Chapter 4: The Cave of the Yellow Emperor

I see, upon hearing this, Master Zhang secretly broke out in a cold sweat. He then ordered someone to unlock the iron lock, and the door was thrown wide open, while the windows were also opened to let the sunlight in. After doing all this, Master Zhang asked, "Then why must the old poplar tree be cut down?"

Old Master Zhang nodded

Old Master Zhang was momentarily at a loss for ideas. He glanced at Wang Yidu, who was intently staring at the cave entrance, and asked, "Master Wang, what do you think we should do about this?"

At this moment, Wang Daxian's disciple circled around the Zhao family's courtyard a few times, carefully observing and then said: "Your house is well-built, facing south with the main entrance and most windows oriented towards the sun. The property is adjacent to a main road, with other residences behind it, and the foundation is higher than that of the neighboring houses. This perfectly creates the 'stars surrounding the moon' effect. In the future, your family is sure to produce high-ranking officials and nobility!"

This is the cave of the Yellow Emperor!" Wang Yi said, keeping a close watch on the opening in the tree stump.

"Er Gou Village, Xiao Dao Wang Yi Du, respectfully invite the great immortal to arrive!" As the talisman burned down, Wang Yi Du announced his name at the cave entrance. Everyone stared intently at the cave entrance, but after a long time, there was no response. The crowd began to feel anxious, yet Wang Yi Du remained calm and called out to the cave entrance once more.

Seeing this, Wang Daxian hurriedly crouched down, leaned forward towards the tree trunk, and took a deep breath. This breath was no small matter; his face instantly flushed red, and he abruptly stepped back three or four paces, coughing several times, with a hint of astonishment in his eyes

Wang Yi said: "Don't be anxious, I am not intentionally disturbing it. The Huang Da Xian is highly spiritual. I will see if I can invite the Da Xian to leave!" After saying this, he placed the wooden box he had been carrying on his back down on the ground and took out a yellow paper talisman from it. He then approached the tree stump, first bowing respectfully and reciting incantations. Suddenly, he shook the talisman in his hand, and the yellow paper talisman unexpectedly caught fire.

The so-called "Huang Daxian" actually refers to the yellow weasel, which is a highly spiritual animal. The elders often refer to it as Huang Daxian. If one resides in a household with a Huang Daxian, it is believed to bless the family with wealth and safety. However, if it is inadvertently disturbed, unless one quickly finds someone to escort it away, it is very likely to anger this deity and face its retaliation

The two hurried over, and at that moment, the old poplar tree had already been felled. The branches from the library tree had long been cut down and piled up against the wall, leaving only a bare trunk lying in the courtyard. In the center of the stump, which was as thick as a small table, there was a palm-sized hole. Looking up, the hole appeared deep and seemed to lead straight to the ground below

The cave remained utterly silent, and even Wang Yidu began to show signs of astonishment. He murmured, "First, I invite the Daoist; second, I invite the Immortal; third, I invite the Saint. Having invited twice without response, could it be that there is a sacred object within this cave?" After pondering for a moment, he took a talisman from the box, burned it as before, and bowed, saying, "O Sacred One of the cave, Wang Yidu of Er Gou Village respectfully invites your presence!"

Master Wang said: "The saying goes, 'A large tree gathers shade.' This old poplar tree has been standing for at least one hundred to one hundred eighty years. It is known that the area around old trees tends to accumulate filth. The reason for this is that trees can absorb the moonlight and gather阴气, causing dirty things to prefer to cling to the vicinity of the old tree. Fortunately, your family is prosperous and full of阳气, which has prevented any filth from daring to approach over the years. However, as the saying goes, 'Caution makes for a long life.' If something truly happens, it may be too late for regrets!"

Old Master Zhang smiled and said: "I only wish for my Zhao family to be safe for generations, to have enough to eat and wear warmly; I never aspire for high officials or nobility."

Upon hearing this, Master Zhang and the various servants immediately became tense. Wang Wudao said: "Master, what should we do? We have disturbed the Yellow Immortal, and it may become angry..."

Wang Daxian said: "You have tightly locked the door and closed the windows. Firstly, this prevents the yin energy inside from dispersing, and secondly, it blocks the yang energy from entering. As night falls, the yin energy will grow stronger, and the accumulation of yin energy in the room will increase the difficulty of my spell to collect souls. What you may not know is that the collection of souls must succeed in one attempt; there must be no mistakes. Otherwise, if her soul is startled, it will only add to her resentment, and the consequences would be unimaginable"

Upon hearing this, Master Zhang, greatly puzzled, inquired: "What is the reason for this?"

Wang Daxian said: "While the sun is high, quickly call someone to lock that up, and open the windows and doors wide. Additionally, summon someone to saw down this old poplar tree!"

"Master? What happened?" the old man inquired as he leaned closer.

After hearing the words of Master Wang, I recalled how I had come to the courtyard alone last night and felt a slight chill. The old man couldn't help but shiver again and quickly called over several strong men, instructing them to chop down the old tree to make a fire.

Wang Daxian smiled but remained silent. Unexpectedly, Wang Wu, who was leading the tree-cutting crew, shouted: "Master, Daxian, come quickly and take a look!"