Chapter 6: The Ritual
Chapter 6: The Ritual
“Master Li, you and your young disciple haven’t eaten yet, have you? Are there any dietary restrictions?”
After returning to the room and sitting down, Miao Laoda asked the two of them. With the continuous troubles at home recently, he hadn’t had much appetite. Now that the root cause was found, Miao Laoda actually felt quite hungry.
“Country folk can eat anything…”
The old Taoist priest put on the image of a carefree and detached master. But Ye Tian, right beside him, clearly heard a series of “gurgling” noises coming from the old man’s stomach.
Although the master and disciple had eaten quite a bit in the morning, they had walked for several hours and were now starving, their stomachs sticking to their backs. If he didn’t have to maintain his image as the disciple of a master, Ye Tian would have almost grabbed the steamed buns in front of the black-and-white photo in the room to eat.
In the countryside, both weddings and funerals were usually handled at home. Since the funeral had just taken place yesterday, there was ready-made food at home. Soon, Miao Laoda’s wife prepared the meal and brought it out.
Perhaps afraid that Master Li wouldn’t do his best to eliminate the Yin Evil Energy in the house, Miao Laoda hastily finished a bowl of rice and went out to contact a construction team.
Seeing Miao Laoda leave the room, the master and disciple, who had been eating politely, even threw down their chopsticks. Each grabbed a pig knuckle and started gnawing, devouring the whole table of good dishes like a whirlwind. When Miao Laoda’s wife came in to clean up, she looked at Ye Tian and the old priest with somewhat strange eyes.
“Master, no wonder you look down on those street vendors. So cheating for food and drink is this easy?”
After eating and drinking his fill, Ye Tian patted his little belly contentedly. Although his father occasionally caught some fish and shrimp to improve their meals, dishes like today’s were usually out of reach.
“Brat, without three-tenths of skill, would you dare to go to Liangshan? The knowledge in this field runs deep.”
The old Taoist glared at Ye Tian with displeasure and continued, “Later, you go over there and recite the ‘Scripture of Salvation’ a few times to eliminate that Yin Evil Energy.”
“The ‘Scripture of Salvation’ can eliminate Yin Evil Energy? Isn’t that place affected because it was blocked by the mourning hall?”
Hearing his master’s words, Ye Tian was momentarily stunned. Could it be that this Yin Evil Energy really transformed from the spirit of Miao Laoda’s second brother?
The old Taoist priest shook his head and said, “Who told you it was caused by the mourning hall? This is formed from human resentment. Otherwise, with sunlight always able to reach that spot within a day, it would have already dispersed.”
“Master, could it be… there really are ghosts?”
Ye Tian was quite bold. When he was seven or eight years old, he dared to go alone to the village’s old cemetery to catch crickets. Hearing this, he didn’t feel scared but instead became excited.
Hearing this, the old Taoist priest curled his lip, a look of disdain on his face. “Ghosts my foot. Back in the day, I walked through mountains of corpses and seas of blood and never saw a single ghostly shadow…”
Li Shanyuan had lived for over a hundred years and had seen much. He once even sneaked into the Celestial Master Sect to steal their arts, learning a skill for capturing ghosts. However, he never got the chance to use it. He actually wished a ghost would appear before him.
“If there are no ghosts, then how is resentment produced?” Ye Tian asked, puzzled. He truly hadn’t known before; it turned out his teacher was a firm atheist?
“You little brat, and you’re supposed to be a student receiving a modern education. Let me enlighten you.”
Hearing Ye Tian’s question, the old Taoist looked at him dismissively and said, “From a scientific explanation, it can be called a magnetic field. The factors producing it are related to human brainwaves. When many people concentrate their thoughts on a certain person or event, they can alter the strength of the local magnetic field. If explained using Buddhist and Taoist principles, that is Faith Power. Through the prayers of believers, a similar magnetic field can also be produced. Understand, kid?”
“Understood, I understand. But… teacher, are you sure you studied in an old-style private school before?”
To be honest, Ye Tian was really stunned by the old Taoist’s words. If he hadn’t heard it with his own ears, he wouldn’t have believed these words came from the old Taoist who usually spouted classical Chinese and forced him to study ancient texts.
“What’s the matter? Look down on me, a scholar from the late Qing Dynasty?”
The old Taoist priest glanced sideways at Ye Tian and said, “Your teacher once lectured on architecture at Peking University. Even that kid Liang Sicheng came to listen to my classes.”
The old Taoist actually wasn’t boasting. He and Gu Hongming were friends despite the age gap. Invited by Gu, he once worked as a lecturer at Peking University for a while. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was well-versed in both Chinese and Western learning.
It was just that the old Taoist originally went to Peking University’s library to find the original “Tui Bei Tu.” After failing to find it, he resigned from his position at Peking University and went back to wandering Jianghu like a carefree cloud or a wild crane.
“Architecture should have some connection to Feng Shui, right? But who is Liang Sicheng?”
Ever since believing the old Taoist was over a hundred years old, Ye Tian became full of curiosity about the stories from his life. However, the old man wasn’t as prone to boasting about his past as before, only occasionally dropping a few remarks.
“Not bad, you’re not stupid. Whether it’s Chinese or foreign architecture, none can be separated from Fengshui Geomancy. As for Liang Sicheng, ah, why am I telling you this.”
The old Taoist explained a few sentences to Ye Tian but soon lost patience. If he told Ye Tian that Liang Sicheng was Liang Qichao’s son, the kid would probably immediately ask who Liang Qichao was. In that case, he might even have to tell him the story of the “Six Gentlemen of the Hundred Days’ Reform.”
“Fine, don’t tell me then. By the way, teacher, can reciting the ‘Scripture of Salvation’ really eliminate Sha Qi?”
Seeing his teacher wasn’t going to continue, Ye Tian didn’t press further. However, he memorized the name Liang Sicheng in his heart.
“Of course. The efficacy of the ‘Scripture of Salvation’ is no less than Buddhism’s ‘Diamond Sutra.’ You just do as instructed later. Your master is going to rest a bit…”
It seemed recalling past events affected his mood. Plus, no matter how healthy he was, he was still a centenarian. He leaned his head back against the chair and began to doze.
Seeing this, Ye Tian got up and walked out, gently closing the door. Although he could be mischievous and often called the old man “old fellow,” Ye Tian truly cared for and respected the elder in his heart.
“Hey, young master, where’s Master Li? I’ve found people to build the house.” Ye Tian had just walked into the courtyard when Miao Laoda pushed open the courtyard gate excitedly.
Hearing Miao Laoda’s loud voice, Ye Tian quickly put his index finger to his lips and shushed, “Master is a bit tired, he’s resting. Brother Miao, please dismantle this mourning hall. Then I’ll recite scriptures here to perform rites for the deceased, and that will break this Yin Evil Energy.”
Hearing this, Miao Laoda was stunned for a moment and asked hesitantly, “Young master, you… can you do it?”
Truth be told, in these times, appearance mattered a great deal in any profession. Just like patients prefer old doctors, or factories specify they want grade-eight mechanics when hiring technicians. Given Ye Tian’s young age, it was natural for Miao Laoda to have doubts.
“Brother Miao, the Yin Evil Energy in your courtyard hasn’t formed for long. It’s easy to clear. No need for my master to handle it…”
Ye Tian suddenly remembered a zombie movie he watched in town last year. A playful impulse rose in him. He puffed out his little chest with effort and continued, “Prepare a square table, offerings of four types of livestock, and then bring nine white wooden poles…”
“Young master, the offerings are easy, but… what are these white wooden poles for?” Although Ye Tian spoke convincingly, Miao Laoda still didn’t quite believe him, his eyes constantly drifting toward the main room with the closed door.
Though young, Ye Tian was quite sharp. He noticed Miao Laoda didn’t really trust him. He immediately said, “Raising banners with white poles naturally can gather and seal the Sha, dispel the foulness and cleanse the impurities. Or should we wait for my master to rest and have him do it?”
“No, no, young master. I’ll listen to you. I’ll go find the things right away…”
Hearing Ye Tian’s words, Miao Laoda stamped his foot. After all, he was going to repair their Taoist Temple for them tomorrow. The Taoist might run, but the temple wouldn’t. If this didn’t work, Master Li would still have to step in. There was no need to offend this clever little fellow.
The offerings were readily available. In the countryside, white wooden poles were also easy to find. Soon, Miao Laoda placed everything Ye Tian needed on the spot where the mourning hall had been dismantled.
However, Miao Laoda tightly closed his courtyard gate. In these times, promoting Feudal Superstition could easily get you taken to the Police Station.
Moreover, if neighbors found out he invited a ten-year-old kid to perform a ritual, wouldn’t he be laughed at?
Ye Tian had a lively and unrestrained nature. Now given free rein, he quickly got into the spirit of things. He arranged the nine white wooden poles around the Yin Sha Land, then sat upright before the table. He couldn’t help feeling a bit regretful; it would be even more fun if he had a peach wood sword.
As for whether the “Scripture of Salvation” had any effect, Ye Tian didn’t care at all. Once the mourning hall was removed, the Yin Sha in this place would naturally disperse within a few days.
“For the dedicated scholar, reciting it ten times causes demonic essences to lose their sight, ghostly monsters to perish and dissipate, saving those on the brink of death, reviving those already gone…”
After putting on a full display, Ye Tian began reciting the “Scripture of Salvation” quite convincingly, looking exactly like a little master who had attained the Way. This actually made Miao Laoda, watching from the side, gain a bit of confidence in Ye Tian.
“If people in the world receive and recite it, they extend their lifespan and live long years. Afterwards, they all attain the path of Corpse Deliverance. Their spirit temporarily extinguishes, bypassing hell, immediately regaining form. Huh? It’s out again.”
Just as Ye Tian was halfway through reciting, he felt a slight dizziness in his head. That palm-sized Tortoise Shell suddenly appeared again.
Ye Tian was startled at first, then took a deep breath, continuing his recitation without pause. However, his attention was now fully on the Tortoise Shell. “It really is a Luopan, but… it’s somewhat different from Master’s.”
Concentrating hard, Ye Tian finally saw clearly this time. The mysterious patterns on the Tortoise Shell were actually bird seal scripts. However, right in the center, where the magnetic needle should be, there was a Tai Chi Yin-Yang diagram.