On the day I took the master, my master told me some rules and taboos, after all, the times have changed, there's no need to stick to the old ways, he tried to simplify them as much as possible, his requirements for me weren't many, just respecting parents and teachers, not using magic for evil, etc. After that, he started to officially pass down his skills, because I was a "legal blind," I had to start from the basics like the five elements, the heavenly stems and earthly branches, the eight trigrams, the sixty hexagrams, etc.
Also, my master taught me a method to nurture qi, called the Yin-Yang Secret, he said it was a unique skill of the yin-yang family, it couldn't make one an immortal or be used to hit things from a distance, but it could enhance one's spirit and spiritual power, making talismanic spells and magical techniques more powerful. Suppressing the demon fox inside me was mainly also relying on the Yin-Yang Secret, according to his estimation, practicing to the third layer should be enough to suppress it.
"All spells and incantations require spiritual power to drive them, without spiritual power, there is no magical effect. Most of the hand gestures, stepping on the stars, and incantations during spell casting are to concentrate one's own spiritual power or borrow the power of ghosts and gods. If you have enough strong spiritual power, you don't need to chant anything, just saying the word 'fart' can still intimidate the demons. 'The talisman has no fixed shape, the spirit is the essence.' As long as you have enough strong spiritual power, you don't need paper and ink, just a few strokes in the air can also subdue dragons and tigers." Master Zhou, in order to encourage me to practice the Yin-Yang Secret, revealed the secret of the matter.
I nodded to show my understanding. Spiritual power is like internal strength in martial arts novels, people with deep internal strength can kill with a single leaf or flower, just a wave of the hand can break someone else's ultimate move; without internal strength, even the most beautiful techniques are just for show, and they are useless against real masters.
The ideal is beautiful, the reality is cruel, in fact, I spent the whole afternoon trying to remember the names and positions of the relevant acupoints, and at night, after sitting in meditation for three or four hours, there was not even a hint of qi sensation in the Qi Hai acupoint.
I hadn't slept for long when I suddenly woke up, disturbed by the sound of a chicken in the backyard. It wasn't the rooster crowing or the hen clucking, but the alarmed calls of several chickens.
To nourish my body, my mother bought seven domesticated native chickens, killing two and leaving five in our backyard. Our backyard is behind the kitchen, primarily for vegetable gardening and a well. This summer, when I was at home, I built a bathroom and shower room. At night, I would lock the chickens in the bathroom.
My bedroom is about ten meters away from the bathroom, separated by a layer of brick wall and a layer of earth wall. I don't know why the faint sound of the chicken could wake me up. I immediately got up, opened the door, rushed into the kitchen, and opened the door to the outside. With my night vision, I didn't need any light. In less than thirty seconds, I was in the backyard.
The alarmed cries of the chickens grew louder. Standing at the door of the bathroom was a person, one hand holding a chicken, the other hand holding a small flashlight, shining it into the bathroom. Inside the bathroom, there was another person catching chickens. On the wall of the yard, there was someone crouching, probably on lookout duty. In the darkness, I couldn't see them, but they hurriedly whispered, "Someone is coming!"
The person standing at the door said, "Don't worry, catch one more, at least two are enough to eat."
I recognized this person; his name was Fan Qiang. We were in the same class in elementary school. He had always been fierce and reckless, fighting without fear, and eventually didn't graduate from elementary school. At that time, he had already been hanging out with a group of little hooligans, fighting and causing trouble, stealing and stealing chickens. His family couldn't control him. Later, they joined the "Butterfly Gang," becoming even more arrogant. They changed from sneaky thieves to half-thieves and half-robbers, and sometimes the villagers knew they were the ones who stole but dared not speak out. The Butterfly Gang dominated the entire township, monopolizing the township's passenger transport and vegetable market in recent years, rumored to have official backing.
My family had also been robbed by them before. My mother wanted to avoid trouble, and advised me not to have conflicts with them. I am a scholar, although I was angry, I dared not really confront them. But at this time, I caught them red-handed, and I was furious, shouting angrily, "Stop, what are you doing!"
Fan Qiang was startled and turned around quickly, shining the small flashlight towards me, discovering that I was empty-handed and alone, he immediately calmed down and joked, "Nothing, just catching two chickens for a snack."
I became even more angry and rushed to grab the chicken from his hand, "Put it down, these are my chickens!"
Fan Qiang hid the chicken behind him, using his other hand to block me, showing off his strong muscles, he shouted, "What's the big deal about eating your two chickens, it's because I give you face that I'm catching your chickens."
The person inside who was catching chickens also squeezed out, tall and robust, named Jiao A Tong, he glared at me and said, "What are you shouting for, shout again and I'll beat you to death!"
Fan Qiang said, "He's my classmate, give him some face, catch one more and we'll leave."
I couldn't hold back anymore, and I punched Fan Qiang in the nose, he immediately fell back, dropping the chicken and the small flashlight, and holding his nose with his hands.
Jiao A Tong punched me, and I dodged to the side to avoid it, then he kicked out again, and I dodged again, lifting his leg up, he immediately fell back, his head hitting the cement ground heavily.
Fan Qiang's nose was bleeding profusely, his hands covered in blood, he grunted a few times and immediately attacked me, his fists and feet were fierce and fierce. I kept retreating, dodging every time, and suddenly I kicked him in the stomach. He retreated two or three steps, involuntarily bent over, but immediately stood up, roaring at me, changing his stance to a bear hug. He was very strong, a few hits from me didn't do much harm, but if he caught me, it would be bad.
I leaped to the side, avoiding his attack. The darkness was too deep for him to see that I was already standing on the edge of the ditch, and I punched him in the head. He instinctively dodged and stepped back, only to find himself stepping into empty space and falling into the deep ditch, unable to get up immediately.
The lookout was thin and small, but incredibly agile, jumping in and running towards me. Jiao A Tong also got up, staggering towards me, cursing with foul language.
The vegetable garden was not very flat, with many vegetables planted. The two of them couldn't see clearly and stumbled around. I was agile, jumping between the two of them, and hitting them with my fists and feet without hesitation, hitting them so they cried out in pain.
Their movements seemed slow to me, they couldn't hit me, but I could easily hit them, standing in a position where I couldn't be defeated. I felt a strange excitement, the spirit of the demon fox had made me strong, I no longer had to fear them!
The lights in the house came on, followed by the lights in the yard. My mother was shouting loudly, "Who is it? What are you doing? There's a thief, catch the thief!"
Jiao A Tong and the thin man finally panicked and ran in different directions, but the walls of the yard were quite high, and it was difficult for them to get out without help. Jiao A Tong was pulled down and pressed to the ground by me, and I punched him a few more times. I didn't give him any face, the last few punches were all directed at his face.
"Don't hit, don't hit, stop hitting, I won't dare anymore!" Jiao A Tong curled up in the corner, holding his head with his hands, begging for mercy, but the thin man had already jumped over the wall and escaped.
My mother came out, saw that I was hitting someone, and hurriedly told me not to hit. Fan Qiang struggled out of the ditch at this time, covered in mud and stinking water, his face also covered with mud and blood, his right hand hanging down unable to lift, whether it was dislocated or fractured, I couldn't tell.
My mother pulled me away from hitting them again, and Ah Tong hurriedly helped Fan Qiang into my house and then walked out the door. Outside the gate, Fan Qiang trembled again and said fiercely, "Wait for me, you're dead, your whole family is dead.
I am very angry. If my mom hadn't stopped me tightly, I would have beaten him like I did a few days ago, and he would have had to lie in bed hanging glucose!
After my mother confirmed that all the blood on my body belonged to someone else, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and began to blame me. She shouldn't have fought with them and would rather lose two chickens than offend these little rascals.
Mom, don't be afraid of them. No one dares to bully us anymore, and even five of them can't beat me, "I comforted my mother.
Aming, they are reckless individuals with power and influence, even the police are afraid to arrest them. How can we possibly compete with them? Their lives are worth less than a dog's, but you mean everything to your mother, and you have a bright future ahead. We can't afford to confront them head-on.
I was silent, realizing that they grew up without proper family upbringing, haven't read much, and don't understand reasoning. They don't believe in Marxism-Leninism or gods and spirits, so they have no beliefs, and their ignorance makes them fearless. They think they are the best in the world, living only to enjoy life and oppress others. Fan Qiang has probably never suffered such a big loss, the harsh words just now were not just threats, he will probably start retaliating soon.
I comforted my mother, "Don't worry, if they really dare to cause trouble, I will call the police."
Mother kept shaking her head: "Don't you know yet, they've been to the public security bureau so many times that they've become friends with the police officers. Even the head of the public security bureau dare not offend their leader, otherwise, how could they dominate the roads and the market in the village? Tomorrow I will go to find their parents and apologize to them."
I was very frustrated. I had to apologize to the thief after catching him. Where in the world is there such a logic! But the emperor is far away, and no one here can really control them. Mother nagged for a long time before going to sleep. I lay in bed unable to sleep. In the middle of the night, the dogs in the village barked wildly one after another. I thought many times that the Butterfly Gang was gathering people to retaliate, but in the end, no one came to knock on my door, and the night passed peacefully.
I was a little excited. It seems that changing to the heroic spirit of the fox demon is not necessarily a bad thing. At least my fighting ability has greatly improved. For the first time in twenty years, I have beaten someone so gratifyingly that they dare not come again.
Early the next morning, Fan Qiang's mother burst into my house, accusing me of beating her son so severely that his bones were broken, and demanded that I pay for his medical expenses. This fierce woman is notorious in the village for her temper; her shouting can be heard across half the village. She caused a huge scene, never mentioning her son's chicken-stealing incident, but only emphasizing how brutally I had beaten him, as if I were some heartless and cruel murderer. With a mother like hers, it's no wonder her son turned out the way he did.
I don't know her real name; everyone in the village calls her Shengyu Po. The "Po" in her name doesn't signify her age, but rather her claim to be able to communicate with spirits. She often claims to be possessed by deities like He Xian Gu and the Queen Mother of the West. After my master, she emerged as the most influential spirit medium in the village. With divine protection above and a lawless son below, plus a husband who is the only Western doctor in the village and several influential relatives, it's impossible for her not to be overbearing.
My mother kept apologizing to her and saying nice things, but I didn't give in. I argued with facts, pointing out that it was her son who had stolen a chicken and fallen into a ditch, breaking his hand. The commotion attracted half the village, with countless onlookers. The evidence of Fan Qiang falling into the ditch was still there, undeniable. Everyone knew what kind of person he was, so no one supported Shengyu Po. In the end, she had no choice but to leave in defeat.
But the story didn't end there. After she went home, she claimed to be possessed by a deity who said I had borrowed the bronze bell from the Fengtou Temple. The gods were angry and would bring disaster to the whole village. The dogs barking wildly last night were a sign of this.
Such a ridiculous story somehow gained believers, and it spread throughout the village in no time. The gossiping old men of the village started whispering to each other and frequently appeared at my doorstep.