Judge of Souls - Chapter 63

After a while, Jiang Feng finally shifted his gaze away.

“Mommy, will he take me away?” the child asked with relief. “He was scaring me. He’s very powerful, so I can’t protect you.”

Yang Huan murmured, “No…no one can. Mommy will protect you.”

Yang Huan stared ahead unfocused, feeling somewhat panicked inside.

Kong Su had survived a major calamity and miraculously met a Taoist priest who helped him. Perhaps he already knew the whole thing was related to her.

Even if he hadn’t known before, now that he discovered she was raising a Kumanthong, he would certainly be suspicious. She specifically brought a Taoist priest to her film set this time, which showed hostile intentions. When he found the opportunity, he would definitely try to snatch the child away from her.

Someone like her always thought herself very unfortunate, with a miserable and tragic life experience, but in reality, she was much luckier than others. She had talent and good fortune. She could easily gain fans’ sympathy and audience’s favor. Even without following the unspoken rules, she could have her day of success. She even met a manager who truly took responsibility for his artists.

Adding up all these conditions, such people were rare. Looking across the entire entertainment industry, there were too few like her.

Then there was her personality.

For despicable people, selfishness is their nature; for open-minded people, generosity is also their nature.

She didn’t know how many lucky factors were needed to become someone like Kong Su.

Yang Huan sat lost in thought, her fingers pinching the edge of the script until it deformed. The director called her name twice before she stood up and walked toward the camera.

She was completely out of it today. Her expressions were stiff, her movements awkward, and she repeatedly messed up her lines. But since she wasn’t someone who relied on acting skills to survive in the industry anyway, the director, after retaking a scene several times with poor results, disappointedly let her pass.

When it got dark, Yang Huan’s scenes for the day were finished. She returned to the hotel with her assistant.

Jiang Feng didn’t have any tasks today either and was staying just three rooms away from her.

Yang Huan clutched her makeup bag and took small steps to an empty utility room on one side.

After confirming there were no surveillance cameras and no one would come by, she unzipped the bag and took out the contents.

First, she hung the amulet tube she had obtained from Thailand around her neck. Inside the tube was the Heart Sutra handwritten by Luang Por himself, which was said to be good for turning luck around, dispelling disasters, and calming the mind. After touching it, she indeed felt her chaotic thoughts become more peaceful.

She summoned her courage and took out a piece of wood. The wood was carved into the shape of a girl, vividly lifelike. A plump white body with eyes narrowed in a smile, looking very cheerful.

Following what she remembered the Ajarn had done, she placed the kumanthong on the ground. She wrapped a red string around its neck, covered it with a charm paper, and then lit it.

Her hands were shaking as she lit the fire. When she saw the red string burn through, she immediately put away the lighter, stepped back, and pressed tightly against the door.

The flames spread along the red string to the kumanthong, turning into a pure blue that completely enveloped the wooden figure.

A girl with small braids appeared in front of the wooden figure, tilting her head as she looked at her.

“Go…” Yang Huan swallowed hard, “Scare them away!”

The girl squatted confused in place, seeming not to understand what she said.

Yang Huan didn’t dare stay long. She felt afraid just seeing the little ghost, so she averted her gaze and rushed back to her room.

****

In the next room, Jiang Feng came out of the bathroom wiping himself with a towel. Zhang Yangyang was sitting in the living room haggling with the hotel staff. In the end, he successfully pressed the compensation amount down to fifteen thousand.

Seeing him looking so pleased despite losing a large sum of money, Jiang Feng asked, “How much did Gao Yuqing give you?”

“Twenty thousand!” Zhang Yangyang said with a grin.

Jiang Feng: “How many months did he hire you for?”

Zhang Yangyang raised his head and said, “Just one month? I told him I need to go to class.”

They had already started the school year.

Jiang Feng: “Then you can take the money and go back to class.”

Gao Yuqing didn’t really need him to do anything. He could stay by himself. Besides, his soul-leaving aftereffects were still present, and paired with Kong Su… it might trigger some very strange reactions.

“Am I that kind of person? Ugh.” Zhang Yangyang stood up and said, “Dinner just arrived. I was waiting for you. Let’s go.”

He placed the food box on the cabinet by the door, intending to go back and get it. He passed around the corner and found a two or three-year-old girl shakily holding his takeout floating against the wall, preparing to steal a bite.

Zhang Yangyang blinked, frozen in place, and instinctively looked toward the main door.

Wasn’t it closed?

“I’m hungry,” the girl asked in a soft voice. “Big brother, can I eat this?”

“Huh? Oh.” Zhang Yangyang nodded dazedly. “You… you go ahead?”

The girl put the bowl on the ground, sat down, grabbed the front ends of the chopsticks, spread them into a large figure-eight shape, and leaned down, struggling to pick up the noodles.

Zhang Yangyang half-squatted and asked, “How did you get in?”

The noodle went into the girl’s mouth, slid freely down her throat, and then silently fell onto the thick carpet below.

“……” Zhang Yangyang, “……”

He was about to make a swift exit when a pair of hands landed on his shoulders from behind, pressing him back down. Part of the fingertips touched his neck, cold with a hint of moisture.

Zhang Yangyang was so frightened his soul nearly scattered, his scream caught in his throat without coming out. As he was about to faint, the person leaned in closer.

Zhang Yangyang’s eyeballs trembled as he turned to confirm it was Jiang Feng’s face, and he was so moved that tears nearly spurted out.

“Are you…” Zhang Yangyang asked miserably, “here to claim my soul?”

Jiang Feng: “Shh.”

The girl was eating very seriously, frowning slightly as she sent the noodles to her mouth bit by bit.

All the noodles fell straight to the ground.

Although her mouth was completely empty, she would still carefully chew three or four times, then make a swallowing motion.

After finishing the noodles, she picked up the bowl and started drinking the broth in small sips.

Zhang Yangyang watched with a bewildered expression.

The girl turned the white porcelain bowl upside down, unable to pour out anything more, then brought it in front of the two men and lowered her head saying, “I’m done eating.”

Zhang Yangyang cowered, retreating behind Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng asked, “Are you full?”

The girl shook her head. “I’m still hungry.”

Zhang Yangyang immediately gripped Jiang Feng’s arm tightly, his fingers still trembling a bit.

The girl licked her lips, which were bright red. “I’m so hungry.”

“Mmmmmm——!” Zhang Yangyang’s whole body bristled with goosebumps. “Next she’s going to say ‘Can I eat you?’ I guarantee from my many years of watching ghost movies that the smaller the ghost, the scarier it is!”

Jiang Feng: “……”

Zhang Yangyang: “Stop it! What are you still looking at?!”

The girl just held the bowl closer to herself, pressing it against her chest. With her head lowered in disappointment, she slowly began to cry.

Zhang Yangyang was thrown off by her crying, losing his strength and not knowing what to do as he watched her.

The girl sobbed, “I really want a mommy too.”

Zhang Yangyang: “Well, where is your mommy then?”

Girl: “Don’t know.”

Zhang Yangyang said: “She even has an accent?”

Jiang Feng: “……”

“I’m so hungry,” the girl said, turning the bowl over. “Why can’t I get full? Am I eating too much?”

Zhang Yangyang said with a grim expression. “No. You’re not actually eating anything at all. By the way, do ghosts need to eat noodles?”

Jiang Feng held his phone in one hand, asking Chu Xuanliang how to feed a ghost. After figuring it out, he brought over another bowl of noodles and placed it in front of the girl.

He had Zhang Yangyang get a candle from the front desk, stuck it in the noodles, and told her to eat.

Jiang Feng gestured. “Inhale.”

The girl held the bowl and inhaled forcefully, then said happily, “I can taste it!”

Zhang Yangyang asked, “Is it good?”

The girl nodded.

Zhang Yangyang, seeing such a normal ghost for the first time, became excited and said, “Let me tell you, barbecue is also delicious, and that other thing…”

Jiang Feng stopped him just in time. “Do you want to raise a little ghost?”

Zhang Yangyang quickly came to his senses and shuddered. “No way!”

This little ghost should be a kumanthong being raised, or more accurately, being abused.

She was starved to this state. But her nature wasn’t bad.

Today at the film set, he only saw traces of a little ghost around Yang Huan, most likely released by her.

Kumanthongs were from the Buddhist tradition. Jiang Feng asked Chu Xuanliang to come over and take this little ghost to some monks to see if they could help her move on.

He went back to the room to change clothes, telling Zhang Yangyang to keep an eye on her first.

The girl asked, “Will you leave?”

“Yes,” Zhang Yangyang thought she would miss him and said, “We’ll stay for a few days and then go. I don’t raise little ghosts, okay?”

The girl asked, “Then can you tell them you were scared away by me?”

Zhang Yangyang asked in confusion: “Me? I can, sure.”

Girl: “Then I’ll go back and tell her!”

“Tell who?” Zhang Yangyang tried to grab her. “Who sent you to scare us?”

The girl had already eagerly passed through the wall.

Jiang Feng came out half-dressed and asked, “Where is she?”

Zhang Yangyang spread his hands, “I don’t know!”

Two seconds later, a terrified scream came from the empty hallway.

Zhang Yangyang: “…Now I know.”

****

The girl stood in front of the bed, timidly pinching her ear and said, “I scared them away, Mommy.”

“I am not your mommy!” Yang Huan anxiously unfastened the amulet tube from her neck and threw it at her, cursing, “Get out! Get out of here!”

The girl was hit by the amulet tube, which burned like fire, causing her to hold her head in great pain. “Don’t hit me——“

Jiang Feng and Zhang Yangyang pounded on the door outside. “Open up! Open the door quickly!”

Yang Huan jumped off the bed, went over and grabbed the doorknob. Seeing Jiang Feng standing outside, she froze with her mouth open for a moment, then tried to close the door again.

Zhang Yangyang was quick, using his body to crash into the door.

Yang Huan fell to the ground, almost in tears, and said, “What… what do you want?”

Zhang Yangyang hesitated briefly but still went around her to check on the girl’s condition.

Jiang Feng looked down at Yang Huan coldly, scanning her and indeed found another kumanthong.

Whether kumanthongs were Taoist sorcery or Buddhist cultivation, someone like Yang Huan–

“You don’t deserve this.”

Jiang Feng reached out and forcibly pulled the little ghost hidden in her necklace.

When Yang Huan saw the white light float out and heard a child’s voice crying “Mommy” next to her ear, she quickly reached out to grab it. However, the soul reached Jiang Feng’s hand first.

“No——no!” She hugged Jiang Feng’s leg and cried, “Give him back to me, please. He has been with me for many years, he’s my only child. I’m really begging you…”

People from outside rushed over and, seeing this chaotic scene, stopped at a distance of three to five steps away.

The director asked, “What are you doing?”

Yang Huan suddenly shouted loudly. “Give him back to me!”

The director asked sternly, “What is it?”

Jiang Feng raised his empty hand high, indicating there was nothing.

“She’s hallucinating,” Jiang Feng said. “She says there’s a ghost here.”

Kong Su, wearing a bathrobe, exclaimed softly, “Oh my!”

Yang Huan shook Jiang Feng while crying. “Give my child back to me, give him back to me!”

Everyone frowned.

The production assistant asked, “Should we take her to the hospital?”

“Of course,” the director said with a grim face. “Don’t let the reporters see this.”

Kong Su looked at her current state and felt quite uncomfortable. She said with a forced laugh, “She probably got too deep into her role. I remember Yang Huan only had a dog, which just died a few days ago. Jiang Feng, could it be that she lost some memento?”

Jiang Feng raised his hand and tapped her forehead. Yang Huan, who had been crying hoarsely, immediately rolled her eyes and fainted.