The first book in the Master of Mischief series Who Am I

Chapter 1

Foreword

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What is a shaman? The Guoyu explains it as: a kind and upright person who is naturally intelligent, able to communicate between humans and gods, and very knowledgeable. They can promote virtues, are not only knowledgeable but also insightful. They are deeply trusted by the gods and can summon spirits to descend.

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, shamanism was already widespread. Later, it became the exclusive domain of Taoism and Buddhism in southern China, and it integrated the three methods of talismans, magical escape, and qi cultivation to become the most profound method of communicating with gods and spirits. Zhang Heng said in his "Lunheng": "Only those who have mastered the art can be called shamans, and they have the ability to communicate with heaven and command ghosts and gods."

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---janeadam

Reply [2]: Chapter 1 Unexpected

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For a time, I could spend an entire day in a small bookstore, browsing through all sorts of books, one after another. If I hadn't bought a book every few days, the shopkeeper would have kicked me out. I felt life was meaningless; what joy was there in living, and what suffering in dying?

I am 23 years old and teach at a middle school in a small city in the south. I teach from the same textbooks year after year, and as long as I don't make mistakes, I can make a living in this field without much trouble.

Once, my little cousin asked me sadly, "If you don't play cards, mahjong, chase girls, watch TV, or go to the park, what else do you like to do besides reading?" I said I didn't know. I just read, but I didn't put my heart into it. I heard that you should take notes when you read, but I didn't. I just looked at the words. I can only forget myself with words, or rather, I use words to tell myself that I am real.

Until one day, following my family's advice, I traveled to a scenic area in another province. At the train station, amidst the surging crowds, I stood alone with my backpack, thinking of the "Ancient Lament Song" written by Dou Xuan's wife:

"A lone white rabbit wanders east and west, its clothes are not as good as new, and its friends are not as good as old."

I suddenly forgot which train I was supposed to take.

The weather was gloomy that day. I walked further and further away from the railway, passing through tunnel after tunnel and crossing bridge after bridge, from day to night.

Finally, I was exhausted and lay down on the tracks. The night wind was cool, and the tracks were like ice, cutting into my back like knives through my autumn clothes. After a while, I felt the tracks vibrate slightly, then the vibrations grew stronger, and then I heard the roar of a train.

I whispered goodbye to this world. At that moment, I had no regrets. My only regret was not telling my cousin the truth. She had always secretly loved me, her taciturn older cousin. I also liked this pretty and innocent little cousin, but it was just a crush. And then there was Xiaoling, the female student who always kept my desk clean and tidy, brought me tea before class, made me snacks during evening tutoring sessions, and often borrowed books from me on weekends. I wanted to tell them: I already have a lover—the wind blew past my eyes, cold and wet. Did I shed tears?

My beloved Yu'er passed away three years ago in a plane crash, before me. She was a Chinese American, a university student. We met online, exchanged photos, made IP calls, and eventually made vows of eternal love…

Later we argued about who should go see the other, and she won. She came to China to find me—why did she come to find me instead of me going to find her? That simple game of "rock, paper, scissors" decided her life and my happiness.

Life is so fragile, and happiness is so fleeting. I haven't even truly touched her face, kissed her lips, her breasts, or her whole body, nor have I even held her hand. But online, in each other's hearts, we've simulated everything—holding hands, kissing, making love. It was just a simulation and a dream, but we couldn't resist... Just when our dream was about to come true, fate brought us to an end.

It felt as if the entire earth was shaking. The train's bright lights shone over, clearly indicating that something was on the tracks. The train's siren blared, echoing through the sky. I smiled and closed my eyes, but the stars in the sky drew ever closer. Yu'er, I'm coming to find you.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze brushed against my face, carrying a rich floral fragrance.

It smelled of tulips, and my heart skipped a beat. Another fragrant breeze wafted by and never left; it was clearly a cool little hand gently slipping into my collar and caressing my neck and my heart.

I opened my eyes and saw a young girl's delicate body quietly move away from me amidst a pale golden glow. She was ethereal and seemed unreal, yet she was clearly wearing a student dress from the 1920s, delicate and elegant. She turned around and gave a sweet smile, which seemed familiar. I felt a sense of warmth and a flutter in my heart.

I naturally turned over, stood up, and followed her over.

In that instant, the train roared past me, whipping up a hurricane that made me stagger, but I kept my eyes fixed on her and followed her down the railway culvert.

We entered a secluded valley, surrounded by the babbling of mountain springs. Suddenly, the thick clouds in the sky parted, revealing a new moon. Under its clear light, the valley was filled with blooming flowers, and the scenery was extremely beautiful.

The girl pointed to a patch of orchids, saying nothing, but a sweet, melodious voice echoed from the depths of her heart: "My name is Xiao Qingzi. My father, mother, and the entire Xiao family have been sorcerers for generations, except for me. My father was an enlightened man who sent me to study at the Beiping Girls' Middle School, but in 1923, he was shot dead during a school-organized demonstration. My father buried me in the south and chose this beautiful and spiritually significant place for me to rest in peace, believing that I would be happy and fulfilled in my next life. But despite all his calculations, my father forgot that there was an underground river beneath this auspicious place, a place where yin spirits are bound. Soon after, my father was executed by the guerrillas for promoting superstition. As a result, my spirit has been bound here ever since, unable to be reborn."

I spoke up: "You're dead? Yes, there really are ghosts after death—then why doesn't Yu'er's ghost come to find me? Doesn't she know how much I miss her?"

Xiaoqingzi smiled slightly in my heart and said, "Why do you ask these questions? I am indeed dead. After death, there will be a soul in the spirit world. As for where it goes and whether it can decide for itself, I can't say for sure. The spirit world is a more vast and unpredictable space than the human world. It is infinitely small and infinitely large. Only those who have experienced it can understand it naturally."

You almost went through that, didn't you? Luckily, I calculated that you and I are destined to be together, that you are my lucky star, and that's why I arrived in time to save you."

"What do you want me to do? You're not going to fill in the underground river, are you?!"

“It’s much easier than filling the river. All I need is for you to give me air.”

"Passing breath, not kissing, right?" I wondered. That's how all ghost movies in theaters are, like "The Ghost Bride" and "A Chinese Ghost Story," and so on.

My thoughts immediately reached her mind. In the fluorescent light, her pretty face flushed slightly, and she gave me a reproachful look.

---janeadam

Reply [3]: "This valley can gather the energy of mountains and moonlight, making it an excellent place for psionicists and wizards to cultivate. Although my physical body is dead, my spirit can still cultivate. In order to be reborn as soon as possible, I have been gathering spiritual energy every moment for the past eighty years. Finally, I have gathered enough energy to break free from the binding force. However, the binding force of the underground river is the same as my spiritual energy attribute. It is like the binding force is a big whirlpool, and I am water. How can I break free?"

I nodded in understanding, a little curious. So, how should I help her in a strange way?

Xiaoqingzi looked at me shyly, "I need a positive vessel now, just like a boat, and that is your true energy."

Do I have internal energy? How do I transfer it?

“Everyone’s dantian contains true qi, which is another form of spiritual energy. It is the opposite of the yin nature of spiritual energy, and it is yang nature. The amount of true qi varies from person to person. I can tell that you were born in a yang year, yang month, and yang hour. People like you have the strongest true qi. Their personality is prone to extremes, but they are extremely lovely and kind people who never want to hurt others.”

Am I that kind of person? How come I never knew that I was a good person, instead of a mediocre person who never cared about what others said and did nothing all day?

"My true form has not decayed to this day due to the spiritual energy here and my cultivation. You just need to put your mouth to the mouth of my true form and press the tip of your tongue against the tip of my tongue, and I will naturally absorb a portion of the true energy in your body as a vessel for my ascension."

I thought this method was weird but creative. At worst, I'd just die. Why be afraid of kissing a dead person? So I nodded and walked into the bushes with her.

After climbing a set of overgrown steps, a strangely shaped cemetery resembling a Bagua (eight trigrams) came into view. Under the moonlight, the Bagua symbols paved with blue bricks shimmered with a faint golden light.

The tombstone is inscribed in clerical script:

"The tomb of my beloved daughter Xiaoqingzi, erected by her father Xiaoyunguang and mother He."

---janeadam

Reply [4]: Chapter Two: Spirit Transmission

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Xiaoqingzi stood silently for a long time, stroking the tombstone. With a wave of her hands, the tombstone rumbled away, and a black coffin slowly flew out and stopped in front of me.

Then, one nail after another flew out of the coffin lid with a "bang, bang, bang." Xiao Qingzi chanted a spell, and the coffin lid flipped to the left. Xiao Qingzi's true form, enveloped in a faint silver light, flew out of the coffin and lay horizontally in front of me, just like in a ghost movie, but even more exciting and entertaining than a movie.

The real Xiao Qingzi was wearing a brightly colored embroidered red robe. Only her head was the same as the illusory spirit: a fair and smooth oval face, eyes closed, lips slightly parted, and hair like clouds. She didn't look like she had been dead for eighty years, but rather like she had just fallen asleep. I breathed a sigh of relief. I was worried that Xiao Qingzi's real body would be withered and disgusting, or rot like Qingfeng in "A Chinese Ghost Story" who was possessed by a maggot demon. Now it's fine.

Xiaoqingzi glanced at me tenderly, then her spirit rushed towards my physical body, like ice melting into water. The seemingly real yet illusory spirit quickly merged with my physical body.

I knew there was no time to lose, so I gently pulled Xiaoqingzi into my arms. Her body was still soft, and one small hand peeking out from her sleeve was especially adorable. I cradled her head, tenderly brushed her bangs aside, and then lowered my head to gently kiss her cherry-like lips.

Her lips were soft and dry. I didn't know what I would discover; I was just trying my best to do one thing, a mysterious thing related to life and death, without any ulterior motives. I used my tongue to pry open her slightly closed teeth. It was easier than I had imagined. With a hint of fear but more of a sense of calm and curiosity, I pressed the tip of my tongue against the tip of hers.

Her tongue was as soft and cool as her body, but with a touch more moisture. This was the first time I had ever kissed a girl, our lips and tongues intertwined. Although she was a century-old female corpse, a strange feeling welled up inside me, as if all these years of guarding my "chastity" were for this first kiss.

But before I could feel anything further, her tongue suddenly stuck to me like a magnet. Then, a force was rapidly lifted from my lower abdomen, and a warm current surged from the tip of her tongue to Xiaoqingzi's tongue. Wave after wave, I felt waves of cold and exhaustion.

Xiao Qingzi's pure and beautiful face grew brighter and brighter.

The whole process seemed short, yet it felt long.

I grew weaker and weaker, but Xiaoqingzi, whom I held in my arms, shone with silver light like the moon, radiating outwards in circles, exuding an indescribable mystery and holiness. Just when I thought I was about to faint, a huge surge of energy suddenly rushed into my body from the tip of Xiaoqingzi's tongue. My head throbbed, and my whole body trembled uncontrollably. The energy was both cold and solid, and the emptiness in my dantian, which had been there before, now felt like a hurricane was raging.

I was at a loss for what to do in this unexpected situation, and I wanted to break free from her lips but was powerless to do so.

---janeadam

Reply [5]: After a while, Xiaoqingzi's true form suddenly burst forth with blue flames. At that moment, I finally broke free from her sucking lips and fell onto the grass with a thud. My head spun, and in a daze, I saw Xiaoqingzi in my arms burning little by little. Fireflies danced and radiated light, but they didn't burn me at all, nor did they generate any heat. At this moment, I heard Xiaoqingzi's voice in my mind:

"Thank you, I'm leaving now. After I absorbed your true energy, due to the energy vortex, half of my spiritual energy was transferred to you, and it transformed your dantian and nerves. Now you are a spiritualist. However, you possess spiritual power but do not yet know how to use it. My true body was incinerated by phosphorescent fire because it could not withstand the burst of spiritual energy. Afterwards, I left behind a phoenix-shaped jade pendant that I wore. Consider it a small memento for you. After a hundred years of cultivation, that jade pendant has become a tool that can manipulate spiritual energy."

Xiao Qingzi's voice grew softer and softer, and the real body in her arms gradually turned to ashes, including its clothes.

“I don’t have time to teach you anymore. Go find my Xiao family’s descendants, they live in Yong’an Town, they will teach you—I want to say one last thing: I really like you, truly. From the moment you lay down on the railway tracks, so sweet and sorrowful, I suddenly had a very familiar feeling, I realized that I had fallen in love with you a long time ago…”

Xiao Qingzi's voice grew softer and softer, like reeds drifting in the wind, like wispy clouds floating in the sky, like a faint wisp of fragrant soul. Finally, at the very moment her voice disappeared, a golden light shot into the sky.

At that moment, I also fainted.

I don't know how much time passed, but in my dream I seemed to see the great changes of the world, the birth of babies and the death of the elderly, the changing of the seasons and the withering and flourishing of plants. I saw Xiaoqingzi, a sixteen-year-old girl in the 1920s, sitting on the grass of the school campus reading in her school uniform, and then marching in the street with her classmates. And the boy standing at the front of the procession with her was none other than me!

---janeadam

Reply [6]: Chapter 3

Then I woke up to find the valley bright and sunny. Sunlight streamed down through the trees overhead, warming me. The flowers all around me were in full bloom, but they seemed to have lost their luster in my eyes because they had lost their original owner.

In my arms, there was no longer the petite and beautiful Xiaoqingzi, but a pile of ashes from clothes. There was no ashes at all. The coffin was gone, and the tombstone had been closed. Everything seemed to be exactly as it was, as if it were all a bizarre dream.

I sighed and shifted my body. Just then, a phoenix-shaped jade pendant fell into my palm from nowhere. It was crystal clear, exquisite and simple, and shimmered with white light in the sunlight. It was obviously a piece of mutton fat jade from Xinjiang, which was quite valuable.

On the back of the jade pendant is engraved a short poem in regular script:

"Green blossoms fill the fragrant steps, two pairs of mandarin ducks..."

But spring days are long, regardless of how early the autumn winds arrive.

I held it in my palm, overwhelmed with emotion. It was all real. I had become a psionicist, or what people call a wizard.

Suddenly, I felt a pang of sadness at Xiaoqingzi's departure, just like I felt sadness at Yu'er's plane crash, only now I felt much more at peace.

As I left, I laid a bouquet of flowers I had picked from the surrounding area at the grave. I don't know if I've fallen in love with Xiaoqingzi, but I know that she will be by my side in every day of my future.

What is psychic energy? According to Xiao Qingzi, it's an energy that permeates the universe, similar in nature to the true qi of martial artists. However, the latter is used in the human realm, while the former is used for the spirit world and the dead. Wizards, possessing human bodies but cultivating spiritual power, can see through and influence the space between the two realms. As for me, like Duan Yu and Xu Zhu from "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," I suddenly possess half a century's worth of psychic power, yet I possess this immense treasure but don't know how to utilize it.

Actually, I didn't want to achieve anything significant. Being a highly skilled wizard in this technologically advanced society isn't exactly a glorious or safe thing. While I wouldn't be burned alive like in the Middle Ages, being condemned and feared by everyone would be unpleasant, especially since I was supposed to be a teacher. Therefore, initially, I didn't plan to follow Xiao Qingzi's advice and go to Yong'an Town to learn from the descendants of the Xiao family.

Although spiritual energy surged in my dantian, it had no impact on my daily life. Apart from a slight coolness and fullness in my lower abdomen, eating and sleeping were normal.

Out of curiosity, I subconsciously went to libraries and the internet to search for information about psychic powers. At the same time, I read various fantasy and science fiction novels, such as those by Huang Yi and Wesley, and also Huanzhu Louzhu's *The Legend of the Swordsmen of Shushan*. I also really like a book called *The Search for the Gods*. As for Jin Yong and Gu Long's novels, I've read them all thoroughly. However, there doesn't seem to be a precise explanation or method for utilizing the psychic powers within me. Instead, I learned some foreign spells from the novels, such as:

"Duke of the Devil, come and fulfill the ancient pact!"

"From the feathers of the bat, back to the blue claws of the Night Demon!"

"Thor, come, spirit of thunder who holds my life in your hands!"

As for traditional Chinese incantations, I already knew them. The orthodox ones included "Namo Amitabha Buddha," "Lin Bing Dou Zhe Zhen Lie Zai Qian," and "Amitabha Buddha"; the unorthodox ones included "By order of the Supreme Lord Laozi, hurry as the law commands," and "Ma Li Ma Li Hong." But none of them seemed to work; the spiritual energy in my dantian remained as stable as Mount Tai.

The jade pendant Xiaoqingzi gave me did have some effect. On the second night after returning from the valley, I was on duty at the school. My school was located in a remote area on the outskirts of the city. When I passed a wasteland behind the school, I saw more than a dozen spirits surrounding and approaching me. When they were about ten steps away from me, the phoenix pendant around my neck suddenly emitted a white light, shattering the spirits in front of me. I clearly heard several screams, and then all the spirits disappeared.

It seems that being able to freely use spiritual energy is still very necessary. If one could hit the target every time, like in the game "The Legend of Twin Swords 3", that would be even more ideal. If one could also share some of the spiritual energy with one's companions, that would be even more interesting.

What happened later made me finally decide to embark on the path of becoming a legendary Chinese super psionic master. I'm not bragging.

---janeadam