Volume One: The Soul-Calling Gourd, The Soul-Igniting Lamp Chapter 24: The Journey of Cultivation Begins

“Holy—!”
With a startled cry, Gu Mo instinctively flung away the Celestial Measuring Ruler and began frantically slapping at the ghostly green flames that licked across his body.

A dull clang reverberated through the air.

That bizarre artifact from the Underworld continued to emit its eerie emerald fire.

Terrified that his very soul would be consumed by the flames, Gu Mo’s panic only grew with each desperate pat against his clothes.

Xiao Yulou, though puzzled by the scene, quickly raised his voice to call out, “Brother Gu, wait!”

At the words, Gu Mo, though still rattled and shivering, begrudgingly halted his frantic movements and fixed the ragged wanderer before him with a suspicious glare.

Xiao Yulou stroked his chin thoughtfully, eyes intent on the ghostly fire.

The chill was bone-deep—coldness swept through every nerve and every cell. In an instant, Gu Mo was trembling uncontrollably, the icy touch seeping into his very marrow.

Left with no other recourse, Gu Mo crossed his arms, rubbing them vigorously; even his teeth were chattering so hard they clacked audibly.

The moment he opened his mouth, a visible cloud of frost spilled out into the night.

Yet, despite the flames that danced across his body, there was not the faintest trace of warmth. Why call it ghostfire, if it gave no heat at all? The thought only deepened his bewilderment.

A few seconds passed, and Gu Mo, unable to bear it any longer, fixed his eyes—wide as saucers—on Xiao Yulou and barked, “Hey! What the hell are you thinking? I’m about to freeze to death here!”

At that, Xiao Yulou suddenly lifted his gaze to meet Gu Mo’s eyes and said, “Brother Gu, this is a rare opportunity for your cultivation!”

Gu Mo shot him a look of utter contempt, voice trembling, “Cultivation? I’m about to freeze solid!”

Xiao Yulou’s lips curled into a wicked grin. “Brother Gu, I know a place that’s perfect for you. The question is: do you dare to see it for yourself?”

Shaking as if in a gale, Gu Mo clenched his jaw and snarled, “If you’ve got a good place, then let’s go! Hurry up!”

Without another word, Xiao Yulou straightened, tracing a Taiji symbol on the ground with one foot. As golden light flared, he seized Gu Mo’s wrist, and together they vanished in a blur.

Behind the counter, the silent King Yama Girl stared, dumbfounded.
“This Taoist really does have some tricks.”

***

A shift in scene.

Under the luminous moon, a streak of gold and emerald flashed and disappeared in an instant.

With a sharp crack, the speed camera atop a utility pole exploded, sending a shower of sparks tumbling to the darkened road below.

Xiao Yulou, the eccentric Taoist, was dragging Gu Mo along at an impossible speed.

The world around Gu Mo spun past in a dizzying blur of shifting colors, the chill wind biting at his delicate features, leaving him unable to comprehend what was happening.

Moments later, an abrupt halt—a heavy thud.

Gu Mo’s vision went black. When he came to, he found himself crouched beneath a great tree, his head adorned with leaves and twigs.

Only after several seconds did the sharp pain in his scalp register. He reached up to rub the swelling lump, then burst out in fury, “You maniac! You ran faster than a bullet train! I nearly got killed!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the world seemed to spin and tilt around him.

With a mighty splash, Xiao Yulou hurled Gu Mo—still wreathed in eerie flames—into the frigid waters of a secluded pool.

Sputtering, Gu Mo swallowed several mouthfuls of water before clamping his lips shut and swimming desperately for the surface.

Yet, as he floated in the pool, he began to feel his body warming, if only slightly. After all, water’s high heat capacity was more forgiving than air.

With a gasp, Gu Mo broke the surface, greedily gulping in the fresh night air. But the green flames still clung to him, burning unnaturally, untouched by the water.

“What’s wrong with you? Trying to drown me?” he shouted, but his anger gave way to curiosity as he glanced around.

The moonlight fell in mottled patterns, sheathing the quiet woods in a silvery frost. Though night had fallen, the air was fragrant with flowers, trees grew thick and wild, lush grasses swayed, and the gentle sound of flowing water added to the serenity.

A sense of tranquility stole over him; this was a place untouched by the world, a true haven. Even the air tasted faintly sweet.

He looked down—crystal-clear water, rippling waves casting dazzling patterns. A stream, white as a string of pearls, tumbled over a great stone, creating music as beautiful as any melody.

Moved by the sight, Gu Mo felt his anger ebb away.

In such a place, with no clamorous music, no burdensome paperwork, the mind was utterly at ease.

Just then, Xiao Yulou produced a yellow talisman and slapped it onto Gu Mo’s forehead from the pool’s edge.

With a mischievous look, Xiao Yulou grinned, “Brother Gu, if you want to awaken your innate yin energy, there’s no better place than this Azure Ripple Pool!”

***

No sooner had he spoken than Xiao Yulou closed his eyes and began chanting in an ancient tongue.

Time passed. Gu Mo suddenly felt a surge of icy cold erupting from within, the ghostfire around him whipping higher as if fanned by a gale.

The vivid green flames shot skyward, piercing the darkness with their eerie glow. All at once, the surface of the pool began to freeze over, ice spreading with visible speed.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Within moments, the struggling Gu Mo was sealed inside the ice, his ghostfire at last dying away.

Stunned by this bizarre scene, Gu Mo drew a sharp breath, readying a furious outburst. But just then, Xiao Yulou’s eyes snapped open, and with a single slap, he shattered the ice.

Without any resistance, Xiao Yulou dragged Gu Mo from the water as easily as plucking a chick from a nest, despite Gu Mo’s height and weight.

Setting him on solid ground, Xiao Yulou flicked his robe with practiced ease, exuding the poise of an immortal sage.

He fixed his gaze on Gu Mo. “Brother Gu, you now harbor ghostly energy. The first step is to meditate and sense its presence within you.”

Gu Mo nodded silently.

Suddenly, Xiao Yulou grabbed Gu Mo and heaved him into the air. Blood rushed to Gu Mo’s head.

Tap-tap-tap! The Taoist pressed his fingertips rapidly against various acupoints on Gu Mo’s body.

In the stillness of the night, the sound was like rain pattering on sand.

A few seconds later, Gu Mo crashed to the ground, his ghostfire finally extinguished.

Rubbing his bruised tailbone, Gu Mo glared plaintively. “Master Xiao, could you at least warn me first? You’re going to kill me at this rate!”

But Xiao Yulou simply looked down at him with a sly, devilish smile. “Brother Gu, I’ve expelled the excess ghostly energy from your body. Now it’s time for you to cultivate.”

Resigned, Gu Mo found a dry patch of ground and sat cross-legged.

Xiao Yulou did the same, facing him. “Brother Gu, it’s crucial to choose a secluded spot for this kind of cultivation. If you’re disturbed, you could easily fall into madness—or worse.”

The warning made Gu Mo tense. “Master Xiao, what do you mean—fall into madness?”

Xiao Yulou smiled serenely. “When you meditate, the energy within you circulates in a precise order. If something interrupts, it could scatter or run wild, causing irreversible damage. You might even lose your mind. And then…”

He smiled wickedly. “Then I’d have no choice but to cut you down myself.”

A thunderclap seemed to explode in Gu Mo’s mind. Face drained of color, he swallowed hard and whispered, “Master Xiao… you’re not joking, are you?”

Xiao Yulou’s eyes narrowed, his smile enigmatic.

Seeing this, Gu Mo felt a chill run through him, every muscle tensing.

As he tried to calm himself, Xiao Yulou continued, “Brother Gu, your innate fate is Extreme Yin—perfect for cultivating ghostly energy. My own methods are too yang in nature, but as long as you reverse the incantations, it will work.”

A bead of cold sweat rolled down Gu Mo’s pale face. “Master Xiao, I can’t help feeling this method of yours is even less reliable than King Yama Girl’s.”

At that, Xiao Yulou arched a brow. “King Yama has guided you in cultivation?”

Gu Mo nodded, memories flashing through his mind. “Yesterday, King Yama Girl taught me a set of incantations… something about ‘yin and yang as qi’ and ‘reversing black and white’…”

Across from him, Xiao Yulou’s fingers formed a seal as he exclaimed, “Immeasurable Celestial Venerable!”

He gaped. “Wait—Brother Gu, did you say ‘yin and yang as qi’?”

Gu Mo nodded blandly. “I forgot the rest of the incantation.”

At this, Xiao Yulou broke out in a cold sweat, his features twisting in disbelief.

***

“Brother Gu, where’s your Yama wife now?”

Gu Mo curled his lip in disdain. “Master Xiao, you dragged me here without warning, and now you’re blaming me?”

At that moment, a chill wind swept through. Suddenly, a delicate arm slid around Gu Mo’s neck, sending shivers across his skin.

“Did you miss me, husband?”

Goosebumps prickled over Gu Mo’s entire body. His heart pounded with dread.

But in the next second, he forced a strained smile and turned his head respectfully. “M-my Queen… I forgot the incantation you taught me…”

King Yama Girl raised a hand and flicked his forehead with a sharp crack. “Hmph! Only come to me when you’re in trouble!”

Still, a moment later, those strange incantations rang clearly in Gu Mo’s ears:

“Primordial qi, yin and yang kept as one.
Open and close at will, expel the old, draw in the new.
Reverse black and white, transform yin and yang.
Mind sunken to the depths, suddenly stirred to life.
Blood flows in reverse, thus my meaning is fixed! …”

This time, Gu Mo memorized every word, the strange lines searing into his mind like a branding iron.

As he focused, Xiao Yulou grew restless. “Brother Gu, forgive the interruption, but—”

Gu Mo’s face darkened. “Just interrupt, don’t say ‘but’—it sounds weird.”

Xiao Yulou grinned lecherously. “Why do I feel this method is so similar to the Five Pines Temple’s incantations?”

King Yama Girl was taken aback, to say nothing of Gu Mo, who was a rank amateur.

Regaining her composure, she asked, “Master Xiao, what are the incantations of your Five Pines Temple?”

Gu Mo shot her a glare. “My Queen, something as secret as an incantation shouldn’t be asked so casually!”

But Xiao Yulou waved a hand dismissively. “It’s fine! I don’t mind sharing it with Brother Gu.”

He recited, “The body as furnace, heaven and earth as catalyst, absorbing the essence of all things.
Primordial qi, yin and yang as foundation, transforming into infinite forms.
Open and close like clouds, changing with the wind, seeking the highest good as water.
Reverse and correct black and white, transform yin and yang, mind sunken to the depths…”

Hearing this, Gu Mo frowned in confusion, rubbing his head. “These two methods really are similar! It’s like one’s a seven-line verse, the other five.”

King Yama Girl nodded, equally perplexed. “Immeasurable Celestial Venerable!”

Xiao Yulou, fingers still forming the seal, said calmly, “Brother Gu, never mind all that. Begin your cultivation! Tonight, you must sense the ghostly energy within.”

Gu Mo obeyed, closing his eyes and sitting cross-legged.

Xiao Yulou’s voice sounded in his ear. “Brother Gu, as you persist in meditation, your mouth will begin to salivate; over time, your qi will gather in your dantian. When you feel a clear presence of power there, you’ll sense energy flowing within. Once you reach a certain level, you’ll be able to shape qi into form…”

No one knew how much time passed. Suddenly, fierce green flames erupted from Gu Mo’s body.

A metallic clatter rang out as the sinister Soul-Binding Chain lunged from his chest, stabbing into the earth with a hiss.

Then, Gu Mo’s eyes snapped open. In their depths was a fathomless darkness—no trace of white to be seen.

Xiao Yulou gasped in horror, instinctively drawing several talismans from his sleeve…