Chapter 76: Negotiation

The surrounding scenery was extremely bizarre.

It was a chaotic, primordial void, like the depths of the abyss; the sun and moon had no brilliance, the Bagua had no spirit, Yin and Yang could not be divided, the four cardinal points could not be separated, and there was no sense of direction or rules whatsoever.

A vast, boundless expanse filled the sky and earth, instantly obscuring the mortal dust; a hazy fog and thick clouds billowed, and aside from a few illuminated candles that created a clear space where things could be seen, everything else remained indistinct.

Li Qi felt his equipment.

His original clothes were gone, replaced by a simple white robe.

His long saber was gone; it seemed that physical objects could not be brought in here, so his clothes were changed, and the long saber couldn't enter.

However, the willow branch was still there.

As expected of a gift left by Grand Invoker, it was truly powerful.

Holding the willow branch wrapped around his waist, Li Qi's courage swelled considerably.

He tightened his waistband, took two steps forward, and walked towards the Human-Ghost.

“May I ask the name of this departed one?” Li Qi asked.

At this moment, within the space created by the power of the altar and the ritual, a Invoker could converse with ghosts and gods.

To outsiders, Li Qi at this moment would appear to be rolling his eyes, perhaps even performing a shamanistic dance.

Shaman Dao practitioners often seemed crazy to outsiders, likely due to this reason, as at this moment, he was considered to be “disembodied.”

“Just call me Li Weng,” the ghost replied clearly, his consciousness surprisingly lucid.

“My name is Li Qi. I didn't expect us to share the same surname. Perhaps we were one family five hundred years ago,” Li Qi smiled, trying to get chummy.

But the other party didn't fall for it and instead said directly: “You are a Shaman God Mountain Invoker. I will appear before you out of respect for Shaman God Mountain's Face. What do you wish to say? Are you persuading me to forgive that scoundrel who dug up my grave and disturbed my peace?”

“Not so, I came here primarily to help you,” Li Qi clasped his hands and said.

Then, he continued: “The departed one has not been able to return to peace until now, yet can maintain consciousness. I fear it is due to a bodily defect, merely sustained by a breath of Qi from this blessed land and good water, enduring bitter suffering.”

“As a Invoker, it is my duty to seek blessings for the ghosts and gods of the world. If I am not mistaken, the departed one is angered that his ‘Yin and Yang harmony, five earths and four preparations’ geomantic pattern was destroyed by a few hoes, which is why he painstakingly cast a curse, seeking to vent his frustration.”

“Therefore, I came this time to relieve the departed one's troubles. I have prepared excellent Yin wood, only lacking a craftsman to carve it, to fill the departed one's body with a wooden form, and then to revive it with Great Forest Wood Qi, to mend the departed one's flaws. Would this perhaps calm the departed one's regrets and resolve his troubles?” Li Qi asked with clasped hands.

As he spoke, he also forced Great Forest Wood Qi to his fingertips, revealing an abundant Life Qi.

Carving wood to create a body was a common method to mend the flaws of the deceased.

For example, the “Book of Tang” records: “On the night of October 18th, thieves entered Prince Fuguo's residence, killed him, and carried away his head and arm. An imperial decree ordered a wooden head to be carved for his burial, and he was posthumously granted the title of Grand Tutor.”

Li Fuguo was assassinated, and his head was missing, so a wooden head was carved to replace it for burial, and he was posthumously granted the title of Grand Tutor.

Another example is recorded in the “Book of Qi”: “On Jia-yin day, in the fifth month of summer, there was a great drought. A dead drought demon, two feet long with two eyes on each side of its head, was found in Jinyang. When the Emperor heard of it, he immediately ordered a wooden effigy of its form to be carved and offered.”

This means that in the Jia-yin year, in the fifth month of summer, there was a great drought. A corpse of a drought demon, two feet long with two eyes on the top of its Face, was found in Jinyang. The Emperor, upon hearing this, had a wooden effigy of the demon's body carved and sent away.

The “Biographies” also state: “There was a man named Wang Qiao, whose entire family was abducted. The bodies of his family members could not be found, so he could only carve wood to summon their souls for burial, and establish a shrine with their portraits.”

However, for this method to be effective, it ultimately relies on using the Qi within the wood to replace the five constant Qi in the deceased's body, so there are many requirements for the wood itself, and during the carving process, there are numerous taboos and rules. Finally, it requires a Invoker's sacrifice to be effective, which is why ordinary people cannot use this method at all.

But isn't this a coincidence?

Li Qi, though not yet ranked, was definitely an authentic Shaman God Mountain Invoker.

“…Even if you carve a body for me out of Yin wood, they still ruined my tomb. Are you saying that's just the end of it?” the ghost said ominously.

“Then, does the departed one have any other requests?” Li Qi asked, neither humble nor arrogant.

“I want them to be buried with me! Aren't you a Shaman God Mountain Invoker? Use the lives of their entire family to perform a blood sacrifice for me, and this matter will be concluded. I will then offer you a gift and protect you with my ghost and god body,” the ghost said.

Li Qi frowned upon hearing this, then smiled, saying naturally: “Departed one, you probably don't quite understand Invoker.”

“I have heard that the Grand Invoker presides over nine sacrifices and six ritual objects. The so-called six ritual objects are the Azure Jade Bi, Yellow Jade Cong, Green Jade Gui, Red Jade Zhang, White Tiger, and Black Jade Huang.”

“The nine sacrifices are: first, life; second, proliferation; third, roasting; fourth, temple; fifth, shaking; sixth, anointing; seventh, cutting off; eighth, burning; ninth, sharing.”

Li Qi spoke eloquently, then changed the subject: “But I have never heard of… a ‘blood sacrifice’.”

The atmosphere instantly grew cold.

The ghost clearly stilled.

However, after a few seconds, he replied, though his tone was somewhat cold, he said: “You, Invoker, are not refined in your cultivation, and I don't blame you. Think carefully, although you may not know what ‘Zhu’ means, I know that Shaman Dao says: ‘Blood sacrifice is the flourishing of Qi. Sacrificing lungs, liver, and heart, valuing them as the masters of Qi.’ Doesn't that refer to blood sacrifice?”

Li Qi's heart tightened; he hadn't expected the other party to be so knowledgeable as to know such things!

The meaning of this passage is that blood sacrifice is about taking the vigorous Life Qi from blood, and sacrificing the lungs, liver, and heart as offerings to the gods, valuing them as organs that generate Life Qi.

This individual is extraordinary; this ghost might truly be a Rank Eight.

But his expression remained natural, and he still replied: “However, the departed one has already departed. What use is Life Qi to you? The ‘Zhu’ book also says: ‘Sacrificing millet and grain, and adding clear water to the five pure wines, is to repay Yin Qi.’ This should be more suitable for the departed one. How about using this to compensate?”

This sentence completely reversed the other party's argument.

The other party brought up blood sacrifice, and Li Qi immediately refuted it, saying that sacrificing millet and grain, along with the five pure wines and clear water, is a sacrificial method that can repay Yin Qi.

In short, blood sacrifice is impossible, but I can add another bargaining chip to the condition of carving a wooden body for you: using a sacrifice that repays Yin Qi to help you recover.

After all, the deceased are Yin, and this is already quite sincere.

“…Little Invoker, you are not my opponent. Do you truly wish to be my enemy for the sake of these grave robbers?” The ghost no longer played evasive games, but spoke directly.

Li Qi's expression also darkened: “Departed one, I once heard a Rank Five expert say that a Invoker is someone who reconciles contradictions between humans and gods, and between humans and Human-Ghosts. Is your contradiction truly so great that it requires payment in blood?”

As Li Qi spoke, he subtly hinted at his background, intimidating the other party.

After all, Shen Shuibi was also Rank Five, right?