Chapter 136: The Requiem Ritual

Huang Ying took off her bathrobe and lay flat on the bed.

Gu Xiangnan turned his face away, feeling too embarrassed to look.

"Professor Gu, I will have to trouble you."

Gu Xiangnan turned his head back to take a look.

Although there were quite a few scars on her body, they could not completely conceal her graceful curves.

"Such a beautiful back, burned like this. What a pity," Gu Xiangnan sighed.

"What did you say?" Huang Ying asked nervously, raising her head.

"Oh, nothing! I mean, from top to bottom, front and back, even between your toes, I have to apply it all..."

"It is indeed a bit awkward. Are you sure?"

Gu Xiangnan hesitated to mention that certain private parts also needed to be treated with the scar-removal cream.

Although Huang Ying was a spy, she had never had a boyfriend.

Being touched by a member of the opposite sex naturally made her feel somewhat shy.

Then she thought to herself, hadn't she been completely naked a few days ago while soaking in the medicinal bath?

"Professor Gu, let's close the curtains and turn off the lights. If you can't see, won't it be better?" Huang Ying suggested.

Seeing her so insistent, Gu Xiangnan decided to comply.

In the darkness, Gu Xiangnan scooped up a palmful of scar-removal cream and rubbed his hands together to warm it up.

Then, he pressed both hands against Huang Ying's body.

The initial touch felt somewhat soft.

Gu Xiangnan rubbed a couple of times, and Huang Ying did not dare to struggle.

She softly uttered, "Professor Gu, could you change the spot?"

Gu Xiangnan immediately understood which area she meant.

However, his task was to cover her entire body with the scar-removal cream.

He then needed to use the Juyuan Palm technique to warm and massage the area for rapid absorption.

"Oh, sorry! I'll finish as soon as possible."

He accelerated his pace.

In the dark environment, when the eyes could no longer be used at all, the other senses became exceptionally acute.

Including... the sense of touch!

Gradually, he heard some enchanting yet restrained sounds.

Gu Xiangnan knew she was not doing it on purpose.

Once the application was complete, he used cloth strips to wrap Huang Ying's face and body first.

Since she had not fully recovered yet, if she were to see her current face, her mind would likely collapse from the shock!

After finishing these tasks, Gu Xiangnan washed his hands and went downstairs.

Zhang Baolian was sitting on the sofa live-streaming. Seeing him come downstairs, she immediately turned off the broadcast.

Gu Xiangnan also walked over and sat on the sofa.

Zhang Baolian leaned in close to him and smiled mysteriously.

"Xiaonan, what was going on just now?"

"I heard it all downstairs, and the viewers heard it too. My streaming channel almost got banned!"

Gu Xiangnan glanced at her sideways and said with disdain, "I was treating Huang Ying. Stop talking nonsense!"

At that moment, footsteps came from upstairs. Huang Ying had put her bathrobe back on and walked down.

Zhang Baolian went up to greet her in astonishment, "Oh my, why are you wrapped up like a mummy?"

"It will take a few more days of treatment to heal," Gu Xiangnan explained impatiently.

Just as Huang Ying sat down next to Zhang Baolian, Zi Xiaoyin walked into the house.

"Since everyone is here, there is something I'd like to discuss with you all."

Zi Xiaoyin walked over.

The others all looked at her together.

"Tomorrow is the seventh day since my mother's passing. I want to hold a memorial service for her."

Time flew by so fast!

Zhang Hongmei had already been dead for six days.

Previously, in order to save Huang Ying with all their might, Yang Dingfeng had sent people to help handle the funeral arrangements and returned with the ashes.

Now that Huang Ying had been rescued, Zi Xiaoyin decided to make up for the lack of a proper memorial service.

"That definitely needs to be done. If we prepare today, there's still time!" Gu Xiangnan was the first to agree.

Huang Ying nodded repeatedly as well.

Yet Zi Xiaoyin seemed to have something else on her mind, hesitating to speak.

Gu Xiangnan asked with concern, "Little sister, is there anything else? Feel free to say it."

"I... I have an idea..."

She hesitated for a long time before continuing, "Is there any way I can see my mother one last time?"

Gu Xiangnan was stunned for a moment before he spoke: "Why must you see godmother?"

"Actually... not really. It's just that her passing was too sudden. I... truly wasn't prepared."

As she spoke, Zi Xiaoyin's eyes turned red.

Gu Xiangnan could not bear to see girls cry, especially when the girl was his own younger sister.

He looked at Zhang Baolian for help.

Zhang Baolian understood instantly, sighed, and persuaded: "Xiaoyin, it's better not to do this. Once a person passes away, the best destination is to be reincarnated as soon as possible."

"If she is summoned back forcibly, it will do no good for her or for us."

"In short, I will not help with this favor."

Zi Xiaoyin said petulantly, "Then I'll go find another Daoist priest!"

"Don't! You won't find a better Daoist priest than me, I can guarantee that! Most of those who willingly offer to summon souls for you are frauds."

Zi Xiaoyin's spirit deflated, and tears immediately streamed down her face.

Panicking again, Gu Xiangnan quickly leaned close to Zhang Baolian's ear and whispered: "Quick! Think of a way. Don't let my sister be sad."

Zhang Baolian rolled her eyes and said to Zi Xiaoyin: "Stop crying. We Daoist priests cannot allow ghosts to stay in the mortal realm, but we can perform transcendence rituals."

Seeing that they did not understand, she added: "During the transcendence ritual, I will set up an altar and perform rites, allowing the ghost to appear briefly. Once I hand the soul-guiding lamp to the ghost, they can go to reincarnation."

"By then, you can quickly say whatever you want to each other."

Upon hearing this, Zi Xiaoyin was overjoyed and thanked Zhang Baolian repeatedly.

The transcendence ritual could only be held at night.

After midnight tonight would mark the seventh day since death.

Zhang Baolian began to busy herself preparing the items needed for the ritual.

In folk customs, the seventh day refers to the seventh day after a person's death.

The ancients believed that day was the soul-returning night.

The deceased would return to the mortal realm to take one last look at their family.

After dark, the group arrived at the back street of the traditional Chinese medicine university.

They set up the ritual altar inside Zi Xiaoyin's home.

Previously, when Zi Xiaoyin was selling pancakes, she had been harassed by a group of foreign men, and Zhang Hongmei had been pushed down and injured.

Later, their home had been ransacked by people sent by the Dibang family.

Therefore, upon returning, they first cleaned up the place.

After working for three hours, they finally cleared the house.

Zhang Baolian placed Zi Xiaoyin's small desk right in the middle of the living room.

She pulled a piece of yellow silk from her pocket and spread it over the table.

Then she took out an incense burner, candles, fresh flowers, and joss paper and arranged them on the table.

Right in the center was Zhang Hongmei's urn, with her portrait placed in front of it.

Zi Xiaoyin stood before the portrait, tears bursting from her eyes.

"Mom~~"

She broke down and wept for a while.

Zhang Baolian advised, "Xiaoyin, stop crying for now. If Auntie sees you like this, she surely won't be able to let go, and it will affect her reincarnation!"

Zi Xiaoyin, still dazed and sorrowful, obediently wiped away her tears.

Zhang Baolian then pulled a mirror out of her bag and placed it on the table as well.

Gu Xiangnan asked curiously, "Seventh Senior Sister, what is the mirror for?"

"Be careful and don't break the mirror," Zhang Baolian pushed him aside and explained, "Soon Xiaoyin will be able to see Auntie's face in the mirror."