Chapter 10

In the face of great calamity, I had no choice but to comply, not daring to think too much. As I kowtowed, the old Taoist in the blue robe smiled and said, "You are teachable! In principle, you are a demon, and I am a Taoist of the Shangqing Sect who subdues demons and exorcises evil. We are natural enemies. However, first, in this life, you have never done evil, and killing you would taint my hands, making my talismans unstable. Second, when I examined your bones just now, I found that although you and I have no master-disciple connection, there is a subtle connection between you and my sect. The river of fate is long and deep, and I cannot see through it. I do not know what the consequences of this connection will be, or how high the sapling I nurture will grow. Therefore, you must understand three things."

I kowtowed respectfully, touching my forehead to the ground, and said loudly, "Please speak, Master!"

With a jar of turbid wine, the old Taoist, slightly tipsy, stood up and said loudly, "First, the arts of magic are perilous, and the path of cultivation is long. All magical techniques are imbued with malevolent energy, which is a powerful force. Without a gentle and benevolent heart to balance it, one can easily fall into evil. Therefore, the first thing is that you must strive for goodness. Can you agree to this?"

I kowtowed and repeated his words, then said loudly, "I understand." The old Taoist nodded and continued, "Second, good and evil are matters of the heart and nature. Few in this world can clearly define them. Since I have saved your life and taught you the means to survive, I have a duty to help you. In the future, if you encounter members of my sect, you must avoid them and not defy them. Can you agree to this?"

I did not know if the old Taoist had any relatives or friends, but I kowtowed and promised. He did not pause and continued, "Third, evil spirits and demons are adept at tempting the heart and leading one to evil. If you survive, and someone tries to lead you to evil, if they are truly evil, you must oppose them, even if it means death. You must not join them or aid their evil deeds. Can you agree to this?"

I did not understand the implications of these three promises or how they would affect my life, but I repeated them and kowtowed. Afterward, the old Taoist laughed and said, "Since you have agreed, I will place a blood curse on you. Do you have any objections?"

Blood curse?

The name sounded terrifying, but I had no other choice. I kowtowed and said, "It's fine." The old Taoist went into the inner room and soon returned with a small box. He had me sit in front of a bronze mirror, cross my legs, and close my eyes. I did as he said, but soon I felt a sharp pain in my wrists, and blood began to flow. I wanted to open my eyes, but the old Taoist shouted, "Keep your eyes closed!"

I was frightened and kept my eyes tightly shut. However, I felt more and more blood flowing from my wrists, and then from my ankles. The pain in the darkness was even more sinister and terrifying. I did not dare to cry or move, only gritting my teeth and enduring it. Then I felt a finger pressing against my forehead, and the old Taoist began to smear my face with blood while chanting, "I command the spirits to stop and the lightning to cease, I command the Four Guardian Deities to protect and the teachings to be preserved, I command the wicked and greedy demons to be expelled and the light to shine..."

This continued for a long time, and suddenly I felt a sharp tap on the top of my head. He shouted, "The Azure Dragon and White Tiger lead the way, the Vermilion Bird and Black Tortoise guard me, as the law commands!"

I felt my blood boil, and I could not help but open my eyes. I saw two drops of golden blood from the old Taoist's thumbs shoot toward my eyes. I screamed, feeling as if my soul was being cleansed and burned. I could no longer sit still and rolled on the ground, crying out in madness. It seemed as if there was another voice crying inside me, a bone-chilling, icy cold cry.

I was in pain but opened my eyes and saw the ghost child who had been riding on my neck standing in front of me, drenched in water, with blood streaming from its pale eyes.

Wah, wah, wah...

For some reason, I felt inexplicable anger and reached out to grab it. This time, I managed to catch it. I ignored the terrifying sight of the water ghost child, covered in algae and fish, and angrily tore at its face. The once ferocious ghost child could not fight back and only cried. At that moment, I suddenly felt a pain in the back of my head. I looked up and saw the old Taoist softly say, "If you want to be good, you must restrain your killing heart. Although it has tormented you for days, making you restless, it is also a pitiful being. Why not help it to transcend?"

He used a ruler to strike me, causing me great pain, but I gritted my teeth and asked, "How can I help it transcend?"

The old Taoist put away the ruler, made a hand seal, and placed it on my back. He then said loudly, "I have a fragment of the final volume of the *Dengzhen Yinfu* (Secrets of Ascension). Follow me and recite—Heaven and Earth are naturally pure, the foul air disperses, the cave is profound and empty, the light is bright and the Great Origin is clear..." He recited loudly, and it sounded like thunder in my ears. I did not know why, but the related memories surfaced in my mind, and I recited without error. As I recited, the water ghost child's form began to fade and eventually detached from my body, floating upward.

I saw the water ghost child smiling, and its eyes, once filled with hatred and malice, now showed gratitude.

Goodness is like the sea, and virtue is the root. When the heart is grateful, the seasons are peaceful. I felt warm inside, and I was more delighted to see the water ghost child freed than to have killed it and destroyed its form.

This was the power I had gained, and the sense of accomplishment from being needed.

After sending the water ghost child to transcend, I saw myself in the bronze mirror, startled by the strange blood patterns on my face. But I quickly calmed down and looked back at the old Taoist, who was also sweating. His originally clean hands were now dirty. Seeing me look at him, he smiled and said, "My blood curse is different from the divination techniques of the southern regions of Myanmar and Thailand. It will only respond when the demon within you acts, and it will not harm you otherwise. Moreover, these two drops of essence blood infused into your body will bring you good fortune, planting the seed of the Dao. In the future, you may achieve great things!"

Looking at the old Taoist's face, covered in sweat, I was filled with immense gratitude. I knelt and kowtowed again, saying, "Erdan thanks Master for saving my life!"

I had kowtowed so many times, but this time he responded. He waved his sleeve, and I involuntarily sat up. Then he raised his eyebrows and said solemnly, "Before, I did not care about you, just a country boy. From now on, you are part of my sect, and I have something to tell you—A man's knees are more valuable than gold. You can kneel to heaven, to earth, to your parents who raised you, and finally, to your master who teaches you. Apart from these, there is no one else in the world you should kneel to. Do you understand?"

I respectfully clasped my hands and said sincerely, "I will remember this and keep it in my heart forever."

The old Taoist helped me up, his tone slightly softer, and said seriously, "Don't think that everything is over now. This was a water calamity, the second of your life's calamities. You still have sixteen more, each more dangerous than the last. If you want to resolve them, there might be only one way in the world, and that is to fuse with the ancestral spirit. What is fusing with the ancestral spirit? It is using poison to counter poison, using evil to counter evil, using a more powerful ancestral spirit to suppress the demon within you. There are many intricacies involved, and I doubt you would understand, but in short, if you want to live, you must endure much hardship..."

I nodded firmly and said, "I have already died once, so I am not afraid of hardship!"

The old Taoist looked at me seriously and sighed lightly, "You really remind me of him, but you are not him... Where is he? Child, it's late, go to sleep. It's cold on the mountain, don't stay up late."

I washed my face and obediently went to the straw mat to sleep. The fat girl, who had eaten and drunk her fill, also came to snuggle with me. The old Taoist left the immortal's abode, and I do not know where he went. After the events of the day, I was exhausted both physically and mentally, and I fell asleep without realizing it. When I woke up, I felt something wet and slippery on my neck, and I did not know what it was.

Could it be...

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