Melody Crossing Souls

"Heh, Immortal Master Qi, I'm your neighbor. I had some things going on earlier and didn't get a chance to visit."

"And now that I've just returned from the prefectural city, I've come to pay my respects."

"Haha, Young Master Qi, my son is also studying under Mr. Su. He always talks about you. If you have time today, would you like to come to my home for some tea and a meal?"

Men and women dressed in silk and satin crowded forward.

In this town, they were either highly respected or quite wealthy.

Normally, they wouldn't come to this remote and dilapidated place in the entire town.

But now, not only did they come, they brought gifts. Not only did they bring gifts, but they even walked over to express their sincerity, smiling as they greeted the young man who, in their words, 'came from out of town fleeing famine for food'--

The gust of wind that had enveloped the entire town that day was too strong. The Li family's affairs quickly spread. Qi WuHuo and the Mountain God left together on the clouds, and the news of the Mountain God's friend spread like wildfire.

In such a town, keeping any news secret was a luxury.

Qi WuHuo pursed his lips and continued walking. Some reached out to pull him, others tried to forcefully stuff gifts into his arms. If viewed from above, these hands were like greedy claws trying to grasp something, pulling at the blue-robed youth with smiles. When Qi WuHuo reached the entrance, he saw Li Puyü and stopped.

"Puyu."

Li Puyü's face showed shame.

"I didn't expect the news to get out."

"There were too many people. It's okay."

Li Puyü hugged a wooden box and said in a low voice, "This is the zither I use when I practice. I saw that Senior Brother Qi seems to really like playing the zither, and I thought you might need it..."

"And thank you for saving my family today."

He had truly come to thank Qi WuHuo.

After Qi WuHuo left, the guests also quickly departed.

He was grateful for Qi WuHuo's life-saving grace. After thinking about it, the young man didn't have much money. Because he saw Qi WuHuo playing the zither, he secretly brought out his own zither. But at this moment, looking around and seeing the luxurious items brought by the wealthy landowners and local gentry, his practice zither felt inadequate.

Qi WuHuo extended both hands and accepted the zither.

"Thank you very much."

"Ah? Ah! Yes, yes..."

Li Puyü was stunned, then hurriedly agreed and handed over the zither. Qi WuHuo held the zither.

Seeing this, the others quickly took out their gifts.

Qi WuHuo did not accept any more.

He invited Li Puyü in for tea, but the latter quickly shook his head.

Qi WuHuo reached out and pushed open the door, put down the zither, and then turned around.

He cupped his hands slightly towards the crowd: "I cannot entertain guests today, I apologize."

The young man's eyes were clear, and the crowd instinctively stopped.

Then he closed the door.

The two wooden doors, nailed together from firewood he had collected himself, separated the inside from the outside.

Plum blossoms within.

Greed outside.

As he turned, he picked up the zither and saw the old man still under the plum blossom tree, brewing tea. After brewing the tea, he looked up at Qi WuHuo and asked with a smile, "How do you feel?"

Qi WuHuo let out a breath. The cold and quiet expression on his face disappeared, replaced by the troubles of a young man.

The vague feeling of experiencing these things in a dream could not compare to reality at all.

He rubbed his face and then replied, "I think I understand why some people, even when they know what the righteous path is."

"They can't help but give up cultivation and instead walk the Left Path, cultivating prenatal Qi in advance."

Having supernatural abilities as powerful as Tantai Xuan's, capable of dominating all directions.

One could also gain various benefits.

Fame and fortune. How many cultivators, after witnessing these things, could still endure a life of quiet cultivation?

The old man stroked his beard and laughed heartily.

Then he asked Qi WuHuo to take down the Sword Box from his back and give it to him.

Qi WuHuo handed over the Black Iron Sword Box. The old man tapped it, shook his head, and chuckled:

"As expected, it's not just a sword box, but also a storage item."

"It's quite cleverly hidden."

Qi WuHuo asked, "Do you understand magic treasures, old man?"

The old man was taken aback.

It seemed very few people had asked him this question.

He thought for a moment.

He stroked his beard and replied with a smile, "I'm only slightly familiar with it."

"It's hardly worth mentioning."

He flicked his finger.

The entire Sword Box, with its seventy-two postnatal seals and seventeen innate talismans, shattered completely.

Tantai Xuan's hundred years of hard work.

Turned to dust in an instant.

The Sword Box hummed and whined.

Suddenly, in broad daylight, dark clouds gathered, and the sound of whistling cold wind could be heard. Even the courtyard seemed to instantly become three degrees colder. The old man looked up and said, "So, it's someone who commands souls from the underworld."

He beckoned with his palm, and a radiant jade light flew out from the Sword Box, landing in his palm.

It was a hexagonal white jade pillar. Each of its six faces was inscribed with characters in an extremely fine script, exuding spiritual energy. It was clearly no ordinary object, and it was further protected by a cipher. Even if someone obtained it, they wouldn't be able to decipher the true meaning of these characters.

The old man took one look and said, "Oh? Nine Nether Long Night Corpse Raising and Soul Crossing Profound Scripture of Spiritual Treasures..."

"And a legitimate disciple of the Mystic Gate."

Qi WuHuo's Primordial Spirit vaguely sensed a chilling energy moving through the void. He heard the old man and asked, "Nine Nether Long Night Corpse Raising and Soul Crossing Profound Scripture of Spiritual Treasures?"

The old man casually replied, "Yes."

"Souls wander the five paths, spirits return to the void. In the vast Nine Nethers, for ten thousand kalpas, one endures the three sufferings."

"This is a method to ultimately seek liberation for oneself, to shed the sins of ten thousand kalpas of life and death, and attain eternal life."

"Mm, it's considered orthodox."

Qi WuHuo asked, "If it's orthodox, why would he do something like killing people to steal their lifespan?"

The old man put down the hexagonal white jade pillar and shook his head. "What is orthodox, and what is evil?"

"If an evil person uses an orthodox method, the orthodox method becomes evil; if an orthodox person uses an evil method, the evil method becomes orthodox."

"Using the Xuanmen Lingbao Dharma to kill people and steal their lifespan, he did it stealthily, using the gold tainted with the aura of the Underworld as a cover. Otherwise, he would have likely been discovered by the [North Pole Exorcism Institute] long ago, executed, struck by lightning, and his soul scattered."

"However, these spirits..."

The old man looked up at the more than ten ghosts that Tantai Xuan had commanded, their true spirit consciousness gone.

He had raised his right hand, intending to perform a ritual of salvation.

He suddenly paused, thought for a moment, and then said with a hint of playfulness, "You killed this evil cultivator, so you should bear the karma for it."

"Huh?! Me?"

Qi WuHuo was stunned.

He subconsciously pointed to himself and looked at the sky, saying, "I don't have the method yet. How can I help them?"

The old man stroked his beard, thinking. He only said "help," not "collect" or "eliminate" these ghosts.

Seeing the trace of killing intent on his body, he must have personally slain the evil cultivator.

Capable of killing and capable of saving.

Having the heart to slay evil spirits and the will to save all beings – this is what it means to be a person of the Daoist Sect.

The old man playfully said, "How about you play them a tune on your zither? Perhaps they can recall their past?"

Qi WuHuo looked up. His Primordial Spirit could vaguely see the ghosts who had lost their original minds.

He saw their eyes were red, their [Spirit] aura frenzied.

It seemed they were about to attack any living person at the slightest provocation, yet for some reason, they were remarkably well-behaved in this courtyard.

Their appearance was frenzied.

Yet they stood motionless.

The stark contrast was almost astonishing.

Although Qi WuHuo didn't know the method, he believed the old man.

He raised his hand and took out the zither gifted by Li Puyü. It was a standard zither bought from a shop in the city, intended to help students familiarize themselves with fingerings. The quality of this zither was ordinary. Qi WuHuo sat down under the plum blossom tree, placed his fingers on the strings, and then thought that ordinary zither music wouldn't be able to awaken their spirituality. He should channel his Primordial Spirit power. His eyes drooped slightly as he guided his Primordial Spirit.

The zither music rose instantly.

The souls of those ghosts seemed to clear momentarily.

Meanwhile, after Elder Tao extinguished the remnant soul, he returned to the ley lines under his jurisdiction and suddenly sensed a slight movement of the yin wind.

Listening carefully, he faintly heard the sound of a zither.

"Huh?"

"What is this..."

"Who is playing the zither...?"

"Let's go take a look. We can't afford any more trouble."

With a slight shift in his heart, he immediately activated the Earth Evasion technique, following the sound of the zither.

PS:

Nine Nether Long Night Corpse Raising and Soul Crossing Profound Scripture of Spiritual Treasures. Contains twenty-six chapters of the Spiritual Treasure Rites and Ceremonies, in one volume.

Source: Daoist Canon · Dong Xuan Section · Praise and Song Category.