chsdbacks Chapter 14 It's alright, I'm a Taoist.
Chapter 14 It's alright, I'm a Taoist.
Inside the Taoist temple, in the dead of night, only a single lamp burned forlornly.
Huang Bai sat under the lamp, flipping through the ancient book.
This was his first real encounter with something like "magic".
Although the Divine Sword Technique can be considered a form of magic, it is ultimately not intuitive enough and is far less clear and understandable than this kind of incantation or restriction.
Most of the spells he saw in his dreams were of this kind.
"The Sun Mantra, recite the incantation, and golden light will dispel evil."
"The Taiyin Mantra, the Taiyin Moon Essence, heals both internal and external ailments."
"The Enlightenment Mantra opens the eyes and ears, allowing one to see through evil spirits."
"The Wall-Passing Spell: Pass through walls and ramparts, come and go as you please."
After reading it, Huang Bai had a general idea of what was going on.
It can fight, heal, see through ghosts, and even has escape techniques; it's already quite well-rounded.
For the next few days, he simply stayed indoors and focused on practicing these spells.
"The sun's rays, at their two poles, illuminate the Three Pure Ones; by imperial decree!"
Inside, Huang Bai chanted a spell in a low voice, and a golden ray about three inches long suddenly condensed from his fingertips.
Whoosh!
He flicked his finger, and a golden light shot out, instantly creating a small crater in the ground, its edges charred and burning hot.
Huang Bai's eyes flickered slightly, and he cast the wall-passing spell again. He took a step forward and passed through the wall without any hindrance, arriving directly on the other side.
Immediately afterwards, he chanted the Enlightenment Mantra again, and a layer of black light faintly appeared over his emerald green eyes.
This incantation can briefly open one's eyes, allowing one to see ghosts and also to see the impurities floating in the world.
Huang Bai casually took out the Tomb Raider Talisman and examined it closely.
Sure enough, deep within the Tomb Raider Talisman, there was a faint trace of strange power, somewhat similar in nature to the golden light of the Sun Curse.
"I see."
Huang Bai finally understood.
It's not that no one has mastered that secret technique; it's that the vast majority of people simply cannot master it.
He was able to succeed because he had taken external elixirs, which allowed him to step into the threshold of cultivation. The medicinal power was circulating in his body, which enabled him to activate these spells.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but think of Zhi Gang again.
Should we tell the old Taoist priest about this? Or should we just teach him the magic?
After thinking about it for a long time, Huang Bai decided to put the idea aside for the time being.
Zhi Gang's current body probably can't withstand the side effects of the external elixir, since the emerald eyes and square pupils caused by the external elixir are inherently harmful to the body.
In addition, Zhigang was already old and frail, and it was possible that he had already fulfilled his wish to pass on the legacy, and then, in a moment of relief, he would simply pass away.
"Let's wait a little longer."
The next day, Huang Bai found Zhi Gang and handed him the Tomb Raider Talisman.
"This is a tomb raiding talisman passed down from the Eastern Han Dynasty. It has the power to ward off evil spirits. You should wear it for now."
Zhi Gang initially wanted to decline, but seeing Huang Bai's serious expression, he finally accepted.
"Okay, I'll keep it."
He clutched the talisman in his hand, his tone still firm, but his expression had clearly relaxed a bit.
This was the first time in twenty years that he had received something from a younger generation.
He glanced down at the tomb raiding talisman in his hand and suddenly felt a little dazed.
If his grandson were still alive, he would probably be about the same age as Huang Bai now.
In the days that followed, Zhigang completely retired, and almost all the affairs inside and outside the Taoist temple were handed over to Huang Bai.
Ring ring.
The phone suddenly rang.
"Master, there are screams coming from a swimming pool in Jordan late at night. The manager would like to invite you to perform a ritual."
Late at night, Huang Bai changed into a neat outfit, stood in front of the mirror, tied up his long hair, swallowed the inner core, and carefully sensed the faint medicinal power within his body.
Huang Yaozu and Li Guoqiang from the miscellaneous affairs department also arrived at the swimming pool.
The old gatekeeper hunched his shoulders and spoke in a weak voice:
"A little girl drowned in there last month, and ever since then, there have been screams coming out every evening. You go in, I won't follow."
Huang Yaozu, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, casually said, "Guoqiang, go check out the filtration pool."
Li Guoqiang squatted down and rummaged around for a while, then quickly scooped a clump of wet, long hair out of the filtration pool.
"The hair is clogging the filter, that's why there are always strange noises at night. Just clean it out," Huang Yaozu said loudly to the door.
Huang Yaozu waved his hand, sending the old gatekeeper away.
Just as the two were about to leave, they heard footsteps outside the door.
Huang Bai, carrying a magic sword on his back, slowly walked in.
Huang Yaozu frowned and glanced at him: "Who are you?"
"Wong Sin Shrine, Kowloon, Wong Pak." Wong Pak nodded to the two of them. "Good evening, you two."
"It's all taken care of here." Huang Yaozu lit a cigarette, his tone rather impolite. "There are no ghosts in this world. Don't get involved in these supernatural things. Go back."
Huang Bai smiled, but his expression was somewhat strange.
"Yeah?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than another eerie scream echoed through the swimming pool.
Li Guoqiang suddenly turned around.
This time, the noise definitely couldn't have come from the filtration pool.
There, by the pool, stood a little girl, soaking wet.
She was deathly pale, wearing a swimsuit, her hair plastered wet to her face, and black water dripping from her body. Her pupil-less eyes stared blankly ahead, and she kept muttering:
"Mom, I miss Mom... I want to go home..."
While reciting, he wandered back and forth by the pool.
In the dark and empty venue, only her eerie voice echoed back and forth, sending chills down one's spine.
Although Li Guoqiang was a grown man, he was starting to feel the strain. His face turned pale, and he unconsciously took two steps back.
Huang Yaozu remained relatively calm, but looking at Huang Bai, he lowered his voice and said:
"These are wandering spirits with little consciousness, not vengeful ghosts. They'll dissipate on their own after a while. As long as they're not possessed, ordinary creatures can't do anything to them."
"It's nothing," Huang Bai replied. "I'm a Taoist priest."
As soon as he finished speaking, he took a step forward, made a hand seal with his right hand, and chanted a spell in a low voice.
Whoosh!
Golden light shot out from the fingertips.
boom!
The golden light struck the little girl's soul directly, and the ghostly figure exploded on the spot, turning into countless tiny, flowing fireflies.
As soon as the fireflies dispersed, they were drawn together by something and gathered towards Huang Bai, disappearing into his body and eventually flowing into the inner core in his abdomen.
Huang Bai's heart stirred.
"Can the inner core absorb ghosts?"
He immediately perked up.
The medicinal power of the inner elixir is not inexhaustible. If killing ghosts could also replenish the medicinal power, then this deal would be worthwhile.
Judging from this, if we really encounter the Ghost King, we might be able to pull off a big heist.
Even more shocked than Huang Bai was Huang Yaozu.
"Spell..."
"There really is magic..."
Huang Yaozu stared at Huang Bai, completely dumbfounded, muttering to himself, his eyes wide open.
Ghosts are not scary.
The scariest thing is knowing there are ghosts, but being completely helpless.
But right now, there's someone standing right in front of me who can kill ghosts with magic.
It felt like a light suddenly turning on in the dark.
Huang Bai had just come to his senses when Huang Yaozu rushed up, his voice trembling with excitement.
"Are you the expert from last time?"
He stared at the sword on Huang Bai's back before he suddenly realized what was happening.
It turns out that the person who killed that possessing ghost with a single sword strike last time was the one right in front of me.
"It's me," Huang Bai nodded.
"Savior, you are the savior." Huang Yaozu's face was no longer dejected. "You must join us."
Huang Bai shook his head without even thinking.
"Joining is fine, but cooperation is enough."
"From now on, you'll be in charge of gathering intelligence for me. Notify me if you have any leads."
Huang Yaozu was taken aback: "Why? We have official status, which makes things much easier..."
"How do you know there aren't any people in the official ranks who are possessed by ghosts?" Huang Bai looked at him.
Huang Yaozu was momentarily at a loss for words. He had considered this possibility before.
But this kind of thing was too hopeless, and he never wanted to think about it too deeply.
After a long while, Huang Yaozu slowly nodded.
"It's a pleasure working with you."
At this moment, his muddled, half-dead life seemed to finally see something new.
Over the years, his efforts to investigate and catch ghosts have caused him to fall out with his family and be treated like a freak at the police station. He drowns his sorrows in alcohol every day, just getting by. Now that someone who can truly deal with ghosts has finally appeared, he certainly won't let go.
Huang Bai took out the remaining two Tomb Raider Talismans from his pocket and handed them over.
"Take these two talismans; they can protect you from ghost possession. Consider them your reward for gathering information."
Although it was their first meeting, Huang Bai wasn't too worried about the two of them.
Judging from the original trajectory, these two weren't necessarily bad people. Besides, he needed help going forward; having someone keep an eye on things was better than blindly stumbling around alone.
Moreover, giving away these two tomb raiding talismans will also have the benefit of opening the door.
That way, those two guys won't suddenly get possessed by a ghost one day and turn around and stab themselves in the back.
"Thank you, thank you." Huang Yaozu's eyes lit up, and he quickly took the tomb raiding talisman. "Guoqiang, take this one, don't lose it."
He examined the tomb raiding talisman from all angles, and the previous smell of alcohol seemed to have mostly dissipated.
Li Guoqiang solemnly accepted it and carefully put it away.
The three exchanged contact information before parting ways.
Huang Bai walked out of the swimming pool, and the night breeze blew in his face.
He looked up at the starlight in the sky, the night reflected in his emerald green eyes, and suddenly smiled.
"Savior?"
"That's not a bad point."