The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

"What is this ritual to summon a soul? Can a scattered soul be brought back?" Wang Zhenhuan looked at Chong Hezi in surprise. He had never heard of such a thing as performing a ritual to summon a soul before.

As is widely known, Taoism believes that Heaven has Yin and Yang, and humans have souls and spirits. These souls and spirits are composed of three souls and seven spirits. The three souls are Tai Guang, Shuang Ling, and You Jing; the seven spirits are Shi Gou, Fu Shi, Que Yin, Tun Zei, Fei Du, Chu Hui, and Chou Fei.

In the ancient book "Yunji Qiqian", there is a clear explanation of the three souls: "Taiguang, also known as Tianhun, always desires to be pure and clean in a person. If it can stay in a person's body for a long time, it can live a long life."

Shuangling belongs to the five elements of the soul. According to the book, this soul often wants people to scheme and plot, causing people to be mentally exhausted and their energy to dissipate, resulting in many misfortunes, calamities, and punishments.

The spirits, naturally belonging to the earth, are also known as earth souls. They constantly provoke lust and desire in people, causing them to become impure, confused, and prone to sleeplessness, leading to the depletion of their essence and thus being recorded in the Black Book of Ghosts.

Simply put, the Heavenly Soul and Fetal Light, as the name suggests, are the life-giving light that a person absorbs from the mother's body during pregnancy. Therefore, the Fetal Light is innate.

Its function is to help people maintain the purity of their mind and the clarity of their consciousness. Taoists believe that if the fetal light can remain in the human body for a long time, it will help people live a long life.

The fetal light is the innate Qi that one receives at birth, and it is through this Qi that a person's life consciousness exists. Therefore, the fetal light is also called the life soul, which is the source of a person's spirituality. If the fetal light dissipates, then life ends.

The second soul is the "Shuangling" (爽灵), also known as the "Human Soul" (人魂), because it governs a person's thinking. Humans are the most intelligent of all beings, and "Shuang" in ancient texts often refers to satisfaction, joy, and other similar meanings.

Another interpretation is that Shuangling is Shiling. The ancient Han Dynasty book "Shuowen Jiezi" pointed out: "Shi means prosperity." So whether it means prosperity or splendid, Shuangling refers to a person's inner thoughts and thinking.

A person's innate spiritual energy is their natural endowment, which is imbued with the power of the five elements from the moment of conception. The five elements energy of a person's birth date determines their innate talents.

Therefore, fortune telling based on the Eight Characters (Ba Zi) originates from this. All things in the world are different, and people have external and internal differences from the very beginning of their lives; this is precisely the wonder of Shuangling's innate creation.

The third of the three souls, the Youjing, governs a person's spirituality and represents their desires and pursuits. It can distinguish between good and evil and empathize with all things, but it can also cause a person to sink into lust, leading to the depletion of their vital essence, hence the name Youjing (meaning "deep spirit").

The character "幽" (you) in ancient texts carries meanings such as deep, dark, and quiet. If a person becomes obsessed with desires, they will lose their reason, ultimately committing grave mistakes, losing themselves, and being recorded in the Book of Ghosts.

Conversely, if a person can control their desires, their inner spirituality will naturally manifest, and they will regain tranquility, thus gaining insight into the great principles of heaven and earth. This is the principle behind the saying that the essence of cultivating the Tao lies in cultivating the mind.

Previously, Wang Huanzhen asked Chong Hezi what had happened to Ao Shuang. Chong Hezi replied, "Her three souls have left her body, and her seven spirits have all dissipated." This means that her soul and spirit have already vanished.

The idea that such a situation could be reversed by magic sounds unbelievable, and even Wang Zhen himself, upon reflection, found it somewhat fantastical. If everyone could summon a soul back to life, wouldn't the underworld descend into chaos?

Furthermore, if such a miraculous magic can bring the dead back to life, why is there not a single word about this method in the "Zhou Tian Mi Yao"?

It is important to know that the ancient book "Zhou Tian Mi Yao" was left behind by an immortal who attained immortality. The magic spells recorded in it are mostly from the Qin and Han dynasties, before the division of the Taoist school. Many of these spells have now been lost.

Therefore, Wang Zhenhuan asked such a question. It wasn't that he didn't want to believe it, but rather that what Chong Hezi said was too bizarre, to the point that he had the illusion that Chong He Zhenren was just fobbing him off.

"Ordinary people's souls are naturally not enough. But for me, a cultivator, the soul can still be tried. I learned about this method of summoning souls from an ancient book, but I have never tried it myself," Chong Hezi explained.

"What ancient text is it? It's not that I'm unwilling to believe in a true master, but this matter is of utmost importance and cannot afford any mistakes," Wang Zhenhuan pressed. He knew that asking so directly about the origin of someone else's magic was not very appropriate.

However, since it concerned Ao Shuang's life, he could not afford to be careless in the slightest. Fortunately, Chonghe Zhenren was also a reasonable person. He knew that Wang Zhen was very concerned about Ao Shuang, so he was not angry. He just smiled and waved his hand at him.

"Fellow Daoist, please be patient and let me finish. Whether to try or not is entirely up to you. Is that acceptable?"

"Well, that's not what I meant. Since you've spoken, I naturally believe you. It's just... I don't understand the reason. I'm worried about your safety, brother. Please forgive me, Master." Wang Huanzhen cupped his hands in greeting.

"I understand. Strictly speaking, this magic is not a method of my Taoist school. I only found it in an ancient book that I came across by chance, and then I became curious and studied it."

This method of summoning souls originated from the witchcraft of ancient sorcerers. It was originally a technique used to communicate with ancient deities. In order for the ancestors to communicate with the gods, the soul had to leave the body in order to achieve their goal.

This spell is used to summon departed souls back to their bodies. That's why I said earlier that I had never tried it myself." After a moment of contemplation, Okiko spoke.

"May I ask, Master, what will be the effect if this spell succeeds? And what if it fails?" Wang Zhenhuan frowned and pondered for a moment before asking. Only by understanding the pros and cons could he make a judgment.

Seeing that Wang Zhenzhen hadn't been blinded by his emotions, Chong Hezi nodded appreciatively and said, "If successful, with the help of elixirs, he might be able to be brought back to life. However, your brother has lost his inner core, so he'll have to start all over again."

If we fail...

Wang Zhenhuan nodded. It was already a blessing to be alive. As for cultivation, Ao Shuang was originally a spirit tortoise in human form, with a long lifespan. Starting over would be just a drop in the ocean. He followed up on Chong Hezi's words and asked.

"What should we do if we fail?"

"If we fail, our souls will be scattered..." Oki Kazuko raised her teacup, took a sip, and looked at Wang Huanzhen before replying.

"Soul scattered? Does that mean you can't be reincarnated and disappear from the world forever?" Wang Huanzhen stared blankly at Chong Hezi and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"Indeed, fellow Daoist, you shall decide for yourselves the pros and cons. This matter should be handled sooner rather than later. If you have made up your mind, please give me an answer before tonight." After saying this, Chong Hezi stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and left the room.

Wang Huanzhen watched Chong and Zhenren's departing figures, his heart filled with confusion, unsure of where to drift...