A crisp and steady sound of footsteps came from outside the lounge.

The pace was regular and restrained. The force of each step and the time interval between every two steps were uniform. The speed was a little slower than his parents’ and siblings’ usual pace, but it could definitely be considered fast.

It was a very unfamiliar and powerful sound of footsteps.

Fang Ji was drawn to this sound, his attention slightly pulled away from his emotions.

“Spirit Channeler.”

…A guy who deceives people with spiritual and divine arts.

Fang Ji judged so unceremoniously in his heart.

He found it ridiculous that his second brother would invite such a person, and even more ridiculous that he could agree to meet them.

…But.

Even if they were a fraud, if they could act a little more convincingly, and let him reminisce about his brother for a little while, then, then that would also be…

The footsteps stopped outside the lounge. The door was pushed open.

Fang Ji couldn’t help but look up.

The person who came in was a young man who should be slightly older than him, about the same age as his second brother. He was wearing a set of clothing similar to a Taoist robe, with a crown on his head. All his hair was tucked into the crown, with only two wisps of hair scattered outside.

But for some reason, the other party covered most of their face with a mask, leaving only a pair of indifferent eyes exposed, yet it inexplicably made people want to get close.

So strange.

Such a cold person.

Had he met him before?

He hadn’t.

Then how could he feel a sense of closeness to such a person?

Just as Fang Ji was confused and bewildered by the visitor’s attire, the spirit channeler glanced at him lightly, closed the door behind him, strode forward, and sat down by his bed.

“Hello, Young Master Fang.”

The unfamiliar, concise, and almost indifferent greeting interrupted Fang Ji’s reverie.

Fang Ji snapped back to reality.

Fang Ji: “…Hello.”

Fang Ji subconsciously adjusted his image, straightening his curled-up legs and hiding them under the quilt.

His voice had become hoarse from crying so much these past few days, not as pleasant as before, and even had a rough, grinding quality.

He watched as the spirit channeler, without asking, pulled over a table from the side, opened a handbag, and took out various yellow talismans, candles, cinnabar, white cloth, and other things. He instinctively felt a little uneasy.

He didn’t know where his sense of dread came from.

Perhaps it came from the foolish meeting, or perhaps from the ridiculous expectation.

In short, it was an emotion that even he himself found laughable.

The spirit channeler ignored his unease.

He spread the white cloth on the table, placed the candles and yellow talismans on it, muttered unfamiliar syllables in a low voice, and then sprinkled yellow powder on the white cloth.

The powder was evenly distributed on the white cloth.

After doing all this, the spirit channeler raised his eyes and once again cast his gaze on him.

“I sense your unease and doubt.”

The spirit channeler suddenly spoke, his voice calm.

His thoughts and emotions suddenly exposed, Fang Ji clutched the quilt tightly.

Fang Ji: “…This happened a bit suddenly.”

He paused, then said, “I’ve never seen so-called spirit channeling, let alone expected my second brother to find a spirit channeler for me at a time like this.”

The spirit channeler nodded indifferently. “I also didn’t expect that Fang Lian would have a day where he would ask for my help. I remember he has always been a staunch materialist and even ridiculed me for it quite a few times during college.”

Although he said so, there was no anger or mockery in the spirit channeler’s words.

He was just calmly stating a fact.

Fang Ji apologized on behalf of his second brother. “I’m sorry.”

The spirit channeler said, “But this is the mainstream thinking in the current world. There is no fault in this; on the contrary, it is a good thing.”

Fang Ji was a little puzzled.

The spirit channeler explained, “This shows that the order of the present world is stable, the living are spiritually rich and full of yang energy, and few yin souls dare to show themselves.”

Fang Ji listened in a daze, feeling that this seemed to make some sense.

The spirit channeler continued to take out props, saying, “Fang Lian asked me to come over, hoping that I would channel the spirit of the deceased and summon back his soul to comfort the living. That person is your brother, right? Do you know his birth date and time?”

Fang Ji clutched the colorful knitted hat in his hand and replied, “I… I don’t know. Can spirit channeling let me see my brother?”

The spirit channeler glanced at him indifferently.

This gaze did not make him feel cold. It was more like a gust of clear wind in winter, just passing by him. He was not in the wind’s eyes, nor would it stop for him for a moment.

The spirit channeler said, “No.”

For a moment, Fang Ji felt an indescribable sense of grievance and anger.

Since it was all a scam, why couldn’t they even put on a full act for him?

The spirit channeler said, “But it can allow you to have a brief conversation with the deceased.”

Fang Ji: “…”

Fang Ji couldn’t help but ask, “A conversation? How do we talk? Face-to-face? Can I hear my brother’s voice? How long can the conversation last? Will the one I’m talking to really be my brother?”

The spirit channeler ignored his first few questions and said, “The duration of the conversation is related to the strength of the deceased’s soul, generally three to ten minutes. I can’t be sure of the exact time. So to be on the safe side, for the first channeling, please hurry. If you have anything you want to say or ask, say it as soon as the channeling begins. Don’t dawdle.”

“As for whether the spirit being channeled is your brother, you can judge for yourself through the conversation.”

Calm. Calm. Calm.

This is a fraud. A fraud. A fraud.

He can channel my brother. Channel my brother. Channel my brother.

Brother. Brother. Brother!

Fang Ji’s heart was pounding.

He was lost, he was terrified, he was uneasy, and he secretly hoped.

His throat tightened as he asked, “What will happen if the power runs out? Can I really hear my brother’s voice? It’s not a recording, not someone faking the voice, right? When do we start? Do I need to cooperate in any way?”

The spirit channeler looked at him with a peaceful gaze. Fang Ji didn’t know if it was his imagination, but he actually saw a trace of imperceptible softness in the other party’s deep and profound indifferent eyes.

The spirit channeler replied, “Generally, nothing will happen. I will do the preparation work. You only need to provide the deceased’s birth characters. Once I receive Fang Lian’s reply, I can start setting up the formation.”

The spirit channeler said, “But there are a few precautions you need to remember firmly.”

Fang Ji: “Go on.”

The spirit channeler said, “First, during the entire channeling period, you cannot try to peek at the ritual and the soul in any way. This includes, but is not limited to, peeking with the naked eye or electronic products. Otherwise, the yang energy of the living world will burn the soul of the deceased, causing the deceased’s soul to scatter and have no chance to enter reincarnation.”

Fang Ji’s eyes widened, and he gasped.

The spirit channeler continued calmly, “Second, during the entire channeling period, you cannot touch or damage the channeling formation in any way. During the setup of the channeling formation, you also cannot interrupt the channeling process in any way. Do not make a sound, do not move. Once the formation is damaged, the channeling channel will collapse, and the soul of the deceased will also be scattered because of it.”

Fang Ji’s body tensed. He stood with his mouth half-open, his gaze dazed, but he couldn’t say a word.

The spirit channeler: “Third…”

Fang Ji’s voice trembled slightly. “There’s… there’s more? Isn’t… isn’t this channeling method a bit too dangerous?!”

The spirit channeler glanced at him strangely. “Of course it’s dangerous to forcibly summon the soul of the deceased to the world of the living.”

The spirit channeler paused. “So, in order to protect the safety of the deceased’s soul to the greatest extent, before the channeling ritual begins, I need to inspect the room and impose some restrictions on your actions and vision.”

Fang Ji: “Restrictions…?”

The spirit channeler calmly took out three things from his handbag—

A wide black light-blocking strap, a pair of silver-white iron handcuffs, and a bundle of coarse hemp rope.

Fang Ji’s eyes widened, and he sat up straight in tension.

His back was pressed tightly against the headboard, his hands clutching the bedsheets tightly.

Fang Ji: “These things aren’t going to be used on me, are they?!”

The spirit channeler looked at him strangely. “If not on you, then on me?”

Fang Ji: “…”

The spirit channeler’s phone chimed. He glanced down. “The ritual can begin. Have you made up your mind? Oh, don’t worry about safety. Your second brother is just outside the door. I can’t possibly touch you during a normal ritual. If at any time you feel something is wrong or unsafe, you can call him at any time.”

Fang Ji hesitated. “What if the channeling ritual isn’t finished and I make a sound? Then my brother’s soul will…”

The spirit channeler looked as if he had heard something funny. A hint of a warm smile colored his perpetually cool eyes. “If you trust me, you don’t have to feel uneasy. If you’re uneasy, it means you don’t trust me. Since you don’t trust me, then of course you don’t have to believe the consequences that come from my mouth.”

As the spirit channeler spoke, he took out a spherical object with a diameter of about thirty centimeters from his handbag and carefully placed it in the center of the white cloth on the table. He gently unfolded the white cloth wrapped around the sphere, revealing the round jade sphere inside.

Fang Ji did not pay attention to this action. He stared blankly at the spirit channeler’s smile, once again recalling his brother.

When he was alive, his brother’s eyes always carried a smile.

A smile much richer and gentler than this.

…But his brother did not receive the world’s tenderness. His brother was snatched away by the cold underworld.

Fang Ji’s emotions instantly fell back to rock bottom. He said, “Okay, I remember. Is there anything else I need to pay attention to?”

The spirit channeler said, “Nothing else. If you’ve thought it through, then sign this spirit channeling notice and liability waiver agreement. Next, I will use an instrument to check for cameras and listening devices in the room. You can take the opportunity to move your body a bit, otherwise you won’t be able to move in a while.”

Fang Ji: “…Master, you speak in such an ancient way, but your methods are quite modern.”

The spirit channeler was surprised. “Of course. I’m a modern person.”

After everything was completed, Fang Ji sat back against the headboard under the spirit channeler’s guidance. His hands were placed behind his back, his legs together in front, and they were cuffed in turn. The young master with the mask then used a rope to tie him to the headboard, asking in a low voice if the tightness of the rope was appropriate. Finally, he put the light-blocking strap on for him.

The cool back of a finger gently brushed past the corner of his eye, taking away a tear that had not yet been wiped away. This was the same cold constitution as his brother.

“The spirit channeling ritual is about to begin. If you have anything else to say, say it quickly. If not, please remain silent after the ritual begins.”

“…Is my second brother really outside? I want to call him to confirm.”

“You may.”

A hoarse voice called out loudly, “Second Brother! Are you outside!”

A loud shout came from outside. “I am!”

Fang Ji was visibly relieved. He said, “Okay, no problem. Let’s begin.”

The spirit channeler replied, “Mm.”

Fang Ji’s vision was now a field of darkness.

The light-blocking strap was wide, completely cutting off the light from above and below.

Even though he had just confirmed his second brother’s presence, as time stretched on indefinitely in the darkness, all kinds of emotions—anticipation, unease, regret, self-mockery, and confusion—were all infinitely amplified in this darkness.

…How could he really believe in such a thing?

Brother, can he really talk to his brother?

Is this really not some high-tech scam?

If he does this on the day of his brother’s funeral, will he, will he…

The sound of deliberately lightened footsteps echoed clockwise in the room.

Starting and stopping.

During this time, there were some rustling sounds, as well as the uninterrupted low murmuring of a spell.

…It looks very professional.

Can all this… be real?

Can he really talk to his brother?

Does he really have a chance to ask his brother what he wanted to say in that phone call?

Does he really have a chance to tell his brother in person that he didn’t intentionally not answer the phone at that time?

Can he… can he really say to his brother that he misses him very much?

No. That’s not right. Calm down. Feudal superstitions are all lies. He can’t…

Brother. Brother. Can he really channel his brother?

Brother… calm down… brother… calm down… brother…

He didn’t know how much time had passed.

All time in the darkness seemed to be cut into thin strips, infinitely slowed down.

His mind was a mess, countless emotions and thoughts jumbled together.

Finally, the footsteps faded away, the door opened and closed, and the room was empty.

After a few minutes of silence.

In his ear, a familiar voice came softly, from far away.

“…Xiao Ji?”

A gentle voice, as always.

Carrying his brother’s unique tone, like a warm breeze in spring, it lightly brushed against the tip of his ear, caressed his forehead, and finally gently covered his eyes, soaking the light-blocking strap before them.

Fang Ji felt his throat being gripped tightly.

The tip of his nose tingled, his eyes moistened, and his mind was a blank.

His head turned stiffly towards the direction the voice came from. In his blank mind, all thoughts of “confirming identity” and “not being deceived” all vanished without a trace.

He opened his mouth, and a hoarse and dazed voice leaked from his throat. “…Bro-ther?”