Formless and intangible.

“Am I dreaming, or has my spirit left my body?”

William Grant was once again doubting whether he had fallen asleep and was dreaming.

Because sometimes, in dreams, things like this happen—you see your own body.

But in dreams, it’s always unconscious, just for a split second, not enough time to really experience it. But now, it was happening deliberately. He could actually feel what it was like for his mind and spirit to leap out of his body.

This feeling was extremely mysterious. Hard to believe.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Suddenly, a gust of intense cold wind blew in from outside the stone chamber.

When the wind hit his body, William Grant felt as if he were standing naked in a world of ice and snow. He shivered from the cold, on the verge of freezing to death at any moment!

At the same time, it was as if he were a drowning person who couldn’t swim, falling into a vast ocean, about to be swallowed up at any second.

Helpless, powerless.

It felt extremely uncomfortable and terrifying.

“No wonder the scriptures say the flesh is a precious raft to cross the sea of suffering. Turns out, when the spirit leaves the body, it’s like falling out of a boat into the sea—so terrifying!”

At this moment, only one thought filled William Grant’s mind: to urgently return to his own body.

Letting the spirit leave the body was not a simple matter—there was actually such danger outside!

But he couldn’t move at all, as if he were frozen stiff, or a drowning person caught in a whirlpool, utterly exhausted.

His consciousness gradually began to blur.

“So this is how dangerous it is for the spirit to leave the body…” William Grant felt as if his soul was about to scatter.

Chapter 9: Incense Protects the Spirit

“Why did your soul run out…”

Just as William Grant felt his spirit couldn’t return to his body and was about to dissipate, he suddenly saw a little girl dressed all in white run in, grab him, and push him toward his own body.

After that, William Grant suddenly felt his whole body relax and sat up with a jolt. But there was no little girl in white before him—only a small white fox. On the stone table sat a fruit bowl, with a few snacks inside, and a cup of steaming hot tea.

The little white fox’s eyes met his, blinking.

“Was it you who saved me just now?”

William Grant asked the little white fox.

“Jiji, jiji.”

The little white fox nodded.

William Grant realized that just now, when his spirit had left his body and couldn’t return, he was in extreme danger. Luckily, the little white fox’s soul had given him a push. That little girl in white was actually the soul of the little white fox leaving its body.

“No wonder the world is like a sea of suffering, and the flesh is the precious raft to cross it. When a person’s spirit leaves the body, it’s like jumping naked into the sea—over in an instant.”

William Grant finally understood the danger of letting the spirit leave the body.

“Jiji, jiji, jiji…” The little white fox happily circled around William Grant, pointing with its paw at the snacks on the ground.

“What’s this?”

William Grant noticed that the dried fruit in the bowl was very strange—a fruit larger than a bean, with a layer of red skin on the outside. Another was a large chunk of fruit, roasted until charred; when peeled open, it was golden inside, giving off a sweet aroma that made his mouth water.

William Grant had never seen these two things before and didn’t know what they were.

The little white fox chirped again, as if answering William Grant’s question, but since they didn’t speak the same language, William Grant was left puzzled.

After a while, the little white fox seemed to realize it couldn’t explain, so it scampered out, brought back a long stick of incense, lit it, and stuck it in the ground. Soon, fragrant smoke curled around William Grant.

“Jiji, jiji.”

The little white fox tapped its own head with its front paw, then squatted on the ground. It pointed at William Grant, signaling him to imitate.

“You mean you want me to let my spirit leave my body again? So we can communicate? But…” William Grant had just experienced the danger of letting his spirit leave his body and was a bit hesitant.

“Jiji, jiji.” The little white fox pointed at the burning incense on the ground, meaning that with the incense, there was nothing to fear.

“All right.” William Grant sat down, closed his eyes, and began practicing the “Pagoda Visualization Technique.” Suddenly, he leapt.

Boom!

He saw his own body again—his spirit had left the shell.

“Have you practiced before? How can you let your spirit leave your body so quickly?”

William Grant heard a voice.

At the same time, he saw a little girl of about twelve or thirteen standing above the little white fox’s head. She was dressed all in white, her clothes fluttering, her features as finely drawn as a painting, with a delicate spiritual aura.

“My name is William Grant. What’s your name?” William Grant saw the incense smoke swirling around and felt as if he were soaking in a hot spring, with none of the coldness from his first out-of-body experience.

“All pure foxes have the surname Tushan. My name is Sarah Foster, you can call me Little Sarah. So your name is William Grant, then I’ll call you Big Brother William from now on.” Little Sarah was full of innocent charm. “My body hasn’t learned to speak human language yet, so I can only communicate with you spirit to spirit. This is sandalwood incense—it protects the spirit, so you don’t have to worry about the wind scattering your soul. The incense offered in temples is all this kind.”

“No wonder spirits love incense offerings…” William Grant laughed. “Big Brother William… Did you just call me Big Brother William?”