The Rite of Taming the Years

"A rite or a blessing ceremony is about driving away evil things and spreading blessings."

"If a place has bad feng shui and excessive Yin Qi, allowing Evil Spirits to flourish and making it inhospitable to the living, then the evil aura must be dispersed. That is called a blessing ceremony."

"But if a place has already given rise to an evil thing that constantly causes trouble, then even the best feng shui won't help. The evil aura can never be completely driven out. The thing itself must be driven away, or simply suppressed where it is, lest it harm people. That is what we call a rite."

After openly sharing his thoughts with the Reincarnators, Hu Ma headed back to the Hu Family's old residence with much lighter steps. Once there, he asked about the details of the rite.

That part was simple enough. Old Abacus, Immortal Aunt Miaoshan, and even the little ghost Dou Guan at Miaoshan's side all knew a thing or two.

Put their knowledge together, and they had a firm grasp of it. "Though the two are different, they have some things in common when it comes to carrying them out."

"In the end, the key is to have one person guard the altar, one procession travel around, and one thing to suppress the place. All three are essential."

"First, the chief officiant stands at the altar to drive out evil and suppress spirits."

"Second, invite the Heavenly Protectors and divine beings to circle the city and protect the people."

"Third, set up something to suppress the altar, to make sure it can hold down whatever lies beneath the city and keep it from rising up."

"..."

"We have all those things."

Hu Ma nodded. "Then that's what we'll do. I'll naturally guard the altar.