Chapter 5, I have gained an additional master

He has also mentioned the matter of ghosts liking to stretch their feet under the feet of the living

Jiang Li said: "We believe in fate when it comes to doing things, and we also believe in cause and effect. The fact that we can meet indicates that the fate is sufficient, but the cause is insufficient. I do not know you well, yet I help you with your tasks; without a cause, there can be no effect. This is the rule."

By the next morning, the villagers had gathered in front of Zhang Duan's memorial hall. Jiang Li and I only got up and went out after hearing the commotion. When the villagers saw that Jiang Li had actually slept in this place last night and had not done anything at all, some of them became dissatisfied and began to suspect whether Jiang Li was a fraud, someone who sought fame and reputation to swindle money.

The villagers looked anxious and could not help but ask: "Master Jiang, who exactly is responsible for the death of Zhang Duan Gong?"

Jiang Li smiled at me and said: "The Kongming lantern is also known as the soul-calling lantern, and it is also called the guiding lantern. At night, you can use this to find Zhang Duan Gong. The drawing on it is a guiding talisman."

His name is Jiang Li, and he allows me to call him Brother Jiang Li, but my father disagrees, as this Taoist possesses great abilities, and I am not qualified to be his peer

I will find a topic and recount the situation at that time to Jiang Li in great detail

Grandmother has always had a quick temper. Seeing Jiang Li silent, she assumed the situation was dire and nearly lost her balance, asking: "Master Jiang, is my old man not going to make it?"

As we walked back to the village, we had only just entered when news of my father's invitation to a Taoist priest spread like wildfire. Before I could even settle down in the house, the villagers from nearby had left Zhang Duan's mourning hall and rushed to my home to join the commotion

I called out in a daze: "Master."

At that time, there happened to be some items at home. I immediately went inside to find these items and gave them to him. Jiang Li then focused intently on manipulating these items, and before long, he had successfully crafted a Kongming lantern.

I watched curiously from the side and asked him, "Master, what is this painting of?"

However, when the villagers saw Jiang Li in person, they began to murmur.

Jiang Li smiled and said, "If you can't sleep, just tell me about the circumstances of Zhang Duan Gong's death."

Jiang Li suddenly grabbed me, glaring at me and forbidding me to kneel, saying: "I am not yet worthy of your kneeling; just calling me Master will suffice."

Jiang Li turned around and said: "There is no need to keep watch tonight; you all can go back and rest. Chen Xiao and I will stay here."

As soon as Jiang Li entered the mourning hall, he frowned and walked back and forth a few steps in a serious manner

Jiang Li did not express any opinions after listening, and before long, he fell silent and directly fell asleep

His saying so is equivalent to agreeing

After going out, he said to me: "Go find a piece of white cloth, eight red strings, a cotton wick, and a bowl of kerosene for me"

Great-uncle has a strong understanding, and interjects from the side, saying: "Why not let Xiao recognize you as his godfather, that way it would make sense."

Thus, in a state of confusion, I became Jiang Li's disciple

This is a digression

Fate and causality converged, and Jiang Li began to attend to serious matters. A group of people headed to the mourning hall of Zhang Duan Gong, preparing to handle Zhang Duan Gong's affairs before addressing my grandfather's matters.

It is quite common in rural areas for children to recognize a godfather. Generally, if a child is weak and frequently ill, they will recognize the Dragon King as their godfather, who will then bless the child. This is what Jiang Li refers to as cause and effect.

The villagers also had the same questions as Grandpa Yao. Some well-meaning villagers directly raised their concerns to Jiang Li, asking him: "Regarding the matter of Zhang Duan, Master Jiang, do you have any way to resolve it? And about the situation with the Xiao family, it keeps causing a disturbance, and the people in the village are not at ease."

At that time, I was still unaware of how difficult it was to become a disciple of a Taoist priest. Taoism has its rules: only masters may seek disciples, and disciples are not allowed to seek masters. In other words, to become a disciple of a Taoist priest, one must be chosen by someone; otherwise, there is no opportunity.

That was the first time I felt proud, because I had become Jiang Li's disciple the day before

Jiang Li informed the villagers that he would resolve the matter, but it would have to wait until evening

Although my great-uncle has received an education, he has always believed that there are ghosts and deities in this world. Therefore, while conveying his outdated views to us, he also shares with us some folk tales of the strange and supernatural.

Father explained for quite a while to Grandfather before continuing to communicate with Jiang Li

Both my father and I were taken aback. My father anxiously asked, "Master Jiang, please do not joke with us. We will not trouble you for nothing. Whatever you need, I can gather it for you when the time comes. You must help us resolve this matter; we truly have no other options."

The young Taoist chuckled and said, "What? Are you still lingering and not leaving?"

Father is in a dilemma and asks Jiang Li: "So how can we have a reason?"

Only Jiang Li and I remain in this mourning hall

Jiang Li said: "The imperial decree manifests the divine and the evil spirits, I will teach you later"

Jiang Li nodded and made a sound of acknowledgment

Father stared at the three of them and said nervously: "We really walked through a graveyard, what should we do?!"

Jiang Li said: "Taoism speaks of three types of destiny: replacement of fate, alteration of fate, and heavenly mandate. The heavenly mandate refers to accepting the will of heaven without resistance, going with the flow of nature. Alteration of fate means to go against heaven and change one's own destiny. Replacement of fate involves using another person's life to substitute for one's own. Zhang Duangong did not commit suicide; rather, he was used as a substitute for someone else's fate."

I acknowledged a legitimate Taoist as my master, which is something that the villagers will envy for generations. The people present were immediately in an uproar, saying: "The Chen family has endured hardships and now enjoys blessings; the descendants have become disciples of a Taoist. In the future, they are destined to become dragons or immortals"

The coffin was opened, and the villagers gathered to take a look, instantly thrown into a state of panic

Taking advantage of the daytime, he returned to my home, saying he wanted to take the opportunity to see my grandfather. He stood by my grandfather's bed and looked at him for a while

The young Taoist smiled broadly and pulled me up, saying: "A man should have integrity; I am not worth you kneeling for."

I shook my head and said, "I don't understand"

Grandpa Yao directly pulled me and my father aside and whispered, "Why are you so young? Have you been deceived?"

The father's eyes lit up; although he had not found the old Taoist priest here, it was evident from the actions of the young Taoist priest just now that this was a lifeline. He immediately stepped forward and said to him with a face full of urgency: "Young master, please, you must save our family. No matter what you need, I will do my best to gather it for you."

After staying at the Taoist temple for a while, he accompanied us all the way back to the village

Jiang Li blinked at me and after several seconds said: "A Taoist cannot marry, and it is inappropriate to suddenly have an adopted son. Besides, I am not much older than him, so it is not suitable for me to be his godfather. Instead, I will be his master, planting this cause, and then I will help you handle matters, which will be the effect."

After enduring a day, at eleven o'clock in the evening, Jiang Li ignited the kerosene in the sky lantern. The lantern gradually ascended and drifted away. Jiang Li immediately went to chase after the lantern, and my father said he would accompany him, fearing that he might get lost in this unfamiliar place.

In the eyes of the villagers, the Taoist priest, who is feared by all demons and monsters, is akin to a living deity, and they all wish to come and see this living deity

No one doubts that he is a fraud anymore, they give a thumbs up to Jiang Li, praising him as a living immortal

Jiang Li made this statement without even encountering grandfather, while father and grandmother were half-convinced. Jiang Li, however, did not say much more and called out to me: "Chen Xiao, come out and help me."

One of the malevolent spirits could not contain itself and charged directly at the young Taoist priest, who at that moment shouted angrily, "Get lost"

He took out a brush from the items he carried with him and began to draw on the Kongming lantern.

Jiang Li thought for a moment, pointed at me and said: "Chen Xiao can go with me."

The sudden appearance of these three individuals startled both my father and me, prompting us to quickly retreat behind the young Taoist priest

We informed Jiang Li of everything that happened on the road

Father expressed his gratitude, and it seemed rather inappropriate for him to kneel before this young Taoist. He turned to me and said: "Xiao boy, quickly kneel down and thank the young master for his life-saving grace"

On the way, he told us that in recent years, no one has believed in the deities of the Taoist temple anymore. The temple has no visitors, and it is gradually becoming unsustainable. The old priests inside have all passed away, and the young priests have left the temple to seek other means of livelihood. He had nowhere else to go, so he stayed in the temple, and this opportunity came just in time for him to take a break.

Jiang Li lay on the outer side of the bed, while I was on the inner side. It was my first time sharing a bed with a stranger, and I was certainly feeling a bit awkward. I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, and I didn't dare to speak to him.

Their tone was no longer as friendly as before, and they directly asked: "Do you know who killed Zhang Duan Gong?"

He added that the "Record of the Hundred Demons" mentions a type of ghost known as the Hanging Ghost. The Hanging Ghost is a spirit of one who has died unjustly and cannot be reincarnated after death; it can only be reborn after finding a substitute for its life.

At that time, I did whatever my family asked me to do, without any sense of honor or shame regarding kneeling before my parents; I simply knelt before the young Taoist priest.

We did not stay in the mourning hall; he took me to a side room to rest. The entire mourning hall contained nothing but the coffin and a few wreaths.

Jiang Li walked to the side of the coffin, and with a loud bang, he astonishingly lifted the several hundred pounds coffin lid with one hand, leaving the villagers in shock

In this way, everyone was delighted, and Father hurriedly said: "Xiao Wazi, why aren't you kneeling down to bow to your master?"

Initially, it was said that he would help me resolve the issue, but Jiang Li directly shook his head at this moment and said, "I cannot solve this matter"

The young Taoist let out a faint sound of acknowledgment, fixing his gaze on the three malevolent spirits. Just moments ago, he had struck down with my staff, causing pain to these three spirits. The resentment of the ghosts was intense, unable to endure any humiliation, and now they glared fiercely at the young Taoist, baring their teeth and seemingly ready to pounce.

Someone wants to replace their life with that of Zhang Duan Gong. Now, as long as we can figure out who Zhang Duan Gong is currently seeking, we will be able to identify who caused his death, and perhaps even uncover the mastermind behind this incident

Because the coffin was completely empty, the body of Zhang Duan Gong had long since disappeared without a trace

At this time, the villagers did not trust Jiang Li as much, and after asking several times with uncertainty, they ultimately decided to take a wait-and-see approach, thinking that whether it was a mule or a horse, they would just take it out for a test run.

This scolding startled both my father and me, causing us to tremble. However, the three malevolent spirits were indeed taken aback, exchanging glances with one another, and then they stared in terror at the young Taoist priest before hastily fleeing.

The villagers immediately changed their perception of Jiang Li; these few simple sentences revealed the true cause of Zhang Duan's death and outlined the direction for resolving this matter

The young Taoist glanced between my father and me a few times, then focused his gaze on the infant in my father's arms. After observing for a while, he said: "Good and evil will be rewarded accordingly. It is evident that you have committed many wrongdoings. Regardless of the troubles you face, I should not involve myself in this matter. However, these two children are innocent"

Jiang Li said: "It is not that it cannot be done, but rather that it is very good, better than all of you, and there are no major issues."