Incense Protects the Spirit

"Last time, Sister Consort Yuan brought a few scholars, too. She said they would teach us to read, speak, and write, but they fainted as soon as they saw us." "My name is Hong Yi. What's yours?" Hong Yi saw the incense smoke curling around him and felt as if his whole body were soaking in a hot spring. He didn't feel the cold he'd experienced the first time his spirit left his body. And even after leaving his body, he still had no ability to protect himself. Only after reaching the Object Manipulation stage would he gradually gain the ability to defend himself. This was far worse than martial arts. A person could practice their fists and feet for a month or two and easily knock down one or two people. Hong Yi guessed that many cultivators' spirits scattered after leaving their bodies during cultivation. At the same time, he saw a little girl of twelve or thirteen standing above the little white fox's head. She was dressed entirely in white, her sleeves fluttering. Her brows and eyes were as exquisitely rendered as a fine brush painting, and a lively spirit shone through her delicate features. "Oh, the incense is almost burned out. Brother Xiao Yi, you should return to your body, or you won't be able to take it. Once your spirit grows stronger, you can come out and play with us, too! Later, you can even go into town and buy us some things to play with, okay? I really want to go into town and buy things." "Squeak, squeak." "What are the Eight Great Demon Immortals of the World?" Hong Yi asked. Even if he could leave his body, it was like someone who couldn't swim jumping off a boat into the open sea—they'd be swallowed up in an instant. The little white fox looked straight at him, blinking. "Mr. Bai is called Bai Ziyue. He's very famous, one of the Eight Great Demon Immortals of the World." "What does that mean?" "They're the eight most outstanding and powerful beings besides humans. But I don't really know. I only overheard Mr. Bai talking with Sister Consort Yuan last time." Xiao Shu shook her head again. "Xiao Sang, what are these things on the ground? I've never seen them before. Do foxes eat them?" Hong Yi pointed at the two things on the ground. "By the way, how far have the three of you gotten in your cultivation?" Hong Yi split open a peanut, and sure enough, it was crisp and fragrant. He peeled the sweet potato, and it was sweet as well. He had never tasted such delicious food before. "The world says foxes are cunning, but they don't know that human wiles and cunning surpass foxes by ten thousand times." Hong Yi sighed. Just then, two more little white foxes came in through the doorway. Seeing the sandalwood incense burning in the stone chamber, they both squeaked, then curled up and lay still on the ground. Hong Yi saw two more little girls dressed in white appear. "Have you practiced before? How did you manage to send your spirit out so quickly?" "You mean you want me to send my spirit out again so we can talk? But..." Hong Yi had just experienced how dangerous it was to leave his body, and he hesitated. Hong Yi asked the little white fox. The three foxes and Hong Yi returned to their bodies. "Xiao Fei, Xiao Shu, come over here! Brother Xiao Yi can actually send his spirit out and talk to us!" Xiao Sang suddenly called out. After taking a sip of steaming tea, Hong Yi watched the three little foxes leaping about and remembered the three girls who had called him Brother Xiao Yi when his spirit left his body. Warmth welled up in his heart. Now that he'd figured it out, his mind was clear. The two little girls chattered away, crowding around Hong Yi and twittering nonstop. He hadn't realized little girls could be so adorable. They were nothing like the maids in the Marquis Mansion. Even the younger ones were all shrewd, each trying to wheedle her way up by hook or by crook. "No wonder the ways of spirits and ghosts aren't considered respectable. There are so many taboos." Hearing them talk gave Hong Yi a deeper understanding of the immortal arts of spirit cultivation. "It's true! This is going to be so much fun. We're cooped up in the mountains every day, and it's so boring. But Sister Consort Yuan says we can't go outside. People will kill us if we do." "Mr. Bai? Who is Mr. Bai?" Afterward, Hong Yi felt his whole body grow light, and he suddenly sat up. But there was no little girl dressed in white in front of him, only a little white fox. On the stone table lay a fruit dish with a few snacks in it and a steaming cup of tea. Just as Hong Yi felt his spirit couldn't return to his body and was about to scatter, he suddenly saw a little girl dressed in white rush in. She grabbed him and pushed him toward his body. So, when cultivating the spirit, the first step was to calm the mind, steady the spirit, and drive out all distracting thoughts. Only then could one use a visualization method to leave the body. Simply calming the mind, steadying the spirit, and clearing away every distraction was beyond what most people could manage. Hong Yi had also deduced some of the flaws in the cultivation methods recorded in the Daoist Classic—even the deliberately cruel ones. "Squeak, squeak." "The immortal path of spirit cultivation has too many restrictions. It's difficult to get started, and it's far too dangerous. No wonder it isn't widespread in the world, while the martial arts path flourishes." "Xiao Sang and I have only reached the stage where we can leave our bodies. Xiao Shu is a little better; she can Night Roam far away, but she hasn't reached the stage of Day Roaming. She can't get too far from her body. Sister Consort Yuan says that unless we reach the Yin Spirit stage of Object Manipulation, we can't use flying needles or swords, so we can't go out. Otherwise, we won't be able to bewitch the people beyond the mountains, whose blood and vital energy are vigorous, and we could easily be harmed." Xiao Fei shook her head. "That's how it was at first, but a few elders went mad cultivating and died. Later, Mr. Bai came by and told Elder Tu there was something wrong with this Daoist Classic, so he gave him some pointers." Xiao Shu answered. "All right." Hong Yi sat down, closed his eyes, and began practicing the Pagoda Visualization Method. Suddenly, he leapt. Hong Yi understood that principle well enough. Boom! "Squeak, squeak, squeak..." The little white fox happily circled Hong Yi, pointing its paw at the tea and snacks on the ground. "Hehe, Brother Xiao Yi, how silly you are! A spirit can't pick things up, and people can't see it either. Only after reaching the Object Manipulation stage can you pick things up. But you've managed to leave your body so quickly, Brother Xiao Yi, so you should reach Object Manipulation soon, too. Humans really are the most intelligent creatures of all. You cultivate much faster than us foxes." "Squeak, squeak." "Xiao Sang, Xiao Shu, Xiao Fei, does your Pure Fox Clan cultivate according to this Daoist Classic?" Hong Yi suddenly asked. Hong Yi didn't read books by rote. He studied the author's thoughts and even their life experiences. More than that, he wanted to know when the book had been written, what sort of circumstances the author had been in, and what state of mind they'd had. Only then could he truly understand a book and commune with its author. A look of delight flashed through Hong Yi's eyes. No one had ever addressed him so warmly. Xiao Sang might be a fox, but once her spirit left her body, she was no different from a human—a lovely little girl. Now that he'd thought it through, he understood. The Great Gan Dynasty's Martial Classic and Daoist Classic were both vast and profound, but there were also many things wrong with them, including passages that could lead people to their deaths. "Just now, you saved me?" "You still haven't told me how you managed to leave your body so quickly. Were you practicing the Pagoda Visualization Method? When I practiced it, it took me a full month before I could leave my body." Xiao Sang fiddled with her hair. "There's nothing strange about this method. You just need to imagine climbing high and leaping. Someone who climbs a mountain and jumps off a cliff dies before hitting the ground—that's because their spirit has already left their body. Practicing this visualization method works the same way: imagine yourself jumping from a great height, and your spirit leaves your body." The little white fox squeaked again, as if answering Hong Yi's question, but the two of them couldn't understand each other, and Hong Yi was baffled. "We Pure Foxes all have the surname Tushan. My name is Tushan Sang. You can call me Xiao Sang. So your name is Hong Yi. From now on, I'll call you Brother Xiao Yi." Xiao Sang was completely innocent and carefree. "My body hasn't learned to speak like a human yet, so I can only talk with you through my spirit. This is sandalwood incense. It can protect your spirit, so you don't have to worry about the wind scattering it. The incense offered in temples is all like this." Hong Yi heard a voice. "No wonder spirits and gods love incense..." Hong Yi smiled. "Brother Xiao Yi... You called me Brother Xiao Yi?" He saw his own body again, his spirit having left it. The Daoist Classic had been compiled by the Great Gan Dynasty from texts gathered throughout the land. The Great Gan Dynasty didn't want people cultivating immortal arts, which could undermine the dynasty's rule. "Before our spirits reach the Object Manipulation stage, we can only protect ourselves by bewitching others. But if we run into someone strong-bodied, firm-willed, and clear-headed, it's difficult to bewitch them. Someone like you, Brother Yi, is completely immune to us. Last time, a group of hunters came into the mountains. A few of them were especially strong, and from far away I saw that their vital energy blazed like fire. I didn't dare go near them. Luckily, we hid and they didn't find us." "So when fox spirits bewitch people, they first need their victims to have impure hearts, to be suspicious and fearful, so their spirits grow weak. Second, their bodies need to be weak, with little vital energy. They can also take advantage of a person's weakness when they're near death. That's why people who are dying often see demons and monsters." Hong Yi thought of some passages in the Caotang Notes. "What is this?" "Squeak, squeak." The little white fox pointed its paw at the incense burning on the ground, meaning that with incense, there was nothing to fear. Hong Yi had never seen either of these things before and didn't know what they were. "Peanuts and sweet potatoes?" Hong Yi looked at them and reached out to pick one up, but his fingers passed right through it. "Flying swords and needles?" Hong Yi asked, confused. Hong Yi thought it over. "I just read the stages of spirit cultivation recorded in the Daoist Classic: 'Steadying the Spirit, Leaving the Body, Night Roaming, Day Roaming, Object Manipulation, Manifestation, Possession, Body Snatching, Tribulation of Thunder, Yang God.' The principles of Daoist spirit cultivation are simple, but hard to put into practice. Luckily, I'm a scholar and can keep my mind still. Most people's minds leap about like monkeys and gallop like horses; how could they steady their spirits? Without steadying the spirit, they can't even speak of leaving the body. The Great Dao is simple; cultivating these immortal arts is much simpler than cultivating martial arts." "No wonder the highest realm in the Martial Classic is only Martial Saint, with no Human Immortal!" The little white fox kept squeaking as it used its forepaws to point at its own head, then sat on the ground. It pointed at Hong Yi, telling him to imitate it. This was the first time Hong Yi had heard of Mr. Bai. The little white fox squeaked for a while. When it seemed to realize it couldn't explain itself, it pattered outside, brought back a long stick of incense in its mouth, lit it, and stuck it in the ground. Before long, incense smoke curled around Hong Yi. "That means the Martial Classic might also deliberately leave out important warnings. Still, I think there must be two versions of the Martial Classic and the Daoist Classic: one version in the royal Library, and another circulated among the common people. And the Great Gan Dynasty's emperor probably still thought that wasn't enough, so he issued an order banning the books." The little white fox nodded. "That's right. After reaching the Object Manipulation stage, you can control swords and needles to stab people, or control stones to hit them. Then you can protect yourself." Xiao Sang said. "The monks of the Great Zen Temple brought these seeds from overseas. The red-coated ones are called luohua sheng, or peanuts. Those that have been roasted until fragrant and soft are called sweet potatoes. After the Great Zen Temple was burned down, we brought some seeds here and planted them in the mountains. They're easy to grow, produce a lot, and taste delicious." Xiao Sang giggled. Hong Yi opened his eyes. There was nothing in front of him except the three little white foxes, their eyes blinking at him. The three girls' conversation seemed like a dream. The little white fox tapped its head with a forepaw and sat on the ground. It pointed at Hong Yi, telling him to imitate it. It also pointed at the burning incense on the ground, as if to say that the incense smoke protected him. "No wonder the Daoist Classic doesn't mention lighting a stick of sandalwood when describing visualization methods. Now I know the vicious trap hidden in those instructions: they're meant to make cultivators die." Hong Yi finally understood how dangerous it was to send his spirit out. "Xiao Yi, you're Brother Xiao Yi? There's someone else at last! Now we can play together. I've wanted to leave the mountains and find people to play with for ages." "Hmm? For a fox spirit to bewitch someone, the person first needs an impure heart or a weak body with little vital energy." Hong Yi remembered some things recorded in the Caotang Notes.