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墨書 Inktalez
Speaking of the Evil-Repelling Copper Bell, tracing its origins leads us back to the era of the Grandmaster's master. This topic is lengthy, so I won't elaborate too much. In short, this item is akin to a knight's shield or a turtle's shell. It serves as a defensive tool specifically against possession. When my master first told me about it, I was skeptical, arrogantly thinking that as a Little Taoist, how could I possibly be possessed by a Spirit God? Looking back now, I realize that was quite presumptuous of me. I am even certain that without it, I would have been unable to hold on that night; the Living Soul would have inevitably been forcefully expelled from my body. This has nothing to do with willpower; it is purely a matter of overwhelming strength.
At this thought, I couldn't help but shiver and rubbed the copper bell that had accompanied me for many years.
Seeing my dejected expression, my master chose not to continue speaking. Master Pan skillfully took over the conversation and said, "According to Old Xu's two points of confirmation, the situation becomes clearer. The thing inside you should be related to an incident from fifty years ago."
"What incident from over fifty years ago? Why are we going so far back? Oh right, fifty years ago—wasn't that during the Cultural Revolution? How could such ghostly and superstitious matters still occur?" Master Xiao exclaimed in surprise.
Master Pan glanced at my master with a wry smile and shook his head. He then nodded at Master Pan, who understood and began recounting the events from fifty years ago.
...
In 1966, the movement to eradicate the Four Olds swept across the nation, targeting what was deemed old thoughts, old culture, old customs, and old habits. This is something everyone should know; countless cultural relics and historical sites were burned or destroyed. The impact on China's traditional culture was immense. Pusonglin was desecrated, Wu Cheng'en's former residence was smashed, and Wu Jingzi's towering monument was forcibly pulled down by several strong Red Guards using ropes in a tug-of-war fashion. Even the statue of Confucius at the Confucian Temple was defaced with banners calling him "the number one scoundrel." Even more astonishingly, the City God Temple's deity was dragged out for public trial. In just one year of 1966, much of the traditional culture that had been maintained for thousands of years in China was obliterated. It was a period of unbearable history filled with grave robbing and desecration; such extremes were shocking. That year, if anyone dared to light incense at their ancestors' graves, they would find their family tombs dug up immediately. Not only that, but they would also be taken away for struggle sessions—such absurdities were commonplace at that time.
In such an environment, Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism faced deadly suppression. Although there had been similar movements during ancient monarchies, after long periods of sedimentation, these three schools had developed to a certain scale again. However, this latest movement to eradicate the Four Olds dealt a devastating blow to them—especially Taoism. Countless temples were destroyed; many Taoist priests and monks were left homeless and destitute.
It was during this time that extraordinary individuals on the mainland diminished significantly. Many highly skilled Senior Masters were extinguished; numerous Daoist Arts and Methods of Feng Shui were lost—either burned or hidden away—ultimately vanishing from existence. Originally, the esoteric arts like Qimen Dunjia and Feng Shui on the mainland were far superior to those in other regions; however, due to this movement to eradicate the Four Olds, they regressed by countless years in an instant. Take Feng Shui as an example: today’s Feng Shui atmosphere and overall level on the mainland are inferior even to those in Hong Kong and Macau. This is ironic considering it originated from our homeland.
However, after this eradication of the Four Olds came the Ghost Festival when the gates of hell opened wide. The spirits allowed to return saw such devastation and became restless; they found no blessings from their descendants and some couldn't even find a resting place for their own Skeletons. Chaos ensued almost immediately. So for several years afterward, although everyone claimed to distance themselves from feudal superstitions and kept their distance from them, strange occurrences became particularly frequent—some Red Guards went mad while others lost their sanity. Moreover, many ancestral tombs were destroyed; numerous temples and Taoist monasteries suffered damage greatly affecting Yin House Feng Shui and divine protection. The overall fortunes declined significantly in subsequent years leading to even greater poverty until our great party timely corrected this erroneous movement...
Ah! I've digressed again.
At that time during the Hundred Demons Riot, similar incidents occurred across many parts of the country; however, Hunan experienced it most severely. That year's Ghost Festival was particularly tumultuous; those engaged in this line of work hid away—who could pay attention to these matters? All righteous seniors were up in the mountains gnawing on roots and tree bark while carrying their tools to capture rampaging spirits everywhere. Many skilled seniors with connections fled inland or even went to coastal areas or Southeast Asia seeking stability and development.
During the Hundred Demons Riot, even Yin Chai, who was accompanying us, was at a loss. Many Onmyoji Masters from Yangjian received requests for help from Yin Chai through Dreaming, but most of them were like clay figurines crossing a river—unable to help themselves, let alone deal with matters of the Underworld. Only a few masters went to assist in quelling the riot. Although things eventually calmed down, it could only be considered a temporary solution, as a small number of spirits escaped capture due to their anger. Among them were some Yin Chai who did not return to the Underworld when the gates closed. After this incident, many experienced diviners began searching for those lost spirits and Yin Chai wandering among humans. There were some captures along the way, but ultimately not all escaped spirits could be returned. As time passed, people gradually became complacent, and with the passing of skilled seniors, the abilities of their juniors diminished significantly. Eventually, no one paid attention to the matter anymore.
...
By the time Master Pan finished recounting this story, our food had already gone cold, and we had eaten quite a bit. When he came back to his senses, we were all wiping our mouths and picking our teeth, looking quite satisfied, while he still had half-eaten chicken in his bowl. He muttered to himself, "Old Xu, you've tricked me again," then lowered his head and began eating again without saying another word.
Looking at Master Pan's expression, I seemed to see the elderly Master Xiao; Master Pan's personality was quite similar to his. Both my master and I shared similar traits as well. So when there were no outsiders around, my master and Master Pan were like me and Master Xiao—one side always clever while the other was foolishly taken advantage of. My master knew this was a long story, so he smiled wryly and let Master Pan continue. Master Pan enjoyed sharing his tale and only realized we had finished eating afterward.
I put down my napkin and asked, "You don't think this Spirit God on me is one of those that slipped through the cracks during that incident, do you? Or do you think it might even be Yin Chai?"
My master was old and had poor teeth; it took him thirty minutes to finish a meal and another ten minutes just to pick his teeth afterward. While he was busy with that, Master Pan looked up at him and said, "You speak up; do you expect me to do it?"
My master held a toothpick in one hand while covering his mouth with the other, making muffled sounds indicating it was inconvenient for him to talk. Master Pan glanced at him and then at me before saying, "You juniors have so many questions; if you had studied properly back then, you wouldn't be so clueless now." After saying that, he returned to his meal.
Master Xiao and I exchanged glances; he seemed fine while I felt wronged—this was my own matter! Was it too much to ask? Even so, I didn’t dare press further and decided to wait until the two elders finished before speaking again.
After finishing our meal, we didn’t return to Lushan Temple but instead went to the hotel where the two elders were staying. These old fellows were truly inseparable; they always booked double rooms when traveling. Once inside the room, I hurriedly made tea for them. I felt perfectly fine while both elders seemed carefree; after washing their faces upon entering the room, they flopped onto their beds and started taking an afternoon nap. This left me and Master Xiao staring at each other blankly. Master Xiao said, "Should we also go book a room and sleep?"
"Get lost."
Fortunately, their nap didn’t last long; within an hour they woke up one after another. After waking up, they each drank a cup of tea before pulling the curtains tightly shut in the room. Only then did they bring my situation back into discussion.
"I believe this thing on you is most likely one of those that slipped through during that riot. As for whether it really is or not, we'll find out tonight," my master replied seamlessly. However, I had asked this question over an hour ago!
"Well, is it easy?" I asked weakly, glancing at Master Pan, fearing he might unleash another tirade.
Master Pan chuckled and said, "With the two of us here, there's no need to worry. But first, take out that Oiled Paper Umbrella for us to see. I want to check on Liu Bi and Mu Xue's Living Souls. If we can return them to their bodies, we can handle this matter all at once."
I felt a surge of joy at his words; if that were the case, it would be wonderful. With their strength, returning a Living Soul should be within their capabilities. That meant Mu Xue would soon be saved. Thinking this, I hurriedly walked over to the table and picked up the Cloth Bag, retrieving the Oiled Paper Umbrella that originally belonged to Liu Bi.
As I took out the Oiled Paper Umbrella, both masters sprang up from the sofa in unison, exclaiming, "The Wizard Master's Soul-keeping Umbrella!" Their reaction startled me; I instinctively thought they intended harm towards Liu Bi and Mu Xue inside the umbrella. Quickly, I hid the umbrella behind me. After hearing their words, I realized they recognized it.
Ignoring my actions, Master Pan strode over and snatched the Oiled Paper Umbrella from my hands. He casually removed the copper coin I had given to Mu Xue that was hanging from the handle, then swiftly cast a Hand Spell with his right hand. With a slight gesture of his left hand, he flung Liu Bi and Mu Xue out from within the umbrella. Liu Bi was holding Mu Xue, both of them suspended in mid-air.
I rushed over and used Hand Seals to lift Liu Bi and Mu Xue. Upon seeing the people in the room, Mu Xue panicked and burrowed into Liu Bi's embrace, clearly frightened. Liu Bi was equally confused; he looked around at everyone and then at me. I spread my hands and shook my head.
After releasing Liu Bi and Mu Xue, Master Pan approached the master with the umbrella in hand. He opened it with a flourish. The master and Master Pan leaned in closely, intently studying the ancient spells inscribed on the back of the umbrella—many of which I couldn't comprehend.
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