The Cat

A group of country women giggled, many of them looking at Mo Chuan with eager eyes.

Only the husband of the woman who had been hit, Gou Shenzi, was so angry he felt like he was about to explode.

Seeing this, Mo Chuan quickly spoke to appease them:

"Lay believer, you jest. I, as a Daoist priest, am devoted to the Dao and dare not get involved in worldly karma. This method for bestowing children simply requires setting up an altar in the courtyard, inviting a talisman, and placing it beneath your pillow to receive auspicious dreams."

Knowing the villagers' ignorance, Mo Chuan decided to reveal a bit of his skill.

As he spoke, he waved his sleeve, and a strong wind instantly whipped up in the open space at the village entrance, blowing everyone about and causing them to cry out in pain.

"Ow! Where did this wind come from..."

"It looks like the young Daoist priest is using his magic!"

The villagers were shocked and filled with awe.

Those who had previously made lewd jokes now hid in the crowd, too terrified to show their faces, fearing the Daoist priest would seek retribution.

"Ah, esteemed immortal, this old man did not recognize your true nature and has offended you greatly. I am truly terrified!"

"It's nothing!"

The village chief, who had been speaking crudely before, became polite and spoke gently upon seeing this. Mo Chuan couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.

With the wind as proof, the villagers finally believed that Mo Chuan possessed some Daoist magic.

Since the wedding rituals had been interrupted, they might as well see the Daoist priest's method for seeking children.

It was also getting late, and it wouldn't interfere with farm work. Everyone crowded outside Gou Shenzi's fence to watch the spectacle.

The so-called "setting up an altar" was, of course, something Mo Chuan made up to fool them.

However, he still went through the motions with great seriousness.

He listed things like an old altar table, incense, candles, glutinous rice, a porcelain bowl, heavenly dew water, and dragon-fossil ash... a long list of items.

The names sounded quite impressive.

In reality, the so-called heavenly dew water was menstrual fluid.

Dragon-fossil ash, also known as dragon dung, was simply ash from beneath the stove.

The villagers watched the spectacle, with one neighbor bringing something and another contributing something else, and soon everything was ready.

Before beginning the ritual, Mo Chuan asked, "May I ask if there is anyone else in your village seeking a child? Since everyone is here to pray for children, I might as well perform the ritual for all of you at once."

The villagers exchanged glances.

A strong young man stepped forward and asked, "Immortal master, can you help us have baby boys?"

Mo Chuan sighed inwardly, "Yes, you can. Sincerity is what matters."

The man quickly said, "Then count me in!"

Someone else eagerly chimed in, "Count me in too!"

In a short while, seven or eight villagers signed up, many of whom already had sons.

"Hey, hey, 'Broken Cotton Shoes', don't you already have a little guy?"

"What do you know? More children mean more blessings."

Mo Chuan watched the lively scene, a mischievous thought crossing his mind.

After the sign-ups were complete, Mo Chuan took a strand of hair from each person, stating that the Goddess of Child-Giving needed to find them through their hair.

When everything was ready, Mo Chuan began chanting the incantation and performing the ritual.

His chanting was rhythmic and sonorous, filling the villagers with awe.

However, if any Daoist sect members were present, they would likely have scolded him as a fake Daoist!

The scripture he recited was none other than the Scripture of Purity and Tranquility.

After completing the fabricated ritual, Mo Chuan took yellow paper, dipped his wolf-hair brush in ink, and with swift strokes, drew a House-Guarding Talisman.

"The method for seeking children is complete. All you need to do is place this talisman beneath your pillow and pray sincerely for a child during intimacy, and you will surely succeed!"

Mo Chuan gifted several House-Guarding Talismans to the families seeking children.

"Thank you, Daoist priest, for the talismans. You have worked hard!"

Several villagers thanked him repeatedly.

Mo Chuan waved his hand, declined their thanks, claimed to be tired, and asked for an empty room to rest.

Night fell, and lamplight flickered.

Mo Chuan sat on a simple, hard peasant bed. With a wave of his hand, a teapot landed on the table, and the Lampwick Monk jumped out with a smiling face, bowing.

"Daoist master, you summoned me?"

"Goddess of Child-Giving, you receive my incense offerings. You can't just eat and live here for free. Tonight, it's your turn to perform."

The Lampwick Monk looked utterly bewildered.

Night descended, and the sun rose in the east.

The villagers of Niujia Gou woke up early to begin their day's labor.

However, the atmosphere throughout the village today was clearly a bit… delicate.

The men were beaming, and the women wore shy smiles.

As they greeted each other, their conversations were inevitably filled with teasing and banter.

If one were to inquire further, they might hear:

"Spring calls the cat, the cat calls spring; the more he calls, the more spirited he becomes. The old man also has a cat's desire, but dares not call out in front of others." [Note 1]

While the villagers were teasing each other, they couldn't help but ask about the young Daoist priest who had performed rituals the previous day. Some of the more curious ones even went to find him.

Upon arriving at his location, they discovered that the young Daoist priest had already left at the crack of dawn.

Hearing this, countless people slapped their thighs in regret, wishing they had asked for a child-seeking talisman.

After all, those families who had received a child-seeking talisman the previous night had truly experienced what it meant to be in the throes of passion, reaching the peak of bliss together!

In fact, half a month later, even more people would regret it.

Because every family that had requested a child had become pregnant!

Even Gou Shenzi's wife, who had been married for several years without conceiving, was pregnant. Gou Shenzi was so overjoyed that he announced it throughout the village.

He even offered incense and prayed for the unknown young Daoist priest.

Thus, it became a local legend.

After Mo Chuan left the village, he determined his direction and then used the Art of Ascending and Copying to move swiftly.

It wasn't that he was afraid of the monk washing his hair being exposed.

It was that when he sensed the half of the Nabo in the morning, its location had changed.

This made him anxious, fearing that his opportunity would slip away.

However, although the Art of Ascending and Copying was mysterious, it was ultimately not a method of transportation. Traveling quickly still consumed some time.

After traveling for half a day, he hadn't covered much distance. Mo Chuan could only suppress his restlessness and continue on his way, thinking that if he encountered another town or village, he would definitely find a horse to ride.

As he pondered, the sound of music drifted into his ears.

Following the sound, he saw a festive red wedding procession approaching on a country road that was about to merge with the main road. They were playing music as they went.

Mo Chuan watched with delight and was about to go over to ask for some candy to share in the good fortune.

Unexpectedly, after only a few steps, his expression changed drastically when he saw the full extent of the wedding procession.

The procession stretched like a long dragon, with musicians playing in front and helpers carrying dowries behind, winding for several miles. It was truly magnificent.

One could say: a thousand acres of fertile land, ten miles of red dowry.

However, upon closer inspection, he saw that the brightly colored, lacquered, and gilded chests, tables, chairs, and cabinets were all carried on a single carrying pole, stretching a long line from front to back.

What dowry was that?

It was clearly — paper effigies for the underworld!

Looking further back, sixteen men carried a large red coffin, interlacing carrying poles in a cross shape, swaying as they came down the country road.

This scene left Mo Chuan dumbfounded.

What in the world was this?

As the noisy procession slowly passed by Mo Chuan, a matchmaker carrying a bamboo basket walked over and grabbed a handful of wedding candies, handing them to him.

"Daoist priest, share in the joy."

Mo Chuan, feeling a chill, took the candy and quickly asked, "May I ask, layman, what is going on here?"

The matchmaker, clearly having been asked this countless times, replied skillfully:

"This is called a ghost marriage! It's for uniting with the deceased!"

The matchmaker left.

Mo Chuan looked at the wedding candy in his hand, shivered all over, and threw it all away.

Starting again, seeing the wedding procession ahead, Mo Chuan, feeling unlucky, decided to use the Art of Ascending and Copying to bypass it and get ahead.

Not far away, a magnificent city wall came into view.

Jiang City had arrived.

At the city gate, a group of wedding attendants dressed in vibrant red and purple were waiting expectantly.

Beside them, a group of musicians were whispering to each other in small groups.

One of the musicians, with his hands behind his back, was holding a pair of Nabo and murmuring in the group.

[Note 1: This limerick is "Cat's Meow" by Monk Zhiming of the Ming Dynasty. To fit the context, one word has been changed. "Old man" should be "old monk." Daoist priest, please forgive this.]