Young Master Liu instructed the Luo family to fetch an iron basin and place it directly beneath the opening in the coffin’s baseboard. He then stacked the twelve pieces of fir wood he held into the basin. At this point, everyone seemed to grasp a part of his intent: this Yin-Yang Master was planning to cremate the body using those twelve pieces of fir. No one believed those few pieces of wood could incinerate a human body; eyes widened across the room, anticipating the long-awaited spectacle.

While stacking the wood, Young Master Liu muttered incantations; no one knew the words he spoke. Luo Siyu strained to hear but seemed to catch nothing, as if what he uttered wasn't meant for anyone present. Indeed, the spell Young Master Liu recited was intended to coax the Elder Master Xiang's Heavenly Soul (Tianhun) to depart. However, a person’s Heavenly Soul exists solely to guard the physical body; the soul will not leave while the body remains intact. Normally, forty-nine days after death, the Earthly Soul (Dihun) emerges from Peach Garden (Taoyuan) to escort the Heavenly Soul away, where they wait in the Peach Garden for the summons of the Life Soul (Minghun). Though Elder Master Xiang’s Heavenly Soul was already tainted by malevolent energy, his body was whole, and it refused to leave. It needed to guard—it was its duty, the final vigil of a cycle.

The wood pieces were positioned, and Young Master Liu affixed two talismans onto the stack, then placed one talisman on each side, front, and back of the coffin. With the talismans applied, he beckoned behind him. Luo Ping’an handed over a knife and a rooster that had just begun to crow. Young Master Liu swung the blade, and hot blood spurted from the rooster's neck, tracing a line from the fir wood stack all the way to the ancestral tablet in the Luo family hall. There, he lit three sticks of incense at the tablet, and then lit three more in the basin holding the wood. As the incense slowly burned, Young Master Liu chanted his spell and set fire to joss paper within the basin. Stack after stack of spirit money was tossed in and burned, yet the fir wood in the basin refused to ignite. Fir wood is naturally combustible kindling, meant to catch fire easily, but only the spirit money burned; the wood showed no sign of catching, nor did the paper talismans pasted upon it. People began to murmur: it must be because of the two talismans stuck to the wood; the talismans prevented the wood, and the talismans themselves, from burning.

This was precisely the case. Once the recitation concluded, Young Master Liu looked toward the ancestral tablet. The three sticks of incense there began to burn faster, quickly reaching the halfway mark. Everyone followed Young Master Liu’s gaze, seeing what they found hard to believe—those three sticks were burning too quickly! But after burning two-thirds of the way down, the flame slowed, returning to a normal rate. At that moment, Young Master Liu’s voice rang out: "Take him away now. There is enough currency here for you to reward the guards. Heaven and Earth unite; I hope you can soon await the summons of the Life Soul."

The atmosphere tightened. Everyone saw Young Master Liu speaking to empty air. They knew deep down he was likely addressing the late Elder Master’s spirit, but disbelief, doubt, and sheer astonishment kept everyone tense.

Young Master Liu’s gaze shifted. The Elder Master’s Earthly Soul arrived at the fire basin, calling out, summoning the Earthly Soul. Only Young Master Liu could see and hear this. He watched an identical spirit drift out of the coffin; he knew this was Elder Master Xiang’s Heavenly Soul. The three incense sticks in the basin burned rapidly, consumed in an instant. The two souls merged, casting one last, lingering look at the coffin.

Young Master Liu spoke: "Go now. The time of your passing was unfortunate; a pocket of vital yang energy remained in your chest, which has now turned into noxious energy. You both know the consequences if this is left undone. Nothing in this world warrants your lingering attachment. It is better to reach the Peach Garden sooner and await the summons of the Life Soul. This is all I can do to help you."

Elder Master Luo naturally understood the fate awaiting him if his Heavenly Soul were corrupted by the evil energy and transformed into a vengeful specter. He looked gratefully at Young Master Liu: "Thank you, young sir. It is my fortune that you came to guide my crossing. If you hadn't arrived, I dare not think of the outcome. My old self was always fond of drink. Now that there is a little time left, would you care to share a cup with me?"

Young Master Liu was speechless. Of course, if he went to the Peach Garden, he wouldn't be able to taste the wine offered during the grave rites. He replied, "Alright, I'll join you!" He then turned to Luo Ping’an: "Uncle Luo, would you mind fetching two bowls of wine? Make them large bowls!" Luo Ping’an turned and headed to the kitchen. He could only obey; after all, they had heard Young Master Liu speaking just now. Though they didn't know who he was addressing or what was being said, he dared not slight the request.

Two bowls of wine were soon brought. Young Master Liu took the bowls, handing the left one out while draining the right one himself. Elder Master Luo chuckled, "Good! Young sir, you are truly cordial!" Young Master Liu laughed too, "Come, cheers!" He slowly tilted the bowl in his left hand to the side, letting the wine spill out, drop by slow drop, as if someone were drinking it. Meanwhile, Young Master Liu finished the bowl in his right hand in one go. It was exhilarating to be drinking with a ghost for the first time. After the wine was gone, Elder Master Luo looked over his descendants, one by one, then turned to Young Master Liu and said, "Young sir, I depart now!"

Young Master Liu cupped his hands in salute: "May your journey be smooth, Elder Master." As his words faded, the incense at the ancestral tablet burned out, and the Elder Master was gone.

Young Master Liu handed the bowl to Luo Siyu: "Your grandfather has left!" Luo Siyu took the bowl without a word; he certainly understood that Young Master Liu had been conversing with his grandfather.

Young Master Liu’s expression turned serious, and he began reciting another spell. The talismans on the fir wood burst into flame, and the fir wood itself caught fire, the blaze growing stronger and brighter. Yet, the wood and the talismans did not melt away. All the flames seemed to flow down through the opening beneath the coffin and into its interior, without a single trace of odor escaping.

Time passed, second by second. Everyone kept their eyes wide open, staring at the burning wood in the basin. The fire was clearly roaring, but the wood showed no sign of dissolving, nor did the cotton bedding inside the coffin show any sign of ignition, as no strange smell drifted out. Young Master Liu casually took out a cigarette. After all, the crucial part of today’s ritual was drawing out the Elder Master's Heavenly Soul; the rest was child's play. For the sake of the Elder Master's soul, he hadn't hesitated to spend a fortune to bribe the guards in the Peach Garden to release the Earthly Soul. Those spirit money ingots, though bought for mere pennies, were vast fortunes in the netherworld!

He slowly smoked the entire cigarette. Then, the talismans on the wood began to burn, consumed completely in a few seconds. Once the talismans were gone, the wood crumbled into ash that settled into the basin. The whole process was like magic. The observers, having already moved past shock, could only stare in utter astonishment, rubbing their eyes reflexively. They couldn't believe what they saw, yet they were compelled to accept it as fact.

After the fire died down, Luo Ping’an asked, bewildered, "Master, is it finished?"

Young Master Liu nodded: "Finished. Go find a wooden plank to cover that opening again, though it doesn't really matter if you don't! If you don't believe me, you can open the coffin lid and check! Haha."

Luo Siyu looked disbelievingly at Luo Ping’an: "Dad, open it and look. I want to see." The surrounding people chimed in, "Old Luo, open it up and look." Even those who didn't speak watched with eager anticipation.

Luo Ping’an was keen to see as well. He asked Young Master Liu, "Sir, may we open it?"

Young Master Liu replied, "You may. Just close it tightly afterward! And tear off those talismans while you’re at it. I’m a bit tired now; I'm going to rest. The main ritual begins at three this afternoon." Saying this, he walked toward a room.

Luo Ping’an urgently called several people to help lift the coffin lid. Those asked stepped forward readily, while the Suona King and Gonggu Chen were quick to assist.

The coffin lid had not been nailed down and lifted easily, releasing a puff of white vapor. There was no stench of decay, only the scent of burned fir wood. When the white vapor cleared, what appeared before them was a skeleton. At least in the visible parts, the skull and the hands had become bare bone. Exclamations of awe rose one after another—this was a reality they could not accept but which now undeniably existed.