Chapter 1080
Chapter 1080
Chapter 1080
He quickly turned to Cheng Jing and asked, "Did you see it?"
Cheng Jing's eyes were filled with confusion: "Your Majesty, are you saying...?"
He didn't see it.
The emperor suppressed his excitement and stared intently at the sky, but in the blink of an eye, Wang Feiyin had vanished.
Pan Yun stood by a river, looking around, then turned to Pan Xiaohei and asked, "Strange, why can't I fly now? How am I supposed to cross the Yangtze River?"
Pan Xiaohei: "You call this the Yangtze River?"
Pan Yun frowned: "If this isn't the Yangtze River, where is it?"
Pan Xiaohei stared at her intently with his dark eyes for a moment before asking, "Do you remember how your soul left your body?"
"Out-of-body experience? What are you talking about?" Pan Jun looked at it with suspicion: "Aren't we going back to Sanqing Mountain for the New Year?"
Well, she must have lost her soul and suffered some damage on her journey to the underworld, causing her to shut down some of her memories.
Pan Xiaohei told her the truth, but Pan Yun was too self-conscious. She doubted that Pan Xiaohei was real, but she never doubted herself.
Pan Jun pinched her arm in front of it, hissed, and then looked at it speechlessly: "You're saying this isn't my body?"
Pan Xiaohei jumped up and down: "You're in the Yellow Springs now! In the Yellow Springs! What's the difference between pinching your own seven souls and three spirits and pinching your own flesh and blood here? Of course it will hurt!"
Pan Yun took a few steps to the side and raised her hand without making a sound, only to find that she was powerless and could not mobilize any Yuan energy.
She looked at her palm in surprise; there was still some strength left, albeit a little.
Pan Xiaohei also looked at her hand and felt that it was even more inexplicable.
It stared at her forehead, narrowing its eyes: "Pan Jun, this wasn't me. I'll say it again, the Yangtze River you're seeing now is the Yellow Springs. If you don't wake up, I won't be so polite..."
A green light flashed in its black pupils as it stared at her forehead and moved, but then forcibly suppressed it.
If I could get her body...
No, no, no, Pan Xiaohei shook its head to clear its mind, constantly reminding itself: Pan Jun's body is not so easy to take.
Moreover, what good is the human body compared to its spiritual body?
It is naturally enduring as long as heaven and earth; what it lacks now is freedom, the power to reach another dimension.
Moreover, Pan Yun is cunning and may have a backup plan. It would be a losing proposition...
Pan Xiaohei reminded himself, his eyes gradually clearing. When he looked up at Pan Jun again, he saw that she had squatted down in front of him at some point.
Pan Xiaohei was startled and instinctively took a step back.
Pan Jun smiled at it and even reached out to touch its chin.
Fear flashed in Pan Xiaohei's eyes, and he slumped back and fell to the ground.
Pan Yun withdrew her hand, a slight smile playing on her lips, and calmly said, "Okay, I believe you."
Pan Xiaohei swallowed hard and couldn't help but ask, "You, how could you suddenly believe me? I've been trying to persuade you for so long, but you just wouldn't stop and insisted on walking towards the Yellow Springs..."
Looking at the surging Yangtze River before her, Pan Jun smiled faintly and said, "Because you won't think of possessing my body unless you're forced to. The Spirit Realm is your most precious treasure. Our cultivation is about distinguishing truth from falsehood. If we follow nature, the body will eventually die, and only the soul can live forever. So we must sever the three corpses so that the soul can exist independently of the body. But you don't need that. You can live forever as long as you stay in the Spirit Realm. What you pursue is freedom and the power to reach another dimension."
"So, if you weren't forced to, why would you want to take over a human's filthy body? You would only want to parasitize me, absorb my vital energy and merits, and break the seal on yourself."
Pan Xiaohei guiltily looked away, wanting to say something in her own defense, but found she couldn't, because what she said was true.
Pan Yun didn't seem to mind, and stared at the Yangtze River in front of her: "So, this really is the water of the Yellow Springs!"
“Yes,” Pan Xiaohei said, “Your soul left your body and headed straight south. I thought you were going back to Sanqing Mountain, so I followed you all the way. But as you drifted along, midnight passed, and June turned into July. July is the Ghost Month, and the gates of hell are gradually opening. In the blink of an eye, you plunged into the underworld. If it weren’t for the black cat’s spiritual abilities, which allow it to travel freely between the realms of Yin and Yang, I wouldn’t have been able to keep up with you at all.”
"July?" Pan Yun gradually remembered: "That's right, I entered meditation on June 29th, and the next day was July. I've been out for two days?"
"No, it's five days. Today is already the fifth day of the seventh month."
Pan Jun's eyes widened in shock; he couldn't believe that he had been so ignorant for five days.
Her mind seemed to be cleared of clouds, memories surging forth, cold sweat trickling down her forehead, and the surging Yangtze River before her seemed to be torn open like a scroll, the water returning to calm, the high banks and piles of rocks on both sides disappearing, turning into a tranquil river before her.
It wasn't even a ripple; it was smoother than a mirror, looking like stagnant water.
Pan Jun was startled, then stared at the glowing Yellow Spring Water: "Yellow Spring Water... what is its purpose?"
Pan Xiaohei: "...You even plucked the Yellow Springs Water? That thing is extremely unlucky; it only destroys vital energy and brings disaster."
"Didn't they say that you could forget your past life by saying you'd be in the Yellow Springs? Isn't this just a potion of forgetfulness?"
Pan Xiaohei: "Yeah, your head is empty, you forget your parents, wife, children, relatives and friends, isn't that the potion of forgetfulness? You don't want to bring this thing to the mortal world and sell it to mortals, do you? How vicious you are!"
"What are you talking about? Am I that kind of person?" Pan Yun squatted down by the Yellow Springs Water, lost in thought: "Things themselves have no inherent good or bad; it all depends on how the person using them uses them."
Pan Yun asked Pan Xiaohei, "Quick, check the records in the Spirit Realm. Will this thing work if I accidentally touch it? What kind of container can I use to put it? If I bring it to the mortal world, will I be chased down by the ghost messengers?"
Pan Xiaohei: "...You, you really want to bring it?"
Pan Jun glared at it: "Do you know how rare it is for my soul to enter the Yellow Springs? Moreover, I traveled a long way to the Yellow Springs Water, with no ghost messengers or ghosts watching me. Do you understand what it means to seize an opportunity that will not come again?"
"You're quite proud of yourself, aren't you?" a voice rang out behind her.
Pan Yun and Pan Xiaohei were startled and turned around to look behind them. When they saw it was Wang Feiyin, they breathed a sigh of relief.
Pan Yun, the villain, complained first, patting his chest, "Senior Brother, you walk so quietly! Don't you know that scaring people can be deadly? I almost fell headfirst into the Yellow Springs just now."
Wang Feiyin aimed two fingers precisely at her ear, twisted it, and spun it around hard, causing Pan Yun to scream in agony.
Wang Feiyin was furious: "You still have the nerve to talk back? Do you know how much trouble the higher-ups have gone through looking for you? How old are you to dare to have your soul leave your body? Why don't you just sever your three corpses and fly to the heavens?"
"Have you forgotten your own limitations? Huh? You skipped two levels, your cultivation wasn't even properly consolidated to begin with, and you still dare to presume to advance..." Wang Feiyin grabbed her ear and dragged her towards the Yellow Springs: "You even dare to steal Yellow Springs water, why don't you just go straight to the Yama King's Palace and sit on the Yama King's throne?"
A quarter of an hour later, the two siblings squatted together by the Yellow Springs Water, while Pan Xiaohei squatted to the side, looking at them with disdain.
Wang Feiyin: "Your space can be used here too?"
Pan Yun: "Of course, what I refine myself won't do, but I do have what my ancestors gave me."
The spirit realm resides within her Niwan Palace, with its spirit body squatting beside her. Even without her current Yuan Power, Pan Xiaohei can still retrieve items from the spirit realm.
Pan Jun was overjoyed. Fortunately, the Spirit Realm space was quite large, so she kept most of her belongings there. In contrast, she only kept some money and a separate set of daily necessities in her own refined space. Wang Feiyin stroked his chin and said, "Yellow Spring Water cannot be contained in gold or silver vessels; it can only be held in stone bowls or earthenware jars. Although porcelain is also made of clay, it's still inferior. Do you have any stone bowls or earthenware jars?"
“We don’t have stone bowls, but we do have earthenware pots.”
Pan Yun told Pan Xiaohei to quickly take it out of the spiritual space.
A moment later, the two tied the earthenware pot with a rope, and then, just like using a wooden bucket to fetch water, threw the pot into the Yellow Springs. Once the pot was full of water, they carefully pulled it up.
I dare not fill it too full, because I have to seal it to prevent the water from overflowing.
The earthenware pots in the spiritual realm were Pan Yun's travel essentials, used for boiling water, stewing food, and serving food.
There are five in total, of varying sizes.
The largest one can stew a whole chicken and hold about six liters of water.
While chanting "Forgive me, forgive me," Wang Feiyin quickly sealed the earthenware jar he had dragged up, and then hurriedly told Pan Xiaohei to put it away.
The two disciples didn't leave a single empty jar; they filled them all with Yellow Spring water, then patted the water off, looked around, and pretended nothing had happened before quickly running towards the Yellow Spring Gate together.
Why are there no ghosts at the Yellow Springs River?
Because everyone is looking for the way back to the world of the living, and the Yellow Springs Water is in the middle of the underworld, who would go to the middle?
Even the ghost messengers have been very busy lately, which is why no one has noticed Pan Yun.
Things went even more smoothly than Wang Feiyin had expected. With Zhang Zijin and himself outside, and with the guidance of the array, he was able to quickly find his way back.
Soon, he led Pan Yun to the door, grabbed Pan Yun with one hand and carried Pan Xiaohei with the other, and stepped out.
The wandering spirits nearby, seeing this, finally found their way out and crowded to the place where they had just disappeared.
But finding the entrance doesn't mean they can immediately return to Yang.
Some ghosts have the concern of their families, and with a guide, they have the opportunity to leave.
However, some ghosts with great merit can pass through easily.
Other ghosts, however, cannot squeeze out and will likely have to wait until the 13th to the 15th of the seventh lunar month, when the gates of hell will open wide, and it will no longer be just this narrow opening, allowing them to return to the world of the living.
As soon as they emerged from the underworld, it was already quite dark outside.
On the fifth day of the seventh lunar month, the moon in the sky is just a small crescent, not very bright, but there are many stars.
Wang Feiyin dragged the already somewhat heavy and sluggish Pan Yun and rushed towards the palace.
Her body was out of her body for too long, which damaged not only her body but also her soul.
After flying all the way back to the Imperial Observatory, Wang Feiyin abandoned Pan Yun and merged into his own body.
In an instant, he opened his eyes.
The emperor, who was almost asleep from waiting, was startled when Pan Yun appeared out of nowhere and cried out in surprise.
Cheng Jing saw the emperor first point into the void and cry out in alarm, unable to speak, then turn to look at the Grand Preceptor lying on the bed inside the room. For a moment, he also panicked and felt a chill run down his spine: "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
Before the emperor could speak, Miaozhen and the others had already jumped up and were busy with their own things. One lit incense, another held the incense burner, and some took out a stack of talismans and began to stick them around the bed cover.
The emperor swallowed hard and followed behind Miaozhen, asking, "Master Miaozhen, what are you doing?"
"The Soul-Soothing Array is used to calm my uncle's soul."
The next moment, Wang Feiyin opened his eyes and hurriedly broke free from the formation.
He walked up to the oblivious Pan Yun and snapped his fingers in front of her. Pan Yun's memories were once again sealed away in self-protection, and she only looked at Wang Feiyin after hearing the sound.
Wang Feiyin pointed at her with his finger, saying, "Come, come, come..."
Pan Yun followed him into the room and then to the bedside.
Her body had a natural pull, and Wang Feiyin even gave her a push on the shoulder, whispering a spell: "Return to your soul, peacefully..."
The next instant, Pan Yun's soul returned to her body.
The pale-faced man on the bed quickly regained his color; in the words of the emperor and Cheng Jing, the imperial advisor seemed to have come back to life in an instant.
Pan Yun, who had come back to life, did not wake up, but her breathing became longer and more lifelike.
Wang Feiyin touched her neck and then felt her pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief and said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, rest assured, Pan Yun is fine now. She will wake up naturally once she has had enough sleep."
The emperor was pleased, but his smile quickly vanished, and he said with worry, "Master Wang, will the Imperial Preceptor never leave my body again?"
Wang Feiyin stroked his beard and said, "A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit. My junior sister is the type to turn back after hitting a wall. I reckon she won't leave her body again anytime soon."
"How short is 'short-term'?"
Wang Feiyin gave him a sympathetic look and stretched the timeframe fourfold: "At least twenty years."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Qiyu laughed happily, "Good, good, twenty years is a good time."
Zhang Zijin glanced at the grinning emperor, then turned to Wang Feiyin and asked, "Why do you two souls smell like the waters of the underworld?"
Wang Feiyin smiled and said, "My junior sister is naive and silly. When she arrived at the Yellow Springs, she thought it was the Yangtze River and was determined to cross the river to go home. The water vapor there was heavy, so she got some of it."
Zhang Zijin calmly retorted, "Is that so?"
Wang Feiyin knew he hadn't believed him, but he had to wait until his junior sister woke up before discussing the matter.
Zhang Zijin glanced at Pan Yun, knowing that there was no point in investigating further at this point and that he had to wait for her to wake up, so he turned and left.
Pan Yun slept until noon the next day.
In the morning, Miaozhen and the others saw that the sun was shining brightly and thought that she had been wandering in the underworld for so long and needed to replenish her yang energy, so the three of them carried her out to the courtyard to bask in the sun.
Pan Yun was awakened by the heat.
Anyone would feel hot if exposed to the July sun from nine in the morning until eleven.
Not only was she hot, she was also sweating a lot, but when she touched it, the sweat was ice-cold.
She had a cloth covering her head, and occasionally Miaohe would lift the cloth to give her some water.
When Pan Yun woke up, Miao He had just brought over a bowl of water.
Pan Yun slowly rolled her eyes and asked in a low voice, "Aren't you afraid of burning me to death?"
(End of this chapter)