Chapter 173: Modifying the Eight Characters

The essence of the Soul-Hiding Technique lies in "modifying the Eight Characters."

It means turning a "day of taboo" into a "birthday."

The day the Life Foundation is planted becomes their second "birth date."

This is an opportunity to change one's "innate Eight Characters."

Cai Yu is an old antique born hundreds of years ago; Xu Jia does not know his specific birth date and time, so he used the time he was turned into an infant as the birth date for his "second life."

To be honest, this set of Eight Characters is not very good; it is full of thousands of tribulations and obstacles, and it clashes with all six relations.

After Xu Jia brought him back, he felt vaguely uneasy; after carefully calculating, he realized that the time point was a "day and hour of misfortune."

Now, opening the altar to perform the ritual is to resolve this hidden danger in time, so that it doesn't just clash with himself, but also ends up clashing with his mother and father.

However, thinking about it from another perspective, isn't this kind of fate exactly that of a protagonist in a web novel?

Xu Jia is actually quite looking forward to it.

The Soul-Hiding ritual requires a rooster over three years old, preferably of a solid color, such as a pure white rooster.

Xu Jia handed this task to Xun Taizi.

Xun Taizi flew around patrolling, reached a high vantage point, searched everywhere for a household with a large white rooster, and soon found one.

Xu Jia then told Xiao Hong to find an old woman to buy that rooster back.

Soon, a sturdy old woman went out, and half an hour later, she caught and brought back this large rooster; its comb was upright and bright red, its build was large, its beak was like an eagle's, and even while being held by its wings, it still looked like it was looking down on the world.

Xu Jia grabbed it directly, bit the comb, and used the comb to start drawing talismans.

The large rooster quickly withered; its Yang Qi, blood, and life force were all sucked away.

Soon, three talismans were drawn, and Xu Jia released the poor large rooster, only to see that it was already listless.

Xu Jia instructed Xiao Hong: "We will keep this one ourselves, specifically for taking comb blood; raise a dozen hens next to it, but don't let it touch them; buy some swamp eels, centipedes, and the like when you have nothing to do to nourish it."

Xu Jia was quite satisfied with the comb blood of this large rooster.

Xiao Hong heard this and said: "Eat swamp eels? Doesn't that mean it eats better than we do?"

"Feeding it occasionally is not the same as feeding it every day; as for the poisonous insects, I will draw a talisman, you find a bamboo forest to burn it, and then put it inside."

"Is there any particular significance to this?"

"A pure white rooster is also called a Heavenly Chicken; it is the chicken of ultimate Yang, possessing both the sharpness of Geng Metal and the intensity of Li Fire, and it has the power to drive away evil and break ghosts."

Although Xiao Hong did not understand much, she still listened to Xu Jia very obediently.

Xu Jia folded one of the talismans, wrapped it up, and handed it to Xu Mu: "Sew this talisman into a pouch; it can calm the spirit and suppress evil."

"I am opening the altar tonight; Mother, you stay by the side and chant to protect the Dharma for me."

"I protect the Dharma?" Xu Mu felt that Xu Jia was joking.

"That's right, I still need to find an oil-paper umbrella that has been used for more than five years, otherwise, I'm afraid I'll be struck by heavenly lightning later."

The technique of Soul-Hiding to avoid death and extend life is indeed prone to being struck by lightning.

An oil-paper umbrella has the meaning of "evasion," and if Xu Jia draws the Four Symbols on it, it can be transformed into a "Canopy"; with the Canopy protecting the body, he won't be afraid of lightning strikes.

"One used for more than five years? I have one here; I'm afraid only someone who cherishes objects like me could find it—unlike your father, who buys one and loses one!"

Xu Mu took out a yellowed umbrella from the Buddha hall, and Xu Jia quickly unfolded it, taking pen and ink to draw the Four Symbols on it.

After the drawing was completed, he placed it on the altar for offering and used cinnabar to dot the eyes and open them.

Only then did he open it up, tie it with a wish-fulfilling rod, and it was held just right above his head.

Only then did he begin to move the simple Dharma altar from the room into the courtyard, offering a paper tablet to the Southern Dipper True Lord. The remaining two drawn talismans were also revealed: one was a "Soul-Absorbing Talisman" and the other was a "Soul-Shifting Talisman."

Generally speaking, a person only has their human soul in their body, while the heaven and earth souls are wandering outside, but after cultivating to an Earth Immortal, the earth soul will return to the physical body.

Therefore, Xu Jia now wants to separate Cai Yu's earth soul, hide it in the Ancestor Portrait, and then bury it in the Life Foundation to avoid tribulations and extend his life.

After setting up the seven Life Lamps, under each lamp, he used yellow paper with the Eight Characters written on it to wrap a strand of Cai Yu's hair or a fingernail.

This formation was much more solemn and formal than the ritual Xu Jia used to borrow a corpse to return to life; at least Xu Jia was a proper Lushan Master, not a Wild Fox Zen practitioner like Hu Jinhua.

After setting up the oil lamps, Xu Jia filled eight bowls of rice in total, placing them in the eight directions of the Dharma altar; in each direction, he placed a pair of incense candles, three sheets of yellow paper, and one stick of incense.

Although the Xu family's house was already "no entry without invitation."

But when performing the Soul-Hiding ritual, the earth soul would be extracted, and the Pure Yang Dao Incense within the Primordial Spirit would attract demons and evil gods from the Dharma Realm; Xu Jia needed to be prepared to prevent them from breaking through the barrier, so he needed to reinforce the barrier even more.

Then he chanted the Cleansing Heaven and Earth Divine Incantation and waited slowly until dusk.

Only then did he light the incense, candles, and all the lamps.

Xu Jia placed Cai Yu on the Dharma altar; the little fellow had just finished drinking milk and was very well-behaved. Xu Jia unbuttoned his clothes and gently placed him on the cloth with the Eight Trigrams Supreme Ultimate Diagram drawn on it.

"Cai Yu, oh Cai Yu, taking me as your master is no loss to you; this Soul-Hiding ritual is not done for ordinary people. After you cultivate successfully, you must repay me well; it would be best to be a page boy by my side and serve me wherever I go."

Xu Jia smiled, then tied a red string to his toe, pulled the red string to wind it around the seven Life Lamps in turn, and finally tied it to the unfolded Ancestor Portrait placed in the center of the Life Lamps.

The Yushan Ancestor on it had a celestial air, holding a Jade Scepter, with a smiling face.

Xu Jia began to perform the ritual: "Lushan is towering, the Dharma Realm is bright; beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens, beneath the Nine You, soul, return! Listen to my command! Azure Dragon from the east, White Tiger reaching the west, Vermilion Bird in the south, Black Tortoise crouching in the north, Central Wu-Ji, Huang Shang is auspicious, Four Symbols and Eight Trigrams, circling my body."

"One spiritual talisman, writing to break the You Ming, when the talisman arrives, the soul is at peace, demons and evil spirits retreat. Om, Lan, Pure Dharma Realm, Hum, Bai, the count is complete, Six Jia protect the body, Eight Extremes obey the order, soul, do not be startled, do not go elsewhere, obey my true words, return to your original position quickly. Save the lost, the soul returns to peace, Ha! Ha! Ha! Three claps of thunder, echoing in the nine heavens, absorbing your earth soul, all things return to peace, I obey the command of the Lushan Dharma Master, Jijiru Luling!"

The Soul-Absorbing Talisman in Xu Jia's hand ignited without fire.

Cai Yu began to wail loudly because his soul was unstable and he had been "startled."

"Cai Yu! Cai Yu! Come out quickly, your Master calls you!"

As Xu Jia called for the soul to guide it, the Pure Yang Dao Incense was already permeating the Dharma Realm, and countless demons and ghosts in the Dharma Realm were going mad!

"Eat him! Swallow him! So fragrant! I am going to achieve Didao!"

Magic sounds also appeared in Xu Jia's ears: "Hee hee hee!"

It sounded like the laughter of children: "Little brother, come and play with us!"

It was unknown which path of Yin-child demons these were.

A gust of Yin wind rose from the ground, and the flames of the lamps began to sway.

Xu Jia called for help: "Mother! Recite the scriptures and act as Protector!"

Xu Mu hurriedly recited the Guanyin Heart Mantra.

At the same time, she uttered the "Om" mantra in her heart and formed the "Fearless Seal" with her hands.

It was precisely the Esoteric Great Hand Seal that Xu Jia had taught her before.

Yet, upon seeing her recite the mantra, it subdued all of the Outer Path.

The Yin Child Demon that had just approached, wanting to abduct the infant's Soul, let out a strange cry and dared not come closer.

Xu Jia, meanwhile, continued to perform his rites.

Viewed from the Dharma Realm, a barrier had risen around the Xu household; outside the barrier, there were no telling how many ox-headed demons and snake-gods, all staring with wide eyes, looking into the house while blowing Qi that transformed into evil winds.

(End of chapter)