Chapter 2: The Five Great Gates

Only after the body is moved can a comprehensive examination be conducted; only in this way can the cause of death be determined. Moreover, it is not appropriate to leave the corpse there for an extended period. Zhou Yan shook his head and smiled wryly

However, by now, the Five Great Schools have completely declined, and there are only a few masters who have inherited the teachings of the Five Great Schools, among which our Yi family has maintained a relatively complete inheritance

I crouched down and took a stick of incense from beneath the offering table. After pulling out a lighter and igniting it, I respectfully knelt before the portrait, bowing three times with my head touching the ground: "May the God of Happiness bless your disciple Yi Lin to achieve success tonight."

It has been several years since I last engaged in this, and I must admit, I am feeling a bit restless. I rubbed my palms together, a glimmer of excitement flashing in my eyes

If it were not for my recent financial difficulties, I definitely would not accept his payment for this job; we are all brothers, how could I ask for money!

Zhou Yan did not follow me in; in his words, he was afraid that he would be unable to restrain himself and would stab me to death in the dark

Half an hour later, under Zhou Yan's hateful gaze, I slowly walked towards the side door of the wreath shop, carrying two bags of food.

I was taken in by the old master; my biological parents have long been unknown, and my ability to grow up to this point is entirely due to the old master's efforts

One thousand? I raised my eyebrows; opportunities are fleeting, and chances to take down the wealthy are rare. Do you think you can dismiss me with just one thousand?

I nodded slightly and casually asked, "Who is Uncle Zhang?"

Under various objective factors, I found that learning the last two skills was akin to studying advanced mathematics in college, falling into the category of learning and forgetting. My father was also at a loss with me

"I can help you get rid of the body, but will you pay me?" I glanced at the seafood remains on the table and smirked, "If you don't pay, I won't go."

Zhou Yan first pondered for a moment, then nodded affirmatively: "It resembles."

Since I can remember, this portrait has always been hung in our home and has been offered alongside the * picture * book. Even when I was fifteen, when my father took me from Longshan in Xiangxi to Guiyang, this portrait came with us just the same

After having a good laugh, one must be punished. When the old man was alive, he often punished me, and his scolding was quite memorable: "You little rascal, why are you laughing like a fool? Is the ancestor really that funny?"

I scratched my head: "You, my friend, are just a miserly good person. I suspect this money came from your own pocket, and it wouldn't be right for me to raise the price, would it?"

After completing these tasks, I took a bundle of incense and a stack of yellow paper and placed them into my backpack. I glanced at the old man's photograph and then at the image of the God of Happiness before turning around, exiting the inner room, and closing the door.

I am a bit confused

To speak disrespectfully, the appearance of the God of Joy is indeed quite strange; I have thought so since childhood and still hold this belief today

The figure depicted in the image is the most revered deity of our Xiangxi lineage, the God of Happiness

If it were not for the old man raising me with great care and effort, I would probably have frozen to death outside Longshan County over twenty years ago

I have just turned twenty-five this year, and I certainly do not want to be harmonized by this great society

The meaning of the translation is actually

Waiter! Another plate of abalone and two plates of oysters! To go!

This is also my fault for being lazy

As for what the Ten Passes are, this will be explained later in the text.

The perpetual lamp on the offering table continues to flicker with a faint glow, and the portraits hanging on the wall seem to be tinged by this light, transforming from colorful images into shades of orange and yellow.

Is it difficult to make money relying on the skills of the three front doors

Can you take me to see it? I asked

It is best to avoid getting involved in the troubles of the authorities as much as possible; the old man's words are certainly not wrong

Compared to the business hall, the inner room appears somewhat cluttered, with several wooden boxes haphazardly placed in the corners. Beneath the supply table, there is a disarray of various ancient books and materials, giving the impression of a bedroom belonging to a reclusive individual that hasn't been tidied up for centuries.

The Xiangxi region is perhaps most famous for its corpse-driving, but those in the field know that corpse-driving is merely a superficial skill among the secret arts of Xiangxi. The true power of Xiangxi's secret arts lies in the five major schools passed down from ancient times

The figure of the deity is shrouded in a layer of white mist, making it impossible to discern its form clearly; one can only vaguely perceive that it resembles a human shape

Zhou Yan nodded

Once the body is moved, will you be able to uncover the truth? What a joke

"Just one thousand, let's go." I stood up and patted his shoulder. Zhou Yan looked at me in surprise, probably puzzled by my decision not to raise the price.

If I learned fortune-telling or healing, I could set up a fortune-telling booth or open a small clinic under the overpass to make a living, couldn't I

Although I thought this way, I still asked, "What does it matter to you whether the body is moved or not? If it doesn't concern you, why bother?"

I can't move... I seem to understand the reason why Zhou Yan came to find me. The saying "desperate times call for desperate measures" is indeed true. Have you seen how even the scientists have come to seek help from this quack?

Zhou Yan has always belonged to the type of a little Lei Feng. Since I got to know him, Zhou Yan has often been associated with the phrase "a meddlesome good person" in my eyes. Of course, it can also be said that he is just a tight-fisted person filled with a sense of justice

I just called Uncle Zhang, and he said there was no one watching at the scene, but there were people downstairs. "Zhou Yan chuckled, saying, 'The corpse of the deceased is too eerie; who would dare to keep watch at such a late hour?'"

Zhou Yan is a wealthy individual, as I mentioned earlier.

I took out the key and opened the door. Familiar with the surroundings, I reached out my hand and groped along the wall for a moment, then pressed the switch of the old-fashioned lamp

Hearing my words, Zhou Yan frowned and was about to speak, clearly intending to curse. However, in the end, Zhou Yan swallowed the harsh words and, pointing a finger at me, said: "If you manage to get it done, it's one thousand; if you can't, you owe me ten seafood dinners."

"The subordinate of my husband, Zhang Liguo, is the captain of the criminal police team." Zhou Yan thought for a moment and advised me, "Make sure to act reliable later; Uncle Zhang despises people who put on airs. Just handle it as you see fit."

These two ritual implements are essential for tonight; without these two items, it is likely that this task will be difficult to accomplish

After finishing my mutterings, I solemnly placed the incense stick in the incense burner

I lowered my head and pondered for a moment, tentatively asking: "Is the body still at the scene?"

The corners of the mouth are stretched wide, as if in hearty laughter. Although it appears strange at first glance, a closer look evokes a feeling of joy from the heart.

That being said, the issue of being unable to move a corpse was quite common in Xiangxi during the 1980s and 1990s. I have seen my elder handle quite a number of such cases, so I can be considered an experienced individual in this regard

By the way, excluding the red envelope

Now I am filled with regret

I nodded; such matters certainly cannot be discussed openly. If outsiders were to find out, it could potentially lead to unrest and panic.

I stepped aside to retrieve my backpack, silently taking the gong and dagger from the offering table and placing them into the bag

Physiognomy and healing, the most important aspect of studying these two disciplines is memorization, which is exceedingly tedious, and moreover, physiognomy and healing lack the excitement of the first three disciplines: "Acupuncture | Stimulation"

"I am like your grandfather," I scolded angrily.

"Xiao Zhou, today when we handle this matter, there shouldn't be anyone else aware of it, right?" I asked with concern. Logically speaking, the place where the body is laid should definitely have someone guarding it. Playing with superstition in front of the police would be courting death, wouldn't it?

I had just stepped out of the flower shop and locked the door when Zhou Yan pulled me into the car, looking quite impatient, likely having waited for a while

It seems that even top students can have moments of confusion.

The only three things that the old man taught me were the first three; he did not teach me the last two at all. This is also the reason why I have been unable to find a way out for three months.

The corpse, scattered; if the energy has not dissipated, then it remains at ten barriers, weighing a thousand pounds

On the head of this humanoid figure, the features are shrouded in a thin mist, yet the mouth remains exposed

Suddenly, I thought of a money-making idea, an absolutely brilliant idea

In the book "Xiang Mi" passed down by the elder, there is a saying.

Seeing my puzzled expression, Zhou Yan let out a bitter laugh and slowly said: "Stop making wild guesses. The deceased had a physique similar to that of an ordinary middle-aged person, at most around 145 pounds. However, that corpse seemed as if it were glued to the ground; no matter how hard the police tried, they simply could not move it."

The translation of this sentence is not as simple as it appears; if the old gentleman hadn't explained it to me at the time, I would probably have translated it incorrectly, because some aspects were simply not written down.

Under the dim light, I yawned and walked into the inner room

Exorcism, warding off evil, corpse driving, physiognomy, healing

Nevertheless, this official's second-generation offspring does not wish to leverage his father's power for special treatment, as evidenced by his willingness to serve as an ordinary forensic doctor

His father is Zhou Jianguo, the director of the municipal public security bureau, a person of considerable power. In contemporary terms, Zhou Yan is a second-generation official, and he is a standard example of such, with a powerful official backing him.

"Old Master, your magical tool can be put to use today." I lit a stick of incense, smiling as I placed it in front of the black-and-white photo beside the portrait. Looking at the kind-faced old master in the photo, I suddenly felt a bit of a sting in my nose.

Let us go to the scene now; it is better to resolve such matters sooner rather than later, " Zhou Yan urged anxiously. I waved my hand to signal him not to worry.

The corpse does not leave the ground; this is indeed a saying in the secret arts of Xiangxi

If the corpse's aura does not dissipate, this energy will remain in the Ten Passes, and the body will weigh a thousand pounds out of thin air, making it impossible for outsiders to move the corpse even a fraction, no matter how hard they try.

In this great harmonious society, where are the corpses for me to deal with? Where are so many evil places for me to handle? Where are so many ghosts for me to capture?

"The reason you came to find me is to inquire about how to move the body?" I asked, and Zhou Yan nodded directly.

I beg your pardon, esteemed master, the words I just muttered were mere nonsense; please consider them unheard.

The so-called corpse refers to dispersion, the dispersion of the three souls and seven spirits, the dispersion of yang energy, the dispersion of yin energy, and the dispersion of corpse energy, resulting in a state devoid of energy, soul, and spirit; this is the typical condition of an ordinary corpse

While I cannot claim to be completely familiar with the process, I should be able to handle this matter adequately by following the established pattern

Is it really said that a corpse cannot be moved? Could it be that the deceased is a several hundred-pound heavy person

I knelt on the ground and bowed three times to the old master, then rubbed my eyes and stood up

Hearing Zhou Yan say this, I instinctively pointed at myself: "Do I look like someone who is trying to play tricks?"

Zhou Yan pondered for a moment and said in a low voice, "Alright, this corpse is rather eerie; the news has spread throughout the bureau. If it weren't for the upper management's strict orders, this case would have likely been leaked by now. I can take you to the scene, but you must keep it confidential."

Although I have been trained in various skills since childhood by my elder, the actual instances where I have taken action are indeed few and far between. Moreover, the matters I have dealt with have not been significant; I have mostly served as an assistant to my elder. This time, however, I have finally encountered an opportunity.

For this reason, whenever I am in a bad mood, I love to look at the portrait of the ancestral master, and as I gaze at it, I find myself feeling joyful.

If it weren't for a severe lack of money, I wouldn't have agreed to take on this task from Zhou Yan today

The flower wreath shop is actually where I live; the hall is used for business, the warehouse is for storing miscellaneous items, and the inner room is my sleeping nook, which also serves as a place for honoring the old master and the ancestral deity