Qi is easy to pass on

Chapter 7

The little girl innocently asked, "Grandpa, are you blind?" The old man, Le Shui, smiled and replied, "Yes, Grandpa's eyes aren't working well anymore." The little girl looked at the old man with sympathy, her eyes darting around, and said, "Grandpa, when I grow up, I'll be a doctor and take care of your eyes!" The old man felt a warmth spread through him, as if a gentle fire had been added to his heart. He then took out a few dirty peppermint candies from his pocket and offered them to her, saying, "Children, these are for you." The little girl shyly took them, glancing back at the children behind her. The children behind her, seeing the old man's peppermint candies, were like wolves seeing raw meat; their eyes were fixed on the candies, and their mouths were drooling.

"Take them quickly, children," the old man said with a smile. The little girl realized what was happening, reached out her little hand and grabbed all the candies, saying to the children behind her, "Aren't you going to thank Grandpa?"

"Thank you, Grandpa!" the children said in unison, then went off to share the candy. Only the little girl stayed behind with Old Man Leshui. Old Man Leshui noticed this and asked curiously, "Child, don't you like candy? What will you eat after you've given it to them?" The little girl pouted and said sullenly, "My mom and dad told me to respect the elderly and care for the young." Then her eyes lit up, and she shouted happily, "Dad's here!" Just then, the village head rode up on his old bicycle. After getting off, he picked up the little girl and said, "Lan'er, were you a good girl today?" The little girl proudly replied, "Lan'er was good. Today, Lan'er taught Gouzi and the others the Three Character Classic." The village head chuckled, spun the little girl around twice, and seeing Old Man Leshui beside him, put the child down and said, "Lan'er, go play with Gouzi and the others." With that, the little girl ran off in a flash.

The village chief greeted the old man, Le Shui, respectfully: "Mr. Le Shui, what brings you here?"

"Just came out for a walk to clear my head," the old man from Leshui replied. The village head knew the inside story but didn't dare ask further, lest he hurt the old man's feelings. The old man continued, "Doesn't our village have a proper school? How can we let the children study in this dilapidated house that offers no shelter from the rain or wind?" His tone turned reprimanding. The village head sighed and said, "Sir, it's not that we don't want to build a school for the children. Even if we never leave the village, we still have to pay taxes. These days, the villagers are lucky to have enough to eat; where would we find spare money?"

Old Man Leshui, though willing, was powerless. He sighed, got up, and went home. Just then, Zhou Qiang and Xie Qifeng returned from treating a patient and encountered Old Man Leshui at his doorstep. Zhou Qiang observed Old Man Leshui's expression, wondering what was wrong with his master today; he seemed very unhappy. He stepped forward and helped Old Man Leshui into the house. Xie Qifeng went to the kitchen. He had been a cook in the army, and since Old Man Leshui's death, he had been responsible for all the meals at home without complaint. Zhou Qiang asked Old Man Leshui with concern, "Master, why are you unhappy today?" Old Man Leshui said impatiently, "Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand." He shook his head and went into his room. Zhou Qiang understood his master's feelings perfectly; his master's death had been a huge blow to Old Man Leshui. But Zhou Qiang was mistaken. Old Man Leshui was trying to find a way to build a school for the village children and hire teachers, but the prerequisite was always money, money, money, money, which made Old Man Leshui toss and turn in bed, worried sick. Suddenly, the sound of a car horn entered the village. Old Man Leshui sat up abruptly, muttering with a smile, "The money's here."

A Mercedes-Benz with a Beijing license plate drove into Yinfeng Village, heading straight for Old Man Leshui's house. The car stopped in front of Old Man Leshui's house, and the driver said to the middle-aged man, "Commander Liu, let's go in." The middle-aged man nodded, picked up a bundle of incense from the back seat, and said, "I heard they like to use incense for fortune-telling. Let's go in and test them first." It turned out that the middle-aged man had brought his own incense, fearing that Old Man Leshui and his companions were charlatans who, while claiming to perform incense readings, had tampered with it, adding flammable ingredients to alter the burning rate, causing different burning times, which would then lead to endless bad luck.

Old Man Le Shui was pondering inside, Xie Qifeng was cooking in the kitchen, and only Zhou Qiang was free, so he opened the door for the two. Upon seeing them, Zhou Qiang was startled, then smelled a strong "chicken heart blood" odor, and said nonchalantly, "Oh, more Beijingers." He then led the way into the house. This was just a casual remark to him, but the two newcomers felt a chill run down their spines. They wondered how this young man knew they were from Beijing, speculating that he might have seen their license plate when they entered the village. They hoped so, because everyone has a tendency to expose others' shortcomings. As the middle-aged man thought this, the driver leaned close to him and whispered, "Commander, they actually know we're from Beijing." The middle-aged man nudged him, signaling the driver to remain calm.

Hearing that guests had arrived, Xie Qifeng poked half his body out of the kitchen, sniffed the air, and shouted, "Uncle-Master, we have guests from Beijing!" He then waved to the two men in a friendly manner. This time, the two men were truly speechless, unsure of what to say, and sheepishly went inside. Old Man Leshui also rose upon hearing the commotion, walked to a chair in the outer room, and plopped down. Zhou Qiang brought out two chairs from the side room and placed them in front of the middle-aged man and his driver, who also sat down without any hesitation.

The middle-aged man winked at the driver, who coughed and spoke up, saying, "Sir, I'd like you to tell my fortune." Zhou Qiang took a small stool and sat down next to the old man, saying, "Do you want your fortune told, or your wealth?" The driver, thinking, "What's this brat doing interrupting?" completely disregarded Zhou Qiang. This infuriated Zhou Qiang, who pointed at the driver and gritted his teeth, saying, "You 'child spirit'! Don't bother with fortune telling. You'll die as soon as you get married, try it if you don't believe me!" He stared at the driver defiantly. The old man patted Zhou Qiang's head, signaling him to be quiet. The driver almost cried upon hearing this, thinking, "Someone else is calling me a 'child spirit'." ===================================================================================== Chapter Two: The Body of a Virgin - The Spirit of Brother Yi - Collected and organized by

The driver was shocked by Zhou Qiang's words. He had once met two fortune tellers in Beijing who both said he was a virgin reincarnated and offered to help him break free from his virginity, but he refused. At the time, he didn't believe in such things at all. After thinking it over, the driver remained calm and asked, "Young man, what is a 'child spirit'? Why can't they get married?" Zhou Qiang initially didn't want to pay attention to this unreasonable driver, but after being nudged by the old man Le Shui, he spoke up: "A 'child spirit' is a spirit attendant of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy. In Tai'an dialect, Guanyin is called the Old Lady of Mount Tai. As everyone knows, Mount Tai is not only a place for exorcising evil spirits but also a place for praying for children. Legend has it that Guanyin would bring her spirit attendant to the Mount Tai temple, and seeing the sincerity of the worshipper's prayers, she would release the spirit attendant and grant the benefactor's wish for a son. When the child possessed by the spirit attendant grows up, the spirit attendant must return to Guanyin's side. However, children with weak constitutions and poor horoscopes will die due to the departure of the spirit attendant, and are also called 'child spirits who die young.'" Then Zhou Qiang carefully observed the driver for a while and suddenly noticed a small hole on the driver's earlobe, so he asked, "What's that little hole on your ear?"

The driver was stunned upon hearing this and replied, "I was born with a sore on my ear. I remember when I was little, my mother squeezed it and it popped. It still oozes pus from time to time. I've been to several big hospitals, but they all say it can't be cured. Because of this, no girl has ever wanted to date me." His face darkened as he finished speaking. Seeing the driver's grim expression, Zhou Qiang felt a surge of anger dissipate and said, "If I'm not mistaken, you're a runaway child spirit. Guanyin wanted to kill you, but you dodged and only pricked your ear. Have you ever dreamed of being caught by a Bodhisattva or a deity?" The driver nodded repeatedly.

“That’s right. Luckily you’re not married. If you were married or lost your virginity, the Old Man of the Moon would know you were a child who ran away to earth, and Guanyin would definitely kill you.” Zhou Qiang’s words made perfect sense, and the driver immediately changed his attitude and hurriedly asked, “Is there any way to cure this?”

Just as Zhou Qiang was about to speak, the middle-aged man opposite him interrupted, "Since you can't tell his fortune, then you can tell mine, use this." He then tossed the incense sticks to Zhou Qiang. Zhou Qiang handed the incense to Old Man Le Shui, who was surprised. It seemed these two had come prepared, knowing we could use incense for fortune telling. Zhou Qiang took out an incense burner from under the table and placed it on it. Old Man Le Shui also took out three incense sticks and placed them in the burner. At this moment, the middle-aged man approached, took a syringe stained with blood, and handed it to Zhou Qiang, saying, "I heard you need human blood for fortune telling here. Here, this is my blood. Tell my fortune properly." Zhou Qiang could tell this man had come prepared and dared not be negligent. After everything was ready, the group observed the burning progress of the three incense sticks. The three incense sticks burned steadily, each halfway burned, and the lengths of the sticks were still indistinguishable. The middle-aged man secretly observed the old man and Zhou Qiang's every move, watching to see what tricks they were up to. He had prepared pig's blood, not his own. Whatever fate the old man and the child calculated, it was all nonsense. He would reveal the truth and expose them. But what he saw on Zhou Qiang's face was only innocent confusion.

Suddenly, with a snap, all three incense sticks broke. The middle-aged man and the driver wondered what had happened. Suddenly, Zhou Qiang slammed his fist on the table in anger, jumped up from his chair, and shouted, "Damn it! Is this human blood? You actually tried to fool your old man with animal blood!" The driver, still unaware of what was going on, looked at the middle-aged man curiously. It turned out that the middle-aged man had secretly prepared pig's blood without letting the driver know. The middle-aged man hadn't expected his scheme to be seen through by the young man; he lowered his head, his face flushed, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.

Xie Qifeng, hearing Zhou Qiang shouting from the kitchen, rushed over. Learning that these two strangers were deliberately causing trouble, he and Zhou Qiang tried to push and pull them out of the house. At this moment, Old Man Leshui coughed and said softly, "Ji Ye, Ji Yan, let them go. Since they are guests, why drive them away?" The two men snorted and released them. Little did they know that Old Man Leshui was determined to make a quick buck, all for the sake of the nation's future generations. The middle-aged man straightened his clothes and walked to Old Man Leshui's side, saying, "Sir, we were indeed in the wrong. Now, please tell my fortune properly." He took a small knife from his waist and cut his finger. Old Man Leshui cleaned the pig's blood from the incense burner, then inserted three incense sticks, gesturing for the middle-aged man to drip his blood onto the middle stick.

Zhou Qiang and Xie Qifeng, equally annoyed, gathered around, observing the changes in the incense. Since joining the Qi Yi Sect, they hadn't seen Old Man Le Shui smear blood on the incense, and they watched curiously. After a while, Zhou Qiang explained to Old Man Le Shui, "Master, the first incense stick burns the slowest, the third is already half burned, and the one in the middle with the blood is of a moderate length, forming a downward slope." The middle-aged man also noticed this, thinking that this was the incense he had brought, and he couldn't see any trickery from Le Shui and his companions. Besides, he had first tried to fool them with pig's blood, and they had seen through it. If they were to suspect them again, his plan would likely be ruined.

Old Man Leshui pondered for a moment, then gestured and said, "Sir, please sit down." The driver then moved a chair over for the middle-aged man. Old Man Leshui pointed to the incense and said, "Sir, you see, you just used animal blood, so I can't smear your blood on the incense burner for now. I'm using the 'Environmental Incense Method' from the art of incense divination. This means concentrating your fate on one stick of incense. The incense burner represents your current environment, and the other two sticks represent the people living around you." The middle-aged man gave a vague "Oh," and Old Man Leshui continued, "You see, your fate incense is 'moderate,' which means that in your environment, your status is in the middle."

The middle-aged man thought to himself, "Isn't that right? I have soldiers, squad leaders, and platoon leaders below me, and division commanders, bureau chiefs, and commanders-in-chief above me. I am the brigade commander sandwiched in the middle."

"Look at these three incense sticks; the overall trend is that each one is lower than the last, which means your career is declining. We'll see what your future holds if we keep looking," the old man said mysteriously. Just as the old man said, this middle-aged man's status was indeed declining day by day; otherwise, he wouldn't have come up with this crooked idea of claiming ancestry. But that's another story.

The middle-aged man took out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes, offered them to everyone around, but no one else smoked them. He lit one himself and quietly observed the changes in the incense burner. =================================================================================== Chapter 3 of "The Successor of Qi Yi": Liu Bei's Descendants - The Spirit of Brother Yi - Collected and organized by

The middle-aged man exhaled a smoke ring, recalling his recent troubles. The story began three months ago in Beijing. That day, he and his colleagues were singing and having fun at a karaoke bar owned by a friend. As they were enjoying themselves in the private room, they suddenly heard a sound of things being smashed outside. The middle-aged man and two of his men went out to investigate. It turned out that a group of young thugs in their twenties had sexually assaulted a hostess. The hostess slapped the leader, a blond-haired thug, and they saw him grabbing the hostess by the hair and arguing with the karaoke bar owner, while the other thugs were smashing beer bottles on the ground.

Just then, the middle-aged man came out. The KTV owner, being a friend of the man, looked at him pleadingly. Fueled by alcohol, the middle-aged man grabbed a beer bottle and smashed it over the blond-haired man's head. The blond-haired man writhed on the ground in pain. Several thugs behind him were also eager to join in, but seeing the two burly henchmen beside the middle-aged man, they didn't dare to act. They could only help the blond-haired man up and run away. Before leaving, the blond-haired man threatened to kill the middle-aged man if he ever saw him again. The middle-aged man didn't take it seriously at the time, thinking, "What can a kid in his twenties do to me?"

As the saying goes, nothing is more coincidental than a story. A few days later, the middle-aged man received a phone call saying that the army commander wanted to see him. Overjoyed, thinking he might be getting a promotion and making a fortune, he eagerly went to the army headquarters. But upon entering the office, he saw the blond-haired boy he had beaten standing behind the commander, looking at him smugly. Knowing he was in trouble, the middle-aged man stepped forward and saluted. The commander slowly raised his head, scrutinizing the man with disdain for a moment before saying, "Your name is Liu Jincai, isn't it?" The middle-aged man answered. "Do you know who you beat up?" The middle-aged man stammered, unsure what to say.

"This is the son of Dean Ouyang from the Central Academy of Drama! You dare hit him? Do you even want to keep your job?" The army commander shouted, pointing at the middle-aged man's nose. "Get out of here now!"

The middle-aged man returned home dejectedly, but he felt this was just the beginning. Just as he expected, a few days later, he was ambushed on his way home and beaten severely. The middle-aged man knew what had happened; even if he knew who did it, he could only suffer in silence. He thought it was finally over, but to his surprise, a few days later he received orders to rest at home for three months. Rumors circulated widely in the army that Liu Jincai might be dismissed, but the specific reasons remained unknown. The news quickly reached the middle-aged man's ears, and he began to feel disillusioned with society. His family had been farmers for eight generations; he had finally become a soldier, and after more than twenty years of hard work, he had only reached the rank of brigade commander. To lose that rank so easily was truly painful.

The middle-aged man couldn't sleep for several nights in a row. He gazed at his deceased father's photograph and wept. Suddenly, he remembered the ancestral story his father had told him before his death, and thought, why not give it a try? At the time his father died, he had already been promoted to regimental commander, thinking he would never have to worry about food and clothing again, and had temporarily forgotten about this matter. Now, it suddenly occurred to him; since he was idle at home anyway, he might as well go and complete this task.

Old Man Le Shui coughed, and the middle-aged man finally came to his senses. Looking at the three incense sticks again, the middle one had burned down to the bottom, while the other two were slowly burning. Without Old Man Le Shui needing to explain, the middle-aged man understood the reason; it seemed he really was going to be dismissed. Having finally endured so many years, it seemed all his efforts were about to be in vain. With that thought, the middle-aged man sighed deeply.

The driver, sitting to the side, was extremely anxious and couldn't hold back any longer. He said to Zhou Qiang, "Little Master, please save me! I haven't lived enough yet! Please get rid of the 'virginity curse' inside me!" Tears were slowly welling up in his sincere eyes. Zhou Qiang wasn't a petty person, and seeing how pitiful the driver was, he thought for a moment and then said to Xie Qifeng, "Junior Brother, go and help him break free of the 'virginity curse'." Xie Qifeng agreed and led the driver outside, whispering, "You want to break free of the 'virginity curse', don't you?" The driver nodded hurriedly.

Xie Qifeng chuckled, then came up with an idea: "Now I'm going to test your sincerity! Go to the kitchen and cook the food first, and after we've eaten, we'll give you your virginity, okay?" The driver didn't reply and ran straight into the smoke-filled kitchen. Then Xie Qifeng went into the outer room to see what the middle-aged man would say next.

The middle-aged man looked around, seemingly hesitant to speak. Zhou Qiang, seeing the man's sullen expression, felt uneasy and said impatiently, "Just say what you have to say. There are no outsiders here." The middle-aged man took a deep drag on his cigarette, stubbed it out, and threw it on the ground before beginning to recount his life story.

“My name is Liu Jincai, and I was a brigade commander in the Beijing Military Region. I lost my job because of some friction with someone in Beijing. But before my father died, he told me a shocking secret.” He then looked around warily, and when he saw Zhou Qiang’s impatient face, he continued, “Actually, I am a descendant of the royal family of the Han Dynasty. To go even further back, I am a descendant of Liu Bei.” He then observed the expressions of the old man and the others.

Old Man Leshui, a man of wide experience, didn't show his surprise on his face. Zhou Qiang and Xie Qifeng suppressed their laughter, thinking to themselves, "This society these days loves to make baseless kinship claims. Just because you're surnamed Liu doesn't mean you're a descendant of Liu Bei! Well, if I'm surnamed Zhou, I'll say I'm a descendant of King Wu of Zhou!" Old Man Leshui smiled and said, "And then?"

Liu Jincai noticed Zhou Qiang's expression and explained, "Liu Bei's son, Liu Shan, was commonly known as A Dou. You all know that, right?" Zhou Qiang stood up and said with a smile, "I know, I know, he's the one who can't be helped up..." Before he could finish, Old Man Leshui's right hand was already reaching for his cane. Zhou Qiang knew the meaning of this action and thought, "Oh no, my master is going to hit me." He covered his mouth and sat back down on the stool, like a primary school student attentively listening to a lecture. Liu Jincai's mood improved considerably after Zhou Qiang's outburst, and he finally showed his long-lost smile, saying, "Sir, it's alright. Don't blame your disciple. I'll continue. When Liu Shan was born, Zhuge Liang saw that the restoration of Shu Han was hopeless. After Liu Bei's death, Zhuge Liang secretly arranged twelve concubines for the seventeen-year-old Liu Shan. Soon, seven of the concubines became pregnant. Zhuge Liang summoned these seven pregnant concubines together and carefully observed their birth dates and appearances. He then picked out the ugliest and oldest concubine and banished her from the palace, the reason being that this woman was Zhang..." He was too ugly, fearing it would frighten the emperor. Later, Zhuge Liang died before he could extend his lifespan. After Zhuge Liang's death, Jiang Wan was appointed Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, in charge of state affairs. During Jiang Wan's tenure, although Shu was not as powerful as before, at least it was not annexed by the other two kingdoms. Until the eunuch Huang Hao began to seize power, less than five years later, war reached Shu. Wei launched a major invasion, and with their army at the gates, Liu Shan immediately surrendered, thus ending the Shu kingdom. Afterwards, Liu Shan became depressed and frequently dreamed of his ancestors rebuking him for his incompetence and foolishness, eventually dying of fright. Liu Shan died in Luoyang, leaving behind a son named Liu Xun.

Xie Qifeng couldn't contain himself any longer and asked, "Are you a descendant of Liu Xun?" Liu Jincai shook his head and said with a smile, "Liu Xun only had a few generations before he died without an heir. How could I possibly be his descendant?" Zhou Qiang's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, "I know! You are the descendant of the child born to that concubine who was banished from the palace!"

Liu Jincai slapped his thigh with delight and said, "That's right, exactly!" =================================================================================== Chapter 4: The Secret History of the He Shi Bi Jade - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and organized by

It must be said that Zhuge Liang was truly a master strategist. From the moment Liu Shan was born, seeing his appearance and birth date, he foresaw that the restoration of Shu Han was hopeless. Out of loyalty to Liu Bei, after Liu Shan came of age, he selected several girls with auspicious birth dates to marry him in the palace. Once they were all pregnant, Zhuge Liang gathered them together to examine their pulses and faces. Finally, he discovered that one of the concubines, old and ugly, could continue the Liu family line. Fearing that after his death, enemy forces would attack, and given Cao Cao's ruthless nature, he would not spare the enemy's descendants, Zhuge Liang secretly sent this ugly concubine out of the palace that very night. Before leaving, Zhuge Liang said to the ugly concubine with remorse, "My dear daughter-in-law, it is strange that you have such a capable father, but you carry the only bloodline of the Liu family, the continuation of Shu Han's lineage." He then handed the ugly concubine a package. The ugly concubine, being well-educated and reasonable, felt a great responsibility. After being expelled from the palace, he secretly changed his name and continued the lineage of the Liu family of Shu Han.

The old man nodded and asked, "So what do you mainly want from us?" The middle-aged man's gaze deepened again, and he said, "Sir, please hear me out." He then took out a cigarette and lit it. "This story begins with the He Shi Bi jade. I don't know if you've heard of it."

During the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a skilled jade carver in the state of Chu named Bian He. Once, while traveling, he fortuitously found a piece of raw jade in the Jing Mountains. Knowing it was a rare treasure, Bian He excitedly took it to King Li of Chu. King Li had a blind jade appraiser examine it, who declared it nothing more than an ordinary stone. Enraged, King Li, on charges of deceiving the king, had Bian He's left foot cut off. Bian He was sent home, but he did not harbor resentment towards Chu for losing his foot. After King Li's death, King Wu of Chu ascended the throne. Bian He's son, supporting Bian He, carried the raw jade back to the palace to present it. The jade appraiser, seeing it was still the same worthless stone, informed King Wu. King Wu thought, "You, Bian He, you've deceived my father and now you're deceiving me too!" So he ordered Bian He's right foot to be cut off as well. Bian He's son carried him home, and from then on, Bian He wept every day, until his tears ran dry and then turned to blood, a truly pitiful sight. This continued until King Wu of Chu died and King Wen of Chu ascended the throne. King Wen learned of Bian He's plight and invited him to the palace, asking why he wept so constantly. Bian He replied, "I am not weeping for my two feet, but for the insult of being deceived by the king, a man of loyalty and patriotism." King Wen then immediately had the jade cut open by the royal craftsmen, revealing it to be a rare treasure. Overjoyed, King Wen was about to reward Bian He when he saw Bian He die with a smile on his face. This is the legendary origin of the He Shi Bi jade.

Later, the He Shi Bi jade was acquired by the Qin state and made into an imperial seal. After Liu Bang overthrew the Qin dynasty and established his empire, Ziying presented the imperial seal to Liu Bang. Liu Bang was overjoyed to receive the He Shi Bi jade and immediately cut it into three pieces. One piece was kept as a family heirloom and kept hidden; another piece was passed down as the imperial seal to uphold national prestige; and the third piece was placed in the palace for the concubines to admire. The He Shi Bi jade that later dynasties acquired was only one of these three. When the Western Han dynasty fell, the imperial seal and the He Shi Bi jade jade displayed in the palace were looted by foreign tribes, while the family heirloom jade jade disappeared without a trace.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, eunuchs held immense power, and legend has it that the He Shi Bi jade was split into three pieces. Cao Cao's father, Cao Song, was the adopted son of Cao Teng, a powerful eunuch at the time, and Cao Teng's family treasured one of the pieces of the He Shi Bi. Cao Cao, relying on his adoptive grandfather's position, rose rapidly through the ranks to become prime minister. After Cao Cao's ancestors all died, they passed down a piece of jade to him—the jade seal that was passed down through generations from the He Shi Bi. However, the piece of the He Shi Bi that he kept as a mere ornament unknowingly fell into the hands of Sun Quan.

As for the He Shi Bi jade, a family heirloom, it's well-known that it was in Liu Bei's possession. Liu Bei visited Zhuge Liang's thatched cottage three times; he returned empty-handed the first time, the second time empty-handed, but the third time he brought the He Shi Bi jade to Zhuge Liang. Only then did Zhuge Liang believe Liu Bei's identity, and from then on, the embryonic form of the Three Kingdoms gradually took shape. Zhuge Liang's teacher had told him that the He Shi Bi jade was not only a rare treasure but also an omen of the establishment of a nation.

Furthermore, before his death, Zhuge Liang told his trusted confidant, "Whoever obtains the He Shi Bi jade will obtain the world; within three years, the Central Plains will surely change hands. Whoever obtains Kongming's fan will surely possess the way to rule the country." After saying this, he secretly handed Kongming's fan to his confidant and then died. Legend has it that no one saw this confidant again after Zhuge Liang's death. Until after Liu Shan's death, when his tomb was moved to Leling, an old woman and an old man appeared. The old woman wept bitterly at Liu Shan's burial and then ordered a package to be buried in the tomb. The old man was also deeply moved and ordered a treasure box to be buried in the tomb as well.

Liu Jincai said slowly, "When that ugly concubine left, Zhuge Liang must have given her the He Shi Bi jade, hoping that the descendants she bore for the Liu family would one day be able to complete the great cause of restoring the country. But unexpectedly, that woman actually took the He Shi Bi jade with her to Liu Shan's tomb." He sighed angrily as he spoke.

Zhou Qiang and Xie Qifeng listened from the side, secretly marveling at the incredible history. They never imagined that the vast Three Kingdoms period would contain such a secret. And the unassuming middle-aged man before them was none other than a descendant of Liu Bang and Liu Bei. The old man Le Shui gave an "oh," his face grave, and said, "You mean you want us to help you obtain the Kongming Fan and the He Shi Bi jade, so that you can change your current situation, right?"

Liu Jincai nodded, but Zhou Qiang thought for a moment and realized something was wrong. He hurriedly said, "You mean you want us to go tomb raiding?" He then turned to the old man Leshui and said, "Master, we can't do such a despicable thing." Liu Jincai looked pitifully at the old man Leshui, but the old man Leshui smiled and said, "It's easy, we'll help you. But you'll have to pay 50,000 yuan."

For a Beijing resident, 50,000 yuan is nothing. But Zhou Qiang and Xie Qifeng became curious. In the past, when they helped people out of trouble, Old Man Leshui had never asked for a penny; he always accepted whatever amount was given. Why was he offering such a high price today? Liu Jincai stood up excitedly, afraid that Old Man Leshui would change his mind, and hurriedly said, "Sir, it's a deal. I'll go back and get the money now."

The driver rushed out of the kitchen, his face as black as the bottom of a pot, coughing incessantly. Xie Qifeng went out and asked, "Is the food ready?" The driver nodded, clutching his chest and coughing, tears streaming down his face from the kitchen smoke. Xie Qifeng told the driver to wait outside, went inside to fetch some cinnabar and Xuan paper, and after ascertaining the driver's birth date and time, wrote it on the Xuan paper with cinnabar. Then, with his slender hands, he deftly tore the Xuan paper into paper figures, saying, "Take this to the kitchen and burn it, chanting 'Heaven and Earth are righteous, only I am thinking of you.'" Before Xie Qifeng could hand it over, the driver snatched it and rushed back into the smoke-filled kitchen. Xie Qifeng smiled and shook his head.

The common practice to resolve the fate of a child spirit is to use a substitute person ritual, or in Qi Yi terminology, a death-substitute ritual. A person's birth date is written on a paper effigy with cinnabar, firstly to enhance the effigy's Yang energy, and secondly, to represent the person born on that date. The person must personally resolve the issue, because contact with the effigy allows their Yang energy to flow onto it. Burning the effigy causes the child spirit to believe the person is dead and leave the body to find another host. ======================================================================================= Chapter 5: Three Lifetimes of Gu Fate (Part 1) - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and Organized by

After having lunch at Old Man Leshui's house, Liu Jincai was eager to go back and collect his money. He bid farewell to Old Man Leshui and hurried back to Beijing. After Liu Jincai and his driver left, Zhou Qiang appeared sullen. He didn't understand why his master had taken on this unethical tomb-raiding business and even asked Liu Jincai for a price. Although he didn't show it on his face, Old Man Leshui's intuition didn't miss a thing.

Old Man Leshui put on his cotton-padded coat, fumbled for his cane, and said, "Jiye, Jiyan, come with me for a walk." After saying that, he walked out alone. Although they were angry, the two of them still understood the etiquette of respecting their teacher. So, one on each side, they caught up with Old Man Leshui and helped him with his withered arms.

Following the sound of reading aloud in the distance, the group gradually approached the door of the dilapidated "village classroom." Old Man Le Shui stopped, listening intently to the beautiful reading voice, like a poignant melody. In the music, one could almost hear the joyful chirping of fledgling birds as they soared through the sky. Suddenly, a cold wind blew, and the birds' chirping began to tremble. The hunter's gun was already aimed at the flock. With a snap, a bird fell from the sky, lying in a pool of blood, helplessly making its final struggle.

Tears welled in the old man's eyes as he said, "Children, what can we do?" Zhou Qiang and Xie Qifeng were also moved by the scene before them. The sensible little girl stood on a large rock, reciting aloud, while the children below obediently followed along. Although it was springtime, their thin clothes revealed their shivering. These trembling little bodies huddled together for warmth. Their flushed faces and eager eyes stared ahead. They were experiencing both pain and joy. These are the flowers of our motherland, the successors of the People's Republic of China. What will they use to take over? A hoe? A tractor? Or wheat seeds?

Thinking of this, Zhou Qiang and his fellow disciples couldn't bear to watch any longer. Xie Qifeng suddenly remembered the purpose of Old Man Leshui bringing them out, so he said, "Uncle-Master, I know what we should do." Zhou Qiang nodded repeatedly beside him. Old Man Leshui wiped away his tears and said, "Good children."

Now, let's turn to another story. In a mountain village in Yunnan lived an old woman and her apprentice. What the old woman taught her apprentice was none other than authentic Miao witchcraft. Witchcraft is divided into two main categories: casting spells and poison spells. The old woman taught her beloved apprentice the poison spells. Besides teaching her these rarely used spells, she also taught her to read and write. Eighteen years passed in the blink of an eye. The little girl had grown into a stunningly beautiful young woman. Wherever she went, young men would sang love songs to her. Or rather, when you heard the howl of a wolf, you knew that this girl named Qin Shuang had arrived.

The mountain village was completely out of place in the big cities outside. The old woman chose this place to settle down for two reasons: first, it resembled a secluded paradise described by Tao Yuanming, exceptionally tranquil; second, she wanted to teach her beloved apprentice the art of Gu poison without being disturbed by many people. Every day, new young men would appear at the old woman's house, hoping to catch a glimpse of her apprentice. The old woman placed two snakes suspended in the air above the door lintel to deter these wicked men.

With the number of children in the village increasing, the elders were anxious and decided to hold a village meeting. They planned to make room for the children and select two literate teachers from the village to educate them. An elderly woman, understanding the greater good, offered to be her beloved apprentice as the unpaid teacher, and also chose a married woman to serve as a teacher. The village's new classroom instantly became lively, with children from every household able to attend. Among them were some young men who wanted to take advantage of the situation; their motives are obvious.

That noon, after finishing her lessons with the children, Qin Shuang returned home and prepared lunch. She was having lunch with her master when suddenly the old woman's only front tooth fell out. Qin Shuang opened her large, bright eyes wide and quickly reminded her, "Master, your tooth..." She then pointed to the tooth on the table with her slender finger. To her surprise, she noticed a yellow character, "易" (Yi), engraved on the back of the tooth. The old woman, her eyesight failing, picked up the tooth and examined it, muttering, "Sister Lexi, you still went before me. I haven't forgotten our promise." She then smiled peacefully.

Qin Shuang looked at her master with great confusion, and asked, "Master, what do you mean by that? What's this 'joyful wash' thing? What's this 'agreement'?"

The old woman's eyes began to drift into a distant, hazy gaze, and she said slowly, "Qin Shuang, now it's time to tell you everything. Your true origins."

When Qin Shuang was young and naive, she was filled with envy seeing all the other children in the village with parents. Every day, she would cry and ask the old woman where her own parents were. The old woman, unable to bear her beloved student's daily weeping, told Qin Shuang, "Your parents were soldiers fighting against the Japanese. After you were born, they entrusted you to me. Unfortunately, they perished in the flames of war. Your parents were heroes." From then on, the sensible Qin Shuang never cried again. Whenever she was sad and heartbroken, she would imagine her parents. "They were heroes," she thought, "I am a hero's daughter. I cannot cry."

Upon hearing the old woman's words, Qin Shuang let out a cry and almost jumped onto the table. After calming down a bit, she quietly waited for the old woman to continue.

Long ago, the ascetic traveled far and wide in search of the Four Demons of Chaos. One day, he finally arrived in Yunnan, where he had the good fortune to meet a female master of Gu magic named Mo Lan. Mo Lan and the ascetic became inseparable friends within a day of meeting. Mo Lan admired the ascetic's refinement and conduct, while the ascetic appreciated Mo Lan's knowledge, understanding, and compassion. Gradually, a subtle feeling developed between them, but both were busy with their own missions and had no time for romance. Thus, Mo Lan accompanied the ascetic as they searched all over Yunnan without finding any trace of the Four Demons. The ascetic realized it was time to leave. On the night before his departure, he tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, his mind filled with thoughts of Mo Lan, as did Mo Lan, who lived next door.

The two got dressed, wanting to see each other one last time. They quietly opened the door at the same time, stared at each other, and both shook their heads and laughed.

The two climbed onto the roof and looked up at the sky. The ascetic spoke first: "Lan'er, look, the moon is so round tonight." Moran nodded shyly, replying, "Yes, the moon is so round tonight." But as the camera panned, there was no moon in the sky, only a few faint, scattered stars. It was clear they were hiding something. The ascetic secretly looked at Moran's pretty face, his heart pounding, and he actually mustered the courage to say, "Let's get engaged?" He then covered his face with his hands.

Moran's face flushed crimson, as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard. She stared at the ascetic with her big, watery eyes and shouted, "What did you say? Say it again!"

The ascetic removed his hands, startling Moran. He looked like a beardless Guan Yu (a legendary general known for his ruddy complexion), and the ascetic's face turned a deep crimson with shame. Just as the ascetic was about to repeat his words, the sect leader's token hanging around his neck suddenly emitted a green light and slowly floated to eye level. The ascetic's eyes dimmed. He knew that the patriarch's dying wish had not been fulfilled; how could he have been so foolish? With that thought, the sect leader's token lost its divine power and fell back to its original position.

Moran, observing the ascetic's expression, guessed what was going on, tears of sorrow welling in his eyes. The ascetic quickly comforted him, "Since we can't, let's take on disciples together and have them get married." Having come this far, Moran could only agree. With that, Moran used the profound art of Gu magic—the Love Gu. ===================================================================================== Chapter Six: Three Lifetimes of Gu Fate (Part Two) - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and Organized by

Young men and women in love often try to lock their partner's heart with copper locks at places like the "Love Lock Hall" on Mount Tai and the "Hundred Couples Locking Their Love at the Southern Great Wall." However, Miao girls use a peculiar method to seal their lovers' hearts—the legendary "Love Gu." Love Gu involves a poisonous insect biting both partners, inserting a parasite, also known as a love worm, into the wound. At this time, the parasite doesn't grow or mature; it remains dormant. If one partner's affections change, the parasite, unable to recognize the other's scent, slowly awakens and begins to erode the body. If the couple lives happily ever after, the parasite is buried underground with both partners after their deaths. Some people also remove the parasite from their bodies, nurture it, and prepare it for future use.

Removing the parasites is no easy task; the person who performed the ritual must retrieve the poisonous insect that expelled them. If that insect dies, there's no way to remove the parasites from the body.

There's another version of the story about love potions: first, make a small incision in each person's body, then place two venomous insects, after they've mated, into the wound. The insects will slowly enter their bodies. Using each other's scent, the insects will settle comfortably in the human body. If the couple breaks up, the two insects, unable to find each other's scent, will become restless and eventually devour both of them, leading to their death.

It's rare for lovers to forcibly use love potions; only those who truly cherish each other and trust each other will use this potion.

Seeing Moran take out the spotted black spider, the ascetic felt no fear. He knew this woman wouldn't harm him. Even if she did, his painstakingly learned Qi manipulation technique could easily solve the problem. Moran grabbed the ascetic's arm with one hand and slowly approached, holding the spotted black spider in the other. The ascetic's face contorted in pain from the insect bite, and Moran kindly asked, "Does it hurt?" The ascetic smiled and shook his head.

After a while, the spotted black spider slowly crawled back onto Moran's shoulder. Moran said, "I have placed the spider eggs inside you, so I will find you no matter where you go. When my apprentice grows up, I will teach him to find you." The next morning, the ascetic left without saying goodbye. He was worried that the two would be extremely reluctant to part if they met again, so he couldn't bear to see Moran crying sadly.

Decades later, Mo Lan was old and wrinkled with white hair. She had adopted a girl who had no relatives, and this girl was Qin Shuang's master. Knowing that her lifespan was not long, Mo Lan called the little girl over and said to her, "Child, my days are numbered. Your master once arranged a marriage for you. Go and fetch the Gu Bell." After saying this, the little girl retrieved the Gu Bell from the altar.

Granny Moran opened the Gu Bell, which contained many poisonous creatures, strangely none of which attacked each other. Moran tapped the bell three times with her finger, and a spotted black spider crawled out, its two white antennae clearly visible. Moran grabbed the spider and said, "Go find me where the Ascetic is!" She then placed the spotted black spider on a map of China on the wall. The spotted black spider circled the map once and stopped at the ancient city of Hebei.

Grandma Moran smiled and said, "Child, you see him now. Your unseen husband is right here." The little girl blushed upon hearing this. After a few words of advice, Moran urged the girl to leave her hometown. And so, the little girl packed her bags with the spotted black spider and left Yunnan, heading far away to Hebei.

Meanwhile, in Hebei, an old Taoist priest came to the ascetic's house seeking help. The ascetic then went with the old priest to Maoshan in Changzhou. Only the two poor children, Leshui and Lexi, remained. Leshui, as usual, stood at the door waiting for his master when suddenly a charming little girl with strange attire entered. She had a fair face, captivating eyes, and cherry-like lips. This was Mo Lan's apprentice. Leshui, who had never seen a girl before, was completely dumbfounded.

The girl walked in, looked around, and asked with a smile, "Excuse me, is this where Master Kuxing lives?" Le Shui nodded blankly. The girl said "Oh" and went into the house on her own, calling out in the yard, "Is Master Kuxing home? I am Grandma Moran's apprentice." Le Xi was studying the I Ching inside the house when she heard the call and ran out. Seeing that it was a girl about her age, she said kindly, "My master went to Changzhou. Is there anything I can help you with?"

The girl was also surprised to see Le Xi, thinking, "Wasn't it said that Master Ku Xing's disciple was a man? How come he's a girl? Does this mean I have to be a lesbian with this girl in front of me?" So she asked, "Excuse me, has your master taken any male disciples?" Le Shui also ran in and said eagerly, "That's me. I am the 64th generation senior disciple of Qi Yi and the temporary headmaster."

"You?" The girl looked down on the plain-looking boy in front of her. "When you came in, I thought you were a beggar!" Le Shui was speechless, looking ashamed.

Le Xi, being more astute, asked, "Then why did you choose a male apprentice?" He then gestured for the girl to come inside. The girl then recounted the details of the affair. To prove her identity, she even showed them a spotted black spider, which frightened Le Xi so much that she quickly hugged Le Shui tightly. Le Shui, upon hearing about his impending marriage, blushed and didn't know what to say. He glanced furtively at the girl before quickly averting his gaze and lowering his head. It turned out the girl wasn't shy at all; her eyes were fixed intently on Le Shui.

The girl shook her head, rubbing her forehead, and said disdainfully, "Ugh, what a headache. My future husband is like this. Oh well, I guess I'll have to make do. I can't disobey my master's orders, so I'll reluctantly marry you." Hearing this, Le Xi glanced at the spotted black spider on the table, mustered her courage, and said, "No, you can't marry him!"

"Why?" the girl asked, frowning. At this point, Le Xi stammered and couldn't give a coherent answer. Le Shui wanted to speak, but just as she was about to open her mouth, Le Xi pinched her hard. The girl's eyes darted around, and she said, "How about this, I'll stay here first, and we'll decide what to do when Mr. Ascetic arrives." The girl looked around and said to Le Xi, "Where will I stay tonight? How about I sleep with you?"

"No way!" Le Xi was still quite averse to the girl in front of her. The girl chuckled secretly and said to Le Shui, "How about I sleep with you?" Le Shui's face flushed red instantly, and she covered her face and ran back to her room, giggling to herself. Le Xi, realizing she'd fallen for her trick, quickly changed her expression and said in a affected manner, "Little sister, you should stay with me. This is my room." She pointed to her own room. The girl sighed, thinking, "Why didn't you say that earlier?" With that, she went into her room.

Le Shui lay in his room, his heart pounding, tossing and turning all night, unable to sleep. He wondered why the girl hadn't come in to sleep with him yet. The next morning, the three of them sat in the kitchen eating. Le Xi asked, "Senior brother, why are your eyes dark?"

Le Shui said nonchalantly, "I didn't sleep a wink all night."

"Why?" Le Xi frowned, already figuring out the reason. The girl picked up a bite of food and ate it, saying, "Maybe it's because she misses me."

Le Shui's face flushed again. Just as she was about to laugh, she saw Le Xi's hand reach out and pinch her. She quickly changed her tune and said seriously, "What? I was reading the I Ching last night." Le Xi wasn't so easily fooled. She said with a dark face, "Then why didn't you turn on the light?" Then came Le Shui's scream.

The girl spent a few days in Hebei and gradually developed feelings for the ordinary-looking Le Shui. She felt he was honest and kind, and that he always performed unexpectedly well during the exorcisms she witnessed. However, with the interference of Sister Le Xi, the two could never be together.

Once, a family in the village was possessed by a ghost. Three people arrived uninvited. Although they eliminated the ghost, the ghost attacked Le Shui while he was casting a spell. The girl dared not use her Gu poison, as it could only harm people, not ghosts. So she blocked Le Shui's path and was punched in the face by the ghost, knocking out one of her front teeth. After the incident, although all three received their payment, none of them were happy. Le Xi, though disgusted by the girl who used Gu, had inevitably developed feelings for her after living together for so long. Le Xi took the money he received and took the girl to the dentist to get her front tooth fixed. Before the tooth was installed, Le Xi used a Soul-Destroying Thorn to carve the character "Yi" on the back of the tooth, meaning that the girl should always remember the days she spent with the successor of Qi Yi.

If the girl had stayed a little longer, she would surely have married Le Shui. But things didn't go as planned. One day, the girl learned that Le Shui could also tell fortunes, so she asked him to do so. Le Shui said that a family member would die within seven days. The girl realized that her only remaining relative was her master. She then burst into tears.

The next day, the girl packed her bags to leave Hebei. Before leaving, she took out a spotted black spider and bit the old man Le Shui, saying with a look of emotion, "Brother Le Shui, since I cannot marry you in this life, let our apprentice continue our predestined relationship." After saying that, she left without looking back. On the day she left, Zhang Xiaodao from Maoshan happened to come, so Le Shui and Le Xi were not overly sad.

The girl returned to her hometown in Yunnan. As soon as she entered the village, she heard the sounds of suona horns and other musical instruments. She knew someone in the village had died. But when she arrived at her doorstep, she found that it was her own master who was dead. The girl ran to Granny Mo Lan's body and wept bitterly for a whole day. =================================================================================== Chapter Seven: The Journey Begins - The Spirit of Brother Yi - Collected and organized by

When the old woman finished speaking, her eyes were filled with complex emotions. Was it sadness? Resentment? Helplessness? Or relief? These were things that Qin Shuang, a girl not yet twenty, could not comprehend. "Master, what should I do?" Qin Shuang asked. The old woman, having regained her composure, replied, "You must go find Master Le Shui, who is far away in Hebei, and marry his apprentice! Quickly go and fetch the Gu Bell."

Qin Shuang brought over the Gu Bell, her face full of displeasure. "Master," she said, "I've never met Mr. Le Shui's disciple before, how could I possibly have feelings for him? Aren't you being too hasty?" Hearing this, the old woman's eyes dimmed. Qin Shuang, not being an unreasonable girl, quickly changed her tune, "Master, I understand, I'll go." The old woman's sorrow turned to joy, and she ordered Qin Shuang to open the Gu Bell. A spotted black spider slowly crawled out. To say it was spotted black was a bit inaccurate, as the spider was entirely white and looked quite old. The old woman stretched out her arm, and the spotted black spider slowly crawled onto her hand. She stroked the spider as she said, "Child, this is the spotted black spider of our Gu Arts sect's Three Lifetimes of Love. Take it, and take it with you, along with the Gu Bell." Qin Shuang looked inside the Gu Bell; she recognized the creatures inside—a large white snake, a centipede, and so on.

The old woman knew that the ascetic master had sealed off the Four Demons of Chaos in Hebei, so the Qi Yi Sect members had to guard Hebei. She was certain that the old man Le Shui was in Hebei. The next day, Qin Shuang went to the school and delegated the task of educating the children to another teacher. Teachers have an occupational hazard: the more students they have, the happier they are, as it makes them feel proud. The teacher was quite happy to hear this, and after Qin Shuang left, she went to the classroom to tell the students the news. Unexpectedly, except for a few little children, all the older students had left. This made the teacher both angry and ashamed.

And so Qin Shuang left the village, bought a train ticket, and embarked on her future journey. The train sped along, and Qin Shuang gazed out the window, lost in thought, imagining what her future husband would look like: tall, with bronze skin, captivating eyes, and a charming smile… Just then, a pair of hands landed on her shoulders. Qin Shuang turned around and saw a young man in his early twenties. He was fairly handsome, and with a wicked grin, he said, “Miss, would you like to be friends?” He occasionally tossed his bangs to show off. Qin Shuang replied disdainfully, “Get lost.” The young man seemed not to believe what he was hearing, and asked with a fierce expression, “Miss, did I hear that right? You told me to get lost?” Suddenly, a white snake crawled out of Qin Shuang's bag, climbed onto her body, coiled around her neck twice, and flicked its tongue at the young man. Qin Shuang continued looking out the window and replied, "That's right, I told you to get lost." Suddenly, the white snake opened its blood-red mouth, scaring the young man so much that he scrambled away and disappeared from the carriage in a flash.

But let's turn to another story. The next morning, Liu Jincai and his trusted driver arrived in a flurry, carrying bulging bags of cash. Upon entering, they saw a fat man in the room. Without giving it much thought, they gave the money to the old man, Le Shui. Unexpectedly, the old man didn't even look at it before handing the money bag to the middle-aged fat man. The fat man smiled broadly and thanked them profusely. Liu Jincai quietly pulled Zhou Qiang aside and whispered, "Little Master, who did your master give the money to?"

Zhou Qiang proudly said, "This middle-aged man is our village head. My master gave him all his money to build a primary school for our village." Zhou Qiang glanced at his master and saw him talking to the village head. He leaned close to Liu Jincai's ear and whispered, "Let me tell you. My master said that tomb raiding is very risky, and we might even shorten our lifespan. But for the sake of the village children, my master said the risk is worth taking." Liu Jincai was deeply moved by this. He thought about how people in big cities were thinking about how to spend money and how to have extravagant spending. Some people had spent hundreds of thousands on a single meal. Meanwhile, the children in the village had to drop out of school for a hundred yuan tuition fee.