"Soul, return, soul, return~"
At midnight, the mournful calls echoed incessantly in the darkness.
This personal maid was quite the character too.
At first, she had been shaking with fright, but as she kept calling out, she grew accustomed to it and was no longer afraid. She remembered the kindness her mistress had shown her before falling unconscious, and sadness welled up in her heart.
The calling, mingled with sobs, sent chills down the spines of many servants.
Wang Daoxuan's expression was grave at the moment as he picked up several small oil lamps, lighting them in succession from the entrance of the courtyard, finally placing one in front of the unconscious woman's head...
Li Yan stood by, observing without daring to speak too much.
The two of them had reached an agreement.
Wang Daoxuan would help him with Storing God and constructing buildings, while he would for the time join forces with him, using his own Divine Skills to help the Daoist with some big jobs, earn some Silver Coin, and escape the predicament.
He would also narrate some of the principles of the Mystical Sect.
The various teachings of the Mystical Sect seemed complex but actually followed a set procedure.
During Ancient Times, natural disasters were frequent, and malevolent entities ran rampant.
Faced with this mystical and unknown world, people began to seek out patterns.
They observed lightning striking trees and discovered the use of fire...
Watching the seasons change and the stars shift, they developed a calendar...
The Mystical Sect did the same, only more mystical. But, in essence, they too were summarizing patterns to deal with events unnoticed by ordinary people.
This process can be roughly divided into three steps: signs, taboos, and dispelling.
Signs involved deducing and calculating the root of the problem based on various phenomena and information perceived through Divine Skills.
Various methods of Divination were born from this.
Taboos pertain to the nature of the event, and there are two ways to deal with it.
One is to abide by the principle of taboos, avoiding the descent of disasters.
For example, one shouldn't whistle in the middle of the night; some may do it without consequence, but those who have awakened the Tongue Divine Power or ordinary people in a place with strong Sha might attract malevolent entities.
There are also rules about not pointing at Divine Statues, not looking back when someone calls out to you on a night journey, and various customs associated with weddings and funerals.
Over time, these rules became what are known as taboos.
As long as one doesn't violate the taboos, one can generally avoid disaster.
If one can't avoid it, then one must perform the ritual to dispel it.
These three are the basic processes; all Mystical Sect spells evolved from them, resulting in the current flourishing state of the Mystical Sect.
What Wang Daoxuan did before with the burning ashes was a form of simple Divination.
He calculated the position of the living soul to perform the soul summoning.
The next step is to perform a ritual after the living soul returns to the body, to recite the soul calming incantation, ensuring that the soul does not leave the body again.
Wang Daoxuan had nurtured a yin soldier who should have been able to easily find it, but he was afraid of frightening the soul away, which would be almost like killing someone. So they had to choose this gentler method.
Li Yan's task was to use his smell superpower to detect any movement of the living soul and remind Wang Daoxuan not to miss the moment to stabilize the soul, which could lead to the failure of the ritual.
There are pros and cons to each of the Yang Six Roots' Divine Skills.
In terms of direct perception, the Yin Yang Eyes stand out. Everything within sight is visible, and an Earth Master who has awakened this skill can survey Qi from a high place. A Mage facing an evil entity will be more accurate...
In terms of marvel, it's the Intention Spiritual Root. Witches, Divine Hans, rice witches, and those who deal with the dead need only stay at home to communicate with Ghost Gods...
In terms of searching, it's the nostril's spiritual root. A powerful sniff can detect anomalies within several miles, more sensitive than a dog's nose.
At the moment, Li Yan was feeling a bit disgruntled.
With all the idle people in Landlord Lu's large estate having been sent away, he took the opportunity to perform an exorcism under that pretense, carrying a willow branch and making a round throughout the estate.
Alas, he could not catch that sweet scent from the other night.
What kind of treasure could it be?
Could it be hidden in Landlord Lu's treasury?
As he pondered, there was a commotion in the distance.
The maid stood on the roof waving the Soul Summoning Banner, continuously calling out for a full hour, her throat growing hoarse.
With all fear gone, doubt arose in her mind.
Could the master have hired a fraud?
Just then, a gust of yin wind blew by, and the maid suddenly felt a chill on her back, as if something had appeared and stood behind her.
The feeling was so distinct.
The maid immediately had goosebumps all over and was about to scream, but then she remembered Wang Daoxuan's instructions, decided to close her eyes, and continued calling out, her voice trembling.
The silence of the deep night and the changing tones caught the attention of the two men in the courtyard.
Li Yan took a deep breath and faintly sensed a scent.
It was cold, but not with the bloodiness of a Rampaging Soldier.
"Here it comes!"
He nodded at Wang Daoxuan and whispered a warning.
Wang Daoxuan immediately picked up a bowl of water from the altar, murmured an incantation, and changed his footsteps - one step forward, one step back, two steps to the right...
Li Yan watched intently, unblinking.
This was called the Astral Step, which in coordination with the Magic Spell and the magic platform, could cast spells.
Each tradition had its differences, including varying levels of proficiency. According to Wang Daoxuan, highly skilled Magicians could perform the Step Gang Qi with the constellations, connect with the Innate celestial spirits, and invoke Innate Astral Qi for their own use in spells.
It sounded like something out of a myth.
But as Wang Daoxuan performed the ritual, Li Yan also felt the difference.
Surrounding the magic platform, a special odor arose, carrying a hint of warmth that enveloped the entire platform as if it were a single entity.
Gang Qi!
Li Yan immediately understood what it was.
At this moment, Wang Daoxuan had also entered the state, holding the bowl of water in his hand. First, he recited a spell, then he took a mouthful and violently sprayed it out.
Puh!
The mist of water churned and fell upon the wooden fish.
It was as if the wind stirred the waters, making the Gang Qi around the magic platform revolve around the wooden fish.
Wang Daoxuan then set down the bowl, and struck the wooden fish.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
The sound of the wooden fish resonated in the night, mysteriously bringing a sense of peace to all who heard it.
Li Yan could sense the Gang Qi surrounding the platform, forming a cohesion, then spreading outward with the sound of the wooden fish.
The maid heard it and felt as if granted a great reprieve, immediately stopped screaming, picked up the Soul Summoning Banner, and shakily climbed down from the rooftop.
Although a ladder had been set up beforehand, the maid was in a panic, squinting her eyes, daring not to look around, her body also going limp.
Plop!
Halfway down, she slipped and fell to the ground.
Fortunately, the maid was alert; though her bottom hurt from the fall, she held the Soul Summoning Banner aloft, uncrushed.
After picking herself up, she cared not to pat the dust off herself, her face mournful, eyes brimming with tears, holding the Soul Summoning Banner and running towards the back courtyard.
Thankfully, no human sounds followed her from behind.
In the dark courtyard, the maid, relying on the dim moonlight and her familiarity with the terrain, quickly made her way to the backyard.
Only upon seeing the oil lamps Wang Daoxuan had lit earlier, did the maid's heart relax, feeling as though she'd reached the end of this haunted path.
Wang Daoxuan and Li Yan, too, inhaled sharply in shock.
They saw a silhouette standing, atop the banner the maid held!
In the Central Plains region during temple fairs, there was a tradition called "carrying dolls."
Robust men stood down below, clad in specially made iron frames, while boys and girls stood atop, their faces painted red, dressed in brocade clothes, embodying various immortals and historical figures, marching with the procession of moving deities.
It was a type of entertainment and folkloric activity to amuse the spirits.
The current situation was very similar to that of "carrying dolls."
However, the difference was that the old woman on the Soul Summoning Banner was clad in black, emitting Yin Qi, her face ashen and terrifying, her eyes dark and lifeless, a sight so unnerving it chilled to the bone.
One could actually see the living soul with the naked eye, a truly inconceivable phenomenon.
The maid had just breathed a sigh of relief, but sensing the gaze of the two men, she immediately realized something was amiss and, trembling, whispered without daring to look up, "Dao… Dao… Daoist…"
"Don't be afraid!"
Though unsure of the reason, Wang Daoxuan knew that now was a critical time to avoid any complications.
Living souls, like timid rabbits, instinctively hide away, buried within the crevices of the ground by day, yet yearning for the flesh, only appearing at specific moments.
If startled, they might vanish in an instant, fleeing to the wilderness, and searching for them again would be exceedingly difficult.
If frightened into being scattered and dissipated, the lady of the house within would meet her demise.
Wang Daoxuan did not dare to be negligent and deliberately slowed his speech and lowered his voice as he cautioned the maid, "It's alright, don't be afraid. Just walk back to the house slowly, and don't extinguish the nearby Soul Summoning Lamp."
"Mhm."
The maid nodded, holding the Soul Summoning Banner and gingerly walked toward the house.
Meanwhile, the lady's living soul atop the Soul Banner, with its increasingly dense Yin Qi, caused the Soul Summoning Lamps along the way to flicker uncertainly, looking as if they were about to extinguish at any moment, which filled Wang Daoxuan with anxiety and dread.
Seeing this, Li Yan also held his breath, daring not to exhale loudly.
After all, sensing an odor and witnessing it with one's own eyes are two very different matters.
Fortunately, the short distance was crossed without incident.
As the maid stepped into the house, the oil lamp at the head of the lady's bed suddenly flared, and her living soul disappeared.
Wang Daoxuan hastily looked at Li Yan.
Li Yan had been observing all along and could smell that the cold scent previously emitted by the living soul was now attached to the lady's body, and it was fading.
This was a sign of Yin and Yang harmonizing, a state of neutral equilibrium.
He said nothing, but nodded to Wang Daoxuan.
Without another word, Wang Daoxuan rushed into the room, took a long red rope in his hands, and wound it around the lady, changing his technique rapidly, soon forming an intricate knot.
During this process, the lantern of the Soul Summoning in front of the bed also flickered wildly.
Finally, after trapping the living soul, Wang Daoxuan unsheathed a bell from his waist, shook it a few times, and began reciting an incantation:
"Supreme platform star, responsive without end, protect life and body, wisdom calm and bright, mind and spirit at peace, three souls eternal, vital essence undamaged, soul return to palace, essence support the frame…"
Despite only possessing the Dao equivalent to a single story building, Wang Daoxuan had clearly put in the diligent effort in everyday practice, and as he recited the spell, he immediately became immersed in the state.
His voice carried a certain melody, serene and far-reaching.
As the incantation was chanted, the Soul Summoning Lamp gradually stabilized.
Seeing this, Li Yan exhaled in relief.
Wang Daoxuan had said, this was the sign of successful Soul Stabilization.
If this endeavor succeeded, Wang Daoxuan could escape his current predicament and devote himself to helping him with Storing God and building the foundation to formally step onto the path of Mystical Sect cultivation.
Huu~
Just then, a gust of Yin wind blew through.
Li Yan immediately widened his eyes and looked around frantically.
That mysterious aroma had once again emerged!