Chapter 5: Feign Weakness to Lure the Enemy

“It’s high noon, the blazing sun hangs overhead, the time of day when Yang energy is strongest. Yet this place feels gloomy and creepy. Isn’t that caused by Yin Evil Energy?”

Ye Tian, a small body wearing a Taoist hat, tried his best to speak like an adult, but it always came across as rather odd.

Still, his words made perfect sense. The Old Taoist next to him nodded repeatedly, a hint of surprise in his eyes. Had he really not taught the boy this?

Children are all a bit fond of showing off. Though Ye Tian was much smarter than his peers, seeing Miao Laoda’s somewhat dismissive attitude sparked a competitive spirit in him.

After speaking, Ye Tian pointed to the location where he had seen the thin mist earlier and said, “Look, right there…”

“Here?”

Miao Laoda looked where Ye Tian pointed. It was the spot where the host family, Xie, used to receive mourning guests. His sister-in-law had been sitting there holding the child these past few days.

He hadn’t paid it much mind before, but now, hearing Ye Tian’s words, Miao Laoda walked a few steps closer. Sure enough, he felt a creepy, Yin chill, and his scalp tingled immediately.

“Hmm? Good, you noticed it too?”

The Old Taoist nodded approvingly and turned to Miao Laoda. “Lay Practitioner Miao, since your brother passed away, this child has been crying nonstop, right? And he easily wakes up frightened at night…”

With just a few words, the Old Taoist accurately described what was happening in the family. Shock appeared on Miao Laoda’s face. He grabbed the Old Taoist Priest’s arm. “Master Li, you are exactly right. This child is the only heir left in our Miao family. You must save him.”

Hearing this, the Old Taoist smiled and gently stroked his beard. “The child is a bit startled. One of his three Hun souls and one of his seven Po spirits got scared away. Plus, the Yin Sha here is too strong. That’s why it’s like this. But it’s nothing serious.”

“Old Immortal, please, I beg you, save my child!”

Upon hearing the Old Taoist’s words, the boy’s mother couldn’t hold back anymore. Holding the child, she tried to kneel on the ground, but the Old Taoist quickly caught and stopped her.

“Please don’t, please don’t. I will do my best.”

Glancing at the wailing infant, the Old Taoist reached out and took him into his arms. He said to the child’s mother, “Go around the front and back of the house, call this child’s name…”

“Call his name?” The mother was stunned, not understanding the Old Immortal’s meaning.

“Hey, hey, sister-in-law, hurry, do as the Master says, go call him!” Hearing the Old Taoist, Miao Laoda quickly gave his sister-in-law a push.

In the countryside, there was a practice called “calling back the soul.” Some places called it “calling away fright” or “calling the spirit.” The woman had never heard of it, but Miao Laoda knew about it, so he firmly believed the Old Taoist’s words.

“Good child, no more crying… soul, return home…”

After the woman’s voice started calling, the Old Taoist, holding the child in his left arm, extended his right hand and pretended to grab something in the air. Then he gently stroked the child’s chest and back.

“Hey, he stopped crying, he stopped crying…”

It was as if the child’s soul had truly been caught back by the Old Taoist. The baby, who had been crying incessantly, suddenly stopped, opening his big teary eyes to look curiously at the Old Taoist.

This immediate effect shocked Miao Laoda and then filled him with wild joy. His second brother was already gone. The Miao family’s only bloodline could not have anything else happen.

“Master, oh, no, Old Immortal, please come inside. Quick, please come in and sit…”

If he still had doubts about this old and young pair of Taoists before, Miao Laoda now truly regarded the Old Taoist as a living immortal.

“Old Immortal, my foot. More like an old swindler…”

Hearing Miao Laoda’s words, Ye Tian, following the Old Taoist, almost laughed out loud. Scared so badly he lost a Hun and a Po? That was all nonsense.

The child’s dull complexion, listless spirit, tired body, and cold limbs were all symptoms of a Yin syndrome in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The main reason was the child had stayed too long in a place with excessive Yin Energy, causing internal Yin Energy to stagnate and become sluggish.

As the saying goes, solitary Yin cannot generate life, solitary Yang cannot grow. Forget children, even a weak adult would get sick from staying too long in a cold, Yin place due to internal Yin-Yang imbalance. It had absolutely nothing to do with the soul and spirit theory.

As for why the child suddenly stopped crying, that was still the Old Taoist’s credit.

Ye Tian knew that apart from Feng Shui and Physiognomy, the old man had profound knowledge in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Combined with a lifetime of cultivating the Hemp Robe Lineage’s Qi-Guiding Technique, which focused Qi to achieve extreme softness, guiding a child’s breath was as easy as stretching out one’s hand.

However, all this seemed nothing special to Ye Tian. But in Miao Laoda’s eyes, it was simply the act of an immortal. After ushering the two into the main hall, he immediately busied himself preparing tea and water. Even when his own father was alive, he probably hadn’t been this attentive.

After pouring tea for the Old Taoist and Ye Tian, Miao Laoda spoke. “Old Immortal, ever since my brother and I started working in transportation, our days got better and better. But for some reason, recently we’ve had a string of misfortunes. Please show us a clear path forward.”

This time, with his second brother’s car accident, not only did he die, but the vehicle was also severely damaged. In those days, there was no such thing as insurance. All the losses had to be borne by the Miao family.

Even though they had earned some money over the past two years, after deducting the car repair costs and compensating the cargo owner, Miao Laoda was also feeling stretched thin. So the Old Taoist’s words just now were like a bright lamp, giving him hope.

“Lay Practitioner Miao, don’t be hasty. Let me examine the Feng Shui of this house…”

Hearing Miao Laoda’s words, the Old Taoist reached into the wide sleeve of his Taoist Robe and pulled out an object. Holding it level with both hands, he stood up and began walking around the room.

“A Luopan?”

Seeing the object in the Old Taoist’s hands, Ye Tian’s eyes suddenly lit up. The tortoise shell that had twice appeared in his mind today was about eighty or ninety percent similar to this thing!

“Could it be… that inexplicable thing in my mind is a Luopan?”

Ye Tian had a moment of understanding. However, no matter how much he now tried to make the tortoise shell appear in his mind to compare with the Old Taoist’s Luopan, his mind remained completely empty.

Seeing his Master walk out of the room with the Luopan, Ye Tian, for now unable to investigate further, quickly followed.

Reaching the back of the small building, the Old Taoist stopped. Pointing at two ponds about seven or eight meters away from the building, he asked, “Lay Practitioner Miao, these ponds behind the courtyard, they were dug not long ago, right?”

Although this was the largest town around Maoshan, it was still essentially the countryside. Farmland surrounded the town, so these two ponds weren’t particularly conspicuous.

“Yes, yes. Once when I delivered goods to the south, I saw their aquaculture was very developed. So I dug these two fish ponds. It was just a month ago…”

Miao Laoda nodded repeatedly, then said with a puzzled look, “Old Immortal, could it be… these two Fish Ponds caused the misfortune?”

“Indeed, Lay Practitioner Miao, forgive this old Taoist for being blunt. Your house has an open and spacious Mingtang (bright hall/front space), with beautiful ‘facing hills’ in front. The Feng Shui was originally excellent. But these two ponds signify ‘people crying in the Mingtang, the weeping of orphans and widows is long.’ Not only will adults and children suffer from sudden illnesses, I’m afraid other misfortunes may also be invited…”

The Old Taoist wasn’t deliberately trying to scare Miao Laoda. The Earth Qi of a Feng Shui site was originally related to Yin and Yang. These two ponds behind the dwelling would cause Yin Energy to gather and stagnate. Over time, it would make people distracted and unsettled.

The Miao family’s second son’s car accident might not be related to these ponds, but filling and leveling them would undoubtedly greatly benefit the people living here afterwards.

“Then… then does that mean just filling in the ponds will solve it?”

After hearing the Old Taoist Priest’s words, Miao Laoda realized the problem lay here. He couldn’t help but regret it deeply. His momentary idea had actually cost his brother his life.

“Yes, Lay Practitioner Miao. Have people fill in the ponds, and the Feng Shui will naturally be restored.”

The Old Taoist Priest nodded, then made a slight bow with his hands clasped. “Lay Practitioner Miao, your Feng Shui layout has been resolved. My disciple and I have matters to attend to back at the Taoist Temple, so we must take our leave.”

“Master…”

Hearing the Old Taoist’s words, Ye Tian couldn’t help but tug on the hem of the Old Taoist Priest’s robe. They had come all this way. Forget about the temple repairs; they hadn’t even had lunch yet. Why leave now? Was his teacher also a model Lei Feng imitator?

Before Ye Tian could speak, Miao Laoda objected first. He grabbed the Old Taoist’s arm. “Master, how can that be? You are my nephew’s savior. If I let you leave just like that, people would surely criticize me behind my back later.”

Even though the Old Taoist said the Feng Shui layout was resolved, Miao Laoda wasn’t reassured. Besides, the small building’s Yin Evil Energy was still there. What if the child got sick again after the Old Taoist left?

“Masterful, truly masterful…”

Witnessing this scene, Ye Tian secretly withdrew his hand from the Old Taoist Priest’s robe. So this was why his Master made him memorize The Art of War and the Thirty-Six Stratagems. Turns out the old man had mastered the ‘Feign Weakness to Lure the Enemy’ move to perfection.

“This… Lay Practitioner Miao, I really have matters to attend to.” The Old Taoist’s face showed a troubled expression.

“Master, whatever matters you have, just tell me. Can’t I handle them for you?” Miao Laoda at this moment was like a drowning man who had grabbed a life-saving straw. He refused to let go no matter what.

“Well…”

The Old Taoist Priest pondered for a moment and said, “To be honest with you, Lay Practitioner Miao, the Taoist Temple on the mountain is old and in disrepair. Last night’s heavy rain even damaged the Ancestral Master’s spirit tablet. I need to find a construction team to repair it. Otherwise, I would be ashamed before the Founding Patriarch.”

“Master Li, it’s about that! I know all the construction teams in town. How about this: you stay here for a day. First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll take a construction team to help you repair the Taoist Temple, alright?”

Hearing the Old Taoist Priest’s words, Miao Laoda immediately puffed out his chest. Compared to his life, family, and wealth, spending some money to repair the Old Taoist’s temple was a trivial matter.

“Alright then. It just so happens I need to dispel the Yin Evil Energy from your residence. This old Taoist will stay one more day…”

Faced with Miao Laoda’s warm and earnest insistence, the Old Taoist Priest naturally complied gracefully. He led Ye Tian back into the house.