Chapter 2656: Chapter 2656: Being Trapped In The Past

"So, do you remember exactly what your answer to that man was? Did you ultimately agree to help him with the construction of a custom ward for his home?" Yu Qi asked, her voice brimming with a quiet intensity, wanting to uncover every specific detail of that strange and fateful encounter.

"Of course not. Even though I possess some degree of talent in the craft, I am not nearly powerful enough for such a task. I refused the man’s request immediately and without hesitation." Chang Shuchun answered, her eyes still visibly clouded with a lingering sense of confusion.

"Then what happened next?" Yu Qi pressed gently, her tone soft and careful not to overwhelm the woman further.

"I remember that the man stared at me with an intense, piercing gaze for a moment before finally turning and leaving my stall. I did not think much of it at the time and simply continued my work as I usually would. After the sky turned dark, I packed my things and left the area to return home. That was truly the last thing that I can remember." Chang Shuchun recalled the memory seemingly fading once more into a dark, empty, and suffocating void.

Indeed... It was exactly what Yu Qi had suspected might be the grim truth of the situation. Master Chunwei had kept her in a state of spiritual stasis, specifically in order to harvest her innate power. Her physical body would have aged naturally, but her consciousness would have remained frozen in the very moment of her initial capture.

"Since you possess knowledge regarding spiritual matters, you probably understand the reason why you have lost three years of your life." Yu Qi stated while looking directly at Chang Shuchun.

Chang Shuchun realised something profound in that moment, and her eyes went wide with a sudden, sharp horror.

"You mean..." Chang Shuchun whispered, unable to finish her words as the realisation took hold.

"Yeah... You probably have not wandered aimlessly for three years. You were being held in a spiritual tether. To your mind, it feels like only yesterday because your soul was suppressed by the fuel of illusions within that house. You were essentially being used as a living battery." Yu Qi said, laying everything out clearly and directly.

Chang Shuchun could not process all of the information in one go. The weight of the revelation was staggering.

"So... Because of my supposedly good luck, I was treated as nothing more than a battery by that man?" Chang Shuchun mumbled weakly, her voice trembling.

Yu Qi knew it was incredibly hard to accept something so cruel.

"How do you know that man? How are you involved?" Chang Shuchun asked, turning her gaze back to Yu Qi.

"Someone wanted to steal my own luck and sought out that man to perform the ritual. I followed that woman and found her with him. It seemed, however, that the man was not performing the ritual of stealing luck, but rather a ritual of summoning something else entirely." Yu Qi said, thinking back on the dark details of the matter.

"You mean... He was summoning a demon?" Chang Shuchun was visibly shocked to hear such a thing from Yu Qi.

Her master had warned her before that there was a forbidden ritual for summoning a demon. However, it had long been prohibited by all sects because the spiritual backlash was known to be extremely severe. It might even take the life of the very person who dared to summon the demon.

"Hmm... Probably... However, that man was being eaten alive by the very thing that he summoned." Yu Qi stated with a chilling calmness.

"Then, where is that creature right now?" Chang Shuchun asked anxiously, her breath catching in her throat.

If the creature were loose in the human realm, it would be immensely dangerous to human society. Someone needed to take care of the creature immediately, whether by killing it or by forcing it back to its original place of origin.

"No need to worry about that. It has already gone back to its original place." Yu Qi said.

"You mean... You were the one..." Chang Shuchun was utterly surprised, her eyes searching Yu Qi’s face.

Yu Qi merely offered a small smile and did not say anything else on the matter. She did not feel the need to explain the details of the supernatural execution.

Chang Shuchun understood the silence immediately. Not many people in their world wanted to expose their true abilities unnecessarily. She assumed Yu Qi must be an exceptionally skilled exorcist from a different sect than her own.

Speaking of sects, she suddenly remembered her own home.

"My sect..." Chang Shuchun choked out, her voice becoming thick with a mixture of dread and longing. "It is the Heavenly Crane Pavilion. I am an orphan, so I have no parents to go back to. The Sect is my only true family. They raised me, taught me the delicate art of ink, and gave me a purpose in life. They must have been searching for me all this time. Oh... Master must be absolutely devastated."

Yu Qi had heard about that particular sect as well. Some prominent businessmen liked to call upon those people to take care of their feng shui and spiritual alignment. So, the Heavenly Crane Pavilion Sect was indeed Chang Shuchun’s home.

Yu Qi reached out, placing a firm, stabilising hand on the woman’s shoulder. She could sense that Shuchun’s primary fear was not of punishment, but of the deep pain her disappearance had caused the people who loved her.

"I have heard about the Heavenly Crane Pavilion before. It is well-known for its righteousness and integrity. Your master will surely be delighted to hear from you again." Yu Qi said, smiling warmly.

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