A light drizzle in the early morning washed away the dust of the world. The slightly damp air felt especially fresh and pleasant. A few bulbuls hopped among the gardenia branches, chirping noisily. They made people want to capture the lively little sprites on their phones or cameras.
At that moment, Cao Lei, chairman of the five-star Yuantian Hotel, was in no mood to admire the early spring scenery outside his window. He looked at his younger daughter lying in bed, her face pale and ashen. Every so often, she let out a faint scream for no apparent reason. He sighed.
No one knew what was happening. For over a month, his younger daughter, Cao Qiuqing, had been plagued by nightmares. She could neither eat nor sleep, and her condition kept worsening. Chairman Cao had taken her to many hospitals and consulted numerous doctors, even inviting renowned experts to examine her. But each diagnosis was different. Some treatments had seemed to help at first, only to stop working soon after.
He had spent plenty of money and consulted many famous doctors and experts, yet nothing had helped. The lively, adorable girl was now emaciated and suffering in bed. At just twenty, her youth was like a withering flower on the verge of death.
The half-closed door was quietly pushed open. Chairman Cao noticed at once and turned to look.
His wife leaned halfway in from the doorway and lowered her voice. "Lao Cao, Master He from Qingliang Temple is here."
"Oh, I'll be right there!"
Chairman Cao rose and reached for his phone on the table.
The screen suddenly lit up, and the phone vibrated faintly.
The caller ID showed an unfamiliar number. He had planned to decline the call, but after a moment's thought, he answered. At the same time, he hurried outside and signaled to the housekeeper to keep watch over his younger daughter in his place.
"Hello, who's this? This is Cao Lei. Was this arranged by Dean Zhou? All right, I'll send someone to pick you up. Oh, sure. I'll wait here. Do you need me to send you the address again? All right, all right."
After hanging up, Chairman Cao let out a soft breath.
Although a friend had asked the dean of Seventh People's Hospital to personally arrange a top specialist, the doctor sounded very young. Cao Lei couldn't help but think a little less of him. His younger daughter's condition had resisted every treatment, so he could only try anything he could. He had even called in a Daoist, after all. A psychiatrist who saw patients at a hospital was hardly more unusual.
A middle-aged Daoist with his hair tied up in a topknot, a simple yet elegant rattan pin running through it, wore a blue cloth Eight Trigrams robe. He brought two young Daoist disciples and bowed to Chairman Cao.
"Infinite Blessings Heavenly Venerable!"
The invocation meant that he was a disciple of the Three Pure Ones, though most people couldn't tell the difference.
Chairman Cao imitated the greeting he had seen in movies and television dramas, clasping his hands in a fist-and-palm salute. "Daoist He, forgive me for not welcoming you sooner!"
The man's otherworldly appearance stirred a glimmer of hope in him. He hoped the Daoist could find a way to rid his younger daughter of the strange affliction tormenting her.
Qingliang Temple, located in the outskirts of Huxi City, had a modest reputation. Word of mouth brought many people to the temple, keeping its fortune-telling, feng shui, protective charms, and ritual services in high demand. The temple's three Daoists naturally made a fortune day after day.
The hotel business had far-reaching connections. Just as someone had helped Chairman Cao get in touch with the dean of Seventh People's Hospital, someone else had arranged for him to invite a Daoist from Qingliang Temple. Rumor had it their methods were highly effective.
Only a wealthy man like Chairman Cao could persuade all three Daoists at the temple to come out. The third-ranked junior disciple, He Xunxian, charged at least a hundred thousand just to make an appearance. Getting the second senior brother, Daoist Li, or the eldest senior brother, Daoist Zhao, was even more expensive.
"Thank you for coming to help, Daoist He. Please rest for a moment while I wake my daughter."
Concerned about her condition, Chairman Cao was about to return to her bedroom and wake her.
Daoist He stroked his neatly trimmed short beard and shook his head. "No need. It's only a few steps. Just show me the way, Chairman Cao."
"Please!"
Grateful that the man was as eager as he was to get to the bottom of the problem, Chairman Cao led the way.
On the soft mattress, the frail girl frowned again and again, like Xi Shi clutching her chest. Her brows would suddenly knit together, then relax. Sometimes she let out a helpless moan, inspiring pity in anyone who saw her.
Daoist He studied Cao Qiuqing from head to toe, then touched her forehead and murmured an incantation.
As if the spell had worked, a few seconds later the frown on the Cao heiress's sleeping face quickly eased. She seemed to fall into a deep sleep.
When he finished the incantation, Daoist He took Cao Qiuqing's wrist, apparently feeling her pulse.
The remarkable effects of his gestures and techniques were immediate, and Chairman Cao couldn't help feeling more confident. He and his wife stood in a corner of the room, watching the man "perform his magic," not daring to breathe too loudly.
A full quarter of an hour passed before Daoist He finally released the Cao heiress's hand and addressed the couple. "Chairman Cao, evil energy has clung to your daughter and penetrated her three souls and seven spirits. I need to set up the Heavenly Dou Gang Array to find out what kind of demon is behind this."
"All right, all right. Please do everything you can, Daoist."
Chairman Cao nodded excitedly.
"Tingsong, fetch the array plate. Wentao, prepare the ritual implements."
Daoist He was fully immersed in his work. With one hand, he counted on his fingers and muttered calculations of Zhou Tian Yi Shu. With the other, he held a polished feng shui compass and paced through the Cao family villa, walking the Seven Stars steps.
"...The Heavenly Gate opens wide, the Greedy Wolf enters; the Earth's gate rises, the White Tiger Star appears. The Celestial Ox cries, frost forms on the White Dew; the Earthly Gui reverses its course, and yang is born..."
The divinations of those who practiced the Dao were always profound and cryptic. The more mysterious and incomprehensible they seemed, the more profound their mastery appeared. People couldn't help but be impressed.
Following Daoist He's steps and hand signs, one exquisite golden ornament after another was brought out: dragons, tigers, phoenixes, tortoises, qilins, bells, and pagodas. They were placed in various corners of the villa.
If the placements were marked on a floor plan, they would clearly form a Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams diagram.
Qingliang Temple had been renowned for a long time. Its Daoists clearly had some real skill.
"Hah! Great Luo Heavenly Lord, by the law of the command, appear at once! Demon, show yourself!"
After pacing through the Seven Stars steps, Daoist He's forehead glistened with sweat. He formed a Daoist hand seal and shouted.
"Excuse me, is this Chairman Cao Lei's home?"
A young man's voice came from the doorway.
A chorus of frightened screams answered him.
Daoist He was startled too. Then, his face darkened with anger. "Who are you?"
He wasn't the only one taken aback. Tingsong and Wentao, the two young Daoists, were both dumbfounded.
Chairman Cao had also gone pale at first, but after Daoist He's sharp question, he quickly calmed down.
It was simply too much of a coincidence. Daoist He had just shouted for the demon to show itself when someone came through the door. Chairman Cao's wife and the housekeepers, already unnerved by the mysterious ritual, had been caught off guard. Thinking a demon had actually appeared, they had screamed instinctively.
"Uh!"
The scene in the room gave Li Bai a start. He immediately understood what had happened and hurriedly apologized. "Sorry, sorry. I'm Li Bai, a doctor from Seventh People's Hospital. I'm here to treat Chairman Cao's daughter. Please, carry on. Don't mind me."
"Hmph! What nonsense!"
Daoist He, annoyed that his ritual had nearly been interrupted, flicked his sleeves and put on a magnanimous air, as if he didn't intend to hold it against him.
It was the first time he'd nearly scared himself half to death.
"I'm Cao Lei. Dr. Li, please have a seat for a moment. This is Daoist He from Qingliang Temple."
Not wanting to let the awkwardness linger, Chairman Cao quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
"Dr. Li, Infinite Blessings Heavenly Venerable!"
With their patron present, Daoist He's expression softened slightly. He bowed to Li Bai, though he only bent at the waist a little.
"Greetings, fellow Daoist!"
Li Bai returned the fist-and-palm salute.
Tingsong, one of the two disciples who had been following Daoist He, snapped, "Young man, you should address my master as Daoist or senior. What gives you the right to call him a fellow Daoist?"
Daoist He's other disciple, Wentao, wore a mocking expression.
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