Living Soul Enters Yin
After Qi Heng sat down half-believingly, Chi Xun repeated his previous movements smoothly and completely. Just this one time, he summoned Chi Huai's wandering soul accurately.
Chi Huai lay calmly on the bed and slowly opened his eyes. He did not use any force, and his legs did not move at all, as if they had lost their intuition, but he was able to sit up straight.
Seeing this, Chi Lu subconsciously wanted to call him, but fortunately Yuan Li covered his mouth in time.
Chi Huai slowly tilted his head until the tip of his nose was level with his shoulder. He raised his eyes and stared at the few people in a daze. He opened his mouth several times but could only utter vague grumbles.
Chi Xun found an unused yellow paper talisman, drew a pattern on it skillfully and quickly, and then immediately recited a whispered Sanskrit mantra.
Approaching the bedside, Chi Xun held one end of the talisman between his fingers and circled it twice around Chi Huai's head. After the talisman paper burned a little more, Chi Huai was finally able to speak a few words intermittently.
"Chi Lu, have you also come to the underworld?" Chi Huai suddenly choked with sobs and cried, "Why did you die too? We, we all died young. Well... it's good to have you as companions on the road to the underworld..."
Chi Xun whispered in Chi Que's ear, "Stand in front of me. Repeat what I say in the same tone you usually use when speaking to him."
Chi Huai nodded in agreement and walked slowly to stand in front of Chi Xun. He was timid and afraid of ghosts, but one day when the ghost he faced turned out to be Chi Huai, he didn't seem so scared anymore.
"Tell him that he is not dead, but was frightened out of his wits and lost his way. He can return to his body in the world of the living in time."
Chi Que organized her words and hurriedly explained to him, but Chi Huai refused to believe her: "Brother, please stop lying to me. If I'm not dead, then why was I taken away by the underworld? He said that I'm useless as a lonely ghost wandering the world and should have died long ago. It's better for me to go back with him and report to him."
"It doesn't matter whether he believes it or not. We have to make him tell us where he is, what's around him, what he saw and heard. The more detailed the better. We have to hurry." Chi Xun said.
Chi Que knew Chi Huai too well. He looked no different from a talking zombie. It was impossible to expect him to believe in himself in the short term.
If I keep arguing with him about whether he is dead or not, it will only be a waste of time. It is better to go with the flow and take a gamble.
Chi Que cried, "My dear brother Huai, I can't bear to hide this from you any longer. After you died, I was so angry that I damaged my heart meridians. I don't have much time left. The doctor said I won't live beyond tomorrow. I never thought that you would come to me in my dream. It seems that you and I are destined to die together. You wait for me where I am. We will reincarnate together and be brothers in the next life."
"Okay, okay... Brother, I'll wait, you..."
Chithrush nodded repeatedly and wept, "But where have you been? You must tell me so that I can keep the appointment."
When it came to the crucial question, Chi Huai suddenly dropped his head and stopped answering, staring blankly at the ground. Chi Yu continued to call out to him, and after a long while, Chi Huai finally cried out in frustration, "I don't know, I don't know, brother, I can't see you, brother, there are so many people, they, they are all so scary, I, I am so scared."
"Don't worry, tell me what's around you. The more detailed the better. That way, when I get to the underground, I can find you and stay with you."
"Here... before me, there's a road suspended in mid-air, with no end in sight. It's so wide, so wide that both sides are covered in strange red flowers I've never seen before, spreading from the road surface all the way to the bottom. The road is filled with people, some with broken bodies and limbs, some in tattered clothes, with terrifying faces. They all walk forward without a care in the world, but I dare not set foot on this road."
"Okay, okay, just stand at the beginning of the road. Don't follow them. Just stay where you are and wait for my brother. My brother will be here soon and we will be reunited."
Chi Huai had just finished saying "OK" and seemed to want to say something else, but suddenly he screamed in horror.
Before Chi Que could ask, Chi Huai had already fallen straight down and returned to his usual calmness.
"Is this the end? Lord Qi just said that everything will be fine as long as we send it away safely, but our original intention was to retrieve Chi Huai's lost soul. Since we can summon the soul, why can't we keep it and not send it away?"
Qi Heng nodded and said, "There are two types of summoned souls: those from the underworld and those from the living world. Wandering souls from the living world are unable to enter the underworld after death. These souls usually hold a lot of resentment, and if they are not sent away, they will be haunted by ghosts. However, if a soul enters the underworld, although it can respond, its soul body has never actually left the underworld. Do you understand, Chi Que?"
"I see. I was too impatient and had some unrealistic ideas." Chi Lu tried hard to maintain a stiff smile and pretended to be relaxed, but the redness in his eyes betrayed him.
"Since the soul-calling and asking for directions has been successful, it means that the lost wandering soul has not yet entered Fengdu City. There is still a chance."
Qi Heng spoke as he opened a large wooden box. Inside, a number of old scrolls were neatly stacked. "Help me open them and arrange them in the order listed below the scrolls."
Yuanli picked up one at random, searching for the name inscribed on the scroll. The name was written in extremely small, yet the handwriting was vigorous and elegant. "Wangxiangtai... Is this farewell painting the Thirteen Stations of the Underworld?"
"Yes, Xiang Yao got it from the most famous funeral shop in the Imperial Capital. The drawing may differ from the actual situation in the underworld, but it can be considered a reference. Let's take a look at them all. If we can find the most suitable one at once, we can save time and energy in the first few stops."
But several people, including a local dog, could not find the place that matched the painting. When they were at a loss, Chi Xun squatted down, took a fancy to a painting, picked it up and said, "Yellow Spring Road."
"Chi Xun, your painting isn't very reliable. While there's a long road, look, there are no red flowers there." Chi Huai was skeptical of his conclusion, yet inexplicably, he felt a deep faith in him. He hesitated and asked, "Are you sure?"
"No, but how many living people in this mortal world have actually walked through the thirteen stations of the underworld? Didn't Qi Heng also say that the painting is different from the actual appearance of the underworld? This painting is just a drawing by people who make a living based on the legends that have been passed down for who knows how many years. In my opinion, this painting is useless, but there are a few sentences in the description that should be true. The situation described by Chi Huai, besides the flowers, is most similar to the Yellow Springs Road. Instead of doubting my words here, you might as well find a way to enter the underworld quickly. If you delay any longer, I'm afraid you won't be able to come back."
Qi Heng asked, "Chi Xun is right. Who of you is willing to go with me?"
"I'll go with you!"
"I want to go."
Chi Que and Yuan Li spoke in unison, and the two people behind them heard Yuan Li speak and responded one after another.
"Our bodies are the most important. We can't all go down. We have to leave someone behind to protect our bodies."
There was a rush to go, but no one responded except for the symbolic bark of the local dog in front of them. Qi Heng had no choice but to assign people, but no matter how he arranged it, there were always people who were unhappy, and the trip was repeatedly delayed.
Yuanli transmitted a message through her spirit: "Xiaobai, you must stay and call Tianshu Xingjun to help you protect the body. The Emperor's soul has entered the underworld, and if we are not careful, we will not be able to return. At that time, we will be sinners in the heaven."
Seeing that Xiaobai was also a little stubborn, Yuanli had no choice but to be firm and said in a stern voice, "This matter is of great importance. If you will no longer obey me after you descend to the lower realm, then you should quickly return to the Star Lord's Palace."
"I'm listening, I'm listening. Don't chase me away." After the telepathic communication ended, Xiaobai said, "I'll stay. You all can go. Any further discussion will only waste time. When I went to collect Mingzhu petals, I happened to run into my fellow uncle. With his skills, it would be easy for him to protect this place."
The more he protected them, the more suspicious Chi Que became about this young man with whom he had only been together for two days. They were not related in any way, but he was willing to take such a risk to protect each other. It was really hard to understand.
Seeing how much trust Qi Heng and Yuan Li placed in him, Chi Que tugged at Chi Xun's sleeve with some concern, tilted her head to rub the tip of her nose to cover her lips, and softly reminded him, "We've only known each other for two days, and you're already handing over the four of us to him. And that uncle-in-law you've never met, and you don't even know if he's real or fake, is he reliable?"
"If you really wanted to harm us, you would have had thousands of opportunities to do so before. Why would you go through so much trouble with us?"
"oh."
Although his words did not completely dispel Chi Que's doubts, the arrow was on the string and had to be shot. He had to believe it even if he didn't want to.
Qi Heng took out an extremely long red hemp rope, tied the end around Chi Huai's waist, and pasted a yellow paper talisman on the knot.
Just as they were about to start tying Yuanli, Chi Xun pushed Chi Que out and said, "Chi Que doesn't have much fighting power. This one is safer, tie him first."
"But precisely for safety's sake, we have to tie Chi Li first. She's a woman."
"Although she's a woman, she's no less physically powerful and capable of self-preservation than a man. Chi Huai is determined to wait for Chi Que. If we can't protect him, will Chi Huai listen to us and go with us? Are we really going to let them die together?"
After hearing Chi Xun's analysis, Yuan Li quickly agreed. Qi Heng had no choice but to tie Chi Lu first. After tying him up, when he wanted to tie Chi Li, Chi Xun snatched the rope away.
"Ah Li is still unmarried, so tying the rope for her will inevitably touch her waist. Let me do it. I've checked it twice, so there shouldn't be any problem. If you made a mistake, just tell me."
"good."
Qi Heng watched with exceptional care, his entire attention focused. Chi Xun tied the rope slowly and carefully, but he had taken care of every detail, and he only had to watch it twice, which only made Qi Heng appreciate him even more.
If they were not rivals in love, they might have become sworn brothers in this life.
After tying up Chi Li, without giving Qi Heng any chance, Chi Xun tied himself to her side, quickly tied the knot, affixed the yellow paper talisman, and then handed the red rope to Qi Heng.
Everything was ready. Several people lay down on the ground next to the bed one by one. Qi Heng used the glutinous rice flour prepared in advance to draw a formation around the area where the four people were lying.
"After I lie down, I need one of you to recite the spell on the paper. Who will do it?"
The two looked at the densely packed paper and shook their heads. Qi Heng felt helpless and annoyed. He had tried his best to eliminate all the unexpected events, but he had not expected that the two of them were illiterate.
When he was in trouble, there was a knock on the door suddenly.
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