Soldier Soul Enters the City Wall

Chapter 38: Soldier Soul Enters the City Walls

"Why are you here?"

Hearing the sound, Li Yan asked in a low voice without turning his head.

He knew it was Wang Dao Xuan and Sha Li Fei just by the smell.

The two of them were worried that something had happened, so they had the opera troupe continue chanting while they came to check the situation.

"What is it?"

"Soldier Soul..."

Li Yan lowered his voice and explained the situation briefly.

"Soldier Soul?" Wang Dao Xuan was not surprised after hearing this.

More than ten years ago, during the great drought in Guanzhong, the Maitreya Sect took the opportunity to cause trouble. The Imperial Court sent several armies to suppress them, and the two sides fought back and forth, killing until rivers of blood flowed.

Many fallen soldiers were buried in the mass burial grounds.

His eyes flickered with uncertainty, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Dog barks can dispel evil. The Beggar Gang used a dirty trick, scaring away all the surrounding Yin Souls, leaving only this one."

"This is the only chance tonight. If we don't succeed, not only will we have trouble when we go down the mountain, but if we want to invite the gods again, we'll have to go elsewhere."

"Let it enter the city walls first and see the situation!"

Li Yan didn't object. Wang Dao Xuan had always been cautious. Since he dared to take the risk, it meant he had a follow-up plan.

Having made up their minds, the three of them retreated.

Wang Dao Xuan and Sha Li Fei ran back first to make preparations.

Li Yan stayed behind, using his own living aura to attract the other party.

In the dark night, the tattered corpse walked crookedly, stumbling over dead branches on the ground from time to time, looking very eerie.

The distance to the altar was only about a thousand meters, but Li Yan's brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

The reason was simple.

He could smell that as the corpse walked, the surrounding Yin Energy was attracted to it. Coupled with the Soldier Soul's original malevolent aura, its scent became increasingly cold.

Even from dozens of meters away, he felt a chill all over his body.

Li Yan secretly thought, "This is bad."

If they didn't arrive in time, this thing might turn into a zombie!

A person has three souls and seven spirits. The souls are Yin, the body is Yang. The three souls are Yang, and the seven spirits are Yin. When Yin and Yang are in harmony and each is in its proper place.

After death, Yin and Yang separate. The seven spirits scatter first, and the three souls leave later.

After the souls leave, they first transform into an intermediate existence. If an accident occurs and they do not enter the Netherworld, they will become Yin Souls and lonely souls and wild ghosts.

As for the seven spirits, which are Yin and belong to the earth, if they do not scatter after death and remain in the body, they will absorb the earth's Yin Energy, and the corpse will not decay and cause trouble.

That beggar had not yet scattered his seven spirits when his body was occupied by the Soldier Soul. Resurrection was impossible; it would only turn into a zombie.

Thinking of this, Li Yan quickened his pace.

Fortunately, the speed of the corpse behind him also increased.

Finally, just as the corpse let out its first guttural roar, they arrived at the open space of the "Old Yin Coffin" where Yin Energy had gathered into a force.

There was a bonfire for burning joss paper.

In the dim, flickering light, everyone could see that the corpse following Li Yan had a face ashen and cold as ice, black blood flowing from its seven orifices, and its body was stiff as it walked on tiptoe.

This scene was truly eerie.

Even though Wang Dao Xuan had instructed them, the members of the Spring Breeze Troupe were still pale with fright. Fortunately, no one dared to flee. They knelt in place, holding three sticks of incense and chanting the Inviting the Gods Incantation.

And the corpse finally changed.

Its attention had shifted from Li Yan. It looked up at the altar, walked forward on tiptoe, but then spun in place, seemingly unable to find its direction.

Even Yin Souls and fierce ghosts have their preferences.

Some prefer blood offerings and chase the scent of living people, while others prefer incense.

Those who prefer incense can be worshipped as Netherworld Gods.

"There's a way!"

Wang Dao Xuan's eyes lit up. He immediately performed the Firm Steps, left the altar, turned in the air, and as he landed, his right foot stretched out.

Chih!

A mark appeared on the ground, passing through the three city walls formed by the ashes, like a city gate opening to welcome guests.

Whoosh~

Instantly, a strong wind swept around.

Li Yan could smell a cold, bloody scent surge out from the beggar's corpse, and the corpse fell to the ground.

This scent swirled forward, rushing towards the altar.

Others couldn't see it, but they inexplicably felt the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end, and the surrounding temperature dropped a few more degrees.

Immediately, they witnessed a peculiar sight:

As the yin wind blew, the ashes and leftover embers in the brazier for burning paper money and ingots spun rapidly like a tornado, following the opened gap and passing through the city walls of ash.

It dissipated abruptly upon approaching the altar.

Li Yan could also smell that the icy, bloody scent had directly entered the statue's body from the altar, beginning to absorb the incense and aroma.

He quickly waved his hand to signal, and Wang Dao Xuan, with swift hands and keen eyes, took out the prepared incense ash and white paste, directly sealing the opening at the statue's base.

Buzz buzz buzz!

The statue trembled a few times on the square table before falling silent.

"They're here!"

Wang Dao Xuan picked up the statue and shouted.

The Spring Breeze Troupe members were also ready, shouting in unison, "Catch it!"

As for Troupe Leader Zhou, he carried the wooden box containing the statue on his back. When he opened it, it revealed a small shrine.

Wang Dao Xuan placed the statue inside, closed the wooden box, and covered it with a red cloth. Then, he waved his hand, signaling everyone to leave quickly.

Sha LiFei also rushed forward to help him collect the incense burner, water basin, Soul Calming Bell, and other Buddhist instruments, extinguish the brazier, and without bothering with the makeshift square table, turned and left.

These Buddhist instruments had been enshrined before the Ancestor Altar for years, tempered by incense and offerings.

Although they were made of ordinary materials and were far inferior to Li Yan's Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin, they still required a lot of effort from Wang Dao Xuan, so they naturally couldn't be casually discarded.

The path down the mountain was even more difficult. Everyone stumbled, and not a single one dared to look back.

Troupe Leader Zhou, in particular, found it more strenuous carrying the box on his back, yet he was extremely careful, fearing he might trip and shatter the statue.

Fortunately, he had practiced martial arts and had a stable stance, so no accidents occurred.

As for Li Yan, he walked at the very back of the group.

Wang Dao Xuan had instructed him that if he smelled anything approaching to harass them, he absolutely must not look back, but instead activate the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin to scare it away.

But strangely, there was no unusual activity from behind them until they reached the foot of the mountain.

All the members of the Spring Breeze Troupe breathed a sigh of relief, collapsing onto the ground.

That night had exhausted them completely.

Sha LiFei also wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and joked, "Daoist Priest, you're too cautious. Nothing happened, right?"

"What do you know!"

Wang Dao Xuan turned his head to look at the mountain, full of doubt.

Li Yan also said, "Don't worry, Daoist Priest. Those beggars have already set their dogs on the surrounding lonely souls and wild ghosts. Even if they come to harass us, we can handle them."

"I'm not afraid of lonely souls and wild ghosts..."

Wang Dao Xuan shook his head slightly and said in a low voice, "In mountains and rivers where Innate Firm Qi and malevolent energy converge, there may be Mountain Gods and River Earls. These yin souls and netherworld soldiers are restrained by them and won't run around; they are equivalent to their subordinates."

"When we invite a god, it's almost like kidnapping their subordinates, so they naturally have to intervene, especially this kind of soldier soul."

"This Mass Burial Grounds has been around for quite some time. It's unusual that there isn't a Mountain God overseeing it..."

Sha LiFei scratched his head and said, "Anyway, we've invited the Netherworld God. Why think so much? Let's leave quickly. When we get back to Xianyang, we can have a bowl of hot mutton soup to ward off the cold."

"That's true, you've made me hungry too."

"Daoist Wang, this meal is on me!"

"Everyone, you've invited the Netherworld God, so you should return quickly. Remember, the incense offerings must not be interrupted every morning and evening, and sacrifices must be made on the first and fifteenth of every month..."

"Don't worry, Daoist Priest, we've noted it all down..."

The group perked up and hurried on, quickly disappearing into the night.

Little did they know that not long after they descended the mountain, bonfires were lit in the dense forest, and many beggars surrounded the Beggar Leader Mountain Lord.

Looking at the corpses on the ground, the obese Mountain Lord reached out to touch one, then immediately retracted his hand. With a dark expression, he said, "Burn this corpse, otherwise the mountain will be restless from now on."

"Mountain Lord, four or five good men are dead."

"They sure ran fast..."

Several beggars around stared fiercely down the mountain.

The Beggar Leader Mountain Lord had calmed down by now. He patted his greasy belly and said, "I thought they were all just show (fake skills), I was careless."

"Send a message to the Iron Saber Gang. Their intelligence was inaccurate. These lives are all on them. If I don't find the person responsible, this matter isn't over!"

"Also, have someone keep an eye on that group. Don't provoke them casually. When the opportunity arises, we'll deal with them properly!"

"Yes, Mountain Lord!"

There were quite a few mutton soup restaurants in Xianyang.

To establish a foothold here, one needed more than just a little skill, or they'd be out of business in a few days.

Past the Horse King Temple and the Old Street of the Wei Family, there was a mutton soup shop called the Old Shop of the Wu Family. It had been passed down for generations, weathering storms and opening for nearly a hundred years.

Their large soup pot was always simmering.

When they closed each day, they would leave a fire burning, and the next day they would add fresh lamb ribs to boil. The soup was white and flavorful, and most famous for it.

What was even more praised was that this old shop never forgot its roots.

Some old shops, as soon as they gained a little fame, would rush to renovate, making themselves look grand and high-class, earning money from officials and nobles.

But the Old Shop of the Wu Family remained a large establishment. Several large pots were placed outside the shop, with boiling mutton soup churning. Rows of long tables and chairs were set up from inside the shop to outside.

The key was that the prices had remained unchanged for decades, and it was clean.

Therefore, there was always a crowd of people squatting to drink mutton soup.

Li Yan and the other two had already had three bowls and eaten four or five flatbreads. Only when their foreheads began to sweat did they put down their bowls, feeling like they had come back to life.

It was already early morning, and the street was getting more crowded.

Looking at the passing commoners and the horse-drawn carts, Sha LiFei felt as if last night's experience was just a dream. He sighed, "Damn it, I'm a little regretful."

"Daoist Priest, will all future jobs be this dangerous?"

"Not necessarily."

Wang Dao Xuan smiled, "Ordinary sorcerers wouldn't dare to take on a situation like last night. If we succeed, it will spread quickly."

"In the future, we'll take on safer jobs. You just need to run errands."

"That's good. Are you sure?"

"Of course."

"Why does that sound a little… hollow…"

As the two were chatting, they saw a man walking from a distance.

The man had a short, stocky build, wore a black jacket, and a square hat. His dead fish eyes made him look listless.

He came up to the three of them and smacked his lips.

"Which one of you is Li Yan?"

Li Yan put down his bowl and glanced sideways. "That's me."

The dead fish-eyed man stared at him, sizing him up from head to toe, and sneered, "Little brat, you just entered the martial world and you're already risking your life with people. Are you kidding me?"

"If you want to fight in the Life and Death Arena, do you know the rules?"