Chapter 6, Level 1
"So... this is the matter, alright, let me help you with your homework." Li Xiaojing felt a bit disappointed, agreed, and turned to leave. Watching Li Xiaojing's back, Wang Xiaobai felt that she was a bit strange, blushing for no reason. Suddenly, a thought struck him: could it be that Li Xiaojing has feelings for me and wants to be in a relationship?
Wang Laodao was still wearing the same outfit from last night, the black sleeves looked like a rag, and he certainly did not appear to be a person of great stature. Seeing Wang Xiaobai awkwardly squatting beside him, he chuckled and said, "Eight o'clock tonight, still at the Huangxian Temple from yesterday, let's not miss each other. By the way, don't call me master just yet, I haven't accepted you as my disciple!"
Li Xiaojing spoke very decisively, and Wang Xiaobai said to her: "I have some matters to attend to in the next couple of days and won't be able to finish my homework. Could you help me complete it all?"
Wang Xiaobai emptied his backpack, bought two bottles of mineral water, Oreos, and a few dry batteries, then borrowed a small knife resembling a dagger from Chen Jianbin, which he tucked away on his person, feeling a bit more confident as a result
After learning from Wang Laodao three times, Wang Laodao let out a long howl and recited the incantation: "Conceal my form and hide my traces, follow my celestial path. When I see a person, they shall not know me. When I move, it shall be as I wish. With a shout, the spirits will follow, swift as water and fire. Inspire the winds and thunder, transform marshes into mountains, overturn the earth and sky. My body is solid, calm and silent, achieving eternal life for ten thousand years, merging with the Dao and becoming an immortal. Urgently, as commanded by the mysterious lady of the nine heavens."
Old Wang set up his stall for the entire morning but did not make any sales. It is likely that he was waiting for Wang Xiaobai. Yesterday, he left in a hurry and did not communicate clearly, failing to mention what time they would arrive at Huangxian Temple. When Wang Xiaobai came to ask him how to get to Huangxian Temple, he simply replied, "See you at eight in the evening." After waiting all morning, he is just putting on a show, what a lunatic!
It is better to put aside matters of relationships for now and focus on getting through tonight's challenge first. Wang Laodao specifically instructed him to go alone to the Huangxian Temple. Since he does not remember the route from yesterday very clearly, he needs to set off early. Moreover, he cannot go empty-handed; he must prepare some items.
The first test of emotions was not at the Huangxian Temple. Wang Xiaobai, bewildered, followed Wang Laodao as they walked towards the edge of the forest. After walking for about an hour, it was almost eleven o'clock when they arrived at the eastern slope of a small hill. Under the moonlight, the slope was densely covered with graves and tombstones. The evening breeze rustled the wild grass on the graves, producing a sound like rustling... The slope was densely covered with graves and tombstones, and the evening breeze rustled the wild grass on the graves, producing a sound like rustling...
As Wang Laodao explained, he paced back and forth on the ground, occasionally stepping forward, sometimes retreating, at times moving to the left, and at others to the right... It resembled the graceful steps of a dancer, yet with each footfall, the aura surrounding Wang Laodao transformed increasingly. Wang Xiaobai focused intently on learning; there were a total of nine steps, which were not particularly difficult.
Wang Xiaobai said apologetically: "It's for courage." As he spoke, he kicked the small knife into his pocket, walked over to Wang Laodao's side, and affectionately said: "Master, you arrived a long time ago, right? I am not late, when shall we begin the test?"
Thank you, thank you! Wang Xiaobai took the lunchbox, secretly cursing Sun Jingkai for being so troublesome, bringing up trivial matters to Li Xiaojing, who was unwilling to pay him any attention. It was truly despicable. Remembering how so many people went to settle scores yesterday, and no one got into trouble except for him, Wang Xiaobai felt quite frustrated
Li Xiaojing's face turned red again, and Wang Xiaobai's heart was also racing, but he still managed to suppress his naive spring feelings and thoughts. He did not have dinner, rode his bicycle, and set off early towards Huangxian Temple. Based on the situation from yesterday, the distance from the school to Huangxian Temple is at least 10 miles; it is neither too close nor too far.
Wang Laodao extended his arm to check the watch on his wrist, which turned out to be a Casio digital watch. He nodded and said, "It is now 7:30, you arrived half an hour early, not bad, not bad, quite punctual. Let's not rush into the test just yet; I will teach you a few incantations and a simple step technique before we proceed."
The words on the window were crooked and messy, and Wang Xiaobai almost didn't recognize them. Huang Laoqi truly was a lingering spirit. Remembering Wang Laodao's warning not to engage with it, Wang Xiaobai remained silent. He simply found a broom behind the door to bolster his courage and opened the window. If Huang Laoqi were to appear again, he would give it a sweep with the broom. After all, he had already offended it, and it was already a lingering spirit. He certainly couldn't let it scare him to death
The issue is that Wang Xiaobai returned in a daze yesterday, preoccupied with worrying about Huang Laoqi, and did not remember the way. However, he still had a general sense of direction. He rode his bicycle towards the riverbank, and upon reaching the river, he tried to find the way based on his memory. It is indeed strange; such a large area of forest should be easy to locate, yet Wang Xiaobai rode around until it was completely dark and still could not find that patch of forest
Wang Xiaobai truly could not understand the personalities of the extraordinary individuals. Sighing, he walked back, lacking the appetite to eat, wishing to return to his dormitory for a bit of rest. Firstly, he had not slept well the previous night, and secondly, he wanted to recuperate his energy. Before he could reach the dormitory, someone called out to him: "Wang Xiaobai, Wang Xiaobai, wait for me!"
Uncertain of the reason, Li Xiaojing's face turned red again as she spoke. Wang Xiaobai, struck by inspiration, said to Li Xiaojing: "I actually have something to ask of you."
In the afternoon class, Wang Xiaobai did not perform well either, lost in thoughts about the evening's events. From time to time, he glanced at the back of Li Xiaojing in the front row, muddling through two classes in a daze. After the teacher assigned the homework, Wang Xiaobai quietly handed the assignment to Li Xiaojing, saying: "I beg you, after I finish my tasks, I will treat you to KFC."
Li Xiaojing ran up to Wang Xiaobai, unsure if it was due to her hurried pace or a bit of shyness, her face slightly flushed. Breathing heavily, she said to Wang Xiaobai: "Wang Xiaobai, thank you for standing up for me yesterday. I heard from Sun Jingkai that because of this matter, you were even enchanted by Huang Pizi. I originally wanted to thank you in the cafeteria, but you didn't come, so I... I just got you some food to enjoy while it's still warm."
Wang Xiaobai returned to the dormitory holding a lunchbox, and he was all alone. Upon opening the lunchbox, he found braised eggplant with potatoes and rice. He was indeed a bit hungry. As Wang Xiaobai ate the meal that Li Xiaojing had sent him, his emotions were quite complex, rather subtle, and somewhat restless. After a moment of daydreaming, he remembered that he still had to go to Huangxian Temple tonight, and he couldn't help but let out a wry smile.
After finishing speaking, he packed up and left without looking back, leaving Wang Xiaobai in a state of confusion. Truly, a remarkable individual has a unique personality
Wang Laodao stood up from his chair, lifted his Daoist robe, and truly appeared somewhat like a graceful and transcendent figure. He said to Wang Xiaobai: "Listen carefully, Bu Gang, fully known as Ta Gang Bu Dou, also referred to as Bu Tian Gang. It has been passed down from ancient times: 'Gang' originally referred to a star at the tail of the Big Dipper, while 'Dou' refers to the Big Dipper itself. Later, the scope was expanded to generally refer to the five directions of East, South, West, North, and Center, symbolizing the stars of the five directions. A plot of land measuring ten feet is laid out with the Gang, symbolizing the nine heavens. One wears cloud shoes, contemplates the nine heavens, and steps according to the images of the Dou and the constellations, as well as the diagrams of the nine palaces and eight trigrams, believing that one can soar to the nine heavens and deliver proclamations; it restrains ghosts and gods, breaks the earth, and summons thunder. This is the fundamental skill, and it must be learned thoroughly... This is the fundamental skill, and it must be learned thoroughly..."
Li Xiaojing noticed that Wang Xiaobai was in low spirits and said to him: "We are all from the same town. I have something to attend to, and I hope you can help me. If you have any matters that I can assist with, please do not hesitate to let me know."
Seeing the small knife that Wang Xiaobai was holding in his right hand, Wang Laodao couldn't help but chuckle and said, "If Huang Laoqi really wants to deal with you, what use is the small knife in your hand?"
What is it? You say, if there is anything I can assist with, I will certainly help!
What puzzled Wang Xiaobai was that whenever he got excited, Huang Laoqi would not show up, and he did not dare to fall into a deep sleep. He remained alert at all times, feeling extremely drowsy and unable to cope. He kept dozing off, waking up at the slightest sound or movement, and only fell asleep in the latter half of the night. When he finally woke up, it was already bright outside, and Wang Xiaobai had no desire to study, as his mind was filled with the words spoken by Wang Laodao the day before.
As soon as night fell, Wang Xiaobai became even more anxious. He glanced at his watch; it was almost 7 o'clock. He pedaled furiously on his bike until he reached a desolate area, suddenly hearing the distant cawing of crows. Turning around to chop, he vaguely saw a patch of forest. Wang Xiaobai cheered and quickly rode to the edge of the forest. The moon had already risen, but it was still too dark inside the woods. Riding in there would be tantamount to seeking death. Wang Xiaobai decided to simply stop his bike outside the forest, locked it with a chain, and entered the woods holding a flashlight.
With a flashlight in his left hand and a small knife in his right, he was anxious that Huang Lao Qi might suddenly appear. Fortunately, the journey went smoothly, and he arrived safely at Huang Xian Temple. In the open space in front of the temple, Wang Lao Dao was sitting in an old, worn-out armchair. Unlike yesterday's tattered military uniform, today he was dressed in a deep blue Daoist robe and layered cloth shoes, looking neat and tidy, expressionless as he watched Wang Xiao Bai approach.
Turning his head to take a look, he saw his middle school classmate, who is also his current high school classmate, Li Xiaojing, a standout at Liuhe Town Middle School. Li Xiaojing is one year younger than Wang Xiaobai, with big eyes, double eyelids, a fair complexion, and a pair of long legs. Yet, she dresses very simply, with two little braids swinging as she runs over, resembling a beautiful butterfly
After a long wait, school was finally over at noon, and the students went to the cafeteria for lunch. Wang Xiaobai arrived at the school gate, where Master Wang had set up his popcorn machine, eagerly waiting for customers. However, his business was quite poor, as no one was buying popcorn in the middle of the day. Wang Xiaobai quickly walked over, squatted down beside Master Wang, and whispered, "Master, I will definitely go to the Huangxian Temple tonight, but I don't know the way."
At the age of fifteen or sixteen, one is in the period of youthful innocence. There are quite a few couples in school. When Wang Xiaobai was in the third year of junior high, he also entered into a relationship, which happened inexplicably, and then, just as inexplicably, they broke up. A few days after starting high school, he encountered this situation again, unexpectedly with Li Xiaojing
Wang Xiaobai also noted it down sentence by sentence, coordinating with the steps he was taking. After practicing like this for two hours, Wang Xiaobai was drenched in sweat and felt weak all over. Only then did Wang Laodao stop, looked at him and said: "Alright, now I will take you to the location of the first challenge, follow me."
Li Xiaojing became the class monitor when she entered junior high school. Not only is she beautiful, but she also excels in her studies. Wang Xiaobai's academic performance is... well, it's just average, neither good nor bad, merely floating in the middle tier. Usually, the two of them don't have much to say to each other, so Wang Xiaobai is puzzled as to why she has come to find him today. He stops in confusion and sees that Li Xiaojing is holding a lunch box in her hands.