When two people cultivated their souls, one might use the ability to leave the body to play tricks and commit petty villainies. Such a person was a demonic heretic. But one who guarded himself, focused on strengthening his soul, and roamed freely through heaven and earth followed the righteous path of immortality. Everything that had just happened had been a battle of souls, fought with illusory thoughts. Hong Yi had read widely since childhood and understood this distinction perfectly. He wanted to see what a lowly scholar like himself had done to earn Lady Zhao's special attention, enough for her to send out the most important people at her beck and call. "I'll be careful," the maid said, nodding as she drifted lightly into the room. Hong Yi had seen Nanny Zeng's smug expression as she muttered to herself just moments ago, clear as day. When he heard her say she would make him suffer nightmares every night and damage his soul, he knew she was someone who cultivated soul techniques. At a glance, Hong Yi could tell Nanny Zeng was regulating her breath, visualizing, and preparing to leave her body. He was usually vigilant, but these four maids served him every day and harbored ill intentions. One careless moment, and they really might discover the Amitabha Sutra. "Mm?" "Mm?" "Don't worry, Nanny Zeng. I guarantee I'll report to you even if he loses a single hair." The maid glanced toward the inner room and spoke shrewdly. Hong Yi immediately slipped into the room, returned his soul to his body, and lay down, feigning sleep. "Searching my things? Thank goodness I read the Martial Classic and then burned it. I'll have to be careful with the Amitabha Sutra. If these petty villains find out about it, the consequences will be endless." A thought stirred in Hong Yi's mind, and he felt a little relieved. Of course, every word of this reached Hong Yi's ears. With his soul out of his body, Hong Yi had witnessed what was happening. He gave a cold sneer and floated over. An uncontrollable fury welled up inside him. He wanted to see just what Nanny Zeng was going to do to him. "The gods are watching from three feet above your head. The spirits will surely know of every scheming trick. There's truth in that saying." Though Hong Yi had only made modest progress in cultivating his soul, he could already roam by night and even by day. With this ability, he could have done plenty of unlawful things. But he never did. He only cultivated and strengthened his soul, wandering about to familiarize himself with its "water nature." At most, he watched Hong Xuejiao practice her punches, which was perfectly proper. "He's sitting on the bed right now. I can't tell if he's asleep or doing something else, but I haven't seen him practice martial arts." When the maid heard Nanny Zeng's question, she hurriedly reported what she had noticed. The wind blew, and beneath the moon, shadows twisted and writhed across the ground, as if struggling to rise! It was so uncanny it could scare the wits out of anyone. "Go on. Don't let him notice anything amiss. That boy is sharp, no simple character. You can tell from the fact that he secretly made Princess Zhennan's acquaintance. He's deep and calculating." Nanny Zeng waved her hand. "Mm. Keep a close eye on everything he does. Report anything unusual to me, and I'll pass it on to Madam. Look for a chance to search his clothes and books; see if there's anything suspicious. You're all clever maids. I don't need to spell out every detail, do I?" "You're a clever one. You saw through his intentions. I'll report this to Madam and make sure you're rewarded." Nanny Zeng praised her, then her tone turned icy. "Naturally, I won't let him pass the exams. Does he even have any literary talent..." Since Hong Yi had heard them now, he took the warning to heart and grew wary. Hong Yi knew perfectly well that he hadn't even opened his eyes. How could he have seen the moonlit shadows twisting in the room? It had to be an illusion. "Should I tamper with his food so he can't take the imperial examinations?" the maid asked. "No need. That would be easy to trace and too obvious. On the contrary, serve him delicious food at every meal, so no one can find fault." Nanny Zeng's face was eerily grim. She opened her mouth and cackled. "Heh, heh... I have my own way. The examinations are a month away. If he has nightmares day and night this month, haunted by resentful spirits until his soul is badly damaged, let's see how he can sit the exams." "Thank you for Madam's reward," the maid said hastily, thanking Lady Zhao, who wasn't even present. She was still very respectful. "But from the way that boy carries himself, I don't think he plans to stay in the Marquis Mansion for long. The exams are next month. If he passes and becomes a juren, he'll move out. What do we do then? I've heard he's quite talented, so he must feel confident about the exams." It was a feeling of helplessness and terror. "You demon! You dare come and harm me! Who says I must cultivate the immortal way before I can resist you? Even before I began cultivating, I was upright, did nothing to be ashamed of, never schemed or acted deceitfully, and kept the sages' teachings in my heart. How could you bewitch me?" At the same time, Hong Yi lay there pretending to sleep. Suddenly, he heard the wind howl in his ears, rattling the door as if ghosts were wailing. Moonlight streamed through the window, and the shadows twisted like things crawling across the ground, struggling to rise! "He's only trained his muscles and sinews, and even that is rudimentary. A little blood and vitality like his are no use against the soul's bewitchment. But if he keeps training for years, his blood and vitality will grow strong. Then I may not be able to suppress him. Never mind. I'll make him suffer nightmares for a month first and damage his soul. No one will know, and he'll be none the wiser. What can he do to me?" Hong Yi understood what was happening. He wanted to open his eyes and see what it looked like, but suddenly he couldn't control his arms or legs, and couldn't open his eyes at all. "Nanny Zeng was Lady Zhao's dowry attendant, an old servant who had served her for years. She was no ordinary person. Why had she crept around outside my room at night, then discussed keeping me under surveillance with a maid? Lady Zhao really does have ill intentions. But what is there about me worth watching? I'll listen and see what they're saying." His opponent's martial arts were far superior to Hong Yi's. Since she meant him harm, he had no choice but to be cautious. Hong Yi thought that since he had left his body, he was something like a ghost or spirit himself. The first time, he had heard Hong Gui plotting against him; now, he had heard Nanny Zeng and the maid's scheme. It was just like the saying in the books: "The gods are watching from three feet above your head." But the illusion was so real, so vivid, that anyone unaware of its nature and unprepared for it would never be able to tell whether it was true or false. He opened his eyes. Moonlight poured in, and all was quiet. There were no ghostly shadows or howling wind. Nor was there any golden light. Just as hatred and fury surged in Hong Yi's heart, Nanny Zeng, seated on the ground and regulating her breath as she visualized, seemed to sense something. Her eyes flew open, and she looked toward him. "So this is the art of bewildering the spirit?" "Starting today, your monthly allowance will be raised to ten taels," Nanny Zeng added. It was like being pinned down by a nightmare: you knew the dream was false, but you still couldn't wake up! In the dim moonlit night, the corner of the wall, the old woman's sinister, eerie smile—everything made Nanny Zeng look like a demon from a ghost story. About two hours later, the Marquis Mansion had grown quiet, and the night was deep. Nanny Zeng's head stirred; then her breathing and heartbeat went still. Her soul had clearly left her body. The maid saw Nanny Zeng's grim face and turned pale with fright. Nanny Zeng found nothing. Her sinister eyes closed again, and she sank back into visualization. At the same time, Hong Yi heard a sharp scream from the artificial hill outside his room, like a wounded beast. The Void blazed with light! "The Void is boundless, and I sit at its center. A thousand lifetimes pass in the blink of an eye; all things are but illusion." Hong Yi did not panic. He had cultivated the Amitabha Sutra and weathered illusions far more formidable than this. He gave a cold smile and suddenly sank into the state of unity with the Amitabha Buddha. Hong Yi felt his soul leap free. His whole body blazed with golden light, like the sun exploding, instantly vaporizing every ghostly shadow in the room.
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