CHAPTER 19: CHAPTER 13: SUMMONING SOUL

In the main hall of the main house, Yan Daozi sat crookedly beside the central square table, with two porcelain vases on the case behind him, and a Daoist Wanderer Map hanging above.

The map depicted a landscape, a misty ink painting, where a Daoist with an immortal demeanor was followed by hundreds of beasts, harmonious and joyful.

But with one glance, Sang Que saw the mountains filled with skeletons and wild ghosts, the Daoist hidden in the clawing black fog, his face indiscernible and extremely eerie.

The smell of corpses was even stronger inside, emanating not only from Yan Daozi but also from the rooms on either side of the hall.

Sang Que glanced to the side, looking towards the room on the left, where two wooden doors were tightly closed, locked, with strange yellow talismans pasted on both sides, not knowing what was inside.

Earlier outside, she noticed the windows of this room were nailed shut with wooden strips.

Yet inexplicably, Sang Que felt a yearning towards that room, a longing to be there.

Yan Daozi picked up the teapot on the table and poured a cup, very naturally placing it in front of the adjacent seat, but there was no one there!

"Do you know how to read?" Yan Daozi asked.

Sang Que seemed unaware, staring at the cup of tea and the empty seat next to Yan Daozi.

Was Yan Daozi simply trying to frighten her? Or was her rank in the Lower Nine Netherworld insufficient to see Yan Daozi’s Evil Spirits?

Sang Que felt the latter was more likely.

Yan Daozi caught Sang Que’s unabashed curiosity in his eyes, then took out a small bone and a dagger from his bosom.

Seeing the dagger, Sang Que’s pupils lightly trembled; it was the fruit knife she had left behind last time, a test from Yan Daozi.

Without saying a word, Yan Daozi raised the knife to examine it, "This dagger was left by the villain who killed my poor disciple, the material unique, never before seen, isn’t it shinier than a copper mirror?"

Sang Que nodded sullenly, staring directly at the fruit knife without any avoidance.

Stainless steel, how could it not shine?

Yan Daozi’s eyebrows slightly moved, placing down the fruit knife and the bone, staring at Sang Que, "How old are you, do you know how to read?"

Sang Que woodenly shook her head, "Ten... fifteen."

This Yao Yuniang’s guise was fifteen years old, one year younger than her.

Sang Que’s stammer made Yan Daozi frown; he assessed Sang Que up and down with a bit of sharpness in his eyes.

"You should know the laws of our dynasty, regardless of gender, between fourteen and sixteen must marry, or pay a head tax, if still unmarried by eighteen, the government will arrange a marriage by force."

Indeed, Sang Que didn’t know this, but upon thinking carefully she could understand; in this world rampant with Evil Spirits, many are dying daily, if the common folk aren’t pressed to give birth, the nation will perish sooner or later.

Yan Daozi continued, "In our dynasty, only the Royal Family, princes, Taoist Sect, Buddhist Sect disciples, and Evil Suppression Bureau personnel are exempt from this law. Even those sold into slavery must be arranged in marriage by the age of eighteen. If you don’t want to randomly find someone to marry or become an ignorant woman just birthing children, becoming my apprentice is your best choice."

"Our dynasty’s Prime Minister is enlightened, has sought the grace of His Majesty, as long as I recommend you to the Taoist Sect and officially grant you a talisman, even as a woman, you can take a post at the Evil Suppression Bureau. Then, you will have freedom in marriage, can establish a female household, even achieve and build a career, earn higher positions, do you understand the benefits here?"

Sang Que feigned pondering, then nodded sullenly.

But to her surprise, such a world actually allowed women to establish households and be officials; the Prime Minister spoken by Yan Daozi abolished the previous National Temple and sought the grace to let women be officials; the power seemed too great!

Judging by his tone, the Prime Minister should be male, so forward-thinking?

"Guiding the soul of the He Family’s young one is your first test from me; if you succeed, I will teach you the method of opening the Ghost Gate to the Lower Nine Netherworld, which will allow you to see Evil Spirits invisible to ordinary people, allowing you to avoid or even discern their rules earlier, letting you live longer."

Sang Que was still puzzled, could these people really not tell with their eyes if others had opened the Ghost Gate or tamed Evil Spirits?

Yan Daozi paused here as well, picking up the teacup on the table, raising it in respect to the side.

Suddenly, a chilling aura emanated from that empty seat, enveloping Sang Que instantly.

Sang Que’s hair stood on end, feeling a similar chilling aura within her about to emerge under external stimulus.

Her right palm slightly heated, Sang Que hugged her arms tightly, scanning around with confusion and fear, using her will to suppress the cold aura within, allowing her innate fear and horror to manifest.

Yan Daozi sipped tea with a teacup, his sinister eyes always watching Sang Que.

He was already at the ninety-fifth rank of the Second Layer in the Lower Nine Netherworld; the Evil Spirits he tamed were also at this level, only four more ranks to enter the Third Layer of Nine Netherworld, advancing his Dao even further, securing a Three Department post at the Evil Suppression Bureau.

The Yin Child was special, but its strength was roughly in the mid-second layer; if the Yin Child killed Ming Zhang the previous night was in this girl’s body, it couldn’t escape his sight.

But... why was there no abnormal aura?

Could it really not be this girl?

Or perhaps, she was an outsider with Ming Zhang the night before, but didn’t manage to subdue the Yin Child?

Yan Daozi furrowed his brows, thinking carefully, Yin Child is unique. Even the most elite of the Evil Suppression Bureau’s Night Travelers have trouble dealing with it.

Many have attempted to tame the Yin Child, only to end in failure, becoming the Yin Child’s blood meal. This girl may not have the ability to subdue the Yin Child.

Maybe she was just lucky enough to escape from the Yin Child’s clutches.

He had cultivated for more than ten years, and had been taming Evil Spirits for over a year. How could this girl, at such a young age, have more skill than him?

As long as the Yin Child hasn’t been subdued by her, there’s nothing to worry about.

Thinking of this, Yan Daozi relaxed his brows and drank the tea in his bowl, summoning back his Evil Spirits.

"Your determination is not bad." Yan Daozi casually praised, "It’s almost night, so I won’t say more. The process of Summoning Soul is really simple. Even ordinary people, if they strictly follow the rules of Summoning Soul, can manage it."

"The main test this time is your courage. It will also let you know in advance what the ’passing the Yin’ method needed for opening the Ghost Gate to the Lower Nine Netherworld is all about."

Sang Que focused all his attention, first listening carefully to Yan Daozi, then considering if he was being set up.

Fiddling with his goatee, Yan Daozi slowly said, "A person has three souls: the Heavenly Soul, the Earth Soul, and the Human Soul. After a person dies, the Heavenly Soul returns to heaven, the Earth Soul returns to the earth, and the Human Soul enters reincarnation, waiting to forget past lives to reincarnate anew, with the Heavenly Soul and Earth Soul returning to their places, restoring new life."

"That child of the He Family has a light horoscope and somehow encountered something evil, losing his Human Soul. Fortunately, it’s been less than three days, and the Heavenly Soul and Earth Soul are still there, so they can still be summoned back. The room to the left in the courtyard was where Ming Zhang stayed; there’s a clay pot and a lantern inside. Go and get them."

Sang Que nodded and turned to leave the main house.

The setting sun was like fire, its heat scorching the heart.

The He Family couple held the unconscious child, kneeling in the courtyard, drenched in sweat. Hearing the sound, they immediately straightened up, looking over with anticipation.

Seeing it was her, disappointment flashed through the couple’s eyes. Qin Fangru bowed her head, touching the face of the child in her arms, her shoulders shaking as she silently cried.

He Baosheng clenched his fist tightly, biting his lip in sorrow and indignation, shouting towards the main house with courage.

"Master Yan, we don’t mean to trouble you to take action personally, could you lend us a soul lamp and a Guiding Talisman so that I... I can summon my son’s soul myself!"

Sang Que reached the door of the unlocked room on the left and paused, not hearing Yan Daozi’s voice, silently sighed, and pushed open the door.

Inside, the room was damp and chilly, filled with a mildew and foot odor. The small room contained a heated kang piled with disordered bedding.

Apart from that, there was an empty display shelf, a table, and a chair.

On the table against the wall at the doorway, Sang Que saw ink and yellow paper, and a clay pot as big as a head.

Opening the seal of the pot, a strong stench of corpse wafted out, filled with a paste of black mud and two broken fingers.

Sang Que frowned and resealed the pot, seeing a shabby, yellowed white lantern hanging on the wall, rectangular, with blood-colored runes on all sides, housing a half-burned out red candle that faintly emitted a bloody scent.

Glancing around the room, Sang Que thought she might be staying in this room next. She wondered if Ming Zhang had any other notes to read or any hidden treasures.

Sang Que’s eyebrows twitched slightly, looking outside, quickly searching a few spots, finally reaching under the chair, her eyes lighting up.

Sang Que retracted her hand without moving what’s under the chair, grabbed the pot and lantern, and quickly returned to Yan Daozi.

Yan Daozi continued instructing, "What’s in the pot is Corpse Mud. Smearing it on your forehead can temporarily conceal your living aura. After night falls, before midnight, most of the spirits wandering outside are just Wandering Souls, not even Evil Spirits. As long as you don’t expose yourself or provoke them, nothing should happen."

Yan Daozi retrieved a stack of long yellow talisman papers from his robe, licked his fingers, flipping them one by one like counting money, setting one on the table.

"This is a Guiding Talisman. After nightfall, you and the He Family return home, take a strand of hair from the top of the He Family’s Fourth’s head, and blood from his left middle fingertip. Smear the blood on the Guiding Talisman, and the talismanic fire will guide you to find the He Family’s Fourth’s lost Human Soul."

"Afterward, drip your own fingertip blood on the red candle inside the soul lamp. The red candle will ignite on its own, then burn the He Family’s Fourth’s hair in the lamp, calling his name along the way to guide the soul back. Before midnight, return to the He Family, and the Human Soul will naturally return. The summoning will have succeeded."

"Along the way, you’ll see various Wandering Souls outside. As long as you remain calm, the soul lamp won’t go out. As long as it stays lit, it will keep you safe. Remember that?"

Sang Que thought for a moment, then nodded gloomily.

Yan Daozi leaned back, "Then go. If you succeed in summoning the soul tonight, stay at the He Family. Wait until daylight tomorrow before coming back. After midnight, but before dawn, the Evil Spirits outside aren’t to be trifled with."

Sang Que nodded again, hunched her shoulders, walked over, and took the Guiding Talisman from Yan Daozi’s table, holding the pot and lantern as she left.

Watching her demeanor, Yan Daozi couldn’t help but shake his head, "I don’t know if she’s just good at pretending or really so quiet that nothing can be pried out with three hits. How dull!"

Whether or not she is the one he’s looking for, perhaps tonight, that will become clear!