Chapter 8, The Cemetery

All the evil spirits were waiting for him to let his guard down slightly so they could blow the yang fire off his body. Fortunately, the incantation that Wang Xiaobai was reciting grew louder and formed a marvelous rhythm, preventing the evil spirits from getting close, allowing him to escape smoothly. However, this smooth escape did not last long, as the big brother ghost appeared. The big brother ghost was quite fierce, accompanied by an angry old ghost, charging towards him.

This scene was truly magical, far surpassing the shoddy special effects seen in television dramas. As soon as the symbols and characters on the yellow talisman appeared, all the malevolent spirits began to evade. Wang Xiaobai, following the symbols, charged forward with the yellow talisman in hand. This time, he faced no further harassment from the evil spirits. After running for nearly ten minutes, Wang Xiaobai suddenly realized that he had run out of Dongshan Slope

The elder brother ghost imitated other evil spirits, pouting his lips to blow the sun fire on Wang Xiaobai's head. Wang Xiaobai became anxious, waving the yellow talisman to strike, the incantation not daring to pause. Amidst the chanting, the yellow talisman suddenly emitted golden light, as if it had come to life. In the brilliance of the golden light, the characters on the talisman abruptly appeared, as if they had taken on substance, and then forcefully pressed down, causing the elder brother ghost to let out a cry of agony. Immediately afterward, the symbols and characters on the yellow talisman fell to the ground in the air, shining brilliantly, opening up a path. In the brilliance of the golden light, the characters on the talisman abruptly appeared, as if they had taken on substance, and then forcefully pressed down, causing the elder brother ghost to let out a cry of agony. Immediately afterward, the symbols and characters on the yellow talisman fell to the ground in the air, shining brilliantly, opening up a path.

Wang Xiaobai felt a sudden heaviness in his right shoulder, and his entire right arm lost sensation. He inwardly exclaimed that it was not good. It is known that there are three lights on a person's body: one atop the head and the other two on the shoulders, representing the yang fire of the body. If the yang fire is extinguished, evil spirits will take the opportunity to invade. Wang Xiaobai had heard this saying since childhood and understood the dangers, so he hurriedly recited the incantation taught by Master Wang.

The more anxious one becomes, the more mistakes one makes. The hillside is dotted with graves, densely packed and utterly lacking any discernible pattern, with some long-standing, desolate tombs. Wang Xiaobai was initially running quite smoothly, but suddenly his foot slipped, and he inadvertently stepped on a decayed grave, causing him to stumble awkwardly. As he fell, the malevolent spirits erupted in excitement and pounced upon him.

Wang Laodao was still squatting in the same place smoking, his expression unchanged. Beside him, Huang Laoqi lay motionless like a corpse, a yellow talisman affixed to his body. Upon seeing Wang Xiaobai, Wang Laodao reached out and removed the yellow talisman from Huang Laoqi. Huang Laoqi rolled over and ran away, disappearing in an instant.

There is no need to guess; Wang Xiaobai knows that the old lady is the ghost of Zhang Chunhua. However, he has already been quite polite. Could it be that Zhang Chunhua, like other wandering souls, is also asking for money? Wang Xiaobai's eyes darted around, and he thought it would be safer to keep his distance. Just as he took a step to the side, Zhang Chunhua spoke up: "Young man, please don't go just yet; I have something to ask of you"

Wang Xiaobai was startled and broke out in a cold sweat as he realized he had stepped on a decayed coffin, his foot sinking into it up to his calf. He quickly pulled his foot out and, taking advantage of the fact that the evil spirits had not yet pounced on him, hurriedly ran forward. After just three or five steps, he suddenly felt a chill on his right side, causing him to shiver. Turning his head, he saw a female ghost floating beside him, her face large and round, her clothes tattered and resembling a rag from the stove. Half of her head was missing, leaving only one eye that emitted a faint green glow. She pouted and gently blew towards his right shoulder.

This sigh, deep and distant, carries with it a sense of heartache and helplessness, but more than that, it is filled with concern. Wang Xiaobai is very perceptive; from the gravestone of Zhang Chunhua, it is evident that her family must be in difficult circumstances, otherwise, it would not be like this. Moreover, Zhang Chunhua appears to be as old as seventy or eighty, yet the age inscribed on the gravestone indicates she passed away at not even sixty.

Wang Xiaobai tucked the book into the inside pocket of his clothing and performed three bows towards the tombstone as a gesture of gratitude. Just as he was about to leave, he looked up and found that the tombstone had vanished, replaced by a dilapidated, low house. In front of the house stood an elderly woman, dressed in a poorly made black funeral garment and silk shoes. Her hair was gray, her face was lined with wrinkles, and her pallid complexion gazed hauntingly at Wang Xiaobai

There was no time to take off his pants; under the pressure, he absolutely could not urinate. This was the situation Wang Xiaobai found himself in. He could not stop his steps or the incantations; if he did, the evil spirits would pounce on him. Wang Laodao did not appear, and Huang Laoqi was also nowhere to be seen. He could only force himself to continue running forward, silently praying to leave this hillside filled with graves as soon as possible

At the top of the tombstone, there lay a book, pressed down by a stone. The night breeze rustled the pages, creating a sound like the fluttering of leaves. Wang Xiaobai cheered and rushed to the tombstone, reaching out to take the book. Realizing it was inappropriate, he respectfully clasped his hands together and bowed three times to the tombstone, saying: "Grandma, I am taking something from above your head, please do not take offense"

Twenty thousand yuan is a significant amount for a poor family; it is merely a matter of conveying a message. If I do not agree, I fear the old lady will persistently haunt me. Wang Xiaobai did not hesitate and nodded to Zhang Chunhua, saying: "I understand, ma'am. I will definitely convey your message. By the way, where do you live?"

Upon seeing Wang Laodao, Wang Xiaobai felt a deep sense of grievance. Recalling the various experiences he had just gone through, he instinctively wanted to cry. Although Wang Xiaobai appeared quite strong and was not lacking in courage, it was all a result of being forced into that situation. The circumstances he faced previously did not allow him the luxury of fear; he had to instinctively become strong. However, he was only fifteen years old, and once he felt safe, he found himself feeling afraid instead

Zhang Chunhua opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly a strange whistling sound echoed from afar. Zhang Chunhua's figure began to fade, yet he still managed to utter the address of his home. However, Wang Xiaobai did not hear it clearly. Immediately after, his vision blurred, and he found himself back on the hillside. The difference was that a sudden cold wind swept across the hillside, rising a thin layer of white mist. Wang Xiaobai did not dare to linger and quickly took off.

Fortunately, Wang Xiaobai recited the incantation in time, and the female ghost extinguished the yang fire on his right shoulder. She suddenly flashed to his left side, preparing to pucker her lips to blow again. As the incantation sounded, a wave of energy arose amidst the mist. Before the female ghost could blow out a second breath, she was swept away by the wave. Wang Xiaobai felt a chill in his left arm, but fortunately, it was not serious, and he immediately took off running

Wang Xiaobai saw very clearly that more than a dozen evil spirits were all incomplete, with either missing arms or legs, looking extremely tragic. He was truly frightened and hurriedly performed the incantation while stepping through the protective stance. However, neither the stance nor the incantation worked; no matter how hard he tried, the more than a dozen evil spirits continued to circle around him without leaving. The mist grew thicker, and even two of the bolder spirits reached out to cover his eyes.

After taking only a few steps, the fog grew thicker, and within the silken white mist, ghostly figures loomed heavily. A dozen or so raggedly dressed malevolent spirits circled around Wang Xiaobai. These spirits were both male and female, young and old, most of them drenched in blood, appearing mournful and tragic. Wang Xiaobai, being a living person, took a step forward, stirring the ethereal mist.

The Gangbu step could not be executed in time. In addition to reciting incantations, Wang Xiaobai held a yellow talisman given to him by Wang Laodao in his right hand, which had just played a crucial role at that moment. As he saw the ghost brother charging towards him, he realized that the effect of the incantation on the ghost was surprisingly limited, and it was already so close that Wang Xiaobai could smell the stench emanating from him

The fog was indeed very thick, and the female ghost with the large face seemed to be demonstrating something. All the evil spirits surrounding Wang Xiaobai pouted their lips. Looking around, all the ghosts were bizarrely pouting their lips, each with a different kind of mouth... The scene was truly spectacular

After completing the ritual, I picked up the book from the tombstone. It was a particularly thin book, already yellowed with age. The title on the cover was "The Art of Breathing and Meditation of the Spirit Official." Upon opening it, I found it filled with traditional Chinese characters. The book contained illustrations depicting people and the meridians and acupoints on their bodies. The sentences were profound and ancient, yet each line of text was accompanied by annotations in simplified characters, likely provided by Wang Laodao.

Wang Xiaobai grinned, and Wang Laodao stood up, sighing as he said: "Cultivating the Dao is an act against the heavens, the road ahead is fraught with difficulties, and we do not yet know how many hardships and trials await you. If you cannot withstand this little setback, what Dao are you even cultivating? Xiaobai, if you cry out today, just go home, for I do not wish to take on a disciple who is so weak-willed..."

Does Wang Laodao often play online games? Wang Xiaobai feels that this possibility is unlikely, but after all, the book was obtained from Zhang Chunhua's tombstone, so he decides to listen to what she has to say. Seeing Wang Xiaobai stop, Zhang Chunhua does not float over but stands at the door and says to Wang Xiaobai: "I have a son named Zhao Ziqiang. I passed away suddenly, and there is a Construction Bank card at home with 20,000 yuan in it. The password is 123456, hidden under the water tank in the kitchen and - in the book. Please kindly help me tell my son, otherwise, I won't feel at ease leaving, sigh..."

Wang Xiaobai fell to the ground, and no miracle occurred; neither Wang Laodao nor Huang Laoqi appeared. It was certain that something had gone wrong, yet there was still a yellow talisman on his right hand. Coincidentally, after he fell, his right arm was raised to its highest point, holding the talisman aloft. Just before the evil spirits pounced, a brilliant flash of golden light erupted, causing the evil spirits to scatter, retreating faster than they had charged forward.

The cold voice carried a hint of urgency, infused with a touch of emotion, unlike the other wandering spirits that seemed so rigid. Wang Xiaobai paused for a moment, and an idea involuntarily surfaced in his mind: a hidden quest? It was not an impossible scenario, as hidden quests were often a staple in the mechanics of online games.

This is a new grave, with not much weeds, and the surroundings appear relatively level, showing no signs of age. The grave mound is not large, resembling a bigger dirt pile, and unlike some graves that are surrounded by a small wall, this one lacks such features. The tombstone looks very shabby, being both small and narrow, made of poor-quality stone, simply inscribed with a few words: "Grave of Mother Zhang Chunhua." The date inscribed is November 8 of last year, and the inscription is signed by her son Zhao Ziqiang.

Wang Xiaobai had no other choice. While reciting the incantation, he began to jog. The sound of the incantation seemed to create a magnetic field, and the two malevolent spirits attempting to obscure his vision were repelled by an invisible force when they were just a step away from him. Wang Xiaobai had heard of the phenomenon known as "ghost wall," where a person can get lost in the dead of night, in desolate areas, or at graveyards. One method to resolve this is to urinate, but only those who have never encountered a ghost can use this method. If you truly find yourself surrounded by a dozen malevolent spirits circling around you, looking for an opportunity to launch a surprise attack, would you be able to urinate? You would be repelled by an invisible force.