Chapter 107: Encountering a Clear Day Chapter 86: Souls Return

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Shaowei

Liu Qi

The second day of the second month is said to be the birthday of Yao Wang.

Yao valued agriculture, established the four seasons to form the year, and issued farming seasons; thus, while the common people worshipped Yao, they also prayed for favorable winds and rains, abundant grain, and the expulsion of calamities.

On the vast Divine Platform, Shaowei played the role of the little ghosts and evil spirits expelled by the Great Witch.

The position of Great Witch God was vacant; the one playing the Great Witch was a senior witch from the Shen Ci. The Great Witch wore red robes, wore a Ghost God Bronze Mask, held Colorful Bird Long Feathers, danced to drum music while chanting, her movements oppressive, as if subduing those Sixty-Four Little Ghostes and Evil Spirits.

Among those sixty-four people, thirty-two were female witches and thirty-two were male witches, all wearing multicolored Witchcraft Attire and identical Ferocity Ghost Masks, with grass ropes tied around their waists, coordinating with the red-robed Great Witch's movements, gathering and retreating, stepping and swaying.

The Sacrificial Drum depicting the Vermilion Bird Totem was mounted on the Copper Drum Platform; the Nuo Master struck the drum with both hands, wide sleeves fluttering, as if shaken by the drum sound.

Bundles of neatly tied Grain Stalks symbolizing a bountiful harvest were arranged around the Altar; pottery jars held Five Grains, and pottery urns held wine, the grain and wine shaking with the dance and drum music.

Below the Altar, a Hundred Officials stood in four rows; Civil Officials held Bird Feathers, Military Officials held Broadsword and Shield, the procession stretched like a Dragon through the solemn Grand Court, all participants solemn, harmonious, and reverent.

Standing at the very front of the procession was not the Son of Heaven, but Crown Prince Liu Cheng in Ritual Robe wearing a crown with nine pendants; beside him stood his mother, Rui Huanghou.

Behind them stood Xiang Gong Yan Mian, Taichang Temple Minister Yin Lin, and Grand Minister of Agriculture Rui Ze.

The Ren Emperor did not attend in person, and the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers and Hundred Officials were not all present.

Yu Si Wu stood beside the Crown Prince, eyes half-lowered, expression solemn and tense.

Since the former Great Witch God was severely punished, there had been no Tai Puzhe in the Shen Ci, and His Majesty no longer visited the sacrifices repeatedly; mostly the heir presided in his place.

Yu Si Wu still remembered the grand scene of many years ago when the mighty and healthy Son of Heaven brought the Hundred Officials here to sacrifice to the gods together; now such splendor had not been seen for many years.

In recent years, His Majesty either claimed heavy state affairs or poor Dragon Body, visiting the Shen Ci only a handful of times a year, but when sacrificing at the imperial mausoleum ancestors or setting up Ritual Altars at Xian Tai Gong, His Majesty almost never missed... ultimately, His Majesty was simply unwilling to believe in Nuo rituals anymore.

The Shen Ci sacrifice was preserved only because ancestral rites could not be abolished.

But if this continued, who could guarantee that one day this Shen Ci would not be completely neglected?

The drumming above the Altar grew denser; this stirring sound gave Yu Si Wu not a shred of vigor, only more anxiety.

She tensed her shoulders, took a deep breath, forced herself to calm her mind; the sacrifice to the gods was so sacred, yet as a Sizong she was so distracted—truly disrespectful, and would only make the Shen Ci lose Divine Favor even more.

On the Divine Platform, the red-robed Great Witch raised Bird Feathers high with both hands; as a powerful drumbeat sounded, the Great Witch arched her back, lowered her upper body, spread her arms, and shouted: "—Suppress!"

The sixty-four witches surrounding the Great Witch danced back several steps, as if suppressed by sorcery, sitting sideways one after another, shaking shoulders and swaying upper bodies, appearing to submit in surrender.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Accompanied by three drumbeats, the Great Witch danced, her hanging hands suddenly raised high, and shouted again: "—Rise!"

The sixty-four witches rose to dance, lowering their figures, gathering toward the upright Great Witch like slaves.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Three more rhythmic drumbeats fell.

The Great Witch raised Bird Feathers again, faced the Main Hall of the Shen Ci, and shouted loudly: "—Expel!"

The Nuo Ritual process was roughly the same: the Great Witch subdued a host of Ghostly Cultivators, made them slaves, then led them to expel ominous things hidden everywhere.

At this moment the red-robed Great Witch led the way, dancing as she descended from the Divine Platform, bringing the sixty-four Ghostly Cultivators behind her into the Shen Dian to expel calamities and filth.

The step the Great Witch took was also called the Yu Step; it was said that when Da Yu controlled the waters, he fell ill from overwork, his legs moved abnormally so he could only take short steps; because legend said Da Yu was an incarnation of the Great Witch, later generations passed down the "Yu Step" as a witch ritual dance posture to this day.

After the Great Witch led a host of ghost servants into the Shen Dian, Crown Prince Liu Cheng also led the ministers into the hall amid drum and music.

Liu Cheng worshipped the gods and spirits of heaven, earth, mountains, and marshes enshrined in the hall under the guidance of the Sizong.

The Great Witch chanted, leading ghost servants to expel calamities and filth from every corner.

Copper bells, chanting, humming and clanging filled the hall; Liu Cheng could not help but feel tense.

This was his second time replacing Imperial Uncle to light the God Lamp; before lighting the lamp, he needed to worship the Ancestors of the Liu Family, while the Great Witch chanted Soul Summoning Words to summon the Ancestral Spirits to return and bless Great Qian.

Yet every time he heard those summoning words, he inexplicably felt a chill, as if truly being watched by the ancestors.

But he was nowhere near as good as Deposed Crown Prince Gu... the ancestors were so majestic and powerful; would they be dissatisfied with him, this heir?

Although on the way here, his uncle had quietly told him that this Shen Ci no longer had so-called Divine Power protection, and the witches here had no ability to summon ancestral souls; lighting the lamp was merely a ritual, no need to be tense.

But when that exceedingly eerie sentence "Souls return—" suddenly echoed through the great hall, Liu Cheng's hair stood on end instantly.

Amid the copper bell sounds, the Great Witch raised her head and sang: "Souls return! To your lord's eternal dryness, what of the four directions? Abandon your place of joy, and leave that ominous place!"

"Souls return! The East cannot be entrusted! A man a thousand ren tall, only seeking the soul!"

"......"

"Souls return! The West's harm, flowing sand a thousand li! Spinning into the thunder abyss, scattered and unstoppable!"

"......"

Everyone in the hall waited with reverent and solemn expressions.

Accompanied by the Great Witch's summoning, Yu Si Wu guided Crown Prince Cheng in order to finish worshipping the Ancestors of the Liu Family, preparing to light the God Lamp.

"Souls return! The North cannot stop! Increasing ice towering, flying snow a thousand li! Return! Cannot stay long!"

Liu Cheng was extremely tense, forcing himself to focus and light the lamp.

The Vermilion Bird Copper Oil Lamp was successfully lit.

Liu Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, holding up that Vermilion Bird Lamp filled with clear lamp oil.

Next he only needed to place this lamp on the Divine Table, and he could smoothly end this ceremony.

The Great Witch continued to chant the summoning words; the ghost servants she had subdued danced more and more stirringly, beginning to raise their heads and spin in the hall, as if welcoming the ancestral souls.

"—Souls return!"

The Great Witch sang out loudly; Liu Cheng raised the God Lamp high.

"Ding!" Amid the solemnity, suddenly an object flew through the air, emitting a crisp ringing sound.

What was struck was none other than the Vermilion Bird Lamp held by Crown Prince Cheng.

With a clang, the copper lamp slipped from his hand and rolled down, smashing onto the sacrificial table as firelight and lamp oil splattered; Liu Cheng was greatly alarmed, and Empress Rui cried out in shock.

"—Return! Be careful of your person!" the Grand Witch sensed the anomaly, her trailing tone tinged with a hint of trembling.

Liu Cheng's sleeve caught fire; he retreated again and again, shaking his sleeve, while exclaiming in panic: "... Ancestors above, Cheng knows his mistake, knows his mistake!"

"Your Highness, watch your words!" Grand Minister of Agriculture Rui Ze stepped forward, sternly interrupting his nephew's words while extinguishing the flames on his nephew's behalf.

Yu Si Wu likewise paled, hurriedly leading people to stamp out the sparks scattering wildly above and below the sacrificial table.

The God Lamp overturned—an omen of great ill fortune!

As the ceremony neared its end, a sudden mishap occurred; officials in the hall cried out in confusion, the Taichang Temple Minister calmed those around, Yan Xiangguo swiftly ordered the Shen Dian sealed inside and out, Rui Ze pulled Liu Cheng behind him, and demanded loudly: "Who dares to deliberately disrupt this great sacrifice to the gods!"

A palace attendant had already found the culprit who overturned the God Lamp, trembling as he held it up—it was a copper Suppressing Evil Coin.

This Suppressing Evil Coin originated from Great Qian ceremonies, used specifically to suppress evil spirits.

Among those present today, the ones wearing this coin were precisely the Sixty-Four Witches playing the Ghostly Cultivators.

Rui Ze was about to order the search and interrogation of those sixty-four people when, as the witches instinctively retreated in panic, a figure stepped out from among them.

That figure came before the crowd, and beneath the ferocious ghost mask issued the clear voice of a young girl: "This Yin Coin fell from my own body."

Countless gazes turned to the witchcraft-attired girl who had stepped forward; she casually pulled the Red Cord Coin String from her waist and held it up for all to see.

Every witch playing a Ghostly Cultivator wore a string of Suppressing Evil Coins at the waist—nine coins per string, tightly woven with red cord.

Yu Si Wu's face turned green and white; he snatched the coin string from the little witch's hand and indeed found the bottommost coin missing!

Yu Si Wu's gaze was like blades, as if slicing through the mask on the little witch's face.

It was her!

It was that Flower Raccoon, the youngest and poorest in basic skills!

All sacrificial items had clearly been checked again and again—how could her Suppressing Coin have flown out of all things, and just happened to strike the lit God Lamp?! —It must be that this little witch's heart was insincere and disrespectful, angering the divine spirits!

As the Witch in Charge, she had hesitated whether to let this little witch participate in this Nuo Ritual, but such a complicated ritual consumed great physical strength, and only young witches could manage it; since the two originally designated young witches had suddenly fallen ill, she had allowed this Flower Raccoon to take their place!

These past few days she had paid attention to her: this raccoon's basic skills were average, but she learned quickly, did not lag behind during rehearsals, and seemed no problem... Who would have thought she would cause such a terrible disaster at this moment!

She could lose her worthless little life, no different from a raccoon's, but the sacrificial ceremony being destroyed would drag down the reputation of the entire Shen Ci! Could this truly be the will of heaven?

Yu Si Wu could hardly stand; the voices around her mingled, like the curses of divine punishment descending.

Two palace attendants received orders to force the little witch to kneel and beg forgiveness from the divine spirits and ancestors, but the little witch did not move, standing straight, saying: "I cannot kneel."

Yu Si Wu's mind buzzed—had she gone mad?

Her expression grim and terrifying, she stepped forward, intending to personally force this reckless, mad little witch to beg forgiveness, but had just taken a step when she heard the little witch say again: "The Yin Coin leaving my body was not my intention; rather, the soul spirit of the Grand Ancestor was summoned back, using my body to show the descendants."

She said calmly: "The spirit of the Grand Ancestor has not yet left the body; I cannot kneel."

The Palace Interior suddenly fell silent; a gust of wind swept in, and the Soul Summoning Banner hanging high in the hall fluttered and danced.

Liu Cheng stared in shock at the little witch who claimed to be his ancestor.

"Outrageous to the extreme!" Rui Ze flew into a rage: "To escape responsibility, you dare to fabricate such treasonous nonsense!"

He suddenly waved his sleeve, pointing at the Grand Witch: "The Grand Witch responsible for summoning souls and inviting spirits is right here in the Shen Ci; you are merely an unnamed little witch—why would the Grand Ancestor's soul spirit attach itself to you?"

Another official spoke in a deep voice: "What do you mean? Are you saying the Grand Ancestor is dissatisfied with the current Crown Prince?"

Empress Rui shivered at once, looking pleadingly at her brother.

How could Rui Ze not know someone would take advantage of this to cause trouble? He snatched the ceremonial halberd from a nearby Military Official and pointed it at the little witch: "Remove her mask!"

Two palace attendants pressed down on the little witch's arms from left and right, while another stepped forward and tore off her ghost mask.

The sky was overcast, the lamps in the hall flickered anxiously, and the face of a girl of fifteen or sixteen appeared before everyone's eyes; her eyes were dark and bright, spirited and calm, like a creature of the Mountain Forest.

Liu Cheng looked astonished, as if he could never have imagined that beneath that ferocious ghost mask would be such a face and such eyes.

Rui Ze's long halberd was already pressed before the girl witch, asking word by word: "Speak—who instructed you to set this trap and slander the Crown Prince?"

Today he must clear Crown Prince Cheng's ill omen on the spot; otherwise, afterward, people would seize the opportunity to make it impossible to explain.

Shaowei's gaze swept over the panicked young heir.

She had not originally intended to involve the Crown Prince at all; it was just that today the Emperor had not come to light the lamp, and the Crown Prince had come instead—that lamp was her target.

"It is not that the Grand Ancestor is dissatisfied with the Crown Prince." Shaowei allowed the two palace attendants to restrain her, her tone indeed calm: "It is that the Grand Ancestor needs to use this God Lamp to show the descendants; today, no matter who lights the lamp, this lamp is destined to overturn—even if the Son of Heaven himself were present, it would be no exception."

Rui Ze's eyes flickered slightly as he reassessed this little witch who suddenly seemed to be "preserving herself through wisdom."

Voices of doubt surged and piled up all around.

"Do you think a few words can absolve you of the crime of disrupting the sacrifice?"

"Drag this disrespectful person away and deal with her at once!"

But Rui Ze asked: "You claim the Grand Ancestor is showing a sign—what exactly is being shown?"

Since it was not aimed at Crown Prince Cheng, then he would listen carefully.

The little witch slightly raised her face and spoke eight characters: "Return Dragon Break Soil, Dragon Qi Leakage."

Rui Ze's eyes shook violently; though these words pointed to nothing specific, "Dragon Qi Leakage" alone made people afraid to listen; before anyone could react, Rui Ze had already lowered his halberd and ordered: "Seductive words to confuse the masses! Drag her away and burn her as a sacrifice to heaven!"

"This is the Grand Ancestor's omen, concerning the fate of the nation!" the girl said coldly and arrogantly: "Those who dare to ignore and confuse shall surely suffer Divine Punishment!"

"Boom—"

A thunderclap suddenly rolled from the horizon.

This was the first thunder of this spring.

Awakening of Insects arrives, thunder begins to sound, and hundreds of insects emerge from their holes.

But the insects awakened by this spring thunder seemed to be more than just the creatures hibernating underground.

The witchcraft-attired girl's eyes were cold and fierce; her aura had completely changed, and a killing intent filled her entire being, utterly unlike what a girl of her age should possess.

Among those present were not a few Military Officials; they all knew this aura could not be faked out of thin air!

The Grand Ancestor galloped across the battlefield and won the realm; in those days he indeed bore a murderous, baleful aura...

Yu Si Wu's expression also trembled slightly; this was wrong, this bearing — it was absolutely not that utterly unremarkable flower fox from ordinary days.

The Soul Summoning Banner was still fluttering, and the two inner attendants responsible for suppressing it were already drenched in cold sweat; they had just tried to drag this young woman away, yet discovered that no matter how they dragged, they could not make her budge an inch... this, what could be the reason?

Amid the crowd's shock and uncertainty, the person with the most real power in the hall spoke.

"How do you prove your words are not false?" Yan Mian scrutinized that colorful-robed young woman whose bearing was sharp and strange.

That young woman raised her head to look at him, her attitude showing not a shred of timidity; she said: "Within four days, there will be verification."

Outside the hall, thunder roared once more, and the yin wind howled.

Inside Xian Tai Gong, Chi Yang stood on the Observation Platform, gazing at the horizon, unknown how long he had been watching.

When he withdrew his gaze, he sat cross-legged and cast several divinations in succession.

A full two quarters of an hour later, Chi Yang only then rose and descended the Observation Platform.

Two young Daoists immediately stepped forward to meet him, only to hear this Immortal Master say in a measured voice: "Heaven shows an abnormal omen; I must enter the palace for an audience."