Jie's Blessing at Fu Luan Temple

"Master, did you cry?" the Daoist boy blurted out subconsciously.

"Master is happy! Master is happy! As long as our Patriarch is still here, the spirit-mediumship lineage of our Fu Luan Temple will surely flourish!"

Tears streamed down the old Daoist's face. Under Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy's astonished gaze, he took three sticks of incense, performed three bows and nine kowtows, and prostrated himself.

Mo Chuan, who had suddenly appeared, had already retreated to his main body. Using the incense smoke as a mirror, he quietly observed the actions of the old man and the boy at Fu Luan Temple.

As the old Daoist performed the three bows and nine kowtows, the incense smoke that had been swirling around his mouth and nose, unable to be exhaled, suddenly surged into his body.

Instantly, a power far exceeding the incense and sacrifice of the Chen Family spread through his limbs and bones.

He felt his body tremble, and a profound, mysterious sensation arose from his heart.

"This must be... shedding my Jie body and becoming a ghost body!"

Mo Chuan, who had listened to the old Daoist's sermons for two days, suddenly had an epiphany.

The next day, when the Chen Family offered incense and sacrificed again, he immediately used the incense smoke as a passage to enter the Chen Family ancestral hall. He looked down and saw:

Just as he expected!

His body, which had been as faint as nothing, had now manifested a physical form.

Its appearance was identical to what he wore in his main body.

"This is truly strange. My main body can actually sense the shedding of Jie and becoming a ghost. Could it be... that the world my main body is in is actually the Netherworld Underworld?" Mo Chuan marveled inwardly, a sense of strangeness also growing.

He couldn't investigate this matter for the time being and could only put it aside for later.

Returning to his main body, Mo Chuan ate lunch and then received a package.

When he opened it, he found yellow paper, a brush, cinnabar... everything was there.

He had to admit, this online shopping era was truly bizarre!

There was nothing you couldn't buy if you could think of it.

He had just casually searched yesterday, thinking he would collect the materials for drawing talismans one by one.

Unexpectedly, a merchant had already thoughtfully prepared a talisman-drawing set, which even included a complete collection of talismans.

It truly made him both surprised and amazed.

After organizing the materials, Mo Chuan picked up his brush, dipped it in cinnabar, recalled briefly, and then his brush strokes flowed like dragons and snakes.

The Ghost Subduing Talisman was a ritual for solemn ceremonies, specifically for 'You Jiao' (幽醮).

It wasn't as simple as writing the character 'Jie' (ghost).

Its core was the 'hui' (taboo), also known as the talisman's core.

That is, the character 'Jie' (聻) with the addition of a cloud head (雨), signifying the borrowing of divine power!

As Mo Chuan penned the talisman, he chanted:

"A green cloud covers my head, three golden dots on the left, the dragon's body turns with the moving chariot, the axe cuts down the evil spirits, my ears hear the thunder's roar, all fear flees without stopping, divine soldiers, hasten as the law commands!"

As the words ended, the talisman was complete.

On the ordinary yellow paper, the 'Jie' character with the cloud head flickered with a faint light before returning to stillness.

With a thought, it was absorbed into his body like a Painted Skin.

"It actually worked!"

Mo Chuan looked astonished:

"The old Daoist said that the Ghost Subduing Talisman borrows the power of Jie. I have shed my Jie body and become a ghost body, so how can I still create talismans? Could it be that once you were Jie, your Jie power is permanent?"

"Or perhaps, my Jie power hasn't completely dissipated yet after shedding my ghost body?"

"I hope it's the former! However, the latter is also possible, so I should take the opportunity to write a few more."

With that thought, Mo Chuan wielded his wolf-hair brush again, writing dozens of talismans in one go until he felt a bit dizzy and his vision blurred, only then did he stop.

He looked up at the sky and realized it was already dark.

This was truly strange; writing dozens of characters had taken an entire afternoon!

Mo Chuan scratched his head and went out for dinner.

Time flowed like water, gurgling away.

For several days thereafter, Mo Chuan used the incense smoke as a mirror, quietly listening to the old Daoist of Fu Luan Temple lecture.

During this period, the old Daoist set up altars and drew talismans several times. Besides the Ghost Subduing Talisman, he also drew the House-Guarding Talisman and the Soul-Ascending Talisman.

The House-Guarding Talisman was similar to the Ghost Subduing Talisman, repelling ghosts from the residence.

The Soul-Ascending Talisman was a talisman for transcendence, burned when offering sacrifices to the departed souls.

Mo Chuan, worried that the old Daoist might possess unknown abilities, naturally did not dare to reveal himself.

After that possession and drawing incident, a mysterious connection seemed to form between him and the old Daoist.

The old Daoist was always able to successfully draw talismans.

On the fourth day, he even had Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy hold the brush to draw the talisman.

Unexpectedly, although Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy followed the procedure perfectly, and his brushwork lacked the vigorous strength of a coiled dragon, it was still far superior to Mo Chuan's. Yet, every attempt ended in failure.

This scene made Mo Chuan vaguely realize something.

The old Daoist also felt a sense of foreboding.

On the fifth day, he ordered Xuan Yun the Daoist Boy to draw the talisman alone.

Mo Chuan thought it over and over. He possessed the brush, and the talisman was successfully drawn!

"Ancestors, I should not be partaking in sacrifices, but I am truly forced!"

"My husband, Li Guanqi, will be executed in the marketplace soon. Even with all my family's wealth, I cannot save him. I wished to follow my husband, but I am carrying his child and cannot bear to see the Li family line extinguished!"

"I have exhausted all my means. I only beg the ancestors for protection, to save my husband, to save the Li family line!"

Her sorrowful and lingering prayers drifted amidst the wisps of incense smoke.

Mo Chuan, using the incense smoke as a mirror, saw a gaunt, emaciated woman, almost skeletal, prostrate on the ground in a simple, dilapidated hut, murmuring her prayers.

On the table, a ceramic bowl served as a furnace, with wisps of smoke curling upwards.

—This was the third ownerless incense he had sensed.

He never expected her obsession to be to save someone?!

"Wuwu... Ancestors, I know saving someone is too difficult. If it's not possible, then after my husband dies, just let him appear in my dream!"

The woman, likely realizing the absurdity of storming the execution grounds to save someone, uttered her final plea in grief.

Afterward, she collapsed to the ground, overcome with sadness, nearly fainting.

After an unknown amount of time, she remembered the child in her womb. She forced herself to get up, lay on the bed, heartbroken, and fell into a deep sleep.

Not long after she fell asleep, a faint light suddenly rippled from beside the ceramic incense burner, which had long since gone out.

When the light faded, a man in strange clothing with a buzz cut quietly appeared.

—This person was none other than Mo Chuan.

He glanced at the woman on the bed, then at the bare, simple thatched hut, his gaze inevitably returning to the woman.

In his eyes, the woman looked haggard, and a faint red glow intertwined with her.

Having heard the Fu Luan old Daoist's teachings, he now knew this was Yang Qi!

However, the woman's Yang Qi was extremely weak.

Normal people's Yang Qi should be crimson.

Martial artists with abundant vitality could even emit a sunlight-like white glow, which ghosts would avoid.

It could be said: "Humans fear ghosts by three parts, ghosts fear humans by seven."

Speaking of which, how could some vengeful spirits harm people?

This is not simple, nor is it difficult.

When a person loses their physical shell, they become a ghost. When gathered, they form a body; when dispersed, they become energy.

They can enter the human body through the seven orifices.

This is commonly known as "possession";

It is also called "taking the method."

However, humans have Yang Qi protecting their bodies, like a bonfire.

If a ghost possesses someone, it's like passing through a bonfire; lightly, their vital energy is greatly damaged, and heavily, they might die and vanish.

Unless it's an ancient great demon with a solidified soul, unafraid of sunlight, it naturally wouldn't be afraid of Yang Qi.

Therefore, ordinary ghosts, even when possessing someone, often target the sickly bodies of children.

The woman before him, with her Yang Qi as weak as dying embers, was a perfect target for possession.

By taking her essence and vital energy, it could aid in cultivation.

"I have the Sacrificial Dao Furnace. Possession is too detrimental to one's virtue! However, if I can fulfill her wish and gain her incense, wouldn't a steady, long-term supply be more comfortable?"

"But she and I are not related, and I don't even know why her husband was beheaded. So, I should investigate first. If things don't seem right, I'll withdraw early. I'm not lacking in this one incense."

Mo Chuan thought to himself.

After thinking, he walked to the window and looked outside.

Outside, the green mountains blazed, and the starlight was distant.

Under the quiet night sky, a small mountain village was scattered among the terraced fields, as beautiful as a landscape painting.

"The Chen family has a great demon, and Fu Luan Temple has an old Daoist priest. I'm so bored, it's the perfect night to go for a stroll!"

Mo Chuan was delighted to see this. He dispersed into mist and, following the cracks in the window, slipped out of the thatched hut.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he exited the house, a dog's bark reached him.

"Woof woof woof—"

Mo Chuan glanced over and saw a dark, old dog in the yard, crouched low and barking incessantly at him.

"Hey! Dog, do you think my luck is good or not?"

"Woof woof woof…" "Woof woof woof… Woof woof woof…"

One dog's bark immediately attracted the barking of dogs all over the village, creating a cacophony of woofs!

It even drew shouts from the villagers, making for a lively scene.

"I've long heard the old folks say that some animals can see souls. I didn't expect it to be true."

Mo Chuan chuckled and, his body dispersing into mist once more, headed out of the village.

The village had a complex terrain, with narrow, winding paths crisscrossing everywhere.

It was easy for a stranger to get lost.

Fortunately, Mo Chuan had lost his physical form, so all obstacles ceased to exist. He ascended to get a vantage point, confirmed his direction, and directly fled down the mountain.

However, just as he left the village, he abruptly stopped.

Beside the compacted gravel path, in front of a waist-high earth god shrine, an old man leaning on a dragon-headed staff watched Mo Chuan with a smile.

"You look like a stranger, sir. You don't seem to be from around here, do you?"