Chapter Seven, the Mountain Demoness gathers the evil patterns

My mother is concerned about her youngest son and has started to act a bit shamelessly. She said, "Master, please take him in. Let him serve you by bringing tea and water, and attending to your needs. Eight years ago, you promised to take him as your disciple; you cannot go back on your word..."

Before I had finished speaking, my father, who was there pleading, suddenly turned around and gave me a resounding slap across the face.

After he finished speaking, his body swayed slightly and suddenly vanished without a trace. I was stunned, forgetting to bow. My father and mother were also dumbfounded. After a while, my mother cried out and pushed my father, saying, "Look, that Daoist is truly a capable immortal. But back then, you refused this and that, which ended up delaying our Erdan. Now, what are we supposed to do?"

After crying and causing a scene, my father carefully placed the items from the backpack onto the grass, then took my mother home. I wanted to follow them back, but as soon as I stood up, I was kicked down to the ground by my father. His face looked somewhat fierce, yet he still spoke clearly and deliberately: "You kneel here for me; if he promises you for a day, then kneel for a day; if he promises you for three days, then kneel for three days"

I cried and said, what if he never agrees to me

My mother was holding onto that old Taoist in green without any regard, and he couldn't escape. He looked at my mother a bit awkwardly, stroked the beard by his lips, and kindly advised, "Uh, sister-in-law, please don't do this, get up first."

My father cried, my mother cried, yet I did not cry. I merely clenched my fists tightly, gritted my teeth, and silently vowed within my heart: "I do not believe it; who would believe the words of that dead Taoist? They all say I am going to die, that even if I get past this hurdle, I will not live beyond eighteen years—then I shall live to eighteen, and continue living until old age, until my teeth have all fallen out and my hair has all gone. I will still be alive, smiling, watching you die before me..."

My father and mother were crying uncontrollably over there, while I felt nothing in particular; instead, I found myself somewhat annoyed with this old Taoist in green robes. Although he had just saved us, the fact that he made my parents cry was unforgivable.

After saying this, my father and mother left. Because I was kneeling there, I did not see them leave. How much my parents loved me; although I was young at the time, I understood everything in my heart. Not to mention anything else, my mother probably cried all the way home. ... However, I had no time to think further; all that remained in my mind was my father's words, "heartless." So I continued to bow, knocking my head against the ground—bending down, forehead touching the ground, straightening up, and then bending down again...

My mother held me tightly, who was somewhat dazed, and cried, "Oh, my unfortunate child, had I known it would be like this, I should never have brought you into this world to suffer..."

Time cycles endlessly; I was so dizzy from bowing that I could hardly see. However, the little monkey, Fat Girl, did not leave with my parents. Instead, she knelt opposite me, mimicking my actions, and we both looked as if we were paying homage to heaven and earth.

My father is a tough man, always strong in supporting the entire family. However, in the past few days, he has cried several times, like a woman, with his shoulders shaking continuously, clearly overwhelmed with sadness.

However, despite my tears, when my father commanded, I immediately got up and knelt before the old Taoist in blue, bowing my head and saying, "Master, I beseech you to take me as your disciple, I beseech you to take me as your disciple..."

I did not know how long had passed; I was almost unable to hold on, feeling dizzy and faint. However, I sensed another figure nearby. When I looked up, I saw the old Taoist in green who had left earlier reappearing before me. However, in his arms, there was an additional small white fox, its face quite beautiful, though its body was covered in blood. The old Taoist asked in surprise, "What are you worshipping?"

My father was severely troubled by my mother. If it were in the past, he would have exploded in anger by now. However, he now feels a deep sense of frustration. Slowly, he crouched down, let out a long sigh, and seemed to age several years in an instant. Covering his face, he spoke in a voice that was almost tearful and hoarse, saying: "Alas, this is all fate..."

My father pulled my mother away. Upon hearing this, I halted my steps, my shoulders trembling violently, yet I did not turn back. Instead, I uttered a phrase from the depths of my throat: "Then let it end here."

At that moment, the little monkey, Fat Girl, who had just been shaken off, swiftly ran over, climbed onto my shoulder, and carefully observed the old Taoist in green. Meanwhile, a sense of displeasure arose within me, and I thought, "Father and Mother, since he is unwilling to treat us, shall we just go home? ... Who would want to be his disciple? Let's go, let's go ...

The old Taoist in green spoke earnestly, and not only did my mother break down, but even my father knelt down—he had originally thought that the old Taoist had taken a liking to his child, but it turned out that the old man regarded this as a troublesome matter. Thus, a big man cried uncontrollably, saying, "Master, I only have this one child, please save him."

I thought for a moment, then respectfully said: "I pay homage to Heaven, to Earth, and to my parents"

The old Taoist in green robes waved his large sleeves and was about to leave. My father was somewhat taken aback, but my mother, fueled by an unknown courage, suddenly knelt before the Taoist, clinging to his thigh, and began to cry: "Master, Master, please save my Er Dan. He is only eight years old and has not yet carried on the Chen family line... Eight years ago, didn't you say you would take him as your disciple? Please take him now, I beg you!"

Upon hearing my father's words, the old Taoist in green raised his eyebrows high and said loudly: "Change fate? In this vast world, how many people wish to change their destiny? Yet, throughout history, how many have succeeded? Whether it is through support and suppression, passing through barriers, adjusting the elements, using deities, employing principles, or relying on the five elements of the acquired, or through destiny predictions, as well as the four pillars of support and rounding, or the legendary golden seal and jade cover, all of these merely pertain to minor fortunes and have no relation to destiny. Your child is gravely ill, beyond the reach of human effort. You should return and not disturb me in my pursuit of spiritual attainment..."

He nodded slightly and said, "Come with me."

I bowed repeatedly like a supplicant, one after another, yet that person did not even glance at me. Instead, he casually said to my parents, "Everything hinges on the concept of 'fate.' I once had a connection with your child, but that has run its course, so let us not speak of it further, this..." He seemed poised to say a few more words when suddenly his brow furrowed, and with a cold snort, he exclaimed, "You, performing tricks like a monkey, dare to run wild on my territory? Do you really think I am just a decoration on Mount Wuguniang?"

If it were someone else who heard this, they might have immediately knelt down before that old Taoist in the green robe. However, my father, having studied for a year or two and seen a bit of the world, understood that when these Taoists, fortune tellers, and charlatans make predictions, they always start by foretelling life and death, scaring you half to death, and then wait for you to seek a way to save your life. This is called "first suppressing, then uplifting." Thus, my father, with his neck stiffened, cautiously said: "Master Tao, you visited our home eight years ago. Did you not say that if this child followed your words, you would be able to change his fate?"

I was a bit dazed from the slap, falling straight onto the grass, with a buzzing sound ringing in my ears. Then I heard my father shouting at me loudly: "You little rascal, why haven't you apologized to the master yet? Hurry up and kneel down, bow to the master, and ask him to take you as his disciple, otherwise you can forget about recognizing me as your father!" Upon hearing these words, tears streamed down my face. I had grown up just as mischievous as other children, but while Luo Diao was often beaten by his father hanging from the beam, I had never been hit by my father. I never expected that today he would actually strike me so hard.

The old Taoist in green was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, saying: "Eight years ago, I helped seal that spirit, thinking it was an old friend of mine, and took him as a disciple because I had been greatly fooled by him in the past. Now that the tides have turned, I merely sought a sense of relief in my heart. Later, I discovered that your son is a 'mountain ghost old charm gathering evil patterns,' which is a dead end. This is a punishment from heaven, and living on with a hard head not only harms oneself but also brings disaster to one's family. That is why I thought of taking him away at that time. However, you did not agree, and I was relieved of a burden, enjoying my freedom. Now... I later found out that your son is indeed a 'mountain ghost old charm gathering evil patterns,' which is a dead end. This is a punishment from heaven, and living on with a hard head not only harms oneself but also brings disaster to one's family. That is why I thought of taking him away at that time. However, you did not agree, and I was relieved of a burden, enjoying my freedom. Now... I advise you with one thing: this child is a source of calamity. The sooner he dies and is reborn, the better; perhaps he can be reborn into a good family.