Tales of Folk Feng Shui Mysteries

When I tried to ask again, the surroundings became completely silent. I was the only one left here. As for the one who saved me and the mysteries behind it, that would have to wait for another time, including the elusive registry book that had no trace of my name.

Now, about the cauldron—many of you might be wondering: Why burn a cauldron? Why in a crevice? And why is this cauldron so absurdly large? To clear things up, let me give a brief explanation.

The human soul must exit through the top of the head, the place where a child's skull is not fully fused before birth. This gap is called the "crack" or the "fissure," and the large cauldron is a vessel for the soul, much like our brain. While alive, the soul moves freely through the body. When a person dies, however, the cauldron cools, as if the soul is no longer flowing.

The one who saved me seemingly threw me into the crevice, but in reality, he had pulled me back into my body. I was left there to tend to the cauldron. Once it boiled, I would return to life.

Fortunately, I understood a bit about such matters, and with the little guidance I had received, I realized this was my only chance. I hurriedly began searching for firewood. The wood appeared to be ordinary branches, but in fact, they were the essence of my own blood and vitality.

I chopped and gathered the wood relentlessly. My legs felt like they were filled with lead, but I didn't dare stop. Slowly, the fire began to burn. I had no idea how long it took, but I kept going until finally, the lid of the cauldron began to stir. I felt a dizzying moment, and when I opened my eyes again, everything seemed to whirl around me.

My first reaction was to let out a long, exhausted breath. "Damn, that nearly killed me!" When I focused again, I realized I was in a ritual altar, surrounded by dim light. Nine eternal lamps burned brightly, and there were talismans forming a Bagua formation around me. I was sitting in the center, my hands and feet bound by red threads.

"You're awake!" A familiar voice came from behind me. Turning around, I saw Yuan Beitang standing at the altar, holding a peach wood sword. "It's a miracle. Your soul's lamp was nearly extinguished. You would have been beyond saving."

"Did you save me?" I asked weakly, still struggling with my fatigue. Then, recalling Wang Yi's collapse, I immediately asked, "Master Yuan, what happened to my master? And Jiang Shiyu, how are they?"

Yuan Beitang first performed a ritual, then handed me a bowl of talisman water. "This will help you recover your energy." After drinking it, I felt slightly better, but the weakness persisted. He helped me sit on a wooden bench. I was getting anxious and asked again, "Master Yuan, where are they?"

Yuan Beitang sighed deeply. "Your master... has ascended. He passed away before me."

I was stunned. I immediately pressed for more details. "Is he really dead? Even though I saw him use the Explosive Yang Technique, I still hoped for a miracle..." My heart sank. While he was alive, I hadn't fully appreciated him. He was sometimes annoying—always avoiding taxis, always pinching pennies, always playing pranks on me—but now hearing of his passing, it felt as if my heart had been ripped out.

"Grieve not. Karma is cyclical. Wang Yi always knew his death was inevitable. There was no avoiding it." Yuan Beitang patted me on the shoulder.

I asked again, "What about Jiang Shiyu? Where did she go? How long was I unconscious?"

Yuan Beitang told me I had been unconscious for seven full days. The nine soul lamps had kept my soul's flame burning. Originally, he had hoped to borrow time from heaven to save me, but someone came to him in a dream, telling him just to guard the soul lamps and that everything would be fine. I would be saved.

He then asked me about my experiences in the afterlife, but the most puzzling part of the entire situation was the missing name in the registry. Yuan Beitang suspected someone had crossed out my name, and this person was most likely the Night Walker God, who had saved me multiple times. First, he had used a monitoring device to injure Kunji's foot, then he damaged the ceiling, and even tripped Kunji. From all this, it seemed he was not the type of person to leave me to die.

I believed that the one who saved me might be the legendary Kui Mu Lang. Yuan Beitang mentioned the "Seventh Night of Soul Return," a time when life and death intertwine. He explained that the soul-devouring insects had nearly drained my organs, and without Jiang Shiyu's help, even if the worms had been removed, I would not have survived.

This revelation shocked me. Jiang Shiyu was just an ordinary person—how could she have saved me? Yuan Beitang sighed and said, "It's fate. The unresolved debts of a past life continue into this one. They cannot be untangled."

"Master Yuan, please... tell me, what happened to Jiang Shiyu?" I was nearly frantic, seeing Yuan Beitang's shaking head, and a horrible premonition overwhelmed me. I swallowed hard, trying to steady my emotions. "What exactly happened during the time I was unconscious?"