Chapter Twenty-Four: Magical Artifacts! Magical Artifacts!
Next…
Chen Yushu took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the excitement in his heart.
He glanced at the backyard, where each apprentice was busy at work.
Li Hu was washing herbs, Zhao He was slicing them, and Xu Hao was collecting and laying them out to dry… Each apprentice’s hands were never idle.
Seeing this, Chen Yushu did not hesitate and headed straight for his own quarters, Room Three.
Inside, it was empty.
“Now’s the time!”
Chen Yushu drew a deep breath, shut the door, then made his way to the end of the shared sleeping platform, to his own bed.
Beneath it lay a layer of compacted hard earth, uneven but clean, swept so thoroughly that it almost resembled a cement floor.
He bent down and quickly crawled under the bed.
“Last night in my dream, Li Pei said he’d buried some things beneath the communal bed… Indeed, there are signs the earth has been disturbed.”
Muttering to himself, Chen Yushu’s eyes soon lit up. He dug into the earth, and at once uncovered a black cloth bag.
He grabbed it; it felt rather heavy in his hand.
Opening the bag, the first thing he saw was a black ruler, intricately carved with fine patterns, complicated and mysterious.
“The Soul Severing Ruler!
This must be the family heirloom, the Soul Severing Ruler of the Li family!”
Chen Yushu gazed at the ruler, his heart pounding with excitement.
A magical instrument!
This was a true magical instrument.
It was a treasure used by those who walk the shadows, a weapon to drive away or slay ghosts.
He remembered, the bell and whip that Uncle Zhong had shown him before, by his own admission, were merely “old tools,” possessing a touch of spiritual power but nothing more.
A magical instrument, however,
was a true treasure, one that could be activated by magical power, its might considerable.
“Though, I certainly can’t use this thing yet.”
Chen Yushu carefully felt around, well aware of his own limitations.
Magical power belonged only to those who had traversed the path of shadows, those with spiritual cultivation.
He hadn’t even glimpsed the threshold, so naturally, he couldn’t use it.
He examined it cautiously. The Soul Severing Ruler was icy cold to the touch, appearing to be made of wood yet surprisingly heavy, its surface etched with fine lines, as if concealing some profound secret.
He could faintly sense a chill emanating from it.
He understood: Li Pei was currently residing within the Soul Severing Ruler. That chilling aura, if he wasn’t mistaken, must be Li Pei’s.
Carefully, he set aside the ruler, and soon found several books pressed beneath it.
“The Records of Li Chao’s Ghostly Encounters, The Sunlit Talisman Techniques, The White Tiger Visualization Method.”
One by one, Chen Yushu examined the books in the bundle—each thick, the combined weight over ten pounds.
Considering these books were written with brush and ink, each character large and bold, their thickness was deceptive; the total word count was less than one might imagine.
The first book was indeed The Records of Li Chao’s Ghostly Encounters, written by Li Pei’s grandfather, as he had mentioned.
The second was a treatise on talisman crafting.
Only now did he learn its title: The Sunlit Talisman Techniques, a single volume labeled “Fundamentals, Book One.”
As for the last, it was the method for cultivating as a walker in the shadows, The White Tiger Visualization Method, which Li Pei had also mentioned.
Aside from these, there were several writing brushes, two sheets of yellowed paper, a red token, and seven taels of silver.
This took Chen Yushu by surprise.
He hadn’t expected there to be silver among these belongings.
“A pleasant surprise, indeed.”
His breathing grew rapid, his excitement and delight impossible to conceal.
But he did not forget what Li Pei had told him during his dream.
Transcendence!
Only by releasing Li Pei’s spirit would these things truly become his own.
Otherwise, for touching these items, he might find himself at the top of Li Pei’s list of grudges, surpassing even Xu Hao.
Once night fell and Li Pei awoke, he’d probably come for him first, seeking vengeance.
“I’ve found it.
The method of transcendence, ‘The Sublime Introduction Text.’”
Without delay, Chen Yushu opened The Records of Li Chao’s Ghostly Encounters, turned to the first page, and immediately found the “Sublime Introduction Text” that could release a soul, as mentioned before.
“Yet these words…”
After a moment’s reading, Chen Yushu felt something odd.
He recognized each character, yet when strung together, they seemed mysterious and ineffable, impossible to articulate.
“Only one with ‘spiritual sight’ can perceive and recite them, and so achieve transcendence…”
Chen Yushu recalled Li Pei’s explanation from the dream, his gaze sharpening as he stilled his mind.
In that instant, a sudden clarity arose within him.
The previous awkwardness and tongue-tied feeling vanished, and he smoothly opened his mouth, reciting the scripture aloud.
Word by word, he chanted the Sublime Introduction Text.
“…I beseech the divine to guide Li Pei’s soul, leading him through the gate, to enter the realm of bright reincarnation…”
As he finished reciting the scripture,
A humming vibration!
He felt his spirit tremble, as if connecting with a mysterious world hidden within the universe.
Yet at the same time, his mental energy rapidly drained, fatigue washing over him with visible swiftness.
Not daring to pause, he quickly raised the Soul Severing Ruler.
At once, a figure burst forth—
It was Li Pei’s ghostly soul.
Sparks of light scattered over the spirit, and wisp after wisp of black miasma was swept away by the glow, leaving the soul purified and luminous.
Until the last trace of darkness was cleansed.
The baleful aura, the shadow and gloom that once clung to Li Pei’s spirit, vanished completely.
Then, Chen Yushu saw Li Pei bow respectfully in his direction before ascending, soaring toward some unseen place in the netherworld, and disappearing in an instant.
“Is it… done?”
Chen Yushu rubbed his temples; even though he was utterly exhausted, his mind was still shaken.
Reading +7
He noticed at once that his scholarly cultivation had risen by seven points.
“Just reading the Sublime Introduction Text accelerates my scholarly progress?
One recitation nearly equals a whole day’s study.
The only pity is that a single recitation drains nearly all my mental energy, leaving me listless for the rest of the day.
Otherwise, it would truly be a wondrous tool for advancing my cultivation.”
With this thought, Chen Yushu sighed, then crawled back under the bed and reburied most of the items.
“Living in this communal dormitory is truly inconvenient.
Even if I have valuables, there’s nowhere to hide them.
Carelessness could expose everything.”
He was becoming increasingly aware of the drawbacks.
But there was no help for it.
Housing arrangements were not his to decide.
Unless he moved out.
“Living outside would be more convenient, but the rent is steep.
Though there are seven taels of silver left in Li Pei’s bundle, which is barely enough.
But…”
Chen Yushu pondered in silence, soon shaking his head. “Who would believe that an apprentice who just joined the pharmacy could produce several taels of silver to rent a place outside?”
After all, there were many who knew of his background.
Take Zhou Zheng, the steward Zhou, for instance!
He knew that Chen Yushu was merely the son of a herb gatherer from Beijiao Village.