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In recent days, Peng Bai and Wang Tuozi had been bickering daily. Wang Tuozi had a request of him, so he could only endure it in silence. Finally, the day arrived for Peng Bai to open the coffin for Wei Zi.
As evening fell, Peng Bai, Wang Tuozi, and Qiqi finished their dinner. They waited until the sun had completely set before dressing solemnly and stepping out. Opening a coffin was a significant taboo; even experts like Peng Bai and Wang Tuozi dared not be careless, especially since they were dealing with a Blood Corpse. A moment's negligence could lead to disaster. Following ancestral customs, the three donned mourning garments and prepared the spirit hall for Wei Ning, placing offerings of three animals and nine livestock on the altar. When opening the coffin, it was essential to avoid exposing it to light. Qiqi covered Wei Ning's coffin with fine white silk to ward off evil spirits. Each of them held a jade pendant in their mouths, both to repel evil and to prevent any malevolent spirits from causing trouble.
Peng Bai's expression was grave as he approached Wei Ning's coffin, signaling to Wang Tuozi that he would perform a ritual and needed Wang Tuozi and Qiqi to protect him.
Wang Tuozi nodded in agreement.
Opening the coffin began with the "Breaking of the Five Dragons," a ritual to send away the guarding spirit beasts. With a serious demeanor, Peng Bai carefully arranged mirrors, peach branches, Peach Wood Swords, seven jujube pits, brooms, bells, I Ching texts, talismans, Ink Binding Lines, stone chisels, measuring axes, glutinous rice, regular rice, rice sieves, and red beans on the altar—seemingly every item used to repel evil spirits. It was clear how much he valued Wei Ning.
Holding a broom, Peng Bai swept away the dust from the coffin but dared not disturb the talismans affixed to it. He meticulously used Ink Fight to draw intricate symbols around the coffin and instructed Qiqi: "When I open the coffin, you must stick these talismans on Wei Ning's head one by one. Remember to place the new talismans first before removing the old ones; otherwise, Wei Ning might become restless."
After finishing his preparations, Peng Bai lit a fire and tended to it with tongs. Soon enough, flames roared higher and higher as they flickered wildly. His face danced between light and shadow as he muttered incantations. Due to the many souls harmed in this area, at such a critical moment, he had no choice but to burn some money for these wronged spirits so they wouldn’t cause him trouble. Following Taoist practices, he first drew a cross on the ground; then he placed paper money at its center and set it ablaze.
Peng Bai's technique was meticulous; he ensured that the cross was perfectly aligned with east-west and north-south directions. The south pointed towards Yin Shadow; north pointed towards You Feng; east pointed towards Netherworld; west pointed towards You Ye; southeast indicated You Ye; southwest indicated You Guan; northeast pointed towards Underworld; northwest indicated You Fu; while the center of the cross represented You Yu. The significance of drawing this cross was that no matter where the deceased were located, they would receive this offering from beyond. Placing paper money atop it prevented other wandering spirits from snatching it away. Once the paper money burned completely and calmed nearby restless spirits, Peng Bai circled around the coffin several times as if still uneasy. He then sprinkled Glutinous Rice Water over it before signaling Qiqi and Wang Tuozi that he was ready to proceed.
Peng Bai silently recited incantations unknown even to Wang Tuozi while forming strange hand seals that didn’t resemble Central Plains Taoist practices but seemed more akin to those from foreign lands. Suddenly extending his thumb opened a flame in his hand—a dim fire flickering with a faint green glow. He then ignited his right index finger and both his left thumb and index finger as well as his ring finger—five flickering green lights danced in the night air, adding an eerie aura around them.
He lit five lamps at each corner of the coffin. This coffin wasn’t made of ordinary wood but rather high-quality peach wood known for its ability to sever yin energy. Zhang Ye crafted this special coffin under Ding Ying’s instructions specifically to prevent Wei Ning from merging with yin energy during transit. The construction adhered to strict guidelines of “three long nails and two short nails,” using five golden nails at both ends—exactly where Peng Bai intended to light his lamps. After some time burning them, suddenly the lights began shaking violently as five wisps of blue smoke leaped from the flames into the air forming five ethereal dragons that flickered in and out of sight—guardians of this coffin. Peng Bai quickly offered incense to invite these spirit beasts away; after lingering momentarily in midair, they vanished. Only then did Peng Bai cautiously extinguish these five lamps and pry open the nails on the coffin lid revealing a Golden Cask inside. It was densely covered with various talismans.
Flipping over this Golden Cask revealed a Blood Corpse seated inside with its head bowed. Although Qiqi and Wang Tuozi couldn’t confirm if it was Wei Ning or not, they thought it likely enough that their expressions darkened.
A black Yama Talismans was affixed to Wei Ning’s forehead. Peng Bai called Qiqi over and signaled her to place her talisman on Wei Ning’s body before removing the old one. Understanding the gravity of this task, Qiqi proceeded cautiously as she affixed the talisman while both Wang Tuozi and Peng Bai held their breaths in anxiety fearing something might go awry.
Peng Bai retrieved an Undying Bone wrapped in layers of silk from his altar offering along with a white string tied around it before pulling out a piece of white paper money about 8 centimeters in diameter attached with another white thread. Holding onto this thread’s end so that it hung naturally about 5 centimeters above ground level, he began walking around each corner of the room.
Qiqi naturally couldn't understand, but Wang Tuozi did. This was a form of Dao Techniques that was considered unorthodox in folk practices, known as "Soul Retrieval." After a person passed away, during the fifth and seventh days of mourning, their family would search for the soul in the house where they lived before death and then send it to the grave. The process of searching for the soul was called Soul Retrieval. It was unexpected that this old man, who had mastered Dao Techniques for over a hundred years, would resort to such an unorthodox method to return Wei Ning's soul, and it would surely make people laugh.
Peng Bai, however, was unfazed. His expression remained solemn. In his mind, Dao Techniques were only distinguished by their practicality and convenience; there was no distinction between orthodox and unorthodox methods. As long as it was useful, it was considered exquisite Dao Techniques. Although the method of Soul Retrieval was indeed inferior, it was very effective in drawing out Wei Ning's soul.
The white thread in Peng Bai's hand grew brighter, and the Red Pearl on the Spirit Platform became increasingly active, clearly responding to something. Peng Bai felt a surge of joy in his heart. Suddenly, a meowing sound echoed through the air.
"Not good," Peng Bai thought to himself, unable to hold back his exclamation.
Why hadn't he secured this thing properly at such a critical moment?!
The Cat Shocked the Corpse!
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