Chapter 003: Sun-blocking Talismans and Dead Soil
A brightly colored paper figure stands by the bed, staring intently at an elderly woman on the verge of death, causing anyone to feel a sense of unease in their heart
A large bed, a small desk, and a wooden stool; on the desk, several books are neatly arranged, and a vase filled with clean water holds flowers at the edge of the books
"Your master is quite anxious about you." Old Ye brought over a bowl of chicken soup
Your master wandered around the village with a lantern all night, calling your name, completely unaware that he had been bitten by a snake on his foot, fortunately, it was not a venomous one. Old Ye sighed, saying, "That lantern is quite remarkable; the light it emits is cold!"
However, he still chuckled and said, "Let's play!"
I do not know how long I have persisted, but just when I was about to give up, a gentle breeze passed by, and my body felt much more at ease
If my soul is intact, and a ghostly fetus is implanted within my body, with my master assisting by my side, nothing would go wrong. However, I happened to be frightened and lost one of my souls, which is truly unfortunate
The master smiled again: "Do you still remember how the light at Old Ye's house kept flickering? After the Ten-Generation Ghost Fetus was collected, did the light not return to normal? Evil entities like vengeful spirits are merely a type of magnetic field, especially considering the powerful magnetic field of a Ten-Generation Ghost Fetus."
I nodded in a way that suggested I somewhat understood
Soul, come! the master exclaimed in a low voice
The master briefly mentioned these matters without elaborating much. In my youth, I did not sense the underlying danger; I only felt that the master had suddenly become increasingly aged.
Old Man Ye pondered for a moment and said, "My son will be moving out in a while, and my daughter has already married off. If you don't mind... you can temporarily stay here." He pointed to the woodshed behind the house
I have never asked what this thing is actually used for. Today, out of curiosity, I picked up the vacuum cleaner to figure it out.
I know the master is boasting, so I ignored him. Because I remember he once told me that no matter how powerful the ghosts and monsters are, they cannot escape a certain realm. Things that are too powerful do not require human intervention; Heaven will take care of them on its own.
I do not understand what it means to have lost one's soul out of fright, but I know that I feel quite dazed at this moment, perceiving everything happening around me as somewhat vague, much like the feeling of confusion one experiences after waking up in the morning
In order to peacefully navigate this adjustment period, my master and I settled down in Ye Family Village
In the words of the master, the sun-blocking talisman simulates the environment of a coffin, and when combined with the soil of the deceased from the books, it becomes a grave
The master suddenly smiled wryly: "Don't look anymore, this is just an ordinary vacuum cleaner. Aren't you curious if the power light of the vacuum cleaner will turn on that day?"
The tenth generation ghost fetus is truly formidable! Even the dead soil cannot completely deceive it! The master furrowed his brow, "I lost a soul out of fear; what should I do now... The ghost fetus has already been born. Although it is not complete, it is not easy to deal with. If we delay any longer..."
The master pressed two lumps of black mud into my nose, blocking my breath.
In my youth, I was unaware of what my master had done for me; it was only when the repercussions fell upon my master in the future that I regretted it too late
I remember that powder; last night, the master put this substance into my nose, which prevented me from being frightened to the point of losing my soul
In a moment of daze, I saw my master affixing a talisman I had never seen before onto me, and then he pressed a ghostly fetus onto my body
The master appears to be quite disheveled, yet he possesses an unusual obsession with matters of daily living
The arrangement of the Bewildering Formation is not complicated; even I could do it back then. Although Ye Family Village is not large, it is also not small. To set up such a large formation, an entire afternoon would definitely not be enough, yet my master managed to accomplish it.
The master is also concerned that the yang energy will disperse the soul, so he has set up a gathering of yin energy in the center of the village—establishing a gathering of yin energy in a residential area will incur a loss of merit, and one will face retribution in the future
The master guided the ghostly hand closer and closer, just as it was about to reach my body, the sleeping infant suddenly opened its eyes and let out a strange laugh: "Hee hee... let's play!"
Old man Ye's son, Ye Qingping, is a robust and sturdy man. He has a broad perspective: "As long as my mother can live this long, that is enough."
This old man actually cried
I looked up and saw his gentle smile, then lowered my head to drink the soup
Hehe, hehe... The old lady suddenly burst into laughter, which was extremely unsettling
In the next moment, a pale shadow emerged from the old lady's crown.
At that time, the master was afraid that my soul would get lost, so he spent an entire afternoon setting up a soul-restraining formation around the entire Ye family village
I was suddenly filled with terror and helplessness, my mind momentarily in a daze
Moreover, the situation is not merely as described; after the ghostly fetus emitted that strange laugh, it broke free from the master's right hand, extended its arms, and playfully lunged towards me and the books.
The paper figure possessed by the ghostly fetus became more vibrant, a smile creeping onto its previously expressionless face. This smile appeared particularly eerie under the dim light of the earthen house
The sound seemed to possess a magical quality; upon hearing the master's voice, the ghostly fetus swiftly dove into the paper figure, disappearing without a trace
The master does not mind: "Tidying up a bit, it can still be habitable."
After losing my soul in a foreign land, because it is not a place I am familiar with, my soul wanders about like a lost spirit. Moreover, I lost my soul during the day; in order to evade the yang energy, as soon as my soul left my body, it hid away in an unknown place
At that time, the master was very anxious; after ensuring my safety, he went out to help me call back my soul
The master calculated with his fingers and suddenly said in a deep voice: "It is now!" I knew that this was the moment when the extreme yang of noon turned to yin.
This inescapable fear accumulated more and more, until finally I burst into tears.
I opened my eyes and saw the face of my master, along with his reddened eye circles
The master further explained: "The Ten-Generation Ghost Fetus is different from others. Typically, ghost fetuses are carried by pregnant women and can claim lives in a short period. However, the Ten-Generation Ghost Fetus nurtures only one soul or one spirit in each generation, thus it does not harm lives quickly. Let me give you an analogy: for instance, let A be the first generation of the Ten-Generation Ghost Fetus, and then A gives birth to B. B can be considered another vessel of the Ten-Generation Ghost Fetus, and so on. Strictly speaking, the ten generations of the Ten-Generation Ghost Fetus are equivalent to having undergone ten pregnancies."
As the ghostly figure drew closer, my fear intensified
The master patted my head and smiled, saying: "The ghost fetus did not initially reside in the old lady; she was an ordinary person for the first half of her life. The ghost fetus only came into being at the time of her mother's death."
The master waved his hand: "It's just a guiding lantern; my obedient disciple can do it too"
The brightly colored paper figures in red and green let out piercing wails in the flames, their voices haunting and making one instinctively cover their ears
The master gently patted my head, and with a wave of his hand, he summoned the ghostly fetus. He said, "Do not be afraid, this is all for your own good"
With the maze of enchantment obstructing the way, the soul becomes lost and cannot find an exit, wandering aimlessly in Yejia Village
However, this is not a sustainable solution
The situation at Old Man Ye's home has stabilized; the old lady no longer wails at night, and her mind is gradually becoming clearer. However, the master said that the old lady has been possessed by a ghostly fetus for her entire life, severely depleting her vitality, and she will not have many more good years left.
After saying this, the master took out a talisman. I recognized this talisman; it is the Sun-blocking Talisman, used to ward off solar energy. The master had taught me that when going to a haunted place to capture ghosts, one must carry this type of talisman.
I walked over, already aware of what I was to do next
The master took out a cigarette, and Old Man Ye, understanding the situation, helped him light it: "Thanks to you, Master Tian, otherwise..."
In a state of confusion, I lost track of how long I had been asleep, continuously experiencing a strange dream. In the dream, a crawling infant was chasing me, smiling and saying, "Hee hee, come play with me, come play with me." I kept running, kept running, yet I could not outrun him no matter what.
The master pinched the talisman between his two fingers of his right hand and, with a snap,贴 it onto the old lady's heart. As the talisman was affixed, the old lady's already withered face became even more parched, as if she might depart this world at any moment.
At that moment, the master took out a match and ignited the paper figure in one swift motion
"Bastard! Come back!" At that moment, a thunderous shout from the master echoed, and the ghostly child was lifted up once again
I pursed my lips, too lazy to pay him any mind
Disciple, come here," said the Master
"Little rascal, it's alright, it's alright, nothing's wrong." Suddenly, someone tightly embraced my head, their tone filled with concern
I estimated in my heart that after being born, this ten-life ghost fetus would be as formidable as a zombie, unable to become any more powerful.
The first time I encountered such a scene, I was so frightened that I dared not move.
I became even more confused. The master was angry and vigorously rubbed my head, saying: "I told you, you silly child, to study hard, but you didn't listen! Don't you know electromagnetism? You're dumbfounded, aren't you!"
The paper figure seemed to be pulled by something, staring intently at the old lady on the bed. The master quickly followed, pulling out a handful of black powder from his pocket with his right hand, and with a firm squeeze, he surprisingly molded it into a lump of clay
The functions of the Sun-blocking Talisman and the Dead Man's Soil are theoretically the same; both serve to obstruct one's own yang energy, causing spirits to mistake themselves for kindred. However, the combination of Dead Man's Soil with the Sun-blocking Talisman is particularly formidable, as it can deceive ghosts, leading them to believe that they are merely a soulless corpse
He said with a choked voice: "You have really made me anxious!"
I do not know how long I have slept; I only know that I am utterly exhausted, so I picked up the chicken soup and began to gulp it down.
The paper figure burned for a full hour before it was completely reduced to ashes, and at that moment, only a sleeping infant with closed eyes remained in the air
A newborn baby suddenly opened its eyes wide and grinned at me from a spot close to my face, causing me to collapse in fear onto the ground
Of course, this is all a matter for later discussion
The pale shadow was indistinct in form, but I could vaguely see it was a newborn baby. The little infant stared wide-eyed, a smile crawling across its face, which was quite eerie. As I merely watched, a deep sense of despair welled up from within me.
As soon as the ghostly fetus entered the body, it felt as if the entire body was about to explode with discomfort, the vision began to blur, and the whole world became unclear.
His wife was also beside him, sighing repeatedly; no one wishes for such events to occur
The room is simple yet tidy, and the only thing that seems out of place here is the vacuum cleaner that the master carries with him
The master mysteriously smiled and said, "The secrets of heaven cannot be revealed"
Then he took two handfuls of mud and stuffed them into the old lady's nose
"Guawa, hold on!" After a moment, the master suddenly spoke.
"Gua Wazi, hold on! I will be back soon!" I only felt something binding me, and then I heard my master's anxious voice beside me. This voice became my only motivation to keep going.
Later, the master had no other choice but to seal the ghostly fetus within my body. He then used a Yang Invoking Talisman to draw in the Yang energy from heaven and earth. Subsequently, he tied a red string into a Yang Lock Knot to confine the Yang energy within my body, using it to suppress the ghostly fetus
This is quite extraordinary. A person lives one lifetime and can become a true master; what about ten lifetimes? Once he is fully born, gathers the three souls and seven spirits, awakens his consciousness, and possesses a pure yin body with great abilities from birth, even the ancestral master in reincarnation would likely be unable to contend with him in the slightest
As soon as the tension in my mind relaxed, everything went dark before my eyes and I fainted
He spent the entire afternoon tidying up the small woodshed until it was spotless
The infant flies in the air, its body exhibiting a strange transparent hue, with a faint gray shadow visible around the heart. I think this must be the true form of a ghostly fetus.
I am just a child, and I do not care about these things. Following my master, I moved in a large bed, laid down a soft mattress, and placed a straw mat on top, then joyfully settled in.
I looked up at the master and saw him frowning, murmuring softly, "Goodness!" He then took out the corpse soil and scattered it everywhere. With his right hand, he pointed and made a beckoning gesture, as if the corpse soil was following his hand towards the paper figure.
The shed is not large, but it is sufficient for an old man and a child to spend time together, with ample space for books and pictures
However, I am very curious as to why the ghostly fetus has resided in the old lady for a lifetime, only to erupt now
Regardless of how difficult the living conditions may be, the environment must be kept clean
Later, upon further understanding, I realized that my master had intended to implant the ghostly fetus into my body yesterday. However, I was so frightened that I lost a part of my soul.
The small lamp indoors flickered even faster
I suddenly asked beside me: "What exactly forms the Ten Generations of Ghostly Fetuses?"
I nodded slightly, completely at a loss in my mind. In fact, an eight-year-old child truly cannot come up with any ideas.
The old lady was sleeping soundly when her nose was suddenly blocked, and her eyes widened in surprise. She looked around in confusion, seemingly unaware of my presence and that of my master.
I stood by, trembling as I watched the old lady, unsure of what she would do next.
The old lady glanced around and finally fixed her gaze on the paper figure
After eating and drinking to my fill, I fell into a deep sleep once again. According to my master, it was as if a new soul had suddenly entered my body, necessitating a period of adjustment
"The ghostly fetus is of the utmost yin; what burns is the yin fire. I have performed a ritual on the paper effigy, first to burn away its malevolence. Once the effigy is consumed by fire, I will then draw it into your body to prevent it from causing harm to the world," the master said
I watched the immense flames on the paper figure, yet I felt not a trace of heat
The pale shadow approached the paper figure, swaying around it, yet no movement was observed, as if it were filled with doubt
The master turned to Old Man Ye and said, "The scenery of Ye Family Village is quite nice. My apprentice and I have decided to stay here for a while longer. Are there any good places to visit?"
This is the soil of the dead, which refers to the earth from a burial site, and of course, it cannot be just any grave. The master, while nervously watching the paper figure, explained softly: "There are many intricacies within; this soil of the dead isolates the yang energy, blocking it in the nose, causing the spirits to mistake you for one of their own."
I nodded, my face full of confusion
At that time, I was still unaware of how anxious the master truly was, until I reached adulthood and learned only a fraction of the master's skills, which made me understand the difficulties involved
Although the Ten-Generation Ghost Fetus has yet to take shape and is missing a soul, a child who is also missing a spirit cannot possibly contain it. Furthermore, my master forcibly brought it into the world and burned away its surrounding malevolent energy, which has intensified the ghost fetus's resentment. If we delay even for a moment longer, and it truly awakens, the entire Ye Family Village will suffer the consequences.