what kind of bad luck they will bring? Dad, even if you don't think about yourself, you should at least think about your descendants, right? This little ghost is so powerful. We've consulted several masters before, but they couldn't solve it. Don't you take it seriously?"
These words struck a chord with Cheng's father, who was indeed terrified! That little ghost had come to take revenge on Yu Cailan, and he was Yu Cailan's bedmate. Who knew if he would be implicated? Moreover, the thought that his youngest son, who used to call him "Dad" so sweetly, was actually a vengeful ghost reincarnated gave him goosebumps.
He recalled what Cheng Zhuang had encountered in Haishi. He hadn't believed it before, thinking Cheng Zhuang was deliberately flattering Jiang Tianxin to get his approval for their marriage, but now it seemed the incident was true. When he came to the Taoist temple, he saw Jiang Dong and Luo Chen, and heard from Cheng Zhuang that they were also on the film set at the time, which stirred something within him.
"Master, why weren't Jiang Dong and Luo Chen affected after that ghost incident? Even if they weren't possessed, they were still in close contact with the ghost, weren't they?"
Xu Zifan smiled and said, "Xin Xin dispelled the ghostly energy from them, so they are naturally fine."
Cheng Zhuang exclaimed in shock, "Tianxin, you can exorcise ghosts? Then why didn't you exorcise one for me? I haven't been feeling well lately, and I even fell ill. Why...?"
Jiang Tianxin gave him a strange look. "You didn't ask me to exorcise the ghost energy for you, and I told you I wouldn't take your orders. Go find someone else."
Cheng's father told Cheng Zhuang to shut up, too lazy to listen to his useless talk, and asked Xu Zifan directly, "Since you can expel ghosts, Xiao An should be fine here. Things have been very unsettled at home lately. I think it would be better to let my wife and Xiao An stay at the Taoist temple for a while. Let them burn incense and pray for blessings to calm their minds. I also ask the Taoist priest to find a way to resolve this matter."
Yu Cailan exclaimed in surprise, "Lao Cheng, what do you mean? Are you saying I can't go home?"
Xu Zifan spoke at the same time, "It's fine for Young Master Cheng to stay at the Taoist temple. I will take care of his safety. However, Mrs. Cheng... I'm sorry, she cannot stay at the Taoist temple. The Taoist temple does not allow such filthy people to live there."
Yu Cailan hadn't figured out how to appease Cheng's father when he struck her with those words, causing even Cheng's father's expression to change. "What filthy person? I already mentioned Cailan's abortion; it was a helpless act. Isn't it excessive for the Taoist priest to speak of my wife like that?"
Xu Zifan held the carved bronze mirror up to him, ran his hand across it, and said with a smile, "Mr. Cheng, see for yourself."