At the moment the earth-shaking wailing for the dead began, Pan Yun seemed to sense something; she opened her eyes and looked toward the horizon.
The black cat, which had recently taken to lounging on the rafters, suddenly stood up, its glass-like eyes staring at Pan Yun as if they were glowing.
With a "meow," it leaped down from the rafters and dove straight into Pan Yun’s arms.
Once held by her, it began to meow incessantly. Pan Yun’s ears were filled with its excited cries: "Do you feel it? Do you feel it? The seal has opened!"
Pan Yun held it tight and gritted her teeth, thinking in her mind: [Be quiet! If you make any more noise, I’ll throw you out!]
Sure enough, because of the black cat’s constant meowing, many people were looking at her while they wept. Doctor Zhang and Eunuch Qian were particularly displeased, and Zhu Youjue, standing to the side, was already on the verge of losing his temper.
Pan Yun held the black cat, lifted her eyelids to meet everyone’s gaze, and said expressionlessly, "Black cats are spiritual and ward off evil. It says the Prince is here and is very pleased."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone couldn't help but look left and right, watching the empty air with slight tremors. Especially those who had met the Prince of Zhou in their dreams; they couldn't help but huddle together, their weeping now tinged with two parts fear.
The Prince of Zhou, standing to the side and listening to the imperial edict:...
Pan Yun frowned: "What are you afraid of? The Prince of Zhou is such a good person; even if he has returned, he wouldn't scare us."
Upon hearing this, everyone felt she made sense. They stopped trembling and began to slap the ground and wail, "Oh, Your Highness! Such a good person as you, why did you have to leave us—"
The wailing suddenly reached a new height, so loud that even those outside the manor could hear the earth-shaking cries.
The Prince of Zhou nodded in satisfaction. Giving Pan Yun face, he floated up and flew toward his coffin.
As he flew over the heads of the crowd, a gust of cold wind stirred, which everyone felt.
Seeing that the trees not far away didn't move in the slightest, everyone drew their own conclusions.
Little Zhu Tongxie, who was kneeling to the side, was brushed by the wind. He curiously looked up, turned his little head, and his eyes lit up when he saw the Prince of Zhou sitting on the coffin. He tugged at his father: "Grandpa, Grandpa..."
Zhu Zijin looked up, hurriedly pressed Zhu Tongxie’s hand down, turned to face the coffin, and kowtowed repeatedly: "Father, is it really you who has come back to see us?"
Everyone’s weeping became even more sincere and heartfelt.
Doctor Zhang and Eunuch Qian felt their hearts tremble. They bowed repeatedly toward the coffin and only let out a sigh of relief once they had retreated from the mourning hall.
The two exchanged a look; although the Prince of Zhou was a good man, they decided they should visit Kaifeng less often in the future.
Zhu Youjue looked at the coffin with a complex expression, unsure whether to believe it or not.
Tao Ji quietly moved to Pan Yun’s side and asked in a low voice, "Is the Prince of Zhou still here?"
Pan Yun replied with an "Mm."
Tao Ji was worried: "Today is the seventh day since his passing. If he doesn't leave now, is he going to stay and become a ghost?"
The Princess and Zhu Zijin were also worried about this. After a round of weeping, they came to find the three of them, hoping they could perform a ritual to properly send the Prince of Zhou off: "Please ask the Prince for us what he still lacks, and we will burn it for him."
In truth, no ritual was needed. The Prince of Zhou was content; his soul form was already fading, and it wouldn't be long before he could go where he belonged on his own.
However, since the family requested it, it wasn't impossible for them to perform one.
After all, performing a ritual could indeed help a ghost depart more smoothly and quickly.
Pan Yun and the Prince of Zhou locked eyes, and she nodded.
However, she didn't move, because coming from the 26th century, she only knew two spells for sending off ghosts. One was to shatter them directly, causing their soul to dissipate—well, that wasn't suitable for the Prince of Zhou.
The other was a short incantation—just one sentence and a hand seal—very simple and clear, which could allow a ghost to instantly find its way and depart.
In their 26th century, they valued efficiency.
This era was different.
When Xuan Miao heard their request for a ritual, he demanded several types of soul-calling banners, as well as a peach wood sword, incense and candles, clean bottles, mountain spring water, five types of sacrificial animals, the Prince’s favorite foods, clothing, and so on.
Xuan Miao even had to write a sacrificial eulogy on the spot, which had to include soul-summoning, soul-pacifying, and soul-sending...
As Xuan Miao wrote, he explained it to the bewildered Pan Yun.
Pan Yun frowned and asked: "Since it can be done with just one incantation and a hand seal, why is it so troublesome?"
After Xuan Miao finished writing the eulogy, he looked up at her and said: "A person comes into this world clean; even if they cannot leave as clean as they arrived, they must at least be clear. Whether his life was defined more by merit or by sin should be deeply reflected upon under the soul-calling banner.
The ritual of pacifying the soul not only comforts the living but also points the way for the departed, letting him know in advance how to pass through the King of Hell’s palace."
Pan Yun: "But aren't the eulogies all just nice words?"
Xuan Miao smiled enigmatically: "Who says eulogies are all nice words? Being able to hide a person’s life-long faults within the eulogy—that is the true skill. Moreover, the most important part of a ritual is 'questioning the heart'—questioning the summoned soul, making it reflect upon itself. If you cannot reach his heart, then your skill is not yet sufficient."
Tao Ji said with deep feeling: "If the skill is not sufficient, one cannot even obtain a Taoist ordination certificate."
Soon, Pan Yun witnessed the power of a ritual in this world.
Once the soul-calling banner was raised, the Prince of Zhou, who had been faint, became solid once more. The burned clothes appeared on him, and the Prince looked brand new from head to toe.
As Xuan Miao paced the ritual steps and chanted the incantations, Pan Yun felt a strange aura. She was dazed for a moment, and when she came to, the Prince of Zhou was already bathed in a golden light...
Pan Yun couldn't help but hold her breath. She felt the attraction of that golden light toward her, or rather, toward the spiritual realm in her Niwan Palace.
What was this?
[This is the golden light of merit!] The black cat in her arms was incredibly quiet, its voice even softer as it spoke in her mind.
[The opening of the seal must have something to do with it. Pan Yun, absorb it!]
Pan Yun didn't move; she just stared intently as the Prince of Zhou bathed in his own golden light of merit.
The old man and the young girl looked at each other across the void. The Prince of Zhou smiled slightly, his form gradually fading. As the last trace of his soul vanished, a wisp of golden light flew from him toward Pan Yun...
This was something the Prince of Zhou had voluntarily gifted to Pan Yun. Although he didn't know what it was for, since the black cat was so fixated on it, it must be something good.
He had spent these seven days very happily. Being able to fulfill his wishes after death and not regret his life, he was very satisfied.
As a lone soul, he had nothing to give this child, so he would give her something that she and the black cat coveted.
The Prince of Zhou gradually dissipated. In the eyes of the people in the manor, it looked as if, just as Xuan Miao finished walking and chanting, the clouds in the sky slowly parted, and the obscured sunlight poured down, brightening the entire sky.
The white clouds took on color under the sunlight, drifting and rolling in place not far above the manor, as if they were swimming.
And when Xuan Miao stopped his steps and finished the hand seal, a ray of sunlight happened to shine on Pan Yun’s face, making it impossible for anyone to look away.
Although it was just a ray of sunlight, for some reason, Zhu Zijin felt it was his father’s will as he departed. Thus, he gave a tray of silver not only to Xuan Miao for the ritual but also to Pan Yun.
Pan Yun took it with a look of shame, though her movements were very crisp and efficient.
In just two short months, she had received three trays of silver alone; she was truly embarrassed.
Pan Yun carried the money back to her room. Once the door was closed, she immediately put down the tray and sat cross-legged on the bed.
The black cat was pacing back and forth in anxiety, pleading: "Let me in. I’ll come out once I’ve stabilized the seal that was opened. I promise I won't go back on my word."
Pan Yun watched it quietly with open eyes.
The black cat knew she was suspicious and raised its paws, wishing it could rip its heart out to show her: "Really, we’ve been working together for so long, and I’ve already gotten used to being in a cat’s body. I would never lie to you. I just want to go in and stabilize the seal; otherwise, it keeps vibrating, and you must be uncomfortable too, right?"
Pan Yun reached out and gently stroked its little head, saying softly: "Of course I believe you. You forget, we have a contract. And I’m not afraid of you rebelling; at worst, I’ll just seal you again."
The black cat’s body stiffened. Right, they had a contract. And Pan Yun dared to take this risk, but it didn't. Now, the black cat didn't doubt itself, but began to doubt Pan Yun. She was a fierce and solitary person; could it be that she was trying to lure it into a trap, waiting for it to enter so she could seal it directly?
Pan Yun withdrew her hand, entered a meditative state, and said: [Come in.]
The black cat gritted its teeth and took the plunge.
A ray of spiritual light flew out from the black cat’s body and shot into Pan Yun’s forehead.
Returning to its own spiritual body, the Realm Spirit sighed in comfort before diving in to look at the part where the seal had been broken.
Pan Yun’s consciousness was also in her Niwan Palace; she was also searching for the reason the seal had opened.
But in her Niwan Palace, the most conspicuous things, besides the spiritual realm, were the floating golden clouds.
Pan Yun recognized at a glance that those were the good things the Prince of Zhou had given her. She had felt very comfortable at the time, and now, as her consciousness touched the golden clouds, not only did her soul feel stronger, but her entire body felt extremely comfortable.
The Realm Spirit floated out of the spiritual realm, green with envy, but it dared not act rashly within Pan Yun’s Niwan Palace.
"It’s merit. The portion of merit that belongs to you has opened the seal," the Realm Spirit said. "Haven't you noticed? The fates of all those dying people in the Prince of Zhou’s manor have changed. Zhu Tongxie, the Prince’s six wives, and the servants around the Prince—they have all turned from death to life. Even Zhu Zijin’s fate has changed. Heaven is rewarding you with merit."
Pan Yun: "So merit is the key to opening the seal. All those things my country poured into you in my past life were a waste, along with those eight years of spiritual energy."
The Realm Spirit pretended not to hear the second half of the sentence and continued: "Merit is indeed more useful than spiritual energy. I’ve only been sealed this once and have no experience in breaking seals. If I had known earlier..."
In her past life, it could have awakened. It believed Pan Yun’s country would have been very willing to place it on various good people to absorb merit together.
Pan Yun was thoughtful: "What is in the seal you opened?"
The Realm Spirit took a look and said: "Seven of the Thirteen Arts of Taoist True Qi, and the introductory volume on talisman practice."
Pan Yun’s spirits lifted. What was the most lacking thing in the 26th century?
It was complete cultivation techniques! And talismans. Many talismans in later generations were based on existing research, but detailed things like brushwork and energy manipulation were almost non-existent. Everything relied on current research, current learning, and current development.
Ancient methods—whenever a complete ancient inheritance was discovered, it was something that shocked the entire nation.
And she now had a whole volume?
Plus the cultivation techniques.