I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 939 Soul-Restoring Technique (Combined Chapter 5K5)

“This, this is indeed not a corpse.”

The old ceremonial officer was trembling all over. Not only was there no rigor mortis, he even found that Su Yao's skin was still elastic, and his face did not have the grayness of death. If it were not for the lack of breathing and heartbeat, it would have been as if he was asleep.

"This is illogical!"

The old etiquette officer was trembling all over, and his performance was not much better than that of his apprentice.

You know, he has been dealing with the dead for forty years and has seen at least eight hundred corpses, but he has never seen such a weird situation.

The clerk swallowed his saliva and approached cautiously: "Master, I heard rumors among the people that the King of Tang is a celestial being sent down to earth. Could it be that he is faking his death?"

"suspended animation?!"

The old ceremonial officer shuddered suddenly, his cloudy eyes widened. He subconsciously reached out to feel Su Yao's breath, then drew back as if he had been electrocuted - the cold touch was clearly the temperature of a dead person.

"No, it's impossible." The old etiquette officer muttered to himself, with beads of sweat oozing from his forehead, "But it is indeed strange."

The master and the apprentice looked at each other, neither daring to act rashly. Just then, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door.

"Hurry up! Tomorrow is the seventh day, we must make sure that King Tang passes away in a dignified manner!"

Cai Yong's voice came from far away, and frightened the master and disciple so much that they hurriedly stood up and pretended to be working seriously.

With a creak, the door was pushed open, and Cai Yong walked in with several officials from the Ministry of Rites. He paused with his eyes on Su Yao, and seeing that his face was no different from when he was alive, he thought that these two people were doing their job well. He praised them briefly, then sighed and began to express his condolences.

Cai Yong had great respect for Tang King Su Yao and never looked down on him because of his background or age.

This young general put aside past grudges, reused this remnant of Dong Zhuo, and gave him important tasks such as the imperial examinations, allowing him to step by step reach his current position as Minister of Rites.

Even his own beloved daughter was given an important position and was in charge of girls' education. She lived a fulfilling and happy life every day. Every time he returned home, Cai Yong could hear his daughter's praise and admiration for the King of Tang.

It has to be said that looking at his daughter's eyes that were almost full of stars, and thinking about how every time he mentioned to her that a girl should get married, his daughter would always shirk the responsibility by saying "I'm busy with official duties", but her eyes would always unconsciously drift towards the direction of Prince Tang's palace, Cai Yong couldn't help but wonder if it was Prince Tang who stole his daughter's heart?
However, it's all over now.

"King Tang, King Tang"

Cai Yong looked at Su Yao's body with mixed feelings.

Just as he finished his condolences and was about to leave, suddenly, the old ceremonial officer knelt down and called out to him:
"Minister Cai, the fact that the Tang Emperor's remains are still as good as ever is not due to this humble official's efforts."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Cai Yong frowned, keenly aware of the hidden meaning in the words of the old etiquette official. He waved his hand to signal the other officials to leave, and after the door was closed, he asked solemnly: "What is wrong with the body of the Tang King?"

"The remains?"

The old ceremonial officer gritted his teeth, but he dared not hide anything in the end. He trembled as he told Cai Yong about their previous discoveries one by one, which made Cai Yong tremble with fear.

"I have been working in the funeral business for forty years. I have seen off many wealthy families and even emperors, but I have never seen anything so strange."

"I have heard that Minister Cai is very knowledgeable and his insights are far beyond ours. I hope you can give me some pointers on what to do now."

Cai Yong paced back and forth in the room with a solemn look on his face. He stroked his beard and thought about various possibilities rapidly in his mind.

There are indeed records in ancient books about some legends about extraordinary people whose bodies did not decay after death.

The King of Tang suddenly appeared in the world with unparalleled martial arts. In just three years, he saved the country from collapse and rebuilt the Han Dynasty. People have always said that he is an immortal or a god from heaven.

Perhaps, such a strange person should not be judged by common sense?

However, Cai Yong did not dare to judge on his own. He strictly ordered the two not to spread the matter, and he did not dare to disturb the Empress immediately. Instead, he sent people to the Medical College in the city to invite Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing to perform an autopsy in person to see if there was any room for recovery.

Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing hurried to the Tang Palace and, under the guidance of Cai Yong, entered the inner room where the body was kept. After a careful examination, the two doctors showed an expression of disbelief on their faces.

"There is no pulse at all, but the skin is alive." Zhang Zhongjing stroked Su Yao's wrist gently, frowning, "This is definitely not an ordinary case of pseudo-death."

Hua Tuo took out a silver needle and probed the acupuncture points on Su Yao's body: "How amazing! Although there is no vitality flowing in the meridians, there is no sign of stiffness at all." He suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Minister Cai, I'm afraid this matter cannot be explained by medical theory."

Cai Yong was shocked: "What do you two mean?"

"The King of Tang is not an ordinary person." Hua Tuo's eyes were sparkling. "I have been practicing medicine for decades. I have seen eminent monks from the Western Regions who had completed the process of elixir formation after sitting in fire, and I have also heard of sorcerers from the Southern Frontier faking their deaths and returning to life. But the King of Tang seems to be in a state where his soul has temporarily left, and his body is still waiting to return."

Seeing that the topic turned to metaphysics, Cai Yong was at a loss for a moment.

In this era, the theories of gods, ghosts, prophecies, and longevity were all the rage. Although Cai Yong was a Confucian scholar, he knew that Confucius did not talk about strange and supernatural things, so naturally he was not completely unconvinced of these mysterious things.

While the few of them were discussing, it was obvious that their little actions did not escape the spies of the Imperial Guards.

After learning that Cai Yong's two secret doctors had arrived at the Tang Palace, Empress Wannian immediately dropped all her affairs and hurried over.

"I heard that the two great doctors have arrived. Could it be that there is a chance for the Tang King's recovery?"

The sound arrived before the Wannian people arrived. As the door of the inner room opened with a bang, several people were startled and saluted hurriedly.

Faced with the empress's questioning, they could only tell the truth.

After hearing this, Wannian's eyes suddenly lit up with hope, and he immediately ordered to stop all funeral preparations, to properly preserve Su Yao's body, and not to allow anyone to approach until they found out what had happened.

"Your Majesty, you can't!"

Cai Yong looked embarrassed, kowtowed and said:

"The news of the Emperor's passing has spread throughout the country. Tomorrow is the seventh day of the great memorial service. If we abruptly stop it now, not only will it be difficult to explain to the people, but it may also cause unrest in the government and the country."

"In Luoyang City, the people have spontaneously prepared sacrifices, and the princes and envoys from various places have also rushed to pay their respects day and night. Now that something has suddenly changed, how can we calm the public anger? I'm afraid it will only make people think that you are fickle."

"But--"

Wannian excitedly clenched his fist:

"Just for this so-called explanation, are you going to let me bury the King of Tang alive when I know he still has a chance of survival?!"

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. This is not our intention."

Looking at Wannian's murderous gaze, Cai Yong hurriedly explained.

Cai Yong suggested that they could hold the seventh day memorial ceremony as usual, while urgently summoning Yu Ji, Zuo Ci and other capable people to the palace to investigate and secretly look for a solution.

In this way, if there is no improvement, all procedures can continue to be prepared, and the affairs after the death of King Tang will not be neglected. If there is a improvement and King Tang can really come back to life, then the world can be announced at that time. This will not only be safer, but also can better demonstrate the supernatural power of King Tang and make people all over the world more awed.

Wannian frowned: "Zuo Ci and Yu Ji?"

"That's right!"

Cai Yong quickly explained:

"These two are world-famous alchemists, with extraordinary skills."

"Among them, Zuo Ci is proficient in alchemy, knows the Five Classics and Six Jia, and is also familiar with the astrology. It is said that he has the ability to command ghosts and gods. Yu Ji has been in Wuhui for many years. He is good at using talismans and water to cure diseases. He is quite famous among the people. It is said that he can call the wind and rain and understand the changes of yin and yang."

"If the Tang King's soul is really temporarily away as the two divine doctors said, perhaps they can find a way to solve this dilemma."

Wannian was happy at first, then worried:
"These alchemists are always elusive. Now the situation is urgent, how can we find them? Even if Ji Ruoru is as Cai Qing said, he is far away in Wuhui. It would take a long time for my husband to come back and forth."

Wannian had not finished speaking when he saw the three people in front of him smiling.

Without waiting for Wannian to ask, Cai Yong clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, do you still remember the newly established Institute of Gewu in the capital?"

How could Wan Nian not remember it?
The Institute of Gewu was an institution that Su Yao had started to plan before the expedition against Yuan Shu last year. It was said that the gunpowder that later became so popular was the result of the Institute of Gewu.

After pacifying Yizhou, Su Yao would go there every day when he had nothing to do, and tinker with the people there to invent some novel mechanisms.

However, due to the busy political affairs for thousands of years, I never paid attention to who were the people in it. I thought they were all Mohist disciples who were not welcomed by the mainstream.

"Could it be."

"That's right. The King of Tang established the Institute of Gewu and recruited talented people from all over the world. In addition to the disciples of the Mohist School who are good at mechanical devices, there are also many Taoists and alchemists who study the art of bronze and stone. Zuo Ci and Yu Ji are currently serving in the Institute."

Wannian was overjoyed when he heard this: "Hurry up and call them over!"

Since the Gewu Academy was built by Su Yao, its location was quite close to the Prince Tang's Palace, and soon both of them arrived.

However, faced with Su Yao's symptoms, these two great men were really helpless.

Indeed, both of them have profound attainments in their respective fields.

However, things like communicating with ghosts and gods, cultivating immortality, and resurrecting the dead are just bragging by outsiders. Don’t they themselves know whether they have such abilities?
After all, the imperial examination system of the Han Dynasty, which lasted only 300 years, had already made society full of exaggerations and flattery, and people seeking fame and reputation emerged one after another. Although Zuo Ci and Yu Ji had some real talents and knowledge, they had never really come into contact with such a mysterious situation as "soul leaving the body".

However, the emperor's eyes were so anxious that no one dared to retreat at this critical moment.

Now you say you are not capable and ask others to find someone else. Do you think the emperor will think you are not capable enough, or that you are arrogant and unwilling to share the worries of the royal family?
Thinking of how Hou Sheng and Lu Sheng, two great men of the pre-Qin period, served the emperor diligently, but ended up having to flee overnight when they were tasked with finding an elixir of immortality, they were filled with sorrow as they now faced the task of resurrecting the King of Tang.

But fortunately, since the two of them are famous, no matter how good their skills are, their talking skills must be absolutely good.

So, Zuo Ci and Yu Ji looked at each other. Although they were unsure in their hearts, they put on an appearance of confidence.

Yu Ji twirled his beard and replied loudly:
"Your Majesty, don't worry. Although the King of Tang's illness is rare, it is not untreatable. First of all, we need to find out the cause of this incident. Are there any signs or abnormalities?"

This is asking knowingly.

On that day, a strange phenomenon occurred in the sky, and everyone could see it unless they were blind or deaf.

The key question is what exactly does the vision represent?
Zuo Ci immediately took over the conversation: "Your Majesty, I saw the sky phenomenon that day. Purple lightning flashed across the sky, and strange patterns appeared in the clouds. This is a sign of a great change in the will of heaven. If you can understand this phenomenon, you may be able to find a way to return the soul of the Tang King to his place."

Wannian was silent for a while, then slowly spoke: "King Tang once joked with me that he had no father or mother here, and that he came from heaven. It is also said among the people that King Tang passed away because heaven summoned him back to his throne. If that is true, can you still call him back?"

"This"

Zuo Ci and Yu Ji both looked delighted.

I didn't expect that King Tang would actually say such words.

They then said:

"Your Majesty, it is difficult to predict the will of heaven. How can we mortals speculate on it? If the King of Tang really came here at the will of heaven, and now that the world is at peace, his retirement after achieving his goal may be the will of heaven."

"However, Your Majesty is the true Son of Heaven. If you are sincere, you may be able to move heaven and earth and call the Tang King back to life."

Wannian stood up suddenly and said excitedly: "You are right. I am the Son of Heaven and can communicate with the will of heaven. I will immediately set up an altar in the Mingtang and personally offer sacrifices to heaven, praying for the return of the Tang King!"

Cai Yong was shocked when he heard this, glared at Zuo Ci and Yu Ji, and said quickly: "This is the ceremony for the seventh day of the death of the Tang King tomorrow, Your Majesty."

"It's out of the way, it's out of the way."

Zuo Ci hurriedly stepped forward and bowed to the empress:
"The seventh day is when the soul of the deceased returns home. Your Majesty does not need to mobilize troops to set up an altar in the Mingtang. Just let us set up a formation in this palace and perform a ritual in front of the spirit of the Tang King. Then cooperate with your Majesty's sincere prayers, and perhaps we can achieve twice the result with half the effort."

When Wannian heard this, a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes: "Okay! Let's do as the Taoist priest said. Whatever instruments and offerings are needed, I will order people to prepare them immediately!"

Zuo Ci was not polite at all and directly asked His Majesty for thirty-six seven-star soul-calling lamps and seventy-two soul-calming incense sticks, as well as eighty-one boys and girls, saying that he wanted to set up the "Nine-turn Soul-calling Array" in the Tang Palace.

Seeing Zuo Ci's overwhelming momentum, Yu Ji was unwilling to be outdone and quickly put forward his own request:

"Your Majesty, I need something that King Tang had worn during his lifetime. It would be best if it was an ornament or weapon that he often wore. I will use it as a medium to guide his soul."

Wannian thought for a moment and immediately ordered someone to bring Su Yao's sword - the Mo Dao that accompanied him in his conquests across the world.

"This sword is the favorite of the Tang King. He has fought with him in many battles and has made countless contributions."

Yu Ji took the Mo Dao and felt that it was heavy in his hand. The blade shone coldly and had a faint murderous aura. He was secretly shocked. This sword was indeed extraordinary. No wonder it could help the King of Tang to be invincible.

Next, the work of the first seven days of memorial service continued, and soon the next day all the ministers and officials came to the Tang King’s Palace to attend the meeting.

The first seven-day memorial ceremony and the nine-turn soul-calling formation were carried out at the same time. Outside the hall, white banners fluttered, mournful music played, and all the civil and military officials in the court wore plain clothes and bowed down with a sad look. Inside the hall, candlelight flickered, incense smoke lingered, Zuo Ci and Yu Ji led a group of Taoist children, chanting something, holding magic tools and shuttling between the formations.

They first recounted Su Yao's past achievements, and then those who were close to him or had received his kindness took turns to express their condolences for him.

Among them, Su Yao's women, such as Princess Ruyun and Hong'er, cried particularly hard, and the civil and military officials promoted by him were also extremely grief-stricken and took turns to cry.

Just like this, everyone was busy, and soon the sun set. As expected, the King of Tang lay in the open coffin, without moving at all.

"Does your formation work?"

"You're not going to say that my heart is not sincere enough, are you?"

Sincerity is the key to success. This saying can be regarded as a panacea in their industry, or a disclaimer.

If you succeed, the credit goes to yourself; if you fail, you can blame it on fate.

But this set of methods obviously cannot be used indiscriminately on the emperor.

However, the two men obviously had a backup plan. They said that the time had not yet come and asked Your Majesty to keep vigil for the King of Tang.

"Your Majesty, sincerity can move mountains and open rocks. Heaven has sent down a good omen. The King of Tang will surely return to his soul tonight. Whether we can keep the King of Tang at that time depends entirely on your Majesty's sincerity."

Wannian was silent for a moment, nodded and said:

"Okay, I will bathe and change my clothes right now, and personally guard the Tang king's body. If the Tang king returns to his spirit, you will be rewarded handsomely. But if I find out that you dare to fool me, I will let you know the consequences of deceiving the king!"

Zuo Ci and Yu Ji broke out in cold sweat and kowtowed in agreement.

The night was as dark as ink, and the atmosphere in Prince Tang's mansion was solemn and eerie.

After taking a bath and changing her clothes, the Wannian Empress wore a plain white robe, holding Su Yao's Mo Dao, and sat quietly beside Su Yao's coffin alone.

The candlelight flickered in the hall, thirty-six seven-star soul-calling lamps emitted a faint light, and the smoke from seventy-two soul-calming incense sticks curled up, filling the entire space, interweaving with the faint mournful music coming from outside the hall, like a mysterious painting.

Time passed minute by minute, and Wannian didn't know if it was because of the fatigue after a day of hard work or what, but he only felt that the smoke in front of his eyes was getting thicker and his eyelids were getting heavier and heavier.

She forced herself to stay awake, tightly gripping the Mo Dao, not daring to take her eyes off Su Yao's face for a moment.

In this trance, she seemed to see Su Yao's body move.

Next, in the blink of an eye, Su Yao was in front of her and hugged her tightly.

"Husband. Husband!"

Before Wannian could ask, Su Yao had already leaned over and kissed the empress's lips.

The two hugged each other tightly, their affections lingering, and they soon became inseparable.

After just seven days of not seeing each other, Wannian had never thought that she missed this bad guy so deeply. Soon she was addicted to Su Yao's familiar breath, and they pursued each other madly, forgetting time and everything.

"Is it done?"

"It's done, His Majesty has fallen asleep."

In the mourning hall, which was shrouded in clouds and mist, Zuo Ci and Yu Ji covered their mouths and noses, waved away the smoke, and saw the sleeping empress, and they both breathed a sigh of relief.

Return of the soul?

How is such a thing possible?

It's just to give Your Majesty a thought.

Zuo Ci stared at Wannian, who looked so happy, with a sly look in his eyes. The so-called Nine-turn Soul Summoning Formation was just a scam made of incense and magic. Those boys and girls had already secretly taken a special tranquilizing powder. Together with the wailing outside the temple, it was all to create a solemn and solemn illusion.

As the saying goes, you dream about what you think about during the day. Your Majesty has been thinking about His Royal Highness the Prince of Tang day and night. After you sleep like this today, the two of them will surely meet in their dreams.

"Quick, take away the body of the Tang king while His Majesty is asleep." Zuo Ci lowered his voice and ordered, "Tomorrow, tell His Majesty that the Tang king has ascended to heaven and let His Majesty mourn."

This is not cheating.

There is no resurrection after death.

Although they didn't know why the Tang King's body had not decayed and looked so lifelike, the imperial physician had already issued a death certificate seven days ago. Letting His Majesty worry about these imaginary things would only cause more trouble to the living.

The King of Tang is dead, so let his death be meaningful. Having a husband who has ascended to heaven will be of great benefit to your Majesty's future rule.

So, under their command, several disciples tiptoed towards Su Yao's coffin, and then they all froze in place.

"What's wrong? Hurry up, the guards of Prince Tang's Mansion are not ours. It will be difficult to explain if we are discovered."

Several disciples looked as if they had seen a ghost. Their faces turned pale and they pointed at the coffin with trembling fingers: "Master, Master..."

Zuo Ci and Yu Ji looked at each other, and suddenly a bad feeling arose in their hearts. They walked forward quickly, only to see that the coffin was empty, and there was no trace of Su Yao.
"This is impossible!" Yu Ji cried out, "Just now I clearly..."

Before he finished speaking, a familiar voice came from behind them:
"Who are you looking for?"

(End of this chapter)