Chapter 5

Five, Ritual Implements

Bai Yu arrived outside the town, preparing to find a piece of peach wood that had grown for many years to make a peach wood sword. Generally, peach wood grown in deep mountains is more spiritual than that grown in people's homes, and the wooden swords made from it are also more powerful, so he came to try his luck. There was a small hill outside the town, not very tall, but Bai Yu felt a considerable amount of spiritual energy emanating from it. When he reached the foot of the hill, he was surprised to find a house at the bottom! A lonely thatched cottage. In the small yard surrounded by a fence, an old man with white hair and beard was dozing in an old armchair. Bai Yu approached and called out, "Old sir, old sir."

The old man rubbed his eyes, yawned, and said, "What is it?"

Bai Yu bowed respectfully and smiled, "Old sir, I see you have built your house on this mountain, so you must have been here for a long time. Do you know where there is some peach wood that has grown for many years?"

The old man glanced at him, chuckled, and said, "Peach wood that has grown for many years? I guess you are a cultivator, just like Xiao Jiu from the mortuary."

Bai Yu was taken aback, Xiao Jiu? He quickly realized it must be Uncle Jiu. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself, but looking at the old man's apparent age, he could indeed call him that. So he smiled and said, "Yes, I am a fellow disciple of his, both from Mount Mao."

"Ah, so you are here to find an old wild peach tree to make a peach wood sword?" The old man nodded and asked.

"Yes," Bai Yu replied.

The old man chuckled again, "Then you've come to the right person. A few days ago, there was a heavy rainstorm with strong winds and lightning. I guessed that the heavens were about to punish a demon. After the rain, I went to gather firewood and found the oldest peach tree on the mountain had been struck by lightning and split into several pieces. I brought the largest piece back home. That old peach tree had been there for many years even when I was a child, and it might have become a spirit. Later, it must have done some evil deeds and was punished by the heavens."

Bai Yu's eyes lit up with joy upon hearing the old man's words. Why? Because this was the legendary lightning-struck wood! Lightning-struck wood is peach wood that has grown for many years and has been struck by lightning during a storm, imbuing it with the essence of lightning. If made into a ritual implement, it not only greatly enhances lightning-invoking spells but also, if inscribed with special talismans, can autonomously absorb the energy of lightning. When used in attacks, it can increase the power of the attack several times over.

He rushed forward and grabbed the old man's hand, "Where is that piece of wood? Take me there quickly!"

The old man was startled and said, "I'll take you, but let go of my hand first."

Bai Yu, feeling a bit embarrassed, released the old man's hand and scratched his head, "Old sir, take me there quickly, I need it urgently."

The old man's eyes twinkled, and he chuckled, "Sure, but..." He rubbed his fingers together.

Bai Yu understood immediately and quickly took out ten silver dollars from his pocket, "Here, this should be enough, right?"

The old man's face lit up. He blew on the silver dollars, listened to the sound, and then chuckled, "No problem, I'll take you there." He then led the way to a simple shed behind the thatched cottage. Pointing to a charred piece of wood, he said, "This is the wood that was punished by the heavens."

Bai Yu didn't care about the old man's words and used his spiritual energy to sense the spiritual power in the wood. He was even more delighted. This peach wood was at least several hundred years old, and with the essence of lightning, it would certainly be a rare treasure when made into a ritual implement.

He eagerly picked up the piece of wood, thanked the old man, and returned to the mortuary to refine the ritual implement. He greeted Uncle Jiu, told him he was going to refine a ritual implement and not to disturb him, and then entered his room without stopping. He closed the door, feeling excited, and carefully placed the lightning-struck wood on the table. He observed it for a while, thinking about how to start carving. The piece of lightning-struck wood was about 1.5 meters long, perfect for a peach wood sword, which was the ritual implement Bai Yu most wanted. A Mount Mao cultivator without a peach wood sword would be ridiculed by fellow practitioners, as the peach wood sword is the most common, most frequently used, and most basic ritual implement for Mount Mao cultivators. Without a peach wood sword, a Mount Mao cultivator's offensive power would be reduced, and their ability to intimidate ghosts and evil spirits would also be diminished.

Of course, in terms of offensive power, a peach wood sword is much weaker than a copper coin sword. However, this lightning-struck wood was a different matter. The essence of lightning makes it a formidable weapon against evil spirits, and even righteous practitioners would be wary of it. Bai Yu also wanted to make a copper coin sword, but good materials were hard to find. Generally, the copper coins must be from an ancient dynasty and have strong qi. To find such good materials, Bai Yu would have to rob graves, which was not an easy task.

Bai Yu had already planned everything out and, without hesitation, took out a carving knife from his pocket and began to carve the lightning-struck wood. He was very focused and steady, careful not to make any mistakes.

First, he carved out a rough shape, then began to carve patterns on the hilt and guard. Bai Yu carefully carved every pattern on the hilt, meticulously polishing each one. He then carved a Bagua pattern on both sides of the hilt. He sharpened the blade, carefully carving it. After a long time, he took a deep breath. The blade became slender and elegant, and he held the peach wood sword, feeling a deep affection for it. After all, this was his first ritual implement, and the first one he had made himself, which would likely accompany him for a long time.

However, just carving it was not enough; it needed to be consecrated! Only after consecration could it be considered a ritual implement and used to exorcise evil spirits. Consecrating a high-quality ritual implement is not as simple as reciting a few scriptures in a temple or a Taoist observatory. It requires a drop of one's own blood and a special spell! Blood is precious, and wasting a drop can make one feel mentally exhausted.

But this time, Bai Yu was willing to pay the price. He bit his middle finger and forced out several drops of blood, gently dripping them onto the wooden sword. Then, Bai Yu quickly made a hand sign, and the blood seemed to be guided, spreading rapidly around the sword. The blood soon soaked into every inch of the wooden sword, and Bai Yu circulated his spiritual energy, following the blood into every part of the peach wood sword.

Gradually, the peach wood sword emitted a blood-red glow. After about half an hour, the glow dimmed, and a fierce and thick aura emanated from the sword. The consecration was successful! By this time, the sun had already set, and the birds and insects outside were quiet.

Bai Yu placed the sword on the table. Feeling physically and mentally exhausted, he imagined himself wielding the peach wood sword to slay demons, and with this dream, he fell into a deep sleep. The rooster's crow in the morning woke Bai Yu from his sleep. He opened his sleepy eyes and reached out to touch the peach wood sword.

He smiled foolishly at the peach wood sword, which seemed to sense his joy and trembled slightly in his hand.

Once a cultivator has a ritual implement, they usually first cultivate a bond with it. When the bond reaches a certain level, their combat power will significantly increase, and they can even control the sword with special spells. Conversely, if the bond is not strong enough, their combat power will decrease.

There were still two days before the exhumation of Old Master Ren. Bai Yu used this time to practice intensively and increase his bond with the sword. However, whether it was due to the system's enhancement or because he had made the sword himself, he found that after the initial awkwardness, his bond with the sword increased rapidly. Each time he swung the sword, he gained a new insight, and he found a better angle for the next swing, gradually becoming fluid and smooth.

After two days of practice, he felt that each time he held the peach wood sword, it was like an additional part of his body, as natural as his hands.

On the day of Old Master Ren's exhumation, Wencai got up early, and Qiusheng arrived at the mortuary even earlier. The two of them prepared a lot of things. They had several bundles of incense and a variety of candles of different lengths and thicknesses. Although Bai Yu had inherited the basic techniques of Mount Mao, the manual only introduced some simple spells and their common uses. It had more information on making ritual implements and talismans but very little on setting up an altar. Although his current cultivation level was not much different from Uncle Jiu's—he had eight threads of spiritual energy, while Uncle Jiu had only a dozen or so—Uncle Jiu was a genuine descendant of Mount Mao. In the plot, Uncle Jiu had a secret manual of Mount Mao techniques. Although his talent was limited, his years of experience were evident. Whatever Bai Yu knew, Uncle Jiu knew, and whatever Uncle Jiu knew, Bai Yu did not, such as setting up an altar. Setting up an altar is a very useful technique that allows one to communicate with the yin and yang realms and set up formations to maximize the effectiveness of one's spiritual energy.

Thinking of Uncle Jiu's secret manual, Bai Yu couldn't help but feel excited. He had to find an opportunity to "borrow" it. He believed that after learning it, his strength would significantly increase.

After about an hour of preparation, Wencai and Qiusheng were ready. Uncle Jiu called Bai Yu to rest for a while and have some tea. Soon, the people sent by Old Master Ren arrived. They came to the hall and respectfully said, "Uncle Jiu, Old Master Ren sent us to move the items." Uncle Jiu acknowledged and called Wencai and Qiusheng. The group followed them to Old Master Ren's ancestral grave.

However, the Chinese tradition of watching spectacles was strong. Even for the exhumation of an ancestral grave, hundreds of people from the town came to watch. Uncle Jiu put on a light yellow Taoist robe and a Taoist cap.

The altar was set up in front of Old Master Ren's grave. Old Master Ren came forward and respectfully lit a stick of incense. He then approached Uncle Jiu and said, "Uncle Jiu, the feng shui expert said that finding this spot was very difficult, but it is a good one."

Uncle Jiu nodded and said, "Yes, this spot is called the Dragonfly Touching Water spot. It is three zhang and four chi long, but only three chi is usable. It is one zhang and three chi wide, but only four chi is usable. Therefore, the coffin cannot be placed flat; it must be hidden with a spell."