Chapter 8: Life and death, wealth and honor are all predetermined; the timing of arrival and departure is already set.

Zhi Zun Bao usually dealt more with ghosts than with people, so his courage was naturally extraordinary. Now, seeing strange and unusual things, how could he let the opportunity pass? Thus, he no longer felt hungry, and Master Ba Yue did not rush to find him either, as he quickly ran up the mountain.

The White Impermanence flicked his wrist, and the soul-retrieving talisman that had just been retracted reappeared in his palm. He raised the talisman and chanted a spell towards the child's mud ball.

Then they heard the ominous voice of the fox woman say: "... The good tree has fallen, and the storm has not yet ceased! This girl's soul cannot be found at all, it is impossible to locate. Therefore, trying to borrow her daughter's soul to send a dream is utterly unfeasible." She shrank back, completely hiding in the shadow of the oil lamp, and added: "We must find another way to seek him!"

The White Impermanence felt a chill in his heart, and was just about to summon the child's soul back to the Underworld for questioning, when suddenly, mist began to swirl behind the Soul-Collecting Plaque. After the mist cleared, three bold characters appeared resolutely on the plaque:

Since the matter was clear, he was unwilling to delay any further. He reached out and patted the top of the Supreme Treasure's head, saying, "I still have official business to attend to, so I will..." As his hand touched the child's head, he suddenly noticed something different

After listening for a long time, Zhi Zun Bao understood nothing. He only noticed that the three people's expressions were serious and filled with worry. Not knowing where he found the courage, he unexpectedly grabbed Old Liu's hand and asked:

Raising his eyes to gaze at the bright moon hanging in the sky, he realized it was getting late. Thus, Zhi Zun Bao reluctantly returned to the City God Temple, where he found the old man of August and Liu Bi Yun still drinking. To his surprise, there was also the rarely seen Fox Lady beside them. Intrigued, he hurried over, searching for something to eat while listening to their conversation.

King of Chu River

He pointed towards the center of the field and said, "Look at the lotus again, calculate the time... Have you all forgotten?"

At this moment, even the elusive and reclusive Book Fox Granny let out a laugh reminiscent of sawing wood

"Old Master Liu, I truly do not understand the matters you are discussing, nor do I know what exactly you are worried about. However, I do know this saying: 'Life and death, wealth and honor are all predetermined; when one comes and goes is already set. If the King of Hell wants you to die at the third watch, who dares to keep you until the fifth watch?'" He cleared his throat and recited, immediately echoing the words of the White Impermanence.

The point of contact was icy and piercing, with waves of cold, resembling a ghost exactly

Individuals such as Old Man Gou and Fatty Lu, engaged in the food trade, naturally have to bury or burn the offerings that the spirits have consumed. Meanwhile, others deliver the items purchased by the spirits to the designated locations and then burn them for the buyers. The three groups assist Old Man August in sending out paper offerings, incense, and candles, while Widow Luo, Witch Ma Gan, and others are also busy running around. In the City God Temple, only Old Man August and the old temple priest remain, indulging in flower wine.

Bai Wuchang followed the direction of his finger and glanced a few times, only then realizing that he had playfully chased for several hundred miles and had already reached the vicinity of Que'er Mountain. Upon hearing him mention Wang Bayue, he understood that it referred to a disciple of the Yin-Yang Master Wulun Sect, and this was when he truly comprehended the situation

At this moment, both the fox witch and August's expressions suddenly changed dramatically, and they exclaimed in unison: "Are you referring to ... ... ?"

Not bad! The temple priest said solemnly: "The coffin is covered with lotus flowers to guard the ghost gate, the sparrows close their eyes to swallow the golden elixir, if the waters nourish the three river veins, we shall only see the passage of one cycle of years!"

The White Impermanence waved his hand and said: "Whose child are you, and why are you not afraid to see me?"

Sigh

How could Zhi Zun Bao know that he had just walked through the gates of hell? Seeing something unusual, he thought he was playing with the ghost in white, and he clapped his hands repeatedly. It was only after waiting for a long time without seeing him return that he realized he had already left, and at that point, he could only give up.

The remaining time of the day passed peacefully. Everyone gathered around to chat for a few moments about the books before dispersing, busying themselves with their own matters—after all, there are only a few days each month when the gates of hell open, and it takes time for each family to handle their business, does it not

Then ...? ... It seems to indicate that this child is no longer within the Three Realms and Five Elements

Life and death, wealth and honor are all predetermined; when to come and go is already decided. If the King of Hell wants you to die at midnight, who dares to keep you alive until dawn? — He, the old wealthy man, even if your family fortune amounts to millions, in our eyes, you are no more than an ant. I never expected you to foolishly attempt to hide in a burial ground, hoping to return to the human world through the transformation of a zombie. You truly make it easy for me to find you

After a light laugh, he said: "The master has also mentioned, 'Heaven has its own decrees, and people have their own paths.' We do not know how the decrees of heaven are arranged, but as long as we accumulate virtue according to the direction of these decrees, there is nothing to worry about!"

Zhi Zun Bao felt anxious in his heart, unsure whether he had said the right thing or the wrong thing. He was contemplating whether he should sneak away quietly when he suddenly saw them burst into laughter together. Old Liu and Master Ba Yue raised their cups and drank them in one go

Before a person dies, their soul is nourished by three fires and bound by the thread of life, resulting in a warm and moist sensation, known as the Yang soul; however, after death, upon leaving the physical body, the soul quickly becomes cold and damp due to the struggle to remain in the human realm against the forces of the Six Paths, and is referred to as the Yin soul

The temple keeper merely smiled faintly upon hearing this, placing the wine cup on the table and saying, "What August said is indeed not false; we may not necessarily be defeated by a wandering Duan family. As for that so-called 'Pao Ge,' I naturally do not take it to heart—however, having seen this diagram today, the appearance of that cluster of mounds is surprisingly a perfectly shaped lid!"

After walking to the back, I finished using the toilet with a splash, and casually tossed the pit of the fruit I had eaten into the nearby dung pit. Just as I was about to head to Uncle Lu's tavern to find Master August and have some food and drink, I suddenly felt a flash in front of my eyes and noticed something moving slightly on the barren slope behind the temple

Without giving the Supreme Treasure a second glance, he had already thrown away the iron medal in his hand

Well, this is no longer visible

In August, after the old man had a few cups of wine, he unexpectedly felt a surge of boldness and slapped the table, exclaiming:

Well said! I never expected that the three of us would be enlightened by you, little one, today—indeed, the way of nature is to follow its course, and the will of heaven is paramount! Why should we worry about those things? We only need to focus on doing our best, and that will suffice

The Supreme Treasure clapped his hands and jumped out from the grass pile, exclaiming: "Wow! Impressive, Uncle! You handled such a fierce character with ease, truly remarkable!" Tilting his head to stare at the white figure, he jumped up again: "Your tongue is so beautiful and long, much better looking than those hanging ghosts..."

The yin spirit and the yang spirit are different; the yin spirit suffers harm when it traverses various places in the human realm, whereas the yang spirit does not. It can enter Buddhist halls, Taoist temples, and shrines just like a living person, and it will not be harmed even when encountering deities such as Zhong Kui and Guan Yu. However, this child clearly possesses a physical body, yet within it resides a yin spirit

The iron plate, attached to a chain at the back, was thrown out and spun in the air, flying back just in time to strike the shadow. Then, with a flick of the wrist, the white figure sent the iron plate soaring again, which whirled around him twice with a clattering sound.

It is said that after the incantation is completed, the back of the soul-reaping talisman will display the following text: Name, born in the year and month of, childhood and adulthood details, lived for a total of years, passed away at the age of ...

The flower wine drinker, with peanuts accompanying the wine, can indeed be considered quite pleasant and comfortable

To my surprise, a little hand reached out to touch

He knew that the one who escaped in such a strange manner must be a ghost, and the one chasing him was also a book ghost. He found it amusing and couldn't help but let out a laugh with a soft 'huh' sound!

After raising the white stick high with his right hand, he struck it on the shadow's head with a series of sharp taps, ignoring the ghost's wails and pleas. Suddenly, he spoke: "Go away!"

Since it was known that the Second Hall's King of Hell, Chu Jiang Wang, was involved in this matter, Bai Wuchang found it inappropriate to handle it at this moment. He only prepared to return and inquire further before coming back—he revealed an extremely terrifying smile to Zhi Zun Bao, waved his hand, and transformed into a gust of breeze, disappearing without a trace.

Bai Ying held the iron plate in his hand, and with a shake of both hands, somehow the iron plate in his hand was drawn in, disappearing from sight.

Elimination of impurities, the nine orifices receive spiritual essence; all ghosts and spirits, the four forms of life receive grace; those with heads transcend, those without heads are born; spears and swords kill, diving and hanging ropes... Command! Manifest the fate, reveal the three lives, your life and death are distinctly clear

The reason why Zhi Zun Bao woke up was quite simple; it was because he was extremely hungry. He leaned against the window and gazed out into the pitch darkness, knowing that it was customary, so he did not think much more about it. He turned around and got up from the bed, ... passing by the altar, he casually took a sacrificial fruit, and then slightly adjusted the items on the plate ...

The shadow let out a piercing and mournful howl as it fell to the ground, its body curling into a heap. The places where the iron chains wrapped around it emitted hissing black smoke, as if a hot iron were placed on a piece of fatty meat. The white figure seemed to be accustomed to this wailing, walking straight up to it and stepping on its chest

After he finished reciting the poem, he paused and said: "It is now exactly the sixth Jiazi year since this temple established the divination. This year, when the waters flooded the river bend, I was worried, and unexpectedly, that worry has indeed come true. The images of the coffin cover and the lotus shadow have already appeared; all that remains is the tale of the birds closing their eyes and the golden elixir being swallowed—has the era of peace already passed, and must we once again enter a time of chaos?"

With a few strikes, the black shadow suddenly shrank and became thin, being drawn straight into the end of the stick

The temple keeper, Old Liu, let out a soft sigh as he picked up the wine jug. A thread of wine, delicate as a wisp, flowed from the spout into the cup. He raised the wine glass to his lips, his eyes seemingly lost in thought. Beside him, Old August grew somewhat anxious, saying, "Are you all perhaps overreacting? In my view, there is truly no need for concern. If that man from the rivers and lakes does not come, then so be it. If he does insist on forcing his way in, we can simply repeat our previous dealings, and it is not certain that we would lose to him!"

Zhi Zun Bao chuckled, "I live over there..." He pointed far away towards the City God Temple and continued, "But I don't know whose child I am; I only have a master named Old Man August."

This white figure is none other than the renowned Yama's messenger, Xie Bian, known in the mortal realm as the White Impermanence. On ordinary days, if a common person were to encounter him, they would likely be so frightened that they would tremble and faint. However, today, he unexpectedly meets a child who not only shows no fear but also praises his tongue as beautiful. This leaves him in a state of both laughter and tears, and as he sees the child's hand reaching out, he quickly retreats, retreating so abruptly that he nearly bites his own tongue.

The Supreme Treasure ran to Banpo, just as he was about to ascend the mountain, when suddenly he heard a whistling sound of the wind ahead. A shadow, faint yet swift, floated forward as if fleeing for its life, followed by a pale figure that chased after it, cackling and making strange sounds.

However, this time, there was surprisingly no inscription after the incantation was completed

This text appears to be a placeholder or a non-specific symbol. Please provide a specific text for translation.

Oh, so you are a disciple of the Onmyoji, no wonder you are not afraid

The white shadow glanced over this way; although his face was not visible, the playful expression instantly transformed into a fierce countenance. He hunched his abdomen and raised his chin, opening his mouth to reveal a long, crimson tongue that seemed to drip with blood, extending down to his chest. In the darkness of the night, the sight was utterly terrifying

As soon as the words were spoken, the three of them were actually stunned