Chapter 169: Soul Leaving the Body The architectural style here is different from that of Huizhou, but there are still many couplets decorated on the walls and pillars of the main hall. First one: If you want good children and grandchildren, you must be more open-minded; if you want to build a family business, you are willing to suffer some losses in everything. There are also: Many noble families throughout history have accumulated virtue; the best character in the world is still the one who reads books. Lin Jue stood in the middle and looked around. The fourth brother was talking to the head of the Yan family and took out his certificate of ordination to prove his identity: "We are Taoists from Fuqiu Temple on Fuqiu Peak in Yishan. Our master told us that there is a newly built mountain temple here, and we can come here to settle down and practice." "Yes Yes Yes!" When Mr. Yan heard that they came from Yishan, his eyes lit up and he nodded repeatedly. He looked at his children around him and felt relieved as if he had found a savior. "A few years ago, a monster appeared here. It was very ferocious and ate many people. Later, an old Taoist priest passed by and got rid of the monster. He then told us that the Shimen Mountain behind us has a spirit and will give birth to a mountain god sooner or later. If we are willing to raise funds to build a temple on the mountain and worship sincerely regularly, when the mountain gives birth, the mountain god will be close to humans and can protect us. So we built a mountain god temple halfway up the mountain, and it was completed two years ago."
"That's my uncle." "That's right! After the mountain temple is repaired, the house is also built, and we are waiting for you to come and live there. However, the temple is on the mountainside and looks very close, but it is actually still some way away from the village. If you want to go, we can take you there today or tomorrow. As for pots, pans, quilts, mats, or other things you need, you can just move them from our house!" "Thank you very much." "You are too polite, Master." Old Mr. Yan said, pleadingly, "Master, there have been strange things happening in my family recently..." "I've heard about it on the way." The fourth brother said, "I have only practiced for a short time and my skills are low. Fortunately, several brothers are here and are willing to lend a helping hand to the old gentleman." "Thank you, Master! Quick! Bring my grandson up here!" The old man's tone was very urgent. A woman below hurried down and brought back a boy about three or four years old. The boy had his eyes closed and seemed to be just asleep, but his face was pale and he was barely breathing. "It is indeed a sign that the heavenly soul has left the body and the earthly soul has become obsessed." The fourth brother went to take a look, then turned to ask the old man, "I heard that your grandson was born with something strange?" Lin Jue withdrew his gaze from the wall pillar and listened attentively. "Yes, he could speak soon after he was born, and his speech was clear. He also said that he was from the Central Plains, his name was Feng Xianzhi, he passed the imperial examination, married a wife and a concubine, and had a son and a daughter. Not to mention reciting poems, even composing couplets and writing fu was no problem for him." The old man smiled bitterly, "Someone from the county even came and wrote this into the county annals." "That's really strange." "Who said it wasn't? We were in a dilemma at first. We couldn't send him back, and we felt it was weird. We almost killed him. But he was our eldest grandson and our only child. It took us a long time to accept it." The old man said: "But this is when he is awake. Most of the time he is in a coma. When I ask him when he wakes up, he says he went for a walk outside. When I ask him about the mountains and rivers outside, his descriptions are vague but all make sense. I also understand some of this kind of thing. I guess he is probably wandering in his mind. After a long time, I got used to it. But this time it has been half a month and he hasn't come back." "The old man knows a lot." "Does the real person know the reason?" At that moment, everyone in the Yan family's main hall looked at the Taoist priest. "I have only heard a little about it."
The fourth brother frowned and said uncertainly: “I’ve heard that there is a underworld underground, which is the world of ghosts. But not everyone becomes a ghost after death, and not everyone who becomes a ghost goes to the underworld. Some go and some don’t. “There are three categories of people who go to the underworld: "Those with good morals can go down to serve as officials; those who are guilty must go down to work and receive punishment; those who have gratitude or grudges must also settle their own grievances. “There are three types of people who cannot go on: "Saints, immortals and gods are like us practitioners; those who have committed heinous crimes and whose souls have been destroyed, or those who have not become ghosts for other reasons after death; those who have no virtues, no sins, no great grudges, or those who are unwilling to leave the world because of obsession; "After the last type dies, they may wander around the graves. They exist as long as their remaining energy is not exhausted, and then disappear as the remaining energy gradually disappears, just like dewdrops and bubbles that form quickly and dissipate quickly, or like idle flowers and weeds that grow and die on their own. There are also ghosts without any support, who occasionally attach themselves to people and breed, which is called stealing life. There are also people who practice Taoism and become ghosts after death, and reincarnate in other people's bodies, which is called taking over the body. However, most of these things in the world are just coincidences, and no one can be blamed. "Of course, these are just rumors. Maybe they make sense, maybe not. If you haven't seen it with your own eyes, you can't believe them completely." Fourth brother explained it in great detail. Lin Jue listened very carefully. The same is true for the Yan family. "Then why is he always dazed and groggy, wandering outside?" "It's all because the soul is unstable." "Is there a solution? It's always like this. It's fine for three or two days, but this time, not only do I need someone to take care of me when I eat, drink, defecate and urinate, but if it continues like this, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold on for much longer." "Looking back through the ages, there are many such cases. Not all of them die young. Some can grow up successfully. Among those who grow up successfully, some will naturally forget their past events after they grow up to a few years old, while others can still remember their past events until they reach adulthood. Some people suddenly remember them after they grow up. It's not surprising. Most of them are natural. The old man is knowledgeable. I think he has seen it in books." The fourth brother thought for a moment and replied: "As for the reasons, I only know that those who died young may have had their souls unstable, just like this time. And those who grew up and recovered naturally may have their own reasons and solutions. "As for the solution, it is nothing more than to soothe the soul. If you want to soothe the soul, you can practice Taoism, but this requires talent. You can serve the gods, but you have to find the true gods. You can also ask my senior brother for a soul-soothing pill. But the most urgent thing now is to find your grandson's soul back." "Yes Yes Yes……" Mr. Yan nodded again and again, and then said excitedly: "Now my grandson has not returned for half a month. If you can find a way to bring him back, our whole family will be very grateful!" "Please help me, real person!" Everyone in the room was about to cry. The woman with the child in her arms was the saddest. She was about to kneel down, but was stopped by the junior sister. "There's no point in getting anxious. Since the old man has already asked people nearby to call the soul back, but they didn't come back, I think it's too far away." The fourth brother said, "It just so happens that there is another expert who can give me some advice. Last night, the old man invited the ghosts and gods nearby to watch a wonderful opera, and they really came to watch it. I will light three incense sticks and ask the wandering souls nearby to come and help ask." "Okay, okay! Thank you, Master!" "Please bring incense and candles as offerings." "Go, go, go!" The old man asked the woman to make preparations. Soon, a simple incense table was prepared in the main hall, offerings were placed on it, incense and candles were lit, and then the words were chanted: "The one who lights the incense is Hu Mengjin from Fuqiu Temple in Yishan. He lives in the home of the Yan family in Shimen Village. The incense and candles can reach the underworld, and the fire is spreading in all directions. There are many ghosts from all directions. I am now offering this to you. Anyone who can hear it can come and taste the nectar." He first announced his name, then the location, and then explained the matters, inviting the ghosts around to come. This is not a magic spell but a ritual that all those who practice Taoism know. Even ordinary people who have no Taoism skills can invite the wandering ghosts by using the same method as long as they have enough experience and knowledge and choose the right time. However, they may not be able to communicate with the wandering ghosts.
If a Taoist priest with great skills could do it, it would naturally be easier. "call……" A cool breeze suddenly blew into the room, making it a little cooler. The fourth brother faced the incense sticks, his eyes were dazed for a moment, and he actually saw a blurry figure in the green smoke of the incense sticks. "I am Hu Mengjin, a Taoist from Fuqiu Temple in Yishan. The Yan family invited all the ghosts and gods to watch a play last night. I would like to ask you to help find the soul of his grandson. I wonder if you have watched the play?" "The show... is good..." The figure was blurry and the voice was vague. "Then have you ever seen the Heavenly Soul of Yan's grandson? There is only the Heavenly Soul, not the Earthly Soul." “Heavenly Soul…Heaven…” Before the voice had finished speaking, there was a sudden "ah" sound, as if it was frightened by something, or as if it was pushed away by someone. At the same time, a breeze blew into the room again. Then another rough voice came: "I am the mountain god of Shimen Mountain..." "It turns out that the mountain god has arrived." "That soul left... didn't go far... but no one has seen it either..." The mountain god's voice was also intermittent, and even his pronunciation was a bit labored. It was obvious that this was a new mountain god. "There is a forest down below by the river. There is a little demon in it. It likes to seduce human ghosts and feed them. You can go there to look for it." "Thank you, mountain god." "I also watched the opera last night..." "Farewell to the mountain god." At some point, the incense stick in front of him burned out, and the smoke disappeared into nothingness. Fourth Senior Brother withdrew his gaze. In the eyes of everyone, what happened just now was just the wind blowing the incense stick to burn quickly and messing up the smoke. No one could see anything, just Fourth Brother talking to himself. But the wind came and went, burning quickly like a running incense stick, obviously saying that everything was true. "how?" The old man of the Yan family asked hurriedly. "The old sir invited a very good troupe last night. I first invited a wandering soul, who was very happy to help. However, before he could help, the mountain god rushed over and told us that your grandson's soul is likely in a forest by the river at the foot of the mountain. He said there is a little demon there." The fourth brother said, "Does the old sir know which forest it is?" "By the river at the foot of the mountain?" Mr. Yan thought for a moment and was suddenly shocked. "I did hear that there is a forest there. Some people encountered strange things in it while traveling, and some playful children died in it. Later, we stopped going there and went around it from other places." "I see." "This kid really deserves to die. Didn't we warn him not to run there? What should we do now? Should we get more people to look for him there?" "Don't worry, old man. It's too slow to walk over there. I have a good friend who is good at finding souls and guiding spirits. I'll ask him to go and take a look."
After the fourth brother finished speaking, he took out a bamboo flute, put it to his mouth, and blew out a short sound. "Puff puff..." Suddenly a crow flew over and landed on the beam. Everyone in the Yan family was amazed. But the Taoist said to him: "Brother Ya, Mr. Yan's grandson's soul has been lost. He may be in a forest by the river at the foot of the mountain. There may be evil spirits in the forest, so it's easy to find. His soul may be as strong as an adult's. I would like to ask Brother Ya to fly over and help me find him." "what!" The crows cawed in response. "Call Brother Yun to come with us. If we can find it and deal with it, bring it back." After the fourth brother finished speaking, he did not forget to add, "In short, be careful." "what!" After hearing this, Lin Jue added: "Fuyao should go too." "Hey?" Hearing this, the fox turned his head quickly and looked at him in confusion. "I can't help it. You are very talented. Although you are young, you are very advanced. You also have experience in fighting against big monsters and winning." Lin Jue showed helplessness. "Since ancient times, those who are capable have to work harder. Just in case, I have to trouble you to make a trip." "Woo~" The fox licked the fur on its neck twice, smacked its lips, and finally stood up and looked at the crow above its head. Flutter, flutter! The crows flew out! The fox also jumped up, and with a light and nimble body, it actually walked out of the main room in one step. "Don't worry, old sir. If everything goes well, your grandson's soul will come back this morning. But if it's after noon, because the sun is too strong at noon, we'll have to wait until the afternoon." "Work hard, work hard..." The old man was deeply moved and immediately asked his wife to prepare food. He also called the owner of the opera troupe to express his gratitude. With the power of the fourth brother, he was fully capable of handling this kind of thing, so the others were not worried. It just so happened that they had been working hard for several days and did not get enough rest last night, so they were all a little sleepy. They took this opportunity to sit in the armchair, prop up their chins and think quietly, which was also considered a rest. Lin Jue was thinking, if he had not practiced Taoism in the beginning, would it be the same after a long time? (End of this chapter)