I knew Sheng Yu Po was definitely plotting something bigger, and the Butterfly Gang, having suffered a major setback, would not just give up. I was now at the center of a whirlwind, seemingly calm on the surface but extremely dangerous in reality. I never expected that catching a chicken thief would lead to such a big mess!
My master was also deeply worried. On the night of the full moon, the Yin energy was at its peak, which was the time when many evil spirits reached the peak of their abilities. In recent years, on the night of the full moon, old houses in the village would have foxes, yellow weasels, and other animals standing on the rooftops "worshiping the moon," and wild wolves and some animals would howl at the moon. Tonight was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the moon was particularly round, so it was likely to be even more lively.
My grandmother, uncle, and aunt were all having dinner at my house, and the meal was sumptuous, but everyone was a bit tasteless. Old Lin, who usually liked to drink, didn't drink much tonight. After dinner, the whole family sat in the living room chatting, waiting for strange things to happen. My master had prepared things like peach wood sword, small bows and arrows, five-colored flags, bells, glutinous rice, brushes, ink, and cinnabar.
My master's peach wood sword was only about a foot long, not only small in size but also poorly made. There were no talismanic inscriptions or decorations on the surface, looking no different from a toy in the hands of a street urchin.
"Master, was this your son's toy when he was little?" I joked, trying to relax the tense atmosphere.
My master sighed and picked up the small sword, showing a nostalgic expression: "This was a toy made by my grandfather for me. Don't underestimate it. The sword is made from the heartwood of a thousand-year-old peach tree, crafted according to specific dates for gathering materials, carving, inscribing, consecrating, and embedding talismans for slaying demons and monsters. It takes about half a year to make. This arrow is also made from the same material, and the bow is made from several hundred-year-old red willow. Willow bow and peach wood arrow have a strong suppressive effect on ghosts and evil spirits. Although I, as a master, am not up to much, these two magical tools have been consecrated and nurtured for nearly five decades."
It was the first time I had heard my master talk about his ancestors, so I hurriedly asked, "Master, your grandfather must have been very powerful, right?"
My master smiled, his pride evident in his smile, but it quickly turned to a sense of sadness and defeat. After a long while, he said, "When I was seven years old, my grandfather disappeared. This was given to me before he went missing. I used to wonder why he made these two magical tools so unattractive, but it wasn't until the great calamity came that I understood. If they didn't look like children's toys, they wouldn't have been able to be preserved."
"Did Grandmaster Zeng foresee that great calamity?" I knew my master was referring to the Cultural Revolution, but I found it hard to believe. According to his timeline, Grandmaster Zeng disappeared before the founding of the People's Republic of China.
My master replied, "After my grandfather disappeared, our Zou family still had a high reputation, with over a hundred acres of good farmland. Even if we didn't do anything, our descendants for several generations wouldn't have worried about food and clothing. Why would I end up in such poverty? My father was persecuted and died during the struggle sessions. All his magical tools were destroyed, not a single one was left. Well, well, these are all past matters, let's not talk about them anymore."
Old Lin smirked and said, "You're done for. I've recorded what you just said. You're dissatisfied with the country and ZF, harboring resentment and plotting against them sooner or later, and have connections with foreign countries.
My master's face immediately turned pale, and he almost fell off the chair with a shake of his body. I quickly helped him up and said, "Master Er was just joking with you. Don't believe his nonsense. Now that you have freedom of speech, it doesn't matter if you go to the provincial Tiananmen Square to say this.
Old Lin laughed heartily, feeling proud. Don't think he's a hero who saves people from danger. Sometimes he bullies others, just like an old rascal. Teasing my master is a common occurrence.
The master did not argue with Old Lin, or dared not argue with him, and began to talk about some strange people and things. Seven generations of his family are all famous Yin Yang gentlemen, who have experienced and heard of many strange things. They can't finish talking in ten days and a half months. As soon as he starts speaking, everyone is happy to listen.
I inquired about how my master's grandfather had disappeared, but my master simply replied that the ancestral master had gone to seek the dragon vein and never returned, showing no desire to elaborate.
As we listened to my master's stories, we unknowingly reached midnight. Nothing special had happened, and the village dogs hadn't barked, which proved that no zombies had entered the village. Everything seemed too normal, which made us feel uneasy instead. None of us went to sleep.
After sitting for a long time, I felt tired and leaned back in my chair to relax. Suddenly, I felt a bit dizzy, as if someone or something was staring at me. That feeling made me very uncomfortable, like someone I despised was showing off in front of me. Soon, I realized that it wasn't just one thing staring at me, but three unpleasant energies pressing down on me: the first was cold and slippery, the second cunning and dark, and the third fierce and bloodthirsty.
I suddenly jumped up, startling the others, who asked me what was wrong.
"Nothing," I said, raising my hand to signal everyone not to worry, then pressing my temples and trying to think. The feeling I had just now was very strange, like when you're very tired and doze off, then shake your head and wake up, with no impression of how you fell asleep in the first place. Although I had felt that sensation, it didn't feel like something I had experienced; I just knew it had happened.
A sudden thought occurred to me: Could it be that what I felt wasn't my own sensing, but the fox spirit on me that sensed it?
My master had been watching me intently and, seeing something in my expression, asked, "Did you sense something?"
"Yes, there were three different kinds of auras. It's hard to describe, but one felt cold and damp; another was very cunning and sly; and the last one was overbearing, violent, and arrogant. In short, all three auras were unpleasant to me, as if they were challenging me."
Everyone was looking at me strangely, and my mother asked nervously, "Is someone trying to harm you again?"
"No, no, I'm fine," I really didn't know what to say, because apart from my master, no one else knew that I had exchanged a part of my soul and had a thousand-year-old fox spirit hidden within me. If my mother found out, she would worry herself sick, so I absolutely couldn't tell her.
My master asked, "Was it inside or outside the village?"
I shook my head; the feeling had been very vague and fleeting, so I couldn't pinpoint where it was.
My master pondered for a moment: "The first aura you mentioned, does it resemble a snake?"
I suddenly realized: "Yes, it's exactly like the feeling of facing a snake!"
My master nodded: "I know what the second one is, but I can't guess the third. Just as I expected, there's more than one malevolent entity!"
I had a thought: the second feeling was a bit like the look in Granny Shengyu's eyes. It must be the malevolent entity she communicates with. No wonder she was so cunning and insidious, resorting to all sorts of tricks. This is what they call 'birds of a feather flock together' and 'if you stay close to the ink, you'll become black!'
Old Lin, my grandmother, and the others looked at each other in confusion, not understanding what my master and I were talking about. Old Lin asked frustratedly, "What riddle are you two talking about?"
My master finally had a chance to get back at him: "Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand. Just go to sleep if you have nothing to do. It seems that tonight will be peaceful."
The others didn't understand what my master meant, but I did. Among the three malevolent entities, one was the "master" of Granny Shengyu. Granny Shengyu's actions today were orchestrated by it, so they wouldn't cause trouble tonight to show her greatness and correctness. But today, Granny Shengyu had worshipped three large camphor trees; could it have something to do with these trees? I looked at my master, and he also had a confused look in his eyes, clearly unable to figure it out either.
While the others didn't go to sleep, I did. In fact, I hadn't slept well for several days and needed to catch up on sleep while it was calm.
I slept soundly in the second half of the night, without any dreams, and the village was also peaceful.
The next morning, the whole village was in an uproar, with everyone discussing Granny Shengyu and the Camphor Tree God. Praise for her divine communication abilities and the miraculous inspiration of the large camphor trees was endless. Even many people who normally didn't believe in ghosts and gods began to have doubts. Numerous believers rushed to Granny Shengyu's house to burn incense at her family's altar, and gifts piled up like a small mountain. Later, they even sent several banners to her house in a grand manner, with inscriptions like "Every wish fulfilled," "Powerful and miraculous," and "All-powerful."
My master and I were speechless. It's truly a time when righteousness declines and evil prevails. If this continued, everyone in the village, except for my family, would become her loyal believers. If she were to target me, even my master wouldn't be able to control the situation.
Old Lin was also in a bad mood and eventually left. He really did go into business with a friend and was eager to go to Nanjing. He had already delayed for several days, and he had no interest in such mysterious things. So, he just waved goodbye and left, missing the once-in-a-lifetime event that followed.
For the next two days, everything was calm. Granny Shengyu didn't cause any trouble, and the zombie elder seemed to have vanished into thin air, without a trace. The people who were scratched and bitten by the zombie were mostly fine, and apart from Xu Jianmao losing his father, everyone else felt that the incident was over.
My master was a gambling enthusiast and usually played a card game called "Si Se Pai" with a group of old men. The stakes were just a few yuan, mainly for killing time. But he got addicted to it, and after not playing for a few days, he felt restless. Now that things had calmed down, he handed me two books, telling me to memorize the basic knowledge first, and he would explain it to me later. Then he went off to play cards.
Both books were very old and almost falling apart. One was called "Tai Qing Shen Jian," a secret manual on face reading. The other was called "Bu Shi Zheng Zong," a book on divination and fortune-telling.
"Bu Shi Zheng Zong" used the eight trigrams, six lines, plus the body of the hexagram, the current and future lines, and the use of deities, combined with the heavenly stems and earthly branches, their support, assistance, harmony, punishment, clash, control, and harm, the five elements' interactions, and the assistance of the six spirits, etc., for classified predictive methods. It was very complex and could be used to predict weather, annual events, dynasties, battles, earthquakes, marriages, diseases, medicine, agriculture, wealth, fame, official positions, and household matters. In modern times, it could even be used to predict stock market fluctuations.
To cast a hexagram, one would hold three copper coins in the palm of their hand, pray sincerely for the matter at hand, and toss them on the ground six times to form six lines, which together make up the eight trigrams. According to a scientific explanation, when the seeker focuses their mind, their brain waves project into the future and, through the magnetic field of the coins, transform into the eight trigrams and six lines. The results are then calculated through special "formulas." According to a superstitious explanation, it is the guidance of heaven or spirits that reveals the omens through the eight trigrams. In summary, this is the most authentic method of divination for making precise predictions about specific events.
"Tai Qing Shen Jian" was compiled by Liu Bowen and has been a closely guarded secret in the imperial courts through the ages, not to be leaked to the outside world. It is a highly sought-after treasure in the field of physiognomy. The book consists of six volumes, starting with a general discussion and then dividing into specific topics. Each topic is further detailed into several items, analyzing everything from palm lines, facial features, and skeletal structure, to innovative aspects such as a person's posture, gaze, vital energy, tone of voice, sleeping posture, and the pace of their walk, to determine their fortune and misfortune, wealth, and status.
These two books contain a vast amount of formulas and basic knowledge that need to be memorized. At first, I didn't understand the meaning of the formulas and simply memorized them by rote, which was extremely painful for me. Several years later, when I got a computer, I learned that I could use software to arrange the four pillars and six-line charts, and even do it online, all within seconds. The formulas I had memorized became completely unnecessary, and I was moved to tears.