Chapter 39: Raising Ghosts as Calamities
Hei Bai Wu Chang, who had just been frightened out of his wits, suddenly showed a hint of tenderness in his eyes when he saw the fierce ghost being smashed by Liang Xin. He didn't have time to say anything and hastily rushed back to the coffin shop to check.
Qingmo and Liang Xindai followed them from behind in a big way, while Lao Mao stayed in the store.
The coffin shop was not well-lit, with several large coffins laid out in the outer hall. In the darkness, there was a haunting and eerie atmosphere. Hei Wuchang didn't look at the counter or check the cash register, nor did he avoid Liang Xin behind him. Holding an oil lamp, he walked through the hall and into the backyard, pushing open the door to enter the house. Only then did he let out a long sigh: "Indeed, it's just as I thought!"
A pungent smell of blood filled the room, three people lay on the ground, under them was a thick pool of fresh blood, each person's chest had a bloody hole, apparently their hearts were dug out alive by some kind of creature.
The three corpses were dressed as night walkers and appeared to be flying thieves at night.
The furnishings in the house were exceptionally simple, with only a bed and a table. On the table was placed an ancient bronze vase with strange flower patterns, surrounded by some scattered talisman papers and ashes, as well as several broken golden bells.
Qu Qingmo seemed to have thought of something and walked over, somewhat rudely picking up the copper bottle. After taking a look, he let out a cold snort and handed the bottle to Liang Xin.
The copper bottle felt heavy in his hand, and Liang Xin only then discovered that this bottle was actually solid, or rather it was simply an ornate copper club that could be used as a 'single-handed mace'.
Qing Mo looked at Zhuang Zhou Dao and said: "Wu Xin Ping? Are you from Tie Tou Mountain?"
Zhuang Buzhou furrowed his brow in some confusion: "What's this nonsense about Wu Xinping and Tie Tou Mountain... Let's head back to Riyue Village and talk about it later, we can't stay here."
Song Gongjin then found a iron shovel and dug a hole in the yard to bury the corpse...
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Tie Tou Shan is not a mountain, but a heretical sect of the Daoist school. The disciples under this sect are most skilled in: raising ghosts.
The Wuxin bottle is a ritual vessel used by them to raise ghosts.
It is said that the disciples of Tie Tou Men are good at raising ghosts, driving ghosts, and making deals with ghosts. Among them, there are masters who have entered the Sea Sky Realm and the Mysterious Machine Realm. There are even some elders who have broken through to the Xian Yao Realm and become six-step cultivators. However, they are known for their cunning and ruthless methods. Two thousand seven hundred years ago, they finally provoked the then most famous and prosperous sect in the true way of cultivation, Ming Chun Shan Zong.
After a fierce battle, Iron Head Mountain was razed to the ground, and all disciples under its gate were slaughtered.
After Tiěshǒu Mountain was destroyed, a lone remnant escaped and somehow obtained the famous Línglóng Yùxiāng (Crystal Casket), which made him incredibly powerful. Seven years later, this lone disciple of Tiěshǒu Mountain made rapid progress in his cultivation and single-handedly challenged the entire Míngchūn Mountain. After slaughtering 1,300 Míngchūn disciples, he fought to the death with the leader of Míngchūn Sect.
Qing Mo finished speaking, not only was Liang Xin's face surprised, but Zhuang Bu Zhou also looked stunned, muttering: "This bottle... such a big origin?"
"Evil sect's remnants, everyone can kill you, don't be surprised, first take care of your own life!"
Zhuang Bu Zhou's eyes bulged, and he stomped his foot in a hurry: "What with what, I've become the remnants of an evil sect... Besides, have you guys ever seen such a useless remnant of an evil sect like me?!"
Qing Mo and Liang Xin couldn't help but burst out laughing at the sight of Zhuang Zhou's flustered expression, his usual calm demeanor nowhere to be seen. They found it hilarious from the bottom of their hearts. Liang Xin chuckled as he said, "You'd better start by talking about yourself!"
Zhuang Bu Zhou's face was full of grievances, and although he didn't understand the ways of cultivators, he could comprehend that the four words "Evil Dao Remnants" were enough to make him die three times a day. He hastily explained what had happened.
Zhuang Buzhou and Song Gongjian were both from Pingyao Prefecture, they were brothers who had lost their parents at a young age and grew up together, wandering the world. They were timid and clumsy, but due to their unusual appearance, they possessed an aura of unpredictability, and were taken in by a fortune teller named Liu Banzhen to become his black and white apprentices.
Liu Banshen was quite famous in Pingyao Prefecture, but he never married. Zhuang Zhou and Song Gongjian were considered his half-disciples, and also his half-sons.
In his later years, Liu Banxian saw that the two of them were still quite filial, so he revealed his own secret: Old Man's divination was accurate, all thanks to a 'solid bottle' he had inadvertently obtained in his youth!
Liu Banshen roughly understood the Book of Changes, and after obtaining this solid bottle, he slowly explored a bit of its usage. After several twists and turns, he actually caught a fierce ghost in the bottle. In his daily fortune-telling, he relied on the guidance of this fierce ghost, so it was quite effective.
After Liu Banshan's death, he passed on the solid bottle and his own ghost-nourishing method to the two brothers. However, relying on Zhuang Buzhou and Song Gongjian's appearance, if they were to set up a stall to tell fortunes, they would have no business at all... A high-ranking Taoist priest has two ferocious-looking boys following him, that's prestige; two ferocious-looking boys wandering around by themselves, that's creating evil karma.
Zhuang and Song couldn't make a living by fortune-telling, but they discovered that the copper bottle's fierce ghost had another skill - it could point out where the evil spirit was thick, and reveal the great disaster!
With the silver left by their master, and guided by the copper bottle fierce ghost, the two brothers started a funeral business. Zhuang Zhou opened a coffin shop, Song Gongjian opened a paper horse shop, and wherever they went, there would be disasters. This time, following the fierce ghost's guidance, they set up their shops in Tongchuan again.
The two of them were not allowed to set up stalls next to each other, which was indeed the case. This was a testament to Liu Bansi's early instructions. However, Liu Bansi had not anticipated that Zhuang Zhou and Song Gongjian would start running funeral businesses. The old man's original intention was for his two disciples to get along harmoniously. If they set up fortune-telling stalls next to each other, they would eventually fight.
The Wu Xin bottle is a special vessel of Tie Tou Mountain used to raise ghosts, its power is not trivial. To say nothing of the incompetent ghost that Zhuang Zhou and others raised, even if it were the real Ghost King, it would be no problem. However, Liu Bansi didn't know how to use it, and relied on his own exploration. The town-ghost symbol and the like-minded golden bell are all ordinary goods, fortunately, the bottle itself is a good thing, so it can raise this fierce ghost for decades.
Zhuang Buzhou finally let out a sigh of relief: "What my brother and I didn't expect was that you two could make the restaurant so lively, with all these robust men coming and going, and even at night, they're still making a racket, stirring up that fierce ghost. I'm afraid if this continues, something will happen, so I brought Song Gongjian to advise you two bosses to close up early."
Then, Zhuang Buzhou cursed and swore, saying: "The origin of this copper bottle is like this. My brother and I have indeed raised a ghost, but we don't know what Tieyoushan or Wu Xinping are, nor are we the remnants of evil Taoism. You two are wise and discerning!"
Liang Xin nodded after listening, turned his head to look at the old cat who was still staring blankly while holding a cup of hot tea, and asked softly: "Those three night travelers... are they your friends?"
First seeing the old cat, then seeing the three dead bodies in the coffin shop, Liang Xin basically guessed what had happened.
The old cat suddenly woke up like a dream, sighed turbidly, shook his head and said: "They are the ones I invited from outside the pass, they all do those unscrupulous businesses. I was ruined by two evil spirits, it's really infuriating!"
The old cat was not a decent person to begin with, and in a fit of rage, he ran outside the pass and spent money to hire three flying thieves to take revenge on Zhuo Bu. Unexpectedly, the three thieves opened the seal of the copper bottle and released the evil spirits.
The talismans on the Wuxin Vase and those in Zhuang and Song's hands were interconnected, when one was broken, the other would also emit smoke...
After finishing, the old cat also shook his head and sighed: "I didn't expect that the two masters would make a big fuss out of nothing, if I had known earlier, I wouldn't have run outside to busy myself, almost causing a great disaster, not to mention harming three innocent lives!"
But these three flying thieves were not good people either, and their death can be considered as a removal of harm for the people.
Liang Xin's heart was filled with pride once again as he looked at Zhuang Bu Zhou, his face sinking: "According to what you said, Tong Chuan is about to have an accident?"
Zhuang Buzhou nodded vigorously: "Something will definitely happen, otherwise why would we have come all the way here to open a funeral home! When I advised you two to leave Tongchuan twice before, it was also with good intentions!"
Liáng Xīn hadn't expected Zhuāng Zhōu's lack of concern, and asked in a string of questions: "What disaster? What date? How many people will die?"
