Chapter 15: Group Yin Stripping Yang

After carefully explaining the method to Xiaopangdun, it was already noon, so he kept Niu Congcong at the Xu family for a meal, and even had Sha Erzhu stay the night as well.

It was just that the Xu family was currently observing abstinence and offering sacrifices to gods and Buddhas, so they only ate vegetarian food, green vegetables and tofu, which left Xiaopangdun with little appetite.

Xu Jia ate some food, then went back to nourish his spirit and rest, but he fell into a dream while in a daze.

In the dream, Xu Jia was reading by candlelight late at night when suddenly a cold wind blew, and there were many strange sights; first the door opened for no reason, and then a wild cat shrieked.

When Xu Jia got up to close the door and looked back, a hanging rope had appeared on the roof beam, and the one hanging herself was his own maid, Xiao Hong.

Xiao Hong's dangling corpse revealed a bizarre expression, eyes bulging, tongue long, hair disheveled, yet she was staring fixedly at him in the dream, as if wanting to say something.

The dream was incredibly real, but Xu Jia was not afraid of ghosts, and he did not cry out in the dream.

A moment later, he woke up automatically and had no more sleepiness.

A sense of worry welled up in his heart.

"In my previous life, I stopped dreaming after practicing the Small Heavenly Circuit, and now, only a few days after Jieshi Huanhun, this is the first time I've dreamt; this dream must be an omen!"

Xu Jia took out copper coins to cast, not simply calculating. The Six-Line Copper Coin Method was more precise. After casting six times, Xu Jia obtained the hexagram.

"The Stripping Hexagram."

The Stripping Hexagram is the image of "Group Yin Stripping Yang," a very ominous hexagram.

This Yang is Xu Jia, who had just returned to soul via Jieshi Huanhun.

Then the group Yin goes without saying.

That hanging ghost had found Xu Jia, and had even found helpers.

Otherwise, it would not be "Group Yin."

Xu Jia showed a cold smile; he was not afraid, but rather very calm.

He immediately walked out of the room, intending to set up a Feng Shui Array to resist the danger that might come.

Once the Feng Shui layout of a house is set, it is taboo to make major changes or break ground, but Xu Jia did not intend to break ground, and besides, there was no time.

Xu Jia just wanted to gather the Vitality, human energy, and Yang energy of the house to block the evil spirits outside.

Just as he walked into the courtyard, Xiao Hong followed to support him.

Xu Jia had just seen her hanged in his dream, and now her physiognomy also looked ominous. But as long as he was willing to help, it was not without a chance of survival.

He immediately said: "Xiao Hong, cut a lock of your hair for me."

Xiao Hong blushed instantly. Asking for a woman's hair had implications.

But Xiao Hong still found scissors and cut it off.

Xu Jia asked again: "What is your Birth Date?"

Xiao Hong was even more embarrassed.

The Birth Date was a very private matter.

But Xu Jia's gaze was concerned, so she still whispered it out with a red face.

Having obtained the hair and the Birth Date, Xu Jia returned to his room to write a note with a brush, let it dry slightly, wrapped the hair with the paper strip, and recited a spell.

This left Xiao Hong very bewildered.

After finishing this, Xu Jia instructed Niu Congcong, who was still pondering: "Go quickly and find a live chicken, a hen over three years old."

The Xu Residence did not keep chickens.

Niu Congcong was very obedient to Xu Jia; he didn't ask why and went straight out to find a farmer who raised chickens to buy a six or seven-catty old hen.

Xu Jia stuffed the paper strip into the hen's belly, recited another spell, handed it to Xiao Hong, and warned: "For these few days, you must tie this chicken in front of your bed."

Xiao Hong became nervous, because this practice was too much like a sorcerer's curse: "Why is this?"

Xu Jia threatened coldly: "Don't ask, I'll only tell you that your life is at stake; if you don't want to die, do as I say!"

Xiao Hong was startled.

Fearing that others might suffer, Xu Jia went to see Xu Mu and his father. Fortunately, although their physiognomy had some dark, gloomy colors, there was no death omen, at most some fright.

It made sense; the Xu family's grandfather generation had only just donated for an Eighth Rank official position in the imperial court, and his father was a proper scholar, so how could their lives be easily taken?

When ghosts want to harm people, they also bully the weak and fear the strong; they can only start from the "weaklings," while intimidating the Xu Fu household to scatter their morale, making it easier to break them one by one until they occupy Xu Jia's physical body.

Guessing the hanging ghost's logic, Xu Jia went to check on the other servants in the residence; sure enough, it was the same, only dark, gloomy energy, but not enough to die. But how did this ghost enter the Xu family? One must know that a house has a house god, and one should not enter without being invited.

If it wanted to harm Xiao Hong, there must have been some medium. Xu Jia suspected that Xiao Hong had brought back something unclean.

"Xiao Hong, have you picked up anything recently?"

"Ah? Young Master, why are you asking this? What could I have picked up?"

Xiao Hong really couldn't recall picking up anything. Seeing that the inquiry was fruitless, Xu Jia had to let it go.

So he walked around the courtyard, checking carefully to see if there was anything different, and from time to time he called Congcong, Xiaopangdun, and Xiao Hong to move this flower pot or carry away that rock.

When he felt it was about right, he wrote on a piece of red paper a note that read: "When people come, separate by a layer of paper; when ghosts come, separate by a layer of mountain; a thousand evils cannot be conjured, ten thousand evils cannot be opened."

"Xiao Hong, go to the entrance. Recite this note three times, then burn it with fire."

Xiao Hong had already been made nervous by Xu Jia; she took the note to burn it, not daring to disobey.

After doing all this, Xu Jia mused: "Could this ghost have entered the residence along with that nest of foxes I invited?"

If that were the case, it would mean this ghost had been monitoring him all along.

This kind of behavior is something ordinary ghosts cannot do, unless someone is manipulating them from behind.

Of course, Xu Jia had sent the Sparrow Spirit to call the foxes to be guests; if the ghost was hiding somewhere and heard it, it was also possible.

However, if a "local" brought it in, that also counts as "invited."

Xu Jia was still thinking about the original soul.

If the hanging ghost had received an invitation from the original soul, it could also enter.

Xu Jia frowned secretly; this original soul must be dealt with properly, otherwise, if it becomes his own "karmic debt," it would be troublesome.

As the saying goes, Divine Ability cannot overcome karmic debt. If this matter is not resolved properly, these kinds of things will happen endlessly in the future, until he meets his doom and dies.

Xu Jia would certainly not return the physical body, and sharing it was also impossible.

To put it bluntly, you are already dead; if you cannot even keep your own physical body, what use are you?

You have died, and your parents are heartbroken; I am using Jieshi Huanhun, which is also a way to repay your filial duty, so why do you come to harm me?

You are dead, and no matter what, it is impossible to come back to life; the Cause and Effect between your Soul and physical body has already been severed, meaning you are separated by the divide between the living and the dead.

Moreover, even if Xu Jia were to yield the physical body, if the original Soul were to merge with the body, it would only turn into a "corpse-guarding ghost."

Not only would it be unable to come back to life, but it would gradually develop corpse spots; the Soul would be unable to dwell in the body, the spirit would give rise to malice, and it would fall into the Hungry Ghost Path, eventually needing to consume blood, flesh, and Essence—at first, chickens and ducks would suffice, later cats and dogs, and after that, it would need to eat humans.

After eating humans, it would become a "Corpse Demon" or "corpse fiend," which would bring harm to the region.

In the final analysis, this Cause and Effect of the physical body can be large or small; a bond can be formed, but a karmic debt can also be formed.

Xu Jia lived for over a hundred years in his previous life and saw the ways of the world clearly. Yielding is absolutely out of the question, but killing it just like that is also not right.

After thinking it over, there is only one method, and that is "Heart General Refining."

This original Soul has Eight Characters and a destiny similar to his own; taking it to refine into a "Life-Bound Spirit General" used to control Military Officials within the Lushan Great Art is the same principle as the "Yidam" in Tibetan Dharma, capable of manifesting various powers.

Many practitioners of the Dao will visualize Heavenly Gods and sense Heavenly Gods in order to refine Heart Generals.

For example, Daoists from Sichuan will visualize the Lord of Sichuan, Er Lang Shen.

Within the Lushan Great Art, there are those who visualize Ba Bi Nezha, and those who visualize Sun Wukong.

Orthodox lineages also have those who visualize Long Hu Xuan Tan Zhao Yuanshuai or Lei Bu Xin Tian Jun.

Aside from visualizing Heavenly Gods to become Heart Generals, there are also Protector responding-fate Spirit Generals.

For example, the current number one combat force of the Daoist gate, the Lingguan Protector, is the Protector responding-fate Spirit General of Sa Tian Shi.

The two support each other, which leads to later good fortune.

Once his own body attains the Dao and becomes an Immortal, this original Soul can then walk the Incense Divine Path; the two supporting each other might even lead to becoming a "Wang Lingguan," a figure on the same level as Sa Tian Shi, which is surely a greater fortune than the original body had.

Is this not the best of both worlds? Xu Jia had also thought about using transcendence methods to send it to the underworld for reincarnation.

But this path of Huang Zhenren is ultimately not something that can see the light of day, and Xu Jia fears that many complications might arise. Having finally achieved Return to Soul, if he were to be dragged back in a moment, it would be a huge loss.

Neither of the two would be able to survive.

(End of this chapter)