Mystic in Hempen Robes

Dao’s Divine Power Shines Forth

Wang Junhui changed into his Taoist robes and stood in the yard. He asked me to move the low table from Grandpa’s room over. Without asking why, I quickly did as he said.

He walked a few steps in the yard, north, south, east, west, then calculated with some strange steps. Pointing slightly southeast, he said, “Put the table there.”

After placing it, I asked what next. He told me to bring an incense burner and some incense candles from inside.

Since Grandpa and I had run a funeral goods shop, we naturally kept incense burners and candles stocked. I quickly brought them out and placed them on the low table in the yard. When I asked what else he needed, he handed me a talisman. “This is a Peace Talisman, drawn by one of my brothers. He’s a master talisman artist. Hold this talisman; even if the Yang energy in your grandfather’s room runs out, it can protect you.”

Grandpa had mentioned some things about talismans—they’re divided into five ranks: Yellow, Blue, Purple, Silver, Gold. But I wasn’t very clear on how to distinguish them. So, taking the talisman, I instinctively asked, “What rank is this talisman?”

Wang Junhui looked at me. “Oh, you know about this? This is a Purple rank talisman. My brother drew it some years ago. For him, it’s nothing special.”

Purple rank? Grandpa said that for ordinary talisman artists, being able to complete a talisman is already difficult. Adding a rank to it is even harder. Yet Wang Junhui said a Purple rank talisman was nothing to his brother. That amazed me.

I was about to ask more about his brother when he said, “Alright, get back inside the room now. Don’t disturb my ritual and altar setup!”

I nodded and hurried back into Grandpa’s room. If Wang Junhui failed, both of us might be toyed to death by that female ghost.

The yard was eerily cold. It was high noon in summer, the sun blazing overhead, yet in the yard, I felt no summer heat at all. In the past, I would’ve found it refreshing, but now, I only felt tension and fear.

I clutched the talisman Wang Junhui gave me, while frantically searching my memory for the ghost-countering methods Grandpa taught me, related to facial gates. Many came to mind, but all required the use of *qi*. The qigong Grandpa taught me… I only learned the basics, and it worked inconsistently…

Thinking this, I felt a wave of frustration.

Before, I always believed ghosts didn’t exist, so I never seriously practiced the *qi*-cultivation methods Grandpa taught me. It seemed from now on, I needed to study them properly.

While my thoughts wandered, Wang Junhui had already lit the incense and candles in the yard and placed a stack of talismans on the table.

Then he took out a copper coin sword, only about half a foot long, from his briefcase. It was bound with red string, but the strings were dirty, even blackened in places.

Wang Junhui adjusted his Taoist cap. “Chu-yi, later, no matter what you see, don’t panic, and definitely don’t shout loudly. It could cause unnecessary trouble.”

I nodded and said I understood, then closed the room door, watching through the window glass.

Wang Junhui looked up at the second floor, pondered for a moment, then suddenly flicked his Taoist robe sleeve. He brought his index finger to his mouth, bit it hard, then extended the bleeding finger over the low table, letting drops of blood fall onto it.

Then I heard Wang Junhui say, “Today, this disciple uses blood as offering, opens the Soul-Summoning Altar, praying for the protection of the Three Pure Ones.”

As his words ended, I saw the droplets of blood on the table seem to boil, actually sizzling and bubbling slightly.

I thought to myself, *How magical!*

After letting a few drops fall, Wang Junhui took out two talismans and tossed them toward the left and right candles on the table. *Whoosh, whoosh*—the two talismans flew onto the candle flames. With two *whooshes*, they turned into two balls of fire that shot up about a foot high.

That wasn’t all. As the fireballs reached their peak, two streams of blue smoke rose.

Wang Junhui swiftly formed a hand seal, pointed at the two smoke streams, and said, “Great Dao, all living beings, immeasurable venerable ones. Soul-Summoning *Qi*, by the swift decree—Go!”

As his fingers directed, the two smoke streams coiled in the air like flying snakes, merged together, then flew toward the second floor.

Wang Junhui didn’t watch the smoke. He lit another talisman while chanting incantations. When he finished chanting, he tossed the talisman into the air. It fluttered like a butterfly with wings, flapping as it also flew to the second floor.

Watching from inside, I was dumbfounded. If Wang Junhui hadn’t told me not to shout, I probably would’ve been clapping and cheering by now.

Just as novelty was about to override my fear, a blast of Yin wind blew down from the second floor, straight at Wang Junhui’s altar.

Instantly, the candle flames on the low table flickered violently, as if about to go out at any moment.

Wang Junhui snorted coldly, waved his Taoist robe sleeve, and the Yin wind dissipated immediately. The candle flames steadied.

At the same time, he shouted toward the second floor, “Evil creature! You dare disturb this Taoist’s altar? Do you truly think this Taoist won’t destroy you?”

From Wang Junhui’s tone, he seemed angry.

I guessed in his ghost-handling work, he rarely encountered ghosts actively** him.

As Wang Junhui’s voice faded, a puff of blue smoke suddenly dispersed on the second floor—probably the candle smoke Wang Junhui sent up earlier. Looked like Xiang Li had scattered it.

My surprise grew. What was wrong with this Xiang Li? Dead only a few days, yet so powerful?

Grandpa said ghosts who die from illness or old age, unless they die on some Yin-gathering ground, generally aren’t too fierce. Only those who die unjustly or by suicide become exceptionally fierce after death.

Could Xiang Li have died unjustly?

But no, the forensic examiner said it was sudden cardiac ischemia or something…

While I was thinking this, a woman’s sharp scream suddenly came from the second floor. Then the door to Xiang Li’s room, which had been sealed, *banged* open. A chair flew out from the room, heading straight for Wang Junhui’s head.

At the same time, I saw a talisman stuck to the chair.

Wang Junhui grabbed another talisman, rapidly chanted a few syllables, and threw it at the chair. “By the swift decree—Shatter!”

The talisman *slapped* against the chair. Instantly, the chair veered off course, falling beside Wang Junhui and shattering to pieces.

Wang Junhui glanced at the broken chair beside him, then looked up. “Evil creature, my Soul-Binding Talisman injured you badly, didn’t it? If I use another talisman, you definitely won’t escape. Come out and submit!”

Wang Junhui’s voice was like a booming bell. Not just the ghost—even I felt my heart tremble.

After he spoke, a red light shot out from Xiang Li’s room. Instead of coming downstairs, it clung to the second-floor railing, quickly forming a human shape—the completely naked Xiang Li.

She clung to the railing like a snake, her entire body wrapped around it, her head twisting and turning constantly, looking toward me one moment, then at Wang Junhui’s altar the next.

Wang Junhui flicked his Taoist robe sleeve. “Evil creature, I grant you the time of one cup of tea. State the obsession in your heart. If it is not something that harms nature and principle, this Taoist will do his best to help you fulfill it, then send you on your way. If not, this Taoist will ensure you never reincarnate!”

Wang Junhui’s words carried immense authority. The surrounding Yin energy seemed almost shaken apart by his voice. Xiang Li, clinging to the railing, was also shaken by his words, unable to hold on properly, half her body dangling down.

Xiang Li hung upside down from the railing by her legs, her whole body inverted, staring fixedly at Wang Junhui.

I could see Xiang Li’s eyes were now filled with fear—she was afraid. She was afraid of Wang Junhui!

My admiration for Wang Junhui grew several more notches.

Looking at the naked Xiang Li, Wang Junhui showed not a trace of pity. He snorted coldly again. “Still won’t come down for this Taoist?!”

After this angry shout, Xiang Li completely lost her grip on the railing. Her entire body fell, landing right in front of Wang Junhui’s altar.

At the same time, I saw Xiang Li curl up, trembling violently. She suddenly became utterly defenseless.

I swallowed hard. This Xiang Li ghost had chased me all over the streets, and just like that, Wang Junhui subdued her? What level of Taoist was he?!

Before I could think further, Xiang Li, curled on the ground, suddenly knelt toward Wang Junhui and began kowtowing repeatedly, as if begging for his mercy.

Wang Junhui took a deep breath. “Considering you haven’t committed acts that harm nature and principle, this Taoist can show leniency and not pursue the matter. However, you have occupied a Yang residence and terrorized Chu-yi. What is the reason for this? These are things a ghost should not do.”

Xiang Li looked at Wang Junhui, then at me, and made some “wu wu” sounds. But this time, Wang Junhui hadn’t cast a spell on me, so I couldn’t understand what she was saying.

After speaking, Xiang Li also bowed toward my direction several times, as if apologizing to me.

Wang Junhui hesitated for a moment, then turned to me. “Chu-yi, come out. She has something to say to you. She was your tenant. She has no relatives in this county town, so you are the closest person to her. You should see her off on this last journey.”

Hearing this, I suddenly felt Xiang Li seemed quite pitiful.

I opened the door and cautiously stepped out, still worried Xiang Li might suddenly pounce and cling to my back—a feeling I never wanted to experience again in my life.

Walking to Wang Junhui’s side, he formed a hand seal and tapped a point between my eyebrows. “Alright, you can understand her now. Remember, you are standing here as her family now. As long as her request isn’t too excessive, try to fulfill it. Understand?”

I acknowledged and looked at the naked Xiang Li kneeling there…