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Chapter 117: The Art of Crossing the Yin
Living people descend to the Underworld, and it's hard to escape death and illness. This is true; the Yin Qi in the Underworld is too heavy, and those carrying Yang Fire cannot withstand it. This is the principle of Yin and Yang clashing in the Five Elements. When practitioners go down, they must suppress their Yang Fire and proceed with Yin; ordinary people who descend like this will only meet a dead end. Therefore, descending to the Yin is not something to be taken lightly.
First, we sent the old man who almost became a living sacrifice back home to help him return his soul. Then we returned to Brother Wang's house and informed him that we would be Crossing the Yin tonight, asking him to ensure that no one enters our room.
Upon hearing that we were going to Cross the Yin, Brother Wang was both shocked and terrified. At the same time, he promised that he would not let anyone disturb us.
At that moment, Cao Qilong took out white paper and crafted two Paper Horses. Later during Yin Time, we would ride these Paper Horses to descend into the Underworld. Without the Paper Horses to guide us, we would get lost because there is no sun or moon on Yin Si Road; it is vast and indistinct, making it easy to lose one's way and not return. The Paper Horses would lead us to our desired destination on Yin Si Road.
While Cao Qilong was making the Paper Horses, I drew two Passing the Yin Talismans and lit the Revival Lamp. I then lay down on the bed, turning one of my shoes upside down so that they were placed in opposite orientations. The arrangement of these shoes is significant! Just like the Revival Lamp, it relates to our life and death. When we descend into the Underworld, one shoe must be upside down while the other is right side up; this represents one Yin and one Yang. If someone flips over the shoe that is upside down so that both shoes are right side up (double Yang), then I would be forcibly pulled back from the Underworld; conversely, if someone turns both shoes upside down (double Yin), then I would never return.
Therefore, I instructed Brother Wang not to touch our shoes during my time in the Underworld and also not to let the Oil Lamp be disturbed by external factors. If our shoes become double Yang (both right side up), it means I have returned from below; if they become double Yin (both upside down), it means something has happened to us down there, and he should not wait for us any longer. At that point, he should find two coffins to bury us!
Upon hearing this, Brother Wang turned pale with fear and asked if we could reconsider and not go.
I smiled and said, "We have to go; if we don't, everyone in this village will face trouble. But don’t worry too much; Crossing the Yin is quite common in our line of work; there's nothing to be alarmed about."
Indeed, Crossing the Yin is quite common in the field of Yin and Yang; while it may sound difficult, it’s challenging because there are fewer people who can perform this art nowadays. However, that's a matter of the older generation. After experiencing the upheaval of destroying the Four Olds and overthrowing all supernatural beings, those with real skills either perished in struggles or retreated into remote mountains away from worldly affairs or fled overseas. There are really not many masters capable of Crossing the Yin left in society.
In earlier times, any master with genuine skills would often Cross the Yin—such as going to the Underworld to call someone or delivering messages from ghosts in the Underworld to their relatives in the World of the Living—these were common tasks for masters back then. Moreover, some masters could also serve as Yin Chai; however, in our field, they are referred to as Yin Messengers.
Yin Messenger refers to a living person acting as a Ghost Messenger. Strictly speaking, a Yin Yang Master can also be considered half of a Yin Messenger. The role of a Yin Messenger is to assist the Ghost Messenger in collecting souls. Sometimes, when the Ghost Messenger cannot move around in the World of the Living, they will send a Yin Messenger to handle matters for them. For instance, if someone is nearing the end of their life, they would send a Yin Messenger to retrieve that person's soul and bring it to the Underworld. In simple terms, a Yin Messenger is an assistant to the Ghost Messenger in the Underworld, and somewhat like a subordinate; you help them with tasks in the Yin Realm, and they look after you in the Underworld.
One downside of being a Yin Messenger is that, being in the mortal realm, they are often burdened by human emotions and may act out of personal gain or fame, which can lead to unnecessary troubles. As a result, fewer people are able to remain as Yin Messengers. Over time, the Underworld has become reluctant to seek out Yin Messengers, fearing additional complications, and this profession may soon become extinct.
The reason why being a Yin Messenger is prone to disturbances from the mortal world is that they often have to retrieve souls for the Yin Chai. I remember my Grandfather telling a story about a Yin Yang Master who was a Yin Messenger.
It is said that before liberation, there was a highly skilled Yin Yang Master who could do anything in the underworld and traveled by means of a Ghostly Sedan, covering vast distances overnight. Eventually, the Underworld recognized his abilities and summoned him to become a Yin Messenger.
This particular Yin Yang Master would tell fortunes for living people during the day and retrieve souls for the Ghost Messenger at night. Locally, he could predict when someone would die or how long they would live because he was a Yin Messenger who had seen the Book of Life and Death. Therefore, he knew everyone's lifespan.
As a result, everyone sought him out for fortune-telling, especially those who were seriously ill. They would come to his home asking how much longer they had to live. If he told them not to worry and that they had plenty of time left, they would feel relieved. However, if he advised them to eat whatever they wanted or travel more while they could, it meant their time was short.
In that community, everyone regarded his words as divine truth because he had never been wrong. Gradually, some elders speculated that he might be a Yin Messenger who had seen the Book of Life and Death. In people's minds, anyone who could see such a book was extraordinary and was treated like a deity. At the same time, people began to fear him because they noticed that anyone he visited during the day with a warning about preparing food for someone would not see another sunrise.
Thus, by day he observed the villagers of the Village, and by night he collected their souls. This work continued for over twenty years. One night, he received instructions from a Yin Ghost to retrieve another soul. He asked the Ghost Messenger who it was this time, and was shocked to learn it was his own son.
This particular Yin Yang Master, having had his son late in life due to various hardships, cherished his son immensely. At that time, his son was just under twenty years old; in the eyes of the Yin Yang Master, this son was more precious than his own life.
It is said that even tigers do not eat their young; how could this Yin Yang Master bear to collect his son's soul? The thought of sending an elderly parent away with grief over losing their child was unbearable for him.
At that moment, he told the Yin Chai that he would go collect the soul on time that night, deceiving them into leaving. He understood that according to the Book of Life and Death, death must occur at its appointed time; being a Yin Messenger would not spare his son from this fate. Thus, he had no choice but to agree and let the Yin Chai leave while he anxiously began pacing back and forth in despair.
As the time specified by Yin Chai drew closer, he became increasingly anxious. If the moment arrived and he had not managed to bind his Son's soul to the Underworld, then the Ghost Messenger would come to collect the soul, and that terrified him.
At this moment, his Son was blissfully unaware, sleeping soundly in his room. Looking at his Son and recalling all the moments he had raised him, this man decided that he would do everything possible to protect his Son's life.
Thus, he dug a large pit in front of his Son's bed and then woke him up, instructing him to sleep in the pit before the bed. He told him that no matter what sounds or events occurred, he must not get up.
His Son did not understand the reason but could tell from his Father's worried expression that the situation seemed serious, so he nodded in agreement.
This Yin Yang Master created what is known as a Yin Bed. The Yin Bed is essentially equivalent to a Yin Grave. Digging a three-foot deep pit allows the person who sleeps within it to appear as if they are dead. In other words, when the Yin Cao Si Fu comes for someone, they will see that person as already buried and dead, making it impossible to collect their soul.
As the saying goes, being buried brings peace; when a person sleeps in the ground, it is akin to being dead. It has also been said that Dao Fa cannot escape the Principle of Yin; everything in the world is governed by reason. Digging a pit before the bed for someone to sleep in is in accordance with the principle of being dead. However, while sleeping in a Yin Bed can help avoid being collected by the Ghost Messenger from the underworld, it comes with its own hardships. For instance, one cannot partake in earthly pleasures and must survive solely on chewing white wax and consuming offerings of incense; it can be said that living this way is devoid of any enjoyment—worse than death.
In fact, sleeping in a Yin Bed has been mentioned in Investiture of the Gods. It is said that Wen Wang's divination was remarkably accurate and could predict all matters under heaven. Following Jiang Ziya's advice, Wuji slept in a Yin Bed, and Wen Wang's divination surprisingly indicated that he was already dead; this illustrates the formidable nature of the Yin Bed.
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