Chapter 10, the three prohibitions of the Daoist sect and the blood curse are born

After such a prolonged period, I suddenly felt a sharp slap on the top of my head, and he shouted fiercely: "The Azure Dragon and White Tiger teams are in disarray, the Vermilion Bird and Black Tortoise guards serve my command, act swiftly as per the order!"

Blood Curse

I do not understand its meaning, nor do I know what impact these three vows will have on my life. I merely repeated them while bowing. After I finished, the old Taoist in blue robes laughed heartily and said, "Since you have agreed, I shall perform a blood curse for you. Do you have any objections?"

I do not know what is happening, but an inexplicable anger rises within me. I reach out to grab it, and this time I actually manage to catch it. I disregard the horror of the water ghost child, whose head is covered in algae and fish worms, and angrily tear at its face. Originally fierce and menacing, it surprisingly has no strength to fight back, only crying. However, at that moment, I suddenly feel a pain at the back of my head. I look up to see the old Taoist in green robes softly admonishing me: "If you wish to do good, you must restrain your murderous heart. Although it has tormented you for several days, causing you sleepless nights, it is also a pitiful being. Would it not be better to help it find peace?"

Wow wow wow, wow wow wow

I have knelt so many times, and this time he actually responded. With a wave of his large sleeves, I found myself sitting up involuntarily. Then, raising his eyebrows, he solemnly said: "Previously, I did not concern myself with you, merely a child from the countryside. From this point onward, you may be considered as having entered the fold, and I have something to impart to you—A man born into this world, his knees are worth more than gold. He may kneel to heaven, kneel to the earth, kneel to his parents who gave him life, and finally, kneel only to the master who imparts to him all his skills. Beyond that, there is no one else in the world to whom you may kneel. Do you understand this?"

I respectfully clasped my hands and sincerely said, "I will remember this and will always keep it in my heart from now on"

Is it ... ...

I saw that the water ghost child seemed to be smiling, and in the eyes that were originally filled with resentment and harshness, there was now a sense of gratitude.

A jar of turbid wine, the old Taoist in green robes drank a bit too much, stood up tall, and said loudly: "Firstly, the arts of magic are perilous, and the path of cultivation is long. All magical arts are imbued with malevolent energy; they are powerful tools. Without a gentle and kind heart to temper them, one may fall into demonic ways. Therefore, firstly, you must turn towards goodness. Can this be understood?"

I was terrified, tightly shutting my eyes, yet I felt the blood from my wrist flowing more and more. Then it was my ankle; the pain of bleeding in the darkness seemed even more eerie and terrifying. I dared not cry or move, only gritting my teeth and enduring it. Eventually, I felt a finger pressing against my forehead, as the old Taoist in green began to dab the blood and smear it across my face.

To be benevolent like the sea, to have virtue as the root; when the hearts of people are grateful, the four seasons will be peaceful. My heart feels warm, and I also find greater joy in liberating this water ghost child than in strangling it or utterly destroying its form.

I felt the blood in my entire body boiling at that moment, unable to resist the urge to open my eyes. However, I saw the old Taoist in green robes, from the tips of his thumbs, two drops of golden blood burst forth, shooting directly towards my eyes. I let out a cry, feeling as if my soul was being cleansed and burned. I could no longer sit still, rolling on the ground several times, crying out in madness. Yet, like a heavy echo, I sensed another kind of cry within my body, a soft whimper that penetrated deep into my bones, cold and chilling. I let out a cry, feeling as if my soul was being cleansed and burned. I could no longer sit still, rolling on the ground several times, crying out in madness. Yet, like a heavy echo, I sensed another kind of cry within my body, a soft whimper that penetrated deep into my bones, cold and chilling.

The old Taoist in a green robe put away his ruler, formed a seal with both hands, and pressed it against my back. He then spoke aloud: "I have a fragment of the final volume of the 'Dengzhen Yinjue' here. You should recite it with me—Heaven and Earth are natural, the foul qi disperses, the mystery in the cave, the bright and pure Taiyuan..." As he recited loudly, it sounded in my ears like the rumble of thunder. I did not understand what was happening, but it seemed that related memories began to surface in my mind, and I started to recite it word for word. I recited carefully, and within this scripture, the form of the water ghost child began to slowly dissolve into nothingness, then detached from my body and floated upwards.

I am not aware of any relatives or friends of the Qingyi Taoist, but I also bowed in promise. He did not pause and continued to speak: "Thirdly, evil spirits disturb the mind and entice people towards wickedness, which they excel at. In the future, if you are able to survive and someone leads you towards evil, if it is truly evil, you should naturally oppose it. Even if it means death, you must not walk alongside it, aiding tyranny and oppression. How can this be reconciled with the teachings of the scriptures?"

The old Taoist in green pulled me up, his tone slightly softened, and then he said to me earnestly: "Do not think that just because you have survived this moment, everything is resolved. This is a water calamity, the second tribulation in your fate, and you still have sixteen more tribulations to face, each one more perilous than this. If you wish to resolve it, there may be only one method in the world, which is the merging of ancestral spirits to dispel evil. What does merging ancestral spirits to dispel evil mean? It means using poison to counteract poison, using evil to subdue evil, employing a more ferocious ancestral spirit to suppress the demon within your body. There are many intricacies involved, and even if I explain, you may not understand. In short, if you wish to live, you must endure a great deal of suffering... If you wish to resolve it, there may be only one method in the world, which is the merging of ancestral spirits to dispel evil. What does merging ancestral spirits to dispel evil mean? It means using poison to counteract poison, using evil to subdue evil, employing a more ferocious ancestral spirit to suppress the demon within your body. There are many intricacies involved, and even if I explain, you may not understand. In short, if you wish to live, you must endure a great deal of suffering..."

This name sounds quite terrifying, but I have no other options. I agreed like a kneeling insect. The old Taoist in green entered the inner room and soon came out holding a small box. He instructed me to sit before the bronze mirror, to sit cross-legged, and then to close my eyes. I dared not disobey and followed his instructions. However, not long after, I felt a sudden sharp pain at my wrists, followed by blood flowing out. I wanted to open my eyes, but I heard the old Taoist in green shout sternly: "Close your eyes!"

I respectfully bowed my head, touching my forehead to the ground, and said aloud: "Please speak, Daoist Master!"

The old Taoist in green looked at me seriously and sighed softly: "You really resemble him, but unfortunately, you are not him... Where is he? Child, it is getting late, you should sleep first. It is cold on this mountain, do not stay up late."

He used a ruler to strike me, and it hurt so much that I gritted my teeth and asked, "How can I exorcise it?"

I bowed deeply, repeating each word clearly, and then said loudly: "I understand." The old Taoist in green nodded and continued: "Secondly, good and evil follow the heart and nature; how many people in the world can truly articulate this? Since I have saved your life and imparted to you the method of survival, I have thus contributed to your success. In the future, if you encounter anyone from my sect, you must retreat and not act against them. Is this understood?"

I am in pain, yet I opened my eyes to see that the ghostly child who had been riding on my neck was now in front of me, drenched, with a pair of pale eyes from which blood began to ooze out.

I washed my face and obediently ran over to the mat to take a nap. The well-fed chubby girl also came over to squeeze in with me, while the Taoist in green left the immortal's abode, not knowing where he went. After experiencing the events of the day, I was exhausted both physically and mentally, and I fell asleep without realizing it. When I woke up, I felt something wet and slippery on my neck, unsure of what had happened.

I nodded firmly and said word by word: "I have already died once, so I am not afraid of suffering!"

He muttered incantations while applying the ointment: "I command the revered ones to swiftly eliminate the spirit of lightning and thunder, to extinguish the ominous signs; I command the protectors of the four gates to manifest the teachings and gather the scriptures; I command the corrupt and greedy demons to reveal their divine light and dispel the miasma..."

In the face of great calamity, I cannot say much, nor dare to think. With a loud sound, the old Taoist in green robes laughed and said: "The child can be taught! Logically speaking, you are a demon, and I am a Taoist from the Shangqing sect dedicated to subduing demons; we are natural enemies. However, first, you have never committed evil in this life, and killing you would taint my hands, making the talisman unstable. Second, I just read your bones and found that although you have no master-disciple relationship with me, there is a subtle connection to my sect. The river of fate flows long and deep; I cannot see through it, nor do I know what kind of cause and effect has been established this time. The sapling I have nurtured, I do not know how tall it can grow, so you must understand three things.

This is the power obtained, as well as the sense of achievement that is sought after by others

After completing the ritual for the water ghost child, I looked into the bronze mirror and was startled by the small face covered in strange blood-red patterns. However, I quickly steadied my mind and turned to look at the old Taoist in green robes. I noticed he was also drenched in sweat, and his hands, which were originally clean and flawless, were now covered in dirt. When he saw me looking, he smiled and said, "My blood curse is different from the prophecies of the southern regions of Myanmar and Thailand. It only responds when the evil within you acts, and at other times, it does not harm you. Not only that, but these two drops of essence blood injected into your body will turn misfortune into fortune, planting the seeds of enlightenment. In the future, you may achieve something remarkable!"

I looked at the face of the old Taoist priest, drenched in cold sweat, and my heart was suddenly filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. I knelt down on both knees and once again bowed my head, saying: "Er Dan thanks the Taoist priest for saving my life!"