Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Zhong Kui's Diary
After exchanging a few words with Jin Zhenzhong, I walked to the front of the Spirit Tent.
Hmm, it's quite strange that there isn't a single Taoist in the large hall of the spirit temple. Could they all be slacking off in the back? I tiptoed to the back of the hall and lifted the black cloth. Inside, there was only Qingfeng Daozhang and another Taoist. The Taoist had his back to me and was occasionally reaching for a cake from a fruit platter beside him. Judging by his hand reaching for the platter, this Taoist must be quite old. Isn't there supposed to be an old Taoist guarding the Lingxu Temple? Why is he here too? It seems that the power of money is indeed great; for the sake of earning money, Lingxu Temple has sent everyone out.
Qingfeng Daozhang spotted me at once, exclaimed "Aha!" and came over to push me outside.
I asked, "What about those Taoists under you?"
"They're labor reform inmates and have some free time. I let them go out for a stroll; work and rest must be balanced!" Qingfeng Daozhang didn't wait for me to ask further and patted my shoulder with a smile, saying, "Buddy, you're now the talk of the town in Star City’s underworld! While others are cooperating with the police, you’re collaborating with them! Have they awarded you a big Sea Bowl medal? What does the banner say? Crime Buster or one of Star City's top ten rascals?"
Qingfeng Daozhang's series of strange remarks left me feeling embarrassed. Damn it, I was just trying to help a friend! Is it wrong to go all out for a friend? Does it only count as normal if I stab my friend in the back for a woman? Not wanting to argue, I just smiled and said, "Qingfeng bro, that diviner you mentioned last time was really impressive. Can you take me to meet him?"
"What diviner? It's Master Kong Xuan!" Qingfeng Daozhang rolled his eyes at me. "What? You want to meet him? No way! We don't share the same path; you're a fraud while he's a true master! Absolutely not!"
He then coughed loudly twice and looked around.
"Next house dies three eights, four sevens don’t hit!" I jokingly blurted out something nonsensical.
Qingfeng Daozhang was taken aback by my words, then glanced around before quietly asking, "Ghost Brother, what does that mean? Is this one of those Mahjong sayings?"
I coughed loudly again and looked around.
"Ghost Brother! Explain it, explain it!" Qingfeng Daozhang urged impatiently. I knew exactly how to hit his weak spot; he loved playing Mahjong too much and was quite bad at it—one of those players who relied entirely on luck.
I had played Mahjong with him many times, winning every time without cheating; I just had some Mahjong skills. Plus, I often boasted in front of him about my wins. He had always wanted me to teach him, but I refused stubbornly. Come on, can I rely on winning money from you every month for my health treatment? Haven't you heard the saying that teaching your apprentice can lead to your own downfall?
This sentence is one of the winning strategies in Mahjong, meaning that if your next player discards a card like 8, they might have completed a pair of 5 and 6 in their hand and are aiming for a winning combination of 4 and 7. For example, if you have 3 and 5 of dots and want to complete a sequence with 4, when you draw a 6, you would naturally discard the 3 and aim for the 4 and 7 of dots.
"Take me to see Kong Xuan, and I'll teach you three strategies!" I was really putting in the effort here.
There was no other choice; some things cannot be explained by science, so it was time to consult a true master. Kong Xuan is said to be the foremost practitioner of Taoism south of the Yangtze River, so he must have some skills. In the past, I scoffed at such superstitions, but now it seemed I had no choice but to seek him out.
"The source of the method comes from one family; all changes do not stray from its essence. I think both you and Master Kong will gain something from this exchange. Here, this is his contact information." Qingfeng Daozhang changed the subject as if his previous words had nothing to do with him. Edge took out a business card holder from his pocket and pulled out a card to hand to me.
I looked at it; the card was made of wrinkled paper, black and white with no other colors. The front had Kong Xuan's name without any titles, along with a phone number and address below it. On the back was a black-and-white Tai Chi diagram.
After putting away the card, I told Qingfeng Daozhang two more strategies and explained them in detail. Qingfeng Daozhang happily recited them and paid no more attention to me.
Not waiting for Lingfeng, I called for a ride. Forty minutes later, I arrived at Haitang Middle School on Qifeng Road in Qinghu District.
Qifeng Road used to be called Qifeng Town, located at the foot of Hui Long Mountain. It is said that Hui Long Mountain was once a land of good fortune where rare beasts often came to settle. Qifeng Town became famous for having phoenixes alight there; as the saying goes: "First came the roosting phoenix, then Star City," indicating its long history.
Next to Haitang Middle School is Qifeng Temple, where Kong Xuan is the current headmaster and leader. Beside the school is a Taoist temple; this amusing combination raises questions about whether it's a tragedy for students or Taoists.
Qifeng Temple is small; upon entering, there is a courtyard with two side rooms on either side. The main hall houses a statue of a Bodhisattva; I couldn't tell if it was the Supreme Old Lord or the Primordial Lord—I didn't recognize it. I asked an old Taoist at the entrance, who casually pointed to the left side room. I approached and knocked twice; a strong voice called from inside, "Come in!"
I pushed open the door. The side room was simple; there was a bookshelf in one corner, next to which stood a bed. In front of the bed was an Eight Immortals Table with several benches around it. On the table lay a dark red copper coin, and a middle-aged man with an unkempt beard squatted on one of the benches like a ruffian, lazily watching me while holding a cigarette in his mouth.
"Master Kong?" I asked uncertainly.
"That's right! I can see from your furrowed brow that you've encountered something unclean. Would you like to buy a stack of ghost-catching talismans from me? Nationwide retail price is one hundred thirty; I'll throw in an extra pack of napkins!" Kong Xuan rattled off as if reciting from memory before taking a puff of smoke and exhaling thick clouds.
Is this really Nan Kong? I feel an urge to go crazy; seriously, how unprofessional can you be? Come on, at least pretend to examine my face before saying something like that. This is a promising career after all; just look at how Shaolin Temple is preparing to go public.
Seeing that I was silent, Kong Xuan flicked the cigarette butt casually and smiled a bit. "If you're willing to spend some money, you could buy some magical tools. Over there on the bookshelf, everything is top-notch, all blessed by me with Spell, and it's a bargain at only 998!"
I was about to turn and leave when I thought better of it. I shouldn't waste my three incantations. Clearing my throat, I asked, "Master Kong, do you collect ghosts?"
Kong Xuan clearly wasn't very interested in ghost collecting. He took a puff of his cigarette, tossed the butt aside, raised an eyebrow, and said with a smile, "Sorry, my master does that; I only sell talismans!"
I snorted, feeling a surge of anger. My left hand reached out and grabbed Kong Xuan by the collar. I'll make you forget your master.
Kong Xuan chuckled and blocked with his right palm, the edge of his hand slicing toward me like a knife.
Surprised, I exclaimed; I didn't expect this Kong Xuan to be quite skilled. From his calm demeanor shifting from defense to offense, it seemed his abilities were likely on par with mine.
I quickly retracted my left hand and threw a powerful right hook.
Kong Xuan sneered repeatedly, squatting on the stool without moving an inch. His left hand curled into a claw and aimed for my wrist.
In that case, I decided not to hold back anymore. My fists attacked like a Tempest, releasing the pent-up frustration from being unable to unleash my strength in the Jin Family. It felt exhilarating.
Kong Xuan jumped off the stool. From initially being indifferent to later taking it seriously, we exchanged punches and kicks around the table with great enthusiasm. I glanced at the table and thought that if it weren't there to restrict me, I would fight even more freely; it had been a long time since I'd felt this good.
"Let's not just circle around the table; let's go outside for a proper fight!" I kicked out but Kong Xuan dodged.
"Then let's not go outside; let's have a good fight right here!" Kong Xuan countered with a punch and laughed derisively.
I was furious and grabbed the dark red copper coin on the table, ready to throw it at Kong Xuan.
"Wait!" Kong Xuan's face changed drastically upon seeing this. He suddenly leaped up, like a soaring dragon, twisting in mid-air with remarkable grace.
I was taken aback; it seemed that Kong Xuan's skills were perhaps even better than mine.
"You..." Kong Xuan landed and looked at me in surprise.
"What about me?" I tossed the copper coin in my hand and asked.
"I didn't expect it to be you..." Kong Xuan gazed at the copper coin in my hand, his eyes flickering with a complex expression.
"Why is it me?" I was confused.
"Very good, not bad!" Kong Xuan changed from his previous disheveled appearance and walked up to me, inspecting me as if selecting a pig's trotter at a market, circling around me and clicking his tongue in admiration.
"Hey, what do you mean by that?" I felt a bit uneasy under his scrutiny.
"I didn't realize you were actually a once-in-a-thousand-years Yin-Yang Physique," Kong Xuan finally got to the point.
Since there was no deep-seated grudge between us, after venting my anger from our earlier scuffle, I found this person quite agreeable. I smiled and said, "What nonsense! I'm just of legal marriage age this year. Where does this once-in-a-thousand-years thing come from? Besides, you didn’t notice when I came in, but you figured it out after we fought?"
Kong Xuan chuckled at my words. "You haven't heard the saying 'No fight, no acquaintance'? But putting that aside, do you know what you're holding in your hand?"
"A copper coin, what else could it be?" I opened my hand and examined the coin closely. This copper coin had an ancient shape and was different from ordinary coins. The hole in the middle was round, with two distinctly different sides. The front was dark red with large circular rings as its pattern. The back was deep blue, resembling ripples like those on water.
"Do you see anything?" Kong Xuan asked with a smile.
"Nothing special, just a strangely shaped coin," I shook my head.
"Take another look! Look at it for a while!" Kong Xuan nodded at me and walked over to the water dispenser in the corner, pouring two cups of water. He placed one cup on the table in front of me and drank the other one in one gulp.
I stared at the coin, and upon closer inspection, I realized it was indeed unusual. The coin was changing colors slowly; the dark red side was gradually turning into a deep blue, while the deep blue side was slowly becoming dark red.
If this were a modern craft, it wouldn't be surprising at all. But if it truly looked as ancient as it appeared, then it could only be a miracle.
I looked at Kong Xuan in astonishment. "What is this thing?"
"This is called the Yin-Yang Ancient Coin. The Yin-Yang Ancient Coin contains the purest energy of yin and yang between heaven and earth, alternating between cold and hot, changing in an instant," Kong Xuan said, looking at the coin with reverence.
"Cold and hot? I don't feel anything," I said, holding the Yin-Yang Ancient Coin and flipping it over.
"I can tell. That's because you have the Yin-Yang Physique. Let's do an experiment. Toss this Yin-Yang Ancient Coin into that cup of water," Kong Xuan instructed, pointing at the cup in front of me.
I followed his instructions and tossed the Yin-Yang Ancient Coin into the paper cup, feeling puzzled about what reaction would occur.
Comment 0 Comment Count