When I heard the words "Baiming Hui," I was greatly surprised.
This thing was no trifle.
Nor was it a great weapon.
It was something that specifically attracted Yin energy.
This was an introduction I had found in the classical notes left by my master.
It was a mixture of willow leaves,槐树根 (huáishù gēn - roots of scholar trees), 榆树皮 (yúshù pí - bark of elm trees), 梨树枝 (líshù zhī - branches of pear trees), and 桑树花 (sāngshù huā - flowers of mulberry trees) – five types of Yin wood, burned with Yin fire into a pile of ash.
Then, the ash from the hair of over a hundred deceased individuals was added.
It was a type of "black ash" mixed in a one-to-one ratio.
This ash was also called "Baiming Hui."
In the past, when City God temples were built, this substance was mixed into the wall plaster.
Its main purpose was to attract ghosts.
It drew wandering spirits and lonely specters to the City God temples.
So that the City God could preside over their cases and send them down to reincarnate.
The City God was the one who received ghosts and could suppress them.
There was nothing wrong with that.
But if ordinary people carried this thing, or if this ash was mixed into building materials for construction.
A yang residence could become a yin residence, and a house for the living could turn into a haunted house.
It was something that the living found highly undesirable and taboo.
I never expected that Master Jiang would have so much "Baiming Hui" here.
Because the mixing ratio was one to one.
For such a large bag of Baiming Hui, how much human hair would it take to mix this much?
I looked at the black cloth bag in my hand with astonishment.
But Master Jiang answered with certainty:
"That's right, Baiming Hui.
As soon as the boat moves, you can sprinkle it into the river."
Master Jiang was performing a ritual and didn't explain much.
Old Mo, however, asked with confusion:
"Old Qin, what is Baiming Hui?"
"It's Yin ash made by burning five types of Yin wood along with the hair of over a hundred deceased individuals and mixing them.
I read about it in a book.
It said this ash attracts Yin energy.
It brings great harm to the living and no benefit.
Contact with it for too long can shorten one's lifespan..."
I spoke truthfully, telling Old Mo what I had read in the book.
Old Mo's eyes widened as he listened:
"Holy hell, this ash is that damaging?"
As the two of us examined the Baiming Hui.
Master Jiang, at the bow of the boat, brought his hands together.
And then he let out a low roar:
"Start the boat!"
Master Jiang's shout was incredibly penetrating.
This shout seemed to echo across the entire river surface.
But as soon as he finished speaking.
The small boat we were on let out a dull "clang."
It sounded as if the bottom of the boat had been struck by something.
Old Mo and I's first reaction was whether the water spirits had come to hit the boat again.
We quickly looked down over the sides of the boat.
Looking down, it was one thing. But when we did.
Old Mo and I were both terrified.
Unbeknownst to us, a school of live fish had swum into the river.
They were densely packed, swimming below the boat.
They continuously bumped their heads and backs against the small boat.
Making continuous "dong, dong, dong" sounds.
Just like the noise when the water spirits had hit the boat earlier.
Those fish were very strange; neither Old Mo nor I had ever seen them or knew their names.
They had black backs, large mouths, and whiskers.
Their eyes were large, resembling sheep's eyes.
They looked like catfish, but not quite.
They resembled carp, but they weren't.
They were now gathered at the bottom of the boat.
The small boat, which had been steadily floating on the river surface, suddenly began to move.
It started to glide towards the black mist ahead...
"Damn, w-what's going on?"
Old Mo exclaimed in surprise again.
I also snapped back to reality, finding it unbelievable.
But it seemed that these fish had clearly been summoned by Master Jiang.
Truly the boatman of this river.
His methods were indeed admirable.
But I hadn't forgotten what Master Jiang had told me, to sprinkle Baiming Hui into the river as soon as the boat moved.
I quickly opened the bag.
The bag was made of leather, and it seemed to be snakeskin.
It was sealed in three layers.
Tied very securely.
When I opened the third layer of the bag, a faint fragrance instantly wafted towards me.
It was so fragrant, the scent was more pleasant than perfume worth thousands of yuan.
"So fragrant!"
I sighed unconsciously.
At the same time, I scooped a handful of Baiming Hui into my hand.
The fragrance instantly washed over me.
It was very strange, none of the five Yin woods were fragrant.
Human hair was even less likely to have such a scent; when burned, it would have a burnt, foul odor.
But who knew that when these items were mixed together, they would be so delicately fragrant.
It felt as if it could penetrate our skin.
Making the entire person feel relaxed.
Not strong, but the aroma was irresistible.
It was so fragrant that Old Mo and I couldn't help but take another deep inhale.
Master Jiang, standing at the bow of the boat, saw this and loudly stopped us:
"Don't smell it, it will shorten your lifespan.
This is for the ghost fish in the river to eat.
It is also used to lure that malevolent ghost."
Master Jiang's shout jolted Old Mo and me awake.
Only then did we remember that this was Baiming Hui, something that attracted Yin energy.
The living should not touch or inhale it casually.
Without further hesitation or delay, I grabbed a handful of Baiming Hui and threw it into the river.
As soon as the Baiming Hui hit the water, we heard the "slurp, slurp" sounds from the mouths of the large black fish in the river.
It sounded like the noise of a baby sucking on a pacifier.
And the small boat we were on began to accelerate.
Looking back again.
The turbulent black water was only about five meters away from us.
It was moving against the current, constantly chasing our boat...