Chapter 123: Your Family Is Such a Mess...

Although Katherine was busy drawing prizes and chatting with her viewers, she still caught every word of the conversation between Ling Mo and Vayne. Seeing Vayne’s gaze lock onto her, she was startled, leaping back several meters and striking a defensive pose against the "predator." She warned vigilantly, "Little Junior Sister, what are you trying to do? Master would never allow you to commit such an act of insubordination!"

Vayne ignored her. The starlight patterns on her mage robes began to shimmer; despite looking like a child's doodle, they now exuded an incredibly profound aura. As the orange crescent moon at the center of her chest began to glow, it seemed to create a terrifying vortex that distorted everything around it. Simultaneously, she began to chant an ancient, long-lost incantation:

"The deluded eye radiates piercing beams of light, the world's fog sweeps over all wandering lambs, the suppressed soul plays a symphony..."

"No way? Are you playing for real?!" Katherine cried out, then clamped her mouth shut. A searing blaze of Antuan fire erupted around her, and she prepared to strike first. Though she didn't know what trick Vayne was about to pull, interrupting her spellcasting was definitely the right move!

*Smack!*

Vayne’s spellcasting was cut short. Ling Mo landed a swift chop on Vayne’s head, dissipating all the strange energy surrounding her. Vayne clutched her head, glaring at Ling Mo with extreme resentment as she complained, "What was that for! My secret art, 'Soul Infusion,' was just about to be completed!"

Ling Mo pointed toward the opposite side and said, "Didn't you see that Katherine is clearly unwilling?"

"What does it matter if she's willing or not!" Vayne retorted angrily. "It’s not as if I’m taking over her body; it’s just a symbiosis like the one between me and my sister. Once we find a suitable vessel, we’ll leave her body immediately. What’s wrong with that? Senior Sister, do you agree to this?"

Hearing this, Katherine hesitated for a moment. It seemed she wouldn't lose anything in the process—she would just be acting as a vessel for a soul. Just as she was about to speak, she saw Ling Mo give Vayne a sharp tap on the head and scold:

"If only things were as simple as you say! During the soul infusion, if Katherine’s willpower is even slightly weak, she’ll be washed into a fool by the surging mental energy. Even if she miraculously survives the first hurdle, you two will inevitably fight for control of the body. The best outcome is reaching an unspoken agreement like you and your sister, but that rarely ends so peacefully. And one last point: it’s easy to shove a soul in now, but once your aunt’s soul has fused to a certain extent with Katherine’s body, how do you plan to pull her soul back out? Do you expect her to wait until she reaches the level of a Mage Saint and can control her own soul to some degree?"

Seeing Vayne fall silent, Ling Mo turned to Katherine and scolded her for being hopelessly naive: "When will you grow a brain? Do you just believe whatever anyone tells you? If I hadn't stopped you, were you actually going to agree? How long have you even known Vayne? You’d dare to lend out your own body?"

Katherine hurriedly explained, "No, no, Master, you’ve misunderstood! I hesitated for a moment, but I was going to refuse her! I’m not that stupid!"

"I hope so! I don’t want my first apprentice to be an idiot!" Ling Mo sneered. Then, he delivered a final blow to Vayne’s hopes: "Stop entertaining these twisted ideas! The matter of a 'land-bound spirit' is almost unsolvable! If it could be solved by something as simple as soul possession, then given the strength of 'Meng Po,' even possessing a Mage Saint wouldn't be difficult. She wouldn't be stuck selling cold drinks at the Naihe Bridge! Give up on this idea!"

Vayne was left speechless. Looking at her aunt, who stared back with blank eyes, she felt as if her heart were being cut by a knife. Her brain raced, but she couldn't think of any solution. Just as she let out a dejected sigh, ready to give up, Arctic Cat, who had been silent by her side, suddenly spoke:

"Regarding land-bound spirits, I once heard my master mention a way to save them."

"Really?!" Vayne rushed over to Arctic Cat, asking anxiously.

"It should be true..." Arctic Cat was startled and said flusteredly, "You know that in legends, cats have nine lives, so we have a deeper understanding of death. I once heard my master say that most ghosts are formed in two ways. The first is when someone dies before they even realize they are dead—the chance of these becoming ghosts is very small unless the environment is favorable and circumstances are just right. The other, more common type, is because they have an 'obsession' in their hearts and refuse to pass on."

"I know all of this," Vayne frowned. "I’ve seen such ghost-related knowledge in the underground library of Ivy University. What use is telling me this now?"

"The point is coming now," Arctic Cat said, slightly resentful that Vayne had interrupted her, though she dared not show it on her face. She quickly explained, "Clearly, your aunt, Ms. Miserya, became a ghost because of the first reason. In her mind, she is still living in the world constructed by Chen Xuliu's Star-Morning power, which is why she cannot leave and has become a land-bound spirit. If you trigger the obsession in her heart and make her a 'vengeful spirit,' she should be able to possess her 'obsession' and leave this place, right?"

Ling Mo looked at Arctic Cat and asked in surprise, "You and Zorro don't have the same master, do you? Zorro's master should be more proficient in astrology and wouldn't know much about these things, right?"

"That is correct, Watcher!" Arctic Cat quickly bowed to Ling Mo and replied respectfully, "My master is the great miracle mechanical life form, the Golden Fortress, Lord Meldyx! When it comes to the understanding of souls, even an eight-level magical beast like 'Meng Po,' a pure soul-based life form, cannot compare to my master!"

"If the Golden Fortress said it, then I believe it." Ling Mo nodded, turned to Vayne, and said, "Think for yourself: what or who did your aunt care about the most? You must think clearly. Based on my knowledge of the Golden Fortress, the methods this guy provides are one-shot deals. If triggering the obsession fails, I can guarantee your aunt will dissipate into nothingness, and there will be no way to save her!"

Seeing this method validated by Ling Mo, Vayne’s brain began to run at high speed:

"What did Aunt care about most? Magic research? Magical beast research? Her current project seems to be 'On the Worldview of Demonic Beings,' but that sounds like just work. I remember her saying she was so tired, didn't want to work, and wanted to bake cakes instead? She seemed to really like eating and making cakes? I remember when I was little, she often made super delicious cakes for my sister and me. Was that cake her obsession? No, no, she seemed to just like baking cakes, but she didn't really like eating them herself? Why would she only like making them but not eating them? Baking them with such care—who was she doing it for..."

Vayne muttered to herself at a rapid pace, and suddenly, she jumped up in excitement, exclaiming, "I remember! I remember! Aunt only baked cakes but didn't eat them because Dad loved cake! She was a hardcore brother-complex! We just need to call Dad over; he must be qualified to be her obsession!"