Chapter 008: General Qinglun

Upon hearing that the old beggar had a way to help me, I was overwhelmed with excitement. If it weren't for his excessively dirty face, I would have embraced him and given him a kiss to show my gratitude

I said, come on, isn't this like playing the erhu in your pants? Nonsense? After all that you've told me, you finally say I need to find the jade bi used by Qinglun when he was robbing graves. Do you think I'm a partridge whistle? Do you think I can just dig up someone's grave at will? Do you think I can just take something out of someone's grave whenever I want?

I said I won't give up, so think of a way again. I am willing to try any method.

The old beggar glanced at me and, after a moment, said seriously, "Kid, I am not lying to you. I know very well where the underground chamber of the Qinglun tomb is. If you want to be with that female ghost, you must obtain that jade bi; otherwise, I cannot help you.

Seeing that I remained silent, the old beggar continued, "Well then, if you wish to be with that female ghost, I do have a way.

He continued, stating that at that time the world was in chaos, with wars raging everywhere. In order to supplement the military funds, Cao Cao specially appointed the positions of the Chief of the Tomb Raiders and the Tomb Robbers, who were responsible for excavating ancient tombs to provide for the military supplies. The generals under Cao Cao naturally became renowned throughout history, while those who specialized in grave robbing and tomb digging would naturally not be recorded in the historical texts

The old beggar finally spoke at the right moment, crossing his legs as he said, the solution is to find the jade disc located at the chest of the green wheel, and then you can be together with that female ghost and the * picture * book every day

The dialect spoken by the old beggar seems to be from the Sichuan region

Seeing me carrying some food, he was overjoyed and quickly invited me in to sit. I said, you should come out instead; even one person lying down in this 'house' makes it feel cramped

He asked me what matter I had for him today

Upon reaching the entrance, I realized it could hardly be called an entrance, as this makeshift wooden structure had no door at all. The old beggar was indeed sleeping inside. Upon seeing me, he appeared somewhat surprised, but soon calmed down considerably.

I glanced at him and said, please do not use dialect when you speak, it sounds awkward to me

Oh, I nodded and began to understand a bit.

After the old beggar came out, before I could say anything, he took the food I was holding and opened a bag of potato chips, crunching away noisily.

I hurriedly asked him, what does "the life of the wheel" and "the way of the Dao" mean

I nodded slightly, but then shook my head vigorously in an instant, because since Tingting and I met, we have not had any substantial contact yet

I hurriedly asked him, "Quickly tell me, what method is it?"

He continued to say that this Qinglun is indeed a master at subduing demons and capturing ghosts; otherwise, he would never dare to excavate so many ancient tombs. It is said that when he leads workers into the ancient tombs, he must carry a jade disc on his chest, which bears the inscription, "The life of the revolving wheel, the path of the great way!"

When I arrived at the Qingshi Bridge, I saw from a distance a small dwelling constructed from worn wooden planks, particularly small in size. I knew that the old beggar must be living inside.

Then I recounted everything that happened last night in full detail. To my surprise, the old beggar suddenly stopped eating and, with a serious expression, said to me, "Young man, it seems you did not heed my advice."

Qing Lun was the foremost expert in tomb raiding under Cao Cao, well-versed in the Book of Changes and the Eight Trigrams, and knowledgeable about the mysteries of star observation. He achieved numerous merits for Cao Cao in his time. However, consider this: in today's era, can you still encounter female ghosts, let alone in that chaotic world where human life was so easily disregarded?

The old beggar squinted and pondered for a moment, then said to me, there is indeed another way.

He chuckled, stuffed a handful of potato chips into his mouth, and said in a muffled voice, "Then you are going to be a ghost too."

On this night, I found it difficult to sleep once again. I felt that my life had completely derailed. The next day, I took the bus to Qingshi Bridge, intending to seek out that old beggar for clarification. I thought to myself that he was a recluse and should know the reasons behind such matters

The old beggar said to me, if you haven't heard of the Qinglun, then that's just as well; if you had heard of it, things would be quite serious

The old beggar said, if you haven't done that, it's still somewhat acceptable; but if you have done that, your spirit will wither day by day, and in the end, you will die silently.

Just as he finished speaking, I raised my hand and interrupted, asking, "Who is Qinglun? I have never heard of him!"

I said, what should I do now? The old beggar opened a bottle of cola, took a big gulp, and then said, just keep the Soul-Subduing Bell with you, and never come into contact with that female ghost again.

I hurriedly grabbed his hand and asked him, is there any way? Please tell me quickly.

I felt a bit embarrassed. He once told me not to come into contact with those unclean things. While I was on the overpass, I saw that couple reconciling, and for some reason, I suddenly thought of Tingting, and then... it was just yesterday's events.

I let out a faint "oh" and then recounted the scene I witnessed after kissing Tingting last night. The old beggar listened, pondered for a moment, and a glimmer seemed to flicker in his eyes. After a while, he waved his hand dismissively and said, "Those spirits are capable of magic or soul techniques; creating illusions is nothing remarkable."

The old beggar remained silent for a while, then asked me, "Young lad, what are you thinking about?"

I feel that the old beggar is talking nonsense. Even if one has not fully studied the history of the great generals from the late Eastern Han Dynasty, in this era of rampant online games and television dramas, one should at least be aware of the famous military generals. I have truly never heard of this Qinglun, not even once.

What the heck! Is this really the only way with the * picture * book? I am somewhat unwilling to accept this, I truly am not ready to give up. I really want to be with Tingting; in my eyes, she is not a ghost, she is my goddess

Regarding the statement about the old beggar, I truly find it quite frustrating; this assertion does not hold much validity for me. I am a rather ordinary man, and I have also read "Ghost Blows Out the Light." I am well aware of the dangers that lie within ancient tombs. With my abilities, let alone attempting to rob a tomb, I would probably be so scared just standing at the entrance that I might lose control of myself.

He said that this means that Qinglun considers himself to be the reincarnation of the Wheel King, and all the ghosts see him and quickly hide away, clearing the path for him, because the Wheel King is the ruler of the Ten Halls of Yama, responsible for matters of life and death, and almost all ghosts fear him

The old beggar nodded slightly and continued, "Deep within the Wushan Mountains lies an ancient tomb, among which there is a site said to be the final resting place of Qinglun, a general under Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han period, and ... ...

I truly find it hard to control myself, I really want to be with Tingting, but in the end, this dream lover is not a goddess, but rather a ghost

A rare seriousness began to appear on his face as he said, "Do you know about Wushan?"

The old beggar raised his hand and tapped me, saying in a booming voice, "You silly boy, do you understand anything? First, you win her favor, and then slowly drain your essence. I ask you, have you been intimate with her yet?

He was taken aback and raised his hand to slap me, saying, "You silly child, do you understand anything about books and balls? When I talk to ordinary people, I don't even speak in my hometown dialect"

I said, you have told me so much about ancient matters that I am completely bewildered. In the end, you still haven't told me what I should do to be with Tingting forever

I said that the girl seems to truly love me, and moreover, she has not harmed me; I feel quite good interacting with her

I shook my head, my face full of sighs and regrets. At that moment, the old beggar's eyes sparkled with a mysterious glint as he resumed speaking to me in a thick dialect, saying, "Kid, do you want to be with that female ghost?"

Sigh, I let out a breath, my heart filled with regret. To be honest, you would find it hard to believe my feelings: a loser, an inconspicuous loser, a loser who has never been in a relationship, a loser who has even played the role of a rebound multiple times, unexpectedly has a goddess approaching him.

I said, you are straying a bit off topic. Tomb raiding is illegal nowadays; I will not do it, nor would I dare to. Is there any other way?

Wushan in the Three Gorges, of course I know this; I learned about it long ago in geography class, and I spoke it out immediately.

The old beggar said this and turned to look at me. I had read about this in certain books, which stated that in ancient battlefields where many soldiers had died, every night, the sounds of clashing weapons and horses would echo, as the souls of the deceased continued to fight for their country.