Chapter 9: The Three Yang True Fire

Xu Changqing and his group arrived at the back of the Purple String Pavilion. The Chen family servants moved quickly, setting up the ritual altar and placing the ritual instruments under the instructions of Chen Deshang. This small courtyard named Purple String Pavilion was specifically built by the thirteenth-generation owner of the Yi Zhuang when he expanded the Chen family residence to improve the feng shui. It was designed to facilitate the performance of rituals outside the mountain. Since the previous generations of Yi Zhuang owners did not possess the Sleeve of the Universe technique, which could contain all things, they had to carry many items whenever they performed rituals outside the mountain. Moreover, Taohua Mountain could not accommodate too many people, so the Yi Zhuang owner had to carry everything himself. At that time, the Yi Zhuang owner's primary cultivation technique did not include the solid foundation method of divine possession, which made each ritual outside the mountain an extremely arduous physical labor, forcing the Yi Zhuang owner to build a branch ritual site.

The current branch ritual site at Purple String Pavilion is even better than the Yi Zhuang on Taohua Mountain. The original Yi Zhuang, built over a hundred years ago, was destroyed by the Shi family's disciples decades ago. Apart from a few ritual instruments and spiritual treasures from over a hundred years ago, everything else was accumulated over the years. However, Purple String Pavilion remained undamaged, and the ritual instruments and talisman banners in the courtyard have a hundred years of spiritual energy, far surpassing those in the Yi Zhuang. Xu Changqing had once considered moving the ritual instruments back to the Yi Zhuang, but doing so would make him appear petty and damage his image as a high-ranking figure in the Chen family. After weighing the pros and cons, he ultimately decided against it.

As Xu Changqing and his group entered Purple String Pavilion, the Chen family servants brought in Chen Tao, who was grinning foolishly. Chen Tao's eyes were vacant, his expression呆滞, and his body moved unconsciously, like a child who is interested in everything or a mad dog that wants to bite anything. The Chen family servants lost sight of him for a moment, and he ran to the side, grabbing a stool and gnawing on it.

Chen Yu, Chen Tao's sister, was deeply worried and on the verge of tears at the sight of her usually cheerful brother in this state. She regretted the decision to go to Taohua Mountain that day. Zhang Yuan comforted her in a low voice, while Shawn felt deeply distressed and regretful at Chen Tao's current state.

Xu Changqing observed the expressions of the three and smiled in approval. He then comforted them a few words and led Xie Ling to the center of the Supreme Clarity Nine Palace Eight Trigram Array, making her stand there. He took a brush from the incense altar, dipped it in cinnabar, and walked to Chen Tao, who was still playing with the servants. He quickly touched Chen Tao's forehead with the brush. Chen Tao immediately calmed down, and the brush seemed to stick to his forehead, pulling him to stand opposite Xie Ling.

After positioning Chen Tao, Xu Changqing quickly wrote a command talisman on his forehead, then cut the red thread tied to Xie Ling's middle finger, crossed the two threads, and tied the other end to Chen Tao's middle finger, forming a Lesser Yin Knot.

Xu Changqing's preparations were complete, and now he waited for the Chen family servants to finish setting up the ritual site and bring ten jars of cinnabar. While waiting, Xu Changqing approached Shawn and the others to inquire about the events of that day. Shawn, unable to describe the situation in Chinese and feeling that speaking English would be inappropriate, let Zhang Yuan recount the story, with Chen Yu and Zhang Yuan filling in the gaps.

It turned out that after leaving the Yi Zhuang, the five of them walked smoothly under the guidance of the lanterns, all very excited and talking about their experiences at the Yi Zhuang. Their initial caution, due to Xu Changqing's warning, gradually relaxed. When they reached the halfway point of the mountain, they all heard a noise behind them, and then they heard Xu Changqing calling them. Xie Ling turned around first, followed by Chen Tao, and then Shawn, Chen Yu, and Zhang Yuan.

Next, they all felt drowsy. Shawn was quickly awakened by a warm current in his chest. He immediately sensed something was wrong, as the others were like hypnotized, with blank expressions and crazy looks. He quickly shook Chen Yu and Zhang Yuan awake. Just as he was about to wake the others, a bright light appeared in the air ahead of them, followed by a bolt of lightning that struck the spot where the light disappeared. In the lightning, a black human-shaped shadow was instantly consumed.

After the lightning and the shadow disappeared, Chen Tao and Xie Ling also regained consciousness. At this point, they remembered Xu Changqing's warning. After checking that no one was injured, they felt relieved. Although still shaken, they thought Xu Changqing had already resolved the crisis. When they returned to the Chen family residence, they were still laughing and joking, and even made plans to watch the lanterns the next day. However, the next morning, Xie Ling was unconscious, and Chen Tao was acting crazy.

Xu Changqing, after hearing their account, marveled at Shawn, Chen Yu, and Zhang Yuan's good fortune and sighed at Chen Tao and Xie Ling's bad luck. Shawn's body had some resistance to evil due to drinking the Six Yang Tea. When the Nine Lives True Lord saw that all five had turned around, he did not expect one of them to remain awake. Chen Yu and Zhang Yuan were shaken awake by Shawn before the Nine Lives True Lord could cast the soul-capturing secret technique on them. Chen Tao and Xie Ling, not shaken awake in time, had one soul and one spirit captured by the Nine Lives True Lord. However, the Nine Lives True Lord failed to capture all their spirits, and the soul-capturing spell was destroyed by Xu Changqing.

"Man is called the most intelligent of all beings because he is naturally protected by a celestial spirit." Xu Changqing, with a calm expression, took out three yellow papers and drew an eye-opening talisman on each with cinnabar, then stuck them on Shawn and the others' eyes, saying, "Don't move! Don't panic!" He then formed a sword finger with his hand, held it in front of his eyes, and said, "Spiritual power, activate, open!"

As Xu Changqing recited the spell, the talismans on Shawn and the others' eyes immediately caught fire, causing them to panic. If Xu Changqing had not warned them, they would have certainly tried to extinguish the flames. Soon, they calmed down, amazed that they felt no heat or pain from the burning talismans.

When the talismans were completely burned, the three were stunned by what they saw. They saw a flame floating above everyone's head and shoulders, with the only difference being the size and color of the flames.

Xu Changqing guessed what the three saw from their expressions and said, "Did you see three flames burning on everyone's body?"

Shawn and the others nodded, looking at Xu Changqing with questions.

"These three flames are the Three Yang True Fire, the celestial spirit given to each person by heaven." Xu Changqing smiled and said, "With the Three Yang True Fire, one is immune to all evil. For cultivators, when their great techniques reach perfection, the Three Yang True Fire can transform into the Three Flavors True Fire, which can ignite anything in the world. Although the Three Yang True Fire is good, it is affected by one's physical condition, making its power fluctuate. When the Three Yang True Fire is completely extinguished, it means the person is dead. When a person dies, it is like a lamp being extinguished, which is why the Three Yang True Fire is also called the soul fire."

"Mr. Xu, why are my brother's and Xie Ling's Three Yang True Fire so weak?" Hearing Xu Changqing's explanation, the three were all enlightened, and Chen Yu pointed to the weak Three Yang True Fire on Chen Tao and Xie Ling.

"They have lost one soul and one spirit, so their Three Yang True Fire is naturally very weak." Xu Changqing looked at Chen Tao and Xie Ling and said, "The Three Yang True Fire generally does not extinguish unless the person dies. However, there is one situation where the Three Yang True Fire can be extinguished for a short time. When a person turns their head quickly, their own breath can blow out the flame on their shoulder, creating a vulnerability in the Three Yang True Fire, which can be exploited by evil. Even a small wandering spirit can invade and take control of the body, which is commonly known as a ghost possession. When you turned around on the halfway point of Taohua Mountain, you blew out the Three Yang True Fire on your shoulders, allowing someone to easily capture your souls. That's why I warned you not to turn around no matter what you heard."

Xu Changqing's words left Shawn and the others stunned, looking at each other, unsure of what to say. At this moment, Chen Deshang arrived with ten jars of cinnabar and two large boxes, quickly walking to Xu Changqing and said, "I apologize for keeping you waiting! Fortunately, I managed to buy ten jars of high-quality cinnabar, all over fifty years old, and mixed with black dog blood, as you instructed."

Hearing Chen Deshang's words, Xu Changqing's eyes flashed with excitement. He walked to the ten jars of cinnabar, opened each lid, and sniffed them. They were indeed high-quality cinnabar over fifty years old, with one jar nearly a hundred years old. Chen Deshang, instead of being angry at Xu Changqing's seemingly distrustful actions, was highly impressed, considering it a sign of Xu Changqing's meticulousness and professionalism.

Seeing Xu Changqing return, Chen Deshang pointed to the two boxes and said, "Additionally, I was concerned that you might not have enough talisman paper, so I bought two boxes from the Five Thunder Sect's Master Zhao on Mount Maoshan for your use."

Xu Changqing, suppressing his excitement, walked to the boxes, had the servants open them, and then had them closed. Although his demeanor and expression were calm, his heart was racing. He had heard that the high-ranking cultivators of the Five Thunder Sect on Mount Maoshan had all retreated into seclusion, and he had not believed it until now. If those powerful cultivators were not in seclusion, Master Zhao would not dare to sell such valuable talisman paper, which had been refined for over a hundred years using the Supreme Clarity Five Thunder Technique. This treasure was priceless. He could almost imagine the anger of those cultivators when they emerged from seclusion and saw the situation.

Despite his excitement, Xu Changqing maintained his composure and nodded at Chen Deshang, saying, "Thank you for your efforts, Mr. Chen!" He then saw that the ritual site was ready and said, "Please have your servants clear the area around Purple String Pavilion, ensuring no one approaches within thirty zhang. Additionally, have all the male servants born in the Year of the Dragon, Tiger, or Monkey surround the area from thirty zhang away."

"Of course, I will have it done immediately!" Chen Deshang nodded and bowed to Xu Changqing, saying, "The rest is up to you, Mr. Xu!"

Xu Changqing, with a confident smile, reassured him, "Please rest assured, Mr. Chen!"

After Chen Deshang left with the servants, Xu Changqing went to the incense altar, facing Chen Tao and Xie Ling, while Shawn and the others were arranged in the banner array behind him. He then pulled some hair from Chen Tao and Xie Ling, burned it with the soul-guiding talisman, and mixed the ashes into three cups. He took out a gourd from his sleeve, poured some rootless water into the cups, and gave them to the three to drink.

After the three drank the talisman water with furrowed brows, Xu Changqing took out three silver needles, pricked their middle fingers, and dripped the blood into the cups. The blood from the middle finger is the heart's yang blood, which is almost as effective as high-quality cinnabar but is more potent due to the human qi. Even those with insufficient cultivation can use heart's yang blood to draw talismans and activate spells.

While Shawn and the others were dripping blood, Xu Changqing selected three fifty-year-old willow tree talismans from the ritual instruments prepared by the Chen family servants. He then used the heart's yang blood to write Chen Tao and Xie Ling's names on the talismans and gave them to the three to hold. Willow branches can repel ghosts, while willow trunks can house spirits, making willow talismans the best soul-guiding instruments.

"Once I start the ritual, you three must loudly call out their names," Xu Changqing instructed the three behind him. He then tidied his clothes, lit three incense sticks, and bowed to the four directions. He gave two incense sticks to Chen Tao and Xie Ling to hold in their mouths and placed the remaining one on a peachwood figurine on the incense altar. He then pricked their middle fingers again, dripped some heart's yang blood onto the peachwood figurine, and wrote their names on both sides. During the ritual, to avoid them getting hurt, Xu Changqing would use the peachwood figurine as a substitute for them.