Chapter 55: The Soul Leaves the Body

Even after confirming it again, Li Yanchu still found it hard to believe.

A scholar with an official title actually discovered the whereabouts of the Elixir of Immortality?

After asking about the background of the house servant, he dismissed the lady of the house. According to her, the servant's name was Song Yi, who had entered their household about half a year ago. He had always seemed honest and reliable, and his work had been diligent.

Who would have thought he was a murderous criminal with ill intent? Li Yanchu had heard many stories about fugitives from the

jianghu

hiding their identities and going underground, so it wasn’t uncommon.

The next step would be for the officers to thoroughly interrogate him. They needed to find out whether the murder was driven by greed or if someone else had orchestrated it.

Bai Hongtu stepped forward and asked, “What’s going on?”

Li Yanchu explained the story of how Wuling Wanderer had once invited a prominent monk to Wei City to search together for the Elixir of Immortality, and that the man who died today was that very same Wuling Wanderer.

Bai Hongtu was shocked. “That’s... way too much of a coincidence!”

In response, Li Yanchu nodded. “Exactly. On the

first day

of the Qingyi Temple Festival, Wuling Wanderer is murdered? The timing is just too perfect. And also, we can’t be sure this man

really

is the same Wuling Wanderer who sent that letter to the monk. He was a scholar, and he didn’t seem like one of those wandering eccentrics from the

jianghu

.”

Bai Hongtu thought for a moment. “That may not mean anything. Scholars read widely. He could’ve come across something unusual in his books, so maybe he had a special lead on the elixir’s whereabouts, which is why he invited the monk to help. Besides, the name

Wuling Wanderer

doesn’t necessarily mean he was one of those eccentric cultivators.”

Li Yanchu paused, then said, “That... makes sense.”

Li Yanchu found that when it came to certain topics, Bai Hongtu’s insights could truly be surprisingly sharp.

After that unexpected twist of events, neither of them was in the mood to continue wandering the streets. Bai Hongtu invited Li Yanchu to the entertainment districts to listen to music, but was politely declined. It wasn’t that Li Yanchu was pretending to be virtuous; he simply genuinely had no interest at the moment.

Of course, he still had an appreciation for the charming women of the entertainment districts, dressed in sheer silk and alluring smiles. But with dark currents roiling through Wei City and storm clouds gathering, Li Yanchu simply didn’t have the leisure to indulge. Thus, Bai Hongtu didn’t press him and went off to the entertainment districts alone.

Li Yanchu returned to the Daoist temple to cultivate the methods recorded in

The Yellow Court Classic.

And to his credit, even after all that had happened, he could still calm his heart and focus. One of his strengths was his quiet mind. When he chose to do something, he could shut everything else out. In that sense, he was well-aligned with the Daoist path.

With the Spirit Officer Summoning Talisman on him constantly nourishing his essence, qi, and spirit, Li Yanchu remained alert and full of vigor. Tonight, he intended to try a technique recorded in the

The Yellow Court Classic

—astral projection.

In his past life, he’d read many

xianxia

novels and watched plenty of fantasy dramas, so he wasn’t unfamiliar with the concept of the primordial spirit leaving the body. However, each story treated it differently; some made it a high-level ability achieved only after intense cultivation, calling it “projecting the yin spirit.” Others treated it as a common technique. Some xianxia tales didn’t even mention it at all.

Based on the scripture’s descriptions, Li Yanchu now had a solid grasp of this particular method.

And he wasn’t sure how to describe it. It was very dangerous, because the human soul is incredibly fragile, and as someone who was only just beginning to practice astral projection, the risk was especially high.

Many things could easily harm the human soul, especially when it was still fragile, like candlelight, or the turbid qi of heaven and earth. Sometimes, even a single gust of wind could scatter the soul, and when one finally awakened, they might find themselves inside a cow... or a horse. Or worse, the soul could be completely annihilated.

Even so, Li Yanchu was deeply fascinated by the art of astral projection. Now that he had the Spirit Officer Summoning Talisman to protect his spirit, he could finally attempt the practice with some degree of safety.

According to the

The Yellow Court Classic

, once the primordial spirit left the body, one could see things invisible to the naked eye and travel thousands of li in a single night. It possessed all sorts of mystical powers. In Li Yanchu’s eyes, this was the true art of the immortals.

He had already become quite adept at the breath-cultivation techniques described in the scripture, but this would be his first attempt at astral projection.

Normally, this was something reserved for Daoists who had reached the second stage of cultivation. The first stage was known as Qi Cultivation; as the name implied, it involved breathing techniques and drawing in spiritual qi from the heavens and earth to strengthen one’s internal qi flow.

The second stage was called Yin Spirit Projection, allowing the soul to leave the body, roam across great distances, and witness things otherwise hidden from the mortal eye.

As for the third stage, it was known as Yang Spirit Projection, where the soul could journey even by daylight, wielding great power, having overcome the famed Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations[1].

As for the stages beyond that, the

The Yellow Court Classic

made no clear record.

Strictly speaking, Li Yanchu was still in the early phase of Qi Cultivation, and should not yet be capable of practicing astral projection, especially now that his master was gone, and no one remained to safeguard his spirit.

However, Li Yanchu was a pay-to-win cultivator, after all. The Spirit Officer Summoning Talisman he carried, enhanced with a full 1,000 points of merit, was already infused with divine nature. It could protect his soul during the projection.

With that, Li Yanchu sat down cross-legged, palms and soles facing the sky, and began following the method recorded in the

The Yellow Court Classic

to initiate astral projection.

𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

As his internal qi began to circulate through the lesser celestial cycle, a subtle, profound energy began to manifest before him. He felt as though his body was becoming lighter and lighter, until it seemed as if his entire being was beginning to rise upward.

In Daoism, there existed techniques to forcibly capture and draw out a person’s soul. When the soul leaves the body, it often brings this very sensation of lightness. But in Li Yanchu’s case, this was a voluntary astral projection!

He didn’t know how much time had passed when a glimmer of white light appeared before his eyes. Originally, he had been seated in meditation, legs crossed in the orthodox Five Hearts Facing Heaven posture[2]. But suddenly, a wave of cold washed over him.

He was a second-rate martial artist, with robust qi and blood, so he could go shirtless in the dead of winter and still feel warm. Yet now, he felt as though he had been plunged into an icy lake in the middle of a snowstorm, so cold it made his entire soul tremble.

Li Yanchu opened his eyes, a trace of confusion in them. Then, he saw another version of himself!

That physical body of his was still seated cross-legged, calm and unmoving like an ancient pine in meditation, as steady as a boulder. Nestled at his chest, a yellow talisman was glowing faintly, radiating threads of divine Daoist aura that continued to seep into his body.

It was the Spirit Officer Summoning Talisman, the one Li Yanchu had enhanced at the cost of 1,000 merit points!

“This is... I did it?!” Li Yanchu’s eyes lit up with wild joy, his expression breaking into a broad, delighted smile.

Seeing his own physical body from outside was an utterly novel experience, and it filled him with excitement. But the biting chill around him hadn’t disappeared.

“Damn, this is freezing...” Li Yanchu couldn’t help but shiver.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

The night wind slipped through the cracks in the wooden window, sweeping across his projected soul, causing his once-condensed primordial spirit to begin wavering and losing stability.

1. In Daoism, the

Three Disasters

(

三灾

) here are similar to the "Great Three Calamities" in Buddhism, but in this context they refer specifically to

calamities of thunder, wind, and fire

.

As for the

Nine Tribulations

(

九难

), they generally refer to:

Before the great medicine is complete

, one cannot endure cold and heat and must still rely on clothing throughout the seasons.

Before true qi is born

, hunger and thirst persist, and one must still eat three meals a day. Practitioners are troubled by material needs.

Heavy karmic debts from past lives

carry over into this one. Even when stealing moments of peace, one is still subject to elders’ constraints and cannot bear to leave them behind, finding it hard to pursue a truly free and quiet life.

Emotional attachments

to loved ones, spouses, children, parents, become burdens. The daily grind and emotional entanglements never cease, making it hard to maintain a peaceful mind.

Wealth and high status

lead to insatiable greed and endless worry, ensnaring practitioners in the web of fame and fortune.

Youthful neglect

of cultivation leads to illness from depleted vitality. Lust brings misfortune, causing suffering in this life and serving as a warning to others.

Desperation for spiritual guidance

leads some to follow false teachers. It refers to those skilled in rhetoric but lacking substance, who seem divine at first but reveal themselves as frauds over time.

Misleading teachings and companions

may promote heterodox methods, such as plucking branches instead of finding the root, chasing illusions. They fail to recognize that true understanding is like the sun and moon, self-evident to all. Comparing it to the glow of a firefly or the croak of a frog only misleads.

Procrastination and wasted time

; delaying year after year, day after day. ☜

2.

"Five Hearts Facing Heaven"

is a meditative posture used in both Daoist and Buddhist cultivation practices. It refers to aligning five specific points of the body, the centers of both palms, the soles of both feet, and the crown of the head, so that they all face upward.

According to tradition, this seated posture, commonly known as the

"double lotus position"

, promotes smooth flow of energy through the meridians and helps stabilize the mind.

Here is an example:

☜