Chapter 163: Continuing the Tongue! Success!

At the third quarter of the Zi hour.

Lu Yuan pushed open the side hall door, moonlight like water pouring in.

Lu Yuan stood in the doorway and took a deep breath.

Three days of cultivation, the expensive spirit meat had practically been eaten like regular meals; now Lu Yuan’s Zhou Tian Gong could finally flow smoothly.

The zhenran on his body, though not fully restored to normal, was enough to support tonight’s work.

Lu Yuan walked straight to the windowsill.

On a night seven days ago, Lu Yuan had tied three items together with a red cord and placed them into a bowl of rootless water,

set it on the windowsill, letting the moon shine on it for seven whole nights.

Tonight was the seventh night.

Lu Yuan walked to the window and lifted the bowl of water.

Moonlight shone into the bowl; the water was clear, but at the bottom a faint mass could be seen.

It was a bluish-black, tongue-shaped thing no longer than three inches, formed from the melding of the three items.

It worked!

As Lu Yuan held the bowl and turned, he saw Gu Qingwan, without him noticing when she had arrived, already floating above the huge coffin.

Moonlight streamed from behind her, wrapping her in a hazy halo.

She wore that simple white dress; the hem hung down and fluttered gently in the night breeze.

“These past few days, Aunt Qiao’er and Aunt Qin have both been away, so it’s been rather peaceful, hasn’t it?” Lu Yuan casually said as if making small talk, setting the bowl of water on the table that held the eternal lamps in front of the coffin.

Then Lu Yuan stepped back and moved to the great coffin, using his shoulder to push the lid aside.

An ear-piercing creak sounded.

The coffin opened just enough for the weak candlelight inside and the moonlight outside to seep in; Lu Yuan leaned over to take a look.

Hmm...

The millennium willow root was perfectly fine.

Seven days ago, Lu Yuan had fused this millennium willow root into Qingwan’s body to warm and nurture it.

Now it was clear the willow root had completely adapted to the yin energy of this body.

The bluish-black thing in the bowl was the “form.”

This millennium willow root was the “substance.”

When form and substance unite, that is a true tongue.

Everything was prepared; it was time to perform the tongue-restoration ritual to activate the willow root in Qingwan’s mouth, so it would truly become her tongue!

Lu Yuan did not rush. He first lit three short incense sticks and respectfully placed them into the censer.

Azure smoke curled up and swirled in the moonlight.

Lu Yuan stepped back a pace and formed hand seals with both hands — the Daoist “Three Pure Fingers,” the most common gesture.

Left hand in seal, right hand clenched into a fist, the fist’s center facing upward at chest level.

He began to recite the Initiation Chant:

“The Three Pure Ones above, may Daoic breath endure.”

“Disciple Lu Yuan today initiates the master ritual.”

“With incense, candles, paper horses, clear tea and plain fruit, I respectfully invite the ancestral masters of past generations to descend to the altar.”

“I invite the great mysteries of the dark center, I invite those above the three heavens, I invite the myriad laws among all things.”

“Ancestors of past generations, truly holy and saintly, impartial to cause and effect, do not abandon the dull-witted.”

“Today your disciple will restore Qingwan’s tongue and remove her evil curse; I beseech the ancestors for mercy and to grant the ritual’s blessing.”

“If any disrespect occurs, your disciple will bear the responsibility.”

“Humbly I beg the ancestors, merciful, merciful.”

After reciting, Lu Yuan bowed three times.

When he rose, the eternal lamp inside the hall suddenly flickered.

The flame leapt up three inches, then fell back to its previous height.

Lu Yuan glanced at it and felt certain of the sign.

Next, Lu Yuan purified his hands.

He immersed both hands into a small bronze basin prepared nearby, silently chanting the Cleansing Chant:

“The Great Emperor scatters blooms, the profound returns to the great spirit.”

“Wash the body, remove dust, cast away defilement and vapor.”

“Five internals bright and clear, a hundred joints open to truth.”

“Ten thousand evils touch not, longevity persists.”

“Urgently, urgently, as by the law’s command.”

After three repetitions, Lu Yuan lifted his hands. Water droplets fell from his fingertips, glinting in the moonlight.

Then Lu Yuan prepared four items.

A wooden sword, its blade carved with talismanic patterns.

A bronze bell, mottled with rust.

Three yellow talismans, each painted with a different pattern.

And a red cord about three feet long, threaded with seven copper coins.

Lu Yuan picked up the yellow talismans and took out three sheets.

The first was the Soul-Calming Talisman.

The second was the Soul-Stabilizing Talisman.

The third was the Tongue-Conduit Talisman.

He placed the three talismans in order on the table.

Then he picked up the bowl of water and looked at the bluish-black thing at the bottom.

“The form is complete.”

Lu Yuan turned and went to the coffin, leaning over to look at Qingwan’s original body inside.

He extended his right hand, pressed two fingers together, and placed them on her brow.

He closed his eyes.

He felt it.

The yin energy inside Qingwan flowed slowly, cool but not chilling, pure and unmixed.

The millennium willow root nurtured at the root of the tongue lay like a seed buried in soil, quietly waiting.

“The substance is ready.”

Lu Yuan opened his eyes and withdrew his hand.

He returned to the table and took up the red cord threaded with seven coins.

This was the Seven-Coin Soul-Locking Cord; each coin was an consecrated ancient coin representing the seven stars of the Big Dipper.

Binding it to hold the soul keeps the subject’s spirit steady and undisturbed during the ritual.

Lu Yuan returned to the coffin and tied the cord around Qingwan’s wrist.

As he tied, he chanted:

“Tianshu, Tianxuan, Tianji, Tianquan, Yuheng, Kaiyang, Yaoguang.”

“Seven primes of the Big Dipper, lock the soul and settle the spirit.”

“Soul return to its mansion, spirit guard its palace.”

“Unmoved, unshaken, undisturbed, untroubled.”

For each coin he recited a name and tied a knot.

After seven knots, Lu Yuan stood and took the three talismans.

He folded the Soul-Calming Talisman into a triangle, bit his tongue, and exhaled a spray of blood mist onto the talisman.

The blood-mist fell and the talisman trembled slightly.

He placed this talisman on Qingwan’s forehead.

The forehead is the soul’s mansion; the Soul-Calming Talisman placed there can pacify the Three Souls.

Next came the Soul-Stabilizing Talisman.

Also folded into a triangle, also spritzed with his tongue-blood, he pressed it onto Qingwan’s chest.

The chest is the spirit’s palace; the Soul-Stabilizing Talisman placed there can steady the Seven Souls.

Lu Yuan took the third talisman, the Tongue-Conduit Talisman.

He left it unfolded.

He held the talisman in his left hand while forming the Reception Seal with his right.

The ring finger curved, the thumb pressed against the ring finger’s nail, the index and middle fingers extended together, the little finger naturally curved.

This is the Daoist hand seal to draw external things into the body.

Lu Yuan began to recite the Reception Chant:

“Heaven’s gate open, Earth’s gate open, Profound gate open, Yellow gate open.”

“Gates open in the four directions, eight roads all cleared.”

“The thing to be drawn comes through this gate.”

“A thousand evils enter not, ten thousand impurities intrude not.”

“Form follows water, substance awaits its form.”

“I invoke the edict of Supreme Elder Lao Jun!”

After reciting once, he spread the talisman paper on the table.

Then Lu Yuan slowly poured the bowl of water onto the talisman paper.

The water soaked the paper; the bluish-black thing flowed onto the paper and drifted there.

Lu Yuan set the bowl down and pinched the talisman’s two corners, lifting gently.

The paper rose yet no water dripped.

The water seemed absorbed by the talisman paper, not a single drop leaking.

The bluish-black thing moved gently at the exact center of the paper.

Lu Yuan carefully placed the talisman paper onto Qingwan’s throat.

The instant the paper touched, Qingwan’s brows knitted slightly.

Immediately, a faint repulsive force issued from her throat.

Lu Yuan had prepared for this.

He loosened his right hand from the talisman and quickly formed the Soul-Stabilizing Seal.

His five fingers curved like claws, thumb pressed into the palm, pressing firmly into Qingwan’s brow.

His left hand pressed on the talisman to keep it in place.

He loudly intoned the Soul-Stabilizing Chant:

“Supreme stage star, respond and change without stop.”

“Drive out evil and bind spirits, preserve life and guard the body.”

“Wisdom bright and clear, heart and spirit at peace.”

“The Three Souls remain forever, the spirits lose no balance.”

“Urgently, urgently, as by the law’s command!”

After reciting, Qingwan’s brow loosened somewhat.

But that repulsive force remained, striking the talisman in waves.

Lu Yuan released his right hand on Qingwan’s brow and formed a new seal with both hands.

This was the Lotus Seal: fingers interlaced, palms up, thumbs facing, shaped like a lotus in bloom.

“Lotus opens, lotus falls.”

“Upon the lotus seat sits the true self.”

“The true self unmoved, ten thousand evils cannot violate.”

“True self always present, a hundred ghosts find no entry.”

When he finished, he flipped his hands so the palms faced down and spread his thumbs and fingers like a withering lotus.

This was the Scattering-Flower Seal.

With this gesture, Qingwan’s brow relaxed completely.

The repulsive force was suppressed.

Lu Yuan exhaled a long breath.

But he knew this was only the beginning.

He looked down at the talisman on Qingwan’s throat.

The water on the talisman was seeping in bit by bit.

Not into the skin, but into the talisman itself, into the winding lines of ink.

Where the water seeped, the paper darkened and the ink lines brightened.

The bluish-black thing followed the water, seeping into the talisman step by step.

Lu Yuan watched this closely, hands forming the Reception Seal, and began to recite the Tongue-Conduit Chant:

“The tongue is the sprout of the heart.”

“Speech is the voice of the heart.”

“If the heart is blocked, the tongue cannot be nimble; if the tongue is numb, words do not reach.”

“Now with form continue substance, with false cultivate truth.”

“Millennium willow root, take my form.”

“Three-inch soft tongue, become your true self.”

After one recitation, more water seeped in.

He continued.

On the second recitation, the paper had absorbed about half the water.

On the third, one-third of the bluish-black thing had been drawn into the talisman.

By the seventh recitation, an abrupt mutation occurred!

A violent repulsive force suddenly burst from Qingwan’s throat.

The force was icy and bone-piercing, far stronger than before.

It slammed directly against the talisman. The talisman shuddered and its edges began to blacken.

At the same time, Qingwan’s entire face was overlaid with a layer of bluish-black energy.

That bluish-black aura writhed across her face like something alive, crawling toward the throat.

Lu Yuan’s expression changed.

He pressed the talisman to her throat with his left hand and swiftly formed the Sword Seal with his right, touching her brow.

Zhenran surged wildly down his arm.

“Settle!”

He shouted the command. The bluish-black aura stalled for an instant.

But immediately more bluish-black energy gushed from her body toward the throat.

Lu Yuan knew the single “Settle” incantation wouldn’t be enough.

He bit his tongue and spat a mist of blood onto Qingwan’s face.

The blood-mist fell; the bluish-black energy hissed as if burned and retreated somewhat.

Lu Yuan seized the chance, released the talisman, and quickly formed another hand seal.

This was the Five Thunders Seal!!

Fingers interlaced, ring fingers raised to meet, middle fingers curled to hook the base of the ring fingers, index and little fingers naturally extended.

This is one of Daoism’s strongest anti-evil seals.

He cried out the Five Thunders Chant:

“Thunder’s light, fierce lightning, desire-fire like meteors.”

“Thunder roars a mighty quake, heaven and earth startle.”

“One thunder breaks evil, two thunders break deception, three thunders break ghosts, four thunders break demons, five thunders break devils.”

“With all five thunders unleashed, ten thousand evils are annihilated!”

After reciting, he pressed his hands downward.

Boom—

There was no audible sound, yet the whole hall felt a tremor.

The vibration issued from Lu Yuan’s hands and struck the curse within Qingwan.

Her body jolted violently.

She opened her mouth and a jet of black vapor spewed forth.

Lu Yuan was prepared.

He flipped his left hand and produced a Suppress-Evil Talisman from his bosom, slapping it onto the black vapor.

The talisman stuck to the black cloud, which thrashed and pushed, ballooning the paper.

Lu Yuan formed the Sword Seal with his right hand and intoned:

“Five Thunders Righteous Method, suppress and seal all evils.”

“By the order of the Supreme Saviour, turn to ash.”

“Break!”

At the final word the talisman flashed.

The black vapor issued a despairing, shrill wail and shattered with a crack, dispersing into nothing.

Lu Yuan gritted his teeth.

He bit his left middle finger and dabbed the blood onto Qingwan’s brow, philtrum, and throat.

Then he pressed his palms together, closed his eyes, and began to recite the Ancestral Blessing Chant:

“Above the three heavens, Dao is revered.”

“Among the myriad laws, incense is foremost.”

“Ancestral masters of past generations, truly holy and saintly.”

“Disciple Lu Yuan respectfully requests blessing.”

“Today’s tongue restoration bears great significance.”

“If any demonic obstruction exists, please remove it.”

“If any impediment appears, please break it.”

“Your disciple uses blood as the guide, life as the proof, humbly begging the ancestors for mercy and blessing.”

When he finished, he suddenly opened his eyes.

A flash of golden light gleamed within them.

At that moment, the eternal lamp inside the hall whooshed; its flame shot up over a foot high.

Moonlight poured through the window and seemed to brighten.

Lu Yuan felt a warm force surge in from all directions, flowing into his body and into his hands.

He pressed both hands onto the talisman on Qingwan’s throat and shouted:

“In the name of the ancestors, by the authority of the Daoist order.”

“Millennium willow root, awaken now.”

“The old tongue is gone, the new tongue shall be born.”

“Form and substance unite, tongue orifice clear and open.”

“Heaven and earth bear witness, the Three Pure Ones stand as proof.”

“Urgently, urgently, as by the law’s command!”

On the final word, the remaining water on the talisman trembled violently!

The last bit of the bluish-black thing instantly flowed entirely into Qingwan’s throat!

Simultaneously Qingwan’s body convulsed violently!

Then she opened her mouth; moonlight penetrated into it.

One could see her tongue.

But the tongue was still trembling and contorting.

At the tongue root, a pale white light flickered — the light of the millennium willow root.

Old and new alternated, form and substance merged.

This process required a final push.

Lu Yuan formed the Sword Seal with both hands and touched Qingwan’s throat.

He began to recite the Speech-Restoration Incantation:

“One time and open heaven and earth...

Qingwan’s body trembled violently.

“Two times and open yin and yang...

The trembling tongue slowed its quivering.

“Three times to fix the tongue root!”

At the last phrase, Qingwan’s whole body tensed.

Then the tongue finally stilled.

It lay quietly inside her mouth, pink in color with distinct texture. The pale white light at the root gradually faded, merging into the tongue itself.

Lu Yuan looked at the tongue and his legs went weak; he nearly collapsed to the ground.

He leaned on the coffin rim, gasping for air.

Sweat beads rolled down his forehead.

The back of his robe was soaked through with sweat.

Qingwan’s body remained with eyes closed, but her complexion was much improved.

No longer pale nor bluish-black, but with a faint flush of color.

It was living vitality.

The vitality brought by the restored tongue.

It worked!!