Introduction

My parents were also quite straightforward; they sat down without hesitation. However, they did not drink tea. My father directly asked, "Mr. Liu, my child has encountered some misfortune, and I hope you can help him."

My parents fell silent upon hearing this statement. Indeed, if Mr. Liu were to assist my father, it would mean risking his own life to save another. My parents are kind-hearted individuals and do not wish for Mr. Liu to lose his life for my sake

Just when everyone was about to pull their hair out in anxiety, my father suddenly recalled the can we had dug up that day. He connected it to the strange occurrences of the past few days and felt that my illness must be related to that dead infant. With this thought, my father immediately rushed to the home of the village chief, who was respected due to his age and extensive knowledge. He hurriedly recounted the entire sequence of events to the village chief.

Then my father recounted his experiences to Mr. Liu, who, upon hearing this, began to calculate with his fingers.

However, the village chief knows a capable gentleman. Previously, when the village chief's father passed away, he invited this gentleman to assess the feng shui, and indeed, their family has been doing increasingly well since then. Upon hearing the village chief's words, my father immediately inquired about the gentleman's location, and my mother took me there without delay. At that time, my condition was truly urgent; according to them, if it were delayed for another day or two, I would have directly become senile, and there would be no subsequent story to tell. Ahem, let us continue.

Mr. Liu opened the door and said, "Come in and we can talk later," then turned and entered the room. My parents did not hesitate either; according to their words, for my sake, they would brave any danger, even if it meant facing a mountain of knives or a sea of fire, let alone simply entering a room

My father also nodded. The term "master" used to refer to capable individuals, such as teachers, but at that time, it did not specifically mean a teacher; rather, it referred to practitioners of yin and yang. This world has always been filled with strange and bizarre occurrences, especially in rural areas in the past, where many practitioners of yin and yang emerged. Unfortunately, after the Cultural Revolution, the number of capable individuals outside has dwindled, and now most of them are merely con artists.

After digging for a short while, we gradually unearthed something. My father took it out and discovered that it was a sealed jar. The jar was dark brown, measuring two feet in length and one foot in width, adorned with some red runes on the outside. My father did not pay much attention to it, and the jar indeed appeared to be quite valuable, so he hurried home while holding the jar.

My father glanced at me lying in his arms and said, "What can we do? My child is still so young; I don't want him to die like this. How about this: my child can recognize you as his godfather. I heard that you have never had children in your life and have always wanted one. So, please make an exception and save my child." This was also what the village chief had told my father before; Mr. Liu had no children and had always wanted one.

Oh, I suppose you may not know either. The so-called "Five Deficiencies and Three Lacks" refers to a concept in destiny analysis. The "Five Deficiencies" are nothing more than "widowed, orphaned, solitary, isolated, and disabled." The "Three Lacks" simply refer to "wealth, fate, and power." And I am afflicted by a lack of fate. " At this point, Mr. Liu's face displayed a calm expression.

Upon entering, I discovered that the interior was quite elegantly arranged, with furniture made entirely of bamboo. Mr. Liu was already seated on a stool with *Tu* and *Shu*, enjoying hot tea.

In a small village called Hongye Village in Chongqing, the village is situated on a remote mountain, far from the city, which equates to being far from prosperity. My parents are ordinary farmers. Hongye Village is not large, with a total population of less than 500 people. However, whether a place has many people or few, each has its own advantages. This is the case with Hongye Village, where conflicts among villagers are rare, and everyone generally lives in harmony. The only downside is its remoteness and underdevelopment; it takes about two hours to reach the nearest county town from here.

A former friend of mine once told me that I have not done much, and I still have twenty years left to live. In other words, as long as I continue to help others with fortune-telling and exorcism, my lifespan will become increasingly shorter. After saying this, Mr. Liu closed his eyes and did not continue to speak.

"Five deficiencies and three lacks?" My father and mother exchanged a glance, asking in confusion, not knowing why Mr. Liu would say this

Mr. Liu appears to be in his 50s, with thinning white hair and some wrinkles on his face; however, his complexion is rosy and he looks energetic.

However, the next day, the crying sound reappeared, and it grew louder. By the fifth day, my mother also heard it, and both of them were quite frightened. Strangely, on the seventh night, there was no crying sound; instead, I, who was only two years old at the time, began to have a high fever and cried continuously. I have no recollection of this.

Mr. Liu, however, had no particular concerns; instead, he nodded and said, "The five misfortunes and three deficiencies may not necessarily be a good thing, but they are not necessarily a bad thing either. One must remember, a loss may turn out to be a blessing."

"No, this kind of https://m.hetushu.com.com will also have its flaws and shortcomings, won't it?" My mother, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up. She had just heard about the terrifying nature of flaws and shortcomings and did not want me to pursue any path of cultivation.

My father was also quite puzzled, so he opened the jar himself. It was better not to open it, but once he did, he was startled. Inside was a dead infant, its body was mottled blue and purple, appearing to have died shortly after birth, lying with its eyes closed and curled up in the jar

However, halfway through, something felt off, as my father sensed that something had happened inside. Moreover, a foul odor was emanating from the jar.

"Brother, what exactly have you done wrong?" Mr. Liu asked my father with a serious expression.

My father became somewhat angry upon hearing this, as it is already quite fortunate that Mr. Liu is willing to take me as his apprentice. What if he feels displeased later and decides not to accept me?

Everything begins with a story I heard about myself, which dates back to when I was two years old. On that day, the sun was shining brightly, and my father was doing his usual farming work. However, when he struck the ground with his hoe, he sensed something was amiss, as he felt he had hit something hard. My father guessed it was porcelain, so he quickly began to dig more vigorously, as it might be an antique. This had happened several times in our village before, where villagers had unearthed antiques or porcelain, leading to outsiders coming in to purchase them, often at high prices. Thus, my father was quite excited.

Mr. Liu's eyes flickered as he looked at me lying on the chair, full of kindness, but he shook his head and said: "Godfather? Forget it, but I can consider taking this child from the library as my disciple."

In fact, the more underdeveloped a place is, the more likely it is to encounter phenomena that are difficult to explain, which are beyond the understanding of science. For instance, the belief in ghosts and monsters, according to common reasoning, should not be accepted by us, the post-90s generation, who have been influenced by the eradication of all superstitions in our country. However, is this really just superstition?

Mr. Liu actually lives on a small hillside located fifty miles from our village. Behind the hillside is a bamboo grove, and on the hillside stands a small wooden cabin, solitary and independent. This hillside is just the right size to accommodate a small wooden cabin, which gives it a certain elegance. As soon as my parents saw the cabin, they became excited and quickened their pace. When we arrived, just as we were about to knock on the door, the person inside opened it.

Seeing that my father had agreed, Mr. Liu nodded and turned to assess my condition. However, upon seeing my situation, he gasped in shock

After listening, the village chief also furrowed his brows, finding the matter truly perplexing. He discussed it with my father for a long time but could not come up with a solution, as he was not an expert in the field. Eventually, the village chief helplessly said: "We can only invite a capable master to take a look."

Mr. Liu smiled and said to my parents after they entered, "Come over, sit down, and have a cup of tea."

At this moment, Mr. Liu hesitated and furrowed his brow. His father noticed something and asked, "Is there something troubling you, Mr. Liu? As for money, my family is also poor and cannot spare much. However, if you do not mind, we have some coarse grains at home that I can offer you."

In any case, it is quite serious. We have visited all the hospitals listed in the attachment, and they all say there is no cure, not knowing what kind of strange illness it is. I am the only descendant of my family for three generations, a unique heir. When my father heard this, he became very anxious. It is important to know that in the past, in rural areas, having only one male heir was not considered less valuable than the current status of giant pandas. If this heir is lost, what if we continue to have children and end up with a daughter? Moreover, there would be fines and other issues to deal with.

My father fell silent after listening to Mr. Liu. It seems that he was not very willing to let me follow Mr. Liu in this so-called cultivation. After all, there aren't that many ghosts around to catch. However, he also understood the gravity of the situation. Observing Mr. Liu's attitude, it was clear that if he did not agree, he would certainly not save me. Although one of the five deficiencies and three shortcomings would inevitably manifest, it was still better than dying right now. So, my father gritted his teeth and agreed.

Mr. Liu was taken aback by my father's words and did not respond directly. Instead, he took a roundabout approach and, with a troubled expression, said: "It's not that I am unwilling to help you both, but I wonder if you have heard of the five shortcomings and three deficiencies."

The true name of this gentleman is unknown; he is only referred to as Mr. Liu. It is said that he is quite famous in this area, and capturing a ghost is merely a trivial matter for him. There are even rumors that he has fought with zombies, and in any case, the tales are rather sensational.

My father was so frightened that he was left dumbfounded; he had never encountered such a strange thing before. He quickly turned back to the place where he had dug up the jar and buried it again. After returning, his heart kept pounding, filled with anxiety. He did not mention this incident to anyone else. That night at 12 o'clock, my father heard the sound of a baby in the yard. He asked my mother, who said she heard nothing. Thus, my father thought it was just a result of being scared that day, a mere hallucination. He did not mention this incident to anyone else. That night at 12 o'clock, my father heard the sound of a baby in the yard. He asked my mother, who said she heard nothing. Thus, my father thought it was just a result of being scared that day, a mere hallucination.