Chapter 111: The Ghost Raising Technique

After gathering the soul, the next step was to nurture the soul.
What was written in the book was similar to what Mo Qingyan had told me.
One had to find a place where yin energy gathered, use incense artemisia filled with yin energy, or simply use a coffin, and place the medium for raising the ghost inside, such as a paper figure or a wood carving.

Next, offerings had to be made.
There were offerings of living human blood, placing an extra set of tableware during meals, and offering several sets of toys.
The methods varied depending on the type of ghost.

Finally, there were the effects after successfully raising a ghost.
The most typical uses were to command the ghost child to bewitch someone and make them follow you, to make a man and a woman fall in love inexplicably, or to have the ghost help you directly acquire wealth.

Acquire wealth.
I remembered last night when Xia Yubing’s parents came to collect a debt, and then the rent was transferred to my account.
Was this raising a ghost to seek wealth?

“So? I didn’t lie to you, did I?”
“That’s what the book says.”
“At that time, you were being haunted by a malicious ghost, and your life was in imminent danger.”
“Although I also helped you invite a high monk to perform a deliverance ritual, it seemed Xia Yubing’s parents were not willing to wait.”
“Without using the paper figure possession technique, it’s hard to say if you could have survived that night.”
“And it was you and Xiao Qing who called me for help, you haven’t forgotten, have you?” Mo Qingyan said, sitting leisurely in her chair, still flipping through a book.
If you didn’t listen to her words, you would have thought she was just an ordinary literary girl.

I was speechless.
At that time, I was indeed being haunted by the ghosts of Xia Yubing’s parents.
They had directly placed the life-buying money on the table, and Xiao Qing had no choice but to ask Mo Qingyan for help.
But I still had a feeling that all of this might have been part of Mo Qingyan’s plan.

For example, could it be that she had used some method to incite the ghosts of Xia Yubing’s parents to attempt to possess a body, or had she already foreseen this development and, using a method she thought was safe, taught me to use the paper figure possession technique without telling me it was a ghost-raising technique?

“Senior Sister Mo, you clearly knew how dangerous a black art the ghost-raising technique was.”
“This book has warnings in many places that the ghost-raising technique is extremely dangerous and goes against the heavens.”
“Any slight deviation in any step could result in a backlash against the master.”
“And you still recommended that I practice this?” I held up the book and questioned her.

“There was no other way.”
“What I know are only these unorthodox methods.”
“After all, I am neither a high monk nor a Daoist priest.”
“And, compared to raising a ghost child, raising the ghosts of your parents is relatively safe.”
“A tiger, though cruel, will not devour its own cubs.”
“As long as you don’t go too far, they won’t do anything to you,” Mo Qingyan said with a smile.

The book did indeed mention the criteria for choosing a ghost.
The reason for choosing a ghost child was because ghost children were more obedient, easy to coax, and easily satisfied, and not prone to turning against their master.
But the best choice was indeed one’s own relative.
However, to turn one’s own relative into a ghost, making them unable to be reincarnated for all eternity, was such a vicious act that only a few extremely evil people would do.

“You’re quite lucky.”
“You happen to have two parents who are not related by blood.”
“And they have both already become ghosts, and even wanted to use you to possess a body.”
“You won’t have any moral or psychological burden.”
“Such a coincidental and good opportunity is hard to come by.”
“Others can’t find it even if they want to, yet you are still complaining,” Mo Qingyan said.

There were also particulars in using a ghost in the ghost-raising technique.
First of all, those who died a normal death would not become ghosts.
Only those who died an unnatural death, and had a certain amount of resentment, obsession, or unwillingness, could become the object of ghost-raising.

This was why in the soul-gathering stage, one had to go to the waterside where someone had drowned, or to a murder scene to gather souls, precisely to find those with resentment.
Someone like Xia Yubing’s parents, who were not my real parents but had a blood relationship, and who had just happened to become ghosts with resentment, were indeed an ideal object for the ghost-raising technique.

“But, I don’t want to raise a ghost.”
“Is it too late to regret it now?”
“Can I set them free, give them their freedom?” I tried to ask.

“What do you think?”
“You can see for yourself what’s written in that book, right?”
“The ghost-raising technique is perilous at every step.”
“Once you’re on this path, there’s no turning back.”
“If you set them free, they will kill you and use your body to possess a body!” Mo Qingyan said seriously.

‘How did it come to this?’
‘I did see it in the book.’
‘The medium for raising a ghost must not be destroyed, and one must constantly strengthen the restraints on the ghost.’
‘Once they gain a little bit of autonomy, it is very likely that they will turn against their master.’

“Actually, it’s not like there’s no way out.”
“Find a powerful exorcist, get a powerful artifact, and just have them both beaten until their souls are scattered.”
“That way, you’ll be completely free.”
“However, a true master will definitely question your practice of raising your parents as ghosts, and evil sorcerers are not necessarily trustworthy.”
“Anyway, I can’t do it,” Mo Qingyan said with another smile.

I fell silent.
Let’s not even talk about whether I could find such a person.
I wasn’t at the point where I wanted to beat Xia Yubing’s parents until their souls were scattered.
They were already pitiful enough.
I had also taken their inheritance.
To do so again would really be a loss of yin virtue.

“Let’s talk about this later.”
“The problem now is how to solve the current situation.”
“Those two ghosts can now open the door and go out to visit guests on their own.”
“Doesn’t this mean they already have the ability to move freely?”
“According to the book, I should be in great danger right now and must take measures!” I said.

“Mm, that’s true.”
“Actually, your progress has really exceeded my expectations.”
“I was originally planning to tell you about the ghost-raising thing in a few days.”
“I didn’t expect you to be able to raise the ghosts to the point of being able to form a physical body so quickly.”
“Your coming to question me directly today has caught me off guard,” Mo Qingyan said.

“Eh?”
I was also surprised by this.
I had thought everything was within her plan.
Mo Qingyan added, “Don’t disbelieve me, see for yourself how much time it takes to raise a ghost in the book.”

I flipped through the book again and saw the time required for raising a ghost.
Even in an environment with excellent conditions and offerings, it would take at least a month to raise a ghost form at the fastest.
Longer times would require ninety-nine eighty-one days, or even a whole year to succeed.

And from the time I sealed Xia Yubing’s parents in the paper figures until today, it had only been about a week, and they could already become indistinguishable from living people and go and talk to the neighbors.

This speed was abnormally fast.
When they were haunting me, they were still just two wandering ghosts who couldn’t even manifest a physical form.

The book also said that if one could find some evil objects and offer them up, it could enhance their ominous aura and greatly shorten the time for raising a ghost, such as yin dates, items with great resentful energy like murder weapons, body parts of the ghost when they were alive, and so on.
But where would I get these things?

“Even considering the element of life-buying, your progress is a bit too fast.”
“Not to mention Cao Bao didn’t even die.”
“Even if he had died, one person’s lifespan is not enough for two ghosts to take form.”
“This matter is indeed unusual.”
“How about this, I’ll go to your house tonight and take a look.”