Folk customs begin with the entire funeral procession

Chapter 9 The Six Secrets of Subduing Truth, the State of Ice Heart

"it is finally over."

Chen Miao breathed a sigh of relief.

It was exactly six o'clock in the morning when Chen Miao left the cold storage.

After returning to the dormitory, Chen Miao didn't wash up and just threw himself onto the bed.

Once you relax, fatigue sets in.

But he still stayed awake, his eyes half-open, and opened the book.

Name: Chen Miao

【Age: 24】

[Occupation: Funeral Director]

[Virtue in secret: Two coins]

Current status: None

The amount of merit gained is now one coin, and the status column is completely empty.

Keep turning.

The list of skills remains unchanged, but an additional line has been added to the list of miscellaneous skills.

The Six Secrets of Subduing Truth

Chen Miao ran his fingers over the line of words, and the incantations and corresponding information appeared in his mind.

The so-called "Six Secrets of Amulet Incense" are six different incantations recited in conjunction with amulet incense in six different scenarios.

……

The "Incantation for Descending to Resolve Grievances" can be recited when offering incense to those who have died violently (accidental death, murder, car accident, etc.) to resolve the resentment of the deceased's soul.

The incantation is: "May the grievances of wronged souls be dispelled, may the pure incense of truth guide your spirit. May your grievances be resolved, your karmic obstacles be eliminated, and may you be reborn in the Eastern Paradise of Eternal Bliss."

The "Incantation for the Soul's Descendant": This incantation can be recited when offering incense to the deceased (those who have been ill for a long time or died of old age) to soothe their soul and help them be reborn in the Pure Land.

The incantation is: "A wisp of truth descends through the nine heavens, the soul returns to the Purple Palace and sins are absolved. The three souls and seven spirits return to their rightful places, and one does not fall into reincarnation but ascends the bridge to immortality."

The "Instructions for Descending to Immortality and Transcending Death" can be recited when offering incense to someone who has committed suicide (by hanging, drowning, or taking poison) to help them transcend death.

The incantation is: "Four sticks of incense descend to pierce the netherworld, illuminating the path to the underworld. The mountain of knives and the tree of swords transform into a lotus platform, and the lake of blood and the sea of ​​suffering become a fairyland."

The "Instructions for Descending to the Pure and Helping the Spirits of Infants" can be recited when offering incense to the spirits of aborted children (those who died young, miscarried, etc.) to help them reincarnate.

The incantation is: "Fragrant clouds drift to the lotus platform, little infant spirit, do not grieve. May you be reborn into a family that has accumulated good deeds, and not fall into the underworld to suffer calamities."

The "Instructions for Universal Salvation" can be recited when offering incense to wandering, unattended spirits (ghosts without anyone to worship them), so that they may enjoy the offerings and be helped to be reborn in the Pure Land.

The incantation is: "A wisp of true incense summons all directions, lonely souls and lingering spirits go to the sacred site. The incense smoke descends and the ritual food is offered, so that they may be forever freed from the cycle of rebirth and go to the land of immortals."

"The Mantra for Subduing Evil Spirits": If you encounter evil spirits or are haunted by yin energy, you can hold incense sticks to drive away evil spirits and suppress evil spirits!

The incantation is: "Bright and radiant, the sun rises in the east. Where the true spirit descends to burn, all ghosts lie in hiding. Anyone who dares to offend will be reduced to dust and frost. With a single divine might, misfortune will be forever suppressed."

……

Feeling the effects of those incantations, Chen Miao even felt an urge to 'go find a ghost right now and try it out'.

However, this impulse was quickly suppressed by sleepiness.

Half-asleep, Chen Miao flipped to the [Item List] and saw something new.

Old Wang's Fragments of Memory

"What... is this?"

Chen Miao ran his fingers over the line of words, thinking about taking it out.

But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, Chen Miao couldn't resist the drowsiness, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

At the same time, the item "Old Wang's Memory Fragments" was gradually erased from the item list.

……

Chen Miao had a dream, a very long and tedious dream. He knew he was dreaming, but he couldn't wake up.

In his dream, he was a manager of a funeral home's cold storage. He could clearly perceive everything that 'he' was experiencing, but he could not control 'his' body.

Day after day, he performed the work of receiving and removing corpses.

In his spare time, he would read books, watch the news, or play games like Spider Solitaire or Minesweeper.

He would leave the cold storage, but the very next second he would step back into it, as if the scene of him leaving the cold storage had been 'cut out'.

This repetitive and monotonous behavior made him feel bored.

Moreover, every night he could hear various subtle noises coming from the cold storage. He wanted to go and see, but his body wouldn't listen to him.

Days passed by, and I don't know how many days and nights I spent like this.

He gave up, gave up struggling, and began to submit to his body.

His body was moving corpses, so he followed his body's movements and moved corpses as well; his body was watching the news, so he became immersed in it as well.

This gives him the feeling that all of this was accomplished under his will.

Gradually, his restless heart began to calm down, and he began to enjoy these days. He could sit in front of the computer desk in the cold storage all day without feeling bored; he could read books even with people constantly coming and going around him; and he could close his eyes and rest at night, waiting for dawn, even with various noises coming from the cold storage.

Until one day, his mechanical behavior changed.

He took a bottle of wine, staggered into the freezer storage area, leaned against it, and fell asleep.

He was asleep in his dream; in reality, he was awake.

……

Chen Miao opened his eyes and looked at the dormitory ceiling. Those memories were not erased from his mind just because he woke up.

"Those are Old Wang's memories?"

Chen Miao thought of something, turned her head and picked up the book on the bedside table.

The item "Old Wang's Memory Fragments" has disappeared from the "Item List," but a new status has appeared on the "Author Information" page.

[Current Status: Ice Heart]

Chen Miao reached out and touched the two characters 'Bing Xin', instantly obtaining its information.

In this state, once attention is focused, it is not easy to be disturbed by the outside world, and concentration is improved.

Chen Miao couldn't help but think of Old Wang's state in his dream, where he was "oblivious to everything else and only concerned with the corpses in the warehouse," and he sighed with emotion.

He glanced at the time; it was already four in the afternoon. He had slept for ten hours.

After getting up and eating breakfast, since there was no work to do, Chen Miao returned to his dormitory and studied the book for a while without success. He then continued to study related folk customs, especially those related to sandalwood.

However, he did not see any mention of the "Six Secrets of Subduing the True One".

Silent all night.

The next day, Chen Miao got up very early.

Qian Xiaomei's memorial service is at 7:30 this morning, and afterwards she will be cremated.

Chen Miao glanced at the contents of the book and, seeing that nothing had changed, was in a fairly good mood.

After having breakfast, Chen Miao began to organize the details of Qian Xiaomei's memorial service.

At 6:30, Chen Miao went to the cold storage and asked the staff to take Qian Xiaomei to the dressing room to see if she needed makeup touch-ups.

After her makeup was touched up, Qian Xiaomei was moved to the mourning hall and placed there for the memorial service, where relatives could pay their respects.

At seven o'clock, Chen Miao changed into a white shirt and black suit in his office, took the printed documents, and walked towards Yongning Hall.

Tianmen Funeral Home has three farewell halls: the main farewell hall, Yongning Hall, and Nanshan Hall.

The main farewell hall is large and expensive, so memorial services are usually held in one of the other two smaller farewell halls.

Qian Xiaomei's memorial service was held in Yongning Hall.

After Chen Miao arrived, the decoration of Yongning Hall was basically completed.

However, Chen Miao still went through the required procedures.

After verifying the deceased's name, cremation time, and funeral music with the staff in the service hall, Chen Miao went to check the various arrangements in Yongning Hall himself.

The wreaths, funeral couplets, and sound system are all functioning normally.

When Chen Miao's gaze swept over the portrait, he paused for a moment before looking away.

At 7:20, Qian Xiaomei's parents arrived first. Chen Miao went to greet them and, after confirming the deceased's name, showed them the family list and the eulogy.

After confirming everything was in order, Chen Miao brought Qian Xiaomei's parents to the mourning hall.

Upon seeing Qian Xiaomei's makeup, Qian Xiaomei's mother burst into tears again.

"Do whatever you like, boohoo..."

Chen Miao watched quietly as Qian Xiaomei's parents were immersed in grief.

Chen Miao had witnessed this scene hundreds of times in the past two years.

Around 7:30, Chen Miao led the two out of the mourning hall and back to the Yongning Hall.

Qian Xiaomei's relatives had arrived by then. After Chen Miao guided them to wear white flowers and sign in, the time was about to arrive.

After making some preparations, Chen Miao stood on the podium in front of Yongning Hall.

After counting down to ten, just as the time reached 7:30, Chen Miao began hosting the event.

"Please turn off your mobile phones and remain quiet."

"Thank you all for coming to bid farewell to Qian Xiaomei on her final journey."

"Cherry blossoms fall like rain, spring is fleeting; pear blossoms fade, moonlight grows cold. Now, we announce that the farewell ceremony for Qian Xiaomei's remains has officially begun."

As the funeral music began, Chen Miao's slightly sorrowful voice rang out once again.

"Qian Xiaomei once said, 'Live each day to the fullest, like the colors of a rainbow.' Today, standing here, looking at her bright eyes and flowing skirt in the photo, we finally understand—she truly did it!"

"Even though fate cruelly pressed the pause button, the value of life is never measured by its length!"

……

(End of this chapter)