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

Chapter 8

Her once smooth face was now blackened, but her beautiful eyes shone with a deep affection as vast as the ocean. She stared at me without blinking, her head gently resting on my shoulder.

She gently stroked my face and said, "Tianyizi's most formidable feature is its true form. It has already attained divine power and has no weaknesses whatsoever. It cannot be destroyed by human magic. However, its spiritual gate is quite fragile. Back then, Prince Wu used his spirit to enter its spiritual gate through self-destruction, forcing it to return to the magnetic land and thus repairing the seal."

At this moment, all the eerie winds, tornadoes, and evil spirits automatically contracted towards the black pillar, making it grow larger and larger. Then, with a loud thud, the earth trembled, and the wind and clouds immediately changed color. A leg covered in red hair stepped out of the black pillar, and soon, the true body, exactly like Tianyizi's clone, stepped out. Unlike the clone, this one was a completely solid entity. Its enormous body caused everything to shake when it stepped on the ground.

All the eerie winds and black mists, ten times more furious than before, began to rage. The inner darkness roared, evil spirits screamed, and the underworld, filled with countless ghosts, was eerie, terrifying, dark, and grotesque, a chaotic mess.

"Hahaha, four hundred years, four hundred years! Now let's see who has the ability to stop me from coming out! I will be the only one in the world, and who will contend with me!" This scoundrel could actually speak human language. Not only that, I also saw him breathing fire all over his body and holding a long spear-like object that shot out flames as he walked towards us step by step.

Xiaoyue, with a force that seemed to come from nowhere, pushed me dozens of meters away. She stood up, walked over, and sneered:

"Look at your broken spear! It's just the Netherworld Fire Dragon Spear, one of the five great divine weapons of the underworld. I can shatter it with a single finger!"

"What a brat! How dare you speak so arrogantly! But since you managed to defeat three of my clones, I'll let you taste the power of the Fire Dragon Spear!" Tian Yizi laughed wildly, and the spear in his hand immediately transformed into a pillar of fire, shooting towards Xiaoyue. The spear tip resembled a dragon's head, its mouth opening and closing, spewing flames.

I rushed over frantically, yelling, "No!"

Just as the Fire Dragon Spear was about to pierce Xiaoyue, it suddenly stopped in mid-air a meter away.

“I forgot to tell you, because of past mistakes, in order to prevent other spiritual cultivators from entering my spiritual gate, I have already imbued the Fire Dragon Spear with black magic,” Tian Yizi said sinisterly, “It can directly send you into the Earth’s magnetic field, never to be reincarnated.”

Xiaoyue's expression changed drastically. Before she could react, the Fire Dragon Spear shot over like lightning.

---janeadam

Reply [35]: More than ten years later, I often told my youngest apprentice at the Linshui Temple—my beautiful and obedient little daughter—about the thrilling scene at that time:

"In the blink of an eye, the Fire Dragon Spear transformed into a blazing fire dragon and shot towards your mother..."

I rushed forward like lightning—after all that nonsense from Tianyizi, I finally arrived just in time to block Xiaoyue's chest with the Fire Dragon Spear, placing my own chest in front of the spear.

Amid Xiaoyue's cries and screams, the Fire Dragon Spear silently melted into my chest.

Strangely, I did not experience a huge impact, nor did I feel much burning or pain; I only felt something in my chest become hot.

Ah, I thought I was going to die for sure, but then I suddenly remembered the phoenix-shaped jade pendant that Xiaoqingzi gave me!

The life-saving jade pendant actually absorbed the entire Fire Dragon Spear into its tiny body.

Then the jade pendant emitted a strong red light, and in an instant, it shone with dazzling brilliance.

When I couldn't open my eyes, the jade pendant automatically broke free from my neck and transformed into a fire phoenix that was a meter long. The phoenix circled around my head once and then let out a clear cry as if to show off to Tianyizi.

Then, a red figure slowly flew out from the ground of the main hall of the Lin Clan Ancestral Hall and flew towards the fire phoenix. The fire phoenix seemed to see its master and gave a clear cry, and went to meet it. To everyone's (including Tianyizi's) astonishment, the two red lights merged into one.

The fire phoenix let out a long cry to the sky, then shot towards Tianyizi like lightning, like a sharp rocket.

"It's Senior Wu Beier!" Xiaoyue exclaimed with delight.

Tianyi screamed and ran back in panic, but his large and clumsy body could not run far. In the blink of an eye, the fire phoenix caught up with him and suddenly plunged into his body.

The world stood still for a moment.

Suddenly, with a deafening bang, Tianyizi exploded into countless pieces of fire from the inside out, and at the same time, wave after wave of scorching and violent air waves rushed towards us.

Xiaoyue immediately tackled me to the ground, shielding me with her body, while I immediately gathered my protective inner energy to block all the fireball fragments.

Her face was so close to mine, tears streaming down her face, her beautiful eyes even clearer and filled with boundless affection. My own eyes welled with tears, and I could no longer hold back. I held her head tightly and kissed her delicate, warm lips, as soft as a flower…

"What happened next? Did you—" the youngest daughter asked curiously, looking a bit precocious.

I immediately curled my knuckles and gave her a flick on the forehead, pretending to be angry, and said, "The following content is not suitable for children! Now go do your homework, or your mother will scold me for spoiling you again."

After an unknown amount of time, the shockwave finally subsided, and the dark wind and fog dissipated. The sky began to lighten, and the morning breeze, carrying the fragrance of flowers and grass, cleansed everything.

Xiaoyue and I stood up, our clothes tattered, our hair disheveled, and our faces unrecognizable. The sight before us left us speechless: the once magnificent Lin family ancestral hall, which resembled a palace, had been reduced to ruins of broken bricks and walls. In front of the ancestral hall's plaza, there were burn marks everywhere, but fortunately, these kinds of eerie fires wouldn't cause a major fire.

A phoenix-shaped jade pendant fell from the sky, and I gently caught it.

At that moment, a golden figure suddenly appeared in mid-air, scattering thousands of golden rays that enveloped all the spirits in the shadows.

In the depths of our hearts, a beautiful and melodious song resounds:

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

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

This Han Dynasty jade phoenix pendant was a token of love I gave to Yu Zhi, one of the three great sacred artifacts of the Sanlu Sect. Today, through the hands of Yu Zhi's descendant, I have finally fulfilled my mission and am going to reincarnate to be with my beloved, who has waited a hundred years. You must cherish your destiny in this life, for spring days are long, and autumn winds may come early!

In a golden light, including the five hundred wronged souls of Gantian Village, countless spirits that survived this war between humans and gods followed Wu Beier's golden body into the sky, shooting towards the far north like a dazzling meteor shower.

This is the most spectacular and moving meteor shower we've ever seen in our lives. Our hearts are pounding with excitement because tomorrow, another batch of lives will be born.

---janeadam

Reply [36]: Information:

1. Talismans: What are talismans? A "spell" is a language for issuing commands, and a "talisman" is a manifestation of the power of gods and Buddhas, and also a tool for striking "people." To put it simply, talismans are actually just a medium for communicating with the power of gods. Through the activation of talismans by a shaman, the power of various gods and spirits, such as heaven, earth, sun, moon, stars, wind, clouds, thunder, rain, mountains, rivers, seas, water, and fire, can be borrowed to amplify the shaman's spiritual energy and unleash more powerful spells. Therefore, to practice talisman magic, one should sense the spiritual energy field of the sun, moon, stars, wind, clouds, thunder, lightning, yin and yang, the five elements, mountains, rivers, and lakes in the world.

The talismans used must be refined and infused with the spiritual energy of the practitioner to be effective in commanding ghosts, exorcising demons, and performing rituals to liberate souls. When drawing the talisman, one must relax the mind and body, concentrate on the brush tip, and focus on the incantation while drawing. It must be completed in one continuous motion, without interruption or disorder.

When casting a spell, shouting the concluding phrase can increase its power and momentum. Concluding phrases like "By the command of the Great Perfection True Man, hasten as the law commands," are the decree of the spell. Others, such as "By the command of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Goddess Soldiers, hasten as the law commands," instruct the divine soldiers and generals that the spell is performed on the orders of a certain deity. They must swiftly comply with the heavenly decree and mobilize their troops without delay. "Hastily as the law commands" and "Divine soldiers hasten as the law commands" are the final phrases of the incantation.

A. The Kunlun Thunder Talisman is one of the Taoist Shangqing (Maoshan) talismanic arts introduced from Fujian. It utilizes the most powerful thunder god's power to vanquish ghosts and evil spirits, command gods and ghosts, suppress demons and evil, cure diseases, protect homes, eliminate disasters and misfortunes, and strike down all evil spirits, causing their souls to be scattered and never to be reborn. It is the most profound of offensive talismanic arts, possessing a powerful and domineering nature, but it consumes a large amount of the caster's spiritual energy. If a blood incantation is added, its power becomes immeasurable.

B. Blood Curse: This involves placing the spellcaster's blood on the talisman's core. This enhances the spellcaster's spiritual power and the speed of communication with the divine power they are relying on, thus doubling the power of the spell.

2. Ghosts:

The *Eastern Soul Studies* states that the soul is composed of negative matter information waves. These negative information waves belong to energy-type virtual matter, essentially "energy factors," which can be understood as a group of energy information. Energy can be converted into particle matter, just as matter can be converted into energy. This soul matter is actually a group of soul energy; if converted into matter, it would be approximately equal to 7.1 grams. Therefore, when the soul leaves the body, the original body's weight decreases by 7.1 grams.

The body of a ghost is a body formed by the gathering of qi. It does not have a fixed body to protect it, so its body is easily dispersed. It is easily damaged when exposed to strong heat and light.

3. 忝衣子

The infamous Straight-Burning Rebellious Ghosts appear at specific times, specifically on the 15th day of the ninth month of the Jiazi year, which cycles every sixty years according to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. Tianyizi is one of the 60 most powerful Straight-Burning Rebellious Ghosts, active in the southeast. He is five zhang tall, with a human-like body that can split into three, red-haired and naked, with ears but no eyes, capable of flying thousands of miles. He is vicious, unfilial, and wreaks havoc on the people. People remember him daily, and other ghosts dare not approach. These 60 evil ghosts have always been sealed within the earth's magnetic field, but on a certain day each year, they become unusually active, their spiritual power breaking the seal and disrupting the spirit world. Nearby earthbound spirits become increasingly malevolent and resentful, thus killing living beings.

---janeadam

Reply [37]: Chapter Seventeen: Joyful Reunion

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The sun slowly rose, enveloped in a rosy glow, illuminating the world. The chirping of insects and the warbling of birds filled the air, and all things were full of life. Several colorful butterflies fluttered among the flowers and grass, while white clouds drifted across the sky. Eagles circled in the air early in the morning, searching for their food.

After washing up at a nearby pond and looking somewhat presentable, we laughed and chased each other toward Gantian Village.

"You're awful! You didn't even die, making people say so many embarrassing things in front of you. You have to make it up to me!"

"It's okay, I've said a lot of embarrassing things too. We're all just comparing who's the eldest and who's the second!"

"You're shameless; you've said those things so many times before. I don't care, you have to pay me back!"

"Okay, okay, I'll give you a husband in return, that's a lifetime's treasure! But first, let me kiss you, hee hee—" I leaned forward like the Monkey King, wanting to kiss her smooth, delicate cheek that she had just washed, but she immediately dodged away.

"I'm not embarrassed, is it?!" Her face was flushed, but she exuded immense happiness.

As we walked out of the grove, we saw Ya Xian, Fang Long, and A Feng rushing towards us like a whirlwind. A Feng cried and threw himself into Xiao Yue's arms.

Ya Xian and Fang Long winked at me, and Ya Xian boasted:

"I knew it all along, you two are a match made in heaven, together you're bound to turn bad luck into good. By the way, tell us what happened back then!"

Fang Long circled me a few times, then asked suspiciously, "How did you get a cut on your little finger? Did you swear a blood oath with someone, or secretly pledge your life to them?"

Xiaoyue and I recounted the whole process, of course, omitting some intimate details about Xiaoyue and me, which are our sweetest private matters!

"So that sorcerer Wu is actually our ancestral master! By the way, is she beautiful?" Fang Long asked.

I scratched the back of my head and thought for a moment. "I didn't see it clearly. At that time, I only saw a red light, and she merged with the fire phoenix that Feng Pei had transformed into. But her voice was very beautiful, like a nightingale."

"Is it as good as Xiaoyue?" Yaxian deliberately made things difficult for me.

“Then you’ll have to ask Xiaoyue. If you really want to know, they each have their own merits, including their temperament and courage.” I said carefully, turning back to look at Xiaoyue, who was pretending to be nonchalant but was actually listening attentively. She turned back and smiled sweetly at me.

Xiaofeng whispered in Xiaoyue's ear, "Sis, my boss is pretty good, right? You can consider it!"

Xiaoyue gently pinched her little brother's cheek.

"Where's the treasure? So you didn't find it?" Fang Long asked anxiously after I told him about the Lin family ancestral hall being burned down.

"It's all ruins now. If you want to find it, you might have to send an excavation team to explore again. But whatever you do, don't unearth another Tianyizi, or you'll be in serious danger," I said with a smile.

“Actually, there is no treasure.” Ya Xian said leisurely. “That day you eavesdropped on Master and me talking, but you only heard half of it. The treasure that Master was talking about was actually Grandmaster Wu Beier.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a heavy object fell to the ground with a thud.

"Thank you for allowing the five hundred wronged souls of Gantian Village to ascend to heaven and be reincarnated," Lin Caixia said in our hearts.

"Hey, why aren't you reincarnated yet?" I asked.

"So what if I'm reincarnated? I'll forget everything. I'll be a baby, learning to speak from infancy. It's not as fun as being a ghost. Besides, I really can't bear to leave you all. You've helped me so much, I have to repay you." The ghost lady's words made Fang Long and me exchange bewildered glances. Thinking about how a ghost was constantly spying on us, would we still dare to be so unrestrained in the future, like looking at pornographic websites, blowing kisses to women on the street, or making pen pals online?

---janeadam

Reply [38]: I nodded with a dry laugh and said, "That's right, if you were also given a rite of passage, Zhu'er would definitely come after me."

On Friday, we spent the whole day settling the villagers who were returning one after another. We told them that the haunted house had been destroyed and that no more strange things would happen in the village. Although the villagers were surprised, they were very satisfied. They had an extraordinary adoration for Xiaoyue's holiness and beauty.

We didn't start descending the mountain until evening.

At the entrance to the national highway at the foot of the mountain, I saw a group of people coming up the mountain. From the noise, I realized they were students and their parents. Upon closer inspection, I found it was Xiaoling and Zhu'er, along with some other students from their class. In addition, Xiaoling's mother and Zhu'er's parents were also there.

When they saw me, they all ran over, with Zhu'er and Xiaoling leading the way.

Ah Feng said with ill intent, "Boss, your little lover is here to see you."

I turned to Xiaoyue beside me and said affectionately, "I want to go back with them."

Xiaoyue nodded her head gently in understanding, as gracefully as a white swan, then reached out and straightened my collar, saying in a low voice that only I could hear, "I will always wait for you."

Fang Long asked, puzzled, "Boss, now that you're on our side, why do you still want to hang out with these ordinary people?" Ya Xian and A Feng nodded repeatedly.

"Can you stand a life where you work in the same school every day, sit at the same desk, go to the same classroom, teach the same textbooks over and over again, teach the same lessons year after year, assign homework that doesn't require any brainpower, drink tea and chat, play mahjong and slack off...?" Fang Long said.

"It's nothing, it's my responsibility. I want to watch those students grow up and mature. And my parents, I want to take care of them. Now I know what I need to do. Love and responsibility are the purpose and joy of our lives."

I walked over, and Xiaoling ran up to me, her eyes reddening, and said happily, "Teacher! Teacher, I know you'll be alright. God will surely bless a good person like you."

“I say it will bring disaster for a thousand years,” Pearl said quietly from the side, but her eyes were red, clearly she hadn’t slept all night.