My name is Zhang Daoyan, and I am nineteen years old, a freshman at Chongqing Normal University. The story of my family was told by my elders. Although my grandfather might have had the qualifications to inherit the title of Heavenly Master of Mount Longhu, due to the historical reasons of the last century, our family could not return. But I don't feel regretful. I enjoy the bustling world rather than living a secluded life on the mountain.
"What are you thinking about?" Chu He, who was beside me, nudged me.
Zhang Daoyan snapped back to reality and said, "Just thinking about my childhood."
"Tch," Chu He rolled his eyes at Zhang Daoyan and said, "Hurry up and buy the stuff."
"Do you think what we're doing might be unlucky?" Zhang Daoyan asked uneasily. Due to his family background, even though he hadn't systematically studied these matters, his family had forced him to practice the Golden Light Mantra—a protective spell. Zhang Daoyan knew that ghosts really do exist!
"Are you scared? We agreed, whoever chickens out will leave and won't pursue Jiang Yuqiu anymore," Chu He laughed heartily. Zhang Daoyan's father ran a funeral service shop, which led to Zhang Daoyan being looked at oddly and friendless during elementary school. Later, Zhang Daoyan would make things up about his family: "My father is a driver."
After all, transporting the deceased did require driving, so it wasn't entirely untrue.
Jiang Yuqiu was the collective goddess of their dormitory. The four roommates often argued over her. Tonight, Chu He suggested they spend a night at a mass grave on the outskirts of the city. Whoever chickened out and ran would not be allowed to pursue Jiang Yuqiu anymore. The last one standing would be the victor.
The other two roommates were Chi Xifan and Liu Bi. After making the plan, Chi Xifan and Liu Bi immediately went to find the graveyard, while Zhang Daoyan and Chu He sneaked out to buy spirit money and incense.
There's a saying, "Money can make ghosts turn millstones." If we really encounter something dirty, throwing some spirit money should do the trick. Even if the ghosts don't respect us, they can't ignore money, right? Although Zhang Daoyan had practiced the Golden Light Mantra since childhood, he had never used it in real situations and wasn't sure if it would work.
Zhang Daoyan and Chu He secretly bought a backpack full of spirit money and incense, then took a bus to the western suburbs of Chongqing.
Chi Xifan had already found a mass grave located on a deserted hill covered with weeds. Most graves didn't have headstones, just small mounds of dirt.
By the time the four of them stood at the foot of the hill, it was dusk, and the sky was darkening. In the middle of the graveyard was an abandoned pavilion. They put down their things, and Chu He pulled out playing cards, smiling, "Let's play cards."
"Sure." The other three agreed.
Zhang Daoyan was already feeling scared. It was fine when it was still light, but now it was dark, and thinking about the graves all around was terrifying.
"金光速现,覆护真人!" Zhang Daoyan silently recited (Golden Light, appear quickly, protect the real person!), and while dealing the cards, he secretly moved his left hand behind his back, trying to channel a bit of qi to his left fingertips to see if the Golden Light Mantra he had half-heartedly practiced still worked.
After playing cards for a while, they were all distracted.
"Caw, caw…"
Suddenly, the sound of crows came from outside the pavilion.
"Chu He, maybe we should leave," said Chi Xifan, who was quite scared. Once, a mouse appeared in the dorm. Chu He stomped it to death, but Chi Xifan ran to the bathroom to throw up and avoided that spot for days.
"Go if you want, I'm not leaving. If you all leave, no one will compete with me for Yuqiu," Chu He laughed.
"Then I'm leaving," Chi Xifan said.
"Go ahead, but it takes ten minutes to walk out of here. Do you dare?" Chu He didn't believe him.
Chi Xifan thought for a moment and said, "Zhang, Chu, can you guys walk me out?"
"Get lost," Zhang Daoyan cursed. "With that courage, you still want to compete for Yuqiu?"
"Damn, you guys are too mean." Chi Xifan cursed, then turned and ran.
Zhang Daoyan watched him go, frowning. "He really dares to run."
Liu Bi said, "Wait, he'll be back in ten minutes."
"No, I know him well. Not ten minutes, five minutes at most," Zhang Daoyan said.
Five minutes passed, but Chi Xifan didn't return. "Chu He, let's talk. It's creepy here," Zhang Daoyan suggested.
"About what?" Chu He seemed scared too.
"Anything," Zhang Daoyan said, glancing around the dark surroundings.
"I've always been different from other kids," Chu He began. "When I was little, I wondered why characters in shows could achieve so much while I just did homework. So I decided to date a hundred girls before I turn twenty…"
"Shut up, talk about something else," Zhang Daoyan interrupted.
Liu Bi swallowed nervously and said, "Maybe we should find Chi Xifan. He might be hiding."
"No way," Chu He said. "I'm staying here."
"Chu He," Zhang Daoyan signaled to Chu He, "let's find him. What if something happens?"
"Fine," Chu He pulled out three cigarettes. "Let's take a walk while we smoke."
"Alright."
The three, holding flashlights and smoking, walked in the direction Chi Xifan had run. They were surrounded by darkness, with graves illuminated by their flashlights.
The cigarette was nearly finished when Zhang Daoyan said, "He really ran."
"Let's go back," Chu He said, and Liu Bi added, "Wait, I need to pee."
"Lazy people have more needs," Zhang Daoyan remarked.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, a scream pierced the night. It was Liu Bi.
"Liu Bi, are you okay?" Zhang Daoyan and Chu He ran to him.
Liu Bi was trembling on the ground. "Look," he pointed.
Following his flashlight beam, they saw a gravestone with Chi Xifan's photo, his eyes eerily smiling at them.
这是一个可能的表达方式,适合在小说章节的最后作为作者留言:
Author's Note:
The protagonist's name is Zhang Daoyan. "Zhang" is the surname, "Dao" represents Taoism, and "Yan" means derivation.
Golden Light Mantra: It's a unique technique of the Heavenly Master Mansion of Mount Longhu. Golden streams of light, seemingly alive, spread around the body, protecting when retracted and attacking when released. The light of the Golden Light Mantra is a righteous and vital light. Essentially, the Golden Light Mantra enhances one's life force and cultivation by entering a state of "righteousness." The golden light is the result of certain rituals and spells. Even at the most basic level, it can make the body emit a sacred golden light that ordinary malevolent spirits and monsters cannot approach. The key to practicing and using the Golden Light Mantra is to achieve a more perfect state of "righteousness." Through long-term practice, one's life force and cultivation improve, and the golden light naturally becomes more tangible. The higher the degree of tangibility, the stronger the operability of the Golden Light Mantra.
The hand gesture is: cross the middle and ring fingers of both hands, with the index finger, little finger, and thumb extended straight; the index finger and little finger point upwards, and the thumb points downwards. After forming the Golden Light hand seal, lightly close your eyes or lower your gaze, imagining a silver-white full moon hanging in front of you, illuminating your whole body. While visualizing, silently recite: "A bright moon, clear as a mirror, its rays shining on my body. The moonlight, vast and white as the sea, harmonizes yin and yang for true cultivation."
After meditating like this for a moment, visualize the moon entering your brain through the heavenly eye point, then moving straight to the cinnabar field, then shifting to the left chest, entering the heart. The moon represents yin and corresponds to the yin line in the Li trigram, the yin essence within the yang. The sun represents yang and follows the yang movement. The brain is the seat of the spirit, representing yin; the heart is the organ of the spirit, representing yang. This interplay of yin and yang harmonizes the divine mechanism. At this moment, observe your heart within your left chest, imagining it emitting golden light, growing from small to large like a rising sun, filling the chest cavity with golden rays. Visualize this for 3 to 5 minutes, then slowly move the red sun to the middle cinnabar field, pause briefly, and then lower it to the qi point an inch and three-fifths below the navel. Imagine the golden light expanding, filling your whole body and radiating out through the pores, encompassing the entire room or an area of one to two zhang around you. The expansion should be spherical and clear. At the same time, silently recite the Golden Light Mantra once (drawing the Golden Light Talisman with each recitation).
Every morning at dawn, stand (or sit) facing east, inhale deeply through your nose, storing the breath in your lower dantian. Hold your breath naturally, letting it infuse your entire body, then breathe normally. Imagine your true spirit riding five-colored clouds, instantly arriving at the Sun Palace, where you bow three times to the Solar Sovereign and kneel before him, silently reciting the Golden Light Mantra and drawing the Golden Light Talisman. Then, breathe through your nose, imagining the warm golden light filling your abdomen with each inhale, feeling warmth in your lower dantian, kidney palace, and throughout your waist and legs, as if bathed in sunlight.
Note: This method is intended for novel plot purposes only. Please do not take it as real practice.