Chapter 2: Injured

The flashes of lightning and roars of thunder outside the Taoist Temple made the light inside flicker between brightness and darkness.

Not far from Ye Tian’s head, a palm-sized fragment that was originally a black, clay-like sculpture began to emit a faint, ghostly fluorescence after being stained with Ye Tian’s blood.

If anyone had been in the temple at that moment, they would have discovered that this glowing object was not made of clay. It was a pitch-black Tortoise Shell, densely carved with complex lines, somewhat resembling the Luopan used by a feng shui master.

However, unlike a common Luopan, this Tortoise Shell had no inner dial. Instead, it was replaced by a Tai Chi Yin-Yang symbol. The outside corresponded to the Eight Trigrams patterns—”Qian, Kun, Zhen, Gen, Li, Kan, Dui, Xun”—appearing exceptionally ancient and mysterious.

Originally, the Tortoise Shell was dull and colorless. But when stained with Ye Tian’s blood, the entire shell seemed to come alive. The blood seeped into the back of the shell, revealing mysterious patterns one by one.

Suddenly, a loud thunderclap sounded outside. The light inside the entire Taoist Temple flared brightly for an instant. Above the Tortoise Shell, a faint Tai Chi symbol appeared, transforming into a wisp of blue smoke that drilled into the center of Ye Tian’s forehead. Meanwhile, the Tortoise Shell on the ground vanished with that peal of thunder.

A bolt of lightning tore through the ink-black sky from the horizon, winding down like a snake or a dragon. By the light of the flash, one could see the small body of Ye Tian on the ground trembling slightly.

…

Summer thunderstorms come and go quickly. As the rain and thunder ceased, the temple returned to its usual peace. Only the water dripping from the eaves made crisp, clear sounds.

The next morning, the sky cleared after the rain. The mountain forest was lush and emerald, fragrant with plants and grass. A thin mist hung lightly like gauze, and faint clouds could be seen lingering among the deep valleys and quiet woods. The trees on the mountain shimmered with a crystal-clear green.

A figure moved through the mountain forest. Although the path was muddy and slippery, the figure did not hesitate at all. Before long, he had arrived at the entrance of the Taoist Temple.

This was a Taoist priest of average build. His Taoist Robe was as shabby as the temple itself. The topknot on his head was somewhat disheveled from hurrying. His complexion was slightly ruddy, but without a single wrinkle.

Judging only by his face and skin tone, this Taoist priest seemed to be only in his forties or fifties. However, from his deep, ocean-like eyes, one could glimpse a trace of weathering, making him not someone to be underestimated.

“Boundless Heavenly Lord. At least the Ancestral Master’s foundation wasn’t destroyed.”

Looking at the dilapidated Taoist Temple, the Old Taoist Priest made a salute with one hand in front of his chest. But when he saw the scene in the front hall through the wind-leaking doors and windows, he couldn’t help but utter a complaint and quickly walked inside.

“Ancestral Master, your humble disciple calculated a few days ago that you would face this calamity. In a few days, I will definitely restore your golden statue for you…”

Looking at the empty altar, the Old Taoist Priest pretended to count the fingers on his right hand. For a moment, he did not notice the small body lying on the muddy ground.

“Master, didn’t you calculate that I would also face a calamity?”

Slowly waking from his faint, Ye Tian felt a surge of anger upon hearing the Old Taoist’s words. This old fellow usually boasted of being the fiftieth-generation inheritor of the Hemp Robe Lineage, yet it seemed he had never accurately predicted anything.

“Ma…Master, my head was even broken open by the Ancestral Master.”

Just having woken up, Ye Tian felt his head was somewhat dizzy. He reached up and touched it, only to find his hand covered in blood. No matter how clever Ye Tian was, he was just a child a little over ten years old. He cried out in alarm.

“Oh dear, my precious disciple, you… what happened to you?”

Seeing Ye Tian on the ground with blood all over his face, the Old Taoist Priest was greatly startled. He quickly picked Ye Tian up and inspected him from head to toe, only then letting out a sigh of relief.

Running outside to fetch some well water, the Old Taoist Priest cleaned Ye Tian’s wound. Then, from within his oily Taoist Robe, he fished out a small box. Using his little finger, he scooped out a bit of black ointment and applied it to Ye Tian’s forehead. “It’s nothing. Just a flesh wound. Lost a bit too much blood. Rest for a few days and you’ll be fine.”

Feeling a cool sensation on his forehead, Ye Tian became a bit more alert. He looked at the Old Taoist Priest with a displeased expression. “Old man, you told me to come find you during vacation. Did you want me to take on your calamity for you?”

Although within the Occult Arts there are concepts like Defying Heaven to Alter Fate and Attracting Good Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune, once fate is set, anyone wanting to secretly change it must have someone to take on the calamity—in other words, a scapegoat.

Though Ye Tian was young, he had memorized books like “The Hemp Robe Physiognomy” and the “Arcane Repository” thoroughly. Suffering this inexplicable disaster now, he naturally suspected his unreliable Master of scheming against him.

“Not at all! You were born on the second day of the second lunar month in the Year of the Dragon. This Old Taoist simply cannot calculate your Fortune-telling…”

Hearing Ye Tian’s words, the Old Taoist Priest protested his innocence. The reason he took Ye Tian as a disciple was, first, the deep mountains were lonely, and he wanted a companion.

Second, it was because Ye Tian’s fate pattern was peculiar, sparking some curiosity in the Old Taoist’s mind. But after living with Ye Tian for five or six years, he still couldn’t determine Ye Tian’s Fortune-telling.

Ye Tian didn’t dwell on the matter, but he felt curious about where the Old Taoist had gone the previous day. He asked, “Then why did you go down the mountain?”

“Disciple, look. Our Taoist Temple has been in disrepair for years. Didn’t I go down the mountain to seek some goodwill, to ask people to help repair it…”

Speaking of this, the Old Taoist Priest looked indignant. “Why is the renovation of the Maoshan main peak handled by the state, while we are like wandering ghosts, ignored by everyone?”

Just last year, the state allocated thirty million to carry out large-scale restoration work on the Jiuxiao Wanfu Palace and Yuanfu Wanning Palace on the main peak of Maoshan.

At that time, the Old Taoist Priest had wanted to get some benefit, to have the construction team help repair his Hemp Robe Taoist Temple as well. Unexpectedly, he was chased back by the Taoist priests on the main peak. He had been holding a grudge ever since.

Ye Tian touched the wound on his head, which had already scabbed over into a bloody patch. He said irritably, “Master, theirs is religious culture. Yours is Feudal Superstition. Are they the same?”

“Nonsense, Feudal Superstition! The origins of Physiognomy can be traced back to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. The derived arts even include astronomy, calendrics, mathematics, Fortune-telling, Geomancy, talismans and incantations, selecting auspicious dates, miscellaneous divinations, bedroom arts, and other miscellaneous skills. This is natural science!”

Hearing Ye Tian’s words, the Old Taoist Priest immediately jumped up. After surviving those ten years of turmoil, life had just gotten a bit better. He was planning to revitalize the Hemp Robe Lineage, but never expected to be called Feudal Superstition by his own disciple.

“Alright, Master. Yours is not Feudal Superstition. But could you fetch me some water? I’m terribly thirsty.”

Ye Tian waved his hand weakly. He had no energy now to bicker with the old man. Looking at the pool of blood on the ground, Ye Tian felt a bit of lingering fear. If the entire clay statue had fallen on him, he probably wouldn’t have survived.

“Such a tiny scratch and you’re getting delicate. Back in the day, this Old Taoist led hundreds of Japanese soldiers on a chase through the mountains. I had several bullet holes in my body.”

The Old Taoist was very dissatisfied with Ye Tian’s attitude. Ever since taking this disciple, using teaching martial arts as a condition, chores like boiling water and cooking had been done by Ye Tian since he was just a few years old.

But although he muttered under his breath, the Old Taoist still drew water from the well in the courtyard and took it to the back to boil. Ye Tian was injured and couldn’t drink cold water.

“Kid, lie down on the bed and sleep for a while. I’ll go get you something to eat.”

Seeing Ye Tian’s pitiful, listless appearance, the Old Taoist Priest carried him into the bed in the inner Side Room. After such heavy rain yesterday, there was no hope for dry quilts or blankets. Even the bamboo bed was soaked with rainwater.

“This Old Taoist is over a hundred years old and still has to serve a little brat like you. It was a loss taking you as a disciple.”

Fortunately, it was summer, so there was no risk of catching a cold. After settling Ye Tian, the Old Taoist Priest turned around and went down the mountain again. Of course, he couldn’t help grumbling along the way.

After more than an hour, the Old Taoist returned to the Taoist Temple carrying a fish and a hen. Seeing little Ye Tian sleeping soundly, he didn’t wake him. He killed the fish and the hen himself and started cooking for Ye Tian.

“Master, what are you cooking? It smells so good.”

Ye Tian, who had been sleeping soundly, was roused by the rich aroma wafting to his nose. Children have strong vitality. Although he had lost quite a bit of blood yesterday, after sleeping for several hours, his energy had mostly recovered.

“Wow, stewed hen and fish soup. Master, you’re so good to me.”

Lifting the lid of the pot, Ye Tian immediately exclaimed. Having known the Old Taoist for nearly five or six years, this was the first time Ye Tian enjoyed such treatment.

“Seeing you were injured, this Old Taoist went down the mountain and bought you a fish…”

Hearing Ye Tian’s words, the Old Taoist’s face flushed slightly. The fish was indeed bought, but the hen was snatched from a woodpile on his way up the mountain.

It wasn’t that the Old Taoist Priest was unwilling to buy one. First, his pockets were empty. Second, in the countryside, no one was willing to sell a laying hen.

As the saying goes, an old person becomes a spirit. There weren’t many things the Old Taoist couldn’t do. Although seasonings were scarce, he added several mountain herbs. The chicken soup simmered, filling the air with a rich, fragrant aroma.

After drinking the chicken soup, Ye Tian’s pale little face finally gained a hint of color. His eyes darted around, then he looked at the Old Taoist Priest and asked, “Master, did you manage to gather any goodwill down the mountain? If this Taoist Temple isn’t repaired soon, I’m afraid you’ll save yourself the trouble of a coffin later.”

“Brat, can’t you speak properly?”

The Old Taoist Priest’s face turned somewhat green from Ye Tian’s words. He felt like teaching him a lesson but held back because Ye Tian was injured. Putting on a stern face, he said, “Recite the eye chapter from ‘The Hemp Robe Physiognomy.’ I want to see if you’ve been slacking off.”

“Oh. Eyes should be as distinct as the sun and moon. Phoenix eyes and dragon eyes must be clear. Most feared are yellow irises with red veins, a lifetime of misfortune and nothing achieved.”

Seeing the Old Taoist’s unfriendly expression, Ye Tian obediently began reciting. As he recited, he looked at the Old Taoist’s eyes, his mind wondering why this old fellow didn’t have yellow irises with red veins.

“Hmm? What… what is this?”

Just as Ye Tian looked at the Old Taoist, a wave of dizziness suddenly hit his head. It lasted only a few seconds. But when he returned to normal, Ye Tian felt as if something extra had appeared in his mind.