The Three Ghost Stories of Jinzhong Two Tai Sui Destroy the City - Chapter 6
"Just now, when I was at home, my heart was still shaken by the horrific scene I witnessed at Director Zhang's house. It wasn't until I calmed down and carefully recalled those things that I realized these things must have always been there, because I could see hatred in their eyes. Later, when I dredged up all the strange phenomena I knew from my memory, I thought of Tai Sui. The moment I thought of it, I even forced myself not to think about it anymore. If it really is them, then this is the second disaster that Jinzhong has ever faced. Many people wanted to escape this place, but in the end, they could only carry their bodies back by the roadside. If this really is Tai Sui, then this time it came to destroy the city. Tai Sui's nature is so violent, and only such a violent and ferocious god could bring such a disaster to the world!"
"The moment I opened the grave, my heart sank. All the legends had become reality before my eyes. There were Bai Qingzi's remains, the talisman for enshrining the spirit, and the bronze willow whisk. But what worried me most was the absence of the inner elixir formed from the Tai Sui, and the Book of Enshrining the spirit that imprisoned the spirit's form. Now we can be certain that Wang Tiegen must have accidentally come into contact with the inner elixir and died after being drained of his life essence by the Tai Sui, which hadn't tasted human flesh for a thousand years; the old man guarding the body was probably also accidentally drained of his life essence by the Tai Sui hidden within Wang Tiegen's corpse; Zhang Yongwang, after carrying back the Book of Enshrining, was reborn in the form awakened by the Tai Sui god, and killed Zhang Yongwang and his wife; and my father—----------------!"
Professor Lin fell silent. He looked up at the sky, letting the tears flow back into his eyes, and then continued:
“The ‘earth cocoon’ my father brought back wasn’t the kind we usually eat. It was a remnant of the Tai Sui that had been summoned after absorbing flesh and blood. Because it hadn’t eaten flesh and blood for a long time, its body was white like a mushroom. The Tai Sui could originally grow in water, but after everyone washed them in water, the Tai Sui finally regained its original nature. That’s why so many people were killed. And this massacre will continue until—!” Professor Lin fell silent again.
A stir ran through the audience, and someone shouted, "Until when?"
Professor Lin pondered for a moment, then involuntarily shuddered and said, "After subduing the Tai Sui god, Bai Qingzi said: 'The remaining form of Tai Sui in the world is not a threat, because its spirit is trapped. But if one day the Tai Sui god is lost to the world, it must be re-enshrined before it regains its original spiritual form. Otherwise, nine days later, if the Tai Sui god finds a suitable recipient, then it will probably not just be Wei Yucheng that suffers extinction!'"
"It has been five days since Bai Qingzi's grave was excavated and the God of Tai Sui reappeared in the world. If we cannot find and enshrine the God of Tai Sui within the remaining four days, I fear that in four days, Wei Yu City will become a dead city, the home that the God of Tai Sui loves to live in—a place littered with corpses!"
A chill slowly crept up the crowd. At the corner of the playground, countless small whirlwinds suddenly rose, dancing like joyful sprites. Someone softly asked, "But where can we find the Tai Sui? Everyone who's found it, except for a few children, is already dead!"
---janeadam
Reply [25]: "Yes, it's the child." Professor Lin interrupted the man and said, "Hasn't everyone thought about why children who have seen Tai Sui are all fine? According to Taoism, when a child bursts out of the mother's body, there is a resolute evil aura, which can last until the age of 18. But after the age of 18, the evil aura dissipates and can no longer resist Tai Sui. But before that, the evil aura formed by the infant's desire to survive and the mother's impending death, this life-and-death intertwined evil aura can even make a fierce god like Tai Sui retreat. So from now on, all children should try to stay by the side of adults, which may be able to resist the killing of Tai Sui. As for me, I will try my best to find the god of Tai Sui and subdue and enshrine him again."
The crowd erupted into chaos, everyone huddling around the children nearby. The innocent children, oblivious to the perilous situation, cried and screamed in distress, overwhelmed by the throng. Amidst the chaos, someone shouted, "Professor Lin, it's not that we don't trust you, but what method do you have to subdue the evil spirit? When Zhang Hai died, you could only watch helplessly. Instead of that, let's all run out of the city; every person who escapes is a chance!" Hearing this, the panicked crowd quieted down, turning their attention back to Professor Lin.
Professor Lin did not answer immediately. He raised his left hand, holding the bronze willow whisk that had been unearthed from Bai Qingzi's tomb. Professor Lin stared at it, his eyes radiating hope.
"If all the legends and myths of the past were true? It seems they are. Then, the primordial spirit of Tai Sui should be wearing a purple-gold crown, dressed in military attire, holding a halberd in his left hand, a summoning bell in his right, and standing on azure and blue energies. However, during the fierce battle between Bai Qingzi and Tai Sui, the summoning bell fell in the Tianshan Mountains and was collected by the Tibetan Lion Mother, while the halberd was transformed into a whisk by Bai Qingzi and carried with him. The power of a god can only be manifested through a divine artifact. If Tai Sui wants to dominate the human world again, I think he will definitely come to find his original divine artifact. The Tibetan Lion Mother has profound magical power, and her son can share the Buddhist realm with Shakyamuni Buddha. I think Tai Sui would never dare to provoke her. Therefore, he will definitely come to retrieve this halberd."
"On that day, the talisman of Anfeng was swept to the ground, and the God of Tai Sui saw the light of day again. At that time, his form was not complete, and he had to immediately absorb the essence and blood of humans to quickly recover. But in the past few days, he has been constantly summoning his original form and killing indiscriminately. The bodies of the dead are his best food. Once he has fully recovered his original spirit and form, he will find a recipient to enter. At that time, he will travel between the three realms of heaven, earth, and the underworld. I don't know if there is a heaven and an underworld, but I know that when Tai Sui finds a suitable recipient, there will definitely be no earth."
"Therefore, I will use this whisk to lure Tai Sui. Before its primordial spirit recovers, it will not seek out this divine artifact. But once its primordial spirit recovers, it will also need to find the artifact so that it can transform at will. To prevent everyone from being used as victims by Tai Sui, I will give you a talisman that you must carry with you at all times. This is a Taoist purification mantra, which needs to be written in cinnabar on yellow paper. With this talisman by your side, although it cannot stop Tai Sui from physically harming you, it can protect Tai Sui's primordial spirit from committing offenses. If you feel something trying to forcibly enter your mind or body, recite this talisman aloud."
Professor Lin took out a piece of yellow paper from his pocket. In the dim light, several words were written on the paper, appearing as if in blood:
Namo Samanta Om Mutuo Nam Om Duru Duru Diwei Om Suoha
---janeadam
Reply [26]: Wei Yucheng spent the fifth day in panic. Hundreds of people tried to escape the city under cover of night but died on the roadside. Many others lost their lives because they forgot they were with their children. The air was thick with the smell of blood, and everyone could hear and feel the earth beneath their feet undulating as if it were breathing.
On the sixth day, Professor Lin led a group to rebury Bai Qingzi's tomb. They then set up an altar on it according to the six cardinal directions, with the four divine beasts—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—standing in the east, west, south, and north respectively, the Purple Star accompanying a red furnace in the center, and the Kui Star carrying an inkstone roaming outside. On this day, thousands were killed. The corpses, left unburied for days, decomposed, and the stench permeated the city. Underground, something seemed to be moving rapidly; buildings with weak foundations collapsed one after another, resulting in countless deaths and injuries.
On the seventh day, Professor Lin prayed to the Three Pure Ones. He used cinnabar, ink, and alum to draw the Yin-Yang symbol on the ground. He erected statues of the Three Immortals—Taiyi Zhenxian, Taibai Jinxing, and Taishang Laojun—in the Three Eyes of Gods, Ghosts, and Humans. On that day, nearly ten thousand people perished. The forms of Tai Sui had already swarmed and howled through the streets. Cracks appeared in the ground, and blue and green mists spewed from the fissures, shrouding Wei Yu in a deathly haze.
On the eighth day, Professor Lin, naked and draped in a feather cloak, sat in meditation in the center of the Six Harmonies Altar, chanting purification mantras, invocation mantras, homage mantras, offering mantras, refuge mantras, protection mantras, true Buddha mantras, the Hundred Syllable Mantra, dedication mantras, peace mantras, and completion mantras all day long. People in the city, poisoned by inhaling the fumes, some wept blood from their eyes, others suffered from cracked skin all over their bodies; tens of thousands went mad, devouring each other to death. The cracks in the ground grew wider and wider, and a thumping tremor emanated from the Earth's core, like a giant drum, or a heart that was gradually enlarging.
On the ninth day, only a handful of people remained in the city; those who had survived had completely lost the will to live. The entire city gathered around the Six Harmonies Altar. The innocent children still laughed, their clear voices echoing in the distant sky. Professor Lin, who hadn't eaten for a day and a night, sat cross-legged in the center of the altar, his body stiff, only his lips still moving. His eyes were fixed on the bronze willow whisk placed before him, not daring to relax for a moment.
The earth began to tremble, surge, shake, and finally churn and throb! Like a giant sieve, the earth rose and fell dramatically; buildings in the city began to collapse, and dust billowed into the air. A tremendous force tore open the cracks in the ground, like gaping, malevolent mouths, tearing and devouring everything in their path. Rumbling sounds emanated from underground, mingled with agonizing cries. The clouds grew lower and lower, pressing heavily overhead; something moved rapidly within them, howling like countless vengeful ghosts. The Six Harmonies Altar seemed to be adrift in the heart of a raging storm; people could no longer stand and collapsed to the ground.
Suddenly, a mixture of blue and green energies erupted from the six sides of the Six Harmonies Altar, tightly enveloping it. A towering cylinder stood between heaven and earth.
A strong wind was blowing.
Professor Lin slowly raised his gaze, staring at the surging undercurrents. The bronze willow whisk in front of him suddenly began to tremble.
---janeadam
Reply [27]: Buzz!
build!
profit!
build!
profit!
Mo!
blame!
build!
profit!
build!
build!
profit!
shuttle!
ha!
Professor Lin recited the Purification Mantra word by word.
A burst of red light erupted from the statues of the four divine beasts—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—spreading outwards. Wherever it reached, the dark energy was forced back. The red furnace in Ziwei's hand and the inkstone in Kuixing's hand rippled with red and black energy, drifting towards the two eyes of the Tai Chi Yin-Yang symbol. Everyone present saw the Yin-Yang symbol begin to spin, its speed increasing until everyone was dizzy. As the two fish seemed to come alive, swimming within the Tai Chi circle, the statues of Taiyi Zhenxian, Taibai Jinxing, and Taishang Laojun also began to radiate golden light. Red light, red energy, black energy, and golden light intertwined and surged towards the surrounding blue and green energy.
The azure and blue energies swirled rapidly around the cylinder, creating a chilling, howling wind. When the five colors intersected, the faint sounds of clashing weapons could be heard, piercing the eardrums. Yet, amidst this chaotic cacophony, Professor Lin's chanting grew louder and louder, from barely audible to crystal clear, finally booming through the heavens!
Om! Xiu! Li! Xiu! Li! Mo! He! Xiu! Li! Xiu! Xiu! Li! So! Ha!
Countless Tai Sui surged from the ground, screaming as they leaped into the azure-blue energy. The azure and blue energies surged explosively, and something was slowly brewing within the undercurrents. Heaven and earth lost their color! The sun and moon lost their light!
A solid, azure-blue form appeared in the sky above the city, constantly shifting its shape—sometimes a pair of legs, sometimes a head, sometimes a pair of arms. In this constant transformation, it gradually took shape, wearing a purple-gold crown, chainmail, and covered in azure or blue scales, before hurtling towards the crowd.
"Quickly recite the mantra for purifying the mouth!" Professor Lin shouted.
Nam! Mo! San! Man! Duo! Om! Mu! Tuo! Nam! Om! Du! Lu! Du! Lu! Di! Wei! Om! So! Ha!
Upon hearing this, the panicked crowd began chanting aloud the incantations they held, initially in a chaotic manner, but gradually transforming into a unified chant. Instantly, a powerful aura filled the entire space.
The monster charged around the crowd, but howled and retreated at the mere mention of the purification mantra. It repeatedly lunged at the people, only to fail each time. Many could even see the evil glint in its beast-like eyes. Its voice was shrill, its body twisted strangely, and every scale on its body seemed to have a dead fish eye.
Professor Lin suddenly stood up, holding a copper willow whisk in his left hand and biting down hard on his right index and middle fingers. He then used the bleeding fingers to draw a "peace and protection talisman" in the air. The flowing blood didn't drip to the ground but solidified in mid-air, making the talisman come alive. At the same time, Professor Lin shouted:
"Hmph, Lao Tzu, this is an urgent decree!"
A beam of white light, mixed with white vapor, suddenly shot out from the eyes of the Tai Chi fish-like figure, and everyone closed their eyes. The emitted white vapor swiftly lifted the "Anfeng Talisman" and rushed towards the monster.
The monster flashed, pursued relentlessly by white smoke that roared across the sky.
Suddenly the monster charged toward Professor Lin. Professor Lin watched it approach from afar, opened his mouth and recited the mantra of purification. In the white light, his expression was solemn and unapproachable.
---janeadam
Reply [28]: However, the monster did not touch his body. After it brushed past Professor Lin, Professor Lin suddenly felt the whisk in his left hand being pulled away. By the time he realized what was happening, the whisk had already flown towards the monster like an open umbrella.