My disciple Mo Ting and I extinguished our cigarettes and hurried over as our respective masters approached.
“Master!”
“Master!”
We both spoke at once.
My master and Mo Ting’s master nodded slightly.
Then, my master spoke, “Xiao Qin, where is that fiend’s lair?”
“Xiao Mo, lead me there now, and today I will show you my prowess.”
Upon hearing them, Mo Ting and I both pointed towards the mountain gully west of South Mountain.
“Master, it’s over there!”
“Master, this way!”
With that, Mo Ting and I hurried to lead the way. We were afraid the two old men might start arguing if they took a dislike to each other.
My master and Mo Ting’s master exchanged a glance, snorted, and followed.
On the way, both masters had stern expressions and remained silent. Mo Ting and I led the way without daring to speak. Thus, we led them, bit by bit, towards the gully west of South Mountain. The distance was not great, so it wasn’t long before we arrived in the gully.
At this point, I pointed to a few old houses in the gully. “Master, last night we found the headless fierce spirit in the old houses over there.”
As soon as I finished speaking, my master looked up and around. He clasped his hands, calculating. “Zhen in the east, Dui in the west, Li in the south, Kan in the north. This place faces west, aligned horizontally and vertically. Zhen is strong, Dui is weak. Kan is water, facing the moon. Li is fire, facing the sun. Zhen is thunder, Dui is marsh. The sun and moon are obscured here, with neither sun nor moon. Thunder is Yin thunder, marsh is Yin marsh. The three old houses in front have the left one higher than the right. The position of Zhen has shifted left! If I am not mistaken, the old house where you found the headless fierce spirit last night should be the leftmost one, correct?”
My master’s words surprised Mo Ting and me. Last night, we had to meticulously search each old house to pinpoint the headless fierce spirit’s exact location, wasting a lot of time. Yet, my master, standing at the entrance of the gully and casting a glance into it, could accurately locate it through Bagua calculations and determine the headless Yin spirit’s previous whereabouts. This skill, this cultivation, was awe-inspiring. With such abilities, whether for feng shui or finding ghost lairs, it was truly effortless.
I nodded repeatedly. “That’s right, Master, it was the leftmost old house.”
My master, hearing my confirmation, stroked his goatee with a sense of accomplishment. He then turned to Daoist Tang beside him with a look of disdain. Daoist Tang could not tolerate this slight and directly snorted, stepping forward. “North is water, south is fire, east is wood, west is metal. Earth is in the center. The mountain trends east to west. Wood is flourishing, metal is declining. Wood generates fire, metal’s decline strengthens fire. The vegetation here is dense, showing wood but not fire. Wood is Yang wood, fire is Yin fire. Fire is hidden within wood. Prosperous on the surface, decaying within. Wood rots from insects. From this, I can conclude that the feng shui here is extremely poor, infested with termites.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Daoist Tang casually pulled up a stalk of wormwood by its roots and waved it before his eyes. Beneath the wormwood’s roots, it was crawling with termites. I watched in astonishment. So powerful? Merely by observing the five elements of feng shui, he could determine the presence of termites? The mastery of feng shui techniques was truly profound! While I was still amazed, Mo Ting randomly pulled up a weed on the other side. Underneath the weed, it was also crawling with termites.
“Wow, it’s true, Master, there are many termites under the weeds here too.” As he spoke, to confirm Daoist Tang’s deduction, Mo Ting pulled up weeds from several other spots. In every case, he found traces of termites, to a greater or lesser extent. Daoist Tang smiled at the corner of his mouth, looking at my master, as if to say, you’re not the only one with skills.
Mo Ting and I were utterly stunned. My master could locate ghost lairs with Bagua, and Mo Ting’s master could discern the feng shui of a place through the five elements. Before even encountering ghosts, a profound intellectual duel had begun. Both were extraordinary, true masters. Yet, my master and Daoist Tang exchanged glances, still looking unconvinced by each other. They both snorted and strode forward. Mo Ting and I sighed, appearing helpless. Why did they, both masters of the Bai school, act like enemies? With no other choice, we could only follow…
Last night, Mo Ting and I had come stealthily. Tonight, we came with our masters, without any attempt at concealment. We walked towards those three old houses brazenly. However, before we got close to the old houses, we heard faint sounds of a woman crying. “Wuwuwu, husband, husband…” The voice was mournful, intermittent. How could there be a woman’s crying in this old gully by the graves? And calling for a husband? Moreover, the direction the voice came from seemed to be those three old houses. I immediately became vigilant. Mo Ting beside me had clearly also heard it. He now spoke to me, “Brother Qin, did you hear a woman crying?” I nodded. “Yes, but very faintly. It should be coming from those old houses. Perhaps it’s the female ghost we’re looking for.”
As soon as I finished speaking, my master and Daoist Tang, who were walking ahead, suddenly stopped. Then, Daoist Tang spoke to my master, “Old garbage, did you hear the crying? That female ghost is crying a dirge for you!” My master glanced at Daoist Tang dismissively. “Heh, old雜碎, I think he’s talking about you? The female ghost is in that house now. I won’t say I’m not giving you a chance. Do you want to go first, or should I?”