Yang Six Roots and Divine Powers

The light was dim, the drumbeats urgent.

The candles on either side of the incense burner seemed to have gained sentience, leaping with the rhythm of the drum.

Widow Wang narrowed her eyes, swaying her head from side to side as her expression gradually changed.

First came solemnity, then frenzy, with sweat beading on her forehead.

Her head rocked without pause, and the chant of invocation grew faster and faster.

"Immortal Binding Lock, Immortal Binding Rope, with a Soul Capturing Bottle hanging behind the horse. Cast the three treasures upon your disciple. If they do not catch tight, kick with your feet; if they do not bind firm, stamp with your soles. A lamp to make the heart clear and the eyes bright..."

The Girl on the ground began trembling ever more violently in all four limbs.

To the drumbeat of the invocation, her body bent, yawned, stretched lazily, then rose ramrod straight in an unnatural posture.

After getting up, her eyes remained shut, while her head jerked again and again.

Li Yan's pupils contracted slightly, and his hand unconsciously pressed down on his knife hilt.

In the past, he would have thought this mother and daughter were Impersonating a Deity.

But times had changed.

Now, he could clearly smell that fishy stench tinged with incense, contracting from all directions and gathering within the Girl's body.

As the two merged, her very bearing changed.

Thump!

At last, the drumming stopped.

And the Girl's eyes flew open.

She shook her head, picked up the whisk lying beside her, and flicked it left and right as though driving something away.

Then she crossed her right leg over her left, supported herself on her toes, and leaned back, as though sitting in an invisible chair.

Li Yan's face remained calm, but inwardly, he found it unbelievable.

He had practiced martial arts since childhood. With the Substitute Divine Statue's help, he had developed formidable control over his body, and he could perform those movements just now.

But there was no way a four-year-old Girl could do the same.

And then there was her expression—eyes half-lidded, a smile that was not quite a smile.

There was coldness within that languid air. Where was the innocence of a child?

For no reason, she gave him the feeling of a fox.

The Girl paid no heed to Li Yan's wariness and flicked the whisk in her hand.

Whoosh!

The wine jar atop the offering table was swept directly into her hand.

Li Yan's eyelid twitched again.

A whisk was not an unusual weapon.

Its handle could serve as a short staff or dagger, used to strike, block, point, lift, and thrust. Its horsehair tail could also serve as a soft whip, to coil, sweep, and wrap—hard and soft joined as one, like yin and yang blending together.

Anyone who knew how to use such a thing was an expert.

The wine jar had been unsealed and weighed at least five jin. Yet she had wrapped it up with the horsehair and swept it over without spilling a single drop. Her force was perfectly measured.

For a moment, he did not know what to think.

If inviting an Immortal Family to possess someone could let even a four-year-old Girl do this, then what had they worked so hard at martial arts for...

Naturally unaware of his thoughts, the Girl wound the whisk around the wine jar in her right hand, cradled its base with her left elbow, tilted back her head, and guzzled it down.

Burp~

After draining an entire jar, the Girl let out a ringing burp. Only then did she toss aside the jar, wipe her mouth, and squint at Li Yan.

A faint ghostly light flickered in her eyes, as if she were scrutinizing him.

Then she spoke, rattling off a string of gibberish.

Her voice was shrill, yet carried an ancient, weathered quality.

More bizarre still, not a single word could be understood. It sounded like the roar of a beast, yet also like someone muttering to themselves, quick and urgent.

Hearing that voice, Li Yan actually relaxed somewhat.

He had heard people speak of this before. It was called Superior Language.

Put plainly, it was the language spirits used to communicate among themselves, something like their mother tongue.

But if the other party spoke human words, that would be an entirely different matter.

It would mean this Immortal Family's cultivation was ordinary.

Widow Wang's state was also rather strange. Her gaze was unfocused as she listened respectfully at the side, then she said to Li Yan:

"The Immortal Family says you have stirred up great trouble. The Cold Altar Rampaging Soldier has set its sights on you. Last night was only a test. Once the thing guarding your house is broken, calamity will come crashing down upon you!"

They really did know quite a lot!

Li Yan narrowed his eyes. "What is a Cold Altar Rampaging Soldier?"

The Girl gave a snickering laugh and rattled off another string of gibberish.

Widow Wang continued translating. "You are not yet one of the Xuan Gate People. You would not understand even if it were explained. When the time comes for you to understand, you naturally will. The Immortal Family asks you: which root have you opened?"

What did she mean, which root?

Li Yan was even more confused.

Perhaps seeing his bewilderment, Widow Wang explained directly, "People have six roots: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and intent, corresponding to the six consciousnesses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and thought."

"The six roots are further divided into yin and yang. Most people possess the Yin Six Roots, but some can awaken the Yang Six Roots, allowing them to perceive things of the spirit world. That is also the key to truly stepping into the Xuan Gate."

Li Yan became interested. "Like Yin Yang Eyes?"

Widow Wang nodded. "That's right. There are things ordinary people can see only when death is near, when they collide with Sha Qi, or when misfortune hangs over their heads. But once the Yang Six Roots are opened, they can sense them directly. Some also call this a divine power."

"But having divine powers can be both a blessing and a curse."

"For instance, some children open their Yin Yang Eyes and are so frightened that their souls scatter. Some gain Clairaudience and constantly hear the words of ghosts and demons, until they become crazed..."

"More troublesome still, those who open the Yang Six Roots will also be watched by evil entities. Without someone Leading the Way and protecting them, peace is hard to come by."

So that was it.

His strange sense of smell truly had nothing to do with the Substitute Divine Statue.

Li Yan suddenly understood. Without concealing it, he said, "I can smell scents that are different."

Widow Wang's expression turned bitter. Looking at the Girl with eyes full of tenderness, she explained, "You need not be on guard. We bear you no ill will. There is a reason we have spoken so frankly."

"My ancestors established a Branch Hall. Unfortunately, my fate was shallow and my blessings thin. Though I opened my Spiritual Root, I could never enter the gate, so my mother sealed my Spiritual Root and had me live an ordinary life."

"Later, enemies came to my door. I alone escaped disaster, only to be abducted to Guanzhong by human traffickers. Then I met the wrong man and lived a life less than human."

"This poor child suffered along with me. When her father died, she was frightened into opening her Intent Root, and the Lonely Souls and Wild Ghosts in the mountains set their eyes on her."

"To save my child, I had no choice but to resume cultivating the rites. Fortunately, my family's Third Aunt had always remained with us, and only then was the child protected. But she is too young. She must endure the twenty-four solar terms, a full year's cycle, before she can be considered free of this calamity."

"The thing following Blind Old Three is called a Cold Altar Rampaging Soldier. It has lost its restraints and is exceedingly bloodthirsty. We cannot fight it, nor do we dare provoke it."

"If you were merely an ordinary person, destroying its Physical Body would only make it disperse and seek another body to cling to. But you happened to open your Spiritual Root, so it fixed its gaze on you and laid a curse."

"It will not rest until it devours your Three Souls Seven Spirits and takes your Physical Body!"

As he listened to Widow Wang recount the chain of cause and effect, Li Yan felt a chill in his heart, yet remained calm. "Why are you telling me all this, Senior?"

At his words, the Girl began chattering in Superior Language again, sounding somewhat exasperated.

Widow Wang said helplessly, "My cultivation is insufficient, and the protective method I arranged is not strong enough. If your Physical Body is taken, that thing will notice the child as well. When that happens, we will not escape either."

So that was why.

Li Yan asked in a low voice, "Is there a way to resolve this?"

Widow Wang said, "Chang'an City has countless temples and monasteries, with no shortage of Xuan Gate People standing guard. If you can arrive before nightfall and find an Expert to shelter you, perhaps you can escape this calamity."

"But your grandfather will likely suffer its retaliation."

Li Yan shook his head as soon as he heard this. "That will not work."

With the current means of travel, let alone reaching Chang'an City, even if he could get there, he could not possibly abandon his grandfather.

Widow Wang seemed to know he would refuse. She muttered with the Girl for a while, then said, "There is one more method. It may succeed, but that depends on whether you have the nerve!"

Li Yan said seriously, "Please, tell me."

At this point, he had no other choice.

Widow Wang and the Immortal Family might be hiding something, but for the moment their goals aligned. They both wanted to eliminate this calamity. He could only choose to trust them.

Widow Wang said, "Prepare two roosters. Soak rice in your own blood, then find some peachwood shavings and ash from your own hair. Mix them together and feed them to the roosters."

"That thing will make trouble at the Zi Hour. Tie the chickens outside your door with red string, then dig a Three Feet earthen pit and bury yourself inside it."

"When the Rampaging Soldier cannot find you, it will take the chickens for you. At dawn the next day, cut open the dead chickens' bellies and see whether black water flows from their organs."

"If black water flows out, burn the dead chickens on a willowwood pyre at noon."

"And if it fails?"

"If it fails, put them out again the second night."

"Remember, this method has taboos. No matter what you hear or see, hide yourself well. On no account may you break through the earth and come out!"

Having said that, the Girl yawned. Snot and tears streamed down her face as she collapsed onto the ground like a deflated leather ball and fell into a deep, snoring sleep.

It was obvious that speaking those few sentences had exhausted her beyond measure.

Naturally, Li Yan took his leave and returned to make preparations.

The moment he stepped outside, that foul stench rushed at him again.

Covering his nose, Li Yan looked at those Pottery Jars that reeked to high heaven and could not help asking, "Can these things keep out ghosts and evil entities?"

Widow Wang's expression turned bitter as she shook her head.

"They cannot keep out ghosts."

"But they can keep out things far more terrifying."

"And they can keep out idle people too..."

In the village, roosters were not hard to find.

Li Yan's household kept several, but to prevent his grandfather from growing suspicious and asking questions, he bought two from other villagers instead.

Both had red combs, colorful feathers, and proud, imposing bearing.

Roosters heralded the dawn and overcame the five poisons. Folk tales said they could ward off evil and avert misfortune.

Yet as Li Yan looked at the two chickens, he could not smell anything unusual from them. Nor did Widow Wang's method require any ritual implements.

What exactly was the principle behind it?

Though he did not understand, Li Yan carried out every step meticulously.

He mashed peachwood branches, cut off some hair and burned it into ash, mixed it with millet and fresh blood, starved the roosters for a day, then fed it to them just before sunset.

As for the pit, he had already dug it beneath his room during the day while his grandfather had gone outside to bask in the sun. He lined it with Oiled Cloth and covered it with loose dirt.

Before long, night fell.

Before the Zi Hour arrived, all of Li Family Fortress had sunk into darkness and silence.

The fifteenth was approaching, and bright moonlight lay across the ground like White Frost.

Li Yan wore a short martial outfit and had wrapped his Leg Wraps tightly. Using red string stained with blood, he tied the chickens to a small tree outside the door.

Then he shut the main door tightly and returned to his room.

The excavated loose earth had been piled along both sides of the pit. When he pulled out the Oiled Cloth beneath it, the dirt came rustling down at once and buried him.

Li Yan gripped the Guanshan Knife, using only a bamboo tube to breathe.

The feeling of being buried alive was terrible. Though only a thin layer of earth covered him, it felt like drowning—darkness, helplessness, and fear rising uncontrollably in his heart.

Not to mention that he still had to face the unknown Cold Altar Rampaging Soldier.

Fortunately, Li Yan had trained in martial arts year after year and possessed a resolute mind. He held his breath, calmed his spirit, and waited quietly.

There was another problem with being buried beneath the dirt: it affected his hearing as well. He would never be able to hear faint knocking sounds like those from last night.

All Li Yan could do was wait.

Before he knew it, an entire night had passed.

After midnight, when he faintly heard a rooster crow, Li Yan immediately exerted both arms, pushed aside the Oiled Cloth, burst through the dirt, and rushed outside with knife in hand.

Dawn had not yet broken, but the scene outside was plain to see.

Just as Widow Wang had said, the rooster tied outside the door was dead beyond doubt. Chicken droppings covered the ground, and its neck was twisted at a strange angle.

Without another word, Li Yan cut open the chicken's belly, and his expression immediately darkened.

Inside the rooster's belly, its five organs and six bowels had been twisted into a single mass.

Its flesh and blood were a blur, yet no black water had flowed out...