Chapter 4: Consulting Spirits and Deities

"The Infinite Celestial Venerable, to untie the bell, one must find the person who tied it! If you do not inform this humble Daoist of the ins and outs of this matter, I fear there will be no remedy left!" Elder Yao sighed

The person looked at Liu Fudao in a daze and said: "Uncle Fu... Uncle Fu... A-Qing is dead... You should go take a look, just now Lai Zi was beating the gong in the town..."

At that moment, the sound of gongs and drums echoed urgently in the town. The villagers were shouting and running westward, and Liu Fu, puzzled, stopped one of them to inquire.

A-Qing's corpse was hanging from the door latch of his house. How could a latch that was only half a person's height hang a dead man? When the villagers saw Liu Fu arriving, they all made way for him. As Liu Fu approached, he saw that A-Qing's tongue was hanging down to his chin, and both of his eyes were continuously dripping blood. ... He touched his body, which was already cold and stiff, indicating that he had been dead for some time ...

Master Ku Cha furrowed his brow and said: "Amitabha, have you seen those inner demons again?"

Changsheng shook his head and said: "Master, the disciple does not understand what is happening. I saw that woman standing in the water, crying towards me. That woman must be one of the evil-doers who, after death, are cast into Avici Hell to become malevolent spirits and Rakshasas..."

Liu Fu blurted out: "Well... that was all ten years ago. The strange occurrences in our town are due to the discovery of a female corpse three days ago!"

Amitabha, all evil dharmas are fundamentally illusory. All good dharmas are also illusory. All sentient beings are equal; how could a teacher stand by and watch someone die without offering help? Master Ku Cha said calmly

Since ancient times, flattery has been the most effective means of persuasion | After a long silence, Yao Laodao finally looked at Liu Fu. Liu Gui, closely following his brother, also boarded the boat and, sensing the situation, invited Yao Bansian into the town. As the old Daoist walked along the road, his brows were tightly knitted, and he frequently raised the yin-yang fish, shaking his head and sighing. ... Liu Fu and Liu Gui, the two brothers, observed this in silence, and despite several attempts to inquire, the old Daoist remained tight-lipped and expressionless ...

Lai Zi stammered, "This... this... this has nothing to do with me. After A Qing got the money, he hasn't shown up. I just came to collect the debt from A Qing. How was I to know that when I pushed the door open, I would find A Qing... A Qing hanging behind the door..."

Liu Fu was puzzled by the events of the past two days. The Taoist priest on the ship, with his ethereal demeanor, might indeed be able to resolve the strange occurrences in the town. Liu Fu tentatively asked, "I truly do not understand what Master Yao meant by 'the resentment reaching the heavens.' I hope the master can provide some guidance."

Liu Gui spoke as an old Taoist, draped in a purple robe, wearing a nine-beam Taoist crown and a peach wood sword at his waist, emerged from the cabin. He held a whisk in one hand and gently stroked his three long strands of beard with the other, scrutinizing Liu Fu. Under their mutual gaze, Liu Fu felt extremely uncomfortable being observed by the old Taoist

The villagers of Jima Town all stepped back seven or eight paces, immediately clearing an area of over one zhang in front of A Qing's corpse. Yao Bansian inserted his whisk into the ground, extended his hand to draw his sword, and began to chant incantations. ... The whisk, with its horsehair, began to rise slowly on its own without any wind ...

After the boat docked, Liu Gui jogged over and said: "Brother, the three daughters of Uncle Lao have all been brought back... It's just that I can't explain to them the cause of Uncle and Aunt's death..."

Two days have passed, and the town of Jima appears to be exceptionally peaceful and uneventful. Liu Fu has seemed to have suffered from a serious illness over these two days, looking considerably haggard and thinner. The matter of that woman drifting towards the Guandi Temple has been weighing heavily on Liu Fu's mind. ... In response to the doubts of his clansmen, Liu Fu plans to visit the Guandi Temple to investigate the truth of the matter ...

"Venerable Celestial, I have been practicing my craft since childhood in Longhu Mountain. However, as the current emperor favors Buddhism over Daoism, I, a humble Daoist, can only wander among the common people to make a living. Today, I have come here specifically to assist a few kind souls in transcending their parents' spirits, but why is there such a palpable resentment in this place?" The Daoist said, his expression as grave as water as he looked at Liu Fu.

Liu Fu nodded and said: "Gentlemen, please step back as the semi-immortal is about to perform a ritual!"

Liu Fu inquired, "Where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?"

Liu Guiwu said: "Brother, you know very well the temperament of the youngest daughter in Uncle's family. She insists that Uncle and Aunt passed away under mysterious circumstances and is determined to go to Suzhou to seek the help of Master Yao. I have no choice; she is the aggrieved party, so I had to make the journey to Suzhou overnight..."

"Master, knowing that there are deceptions in that river, why do you still want to retrieve that female benefactor?" Changsheng asked in confusion.

In the cabin, the old uncle's three daughters were crying inconsolably, their hearts aching. The three sons-in-law were honest farmers from a nearby town. The youngest daughter, biting her lip in tears, asked, "Uncle Fu, how exactly did my parents die?"

Liu Fu summoned someone to take A Qing's corpse down from behind the door. A Qing was a solitary man who lived by the principle that if one person was full, the whole family would not go hungry. No one knew when A Qing had died, nor did anyone know who had killed him

Liu Fu said to his uncle's three daughters: "Alas! It's hard to explain in a few words. You three young ladies should go home and see for yourselves. I have important matters to discuss with Master Yao, as the three to four hundred households in Jima Town will all be relying on Master Yao's divine power."

Yao Bansian smiled faintly, standing firmly and gazing intently at A Qing, saying: "Infinite Heavenly Sovereign, this person’s three souls and seven spirits have long been taken to the underworld by the Grim Reaper. If you wish to know who harmed him, it is not difficult; I can perform a ritual to summon the Day Tour Deity and inquire. However, with so many of you gathered here, the divine spirits and ghosts I summon will be driven away by your yang energy." Liu Fu and the others were left dumbfounded, ... this old Taoist actually claimed he could perform a ritual to summon deities to question the dead ... however, with so many of you gathered here, the divine spirits and ghosts I summon will be driven away by your yang energy." Liu Fu and the others were left dumbfounded, ... this old Taoist actually claimed he could perform a ritual to summon deities to question the dead ...

Liu Fu's heart suddenly rose to his throat; the more one fears something, the more likely it is to happen. Liu Fu turned to Liu Gui and said: "Brother, it seems that something has happened again. You take care of the half-immortal and the three young ladies from Uncle Lao's family first, and I will go check on A Qing's house"

Old Daoist Yao waved his whisk and said, "Layman, I will accompany you to see what is going on." Liu Fu did not decline and hurriedly followed Old Daoist Yao southward with the others

Only the half-immortal Yao could be heard muttering: "Above the three heavens, the Dao is supreme. Among myriad laws, all gods obey orders. I humbly request the Sun Traveler God, urgent as per the decree!" The whisk on the ground leapt up along with the old Daoist's peach wood sword, suddenly stopping by the old Daoist's ear... The old Daoist nodded repeatedly, as if he were listening to someone speaking...

"Wuliang Tianzun, what a grievance! Another unjustly dead soul has been added to the Naihe Bridge, and the resentment remains unresolved, making the entire town uneasy!" Elder Yao said with his hands behind his back, sighing.

The people of Jima Town were so frightened by Yao Bansian's rituals that they fell to the ground in awe, fully aware that Yao Bansian possessed extraordinary abilities that could reach the heavens and penetrate the earth

As the dawn broke and the roosters crowed, Liu Fuqiang propped himself up and arrived outside the Guandi Temple. Looking at the door of the temple, which was covered in mottled marks from knives and axes, Liu Fu's heart was in turmoil, unable to calm down. Inside the temple, the imposing clay statue of Guan Gong stood with a fierce gaze, staring at Liu Fu. In the meditation room behind the temple, Master Kucha was explaining scriptures to his disciples. Just as Liu Fu was about to push the door open, he heard the young monk Changsheng asking the old monk a question, which left Liu Fu stunned on the spot.

Master Kucha sighed silently, stood up, and took some vermilion powder from the side. He dipped his brush and drew two golden Buddhist swastikas on Changsheng's eyebrows. Master Kucha then joined his hands in prayer, twirled his prayer beads, and sat cross-legged in front of Changsheng and the scriptures, reciting the Diamond Sutra. The two swastikas on Changsheng's forehead emitted a radiant glow of five colors

Liu Fuchang let out a long sigh and personally boarded the ship. He lifted the curtain of the cabin and bowed, saying: "Immortal, please do not be angry. We are merely ordinary mortals who do not understand the profound meaning of what the Immortal has said. To be honest, the town has not been peaceful lately; five people have already died. May I ask if the Immortal has any solutions to this?"

Liu Gui asked in confusion: "What do you mean by our fate? This... where do I even begin? If you can help us overcome this calamity, you can have as much silver as you want."

"Master, that is not a heart demon! I have never seen that woman, yet I saw her crying from a distance. There were also some unclean things in the water, so I questioned why you wanted to retrieve her?" Changsheng asked directly.

Liu Fu, accompanied by several individuals, approached the corpse of A Qing in response to the call, and upon opening A Qing's clothing, he was astonished to find a beautifully crafted gold ingot among the broken silver pieces

Liu Fugong respectfully inquired: "Half-immortal, you have discerned this matter, yet we are unable to identify the murderer. Could it be that they were also harmed by that resentment?"

Liu Fu inquired, "Lai Zi, what has happened?"

A single remark from the old Taoist left Liu Fu and Liu Gui stunned, and the two brothers hesitated for a long time before daring to respond. The old Taoist pointed at the clay statue of Guan Gong and said: "The resentment emanates from this place; you know that Lord Guan values righteousness and benevolence. I have already perceived two surges of overwhelming resentment accumulating here; it is likely that two people have died in the Guan Di Temple"

"Brother, what do you think we should do? If what this Taoist says is true, our town will face trouble again within seven days?" Liu Gui said anxiously

Liu Fugang was about to reach out to push the door when he suddenly heard a loud wailing from behind him, coming from the Tiaoxi River. Fearful that another disaster had struck the town, he abruptly halted and hurriedly turned back towards the town. Upon arriving at the banks of the Tiaoxi River, Liu Fu saw a boat in the distance covered with white mourning cloth. Liu Gui stood at the bow of the boat, commanding several strong men from Jimazhen to use long iron picks to break the ice and secure the boat to the shore. The sound of crying filled the boat; it was the three daughters of his uncle returning to mourn.

Yao Banjian smiled and said: "There is no need to avoid it; as long as there is a space of over one zhang beside the deceased, it will suffice"

"Hahaha, all matters in the world have their causes and effects. Since the layman does not understand, then I, the humble Taoist, have spoken too much. I trouble you to take me back on the boat; within seven days, there will surely be great calamity here! Please take care of yourself, I take my leave!" After saying this, Old Taoist Yao turned and entered the cabin, leaving behind the astonished Liu Fu and his brother.

Master Yao retracted the Yin-Yang fish and said: "Wuliang Tianzun, your words are mistaken. Two streams of resentment are entrenched here; today is the day to seek vengeance through the dead! If this resentment is not dispelled, this town will face a great calamity within seven days. I have already revealed the heavenly secret; whether or not this disaster can be averted depends on your own fortune."

Moments later, the feather duster fell to the ground weakly. Elder Yao, with a worried expression, said: "Originally, I intended to have the Sun Traveler God appear to question the deceased, but unexpectedly, the resentment in this place is so intense that even the Sun Traveler God is afraid. However, the Sun Traveler God has already manifested through an object to inform me that if you open the deceased's collar, you will naturally know the truth."

In the town, the pale-faced Laizi was banging on a broken gong, continuously shouting: "Someone! ... Someone! ... A person is dead ... A Qing is dead ... Someone! ... A Qing is dead ..."

As they passed by the Zhenkou Guandi Temple, Yao Bansian suddenly shivered and asked, "Esteemed gentlemen, I have found the source of the resentment in this town. Is there someone in this town who has committed acts of injustice and immorality?"

Liu Fu nodded and sighed, "I also have no way to explain this to them! Was there no mishap on the way? Why did it take so long to return?"