novelraw Chapter 76: Negotiation
Chapter 76: Negotiation
The surroundings were exceptionally strange.
Chaotic and indistinct, resembling the form of the Great One, like the depths of the abyss, where the sun and moon held no brilliance, the eight trigrams no divinity, yin and yang could not be separated, and the four cardinal directions could not be divided. The entire space lacked any sense of direction or rules.
Vast and boundless, momentarily concealing the worldly dust, shrouded in hazy fog and dense clouds. Aside from a few lit candles illuminating a clear patch where things could be seen, everything else remained obscure.
Li Qi felt for his equipment.
His original clothes were gone, replaced by a simple white robe.
His long saber was gone. It seemed that physical objects couldn't be brought into this space, so his clothes were changed, and the long saber couldn't enter.
However... the willow branch was still there.
As expected of a gift left by the great ritual priest; it was truly potent.
Clutching the willow branch wrapped around his waist, Li Qi's courage swelled considerably.
He pulled up his waistband and took two steps forward, approaching the mass of "ghost.""May I know the name of this deceased one?" Li Qi asked.
At this very moment, within the space established by the power of the altar and the ritual, the ritual priest could converse with ghost-spirits and deities.
To outsiders, Li Qi would currently appear to be rolling his eyes, perhaps performing some kind of spirit dance.
Shamans often appeared mad to outsiders, likely due to this very reason, as at this moment, he was essentially "disembodied."
"Just call me Elder Li," the ghost replied clearly, surprisingly lucid.
"My name is Li Qi. I didn't expect us to share the same surname; perhaps we were family five hundred years ago," Li Qi chuckled, trying to be cordial.
But the other party wasn't swayed and said directly: "You are a ritual priest of Wushen Mountain. Out of respect for Wushen Mountain, I have manifested to speak with you. What do you wish to say? Are you trying to persuade me to forgive that wretched youth who dug up my grave and disturbed my peace?"
"Not so. I came here primarily to offer you assistance," Li Qi said, cupping his hands.
Then, he continued: "The deceased, still unable to enter reincarnation and find peace, yet able to maintain lucidity, likely suffers from a physical defect, sustained only by a thread of breath drawn from this blessed land and good waters, merely enduring in hardship."
"As a ritual priest, it is my duty to seek blessings for the ghost-spirits and deities of this world. If I am not mistaken, the deceased is enraged that their 'harmonious yin and yang, complete with five earths and four preparations' geomantic pattern was broken by a few hoes, thus expending effort to cast this curse, seeking to vent their anger."
"Therefore, my purpose in coming this time is to resolve the deceased's distress. I have prepared excellent Yin wood, needing only a craftsman to carve it, to replenish the deceased's body with a wooden form, and then revive it with Great Forest Wood qi, to mend the deceased's defect. Would this perhaps alleviate the deceased's regrets and resolve their troubles?" Li Qi asked, cupping his hands.
As he spoke, he also forced some Great Forest Wood qi to his fingertips, displaying abundant vitality.
Carving a wooden body was a common method to compensate for the deficiencies of the deceased.
For example, the Book of Tang records: "On the night of the eighteenth day of the tenth month, thieves entered Fuguoshan and killed Fuguoshan, taking his head and arm. An imperial decree ordered a wooden head to be carved for his burial, and he was posthumously granted the title of Grand Tutor."
Li Fuguoshan was assassinated, his head missing, so a wooden head was carved to replace it for burial, and he was posthumously conferred the title of Grand Tutor.
Another example from the Book of Qi states: "On the Jia-yin day of the fifth month of summer, there was a great drought. In Jinyang, a dead hanba (drought demon) was found, two feet long, with two eyes each on its face and crown. The Emperor, upon hearing of it, ordered a wooden effigy of the hanba's form to be carved and sent away."
This means that in the Jia-yin year, in the fifth month of summer, there was a great drought. A dead hanba, two feet long with two eyes on its face and crown, was found in Jinyang. Upon hearing this, the Emperor ordered a wooden effigy of the hanba's body to be carved and sent away.
...
The Biographies also mention: "There was a man named Wang Qiao whose entire family was abducted. Their bodies could not be found, so he could only carve wooden effigies of his family, call their souls to them for burial, and establish ancestral temples with their portraits."
However, for this method to be effective, it ultimately relies on using the qi within the wood to replace the qi of the Five Constants Qi in the deceased's body. Thus, it has many requirements for the type of wood, and during the carving process, there are many taboos and rules. Finally, it requires a ritual priest's sacrifice to be effective, which is why ordinary people cannot use this method at all.
But wasn't this a coincidence?
Li Qi, though not yet ranked, was definitely a genuine ritual priest of Wushen Mountain.
"...Even if you carve a body for me from Yin wood, are those grave-digging youths simply forgiven for defiling my tomb?" the ghost said ominously.
"Then, does the deceased have any other demands?" Li Qi asked, neither humble nor arrogant.
"I want them to be buried with me! Are you not a ritual priest of Wushen Mountain? Use the lives of their entire family to perform a blood sacrifice for me, and this matter will be concluded. I will personally offer you gifts and protect you with my ghost-spirit body," the ghost said.
Upon hearing this, Li Qi frowned, then smiled, speaking calmly: "Deceased, I'm afraid you do not quite understand ritual priests."
"I have heard that the Grand ritual priest presides over the Nine Sacrifices and Six Vessels. The Six Vessels are the Azure Jade Disc, Yellow Jade Cong, Green Jade Gui, Red Jade Zhang, White Tiger, and Black Huang."
"The Nine Sacrifices are: first, Life; second, Extension; third, Roasting; fourth, Temple; fifth, Quaking; sixth, Sustaining; seventh, Severing; eighth, Burning; ninth, Offering."
Li Qi spoke eloquently, then changed his tone: "But I have never heard... of a 'blood sacrifice.'"
The atmosphere immediately turned cold.
The ghost clearly froze.
However, after a few seconds, it replied, though its tone was somewhat cold: "You, young ritual priest, are not proficient in cultivation. I will not blame you. Think carefully. Although I do not know what a 'Sacrifice' is, I do know that shamanic teaching states: 'Blood sacrifice is the flourishing qi. Sacrificing lungs, liver, and heart honors the noble qi-lord.' Is it not speaking of a blood sacrifice?"
Li Qi's heart tightened. He hadn't expected the other party to be so knowledgeable as to know such things!
This passage meant that blood sacrifice involved taking the abundant life-qi from blood, and offering lungs, liver, and heart as sacrificial items to the gods, valuing them as organs that generate life-qi.
This entity was extraordinary; this ghost might truly be Eighth-Rank.
But he maintained a composed expression and replied: "However, the deceased has passed. What use is life-qi to you? The Zhu Book also states: 'Sacrificing millet and foxtail millet, adding Qi (fine wine) and Clear Water for retribution to the Yin.' This should be more suitable for the deceased. How about we use this to make amends?"
This sentence overturned the other's argument.
The other party brought up blood sacrifice, and Li Qi immediately refuted, saying that sacrificing millet and foxtail millet, along with the Five Qi and Clear Water, was a method of sacrifice that could repay Yin qi.
In short, a blood sacrifice was impossible, but he could add another condition to the carving of a wooden body: using a sacrifice that repaid Yin qi to help the ghost recover.
After all, the deceased belonged to Yin, and this was already a show of great sincerity.
"...Young ritual priest, you are not my match. Do you truly wish to be my enemy for the sake of these grave-diggers?" The ghost stopped playing games and spoke directly.
Li Qi's expression also darkened: "Deceased, I once heard a Fifth-Rank expert say that a ritual priest is someone who reconciles conflicts between humans and deities, and between humans and ghosts. Is your conflict truly so great that it requires compensation in blood?"
As Li Qi spoke, he subtly hinted at his background, intending to intimidate the other party.
After all, Shen Shuibi was also Fifth-Rank, right?
...