Exorcising Evil - Chapter 5
---hqszs
Reply [18]: Wenqing, it's time to get up. Yaxuan woke Wenqing up. Wenqing looked around and said, "What time is it now?"
Ya-hsuan: "It's time to have dinner."
Wenqing: "Oh, I understand."
Ya-xuan: "By the way, your grand-uncle told you to eat your fill and then go to his house to find him."
Wenqing: "Yes! I will go."
After the meal, Wenqing went to his master's house.
Master Uncle: "I think next week will do."
Wenqing: "So rushed?"
Master Uncle: "Because there's an auspicious day next week."
Wenqing: "Okay! Next week then."
Master Uncle: "Then I will start sending out invitations."
Wenqing: "Should I ask my master to come?"
Uncle-Master: "I think it's unnecessary. Wait until you get good results, then come find him and give him a surprise."
Wenqing: "This isn't a good idea."
Uncle-Master: "Alright, if your master blames you in the future, just say I told you."
Wenqing couldn't refuse, so she nodded. Her master said, "If the temple goes into flames, you'd better do a good job."
Wenqing: "I will."
The following week, Wenqing got up very early because there were many things to do that day. The temple was being set ablaze that day, and the main deity had to be none other than Guiguzi, the patriarch of the Junmen sect.
Many local gentry came that day, and the various processions made the scene very lively. Ya-xuan was overjoyed and took pictures everywhere with her camera.
When the appointed time arrived, Wenqing began to set up the five camps. All the believers followed Wenqing to worship around the temple. Finally, they invited the main deity into the temple. Wenqing carefully placed the statue of the ancestral master on the altar and began to purify the altar. Wenqing then began to read the opening document to the heavens and earth. After all the ceremonies were over, Wenqing began to tell fortunes and perform rituals. On the first day of the temple's opening, Wenqing was extremely busy.
Uncle said to Ya-xuan, "I didn't expect everything to go so smoothly."
Ya-xuan looked at Wen-qing sitting at the desk and said happily, "Yes, that's great."
That evening, after Wenqing finished taking a bath, just as she was about to go to sleep, Yaxuan asked her, "Were you very happy today?"
Wenqing looked at Yaxuan expressionlessly: "I don't know, I really don't know."
---hqszs
Reply [19]: Up!!!
---angelina79
Reply [20]: (7) reputation
The temple gradually got on track, and more and more people came to ask Wenqing for help. Because Wenqing was busy with his work, all the temple affairs were taken over by his uncle. However, Yaxuan was still constantly asking Wenqing all sorts of questions.
"Wenqing! The temple has only been open for less than a month, and you've already achieved such results. That's quite impressive!" Uncle said happily to Wenqing during a break.
Ya-xuan chimed in, "Yes, I think your master would be very happy to know."
When Wenqing heard what the two of them said, he didn't respond, but just nodded. His grand-uncle noticed that Wenqing wasn't very happy, so he asked, "Are you still worried about your master being crippled?"
Wenqing nodded: "Yes!"
Master Uncle: "You don't need to worry too much about that. Look at the achievements of our temple now. Even if your master is crippled, you won't have to worry about making a living in the future!"
Wenqing: "I'm not worried about Master being crippled, but rather, will Master really come and live with me?"
Master Uncle: "Why don't you know how?"
Wenqing: "My master has never accepted any favors from others, including us fellow disciples. He once said that he would rather starve to death than not do anything. He would also use this to talk to me and my fellow disciples during class."
Uncle-Master: "He has a lot of backbone, but I think he will come. It's just a matter of what reason to give him to come."
Wenqing: "What reason?"
Master Uncle: "What if we asked him to come and guide you instead of letting you raise him? I think he would definitely move here so that he can teach you."
Wenqing: "If only it could be like that."
Uncle-Master: "Does he really intend to scold you for your grades today?"
Wenqing did not answer. Master Uncle said, "Alright, don't overthink it. Things will work themselves out."
"Wenqing, what's bothering you?" Wenqing turned around and it was none other than her senior brother, Mulong.
Wenqing: "No!"
Mu Long: "Don't lie to me. Your feelings are written all over your face. What's wrong?"
Wenqing: "Senior brother, you've been with Master for ten years. Do you think Master would let his disciple support him?"
Mu Long: "No way! Knowing his personality, he would never do it even if you beat him to death."
Wenqing: "Yes, that's what I'm worried about too."
Mu Long: "What are you worried about?"
Wenqing: "Recently, I've heard many rumors that are detrimental to my master."
Mu Long: "What rumor?"
Wenqing: "I heard that my martial uncle has gathered many elders in an attempt to depose my master from his position as sect leader."
Mu Long: "What do you think?"
Wenqing: "If that's really the case, I certainly hope I can help my master in some way. I don't mean supporting him, but rather enabling him to live a peaceful and stable life."
Mu Long: "You must know that for people in the Junmen, reputation is their most important thing. In other words, if someone tries to harm Master today, Master will do everything in his power to reclaim what he already has."
Wenqing: "But if these elders really team up, it will be very disadvantageous for Master!"
Mu Long: "If that day ever comes, remember that you must fight for your master, not take him away with you, because your master will not leave. I think the other junior brothers and sisters should do the same. Alright, let's not talk about those things anymore. Today I'm here to teach you divination. Are you ready for class?"
Wenqing: "Hmm!"
Mu Long: "Today we'll talk about...!"
---hqszs
Reply [21]: "Wenqing! Wenqing!" Yaxuan patted Wenqing's shoulder, and Wenqing woke up.
Ya-hsuan: "Are you too tired?"
Wenqing: "It's alright!"
Ya-xuan: "Why have you been sleeping on your desk all the time lately?"
Wenqing: "Let's replenish our energy!"
Ya-hsuan: "Are you hungry?"
Wenqing: "Yes, a little."
Ya-hsuan: "Let's go to the night market and grab something to eat."
Wenqing agreed, and the two headed to the night market.
When the two arrived at the night market, Wenqing simply followed behind Yaxuan without saying much. Seeing Wenqing like this, Yaxuan had no choice but to pull Wenqing to play at each stall.
Just then, Wenqing saw a person dressed in Tang suit in the distance, accompanied by four or five young people. Wenqing stared in a daze, and Yaxuan called him for a long time without response. Yaxuan waved her hand in front of Wenqing's face before he came back to his senses.
Ya-hsuan asked, "What exactly did you see?"
Wenqing: "I saw another influential person from Beijun."
Ya-xuan: "Who is he?"
Wenqing: "He is my grandfather's junior brother."
Ya-hsuan: "Why don't you go over and say hello?"
Wenqing: "He shouldn't have been here at all."
Ya-xuan: "How so?"
Wenqing: "Because he doesn't live here at all, and his busy schedule makes it impossible for him to come here."
Ya-hsuan: "What does that mean?"
Wenqing: "It seems that the rumor that my master has been crippled is no longer true."
Ya-hsuan: "You mean he's here to join the movement that's ruining your master?"
Wenqing: "After my uncle lost the magic contest to my master, my uncle-master has always had a problem with my master becoming the sect leader. And this time, he went south for no reason. It seems that my master's removal from the sect is not far away."
Ya-hsuan: "Does he have that much influence?"
Wenqing: "He controls the rulers north of Hsinchu, and his status is third among the northern rulers. With the addition of my uncle's power, it would be very easy for the northern rulers to depose my master."
Ya-xuan: "Then what should we do?"
Wenqing: "It seems I really have to bring my master out."
Ya-hsuan: "Then you really have to work hard from now on."
Wenqing nodded without saying much, quietly watching his grandmaster leave.
---hqszs
Reply [22]: 8) Legal text
Back home, Ya Xuan noticed Wen Qing's grave expression and urged him to rest early. Wen Qing returned to his room and, seeing his backpack, realized he hadn't organized it in a long time. He began to tidy it up and found the mantra his master had given him. He started studying it, and as he read, he discovered a new chapter in his master's handwriting. Wen Qing saw that it contained many accounts of the Northern and Southern Lords. He studied it intently, from the Northern Lord's initial contest with the Southern Army to the Southern Lord's eventual seclusion in the mountains. The text detailed how the Northern and Southern Lords had reached their second generation. The Northern Lord's leader, wanting to reclaim the Southern Lord's ancestral token, began recruiting soldiers and rapidly expanding, which caused significant problems with the Northern Lord's lineage.
From entry to becoming a master, there is no need to go through rigorous selection and testing. This later led to other branches of the Northern Masters establishing their own independent factions. However, thanks to the efforts of the Northern Master's leader at the time, things did not get out of control. Nevertheless, the Northern Masters themselves no longer follow the rules of the sect.
As the power of the Northern Lord expanded, the Southern Lord began to retreat into the mountains and forests and no longer came out. However, the Northern Lord's ambition for the Ancestral Master's Decree did not diminish. He began to send people to inquire about the Southern Lord's whereabouts. Later, when the Northern Lord's leader passed away and a third generation took over, the various small factions, in order to strengthen their own power, even made it a matter of becoming a Lord by becoming a disciple. The spirit of the Northern Lord was completely lost.
The Monarchs gradually formed three major forces, and each force began to seek the magic of other sects to enhance its own power. Later, they systematically swallowed up other small sects and then controlled the media. The Northern Monarchs were at their zenith, while the Southern Monarchs, due to the tacit understanding that they would not accept disciples, had fewer and fewer successors.
By the fourth generation of the Northern Lords, the three major factions began to fight amongst themselves, and the main lineage was eventually destroyed. The position of sect leader was inherited by the disciple of the sect leader's junior sister at the time. After the fifth generation sect leader took over, he began to organize the laws within the sect and then began to clean up the sect, determined to find the inherited laws that belonged to the Northern Lords themselves.
Later, the most important event of the Northern King's deposition occurred, in which dozens of people were expelled from the King's clan. These deposed kings then went their separate ways and gradually formed several factions. Their pursuit of wealth greatly damaged the image of the King's clan.
The Jun Clan launched a second purge, and the deposed Jun began to disappear. At this time, the Southern Jun and the Northern Jun made contact for the first time. The two leaders fought a magical duel, and the Southern Jun won. The Northern Jun promised not to bother the Southern Jun anymore, and the two began to have positive interactions. The two leaders took out their magic manuals to compare. The Northern Jun found that many of the magic manuals were not from the Jun Clan, but belonged to some unorthodox sects. After the Northern Jun sorted them out, they were stolen soon after. The Southern and Northern Jun began to work together to find the lost magic manuals, because there was a magic manual in it that could awaken the Ghost King. If someone practiced this magic manual, they would merge with the Ghost King into one, commonly known as the Human-Ghost-God Merging Magic Manual. However, this matter had not been found even by the sixth generation.