Humans have three souls and seven spirits. Among them, the souls are the Heavenly, Earthly, and Life souls, while the spirits are the first spirit Tian Chong, the second spirit Ling Hui, the third spirit Qi, the fourth spirit Li, the fifth spirit Zhong Shu, the sixth spirit Jing, and the seventh spirit Ying.
Ordinary people may lose a soul, but it is usually only the Life soul.
The Life soul is the one that transforms into ghosts and monsters after death. However, I have never heard of losing a spirit before.
"Brother Zhang, are you mistaken? I would believe him if he lost a soul, but losing a spirit is something I've never heard of."
A hint of confusion crossed my face. Zhang Dabiao suppressed evil spirits with his Xuan Yang martial power, so his perception shouldn't be weaker than mine. Although I only read fortunes and divinations for Yin entities,
Souls and spirits that leave the body are all considered Yin entities. If he were missing a spirit, I should have been able to tell.
Zhang Dabiao saw the doubt in my eyes and explained, "How can someone who deals in the Yin and Yang business faint just because of a person's name or a word? If everyone were like that, they might as well go home and farm, enjoying a good life with their wives and children."
Seeing that I still didn't quite understand, Zhang Dabiao continued, "What was he like before this?"
I thought for a moment and replied, "He was a bit of a rogue, giving the impression of a street thug."
This wasn't me speaking ill of Sun Chuang behind his back; he was truly that kind of person.
"Then it makes sense. Humans have three souls and seven spirits. I won't mention the symptoms of losing the three souls, but you should know the consequences of losing the seven spirits."
At Zhang Dabiao's words, my mind quickly sifted through all the books I had read about souls and spirits.
Suddenly, a thought struck me.
According to the "Yin Scripture," the three souls are the fundamental basis of a person's existence in heaven and earth. The Heavenly and Earthly souls are the foundation of a person's being. Losing any spirit would render a person a vegetative state, and even if recovered, they would remain muddled.
The Life soul is the most commonly lost. For example, many mentally ill people have lost their Life soul and then had another person's Life soul enter their body.
The loss of a spirit might not show significant changes at first, but these changes will become increasingly apparent over time.
For instance, losing the Tian Chong spirit would gradually make a person dull-witted, and if lost for a long time, they would become an imbecile.
Losing the Qi spirit would result in someone who is timid and subservient, always appearing to be unable to hold their head high. Losing the Li spirit would turn someone into a sickly individual, constantly feeling weak and listless.
The initial loss of the Ying spirit might not be noticeable.
This is because it represents a person's courage and decisiveness. If a person loses their Ying spirit, the initial change is indecisiveness. As the time of loss increases, the person becomes increasingly anxious and insecure, with depression being the most representative symptom, ultimately leading to suicide.
"You mean he lost his Ying spirit?"
Zhang Dabiao took a deep drag of his cigarette and said, "Yes, I think so. And the fragrance on him isn't something he's wearing; it's emanating from within him. If I didn't practice Xuan Yang martial arts, I might not have noticed it."
This plunged me into thought.
I had originally planned to leave Molu Village once my health improved, but it seemed I couldn't leave now.
I had to find Sun Chuang's Ying spirit.
Otherwise, he would surely commit suicide in the end; there would be no other outcome.
This was a result I did not wish to see.
Regardless, he was a distant "cousin" of my master. If my master found out that I stood by and did nothing, he would surely beat me to death when I returned!
"Sun Chuang lost his Ying spirit. Where do you think he lost it?"
Zhang Dabiao shook his head. "I don't know." He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "If he saw that woman, he would have lost his spirit at... Qingfeng Mountain."
Zhang Dabiao seemed reluctant to utter the name Qingfeng Mountain, as if there were some secret associated with it.
This was the second time I had heard the name Qingfeng Mountain.
The first time was when Sui Wan'er mentioned it through me, and now I heard it from Zhang Dabiao.
"Brother Zhang, is there a secret about Qingfeng Mountain? Why do you seem unwilling to mention it?"
Zhang Dabiao's lips curved into a slight smile. "If someone has been tricked once, no one wants to bring it up again. However, I've heard there are secrets in Qingfeng Mountain."
"Secrets? What secrets?"
"You know that Sui Wan'er was dug out from Qingfeng Mountain, right?"
I nodded, indicating that I knew, and urged Zhang Dabiao to continue.
"I heard there's a True Dragon Burial Ground in Qingfeng Mountain."
"True Dragon Burial Ground?"
Seeing the confusion on my face, Zhang Dabiao explained, "Have you heard of Imperial Tombs!"
I nodded. Of course, I had heard of them; they were the tombs of deceased emperors.
When I graduated, my master sighed, saying that if I could examine the remains of an emperor, I would benefit immensely throughout my life. As for why my master didn't elaborate, he only said that if I had the chance, I must see an emperor's remains.
"Imperial tombs are for the most distinguished people in the human world; their tombs are True Dragon Burial Grounds. But if an emperor was not buried in his tomb after death, and the tomb could not be left empty, lest it affect his true dragon destiny, the emperor would choose someone with a blood relation to himself and bury them within."
This made me recall my first encounter with Sui Wan'er. She was in a mansion in Jiangnan, and the environment was exuded immense wealth.
"Are you saying that Sun Chuang's loss of his Ying spirit is related to Sui Wan'er?"
Zhang Dabiao nodded. "It's very possible."
This made things rather difficult.
Zhang Dabiao hadn't elaborated on what happened last night, but I knew it must have been perilous.
Sui Wan'er hated me the most, and Zhang Dabiao was second.
For Zhang Dabiao to have rescued me from her hands again, he must have paid a heavy price, though I didn't know what it was. Zhang Dabiao wouldn't tell me, only saying it was nothing, refusing to explain further.
Now, to be entangled with Sui Wan'er again gave me a headache.
As Zhang Dabiao and I were talking, the sound of opera suddenly came from inside the house.
Zhang Dabiao and I exchanged glances and quickly looked towards the window.
We saw Sun Chuang with his eyes rolled back, his face a little pale.
He was sitting on the bed, his legs together, his hands forming delicate orchid gestures, and he was singing a Jiangnan folk tune in a high-pitched voice.
The voice was not Sun Chuang's at all, but a strange woman's voice, carrying a hint of resentment.
"Is this possession by a ghost?"
Seeing this, I prepared to enter the room and use mugwort to deal with the ghostly presence on Sun Chuang, but Zhang Dabiao stopped me.
I looked at him strangely. "What do you mean?"
Zhang Dabiao looked on with a grave expression and said, "It's that woman."