Chapter 003: Introduction to Baishi

Before liberation, everyone knew that the deeper the forest, the more strange occurrences there were, and the further one ventured into the mountains, the less chance there was of coming back out. Those who engaged in the trade of bloodshed were all involved in dangerous dealings; who among them had not shed human blood? Those who have killed are more susceptible to encountering evil spirits. In a gang, if there is no one capable of dealing with ghosts and deities, once you enter the deep mountains, you should not expect to come back out. If one does not possess the ability to subdue ghosts and deities, what right does the assistant have to sit in the second seat of the gang?

When I looked up, the chicken was already lying on the stone of the dead, its neck perfectly pressed against the edge of the stone, with blood flowing down along the stone; from a distance, it truly resembled a person who had just had their head chopped off

As soon as I nodded, the old walnut immediately fell straight onto the kang, lifeless.

The old walnut opened its mouth and said: "I will wait for your return, but I fear you will burn me. Remember, prepare a coffin for me and bury me with your own hands, do you understand?"

As for the old walnut's words, I certainly do not believe them: "What nonsense are you talking about? The elders say that 'ghosts fear evil people.' If a beard is not fierce and menacing, then what is it called a beard?"

The old walnut lit the incense, holding the rooster and standing behind the stone of the dead: "Kneel down and bow your head."

The old walnut stepped on a stone and kicked the rooster into the river with one foot, then bounced in front of me across the river ditch: "You are born to be the material for a mountain eagle! Let's go home!"

"Aren't you quick... I even have thoughts of murder! Who the hell has nothing better to do than to make such jokes with me?"

Strangely enough, no matter how heavy the snow falls, it cannot bury that stone's "backbone." Visiting the stone on a snowy day feels akin to encountering a corpse half-buried in snow, still exuding white vapor.

I was momentarily taken aback: "Aren't we supposed to pay respects to our ancestral master?"

I know that the old walnut is just saying this; he thinks in his heart that I should continue my studies and wouldn't really give me a tattoo. Once that thing is on my body, which university would dare to accept me in the future

One must possess the skill of drawing a sword and wielding it with precision. When it comes to battle, it matters not whether you are a mere clerk; when faced with danger, one must swing the sword to strike or draw the gun to shoot. Relying on others to come to your rescue will only result in your head being taken as a trophy. Martial skills are ultimately for the purpose of preserving one's life

I regretted it just a few days after becoming a disciple...! The skills of the Pan Mountain Eagle are simply beyond what a human can practice! I must learn the techniques of the craft, the skills of killing, the rules of the martial world, and even the small trades like carpentry and blacksmithing, he taught me as well

The mountain eagle does not pay homage to the ancestral master, but rather to the guillotine

Kantoupo is not a place where heads are actually chopped off. The name originates from a stone located at the bottom of the slope, which resembles a person kneeling with their hands bound, leaning forward. The position of the neck aligns perfectly with the riverbank, where the water has eroded a pit in front of the stone. From any angle, it appears to be a corpse that has been dragged to the riverbank and beheaded

After thinking for a long time, the old walnut with the book finally smiled and said: "Where are the beards now? What’s the point of scaring you with the ways of the world? If I were to take this little skill of mine to the grave, it would indeed be a bit of a pity... Come, I will take you to pay respects at the mountain."

You can encounter evil spirits even outside the mountains; Huzi has been living in the deep mountains and forests for years, often not coming down for a month or so. When faced with military encirclement, he has to burrow deeper into the forest, hiding for three to five months is quite common, and encountering evil spirits is also a frequent occurrence

My head suddenly buzzed, and without even greeting anyone, I ran back all the way. The old walnut is already over ninety years old, and he suffered from hidden injuries in his youth. I do not know if he can hold on until we meet again, so I did not dare to delay even a moment on the way. By the time I got home, it was almost dawn

I was taken aback at that moment. If the old walnut didn't want to leave, he certainly had the ability to delay for a day or a day and a half before departing. What he said can't be true, can it?

I have lived with Old Walnut for seventeen or eighteen years. Apart from not telling me about the matters in the cracks, he has taught me every skill he possesses without losing a single one.

The old walnut told me that I would be able to embark on my journey as soon as he tattoos an eagle on my chest

The old walnut is harsher than a ghost; if you do not learn well, you will truly be kicked out. I almost got kicked to death by him. At first, I cried every day, but over time, I no longer felt tired.

Am I not studying properly

The beard does not lack a patriarch, the patriarch worshipped by the bearded men in Northeast China is the Old Ancestor Bodhidharma. This may sound quite strange, but it is indeed a true story. Bodhidharma is one of the Eighteen Arhats, who helped the poor by taking from the rich. The bearded men, in order to proclaim themselves as righteous bandits, chose to worship Bodhidharma.

The old walnut slowly opened its mouth and said: "I died last night, you are speaking to a dead person."

The old walnut dug out a bundle of yellow incense, yellow paper, and a jar of wine from home, and also got a live chicken, then took me towards the edge of the village.

As soon as I knelt down, the old walnut twisted the rooster's head off, and with a relaxed grip, threw the headless rooster onto the stone of the dead

I took two steps before asking Old Walnut: "Where are we going?"

"Do you want to be my apprentice?" Old Walnut looked at me for a long time before nodding: "Not bad, you have courage, loyalty, and a strong life, with no attachments. It would be good to be my apprentice. However, I have enemies, and if we encounter them in the future..."

What is the old walnut taking me there for

Teaching you a small skill, that is the rule of the mountain eagle. No one can be a rogue for a lifetime; sooner or later, there will come a time to wash one's hands clean. If a rogue does not save money and does not have a backup plan, he will eventually starve. A small skill is for you to secure your livelihood. Sometimes, even stepping on a plate can be useful, so study well.

If one only eats this bowl of rice from the great master, learning to invite deities and observe matters would be sufficient. However, www.hetushu.com.com, when it comes to the beard, it is not acceptable

Upon arriving at the location, the old walnut placed the items on the ground facing the stone of the deceased: "In a moment, you will bow to that stone, and as long as I do not say stop, you must not stop."

The rooster has strayed, having fallen from the stone, which signifies that the ancestral master does not accept me; no matter what the old walnut says, he cannot pass on his skills to me

Here is a ready-made headless slope, which is a good thing. If there isn't one, we would have to cut down a tree, and after it falls, we would chop off the crown to use it as a headless corpse

Beard tattoos have their significance - beard tattoos only feature dragons, tigers, eagles, and wolves

I also dared not look too much, quickly lowering my head to bow. When I finally raised my head for the first time, I happened to see a headless rooster running forward along the stone of the dead, its blood spraying all over the ground.

At that time, I really didn't think too much; I was just a child with a curious spirit, encountering things that I found interesting and wanting to learn from them

The old walnut head did not respond: "Go to the place where heads are chopped off"

The days passed by just like that, day by day, until the year I finished my college entrance examination

I had just bumped my head three times when I heard Old Walnut shout, "Enough!"

He said, who made the Panshan Eagle a mustache

The night I came out of the examination room, I received a call from the village, saying that the old walnut tree was not doing well

The locals would rather walk an additional 2 miles than descend or ascend the mountain along the path known as Kanto Slope. They all say that if one steps on that stone known as "No Head" and the Book Stone, they are sure to encounter misfortune

"Get lost!" Old Walnut began to curse: "No matter how fierce the beard is, it can only confront people; can it contend with ghosts and deities?"

The rooster does not stop in the middle; he also collects me in the same way. However, when faced with great misfortune in the future, one may not be so fortunate. Even if one does not die, one may end up disabled

The old walnut told me that letting the rooster run to the guillotine is a test of whether the ancestral master accepts me. If the rooster stops right in the middle of the stone, it signifies that the stone has saved my life, and in the future, I will surely be able to escape a beheading.

Upon hearing this, my eyes lit up, and I insisted on pestering the old walnut, wanting to learn the skills of the mountain eagle from him

I always ask him, when can I stop studying

The old walnut muttered: "Those who engage in such activities, nine times out of ten, cannot escape the blade above their heads. They are either chopped by the authorities or die at the hands of others; paying homage to the execution platform is the real matter at hand"

Only the shopkeeper is qualified to have dragon and tiger tattoos; the most formidable in the gang is the wolf tattoo; the advisor can only have an eagle tattoo. Generally, the advisors in the gang are not even qualified to have eagle tattoos. If someone carelessly draws flowers on themselves and is seen, it would be considered mild if a piece of your skin is peeled off; if things go wrong, it could cost you your life

I asked the old walnut how to learn so much

I startled the old walnut - that is indeed a place filled with strange happenings

As soon as I entered the house, I saw Old Walnut dressed in a full set of funeral clothes, sitting cross-legged on the kang, his two eyes fixed intently on the doorway, as if he were specifically waiting for me