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墨書 Inktalez
The breeze was pleasantly cool, and I had a deep, dreamless sleep. It wasn't until the alarm clock rang that I slowly woke up, opening my eyes to the faint glow of the screen. I turned on the flashlight to survey my surroundings; nothing seemed out of the ordinary, just as it had been before I fell asleep.
I licked the back of my hand and stretched out to feel the wind speed. Fortunately, it wouldn’t affect the candle flame. The silence around me was a bit eerie; I couldn’t hear any sounds from insects, birds, or animals. On this dark and windy night, I nodded in satisfaction.
I set down the flashlight and turned on a stronger beam to look around. I didn’t see any spirits, but I knew they were likely preparing to emerge. The reason for choosing eleven o'clock was to prevent them from heading over to Liu Jian's house again. Since everyone was staying put, it was time for the smaller ones to come out.
The strong flashlight illuminated a large stone nearby that had a whitish hue. The light scattered softly off the stone, creating a gentle glow that stood out in the darkness, almost like a luminous stone shining brightly and making the surroundings vaguely visible. I took out seven red candles and arranged them according to the positions of the mounds on the loess, which I had measured during the day. The arrangement of the seven mounds corresponded with my seven red candles; however, the mounds were larger while my candles were merely a miniature representation—like a sand table from wartime.
Once all the red candles were set up, I lit them. Each candle had three sticks of incense placed beside it, with some joss paper and offerings arranged around them. After everything was in order, I prepared to call upon the souls. Initially, I thought about bringing a soul banner over, but decided against it since it was too far away; without a soul banner, my loud voice would suffice.
The breeze caused the flames of the red candles to flicker side to side, casting shadows of nearby trees that danced as if in a silent ball. Clearing my throat, I sat down in front of the candles and began my call.
In the quiet darkness of the mountains, my voice calling upon souls echoed unexpectedly. Thankfully, it was late at night and there were no houses nearby. Thus, I didn’t hold back my voice.
Sometimes chanting spells feels similar to singing; once you start, you want to finish it all at once. Even as they began to appear while I was still chanting halfway through, they manifested at their respective candle sides according to their mound positions—standing straight with blank expressions while gently swaying.
I stood up and counted; all seven spirits were present—neither more nor less. A sense of confusion washed over me; logically speaking, that reckless senior master should have been here too. Why hadn’t he shown up?
But there was no time for such thoughts now. Since these spirits had already responded to my call, it wouldn’t be right to leave them hanging. The incantation inherently included an intention to send them away; those willing would come forth while those unwilling would remain hidden. Now that they had appeared, it meant I didn’t need to say much more.
They were merely pitiful souls whose lingering presence wasn’t by choice; they could only guard this small patch of land without straying far. If it weren’t for the Liu family’s inexplicable two-year-long rituals here followed by an abrupt cessation of offerings, they wouldn’t have sought out members of the Liu family for material possessions.
Following the predetermined order calculated earlier, I began burning joss paper one by one to send them off. The first wasn’t the oldest among them but rather a little spirit I encountered the previous night. It was quite short; even when squatting down, I could see its face at eye level. Its expression appeared stiff; as I looked at it, it seemed to remember me and gave a symbolic smile before slowly closing its eyes—a look of relief washing over its face as if it were finally free.
After burning the Joss Paper in front of it and completing the offerings, it slowly transformed into a transparent form, its smile growing wider until it dissipated into a gust of cold wind. Only the suddenly extinguished red candle told me that it had gone to where it belonged. The candlelight flickered out, releasing a wisp of white smoke that drifted slowly westward, fading away into nothingness. Unable to help myself, I murmured, "Safe travels, little one."
Having sent one away left me feeling a bit strange. By age, some of them were over a century older than me—does that count as time travel?
Using the same method, I repeated the process six more times, treating each spirit equally. Although the offerings were few and the Joss Paper was limited, they all left with smiles on their faces, clearly satisfied. Sometimes, all they needed was a guiding light; their attachment to Liu Uncle wasn't just about the Joss Paper and offerings—it was more about seeking hope.
Aside from the Little Spirit, the other Spirit Gods still retained some ability to communicate. So before each Spirit God vanished, I received a heartfelt "Thank you." This brought me comfort; despite being trapped here for so many years, they had not lost their sense of gratitude. I wondered if we in this era could do the same.
Thanks to having drawn a large Kung Fu talisman in advance, I didn't waste much time on the Call of Souls and Send Soul rituals for these seven spirits. In less than an hour, only I and seven red candles of varying lengths remained in the open space. The Strong Flashlight's beam gradually dimmed, seemingly running out of power.
Just as I began to wonder whether the Senior Master's spirit had already departed, the Flashlight's light faded completely. I pulled out my lighter from my pocket and reignited the unburned red candles, slowly starting to pack up my things. I planned to set up a separate Soul Calling Array to see if I could summon the Senior Master's spirit; if that didn't work either, then there would be no other options.
Finding a working Flashlight, I made my way to the sealing position where the Senior Master's Skull lay. Calling out from this spot should yield the best results. I lit two new red candles and arranged some necessary items before preparing to perform another Call of Souls.
Just as I was about to utter my first word, a fierce gust of cold wind swept past me from behind, accompanied by an ancient voice that startled me: "Alright, you don't need to go through all this trouble."
I shivered at the sudden sound and turned around to see an elderly man in an Azure Robe floating behind me. He had a head full of white hair and beard, was short in stature, and appeared quite thin. His cheekbones were prominent and his face deeply sunken. His complexion was frighteningly pale—whiter than any Spirit God I had encountered before.
His appearance instantly lowered the temperature around us significantly; it felt almost chilly. Clearly, he had absorbed Yin Qi from these spirits for many years—he was indeed extraordinary.
When I felt that cold wind pass by me again, I realized it must have been unintentional from the Senior Master. In my moment of nervousness, I forgot how to properly pay respects according to customs from that era. In my flustered state, I could only bow deeply and respectfully say, "I pay my respects to you, Senior Master."
He waved his hand dismissively and said, "No need for formalities; you are quite impressive for your age. Although your techniques are average and your Daoist skills quite rudimentary, your sense of responsibility is strong. Your master has taught you well. But why is it so complicated to send a soul nowadays? Which school or sect do you belong to?"
The Senior Master not only exuded a strong aura of Yin Qi, but his manner of speaking was also quite stiff. Perhaps this was simply the way people spoke back then—no flattery, no niceties, just straightforwardness. But that suited me just fine; I preferred this mode of communication. It spared me the mental effort.
I tried to adopt the tone I had seen in dramas: "Senior Master, I am but a novice with limited knowledge and low attainments in Daoist Arts. I wouldn’t dare tarnish the reputation of my sect. In this peaceful era, there are not many restless spirits to deal with, so I have focused on refining my skills in Send Soul. Of course, this is also directly related to my own lack of cultivation..."
Before I could finish my sentence, the Senior Master waved his hand again, summoning a powerful gust of Yin wind that sent a shiver down my spine. He paid no attention to my reaction and continued speaking, "I ask you a question, and you answer it. All Daoist Techniques share the same origin; there is no such thing as tarnishing the sect's reputation."
Hearing the Senior Master ask another question, I dared not continue to conceal my identity and replied, "In response to your question, Senior Master, I am Liu X, a disciple of the Qialing Sect." The reason I hesitated at first was that I couldn't quite grasp the Senior Master's temperament. After all, the Grandmaster had been one of his staunchest opponents. While I knew that those who practiced cultivation wouldn't be overly concerned about such matters, he had been a restless spirit for so many years; I couldn't guarantee that there wouldn't be other variables involved.
"Oh, Qialing Sect's Master X," he chuckled lightly. "You folks from the unorthodox paths have always had few followers. It's surprising that after all these years, there are still descendants left; that's a good thing. How many generations has Master X been your teacher?" The Senior Master smiled without warmth or coldness; perhaps I had underestimated him.
At six o'clock, there would be an additional update tonight.
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