Banzhuan got a seal, after passing this tribulation, it was going to leave.
Lu Junqing really wanted it to stay, but he knew it couldn’t be forced, so he prepared a bunch of its favorite cat snacks and cans, and with Master Pengpeng and others, they reluctantly sent it to the Luo River behind the community.
“Banzhuan, goodbye, if there’s a chance later, come back and visit me. Next time, no matter what you become, I’ll try to recognize you,” Lu Junqing said.
“Meow——” Banzhuan meowed, staring at him with green eyes for a moment, then picked up a can, turned, and ran along the riverbank.
Soon, the cat’s figure merged with the night, disappearing.
Lu Junqing rubbed his eyes, his voice choking: “The wind by the river is so strong, it makes my eyes hurt.”
Guo Jinta didn’t expose him but patted his shoulder: “Let’s go back.”
The group started walking back.
On the way, Lu Junqing kept asking Master Pengpeng, “Sister, do you think I will be able to see Banzhuan again?”
“Maybe,” Master Pengpeng smiled.
“But if it appears again, it’s probably asking for a different seal.”
Lu Junqing didn’t understand: “What?”
Yan Jing glanced over, speaking in a calm tone: “Do you think I look like a human?”
Master Pengpeng glanced at him, grinning: “Yes.”
Yan Jing: Okay.
Yan Jing closed his eyes, endured it for a moment, but couldn’t hold back, flicking her forehead with his finger. “You’re so smart.”
“Ow!” Master Pengpeng, realizing her fault, didn’t retaliate, just rubbed her forehead.
“Be gentle, Brother, it hurts.”
“Stop pretending. I didn’t use force,” Yan Jing said with a mix of amusement and irritation.
But after the little hit, his mood improved quite a bit.
Lu Junqing finally realized and said nervously, “Ah, I should tell animals I meet in the future that they look like something.”
Guo Jinta paused thoughtfully: “Shouldn’t we run if an animal starts talking?”
Lu Junqing: “You don’t understand because you don’t have cats.”
Guo Jinta: “That just means we don’t have cats, so we’re normal.”
The two bantered, and the somber mood lightened.
Soon, they returned to the neighborhood.
Master Pengpeng checked the time, about to say goodbye, when suddenly a two or three-year-old child appeared from the roadside greenery, running toward Lu Junqing with arms wide open, calling out, “Uncle——”
The child stumbled, waddling like a penguin learning to walk.
“Kele, stop running!”
Lu Junqing startled, rushing to her in three quick steps, but it was too late.
Little Kele tripped and fell right in front of him, making an “ouch” sound.
Everyone nearby felt a pang of worry.
Fortunately, Kele, though her face was scrunched up in pain, didn’t cry but instead clutched Lu Junqing’s shirt and tried to comfort him, saying, “Uncle, I’m fine, don’t worry.”
“Got it,” Lu Junqing chuckled helplessly, lifting her up and looking to the other side of the greenery, where Kele’s mother was on the phone.
Seeing him glance over, she waved.
Guo Jinta approached: “Is this your niece? She’s so well-behaved!”
“Kele is well-behaved, but she’s also used to falling,” Lu Junqing said, his heart aching.
It turned out that Kele’s mother was his cousin, also living in the same neighborhood.
They often visited each other, and Lu Junqing was especially fond of Kele.
But Kele was nearly three years old, and she still had difficulty walking.
Usually, children start walking around one year old, and by two years old, they can run.
Kele learned to stand and walk at the usual age, but for some reason, she still couldn’t walk steadily.
Not only did she trip when running, but even while walking, she often fell flat.
Her family had taken her to see many doctors, but no one could figure out the cause.
They had hoped she would improve as she got older, but now at nearly three, things hadn’t changed.
It was starting to worry them.
Kele probably knew she was causing the adults concern, so she’d learned to endure.
Even when she fell, she didn’t cry out, making people feel even more sorry for her.
“Speaking of which, Kele should be going to kindergarten soon. I’m not sure how that will work out,” Lu Junqing sighed.
At this age, children need to interact with their peers, but kindergarten can be risky with so many children.
Teachers can’t always watch them, and an accident could happen.
Lu Junqing had only complained casually, not expecting an answer, but then Yan Jing, who had been quiet until now, suddenly spoke, “There seems to be something on this child’s foot.”
Lu Junqing paused: “What?”
At that moment, his cousin Yao Jia finished her phone call and walked over, calling out to Kele, “Baby, have you finished talking to Uncle?”
“Mom,” Kele happily walked over and grabbed her hand.
Yao Jia greeted Lu Junqing, noticing that several of his friends were with him, so she didn’t want to bother him further.
She smiled, “Then I’ll take Kele home.”
As they were about to leave, Master Pengpeng suddenly stepped forward, blocking her path.
“Wait a moment.”
Yao Jia, confused: “Is something wrong?”
Master Pengpeng smiled, “Kele fell just now, and there’s some dust on her clothes. Let me brush it off.”
Without waiting for a response, she bent down and lightly brushed Kele’s clothes. Fine dust drifted down.
The dust was a whitish-gray color, and there was a faint scent of sandalwood.
Yao Jia felt something was off, but before she could ask, Lu Junqing exclaimed, “Cousin, look!”
Yao Jia followed his gaze, her eyes widening in surprise.
The dust had settled evenly at Kele’s feet, forming a thin layer.
In the center, there was an oddly distinct two-finger-wide mark, which appeared to be as if a rope had tied Kele’s feet together.
Yao Jia’s heart skipped a beat, looking at Master Pengpeng: “What is this?”
Master Pengpeng wore a knowing expression and said, “This is called a ‘trip rope.’”
“A ‘trip rope’ was a funeral custom from older times. In remote areas, after someone passed away, a hemp rope was tied around the deceased’s ankles to prevent the body from rising during thunderstorms or when small animals passed by. This was to prevent a ‘resurrection’ where the body could stand up and grab things, which was terrifying.”
“This rope was usually removed before burial, but sometimes it was forgotten. It would go with the deceased into the afterlife and even into their next life. Those reincarnated with the ‘trip rope’ would often have trouble walking steadily.”
“Looks like Kele might be one of them.”
Master Pengpeng’s action of sprinkling incense dust was a ritual derived from old customs to verify the presence of spirits returning.
Yao Jia now understood, realizing this wasn’t a medical issue.
She was both excited and surprised, asking, “Master, can you fix it?”
Master Pengpeng smiled, “Don’t worry, this is simple.”
She called Kele over and performed a ritual using a piece of yellow paper, igniting a flame that flew toward Kele’s feet.
The fire spread, and black smoke emerged.
“Don’t be afraid, it will be over soon,” she reassured Kele.
When the ritual was finished, Kele was asked to run.
This time, her steps were steady and fast.
“I won’t fall!” Kele excitedly shouted.
Yao Jia, overjoyed, hugged her tightly.
“This is great!”
Lu Junqing didn’t expect that inviting Master Pengpeng would also solve his niece’s walking problems.
He was so excited he stuttered, “Sister, you’re my only sister!”
Yan Jing: What’s wrong with these college students?
They speak just like Master Pengpeng, no sense of boundaries!
Yao Jia reached out again to hold Master Pengpeng’s hand, expressing her thanks repeatedly and insisting on giving her a red envelope.
She was curious how someone so young could understand such things.
“I know the answer to this question!”
Guo Jinta interrupted, “Our older sister’s university major is magic, she’s amazing!”
Yao Jia: Yao Jia went into a daze again, but she recovered quickly and commented, “Luckily you’re young, you’re quick and flexible. If someone older had come to tell me directly just now, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
Everyone chuckled in understanding.
Such matters were indeed hard to say directly, the underlying reasons were clear without needing to be spoken.
Of course, Master Pengpeng was able to think of the “trip rope” so quickly because of Yan Jing’s hint.
She glanced at him with a smile, saying, “Brother, your eyes are still so sharp!”
Yan Jing: He pretended not to hear and instead checked his watch, coolly saying, “It’s too late, let me send you home.”