Nuages ivres, lune légèrement endormie - Chapitre 2
He glanced at the compass; it pointed west. But something still felt off. "That's it!" he suddenly realized. There wasn't a single pedestrian in sight; it was as if he were isolated from the world. Sweat beaded on Zhou Qiang's forehead. He thought, "I can't be that lucky. This is the first time in twenty years I've spent the night away from home." Zhou Qiang didn't dare dwell on it. He continued walking as if nothing had happened, faster and faster, until finally he was running. After all, he was only twenty years old, and a sense of fear was inevitable.
Zhou Qiang suddenly stopped. Wasn't that the large rock in front of him the one he'd been sitting on while eating? There were even bread crumbs on the ground. Zhou Qiang realized he was trapped in a ghost wall, so he stopped moving and sat down on the rock again. This time, sitting there was clearly different from before; he felt a chill on his buttocks, as if he were sitting on a cold corpse. Actually, this wasn't a feeling. Beneath Zhou Qiang was a crouching corpse, dressed in white with disheveled hair, twisting its head and giving him a sinister smile. Zhou Qiang wasn't idle either; he was pondering the explanation of ghost walls in the *Qi Yi Jing*. 'There are two ways to deal with ghost walls. The first is to use a Soul-Destroying Needle to pierce the reference point encountered a second time, and the ghost wall will disappear. The second is to draw a Qi Yi diagram at the reference point using the Soul-Destroying Needle, and the ghost wall will also disappear.' At this moment, the ghost Zhou Qiang was sitting on turned its hand 180 degrees and slowly reached out to grab him... Zhou Qiang suddenly realized something, and with a whoosh, he jumped off the ghost, which then turned back into a large rock.
Without a second thought, Zhou Qiang grabbed a dagger from his bag and stabbed it fiercely at the rock. The rock let out a strange cry, and a thick, white substance oozed from the wound, gradually revealing its true form. The Soul-Destroying Dagger had actually caused the vengeful ghost to reveal its true form, and Zhou Qiang, despite not having his third eye activated, could see it. Without hesitation, Zhou Qiang aimed a second stab at the trembling ghost lying on the ground.
"Stop!" A harsh voice came from behind Zhou Qiang.
Zhou Qiang turned around and saw another ghost, this time a female ghost. Just as he was about to steel himself and deal with it all, the female ghost suddenly knelt down. A white, viscous substance was oozing from her mouth, and she was babbling incoherently. Seeing he couldn't communicate, Zhou Qiang tried to stab his finger, but as soon as he raised the dagger, he saw red blood dripping onto the back of his hand. It turned out Zhou Qiang had a nosebleed that he hadn't even noticed. This saved him from cutting his finger. Zhou Qiang activated his third ear, waiting for the female ghost to continue.
Clearly, the female ghost had used up too much of her ghostly energy uttering "Stop!" as a white, viscous substance was still dripping from her mouth. Zhou Qiang couldn't bear to watch any longer and gestured for the female ghost to wipe it off. After wiping it off, the female ghost began to recount the whole story.
It turned out the female ghost was actually Zhang Xiao, a farm girl from a county in Dezhou, Shandong. Hearing they were both from Dezhou, Zhou Qiang felt a little relieved. A year ago, she came to Dezhou to study at a technical college. Being unfamiliar with the city and its people, and not being talkative, she focused solely on her studies. Thanks to her excellent academic performance, she became a student leader and frequently appeared in public. She caught the eye of a wealthy young man who showered her with roses, took her out to dinner and movies, and so on. The young woman, experiencing her first love, couldn't resist the young man's persistent advances, and Zhang Xiao ended up living in his home. The young man treated her well, but his mother was furious to see her son with a country girl, though she didn't tell him.
One day, while her son was away, the young master's mother hired two strong men to strangle Zhang Xiao to death and buried him in a ditch on the border of Shandong and Hebei provinces. Every night after his death, Zhang Xiao would weep, and the ghosts of nearby graves, hearing his cries, would come and, upon learning the truth, would be filled with rage. Although angry, they were powerless to help, as they were ghosts of Hebei and could not leave Hebei to seek revenge in Shandong. This was precisely why the young master's mother had Zhang Xiao buried in Hebei.
Two lines of bloody tears streamed down the female ghost's face as she said, "Only after meeting you today have I seen hope for revenge."
"Me??" Zhou Qiang asked, puzzled.
The female ghost nodded and said, "You come from the east and carry the purple aura that we ghosts can see. So you are the one who comes from the east with purple aura. In the ghost realm, people who encounter purple aura should give way, especially those who come from the east."
"Then why are you still stopping me?" Zhou Qiang asked, his tone slightly angry.
"Legend has it that those with purple aura are destined for immortality. We can see you have magic and want your help, so these mountain ghosts set up a ghost wall to capture you and have you avenge me." He glanced at the motionless ghost, "Don't kill him, kill me instead. They're making things difficult for you because of me. Please, let them go."
Zhou Qiang felt much calmer and said calmly, "Never mind, with my abilities, I doubt he'd die from that stab. I'm just afraid of the power of the Soul-Destroying Thorn..." Before he could finish, the lying ghost slowly turned translucent. "There's nothing I can do, the Soul-Destroying Thorn is too powerful." As he spoke, Zhou Qiang felt a pang of guilt, as if he had wrongly killed an innocent person. At that moment, the injured ghost vanished, turning into a wisp of white smoke and drifting away. The female ghost cried out, "Brother Zhang, I'm so sorry!" Zhou Qiang couldn't bear the ghost's cries either; they were both unpleasant and terrifying.
"Alright, I promise to help you, but not now. Right now, I need to find my master and become his apprentice. I'll help you on my way back after I've finished my training, okay?" Zhou Qiang was still feeling guilty about mistakenly killing a good ghost earlier. The female ghost gave him a grateful look.
"Alright, it's getting late. I should get going. This place looks eerie and scary, so I think I'd better not sleep here tonight. I'll sleep during the day. By the way, do you have any ghost friends who know Lexi Po?"
"Le...Le...Le Xi Po!" The female ghost's face was filled with extreme fear. "I've heard them say that she's very powerful and lives not far ahead. It's estimated to be a three to four hour walk from there."
Seeing that the female ghost seemed very afraid of Le Xipo, Zhou Qiang said smugly, "Her senior brother is my master. Hehe."
"Mr. Le Shui?" The female ghost's expression of fear was now far greater than before, and even Zhou Qiang felt fear upon seeing her expression.
After making their agreement, the female ghost set off.
On the deserted road, Zhou Qiang imagined how terrifying his future master would be, enough to strike fear into even ghosts. He couldn't help but shudder. ======================================================================================= Chapter Six: Formal Apprenticeship - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and organized by
The sky was still overcast, and two elderly people sat at the entrance of Yinfeng Village, gazing into the distance. The old woman saw a person slowly walking towards them and said to the other old woman with a hint of joy, "He's here." The old woman nodded.
Zhou Qiang followed the compass needle and saw Le Xipo and an old man ahead. He quickly quickened his pace.
"Grandma, I'm here." Zhou Qiang, forgetting his fatigue, said happily.
"Yes, this is your master, Mr. Le Shui," said Le Xi Po, glancing at her senior brother. Zhou Qiang followed Le Xi Po's gaze and looked the old man over. The old man had white hair, tattered clothes, and seemed to be nothing but skin and bones. His eyes were closed, and he held a cane in his hand. Zhou Qiang's first impression of his master was completely different from what he had imagined. For a moment, he didn't know what to say and stood there dumbfounded.
The old woman, her face stern, spoke up: "Why aren't you saying anything, kid? What? Am I not worthy to be your master?" Granny Le smiled. Zhou Qiang shook his head vigorously, repeatedly saying no, no. Granny Le, however, replied casually, "My senior brother likes to joke, and he's usually very easygoing..."
"When men are talking, women shouldn't interrupt." The old man still had a stern face. Granny Lexi didn't bother to talk to him, but after he said that, she really stopped talking. She gave the old man Leshui a glare and simply turned around and sat down to the side to sulk.
Zhou Qiang, amused by Le Xipo, relaxed considerably and knelt down before the old man with a thud, uttering the clichéd line, "Master above, accept this disciple's bow." The old man, Le Shui, acted as if he hadn't heard a thing, his face remaining stern. This left Zhou Qiang speechless. None of the three could utter a word; time seemed to freeze at that moment.
Old Man Le Shui spoke first: "This isn't over yet, come with me." He then leaned on his cane and walked towards the village, gesturing for Zhou Qiang to follow. Only then did Zhou Qiang realize that his master was blind. Old Woman Le Xi, no longer sitting there idly, thought that he was at least a disciple she had helped take in, and so she slung her hand over her cane and followed.
The old man led Zhou Qiang to a small lake, the surface of which was clearly covered with a layer of murky air. Turning to Zhou Qiang, he said, "For all members of my Qi Yi sect, the first thing to do when becoming an apprentice is to take a bath. You can't go to become an apprentice all dirty. Go and take a bath."
Without hesitation, Zhou Qiang took off all his clothes and jumped in.
At this moment, Granny Lexi also came over and said to Old Man Leshui, "Brother Leshui, eleven people have died in this lake. Why did you bring the child here when you could have taken him somewhere else to wash?" Old Man Leshui gestured for Granny Lexi to be quiet and opened his Heavenly Eye to observe the situation. In the lake, Zhou Qiang was shivering from the cold. He didn't want to be looked down upon by his master, so he didn't rush through the process just because Old Man Leshui was blind. Instead, he carefully scrubbed his entire body.
On the shore, Old Man Le Shui finally smiled, and even Granny Le Xi nodded in satisfaction. It turned out that the two had activated their Heavenly Eyes to observe the changes in the lake. All members of the Qi Yi Sect possess innate special abilities, such as innate Heavenly Eyes and Heavenly Ears, innate divine strength, or even the ability to communicate with animals. At this moment, the two old men were seeing a different kind of ability: the turbid air on the lake surface was slowly dissipating, the drowned ghosts in the lake were leaving the surface one after another, and Zhou Qiang was surrounded by a cloud of purple energy.
"One, two, three, why is one missing?" Lexi Po asked as she counted the drowned ghosts.
"Yes, I reckon they'll be out soon," the old man said confidently.
A claw covered in black mist emerged from the water, crawling out from the rocks by the lakeside, panting heavily. Grandma Lexi's face lit up with surprise, exclaiming, "There's a vengeful ghost lurking in the lake!" Vengeful ghosts are powerful beings in the ghost realm, filled with resentment, and are specifically designed to harm people. This is precisely why so many people have drowned in this lake. Old Man Leshui took out a small bottle he had prepared beforehand and rushed to the ghost in a few steps. Before the ghost could react, Old Man Leshui swung his cane and struck it down, severing the ghost's left leg and foot. The ghost howled in pain, but it was no pushover. It grabbed Old Man Leshui's legs and tried to drag him into the water. Old Man Leshui saw everything and swung his cane again. The ghost screamed and howled, clutching its right hand with its left, trying to dive into the water. Before the evil spirit could turn around, Old Man Leshui grabbed its hair, picked up a small bottle with his left hand, and pressed it against the spirit's head, chanting incantations. The evil spirit, along with the black smoke emanating from its body, was sucked into the bottle. Old Man Leshui calmly took out a piece of red cloth, wrapped the bottle in it, and tied a tight knot at the opening with a thin thread. Old Man Leshui was also sweating profusely, frowning as he said, "Ah, I'm getting old." He shook his head and returned to Lexi Po's side. Lexi Po, feeling sorry for her senior brother, quickly wiped his sweat with her sleeve.
Zhou Qiang finished washing and climbed naked ashore, putting on his clothes. Grandma Le Xi also turned her head. Zhou Qiang smiled at Old Man Le Shui. Grandma Le Xi glanced at Old Man Le Shui, blushed, and said, "You two, master and apprentice, chat here for a bit. I'm going home to cook. The kang (heated brick bed) is ready. The child has been tired for two days; he should go home and rest." She then hurriedly left, as if she had done something wrong.
Just as Old Man Le Shui was wondering what was going on, Zhou Qiang said, "Master, why is your face so dark?" Old Man Le Shui recalled how Granny Le had wiped his sweat earlier and couldn't help but laugh. It seemed that Granny Le's clothes were too dirty, and the sweat had mixed with the dirt and gotten onto Mr. Le Shui's face.
"Come here, child," said the old man from Leshui.
Zhou Qiang walked over, and the old man, Le Shui, wiped his forehead, then smeared his hands, which were damp with Zhou Qiang's sweat and residual lake water, onto the mouth of the small bottle. The old man explained, "I just caught a malevolent spirit. I've captured it. It's in this small bottle now." He shook the small bottle labeled 'Quick-Acting Heart-Saving Pills.' "This is a gift from your master. You can raise this spirit from now on. It has lake water and your sweat on it. The yin energy in the lake water can nourish the malevolent spirit, and the sweat carries your scent, so the spirit will think you're nurturing it. Once its resentment is exhausted, it will obey you." The old man smiled as he finished speaking.
Zhou Qiang took the small bottle and looked at his master with gratitude. He saw his master smiling. His master's smile was like a small sun, giving Zhou Qiang an extremely warm feeling. This smile would be remembered by Zhou Qiang for a lifetime.
On the way home, Master leaned on his cane, Zhou Qiang helped Old Man Le Shui, the two chatting, seemingly a picture of happiness. ======================================================================================== Chapter Seven: The Profound Meaning of Qi Yi - The Spirit of Brother Yi - Collected and organized by
The clock hands struck midnight, ticking tirelessly. Old Man Leshui crawled out of bed and dressed. He groped for his sleeping apprentice, a feeling of indescribable joy welling up inside him. It was unknown how many years Old Man Leshui had waited to receive a disciple; under the dim yellow light, the old man appeared exceptionally thin.
"Get up!" Old Man Leshui shouted. Zhou Qiang, who was fast asleep, was startled by Old Man Leshui's shout. He opened his sleepy eyes and said, "Master, what is it? I'll get you the chamber pot." Old Man Leshui was both amused and exasperated, and said with a mysterious expression, "Come on, let's go to a quiet place. I'll teach you the Qi Transformation Technique." Zhou Qiang perked up at the mention of the Qi Transformation Technique and happily put on his clothes. Old Man Leshui seemed to suddenly remember something and called out, "Junior Sister, are your clothes finished?" At this moment, Granny Leshui entered the room, holding a green cotton-padded jacket, and handed it to Old Man Leshui. She yawned and went back to her room to turn off the light.
Old Man Leshui touched his cotton-padded coat, smiled, and said, "Mr. Leshui, how have you been lately? Luckily, you drove away the evil spirit from my grandson. I haven't had a chance to properly thank you yet." Although the snack shop owner had been dead for a long time, he knew his family and descendants in the same village very well. Old Man Leshui smiled and said, "Hehe, it's what I should do. No need to be so polite."
"It's a pity my grandson doesn't have the fortune to learn your skills," the snack shop owner said dejectedly. He nodded and said, "Not bad, quite thick. He shouldn't be too cold wearing it." He then put the clothes on Zhou Qiang. It turned out that this garment was made by Grandpa Le Shui during the day while Zhou Qiang was sleeping, with Grandma Le Xi rushing to finish it, repeatedly instructing him to put in plenty of cotton to keep the child warm. Zhou Qiang's eyes welled up with tears.
It was pitch black outside. Zhou Qiang suggested taking his own portable lamp, but Old Man Le Shui refused. Old Man Le Shui, leaning on a cane with one hand and supported by his apprentice with the other, looked quite pleased with himself. On the way, Zhou Qiang asked, "Master, where are we going?" Old Man Le Shui chuckled and said, "The cemetery." This startled Zhou Qiang.
Before he knew it, Zhou Qiang saw faint lights ahead and asked the old man Le Shui, "Master, it looks very lively up ahead." The old man Le Shui thought for a moment and said, "No wonder, it's the first day of the month today, isn't it? Let's go take a look there. I'll teach you the Qi Yi Technique there in a while."
Sure enough, they were in front of a market, selling all sorts of things. Zhou Qiang helped Old Man Le Shui to a stall selling sheep intestines. Zhou Qiang swallowed hard and said to Old Man Le Shui, "Master, you must be hungry too. I'll go buy something to eat, let's grab something to eat." Old Man Le Shui said, "Hehe, silly apprentice, we can't afford anything here." Zhou Qiang thought to himself, "I brought several hundred yuan with me, what can't I afford?" "Master, you wait here, I'll go buy it." With that, Zhou Qiang went over.
"Boss, how much is a bowl?" Zhou Qiang asked.
The boss, with a stern face and a listless expression, said, "1 billion ghost money."
"Ah!" Zhou Qiang was startled and quickly returned to Old Man Leshui, saying, "Master, is this the Ghost Market?" The Ghost Market, also known as the Ghost Fair, appears at gravesites on the first and fifteenth of each lunar month. Ghosts, like humans, need to eat and drink, and also require daily necessities. The currency used for ghost transactions is ghost money, which is the paper money burned for deceased relatives. Old Man Leshui, however, seemed unfazed and said nonchalantly, "I told you you couldn't afford it, but you didn't listen." The vendor selling sheep intestines noticed Old Man Leshui and said with a beaming smile...
"Hehe, your grandson's fate is not suited to becoming my disciple, but rather to great wealth and honor. He will surely make a name for himself in the future," the old man Le Shui said righteously.
The snack shop owner was clearly pleased to hear this and said, "Hehe, thank you for your kind words. By the way, who is this person next to you?"
The old man, Le Shui, said, "He is Ji Ye, the 65th generation successor of Qi Yi and my chief disciple." The snack shop owner's eyes lit up: "Indeed extraordinary!" The old man, Le Shui, couldn't stop smiling. The two of them started flattering each other.
Zhou Qiang, annoyed by what he heard, deliberately coughed in protest. Old Man Le Shui, having also come to his senses, said to the snack vendor, "I think it's about time. You should all pack up and go home." The snack vendor glanced at the sky, nodded, and called out to the other vendors in the market, "Mr. Le Shui will be teaching his apprentices here today; let's all go home and sleep." The vendors in the market also noticed Old Man Le Shui and waved goodbye. The lights slowly dimmed, and finally, the vendors and the market vendors vanished into thin air.
When Zhou Qiang's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he suddenly found himself in a graveyard.
"Master, are you going to teach me the art of divination right here?" This was Zhou Qiang's first time in a graveyard, and he couldn't help but feel a little scared.
"Well, let's find a place to sit down, but be careful not to sit on someone's grave." After saying that, the old man felt around between the graves and found a clearing, gesturing for Zhou Qiang to sit down.
After Zhou Qiang sat down, the old man Le Shui started talking: "Disciple, according to the Qi Yi system, you should be of the Ji generation. Your master gave you the Dharma name 'Ji Ye'. You don't have any objections, do you? Today I'm going to teach you about the types and origins of Qi Yi."
Zhou Qiang remained silent, waiting for his master to continue. His master coughed twice and then said, “Qi Yi is divided into Observation Yi, Ghost Yi, Dream Yi, Language Yi, and Forbidden Yi. Observation Yi generally refers to incense offerings, feng shui, face and palm reading, and house analysis. Observation Yi involves killing, controlling, and exorcising ghosts, and performing rituals to help them pass on. As for Dream Yi, I believe you've already seen it. Language Yi allows you to communicate with animals; the Language Yi technique was passed down from the forty-fifth generation master to the next generation. This is because the forty-fifth generation master was born with the ability to communicate with animals.” At this point, Old Man Le Shui blushed, coughed a few more times, and said, “Actually, I don't know Dream Yi either. My master said I had too much yang energy and wasn't suitable for practicing this kind of yin-based Yi technique, so he taught Dream Yi and Language Yi to Le Xi. As for Forbidden Yi, these are some forbidden techniques. I only know a little bit about them, such as the Ghost-Sealing Technique and the secret Longevity-Borrowing Technique.”
Zhou Qiang was deeply captivated by the profound mysteries of Qi Yi. His master suddenly finished explaining, making Zhou Qiang quite anxious. He hurriedly asked, "Then how did Qi Yi originate?" ====================================================================================== Chapter 8 of "The Successor of Qi Yi": Lao Tzu and the Ancestral Master - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and organized by
At this moment, the old man Le Shui began to talk about the origin of Qi Yi. Zhou Qiang held his mouth with both hands and looked at the old man Le Shui with his eyes following the past.
Around the Spring and Autumn Period, the founder of the Yi School was a thinker of equal renown to Lao Tzu, and he established the Yi School, widely accepting disciples. The core tenet of the Yi School is "The righteous energy of heaven and earth, and only my own judgment." This means that everything in the world is right if one believes it to be right. Lao Tzu visited the founder twice to discuss ideas, and from then on, the founder and Lao Tzu (Li Er) developed a deep friendship. Later, the founder helped Lao Tzu compile the Zhou Yi Jing (the Book of Changes), while he himself wrote a book called the Qi Yi Jing (The Book of Qi). Fearing that outsiders would obtain the Qi Yi Jing, the founder used forbidden techniques to seal its contents and decreed that only those with the bloodline of a descendant could see it.
Later, one by one, the disciples of the Patriarch died mysteriously from illness, leaving very few survivors. This prompted the Patriarch to use his celestial observation skills, discovering that the Heavenly Court strongly opposed his thoughts and actions, and ordered Yama, the King of Hell, to sign the register of each of his disciples' lives. Then, on one occasion, he received a message from Laozi's disciples saying that Laozi was seriously ill and would soon die. The Patriarch entrusted the Qi Yi Jing (Book of Changes) to his disciple Wuxin, saying, "If I do not return this time, take this book and live in seclusion in the mountains. You can read the details by touching the book with your finger blood." After saying this, he went alone to the State of Chu. When the Patriarch saw Laozi, Laozi was lying on the bed, pale and unconscious. The Patriarch and Laozi had a deep friendship; how could he bear to let Laozi die? This was dying without regret for a true friend. Therefore, the Patriarch used the most mysterious Yi Jing technique in Qi Yi Jing, borrowing lifespan and altering fate.
The patriarch summoned a carefully nurtured demon and instructed it to retrieve the Book of Life and Death from the underworld and add twenty years to Laozi's lifespan. Then, the demon drew a diagram of the I Ching, burned it, and ordered someone to feed it to Laozi, thus altering Laozi's fate. After much turmoil, Laozi awoke, and the patriarch collapsed. Before his death, the patriarch told Laozi, "No matter what happens to the disciples of the Qi Yi School in the future, you must do your best to help them."
A month after the patriarch's departure, Wuxin dismissed the remaining disciples and disappeared without a trace. As the saying goes, "the man is gone, the building is empty," and the once-famous Yi family school of thought vanished without a trace.
Zhou Qiang asked, "Master, this calculation is not right. There are nearly three thousand years of history from the Spring and Autumn Period to now, so how come there are only sixty-five generations?"
The old man from Leshui said, "The Qi Yi Jing was lost in the Qin Dynasty. The Qi Yi Jing master at that time felt sorry for his ancestors and hanged himself. Later, it was said that he turned into a vengeful ghost after his death and guarded the Qi Yi Jing until the early Ming Dynasty when someone discovered it. The ghost master of the Qin Dynasty passed the Qi Yi Jing on to this person. I don't know the specifics, I just heard it from your master."
Zhou Qiang was shocked to hear this, never expecting that the history of Qi Yi could be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period.
Old Man Le Shui looked up at the sky and said to Zhou Qiang, "Ji Ye, now I will begin to teach you the Ghost Control Technique from the Qi Yi Ghost Yi Technique of the Qi Yi Jing. To control ghosts, you must first raise ghosts; to raise ghosts, you must first understand ghosts." Old Man Le Shui coughed twice and continued, "Ghosts are roughly divided into six types: demons, evil ghosts, vengeful ghosts, wronged ghosts, malevolent ghosts, and happy ghosts. Demons are troublesome ghosts, that is, ghosts with the highest and most powerful cultivation. Evil ghosts are the most capable of harming people. The minor troubles that children and adults usually talk about, like being possessed by a ghost, are caused by vengeful ghosts and wronged ghosts. Malevolent ghosts are ghosts that committed many evil deeds in life and continue to do bad things after death; they are also difficult to deal with. Happy ghosts are ghosts that do not harm people and are law-abiding."
"This ghost of yours is a malevolent spirit. During the day, place the small bottle in the courtyard to dissipate its resentment, and when you have time, fill it with water to increase its yin energy. When you encounter danger, open the bottle; perhaps it can save your life," said the old man, Le Shui. Zhou Qiang listened attentively to his master's words.
When Old Man Leshui finished teaching the Ghostly Arts, Zhou Qiang was still eager for more and wanted his master to teach him more, but seeing Old Man Leshui coughing incessantly, he swallowed his words. Old Man Leshui looked at the sky again, as if he knew it was already dawn, and said, "It's getting late, let's go back."
When Zhou Qiang returned home, he saw a small cart, the kind pulled by a donkey. Just then, Grandma Lexi came out of the kitchen and asked with concern, "Is the child settling in alright?" Zhou Qiang nodded. "Come and eat, you still have things to do after you've eaten." At the dinner table, Zhou Qiang wolfed down his food, and Grandma Lexi smiled as she listened to the child eating.
As Zhou Qiang ate, he thought to himself that the arrival of that little cart was definitely not a good thing. Sure enough, when Zhou Qiang finished eating and went outside, he saw two quilts spread on the cart's side. Zhou Qiang thought he was going to sleep on the cart when Grandma Le came out and said to him, "Come on, let's go for a morning walk."
Along the way, Zhou Qiang complained, "Is this what you call an early morning walk? I'm the only one walking here." He was pulling a small cart with two elderly people slung over it. Old Man Le Shui was already fast asleep, a blanket over his head. Old Woman Le Xi wasn't idle either, humming a tune now and then, looking quite cheerful. Only Zhou Qiang had a gloomy face, like a vengeful ghost rising from the ground.
Le Xipo noticed that Zhou Qiang seemed unhappy. He was usually quite talkative, but now he was silent. So Le Xipo said to Zhou Qiang, "Jiye, are you unhappy?" As Zhou Qiang turned his head, he magically changed his expression like a face-changing act in Peking Opera, saying with a smile, "Hehe, no, I'm quite happy." Le Xipo snorted and said, "Only two days here, and you've already learned to lie?"
"..." Zhou Qiang was speechless.
Le Xipo explained, "The old man takes you to the cemetery to practice your skills at night, firstly to practice, and secondly to build your courage." While Le Shui was asleep, Le Xipo actually called him "old man" instead of "senior brother." She continued, "I take you out for a walk during the day, firstly to let you breathe fresh air, and secondly to improve your physical condition. It's all for your own good."
Zhou Qiang was shocked upon hearing this. He realized that his parents had gone to great lengths for him. He regretted his previous mistaken idea and replied, "Grandma, I understand." He then quickened his pace.
Grandma Le stretched and said, "It's been so long since I've sat in a cart. I remember the last time was fifty or sixty years ago when this old man was pulling the cart, and my master and I were sitting in it." A childlike smile appeared on her face as she spoke. ====================================================================================== Chapter Nine: Don't Sit on a Grave (Part 1) - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and Organized by
After a few days, Zhou Qiang seemed to have adapted to this life. He would practice diligently at the cemetery with his master in the evenings, then go back for breakfast in the morning and pull the cart for an early morning stroll before returning to sleep, repeating this cycle over and over. He used to pull the cart while walking, but now he can pull it while running.
Zhou Qiang was fast asleep at home when he heard a loud banging on the door. Someone outside called out, "Is Mr. Le Shui home?" Grandma Le calmly came out of the kitchen, opened the door, and saw Old Wang from the neighboring village. Old Wang was covered in sweat, crying and shouting that he wanted to see Old Man Le Shui. Grandma Le invited Old Wang into the house. Old Man Le Shui, who was resting on the kang (heated brick bed), also came to the front room upon hearing the banging.
Old Wang burst into tears upon seeing Old Man Leshui, sobbing, "Sir, my son and grandson might be possessed. They were fine yesterday, but this morning my daughter-in-law came crying to me saying my son and grandson were dead in their sleep. I went over to check, and they were still breathing, but I couldn't wake them. Sir, please come and see them! I'll kowtow to you!" He was about to kneel when Old Man Leshui grabbed his arm, saying, "Yes, I understand, I'll be right there." Old Man Leshui went back into the house to fetch a few things. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered he should take his apprentice with him. He couldn't see exactly where Zhou Qiang was sleeping, so he went to the bedside, grabbed his cane, and smashed it down. The hit was surprisingly accurate, striking Zhou Qiang squarely on the buttocks. Zhou Qiang let out a strange cry and jumped up abruptly. Before he knew what was happening, he saw Old Man Le Shui raise his cane again and hurriedly said, "Master, spare me! I dare not use your chamber pot again." Old Man Le Shui's face turned red, and he said, "Get up, quickly come with me to 'treat' others."
As soon as they entered Old Wang's son's house, they heard someone inside say, "If my eldest brother dies, then that old man's property will be mine, hehe." A man in his thirties walked out of the house with a grin, snorted at Old Wang, and left. Old Wang blushed and whispered, "This is my second son." Zhou Qiang thought to himself, what an unfilial son! His eldest brother and his father aren't even dead, yet he's already making his own plans. Inside the house, Old Wang led Old Man Leshui and Zhou Qiang to his eldest son's bedside and quickly brought out two stools for them to sit down.
Old Man Leshui couldn't see either, and asked Zhou Qiang, "Jiye, what symptoms do you see in these two?" Zhou Qiang examined them carefully for a few minutes and replied, "Their faces are ashen, their bodies are ice-cold, and their lips are dry." Old Man Leshui nodded and then asked, "What color are their tongues?" Zhou Qiang carefully pried open Old Wang's eldest son's mouth, and a faint smell of decay wafted from it. Zhou Qiang covered his nose and looked closely, exclaiming, "My god, it's terrifying! Their tongues are green!" Old Man Leshui nodded and said that was correct.
"This is called 'ghost sucking souls.' Evil spirits suck a person's soul mouth-to-mouth when they're not moving. Usually, ghosts will quietly climb onto a person's body to suck their soul after they fall asleep, because people are almost completely still when they sleep," Old Man Le Shui explained to Zhou Qiang. Old Wang hurriedly asked, "Is there any hope?"
"Of course, there's nothing the Qi Yi Sect can't do, don't you think, Master?" Zhou Qiang flattered. Old Man Le Shui smiled and said, "Has your son gone to the cemetery these past few days?" Old Wang's face darkened, and he whispered, "Yesterday, my grandson and I went to the cemetery to pay respects at my wife's grave. My grandson mischievously sat on someone's grave, but I didn't think much of it at the time. Sir, is that right...?" Old Man Le Shui nodded and said, "Hmm, it seems so. Without further ado, prepare to cast the spell immediately. Old Wang, go to the cemetery now and find the grave your grandson sat on yesterday. Remember to bring some incense, light one stick called 'Soul-Preserving Incense,' and then call your grandson and son home in front of the grave. Then, walk slowly home, lighting an incense stick every five steps called 'Soul-Guiding Incense.' Once you're home, stay outside until you hear your grandson calling you. Be careful not to let the Soul-Preserving Incense burn out; if it does, your grandson and son will die. My disciple and I will cast the spell here. Go quickly."
After hearing this, Old Wang grabbed a stick of incense and rushed out the door. Zhou Qiang saw how quickly this man in his sixties ran for his son and grandson.
At this moment, Zhou Qiang placed some loose soil inside the house. The old man, Le Shui, took three incense sticks from his robes, stuck them in the soil, lit them, and said to Zhou Qiang, "Ji Ye, I'll summon the evil spirit now. Keep an eye on the compass; if there are any unusual phenomena, tell me immediately." The old man began casting a spell, muttering something, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Zhou Qiang also kept a close eye on the compass, thinking that this was his first time accompanying his master on a demon-slaying expedition; he hoped nothing would go wrong.
Time ticked by. The incense had burned down to half its original length when suddenly the compass needle began to spin rapidly. Zhou Qiang quickly informed his master. His master gasped for breath and said to the incense, "Evil spirit, why do you harm people?" Zhou Qiang couldn't hear or see anything, so he gritted his teeth and bit his finger, opening his third eye and third ear. He saw a white-clad evil spirit sitting on the other side of the incense, its hair disheveled and maggots wriggling around it. Its hands and face were deathly pale. It would occasionally turn its head to glance at Zhou Qiang with its blood-red eyes, revealing its black teeth, which sent chills down Zhou Qiang's spine.
The evil spirit chuckled, grabbed a handful of maggots from its head, stuffed them into its mouth, and chewed, saying as it ate, "Sir, since you were able to summon me here, you must be a highly skilled person. Actually, I've been in a coma for many years, and only woke up yesterday after absorbing some yang energy at a grave. I also need to be reincarnated, so I followed the scent of yang energy and found this place. I suppressed the souls of this father and son in my grave, and I reckon Ox-Head and Horse-Face will be rushing to the underworld below soon." It then picked its teeth with its long fingernails.
Old Man Leshui realized something was terribly wrong, so he took out a small bottle from behind him, opened it, and a puff of green smoke emerged, transforming into a ghost. This green ghost stood beside Old Man Leshui, who said to it, "Quickly go down to the underworld and find King Yama. Tell him that the Wang family father and son's lifespan has not yet ended, and ask him to take back Ox-Head and Horse-Face." Then the green ghost sank to the ground and disappeared.
The old man calmly said to the evil spirit, "Go find someone else to take your place. If you don't leave, I won't be polite."
Meanwhile, Old Wang had arrived at the gravesite. Following Old Man Le Shui's instructions, he took out incense, lit it, and called out, "Son, grandson, let's go home!" After calling several times, Old Wang began to walk back. He saw the Wang father and son crawl out of the gravesite and follow behind him. Suddenly, Ox-Head and Horse-Face appeared, chaining the two together. Seeing the flame of the incense about to go out, Old Wang panicked, not knowing what to do. He cried and cried, "My poor grandson! Grandpa shouldn't have brought you to the gravesite! Although your father was unfilial, he was still my son! No matter how your father beat and kicked me, I didn't care. After you die, don't treat your father the way he treated me!" He was unaware that all of this was being watched by the ghosts of his son and grandson.
Ox-Head and Horse-Face exchanged glances, moved by the poor old man's plight. But humans have their laws, and ghosts have theirs; they still had to take the Wang father and son to the underworld. Suddenly, Horse-Face's phone rang. He answered, "Okay, okay, I understand. It's being processed. That's great." Hanging up, Horse-Face turned to look at Ox-Head, who was actually crying. The Wang father and son were kneeling on the ground, kowtowing to Old Wang's retreating figure.
Horse-face told Ox-head the King of Hell's order, and Ox-head burst into laughter through his tears, released the two, and said to Old King's son, "If I find out you're unfilial again, I'll drag you into the oil cauldron and fry you!" After saying that, Ox-head and Horse-face disappeared.
Only two lines of regretful tears remained for the Wang family son. ==================================================================================== Chapter Ten: Don't Sit on a Grave (Part Two) - Yi Ge's Spirit - Collected and organized by
As Old Wang watched the incense flames grow stronger, he wiped away his tears and continued walking, calling out, "Son, grandson, you're home!" The ghosts of the Wang father and son continued to follow behind Old Wang.
Meanwhile, at Old Wang's house, the evil spirit, seeing Old Man Le Shui about to erupt in anger, seemed unconcerned. However, he underestimated the blind old man before him. Old Man Le Shui stepped forward and grabbed the evil spirit by the neck. The evil spirit felt an intense burning sensation on his neck and desperately tried to break free, but Old Man Le Shui's grip was too strong, and he couldn't escape no matter what he did. In desperation, the evil spirit had no choice but to exhale a breath of corpse gas. Corpse gas is the breath exhaled by a dead person; not only would ordinary people die from inhaling it, but even a great immortal would perish. The only drawback is that each dead person only has one breath of corpse gas.