Chapter 19

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The sound of the qin was clear and resonant.

In the Li family household, the tutor who had previously worn a pained expression while listening to the children play the qin now softened his face. As soon as the blue-robed youth’s hands touched the strings, a majestic melody spread through the air, immediately setting itself apart from the mundane. The expressions of everyone in the room shifted. The young people fell silent, while the elders halted their conversations—some listened with solemnity, others closed their eyes, lightly nodding in rhythm with the music.

The blue-robed youth sat upright, quietly playing the qin, his gaze downcast in peace, the melody flowing gracefully.

The younger ones, with their eyes closed, seemed to see themselves achieving great success in the imperial examinations, full of pride and joy.

The elders, on the other hand, were overcome with melancholy, as if witnessing the myriad trials and tribulations of life, recalling their own setbacks and sorrows.

Li Yixian, too, was lost in memories of his many experiences in the capital, momentarily entranced.

While the entire room was immersed in the music, outside, the Daoist felt increasingly uneasy. His feet felt glued to the spot—he couldn’t bring himself to enter, but staying out seemed equally wrong. His already tangled eyebrows knotted further. He had merely come to “buy” some extra years of life, yet he hadn’t expected to encounter someone of such profound skill in this family.

After pondering for a moment, he raised his hand and slapped the back of his head.

Opening his mouth, he spewed a gust of black wind that enveloped the entire Li family estate.

From that black mist, ghostly creatures from the underworld began to emerge, each clad in dark yellow robes. Their upper bodies were clearly visible, except for their faces, which were a blurry haze. Below the waist, they were completely transparent. In their hands, some carried chains, while others wielded swords, preparing to swarm forward, their original nature entirely suppressed by the dark force.

The Daoist raised his hand, pointing forward, saying: “Go, bring back the souls from within this dwelling!”

“Whoever manages to retrieve a soul, this Daoist will erase your name from the death register and release you back to the heavens and earth, allowing you to seek an extended afterlife in the underworld.”

“Even if you can’t cling to life, at the very least, you’ll no longer be under anyone’s control.”

With those words, the ghosts stirred up a gust of eerie wind, rushing toward the courtyard. The chilling wind cut through the air, and any ordinary person who stepped inside would instantly feel their spine freeze, their body stiffen, and their life force drained. However, the moment the ghosts set foot inside the courtyard, their movements began to slow.

With just ten steps forward, the Baleful Qi around them began to dissipate.

At one hundred and twenty steps

The melody of the qin filled their ears.

To hear it was to witness the passage of one’s life.

Containing the sensation of ‘A Dream of Yellow Millet’, a feeling of both dream and non-dream, Qi Wuhuo unconsciously activated it with his Primordial Spirit, and as it fell into the ears of the ghosts, the effect became even stronger. The blurred faces of many ghosts gradually revealed their features—some were beautiful women, some were strong and rugged men, and there were also elders, and so on. It seemed that the Primordial Spirit and artistic conception contained in the qin’s sound had awakened their spiritual essence, dispelling the illusion cast by the magical techniques that had clouded them.

Seeing this, the Daoist’s face changed drastically. In a panic, he swept his sleeve to intervene.

The Daoist’s sleeve twisted and swirled, transforming into a large pocket-like vortex. The black wind reversed, pulling all the ghostly figures back into it. Stroking his goatee, the Daoist’s eyes twitched in frustration. “Just by playing the qin, he almost liberated all my more than a dozen ghosts. Is this the power of Buddhism or Daoism?”

“Such strength in the Primordial Spirit, combined with this level of insight…”

“It’s the kind that has already passed through death!”

“Could it be a True Person from some renowned lineage?”

“There are methods like this in certain traditions.”

“Is it from the Fangxian Dao? Or Louguan Dao?”

“First save myself, then save others, is this Theravada Buddhism?”

“Surely it’s not one of the underworld’s emissaries of Impermanace here for tea, is it? Good heavens——”

The Daoist paced back and forth, gritting his teeth: “It doesn’t matter. If I can’t retrieve the extra years of life from the underworld, I won’t survive either. Either way, I’m dead. No matter which True Person is here, I have to meet them first before deciding what to do.” With that, he immediately formed a hand seal and made himself invisible. He took a few steps forward, but when he turned around, he saw part of his robe still visible, hanging in mid-air.

Shaking his head with a wry smile, the Daoist muttered: “Ah, one hundred and thirty years old, and still so timid.”

“I don’t even know if it is truly a True Person.”

“I’m so scared that I messed up my own concealment technique.”

“Cultivation…”

He reached out, grabbed the exposed corner of his robe, and gave it a few strong tugs.

To any onlookers, it would have appeared as if the piece of fabric floating in the air had twitched a few times before being suddenly pulled taut and yanked away, vanishing from sight. The Daoist, having pulled too hard, stumbled forward a few steps, but after steadying himself, he released his robe and clapped his hands in satisfaction, laughing with pride. “Ha! Success!”

The Daoist then raised his hands, tidying his attire and smoothing out his sleeves.

He now truly looked the part of a wandering Daoist priest.

With exaggerated strides, he swaggered inside.

Crossing the stone screen and narrow path, he passed by people coming and going, but none seemed to see or hear him. He even helped himself to a pastry from a chef’s table on the way. As he approached the main hall, his earlier nonchalance faded into nervousness. He straightened his robe once more, then tapped his right hand on his sleeve. A faint light emerged, growing larger as it flew out, transforming into a ceremonial card, held carefully in his hands.

Inscribed upon the card were intricate tadpole-like cloud patterns, accompanied by rows of text.

[Presented by Xiao Zhao True Person, humbly reporting to the Supreme Daoist Lord of the Nine Heavens, the Supreme Elder, the Nine Elders Great Gods of the Immortal Capital, the Nine Qi Supreme Elder, and the Three Sovereign True Lords…]

This was a proclamation of his lineage, though the truth was that his master had no direct connection to such exalted figures. However, in tracing his lineage back far enough, he had forcefully tied it to these great celestial beings. When passing on the lineage, three copies of this jade tablet would be made: one for the sect, one to be carried by the individual, and the third burned as an offering to the heavens.

With utmost reverence, he advanced and declared:

“I wonder where the senior is a True Person from, this humble Daoist…”

His tone and expression were deferential and humble.

But when he raised his head, he saw Qi Wuhuo, sitting there playing the qin.

The smile plastered on the Daoist’s face froze in an instant. His eyes widened, as if he had been punched hard in the face, his expression crumpling. What had been humility turned stiff, and then morphed into arrogance. Even his once hunched back straightened suddenly, his demeanor changing in an instant: “So that’s how it is…”

He sneered at the youth, his gaze filled with disdain. “A mere practitioner of the [cultivation of nature without the cultivation of life], a second-rate heretical path!”

“Your Primordial Spirit may be strong, but that’s all it is, hmph. I thought you had some real ability!”

“Scared me for a moment.”

With a sweep of his sleeve, he dismissed the concealment spell.

Li Yuelin, who had been deeply immersed in Qi Wuhuo’s music, reminiscing about his youthful triumphs and the many trials of his middle years, was jolted from his thoughts. Suddenly, he noticed an old Daoist had appeared in his family’s main hall. The man’s robe was tattered, his hair white and unkempt, with a wooden hairpin soaked in oil. His entire appearance was shabby and disheveled. A sinking feeling hit his heart.

Instinctively, he glanced at his younger brother.

Li Yixian had already collapsed backward, sitting on the ground with a deathly pale face, staring at the Daoist. “You, you!”

The Daoist grinned and cupped his hands. “That day, you accepted my gold.”

“I’ve come to collect what’s owed.”

Li Yixian, stuttering, said: “But I already gave you the [Goods], didn’t I?”

The Daoist chuckled. “Yes, you did.”

“But the money I gave you was originally supposed to belong to the underworld.”

“You took the ghost’s money.”

“And you’ve spent a good portion of it yourself.”

“Did you not know? Ten taels of gold bought you one year of life. Your allotted lifespan was fifty years, and you’re thirty-five now. That one hundred and fifty taels of gold was the price for your remaining years.”

Li Yixian felt a chill run down his spine, his limbs freezing in place, unable to move.

Li Yuelin suddenly interjected: “Wait, the gold hasn’t been spent, it’s still here.”

The Daoist raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

Li Yuelin retrieved a small pouch, standing up and bowing. “Here is your gold.”

“I’ve added thirty extra taels as a gift to you, Daoist. Please, spare my brother.”

Li Yixian was stunned. “Brother…”

The Daoist burst into laughter. “Ah, such deep brotherly affection. Not bad, not bad at all.”

“But why don’t you take a look at what you’ve actually taken out?”

Li Yuelin froze for a moment, then, realizing something, quickly opened the pouch. The gold he had prepared had turned into a bag full of yellow beans. He lifted it up and poured it onto the ground, the beans scattering with a rustling sound. The Daoist reached into his robes and pulled out a different pouch filled with gold, smiling gleefully as he held it up.

Li Yuelin gasped: “That’s… my gold.”

Quickly correcting himself, he forced a smile. “No, it seems Daoist, you’ve already received it.”

The Daoist laughed heartily:

“Your gold? This gold is what I picked up from the ground. Who’s to say it was ever yours?”

“You!”

Li Yuelin pleaded: “Daoist, please… I’ll do anything you ask, just spare my brother.”

Stroking his beard, the Daoist mused: “It’s not impossible to let him go.”

Hope flickered in the eyes of both Li Yixian and Li Yuelin.

But then, the Daoist pointed decisively at the young man who had stopped playing the qin, his tone cold and resolute. “Give me his soul and Primordial Spirit!”

“Not only will it buy your brother’s life.”

“But this Daoist will grant you both great fortune in return.”

“How about it?!”

Li Yuelin and Li Yixian’s faces turned ashen in an instant.

Li Puyu exclaimed in disbelief: “This—this is impossible!”

The Daoist grinned and said: “Otherwise, Li Yixian comes with me.”

Li Yixian’s expression was one of utter despair. He struggled inwardly, and after a long pause, he closed his eyes and sighed:

“It’s my greed for money that brought this upon me. It has nothing to do with the boy. Take me instead.”

The Daoist chuckled, but his gaze remained fixed on Qi Wuhuo.

Qi Wuhuo, pressing his fingers lightly against the strings of the qin, suddenly spoke: “I agree.”

He lifted his head and looked at the old Daoist, his dark eyes calm as he said:

“I’m just curious—how exactly do you plan to take my Primordial Spirit?”

“I haven’t been cultivating for long, so I’ve never seen such a technique before.”

“Could you come closer so I can see it clearly?”

The old Daoist laughed boisterously: “You sly brat! But you only have some basic spirit-nourishing skills that are considered decent.”

“Since this is the plea of a dying man, I’m not so petty as to refuse.”

“I’ll let you witness my divine power so that you can die with full understanding.”

With that, he moved closer, prideful and smug.

“I’m giving you the chance!”

“Come, look!”