Chapter Seven, The Taoist

Half a day passed again, and the people in the room softly uttered a sound, followed by saying: Let them in

Immediately, I felt my body being controlled by Zhao Xiaoruo as it began to run rapidly. She seemed to be very afraid of that thatched cottage and the scruffy old Taoist inside it

Upon hearing him say this, the mother felt utterly despondent, collapsing onto the floor from her chair, repeatedly knocking her head against the ground, "Please, I beg you, save my child, I implore you..."

The sound was utterly tragic, completely unlike anything a human could produce; it resembled the cries of some kind of monster, or more accurately, the wails of a vengeful spirit.

After hearing what Granny Liu said, my parents, who had been in despair, felt as if they had grasped a lifeline, and the next day they took me to the Liuyun Temple

We are located in a mountainous area, and the county town is a plain surrounded by mountains. As for the Taoist temple in the southwest direction, my father has also heard of it. The temple is situated on a small hill and is named Liuyun Temple.

After the middle-aged Taoist listened to his mother, he walked up to me and looked closely for a moment, then said, "Please wait a moment, I will go consult the master to see if he has any solutions." After saying this, he turned and walked away.

When the old Taoist priest lifted his head, Zhao Xiaoruo's pale face suddenly twisted into a terrifying expression. Although her face had previously appeared pale and eerie, lacking any vitality, it could still be considered beautiful, and I could accept it in my heart. However, at that moment, the muscles on her face contorted grotesquely, as if someone had tightly gripped her neck. Then, she suddenly opened her mouth and let out a horrific scream. The sound was piercing and shrill, seemingly capable of penetrating the very soul, causing my head to feel as if it had been violently stabbed by a sharp object, and I painfully closed my eyes.

We followed him to the door, where the middle-aged Taoist gently pushed open the door. Inside, there was a simple room with only a square table. An old Taoist, dressed in tattered robes and with hair as messy as a bird's nest, was sitting at the table, holding a brush and drawing symbols on a piece of yellow talisman paper. The symbols were painted in a bright red color, likely using cinnabar.

"Master, please help! I beg you to save my child!" As we had just reached the entrance of the main hall, a desperate mother grabbed a middle-aged Taoist priest at the door, kneeling on the ground and pleading incessantly.

The middle-aged Taoist, upon hearing the response from the people inside the house, joyfully walked briskly towards us and urged our parents to enter quickly

Others may not know what has happened, but I am fully aware. Ever since the door of that dilapidated house was opened and I saw the old Taoist priest and the talisman paper, Zhao Xiaoruo, who had been in front of me, suddenly turned pale with fear. It was a profound sense of dread.

Although I was running very fast, that talisman was much quicker than me. In the blink of an eye, it caught up with me and then it was firmly pinned to my back.

The middle-aged Taoist pointed to a thatched cottage on the hill and said to the parents: "The person who can save your child is in that house, but he has a very peculiar temperament. Please do not move around; I will go and inform him first." After saying this, he left us standing there and walked towards the thatched cottage.

After waiting for about ten minutes, the Taoist priest hurriedly ran out from behind, his face showing an expression of apology as he said to the parents: I am truly sorry, my master said that he is also unable to cure your child, you might as well consider seeking help elsewhere

After half a day, a soft sound of "hm" came from the room, followed by an aged voice saying: "What is it?"

The Taoist extended his hand to support the mother, but she persistently bowed her head in supplication to him. She thought to herself that if even these Taoists could not save her, then she was truly beyond salvation. She only hoped that these practitioners could show some compassion and bring her son back.

After speaking, he reached out and picked up a piece of yellow talisman paper from the table, muttering something under his breath. Then, with a flick of his hand, the talisman paper seemed to come to life, floating in mid-air.

The person was clearly startled by the picture book, hurriedly supporting their mother and saying: "This lady, please do not be agitated; take your time to explain what happened."

The mother, seeing the old man bowing repeatedly in excitement, pleaded, "Daoist, I implore you to show mercy and save my child!"

The crowd was clearly stunned by my shout, and there was no time to react. Only the old Taoist, seeing me rush away, suddenly stood up and shouted, "What a monster!"

Under the guidance of the middle-aged Taoist priest, we passed through the Taoist temple and continued walking until we had covered approximately three miles, at which point we stopped in front of a small hill.

At that moment, an elderly Taoist priest dressed in a robe approached. The middle-aged priest, seeing him come, lowered his head and called out "Master." The old priest waved his hand, signaling the middle-aged priest to step aside, and sighed as he looked at his mother

The name of this temple is quite elegant, but in reality, it consists of only a few rooms. In the main hall, there are statues of the Three Pure Ones, and several Daoists dressed in gray and white robes are busily coming and going.

I heard it was like this; the people around me were curiously looking at me and pointing fingers, while I still wore that foolish expression, grinning foolishly.

The mother, hearing that there was still hope, excitedly thanked the old priest repeatedly. The old priest waved his hand and said to the middle-aged priest beside him, "Take them to the back mountain to try their luck."

When I suddenly called out, the few people in the room were startled. Only the old Taoist sitting in the room remained motionless, merely raising his head and smiling at me

There is a child who seems to have come into contact with something unclean, could you please help him

"This child, hurry up and go inside," the father said, seeing that I was still standing in place. He quickly reached out his hand to pull me in, but little did he know that as soon as his hand grasped my arm, I suddenly let out a piercing scream

The old Taoist extended his hand to help the mother up, sighed, and said: It is not that I do not want to help, but rather that I truly cannot. Well, I will take you to meet someone; he may have a solution. However, that person has a rather peculiar temperament, and I cannot guarantee that he will be able to save this child.

After such a commotion, the originally devout worshippers and several other Taoist priests gathered around. One of the priests moved a chair for my mother to sit down, while my father took me over to the front.

Due to the bizarre and sudden nature of the events, everyone was unable to stop me as I rushed down the mountain.

After Grandma Liu left in a hurry, my mother cried like a weeping willow. My father looked at me, who was sitting there in a daze, gritted his teeth, and said, "To the county town!"

The middle-aged Taoist approached the thatched cottage, his demeanor becoming cautious. He bent down at the entrance and respectfully called out, "Master Uncle Ancestor"

The middle-aged Taoist, upon hearing the old Taoist's instructions, nodded and said to my parents, "You follow me." After saying this, he took the lead and walked ahead, while my parents hurriedly brought me along behind them

The crowd pushed open the door and all stepped inside, but I stood motionless in place, staring at the old Taoist priest in the room and the talismans on the table, my face contorted in a frightening expression, as if I had seen something terrifying

Mother was heartbroken, yet she did not realize that it was not that those Taoists did not save me, but rather that these Taoists did not possess any real skills; they were even inferior to Granny Liu. Usually, they merely attended funerals to make an appearance, and being Taoists was just a way to earn some incense money.

In the main hall, with the commotion caused by his mother, many worshippers gathered around, pointing and whispering, while the middle-aged Taoist's expression grew increasingly grim.

It is said that the Taoist priests in the temple are all descendants of the Maoshan sect, possessing great magical powers. Many wealthy individuals from the county often visit the temple to seek guidance and resolve their doubts, thus the incense offerings remain quite prosperous

Immediately, the person formed a spell with their hands, pointed at my back, and shouted: "Hurry!" The yellow talisman instantly transformed into a beam of yellow light, swiftly flying towards my back

My mother pulled me over and said to those Taoist priests: This is my child, who has been possessed by evil spirits and has now become like a fool. We only have this one child in our family, please help us, esteemed Taoists!

My parents and that middle-aged Taoist had not yet reacted; with a cry of despair, I shook off my father's arm and turned to run down the mountain.