Ghost Pot

Chapter 103

“Jia Shiming,” Abbot Xuwu replied with a wry smile.

Xu Feng was taken aback upon hearing this and asked in confusion, "Jia Shiming? Why?"

Abbot Xuwu shook his head and said, "I don't know the specifics. He wants you to go to the VIP ward of 301 Hospital tomorrow morning. The leader is hospitalized there."

Xu Feng frowned and pondered, "Senior brother, the waters in the government are murky and deep; it's hard to get a handle on them."

“Junior brother, ‘When you’re in the martial world, you’re not in control of your own destiny.’ Since the leader has specifically asked for you, I’m afraid we can’t delay any longer…” Abbot Xu Wu said helplessly.

Xu Feng knew that his senior abbot was gentle and always fearful and tolerant of the government. However, for the survival of Baiyun Temple, the abbot really had to be able to endure humiliation and be tactful in dealing with everyone, so as not to offend anyone.

"Alright, I'll go then." Xu Feng, understanding his senior brother's predicament, readily agreed.

"Amitabha..." Abbot Xuwu nodded and chanted the Daoist name.

Meanwhile, at the night shift crematorium of the county funeral home in Shuitun North, Changping County, a body bag sent by the Public Security Bureau was pushed into the crematorium furnace. Just as the oil was being sprayed and ignited, he clearly heard a piercing scream coming from inside the furnace… Terrified, the worker ran away. He fell ill and remained bedridden for several months. The incident later circulated privately within the funeral home, and even today, some older employees still reminisce about it.

The next morning, Master Xufeng arrived at the 301 Hospital as promised, and Old Master Qiao led him into the leader's ward.

"Chief, this is the Taoist priest Xu Feng." Taoist priest Xu Feng recognized the square-faced middle-aged man on the sickbed.

"Master Xufeng, hello," the leader said, looking at the strangely-looking Quanzhen Sect master. Then he pointed to a small, dwarf old man sitting on the sofa and said, "Let me introduce you. This is Song Diweng, the president of the Chinese Archaeological Association."

Master Xufeng was taken aback upon hearing this. He remembered that in Fenglingdu, Hedong, Master Fei and Mayor Guo had been waiting for someone from the capital, who was none other than Old Man Song.

"I have long admired Chairman Song Diweng. I am Xu Feng. For the sake of my work, I also have an alias. This is my business card." Xu Feng took out a gold-embossed business card from his suit pocket, which emitted a faint fragrance.

Song Diweng took the business card and glanced at it. He was shocked to see that it read "Xu Feng, Chairman of Hong Kong Kowloon Hongyitang Fengshui Affairs Co., Ltd." He exclaimed, "You are the Chairman Xu who was with Youliang in Fenglingdu, Hedong!"

"Indeed, it was a great pity that we couldn't meet last time," Xu Feng said with a slight smile.

"Oh, so you two know each other?" the leader asked in surprise.

Song Diweng turned around and explained, "Last time at Fenglingdu in Hedong, when I arrived, Chairman Xu and Youliang had already left, so I only heard their names but never met them."

Xu Feng nodded and smiled, "President Song, I apologize for leaving Fenglingdu without saying goodbye last time. How is Daoist Fei?"

Upon hearing this, Song Diweng felt a pang of sorrow and sighed, "Master Fei is already dead."

Xu Feng was taken aback and looked at Song Diweng with a puzzled expression.

"Master Fei slipped and fell off the Great Wall yesterday," the leader said casually from the side.

Xu Feng thought to himself, "How can a martial artist easily slip up? Besides, Master Fei's martial arts are not weak. Speaking of which, the officialdom is treacherous. It's very likely that Master Fei will die an unnatural death."

"Master Xufeng, I would like to ask you to assist Chairman Song and follow his arrangements. The two of you should focus on tracking down Jia Shiming's whereabouts. It is said that they have already gone south to Myanmar." The leader stared at Xufeng and said solemnly.

Xu Feng smiled faintly and said, "Senior Brother Abbot Xu Wu has already instructed me. I will follow the leader's orders."

"Alright, Mr. Song, you're a straightforward person. Take Master Xufeng with you to make preparations. Set off as soon as possible and keep in touch by phone at all times," the leader instructed.

"Yes, Chief." Song Diweng left the ward with Xu Feng.

Looking at Xu Feng's retreating figure, Master Qiao asked with concern, "Chief, this Daoist Xu Feng is very cunning. I'm afraid Chairman Song will have difficulty controlling him. Perhaps I should go with him as well?"

The leader chuckled and said, "How could you, Mr. Qiao, use such vulgar language? You and Youliang have more important things to do right away."

Master Qiao gave a soft "hmm" and waited for the leader to speak.

The commander beckoned Mr. Qiao to sit on the hospital bed, and then slowly said, "Mr. Qiao, do you remember the three policemen in that dark green van with a Beijing license plate in front of the Yuxi Hotel in Sanmenxia City?"

"Of course I remember." Mr. Qiao nodded; he had even saved one of the police officers' lives.

"They are not public security officers or police, but members of the Tang Clan from Sichuan, known in the martial arts world as the 'Three Young Masters of the Tang Clan.' The 'Ghost Pot' we want has already fallen into their hands," the leader said.

"People from the martial arts world are getting involved in this mess?" Master Qiao asked, puzzled.

"No, they were acting under the director's orders," the chief said calmly.

"You mean him..." Master Qiao said in astonishment.

The leader nodded and continued, "With the 'Ghost Pot,' the director's long-planned scheme can be implemented."

Mr. Qiao listened quietly, looking somewhat nervous. It concerned national and state secrets, so he didn't dare to interrupt rashly.

"Deep in the Fragrant Hills of Beijing, there is a secluded place, an old-fashioned villa. It has no address and is guarded by the 8341st Unit, with tight security. No one is allowed to approach. Four or five top experts live and eat in the villa, completely isolated from the outside world. Even communication is strictly prohibited. The 'Ghost Pot' is currently in this villa, and the experts' task is to study it," the leader explained.

"Sir, do you want me to steal that 'ghost pot'?" Master Qiao asked.

“No,” the chief shook his head and said, “The ‘Ghost Pot’ is heavily guarded. The chances of successfully stealing it and getting away unscathed are almost zero.”

"Then what do you need me to do?" Master Qiao asked, puzzled.

"Destroy it, try to destroy the 'Ghost Pot'," the chief replied calmly.

Chapter 157

Fragrant Hills is located in the western suburbs of Haidian District, Beijing, 25 kilometers from the city center.

In ancient times, this mountain was covered with wild apricots. Every spring, when the apricot blossoms were in full bloom, their delicate fragrance could be smelled for miles around, hence the name "Fragrant Mountain".

In 1186, the Jin Dynasty emperor built the Dayong'an Temple, also known as Ganlu Temple, here. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, smoke trees were first planted. Over the past two hundred years, a forest of nearly 100,000 smoke trees has gradually formed. Every autumn, the leaves of the smoke trees on the mountains turn as red as flames, becoming a seasonal scenic spot in Beijing known as "Fragrant Hills Red Leaves".

Hidden among the smoke trees in the back hill valley is a secluded ancient house from the Qing Dynasty, covering an area of about five or six acres. It has more than ten rooms, with blue bricks and tiles, carved beams and painted rafters, and high walls. The gate is closed all year round, and there is no house number in front of the gate. Few tourists come here, and the place is very quiet.

The compound is guarded by a squad of soldiers from Unit 8341, armed with live ammunition, responsible for 24-hour protection. There are also two military dogs, both purebred German Shepherds, which are very fierce.

In the conference room, there was a rectangular conference table in the center covered with a clean white cloth. On the tables along the wall, there were some medical instruments, including an electroencephalogram (EEG) recorder and an electrocardiograph (ECG).

Four elderly people and a middle-aged woman sat quietly inside. They were: Professor Cong (a famous biologist), Professor Lu (a leading authority in neurology), Mr. Zhu (a renowned scholar researching human life sciences), and Engineer Pi (an expert in embalming). The middle-aged woman, surnamed Mu, was a forensic pathologist proficient in physiology and anatomy.

The door opened, and a middle-aged man with a gloomy face and wearing black-rimmed glasses walked in. He was Director Bi, the head of the secret research team codenamed "Project Xuanyuan".

Director Bi waved his hand, and two young soldiers behind him carried a stretcher with a middle-aged man's corpse lying on it, dressed in an old blue work uniform and barefoot. The soldiers lifted the body, placed it on the conference table, then turned and walked out, gently closing the door behind them.

Director Bi scanned the crowd and slowly said, "Comrades, this is an unidentified male corpse. Yesterday, he was found hanged deep in the woods outside the Wofo Temple, so we brought him back for experiments. What our group needs to do now is to try to break through the forbidden zone of human life and death and restore his physical life characteristics."

The experts looked at each other, but none of them said a word.

“Professor Lu,” Director Bi said, looking at the nationally renowned neurosurgeon, “Judging from his physical characteristics, this person should be considered completely dead, right?”

Professor Lu stood up, cleared his throat, and said in a scholarly tone, "This person died by hanging, medically termed 'asphyxiation.' Specifically, asphyxiation is a pathological state caused by the obstruction or abnormality of the respiratory process, resulting in oxygen deficiency and carbon dioxide retention in various organs and tissues throughout the body. This leads to metabolic disorders, functional disturbances, and structural damage to tissue cells. When oxygen deficiency is severe, organs and tissues suffer widespread damage, especially irreversible necrosis of the brain and nervous system. In fact, if the airway is completely blocked, causing dyspnea, the heart will stop beating, spontaneous breathing will cease, and blood pressure will drop to zero within just one minute..."

The forensic doctor was a decisive and efficient woman. She silently stood up, put on white gloves, reached out and pressed the skin of the male corpse, and said in a fast voice, "This person has a clear deep purple mark on his throat, his pupils are dilated as if in pain, and his tongue is sticking out slightly and has turned purplish-black. These are typical characteristics of death by hanging."

Director Bi nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"A person usually begins to stiffen within 30 minutes to 2 hours after death, and the whole body becomes rigid after 9 to 12 hours. The stiffness will continue for the next 30 hours, after which the body begins to soften, and it takes about 70 hours to return to its original state. In this person's rigor mortis has partially softened. Based on the current season and temperature, it can be determined that the time of death was approximately three days ago," explained the forensic doctor.

"Is he completely dead?" Director Bi asked.

"Of course, he's completely dead..." The forensic doctor smiled, revealing two white canine teeth.

Chapter 158

With a "sizzle," the forensic doctor suddenly produced a pair of sharp scissors in his hand. With extremely skillful technique, he quickly cut open the male corpse's trousers, belt, and shirt, exposing him naked to everyone.

The corpse had patches of dark purplish-red livor mortis on its legs and lower abdomen. When the forensic doctor gently pressed with his fingers, the livor mortis could not be removed, and putrefactive bacteria were already growing under the skin.

"Director Bi, from an anatomical perspective, the body fluids in this male corpse have seeped out and entered the blood vessels through the walls, mixing with the blood to cause hemolysis. After dilution, the fluids seep out of the blood vessels along with the hemoglobin plasma. At the same time, the internal organs have begun to decompose. It is impossible for this person to regain any physical signs of life," the forensic doctor said decisively.

Professor Lu chimed in, "That's right. The brain tissue is already necrotic, so how can it possibly transmit bioelectrical signals again? Director Bi, this kind of research is absurd and a complete waste of time. If our Western colleagues knew about it, they would definitely laugh at us."

Director Bi neither confirmed nor denied, but glanced at Professor Zhu, one of the founders of human life sciences, which emerged in China in the early 1980s. He had published several papers that completely overturned the traditional theories of contemporary biophysics.

Professor Zhu stood up, looked around at everyone, pointed at the male corpse, and spoke eloquently: "The human body itself is an extremely mysterious giant system. In modern times, with the pollution of industrialization, the human body structure has lost some of its functions, which is truly heartbreaking... However, the human body is, after all, a living giant system. Under certain specific environmental conditions, some malfunctioning parts can still regain certain functions."

"Please provide an example to illustrate your point," Director Bi replied with an affirmative smile.

"This malfunctioning area is the place that countless wise men of the martial arts world have dreamed of yet failed to understand for thousands of years," Professor Zhu patted the male corpse's lower abdomen and continued, "'Lower Dantian,' about four fingers below the navel, which is the perineum in men and the uterus area in women, is called the 'Sea Bottom Acupoint.' This mysterious 'cavity area' is relied upon by the Taoist 'Hundred Days Foundation Building' technique and the Buddhist Tantric 'Holding the Vase Breath' technique, and the Ren and Du meridians also originate here. In recent years, through the unremitting efforts of human life scientists, it has finally been discovered that this mysterious cavity of the 'Sea Bottom Acupoint' has a certain curvature or fold, shaped like a coiled snake, and can gather the high energy and potential poured down by hormones such as adrenaline, possessing unexpected and strange functions. It is a key to the introduction of human life science research..."

"Professor Zhu, what exactly are you trying to say?" Forensic doctor Mu impatiently interrupted his long-winded explanation.

Professor Zhu coughed and said confidently, "My argument is that modern Western science does not understand the enormous energy hidden within the 'sea cave.' As long as a person's body has not decayed after death, it is entirely possible to restore some of their physical life characteristics."

Professor Cong, a biologist sitting nearby, couldn't hold back any longer. He slammed his hand on the table, his face flushed, and exclaimed, "Absurd! Utterly absurd!"

Director Bi politely asked, "Professor Cong, please share your insights."

"What 'sea cave'? Has anyone ever seen such a cavity before..." Professor Cong said indignantly to Forensic Doctor Mu, "Xiao Mu, has modern anatomy ever discovered the existence of this ghost cavity?"

The forensic doctor shook his head and said simply, "No."

"That's right. Birth, aging, sickness and death are the inevitable laws of all living things. The metabolism of organisms and the number of cell divisions are all limited..." Professor Cong said righteously.

Professor Zhu chuckled coldly a few times, interrupting him, and asked sarcastically, "Then what about the cancer cells?"

Professor Cong was speechless for a moment upon hearing this, and stammered, unable to utter a word.

"Hehe..." Director Bi laughed and said, "Old Zhu asked a good question. In fact, science is constantly developing, and truth is constantly being discovered and perfected. If our thinking stays at a certain moment, we will go astray into metaphysical idealism. Mr. Zhu is the inheritor of an ancient Chinese discipline. Please let him introduce the specifics to everyone."

Mr. Zhu smiled reservedly and began to speak: "In ancient clan societies, there were officials called shamans, historians, and priests, whose descendants took these titles as their surnames. The officials of the priest and historian were in charge of the prayers during sacrificial rites. My surname is Zhu, and my ancestors were such officials, and they were proficient in a kind of witchcraft called 'Zhu You Ke' (祝由科). This name is now little known, but traditional Chinese medicine evolved from it. The Zhu You method is a way of treating diseases by using talismans and incantations. 'Zhu' means incantation, and 'You' means the cause of the disease. The Zhu You technique includes incantations, spells, prayers, talismans, and so on. It even encompasses contemporary Western medical suggestion therapy, psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, and music therapy. Among them, music therapy is the most bizarre, and it is called 'Five-Tone Healing Technique' (五音疗疾之术)."

The experts listened quietly, finding it all quite fascinating.

"According to Ji Xiaolan's *Notes from the Thatched Cottage of Close Observation* from the Qing Dynasty, the 'Five-Tone Healing Technique' uses the five tones (Jiao, Zheng, Gong, Shang, Yu) to correspond to the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water) and the corresponding organs in the human body (liver, heart, spleen, lungs, kidneys), thereby adjusting the relationship between the five emotions (anger, joy, thought, worry, fear) and thus curing diseases. In fact, the five tones also have an incredible function: awakening the perineum in the lower dantian, releasing stored life potential, and restarting the gate of yin and yang," Mr. Zhu said solemnly.

"What do you mean by 'reopening the gate between Yin and Yang'?" Professor Lu asked, puzzled.

Mr. Zhu chuckled twice and slowly said, "Of course, it's bringing the dead back to life."

"That's impossible!" Professor Cong exclaimed. This statement was simply too unorthodox.

Professor Lu nodded in agreement and said, "Currently, there is no case in the world where an organism can be revived after clinical death, unless it is 'apparent death'."

The forensic doctor chuckled, revealing two white canine teeth, and said, "Mr. Zhu, according to you, as long as you play this kind of 'five-tone' music in the hospital morgue, all those corpses will rise up and come back to life one by one? Your imagination is truly amazing."

Professor Cong and Professor Lu couldn't help but chuckle, but the taciturn Professor Pi remained silent.

Mr. Zhu smiled and waited for them to quiet down before slowly saying, "These are not ordinary five tones, but five infrasound waves that are inaudible to the human ear. They act on the lower dantian (lower abdomen) of the human body, releasing high-energy hormones stored in the body before death. This causes a chemical reaction in the dead organism, making it possible for the human to exhibit life characteristics in the physical sense. Professor Cong, you are an authority in biology. Aren't some organisms able to regrow limbs after they are severed?"

Professor Cong nodded and said, "That's true. Frogs and salamanders can regenerate limbs because they have some immature and undifferentiated cells in their bodies. When a limb is severed, these undecided cells take over and develop into new bones, skin, and blood cells, eventually forming a complete limb."

Mr. Zhu pressed on, saying, "Then why can't humans do it? Just think about it, doesn't a fetus develop little by little inside the uterus?"

“That’s different, because frogs, salamanders, and embryos are all living organisms, which is completely different from dead people,” Professor Cong retorted.

"Life and death are merely a human mindset; is that really the case objectively true?" Mr. Zhu asked seriously.

"What do you think?" Professor Cong asked in return.

"This is precisely the topic that we in human life sciences are currently researching, and we have already achieved preliminary results, although this requires the help of some kind of intermediary," Mr. Zhu replied.

"Mediator? What mediator?" Professor Cong asked, puzzled.

“The Ghost Pot,” Mr. Zhu said.

The experts looked at each other, bewildered; this was the first time they had ever heard this strange term.