I turned sideways to see who was pounding my back, only to realize I was still sitting right there in the library. The one drumming my back like a pair of tiny fists belonged to Xiao Shu.

“What happened?” I looked around, not seeing the hunchbacked old woman who had just been speaking with me. Confused, I looked at Xiao Shu and asked, “I was clearly talking with that hunchbacked granny in the hallway just now. How did I end up back here? Where is she?”

“Your soul wandered off. I called out for ages and got no response, so I had to pound your back hard to make you uncomfortable enough to snap back into your body.” Saying this, Xiao Shu narrowed his eyes to slits and leaned in to ask in a low voice, “What did the hunchbacked granny tell you?”

“She told me about Wang Jue. Your analysis was right; Hua Jinlan has taken over Wang Jue’s body, and she’s the hunchbacked granny’s daughter,” I said.

Hearing this, Xiao Shu wasn't surprised and continued to probe, “Did she tell you how to get Hua Jinlan out of Wang Jue’s body?”

I shook my head, suddenly remembering the peach twig she had given me. I reached into my jacket pocket and felt around—the peach twig was indeed there.

“The peach twig?” Seeing me pull the twig out of my pocket, Xiao Shu exclaimed excitedly.

“Is it that dramatic?” I was startled by his shout and drew back the twig I was about to hand him. Before I could bring my hand back to my chest, Xiao Shu snatched the twig, brought it close to his eyes, and scrutinized it.

“I’ve only ever seen references to the peach twig in books; I’ve never seen the real thing. Legend says that if you pick a fresh, tender branch from a peach tree over three hundred years old, let it dry in the wind for seven times seven—forty-nine days—until all the moisture is gone, this thing can soothe the soul, allowing a restless spirit to fall into a deep sleep so it stops causing trouble. However, the soul will wake up again at the sound of a rooster crowing.”

“The hunchbacked granny already told me that. She told me to place the peach twig on Wang Jue when he wasn't paying attention, and that would put Hua Jinlan to sleep, allowing Wang Jue’s soul to emerge.” Saying this, I took the twig back from Xiao Shu, carefully wrapped it in a paper handkerchief, and placed it inside my inner coat pocket.

When my soul had left my body earlier, Xiao Shu had been buried in his books. I wasn’t sure if he’d gleaned anything useful, so I moved closer to him and tapped the massive stack of books, “I’ve made some breakthrough progress here. What about you?”

“Sigh,” Xiao Shu sighed. “If she wanted to leave on her own, the problem would be much simpler. Previously, I successfully helped Ah Li’s birth mother by reciting the Sutra of the Original Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva for forty-nine consecutive days. However, I secretly recited the sutra seven times for Wang Jue last night. It seemed to have little effect, other than making the possessing spirit slightly more docile.”

“No wonder Wang Jue hid in his room alone last night. When he came out this morning, his mind was much clearer. That must be your doing,” I complimented him.

Xiao Shu smiled shyly. “Heh, it’s hardly an achievement. I was just trying things out; I wasn't very confident. The book says that to subdue a spirit unwilling to leave its host, one needs to find the host's original body, bury it facing south while oriented north, and then invite an eminent monk to perform a ritual so the spirit can achieve transcendence.”

Just hearing that gave me a headache. Where in this day and age can one find an eminent monk? The last time I was eating noodles by the roadside, I ran into two monks in robes. Although they ordered two bowls of vegetarian noodles, they specifically asked the owner to add extra lard. The monks dared not openly consume meat and fish, but petty theft and finding loopholes were commonplace. With that level of spiritual discipline, where would one ever find an eminent monk?