Chapter Sixty-One: Bestowing You Humanity

At the base of the Soul-Severing Cliff lay the array my grandfather had set up. He himself had fallen into it, and when he returned, all that remained was a wisp of his soul. Whether Niu Dahuang would be able to come back was truly uncertain.

After a while, Li Nanhua said to me, “Lin Yi, perhaps we should head back for now. Your grandfather's situation cannot be delayed. If we succeed with your grandfather's matter, maybe he’ll have a way to save Master Niu.”

His words made sense.

I nodded, glanced down the cliff, called out several times, but received no answer. So, the two of us returned to the Mountain God Temple.

Before leaving, Li Nanhua tossed several yellow talismans down the cliff. He hoped that Niu Dahuang would encounter them and learn that the Mountain God’s token had been found—perhaps that would bring him back sooner. We also left a yellow talisman at the top of the cliff, held in place by a stone.

When Li Nanhua and I returned, Weiyang told us that the yellow talisman Li Nanhua had affixed to his bamboo hat had turned black. Upon hearing this, Li Nanhua immediately went over and said, “There’s no time to lose—this is a sign that the remnant soul is about to dissipate. I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly!”

It was indeed unexpected. Even Li Nanhua’s Soul-Locking Talisman couldn’t stabilize my grandfather’s remnant soul. I asked, “Master Li, what should we do now? You mentioned re-bestowing the godhood for my grandfather—how do we proceed?”

“The prerequisite for bestowing godhood is to gather your grandfather’s life soul. Originally, with the remnant soul and the Mountain God’s token, it could be done here in the Mountain God Temple. But now, his remnant soul is so frail it could vanish at any moment—it lacks enough soul power. So, we must go to the Soul-Severing Cliff, the place closest to your grandfather’s soul’s dispersal, and collect his remnants. Only then can we hope to re-forge his life soul,” Li Nanhua explained.

“Alright, there’s no time to waste—let’s go now!” I said, never imagining my grandfather’s plight would become so perilous, nor that Niu Dahuang’s fate would hang in the balance.

“Allow me to use the Blood Sacrifice Talisman. By feeding your grandfather’s remnant soul with fresh blood, we may preserve him temporarily. Otherwise, in his current state, we wouldn’t even be able to leave the temple,” Li Nanhua said. He then bit his fingertip and drew talismans with his blood.

He placed the blood talisman inside the bamboo hat.

Li Nanhua explained that if the blood script on the talisman vanished, the blood soul-feeding had succeeded and would temporarily preserve my grandfather’s remnant soul. Otherwise, we wouldn’t dare leave the Mountain God Temple, for any disturbance outside could destroy what remained of my grandfather’s soul.

I nodded. Weiyang asked, “Master Li, do you truly know the art of soul nourishment?”

Li Nanhua paused and replied, “I have a superficial grasp. In my early years, I traveled widely and read extensively. Both the southern witchcraft and Maoshan Daoist arts have such methods.”

“Master, do you know the art of soul refining?” Weiyang asked, glancing at me.

“I’ve heard of soul refining—it is said to be the orthodox art of the disciples of the Ghost Dao,” Li Nanhua responded. As he spoke, I saw the blood script on the yellow talisman had indeed disappeared.

Seeing this, Li Nanhua immediately took out more than ten blank yellow talismans, laid them out on the table, and began quickly drawing with blood.

His technique was exceedingly skilled, even more vivid than when Granny Wang drew talismans. He completed more than ten in one go, sweating profusely.

Later, Weiyang told me that the blood soul-nourishing method greatly damaged one’s vital energy. Even a single blood talisman would be fatal for an ordinary person, exhausting their essence and killing them. Yet Li Nanhua, to save my grandfather, drew more than ten at once—his kindness was beyond measure.

Then we set out for the Soul-Severing Cliff.

Li Nanhua used five blood talismans along the way. Fortunately, my grandfather’s last wisp of soul remained stable.

When we arrived at the cliff, we immediately set up an altar.

I looked and saw that the token Li Nanhua and I had left was undisturbed. If Master Niu had returned, he would have moved the token. Its untouched state meant he was still below.

Once the altar was prepared, the Mountain God’s token was placed at its center. We took a piece of my grandfather’s clothing from the temple and placed it to the left, and the bamboo hat to the right.

After arranging these items, Master Li sprinkled a layer of grains upon the altar table, representing the source of all things.

He then lit a single incense stick.

The use of one incense stick was deliberate; at this moment, we needed to gather my grandfather’s life soul. Too much incense would hinder the gathering.

I asked Master Li how long the process would take.

He said, with the Mountain God’s token aiding us, it should be quick—about an hour, barring any mishap.

Then Li Nanhua placed a black paper figure in front of the altar. He said that if, after an hour, the paper figure could stand upright, then my grandfather’s life soul had successfully gathered.

The next stretch was simply waiting.

An hour felt interminable.

During this time, Li Nanhua continued to use blood talismans to stabilize my grandfather’s remnant soul. Time passed, the bright moon shifted northward, and Li Nanhua had only one blood talisman left.

Though there was wind atop the cliff, the little paper figure before the incense burner remained motionless. As the deadline approached, my anxiety grew.

Then, suddenly, the grains scattered on the altar began to leap and dance, as if alive.

I was about to ask Master Li about this, when the paper figure twitched and then stood up.

Seeing it rise, I was overjoyed. Li Nanhua immediately approached and, with a drop of blood from his fingertip, wrote the character “Seal” upon the paper figure.

He finally let out a long breath.

I asked how it was. He replied, “It’s done. Your grandfather’s life soul has been remade!”

My heart had been held in suspense, but at last, things had gone smoothly.

Master Li said that with the life soul, we had found the Mountain God’s destiny and could now re-bestow godhood upon my grandfather. If successful, my grandfather would gain divine status and naturally regather the other two souls and seven spirits. Once all three souls and seven spirits were united, he could restore his yin body.

Thus, the next step required my effort.

I asked Li Nanhua what to do specifically. He said it was simple: in my name, first affirm my grandfather as human, then bestow him as Mountain God of Old Boundary Ridge.

“I’ll teach you the words of bestowal—it’s not difficult,” Li Nanhua said.

I nodded, and he tidied up the altar, putting out another set of items—mostly incense burners and yellow prayer papers.

The yellow prayer paper carried words written by Li Nanhua—the words of investiture.

When everything was ready, Li Nanhua solemnly told me, “Lin Yi, this investiture defies the heavenly order and is fraught with danger. One misstep could bring heavenly retribution and annihilation. You must be certain!”

I nodded in understanding. “Master Li, I’ve been ready for this—let’s begin!”

“Very well.”

“Lin Yi, be cautious in all things!” Weiyang urged.

I glanced back at her; she too looked worried. I said, “Don’t worry, Weiyang.”

She nodded.

At that moment, Li Nanhua took out the small paper figure, went to the altar, and wiped away the “Seal” character. Then he tossed the figure to the ground, where a cloud of blue mist arose and a black shadow appeared before the altar.

It was only a vague outline, moving sluggishly, as if searching the surroundings.

Following Li Nanhua’s instructions, I asked, “Who stands before the hall?”

Perhaps my voice was too loud; the shadow jumped, slowly turned, and seemed to peer around. At last, it spoke in a faint, aged voice: “Ah… what did I eat? Why does it taste salty and fishy? Hiss… Who… who am I?”

Before I could answer, a sudden gust of cold wind swept through, flipping the incense burners on the table. The wind was uncanny; I hurried to right the burners and relit the incense, only to see my grandfather’s life soul, startled, turn and flee.

Li Nanhua shouted, “Not good!” and chased after him.

The other side was the Soul-Severing Cliff, where my grandfather’s array lay below. His life soul had only just been forged—if he fell again, there might be no hope.

Thankfully, Master Li moved swiftly, rushed over, and pressed the last blood talisman onto my grandfather’s forehead.

Grandfather stopped.

Then Master Li used a Soul-Guiding Talisman to draw him back, saying, “Someone is meddling in secret. There’s no time—Lin Yi, quickly affirm your grandfather as human!”

“Weiyang, help us—see who’s causing trouble!” Li Nanhua continued.

Weiyang nodded and, along with Flower Maiden, began searching.

I dared not delay. I immediately asked again, “Who stands before the hall?”

“Who… who am I… who am I?” Grandfather kept questioning.

Another gust of cold wind came; Master Li held the soul guide in one hand and stabilized the altar with a yellow talisman. I hurriedly declared, “Since you do not know who you are, I hereby affirm you as human. You are a resident of Old Boundary Ridge village beneath Old Boundary Ridge, surname Lin, given name Tianjian.”