Introduction

  The big name of Liu Erniangzi is Liu Xingxu, and he has an older brother named Liu Xingzhong. As a peasant family in western Sichuan, especially a poor farmer without land, the two brothers were able to have such names thanks to the kindness of Liu Xingting, a local landlord known as "Liu Dshanren" (Liu the Good Man). The three brothers of the Liu family had two in the military, one of whom was even the king of Sichuan, and another who was also a warlord. However, there is a folk song that says: "Our hometown produces noble people, but not as good as our hometown producing kind people!" This kind person is Liu Xingting. He built roads in Anren Town, repaired streets (with shops in front and houses behind), collected minimal rent, and provided housing for neighbors without homes, thus revitalizing the commercial activities of Anren Town. He invested in building schools, and during the construction process, he supervised and inspected the quality every day. He spent a lot of money to hire the best teachers, reduced tuition fees for poor students, and never interfered with the school's teaching activities.

  The Liu brothers, Xingzhong and Xingshu, were not destined to read or write because of the school opened by Liu Xingtang. The teacher thought that their names were not elegant, so they changed them to Xingzhong and Xingshu, taking the characters "Zhong" and "Shu". As a result, the brothers' names immediately became more refined.

  His elder brother, Liu Xingzhong, is a honest man. He read books for several years and returned home to rent and farm Liu Xingtian's fields, being an honest tenant farmer. His younger brother, Liu Xingshu, however, was not a peaceful person. Since communicating with teachers at school, he knew about the vastness of the outside world and always wanted to go out and make a name for himself. However, as a son of a farming family, this was just an illusion. He might have been able to take the path of reading books, but the times were turbulent and the Republican government was on shaky ground.

  Liu Xingxu read books for a few years and could only go back home to farm, but he was not reconciled in his heart. Before long, he really got an opportunity.

  The land of Huaxia, Bashu, has always been a place where strange people and events gather. There is also a legend that in the mountains of Shu, there lives a sword immortal who can fly and escape into the earth. In the folk, there are not a few strange people. Not far from Liu Xing's home, at the foot of a mountain, lived a strange person named Tuo Bo. It is said that he has mastered the art of magic, is good at using charms and spells to heal diseases, and is very effective. Within a hundred miles, everyone knows his great name, and also knows that Tuo Bo is not a kind person, who is greedy for wealth and has many diseases that others cannot cure, but as soon as he arrives, they are immediately healed. In private, the villagers spread rumors that Tuo Bo uses charms to harm people.

  Although it is a rural rumor, in fact, it is so. Tuo Bo Lian has the skills of "Ear Report God" and "Five Ghosts Yin Soldier Technique", which are often used to secretly harm people with five ghosts and then rescue them. In the mountain foot, a red brick concrete Western-style building was built, in that era, except for some wealthy people, even small landlords could not afford it. However, the heavenly way of revenge is not pleasant, his wife and children died one after another every year, leaving only one person, but he still did not repent, doing what he wanted to do.

  Such a person, although an outsider, is actually close to being a monster. Liu Xingxu naturally didn't dare to provoke him. Perhaps it was retribution, but Tuo Bo ended up dying at the hands of his younger cousin. Tuo Bo was a master of dark magic and would often enter a meditative state, usually for exactly seven days, during which he would lie in a coffin while his cousin kept watch. If there were no signs of life after seven days, they would bury him. On the seventh day, he would kick open the coffin lid and emerge. The second time was the same, but the third time his cousin was fed up with taking care of him and wanted to seize his foreign house and wealth, so before the seven days were up, he sealed the coffin and buried Tuo Bo in the ground.

  His younger brother occupied his property, moved into the foreign house, but Tuo Bo's ghost was making a big noise in the house, and many things were damaged. Not long after, his younger brother was also frightened to death. Only then did people discover that in Tuo Bo's home, from the stove ash to the rice jar, there were large amounts of money hidden everywhere, all moldy and rotten. However, the haunting became even more fierce, and this place became a forbidden land.

  Liu Xingxu was still a child when he passed by his uncle's house one time and found his uncle burning incense in a specially arranged quiet room, flipping through a book, and then hiding it in a hole on the wall behind the ancestral tablet. Now thinking about it, that should have been a book on magic, and it should still be there now.

  As soon as Liu Xingxu thought of this, his heart was burning with desire. He had always admired Tuo Bo's skills, and if he could get that divine book, he could also cultivate a set of skills for himself. The world is so big, it should be possible to go there, but that place is said to be haunted by ghosts, even during the day, and it's said that Tuo Bo often appears there too. If he goes to retrieve the book, who knows if he'll be harmed by the ghost spirits.

  Liu Xingxu thought about this and tossed and turned for several nights, wanting to go but also afraid. However, in the end, greed overcame reason, and he decided to take a chance and make the trip. Although Liu Xingxu was a country bumpkin, he was very intelligent and had attended school for several years. The teachers who were hired at great expense were also knowledgeable and experienced, and the school had a library where Liu Xingxu had read some books. Some of these books told stories about magic being afraid of dirty objects polluting it, although they were just legends, they should be effective, because magic really existed, and the case of Tuobo in front of him was a living example. Based on this, combined with some folk legends about methods for dealing with ghosts, Liu Xingxu prepared four things, not knowing whether they would have any effect, but feeling more at ease.

  These four things, one of which is a Guanyin statue carved from a piece of peach wood. He didn't have the money to buy one, so he found a piece of peach wood and carved one himself. It's less than two inches tall and doesn't look very much like Guanyin. On the back, he carved the words "Guanshiyin Pusa" (Guanyin Bodhisattva) and hung it around his neck with a red string. He heard from the monks at the temple that reciting Guanyin's name would make ghosts give way, so whenever he had some free time, he'd grasp the statue and mutter to himself: "Namo Guanshiyin Pusa!" (Homage to Guanyin Bodhisattva!) Over the course of several days, he didn't know how many times he recited it.

  The second item was incense ash, which was taken from the censer in the temple. It is said that incense ash can cure illnesses and was burned in front of Buddha, so it should have some effect. He packed a small cloth bag with some of it. The third item was black dog blood. He secretly went to another village and saw a small black dog. After spending several days looking for an opportunity, he finally slaughtered the little black dog and took a large ceramic jar of its blood. The fourth item was a sturdy willow branch over two feet long. According to folklore, "Willow branches beat ghosts, the more you beat them, the smaller they get." Liu Xianxu wasn't satisfied with just that, so he soaked the willow branch in black dog blood for seven days and seven nights. In his mind, he thought that even if an evil spirit was beaten by the willow branch, it would probably be unable to escape.

  The four objects were ready, but something unexpected happened. Although it was autumn now, seven days had passed and the black dog's blood had rotted. Under duress, he could only bring three objects: a protective Guanyin statue; a small bag of incense ash; a willow whip that had been soaked in black dog's blood; and a box of matches and candle heads. Taking advantage of the early evening, they arrived at Tuo Bo's house.

  These past few days, Liu Xingxu has been secretly observing the entrance of Tuo Bo's house from afar during the daytime. He sees the quiet room on the east side of the Western-style house, with its door half-closed and slightly rotten. In his mind, he repeatedly thinks about how to get inside and what to do if he encounters a ghost. Every blade of grass and every tree is crystal clear.

  The western-style house was located in the courtyard, but the gate had long since disappeared. The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, and although it wasn't completely dark yet, Liu Xingshu felt a chill run down his spine as he gazed out at the desolate scene. He couldn't help but feel afraid - it was impossible not to be when facing something unknown. Despite being well-prepared, only heaven knew whether it would have any effect!

  Liu Xingxu psyched himself up, praying to all the gods and bodhisattvas for protection. With his right hand grasping a willow branch whip and his left hand clutching a handful of incense ash, he steeled himself and walked into the courtyard, his entire body tense with fear. He had gone two-thirds of the way when suddenly, from the front-left, there was a loud whooshing sound that scared Liu Xingxu so badly that the incense ash in his left hand spilled out all at once, and the willow branch whip in his right hand lashed out wildly. His whole body tightened up, and without thinking, he turned to run, but the corner of his eye caught sight of a bat flying by. His heart immediately relaxed, and with his left hand, he wiped away the cold sweat that had broken out on his forehead, smearing ash all over it. Liu Xingxu didn't realize this, nor was there a mirror to reflect his appearance back at him.

  After this commotion, Liu Xingxu's tension in his heart had lessened a lot. When one is frightened to the extreme and then passes it, they unconsciously no longer feel fear. Liu Xingxu pushed open the half-closed door of the quiet room, where on the wall opposite him was hung a yellow fabric curtain, like a canopy covering the wall. On the offering table in front were several memorial tablets, followed by some bowls and plates, then an incense burner, with candle holders on either side, each holding half a red candle. On the floor was a meditation cushion, which had already become moldy. On the walls to either side hung some paintings, but there wasn't much dust on them.

  Liu Xingxu stepped inside, and the room was very dark, feeling a bit cold and strange. Outside it wasn't that cold, probably because this place didn't get sunlight. A thought flashed through Liu Xingxu's mind, and he focused his attention on the yellow curtain. He lifted the curtain, and on the wall were several paintings of gods and Buddhas. Liu Xingxu didn't care what they depicted, but a brick on the wall seemed different from the others. Liu Xingxu placed his willow whip on the altar, took out matches, and found that bringing candles was unnecessary - there were already some on the candelabras beside the incense burner. He lit them, and the room suddenly brightened up. Only then did he see that the brick had a shiny oil stain, clearly often touched by people before.

  Liu Xingxu reached out and pulled out the brick, in the wall hole, a red cloth wrapped around a rectangular object, which should be a book. Liu Xingxu was overjoyed in his heart, the long-awaited magical book was right in front of him, he took it out with one hand, opened the red cloth, inside were two thread-bound books, before he could see the words on the cover, something strange happened suddenly.

  The temperature in the room suddenly dropped, as if winter had arrived abruptly. The flames of the two candles turned green, and a gust of dark wind swirled inside the room. The book in my hand suddenly burst into green flames with a whooshing sound. Throughout the entire room, clusters of eerie green phosphorescent fires spontaneously ignited, accompanied by strange whispers.

  Liu Xingxu was so frightened that he involuntarily flung his hand back and forth, an instinctive action. The book flew out of his hands, one page suddenly enveloped in a green flame, while the other fell to the ground, also bursting into green flames. Liu Xingxu's left hand grabbed a handful of incense ash from his bag and scattered it over the area. Strangely enough, as soon as the incense ash passed by, the phosphorescent fire around them immediately extinguished itself, and the green flames on the two books also flickered twice before dying out.

  Liu Xingxu didn't care about these things, his right hand stretched out and the willow branch whip on the nearby table was already in his hand. With a flick of his wrist, he randomly lashed out in all directions, first feeling a tightening sensation, then seemingly hitting something. He heard a shrill cry in his ear, and a faint green light rushed towards Liu Xingxu's forehead. Upon touching his forehead, it paused for a moment, and a faint golden light flashed before the green light went out. Liu Xingxu only felt a cold, watery substance flowing into his brain, and he felt his spirit lift, with everything becoming clearer to him.

  Looking around again, everything returned to calmness. The candles emitted a faint yellow light, and even the indoor temperature seemed to have risen a lot. It was as if what had just happened was only a dream. Only the two burnt books on the ground proved that it wasn't a dream.

  Liu Xingxu waited for the atmosphere to calm down a bit, and at this time, he was no longer afraid, but rather excited that his legendary and folk method actually worked. In fact, many folk rumors are reasonable, of course, there are also exaggerations. Liu Xingxu's peach wood Guanyin statue had little effect, after all, it hadn't been consecrated. Relying on Liu Xingxu's few days of Buddhist chanting, although there was some effect, if he wanted to achieve the effect of driving out ghosts, without years of chanting and letting his spiritual power condense on it, it would be useless. The incense ash was effective, after all, in the temple, the incense fire was offered, and the monks' daily recitation of scriptures made the Buddha statues generally consecrated. The monks' long-term recitation of scriptures and the devout worship of good men and women made the incense ash naturally have the power to drive out evil spirits, although it wasn't strong, it still had some effect on ordinary ghosts. The most useful thing was that black dog blood-soaked willow branch whip, filthy things were actually the nemesis of heresy. There was another reason here, Tuo Bo's body had been destroyed, and his yin spirit couldn't exist independently for a long time, he couldn't persist until today, which proved that Tuo Bo's skills weren't low. Originally, it was about to disperse, but when Liu Xingxu came to take the book, it came out to scare him, and after being sprinkled with incense ash and whipped with the willow branch whip, it was difficult for him to finish, and his last bit of residual soul tried to attach itself to Liu Xingxu's body in order to survive. However, unexpectedly, when Liu Xingxu wiped the sweat from his forehead in the courtyard, his forehead was covered with incense ash, and he bumped into the incense ash, a bit of the monks' and good men and women's spiritual power suddenly extinguished his consciousness, and a bit of spiritual energy flowed into Liu Xingxu's mind. This was why Liu Xingxu felt a cool air flow into his brain.

  Liu Xingxu picked up two damaged books. The first one only had two pages left, and the second one had its cover burned away, with several pages also burned in the back half. Liu Xingxu didn't examine them closely, but put them into his chest, blew out the candle, and snuck out quietly. Since there was no one around anyway, he hastily returned home, feeling extremely excited inside. His family was poor and didn't use candles, so on the bed, he flipped back and forth until around midnight before falling asleep in a daze. When the rooster crowed, he woke up with a start, saw that it had already grown light outside, went out the door, found a quiet spot, and used the morning light to take a look.

  After flipping through, I finally understood that the first volume was burned away and should be the upper volume. From the remaining pages, it seems to be some cultivation methods, while the lower volume is a method of spells, including how to set up a quiet room altar. The back is also incomplete, with only one complete article, which is the Five Ghosts Yin Soldiers Method, cultivating the five ghosts on the body, borrowing the five ghosts to do things, and the Five Ghosts Moving Technique that Liu Xingxu had heard of before is one of its applications.

  Cultivation is not difficult, the method is complete. First, set up a quiet room, then choose a night to go to a cemetery like a burial mound. In the east, dig a grave and take the white skull, wrapped in green paper. Then, in the south, take another skull, wrapped in red paper. Similarly, in the west, use white paper; in the north, use black paper; and in the middle, use yellow paper. This is called the five ghosts of the five directions. Bring them back to the quiet room for worship. Every day, at dawn, noon, and night, burn incense three times. Recite common spells like the Jing Fa Jie Zhou (净法界咒) and Jing Xiang Zhou (敬香咒) each three times. Then recite the Pan Gu Xi Hun Zhou (盘古吸魂咒) seven times and the Cui Hun Zhou (催魂咒) seven times, three times a day, for 49 days. Naturally, the five ghosts will return to their positions, and you can command them to do things according to your own will, for good or evil, all within your own thoughts!

  Liu Xingxu found a cave in the mountains where the sun rises and set up a quiet room altar according to the requirements of the book. He took all the necessary things directly from Tuo Bo's quiet room, and on one night, he plucked up his courage and did some grave digging. He started practicing the law, and after seven days, the spell was complete. Five small whirlwinds flew around him, and Liu Xingxu knew that the five ghosts had been captured. On the 49th day, a strong wind blew, and outside the quiet room, the whirlwind rolled in. Liu Xingxu recited the spell loudly: "The green ghost enters my liver, the red ghost enters my heart, the white ghost returns to my lungs, the black ghost resides in my kidneys, the yellow ghost dwells in my spleen, return to your positions! As commanded!"

  Five ghosts enter the body, in an instant, ghostly eyes open, not heavenly eyes, but ghostly eyes that can see yin objects! Liu Xing's heart is filled with joy, the world is so big, he can go anywhere, he doesn't want to be trapped in the countryside. Where should he go? His gaze falls on the east, the end of the Yangtze River, where it's said there's a paradise for adventurers, a bustling metropolis...

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