Walking the Ten Thousand Daos

Chapter 73: Ghost Qi

After eating, Li Qi and Master Wang set off.

Along the way, Master Wang kept glancing nervously at Li Qi, trembling all over and too frightened to speak. He merely carried the items Li Qi had requested and led the way ahead.

But Li Qi wasn't going to let the journey pass in silence.

"Master Wang," he initiated the conversation.

"Master Li!" Master Wang shuddered, his layers of fat jiggled, and he wiped away cold sweat, quickly stopping and looking at Li Qi.

"You're sweating so much, carrying these things must be tiring. Let me," Li Qi extended his hand, wanting to take the basket from behind the other man.

Master Wang instinctively tried to dodge, muttering: "No, no need..."

But he was no cultivator; how could he evade? Li Qi easily took the basket, put it on his own back, and said with a smile: "I'm strong and sturdy, carrying a few dozen jin feels like nothing. Why are you fighting me?"

"Indeed... indeed, thank you, Master Li," Master Wang said with a fawning smile, still very nervous.

It was no joke; this was someone his mother considered an expert.His mother, in Master Wang's eyes, was already a figure akin to an immortal, capable of predicting the future, yet she had to address this young man, who was even younger than himself, as "Senior Brother."

How could Master Wang not be nervous?

His ability to embrace the other man and prevent him from leaving earlier was already his greatest display of courage.

"By the way, Master Wang, what's the area around that tomb like?" Li Qi asked.

When it came to this matter, Master Wang dared not remain silent, for he knew it concerned his family's lives. He quickly said: "My mother said that place has a 'mountain arriving, water returning, auspicious for longevity and wealth' geomantic pattern. It has a tendency for 'lustrous earth color, lush vegetation, perfectly enclosed hall, and a concentrating energy point in its form and aperture,' qualifying it as a superior ground, possessing the power to nurture."

"Hmm... according to that description, the person should have reincarnated long ago. Why would their spirit-soul still be confined in the tomb, unable to cycle through reincarnation?" Li Qi retorted.

Logically, a person reincarnates seven days after death. Even if you don't want to go, the Underworld Messengers will apprehend you.

Unless there is immense resentment, a desire to remain, in which case the Underworld Messengers might pity your grievance and allow you some time for revenge.

Or, if one's cultivation is profound, even if the body is dead, when the Underworld Messengers come to apprehend, they would absolutely take one look at you and flee. Let alone capturing you, they would burn incense in gratitude if you didn't capture them.

But according to Old Lady Wang, the person buried inside was an Eighth-Rank expert.

Eighth-Rank was strong, but far from enough to resist the Underworld Messengers.

Yet the tomb had an excellent pattern, capable of dissolving resentment. Did he have such monstrous resentment that it couldn't be dissolved? Or was there some other trickery within the tomb?

"This, this I don't know. Unlike Master Li and my mother, who possess divine power, I am merely a mortal..." Master Wang said with a bitter smile.

Li Qi nodded, accepting the explanation, and fell into thoughtful silence.

First, he felt for the willow branch tied to his waist like a belt, always carried with him, never leaving his side. A strong weapon against ghosts.

Then, he hefted the long saber, wrapped in cloth, in his hand. It exuded a fierce martial qi, undoubtedly formidable.

Finally, he took a deep breath, a breath that lasted a full minute before he stopped.

Because his lungs had been tempered by water qi, his breath was now long and his stamina abundant, without shortness of breath or panting.

He had also reviewed how to deal with ghosts last night. Since Shen Shuibi said he was fine, then he was definitely fine.

...

Chatting about various details along the way, the two soon arrived outside the city. After passing through terraced fields of a village, they entered a mountainous region.

The Baiyue region was heavily mountainous, known as the "Ten Thousand Great Mountains," with almost no flat land. Even fields had to be terraced or sloped, so this particular mountain didn't look too unusual.

However, upon closer inspection, one could discern that the mountain's shape gathered, and though its posture was steep, the great mountain's flowing descent, reaching flat ground, allowed water to converge ahead, forming what was called "descending mountain water."

However, Li Qi didn't know what use this had.

But when Li Qi viewed it through the lens of "qi," things became clearer.

The lustrous earth color and lush vegetation signify the beauty of the land, giving rise to harmonizing qi. The grand undulations and subtle dips, like a lotus root broken but still connected by fibers, indicate abundant qi, signifying the fullness of auspicious qi.

Like a vessel filled to the brim and overflowing, it speaks of the qi settling and converging.

The qi of the mountain roots and the qi of the water veins converged here, giving birth to a surge of life.

It had to be said, even if Li Qi didn't know how to read mountains and waters, he could sense that this was a geomantically auspicious spot.

"My mother said that this stretch of mountains and rivers aligns with the Five Elements, forming an auspicious official and prosperous position, with a long and distant source, signifying wealth and prosperity, which is why she chose this place..." Master Wang explained at this point.

"Indeed, however, let's set up the altar first. You stand further away. If anything unexpected happens, you'll be able to run," Li Qi said.

Master Wang immediately ran off. He had genuinely witnessed unexpected events before, so he was extremely fearful.

Li Qi, meanwhile, began to set up the altar.

Ancient texts stated: "The Yue people commonly revere ghosts, and their sacrifices often result in seeing ghosts, which frequently proves effective."

This meant that the customs of the Yue people honored spirits and ghosts, and during their sacrifices, they often encountered ghosts, a method that frequently proved effective.

And what were ghosts?

As a ritual priest, Li Qi knew very well that ghosts were also a type of qi.

The Zhu Book recorded: "When one sees a star fall as if it were still in the sky, at that moment it is a star falling; if not a star, then it is qi that makes it appear so. When a person sees a ghost as if it were a dead person, it is actually the qi-phenomenon gathering to make it appear like a dead person, not a truly dead person."

This means that when one sees a falling star leaving a trail in the sky, it's not actually a star, but qi forming it, just as when people see ghosts appearing like dead people, it's actually qi making them appear so, not truly dead people.

This is also described as: "A dead person cannot assume the form of a living person to appear, just as a living person cannot borrow the soul of a dead person to disappear."

Now, when a person dies, their flesh and skin decay. Even if the essence and qi still exist, how can the spirit use that decayed form to move and manifest again? A dead person cannot appear in the form of a living person, just as a living person cannot make their form disappear by borrowing the soul of a dead person.

There is also another saying: "Humans are beings; things are also beings. If a thing dies and does not become a ghost, why should a human alone become a ghost upon death?"

The saying goes: "When it is exhausted, the essence and qi perish; when they perish, the form decays; when it decays, it turns to ash and earth. When the essence and qi leave a person, how is it merely like lacking ears and eyes? When it decays, it vanishes, becoming something vague and invisible, thus it is called 'ghost-spirit.'"

This passage means that ghosts are actually a type of qi. The reason a person lives is their essence and qi. When they die, their essence and qi perish, but other remnants might remain. When essence and qi leave the human body, it's not just like a person losing their senses. When it decays, it vanishes, becoming an indistinct, invisible entity, hence it's called a "ghost-spirit."

Ghosts and humans are not equivalent. When a person dies and becomes a ghost, they are no longer the original person. A ghost is just a remnant, a mere wisp of ashes.

Therefore, even a powerful being with profound cultivation, though existing after death and retaining consciousness and memory, is no longer the same entity they once were.

Dead means dead. A ghost is no longer the original person.

...