Having devoted myself to guiding souls, I was surrounded by them after my death.

"...Our school's choir is recruiting again."

"...Were you called in for a choir audition by Teacher X?"

……

There are still only a few fragments, chaotic and broken, like searching for a needle in a haystack, and it's impossible to recall any specific details.

She shook her head helplessly, her face flushed red.

"I can't remember."

However, Jiang Liu was not surprised. Instead, she said, "It's okay. Why don't you find a place to put your hand away? You mustn't lose this thing."

Chen Shi immediately realized that Jiang Liu wanted to speak to him alone.

"Yes, it does look a bit strange to be holding one arm."

Upon hearing that she could leave first, Su Yining immediately jumped up—Jiang Liu's aura really made her uncomfortable.

"Junior, I'll be going now."

Su Yining ruffled Chen Shi's hair, jogged to the door, then backed away a few steps, looked at Jiang Liu, and scratched her cheek.

"Um, Senior Sister Jiang? Thank you for today."

Jiang Liu was somewhat surprised, her beautiful eyes widened slightly, and then she smiled gently:

"You're welcome, junior sister."

"Oh, it seems the two beauties get along quite well." Chen Shi breathed a sigh of relief.

Su Yining then left, waving goodbye to Chen Shi before she did so, her pink lips forming a gesture:

"Let's chat later~"

They vanished in a flash, leaving only a faint fragrance of crape myrtle blossoms.

Just seconds after Su Yining left, Chen Shi received a message:

Su Yining: Let me know when you get home, okay?

It comes with a cute bear emoji with a wicked grin.

Chen Shi smiled unconsciously, then immediately turned off his phone.

"It's a pity. I thought you could trigger some kind of bond with Senior Sister Jiang, which would give you more ideas."

"On the contrary, it was precisely because I was there that she couldn't remember anything more."

Jiang Liu said:

“My aura as a ferryman is too strong, which is tantamount to pressure for spirits. Su Yining cannot relax in front of me at all. Memories are like quicksand. The more you try to grasp them, the faster they slip away.”

As she spoke, she looked at Chen Shi with her beautiful eyes:

“But you are different. I can clearly feel that the ghost senior is very relaxed in front of you, and even somewhat dependent on you.”

"Was this also inspired by the ferryman?"

“No, it’s a woman’s intuition.” Jiang Liu smiled meaningfully.

Hey, what's with that all-knowing expression?

However, Jiang Liu means... I have a chance to help my senior recall her memories?

But how do we do it?

Just as Chen Shi was pondering, Jiang Liu spoke again:

"So, junior brother, what do you want to ask me?"

"Hmm? Why did Senior Sister Jiang say that?" Chen Shi was somewhat surprised.

"Please, I'm your master. You think you can fool me?"

Jiang Liu pushed off with her long legs, gliding her wheelchair to Chen Shi's side, and playfully flicked his forehead:

"Kid, you've written 'Ah, I'm so confused, I really want to ask my all-knowing and all-powerful senior sister if she knows the answer' all over your face."

"Senior, you weren't like this when I first met you at school."

"That's only for external use; pretending is too tiring." Jiang Liu stretched, her body full and her shirt squeezed so tightly it looked like it would burst open at any moment.

"There is indeed something that concerns me, something about my memories..."

Chen Shi recounted the experience of being lost in memories while in the spirit cage.

However, as soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Liu's expression changed instantly:

"You mentioned a temple, seeking blessings... a bracelet? And you have no recollection of these things, and they're related to your mother?"

"That's a very good summary."

"Walk."

Jiang Liu carried the violin case, grabbed Chen Shi, and strode out.

"Hey? Senior Sister Jiang, where are we going?" Chen Shi was caught off guard and was pulled up like that.

"Take me to see your mother."

"???"

Chapter 47 Meeting the Parents

The summer breeze was sticky, and the hospital was not far from the music school, only a 20-minute drive away.

Having just experienced the dangers of a malevolent spirit and a top-tier malevolent spirit, Chen Shi suffers from PTSD whenever he sees a hospital.

"This is it."

After parking the car, he led Jiang Liu into the inpatient department with practiced ease.

The disinfectant mixed with the smell of medicine entered his nasal cavity, which surprisingly felt somewhat familiar to him.

Since then, Chen Shi has visited his mother at the hospital every few days. Although so many years have passed, his mother hasn't uttered a single word.

He turned several corners and entered the ward.

On the white bed, a familiar figure was sleeping peacefully.

"Mom, I'm here."

Chen Shi spoke to the room as usual, even though he knew no one would respond.

He approached step by step, sat down beside the hospital bed, and reached out to touch his mother's face.

Her face was somewhat thin, and her lips were pale. Through her eyebrows and eyes, one could tell that she must have been a beauty in her youth, with a delicate nose and a refined, gentle facial contour, though these features had been worn away by illness.

My mother's name is Shen Nian'an, which means "to wish someone peace."

At this moment, Shen Nian'an closed her eyes, her whole body quietly sinking into the bedding, her breathing steady, as if she were just taking a simple nap and would wake up at any time to call his name.

"Is this your mother?" Jiang Liu lowered her voice and glanced at the hospital bed.

"Yes." Chen Shi nodded and took a hot towel to wipe Shen Nian'an's face.

"let me see."

Jiang Liu gently placed her fingers on Shen Nian'an's forehead and slowly slid them down the bridge of her nose.

At the same time, her eyes narrowed slightly as she stared intently at that gaunt face.

"That's really strange."

"What's wrong?" Chen Shi asked anxiously.

"You said your mother was attacked by three malevolent spirits and then became a vegetable, right?"

Jiang Liu withdrew her hand, her expression solemn.

“That’s right, just six years ago.” Chen Shi nodded.

"Chen Shi, calm down and listen to me."

Jiang Liu took a deep breath, her tone grave:

"Your mother is indeed in a vegetative state, but rather than being unable to wake up due to severe injuries, it's more like something has been taken away from her."

"Take things away? My mom?"

Chen Shi was taken aback at first, then realized something and his eyes widened slightly.

“That’s right. Do you remember what happened after I cut open the three evil spirits with my knife?” Jiang Liu rubbed his fingers together, the bandage on his palm stained with blood.

"Those sounds!"

Chen Shi immediately realized that when Jiang Liu cut open the chest of the three evil spirits, many different human voices came from inside the three evil spirits.

No way...

A bad feeling began to emerge.

"Could it be... that three-faced evil spirit can take away a person's consciousness?" A chill ran down his spine.

"Very likely."

Jiang Liu looked at Chen Shi, a hint of regret flashing in her eyes:

"Your mother's consciousness was likely taken by the three evil spirits, which is why she has remained unconscious. As for the memory you lost, it may also be the work of that evil spirit."

These words immediately enlightened Chen Shi.

The memory of that day was so painful that he overlooked one thing—the three malevolent spirits entering their home was not accidental, but rather for some specific purpose…

What do the three evil spirits want about him and Shen Nian'an?

Speaking of which, the three malevolent spirits were also targeting Su Yining today.

Is there any connection between these?

Chen Shi sat down next to Shen Nian'an and reached out to brush aside his mother's stray hairs:

"In that case, we must investigate even more thoroughly."

Without even the slightest hesitation, he immediately rallied and said:

“This time, the three malevolent spirits came for you, Senior Sister. They failed, but they will definitely come again. We will encounter more and more of them in the future. Senior Sister Jiang, I will continue to investigate and continue to guide your spirit until I can become like you.”

Jiang Liu smiled faintly and reached out to pinch Chen Shi's cheek:

"Not bad! You have ambition, no wonder you're my junior brother!"

She thought to herself, "This child has a stronger mentality than I imagined. She's already witnessed the danger of a top-tier malevolent spirit, yet she's not afraid at all. Not bad, not bad at all!"

"Oh, right, there's one more thing."

Jiang Liu continued:

"I think I have some clue about that memory of yours, about the temple your mother mentioned."

"Really? Senior sister, you really are all-knowing and all-powerful."

"Alright, alright, no need for sweet talk."

Jiang Liu flicked his forehead, then immediately became serious:

"Lingyi Temple, you've probably heard that name a few times."

"I know, both the elite man and the arrogant crow said it."

"What the heck is 'tsundere crow'... never mind." Jiang Liu accepted the nickname in just 0.01 seconds, and then said, "Lingyi Temple is the core training center for ferrymen. Ferrymen value family and bloodline inheritance, and almost every ferryman will receive training at Lingyi Temple."

“I didn’t tell you before because I didn’t want you to get involved with those old fogies. But now it seems… that’s unlikely. Lingyi Temple is headed by the temple keeper, and I remember this generation’s temple keeper is quite young, right? She’s a girl, and I think she’s about your age?”

Jiang Liu sat by the hospital bed, arms crossed, and said:

“As a temple, Lingyi Temple occasionally receives visitors, but it depends on ‘fate’, which means looking at the person’s inspiration, and then giving them a token.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Shi's eyes widened slightly.

Jiang Liu paused, then snapped her fingers: