Spirit Gathering Array

After listening quietly for a while, I mustered up my courage and walked towards the source of the sound.

The wooden house had some gaps, so I peered inside through them...

When I looked over, the sound suddenly stopped. I wondered if I had imagined it.

No, that's impossible. The sound was very real; I couldn't have misheard it.

My heart pounded a little. I glanced outside again, but there was nothing there. I felt a little relieved.

I prepared to get up and walk back. Just as I turned to leave, the sound reappeared.

Being toyed with like this, back and forth, made me a little angry, so I shouted, "Who's there?"

A somewhat cold voice replied, "Kid, do you want to cultivate?"

I shrunk my neck and asked, "Who are you?"

"You don't need to know who I am. I'm just asking if you want to cultivate?"

"Yes, why?"

Hearing my answer, the voice sounded a bit excited. "Let me out, and I'll teach you."

I asked him, "Where are you?"

"Outside in that red jar. Break it, and I can come out.

Then I'll teach you to cultivate," the voice said sinisterly.

I thought to myself, That means I have to go outside? No, no, I can't go out.

My voice trembled with fear as I said, "No need, my Martial Uncle will teach me. He'll be back tomorrow."

The voice outside was silent for a moment, then said, still unwilling to give up:

"I can teach you better than he can. Believe me, just let me out, and I can swear on my ghost."

"Ghost? You're a ghost?" I stammered.

"Yes, but I won't harm you. Don't worry."

I became even more scared and said, "No, no need. My Martial Uncle will teach me. You should leave quickly. My Martial Uncle will be back when it's dawn."

Then he said, "You're a ghost too, a coward."

Nothing else happened until dawn. I sat by the campfire until it was bright daylight before I dared to go outside.

Stepping out of the room, I looked around and found the jar with the red seal.

I saw that the talismans on the jar were very different from those on other jars.

The talismans on other jars were yellow, but the one on the red-sealed jar was purplish-black.

And there were many of them pasted densely. Some of the talismans at the very bottom were weathered.

I walked over to take a look, and suddenly a voice came from inside, "Yo, the coward is out?"

I was startled and immediately wanted to run back into the room. Halfway there, I remembered, What am I afraid of in broad daylight?

Besides, if he could get out, he wouldn't have to stay in the jar. I felt reassured.

Then I walked back and asked, "What kind of ghost are you?"

I had spoken too quickly, uttering this rather amusing question.

The thing inside laughed heartily for a while, then replied, "Definitely not a coward."

My face darkened, and I asked, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. It's been a long time since I met someone so interesting."

I asked again, "A long time? How long is a long time?"

The person in the jar paused, "Hmm... eighty years? Or a hundred years?

I forgot. It's been too long since I spoke to anyone.

That scruffy old man was also a man of few words. No matter how I spoke to him or provoked him, he wouldn't react. Over time, I just stopped bothering with him."

Mustering my courage, I asked, "Who are you? Why are you inside here?"

As soon as I finished speaking, the surrounding jars and pots began to shake one by one.

Then an angry voice said, "Some bull-nosed old Taoist priest trapped me here."

Then it asked itself, "Also, who am I? Who am I?"

It shouted and asked itself like that. This sudden change startled me.

I hurried back into the house. After a while, the commotion subsided.

I didn't dare to step out of the room for the rest of the day, until around five or six in the afternoon.

My Martial Uncle returned, appearing at the doorway in a flash.

I was startled and then asked my Martial Uncle how he did that.

Martial Uncle said with a calm and indifferent expression, "When you reach my cultivation level in the future, you'll be able to do this too. Don't be surprised."

Then he put down the bag he was carrying, and it looked quite full.

Martial Uncle patted the dust off his clothes, then glanced at the sky before continuing, "It's too late today. Get a good rest tonight, and I'll start teaching you cultivation tomorrow."

I agreed and then asked Martial Uncle what the red-sealed jar outside was.

"That's an old ghost who's lost its memory. Oh, no, it's more like a nagging ghost. It asks and answers itself there all day. Just ignore it."

Martial Uncle glanced at me and then asked, "Did it bother you last night?"

I nodded and recounted what had happened last night to Martial Uncle.

Martial Uncle said calmly, "It's fine. It can't get out, and even if it did, I could catch it and put it back."

I then asked Martial Uncle about the ghost's origin.

Martial Uncle told me that it was sealed by his master many years ago, who was the previous Sect Master of Maoshan.

At that time, his master was traveling and discovered it in a certain place. His master studied it for a long time but couldn't figure it out.

Although it didn't seem to have much cultivation, it gave him a sense of unease.

It was very strange, so he brought it back. Initially, he sealed it with an ordinary jar and a common yellow talisman.

But the next day, it escaped. Strangely, it didn't run away; instead, it caused chaos within Maoshan.

One day it would knock over a nest of eggs, the next it would ruin a vegetable garden, and the day after that, it would mess up his master's room...

Punishing it seemed too much for a minor offense, but not punishing it meant it would continue to cause trouble.

His master was very frustrated, and the disciples at Maoshan were all complaining.

Finally, his master used a specially made jar and more advanced talismans to seal it.

Later, when I came to Lin'an Village with Senior Disciple Brother, Master told me to bring it along, saying it might be useful someday.

I asked Martial Uncle what use it could possibly have. Martial Uncle said he didn't know either.

It had been kept there for so many years, and apart from talking a lot, it hadn't done anything else.

"Go get something to eat, then get a good night's sleep. I'll start teaching you cultivation tomorrow."

I responded with an "Okay," and after eating, I went to my room to rest. Martial Uncle made a makeshift bed for me, and I slept soundly that night.

The next day, I woke up yawning and went outside. I saw Martial Uncle tinkering with something and, out of curiosity, walked over to take a look.

Martial Uncle said while busy, "It's almost ready. You'll enter the array soon."

Hearing this, I asked in confusion, "Enter the array? Enter what array?"

Martial Uncle stopped what he was doing and said, "This is a Spirit Gathering Array. Because you've passed the age for cultivation, the Innate Qi within your body has already disappeared. Therefore, we need to use some arrays and materials to help you find your qi sensation."

Looking at the various items, I asked Martial Uncle what they were. Martial Uncle said they were materials for setting up the array.

Then Martial Uncle picked up a stone and a piece of wood and introduced them to me, "This white stone is called 'North Sea Ivory Stone.' It has the effect of gathering spirits. This branch-like thing is called 'Sun Gathering Wood,' and it also has the effect of gathering spirits. Combined with cultivation methods, this will allow someone who has never cultivated before to sense the surrounding spiritual energy."

He continued, "Each sect has its own cultivation methods. The process may differ, but the outcome is the same: guiding external spiritual energy into the body and then circulating it within the body. This is the initial stage of cultivation and also the foundation for later realms."

After speaking, Martial Uncle pointed to the array he had set up, "Enter the array. Sit with your legs crossed, relax your body, quiet your mind, and use your body to feel your surroundings. Let's see how your qi sensation is first."

I followed Martial Uncle's instructions, sat down, and began to feel for changes around my body. At first, there was nothing. Then, slowly, I felt as if a layer of something was enveloping my body. It felt like a thin layer of mist clinging to my skin. Sometimes it felt cool, and sometimes it felt warm. My whole body felt incredibly comfortable.