[Chapter 118: Not a Human at All]
Rachel confirmed, "Yes, even during the day."
Daniel mused silently. This ghost was a bit strange.
The next moment, Daniel began to chant the Incantation for Purifying the Soul. As long as the spirit was still in this house, the incantation would certainly have some effect.
By heaven's order and earth's foundation, let corruption be scattered.
Let hidden darkness be dragged into the light and undone.
May the guardians of every direction stand witness and enforce judgment.
By sacred decree and sanctified seal, let this command be known above and below.
Let the wicked be bound, and the defiant be struck down.
Let hostile spirits be ended and their malice cut away.
By judgment without mercy where evil stands, be silenced and be no more.
He had only used the other version of the Incantation for Purifying the Soul last night, but back then it was to help six restless souls find peace. Now, saving ghosts had turned into killing ghosts. Immediately, that mysterious power became charged with lethal intent.
The force echoed throughout the entire house, confident that anyone within would be unable to escape. However, after Daniel finished chanting the entire incantation, nothing happened.
It only made Rachel feel that Daniel had become even more formidable. Moreover, the house itself seemed to shift somehow, growing more reassuring.
Daniel was uncertain what was going on. Mainly because the entity Rachel had encountered had no known beginning or end, and without any clue about the ghost's origin, he couldn't target its weaknesses.
Seeing that Daniel seemed to have finished the mysterious ritual, Rachel asked, "How is it?"
"No effect," Daniel shook his head. "Think hard. Have you really not provoked anything recently?"
Rachel thought bitterly. "Really not."
Daniel said, "How about this, you said this feeling of being watched started about a week ago. Do you still have your schedule from that time? Let me see it."
"I have it," Rachel replied. "I'll ask my agent to send it over."
As an artist, every day's schedule was meticulously arranged, handled by her agent and presented in written form.
After making a quick call, Rachel led Daniel to her study.
...
Before long, an email arrived. Rachel opened it, and a document appeared on the computer screen.
Daniel took a look -- it was a spreadsheet, which made everything even more straightforward and clear.
He scrolled directly to the schedule from a week ago.
It was clear Rachel had been very busy, with a packed agenda. Sometimes she even worked overtime. This also showed indirectly that she was truly starting to rise in fame, otherwise, these jobs wouldn't have fallen to her.
However busy she was, the schedule seemed very normal. Nothing suggested she could have provoked any ghosts.
Suddenly, Daniel's gaze stopped on one item in the schedule.
"You went to the hospital?" Daniel asked.
Rachel nodded. "Yes. I have a habit of regularly visiting a psychologist. You know how much pressure we have in this line of work."
Of course, Daniel knew this. Amanda had also been seeing a psychologist before. After meeting Daniel, Amanda's visits had decreased.
Going to a doctor was perfectly normal, but places like hospitals often saw various deaths. The chance of encountering malevolent spirits -- or even bringing them home -- could be higher.
Daniel asked, "Did you encounter anything abnormal or strange at the hospital?"
Rachel thought for a moment and shook her head. "I don't think so. Nothing strange."
"Do you remember the details of that day at the hospital? Tell me about it."
Rachel said, "I just went as usual to see my psychologist. But when I arrived, she was tied up and wasn't in the consultation room yet. So I chatted with another patient who was waiting there. After a while, the doctor came, and we ended the conversation and went into the consultation room. When I came out, the other patient had already left. I said goodbye to the doctor and left the hospital."
"So you met another patient outside the consultation room?"
Daniel had an instinct that this patient was more than she seemed.
"Yes, a woman, a bit older than me," Rachel confirmed.
"Do you remember if she greeted the doctor? Or if the doctor greeted her?"
After a brief recollection, Rachel suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "It seems she didn't. She waved to the doctor, but the doctor didn't respond at all. I didn't notice it at the time; I thought nothing unusual."
Daniel felt more certain that something was off about this patient. "You said after you came out, that patient was gone?"
"Yes."
"Then after you left, did the doctor continue to call other patients?"
Rachel recalled, "I don't think so."
Daniel's expression darkened. "Then it's very likely what you encountered was caused by that patient."
"How could that be? I only chatted with her briefly," Rachel was puzzled.
"Have you ever thought that she might not be human at all? And the doctor couldn't see her? That's why the doctor ignored her, and after you left, the doctor didn't call the next patient."
Rachel's face turned pale, and she gasped, "Not human?!"
"That's right," Daniel said calmly. "That was probably a wandering spirit lingering in the hospital, constantly searching for a spiritual anchor."
Rachel didn't understand. "What does that mean?"
Daniel explained, "Wandering spirits can't stay in the human world forever; they can only remain if they find something to bind them -- a spiritual anchor. This anchor could be an obsession, deep hatred, the inability to let go of a person, or something else they cling to. Before, this spirit hadn't found their anchor and was about to dissipate -- until you came along and talked to her. You became her spiritual anchor, and now she's entangled with you."
"What?" Rachel was startled. "But I just had a simple chat with her, only a few sentences."
"That's enough," Daniel said. "It's like when someone's drowning -- they'll grab at even a single straw to survive. Let alone someone who actually talked to her."
Rachel shivered with fear. "Then what do I do?"
Daniel smiled slightly. "Didn't you already find me? I'm handling it."
Rachel relaxed a little. "I was scared out of my mind."
Daniel said, "This is difficult to resolve. This wandering spirit is different from ordinary ones. Ordinary spirits I could have summoned long ago. Under the Incantation for Purifying the Soul, they would have long since experienced Soul Scattering. But she's still here. She must have extraordinary power."
Rachel didn't know what the Incantation for Purifying the Soul was, but she understood that this spirit was very strong and hard to deal with.
"Is there any other way?" she asked worriedly.
"Of course," Daniel replied. "We'll try tonight. It's daytime now, and the world stands under strong radiance, basically you can consider it as Solar energy. That's probably one reason she hasn't fully manifested."
...
Time quickly passed into evening.
Daniel and Rachel didn't stay home, they went out for dinner.
Rachel was anxious and had no appetite, but Daniel ate heartily.
Perhaps Daniel's relaxed and confident demeanor helped Rachel gradually ease her tension.
"Mr. Cross, I heard you're Amanda's boyfriend?" Rachel suddenly asked.
*****
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