Chapter 5: The Four Wonders of the Five Arts.

You recently encountered something unclean. After Qi Yan left, Lao Dao opened his eyes and stared at me with a sharp gaze.

"Paper man?" I asked, puzzled.

What do you think ghosts are? The old Taoist did not answer, but instead asked me a question.

Just when I thought Lao Dao was about to reveal some earth-shattering identity, who would have known that it was just a few casual words, without any mention of a sect's name or any imposing Taoist title, far less impressive than the Dragon Tiger Mountain or the Zhengyi faction.

Speaking of this, we have to mention the Five Arts of Taoism and the Four Marvels of Yin and Yang. The old Taoist suddenly seemed interested and began lecturing me in a serious manner.

I am very pressed for time. As I saw the old master was about to start a long speech, I had to interrupt.

In front of the Taoist temple, there is a cultivated vegetable patch. At this time, the Chinese cabbage and cauliflower are growing vigorously, while the old Taoist sits on a chair at the edge of the field, lazily basking in the sun.

At this point, I can consider my purpose for coming here to be fully accomplished. Just as I was about to take my leave, I suddenly remembered the message that my grandfather asked me to deliver.

Upon hearing Lao Dao's words, my heart trembled. If it is really that kind of thing, then it should be from last night.

I don't think Lao Dao is joking. I couldn't help but feel curious. Since I was young, I knew that Lao Dao was eccentric. There was a time when I thought he was a fraud, but as I grew older, I increasingly felt that Lao Dao was extraordinary.

Omnipotent Heavenly Lord, today the Daoist sect's seventh branch has selected the thirty-second generation guardian to choose the thirty-third generation guardian disciple, in order to prevent the decline of our Daoist heritage. May the Heavenly Lord bless us.

Old Dao, are you kidding me? I am a bit dumbfounded.

I came to the mountain with a heart full of confusion. Along the way, Qi Yan seemed more like a real little swallow, chirping incessantly, and there were countless photos stored in my phone.

Old Dao, I've come to see you. Before I even arrived, Old Dao had already opened his eyes and snatched the bottle of wine from my hand. He tore open the packaging, twisted off the cap, and took a swig straight from the bottle.

The Taoist temple is still in such a state of disrepair. Last year, I planned to contribute some money to help the old Taoist repair it, but my offer was rejected. According to the old Taoist, the temple is too new and he feels uncomfortable living there.

This is your wife? Well, she's okay. She has the appearance of a prosperous husband.

Can a person strangle themselves? I ignored the furious Qi Yan, whose anger was about to reach its peak, and asked Lao Dao directly.

Is a ghost an illusory soul or a real existence?

How can that person strangle themselves to death? I asked again about the main purpose of coming here today.

It is easy to understand the Eight Characters of one's birth, but how can we obtain this vital essence?

Hmph, young people have no patience at all. Well, let me explain briefly. The old Taoist glared at me angrily and said, "The Four Oddities of Yin and Yang are: ghosts, gu, corpses, and puppets. Just from the literal meaning, you can understand that the puppet, also known as a puppet, collects a person's birthdate and blood, uses the blood as ink, writes the birthdate on a puppet made of ghost locust wood, and then places it next to the person for a period of time. After absorbing the person's aura, it can be controlled using secret techniques. Don't even mention strangling oneself, even eating one's own hand is not a problem."

How could a person possibly strangle themselves to death? Maybe because they're not my family, or maybe because Lao Dao's previous sentence was acceptable, Qi Yan directly questioned.

Paper man!

The mountain is not considered high. It only took half an hour to reach the top. Suddenly, I felt my mind and heart were opened up a lot. There was no pollution or exhaust from the city, and the air was exceptionally fresh. It is definitely a good place to cultivate oneself and nurture one's mind.

You didn't know to come up earlier. I just caught a wild rabbit at noon, what a pity. Lao Dao muttered, not knowing whether it was a pity for the wine or for the rabbit.

The Buddhist tradition says that ghosts have a thousand forms, while the Taoist tradition believes that ghosts are just humans. In this sense, ghosts are both illusory and real. The old Taoist slowly spoke while drinking his wine.

After listening, Lao Dao was stunned, then he restrained the cynicism on his face and looked at me seriously, asking, "Did your grandfather really say that?"

Hmm, it's actually two years earlier than I expected. It seems that everything is destined. Even if your grandfather doesn't agree, at most, within six months, you will come to me on your own. Old Dao took the jade pendant, with a somewhat absent-minded and nostalgic expression.

It seems that as the old Taoist spoke, the jade pendant in my hand suddenly made a cracking sound, and instantly became covered with cracks. Then I felt a stream of air flowing from the jade pendant into the palm of my hand. After that, it felt like a furnace was burning inside my body, and my whole body was like a boiled crab.

Is it still okay? Qiyuan's eyes widened even more, and it felt like there were several firecrackers stuck in her heart.

With these clues, I immediately understood in my heart and also had a direction for investigation. However, when I thought of what happened last night, I still continued to ask, "How can a ghost become like a real person?"

Qi Yan followed behind me, curiously sizing up the seemingly sloppy old Taoist. His Taoist robe had countless patches, and his hair resembled a bird's nest. It seemed like he hadn't washed his face in a long time.

Is there really such a thing as ghosts in this world? I asked, taking a deep breath.

At this moment, I feel like my head is about to explode. The hot flow in my body rushes quickly towards my head, and then my head becomes more and more swollen. Finally, everything goes black before my eyes, and I faint decisively.

After waiting for about ten minutes, I saw Lao Dao walking out of the dilapidated temple.

I opened my mouth, but found myself unable to describe it specifically. If ghosts cannot be seen or touched, then what did I see when I was a child? And what did I touch last night?

The scenery on this mountain is nice. Feel free to explore around yourself. I will call you when it's time to leave. Seeing the appearance of Lao Dao, I knew his intentions. I could only reluctantly send Qi Yan away.

"精血" is also called "heart blood", and "ten fingers are connected to the heart". How do you think it can be obtained? The old Taoist looked at me with a weathered expression.

What solution? I asked anxiously. Even in my heart, I had a premonition that the reason I saw Li Sisi last night must be because of this.

It's just to make a paper figure, let the ghost temporarily reside on it, and then through the art of transformation, it looks no different from a real person. In the past, our Taoist immortals would casually fold a paper crane, then ride on it, and travel around the Three Mountains and Five Peaks.

Do not be infatuated with what your eyes see, sometimes eyes can deceive.

At that moment, I took out the round jade pendant hanging around my neck as I spoke. This pendant was given to me by my grandfather when I was seven years old, when we went up the mountain to visit an old Taoist. He instructed me to wear it close to my body and advised against taking it off casually.

A ghost is still a ghost, no matter how different it is from a human. However, there is one way to make a ghost appear unharmed like a human," the old Taoist pondered and said.

Can eyes deceive people? Then was I deceived by my eyes last night? But everything seemed so real.

Yes. I nodded, not quite understanding what the two of them were really talking about.

The tree that grows behind the house, with sun in front and shade in back, is called the Ghost Huai tree.

What about the Ghost Huai tree? I'm not ashamed to ask.

Yes. The old Taoist nodded affirmatively.

I originally didn't understand, and now I'm even more confused, "What kind of creature is that, after all?"

The old Taoist shook his head, remained silent, and later simply closed his eyes, watching as Qi Yan clenched both fists together.

Concentrate and be calm.

Of course, I am accepting disciples. Why haven't you knelt down yet? Old Dao glared, "If it weren't for your grandfather's strong opposition back then, you would have become my disciple at the age of seven."

What do you think? Alright, kneel down.The old Taoist's face changed, and then I uncontrollably knelt down, while feeling even more horrified in my heart.

Wait here for a moment, I'll prepare something first. Lao Dao returned the jade pendant to me and then turned around to walk towards his dilapidated temple.

The Five Arts of Taoism are divided into: Mountain, Medicine, Destiny, Divination, and Feng Shui. As for the "Mountain" art...

Before I came, my grandfather asked me to tell you that he promised you about that matter back then.

Old Dao, what are you doing?

"Hmph, nothing impressive." With a cold snort, Qi Yan walked angrily towards the other side.

Buzz!

I looked at Lao Dao's expression and thought to myself, "Their talent is their own, what does it have to do with you?"

Ha, that stubborn old man, I thought he would never agree until he died. The old Taoist shook his head, chuckled lightly, and then looked at me and said, "Is the jade pendant that I gave you still with you?"

Old Dao put on a brand new Dao robe, and his hair was combed, strand by strand, with even water droplets clinging to the ends.

After a blink of an eye, it has been eighteen years. The jade pendant, which had an ordinary texture, has become crystal clear over the years. Now, it seems that there is a faint mist floating inside. Even if one knows little about it, they can tell that this jade pendant is a treasure.

The old Taoist shouted in a low voice, and the sound seemed to directly echo in my mind, like thunder. I didn't even have time to react, and the old Taoist had already pointed his finger at the center of my brow.

Alright, don't dwell on what the ghost looks like, young man. When you see it, you will naturally understand. Seeing my perplexed expression, Lao Dao couldn't help but shake his head.