Chapter 6: The Devil's Lair

  Looking back on the days when I was in contact with my uncle, I vaguely felt that he seemed to have a cold. Because of the hot weather now, we had some perception before, but didn't suspect it. After all, on such a hot day, some people give you a feeling of being very cool, especially girls.

  Now Erniang is in this state, and the suspicion in my heart is rising again.

  Second Aunt was quiet for a while, then suddenly turned her head to look at me, with a serious face asking what exactly happened those few days when Second Uncle and I went out to handle the funeral affairs. Thinking of how Second Uncle was humiliated at Lion's Tooth Ridge that day, my heart felt an inexplicable pang, and I couldn't help but tell Second Aunt everything truthfully. Originally, I had decided not to tell outsiders about this matter, but Second Aunt wasn't an outsider - she was Second Uncle's wife, so of course she had the right to know these things.

  Second Aunt heard me say that Second Uncle was humiliated at Lion's Tooth Slope, and tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn't help but cry. Little Sister heard the commotion and hurriedly came into the room to ask what was wrong. Second Aunt quickly stopped crying and forced a smile, telling Little Sister that everything was fine. Little Sister looked at us suspiciously, then pouted and walked out again, with me following her.

  Second Uncle asked the doctor to come and diagnose Second Aunt, saying that Second Aunt had caught a cold, prescribed medicine, and instructed us to take good care of her and not let her get cold water. After the doctor left, Second Uncle sat alone outside the house for a while, then walked in, thought for a moment, and told us that he might have invited the yin energy of the dead during his Buddhist rituals, causing his body to feel cold, making Second Aunt catch a cold and fever, deciding to temporarily sleep separately from Second Aunt, and setting up a bed next to the tobacco drying room.

  Second Uncle's words were very serious, and we almost didn't think much before believing his words. If Second Uncle really had yin energy on him, then all the previous abnormalities could be completely explained. However, when Second Uncle said he wanted to sleep separately from her, Second Aunt fell silent for a while. In the ten or so years since Second Aunt and Second Uncle got married, even if they quarreled at home, they had never slept apart. Seeing the worry and sadness in Second Aunt's eyes, Second Uncle hurriedly comforted her, saying that although he had attracted yin energy, nothing would happen to him, as long as he drank some talisman water every day, he believed he would recover soon.

  At home, the one who made major decisions was Second Uncle. Upon hearing Second Uncle say this, Second Aunt finally nodded in agreement. She told Second Uncle not to go out and set up a temporary bed, that from now on she would sleep with Little Sister, leaving the room for Second Uncle to sleep in. Second Uncle didn't say anything, silently nodding his head.

  Just this afternoon, Second Uncle took two talismans from the house, burned them in a porcelain bowl, mixed with water, and drank the dark liquid. I stood beside Second Aunt and Little Sister, watching anxiously as Second Uncle's face turned red and white after drinking the talisman water, his mouth tightly pursed, his forehead sweating profusely, looking like he was suffering greatly.

  "Dad, are you okay?" Little sister couldn't help but ask, her eyes full of worry.

  Second Uncle shook his head quietly, suddenly turned to one side, and with a "whoa" sound spat the water on the ground, coughing non-stop. We were startled, hurriedly patted his back, asking if he was okay.

  Second Uncle coughed a few times, his face pale as he looked up at us, forcing out a faint smile and saying: "I feel much better now, this talisman water really works."

  Seeing his expression was not like pretending, we finally put our minds at ease.

  In the evening, I sat with my uncle in the courtyard and found that he kept looking towards the back mountain direction, his eyebrows raised, and a hint of puzzlement in his eyes. I couldn't help but ask him what he was looking at.

  "It's nothing." My second uncle turned his head around and smiled at me.

  After a while, Second Uncle suddenly looked at me and asked: "Xiao Yu, do you want to learn Taoist magic?"

  "Dao technique?" I was taken aback for a moment.

  "Your uncle turned his head and looked ahead, saying to himself: 'You've been very clever since you were a child, I suppose you'll also be very perceptive when it comes to learning Taoist skills.'"

  It turns out that when I was young, I asked my second uncle to teach me the art of catching ghosts, but at that time, my second uncle told me that catching ghosts and driving away evil spirits is a heretical way, and he asked me to focus on reading books. Later, I focused on reading books and never mentioned learning the art again. Now, my second uncle suddenly asks me if I want to learn the art, I don't know what his intention is, but after hesitating for a moment, I nodded firmly and said: "Second Uncle, of course, I'm willing to learn the art."

  Second Uncle did not express any approval or disapproval, but suddenly let out a light sigh and said: "In our family, you are the only boy, Second Uncle can only pass on his skills to you, it's best if you're willing to learn."

  A tinge of obscure sorrow was evident in Second Uncle's tone, as if he were imparting his last words. I felt an inexplicable pang in my heart, and tears welled up in my eyes as I softly asked, "Second Uncle, are...are you alright?"

  "What's wrong with you?" My uncle looked at me strangely. "Of course, Uncle is fine, and not only that, but Uncle will get even better..."

  As he spoke, his voice seemed like a long sigh, sounding very strange.

  I stared blankly at him, unable to speak a word.

  My second uncle took out the thread-bound ancient book that he had been treasuring and not showing to others from his body, handed it to me, and said in a low voice: "This book was obtained by my second uncle when he was young and helped someone move their ancestral grave. There are some Taoist techniques on it. Now my second uncle is formally passing it on to you."

  I took over that thread-bound book and found that on the oily yellow cover were written a few ancient characters: Nine Imperial Divine Strategies.

  As I opened it, I found that the characters inside were all traditional Chinese characters, arranged vertically from right to left, with some strange and awkward line patterns. A mysterious and majestic aura wafted out.

  I had never heard of this book called Jiǔ Yù Shén Cè, but seeing the extraordinary content inside, I felt a few points of inexplicable reverence in my heart and carefully put it away. My second uncle warned me not to lose this book, and I solemnly promised him. In fact, without my second uncle saying much, this book is like a family heirloom to me, with great significance, and I would never lose it.

  The next day at noon, we had just finished eating when Old Man Huang from the village rushed to our house in a flurry, begging Second Uncle to help with something. Previously, our family had some unpleasantness with the Huangs because our cow had eaten their crops. My little sister and I had also fought with the Huang's grandson, Little Third Huang, so now that we saw Old Man Huang, neither of us looked too pleased and didn't want Second Uncle to agree to help them.

  Second Uncle did not immediately respond to Old Man Huang, but instead asked with a serious expression and great patience what had happened. Old Man Huang sighed and told us the story. It turned out that his grandson, Huang Lao San, had gone to the back mountain this morning and when he came back, he was like a madman, shouting "There's a ghost! There's a ghost!" and hitting people randomly. In a fit of rage, Old Man Huang tied him up at the cowshed door, and suddenly Huang Lao San's eyes rolled back, foaming at the mouth. This scared Old Man Huang out of his wits, and he came to find Second Uncle with a thick face.

  After hearing what had happened, Second Uncle was silent and did not promise to help Old Man Huang.

  Old Huang suddenly understood Second Uncle's intention as he thought of their past interactions with our family, and let out a sorrowful cry, about to kneel down. Second Uncle's face changed, and he quickly reached out to support him, not letting him kneel, saying calmly: "Take me to see."

  Although we were very disgusted with Old Man Huang's family, seeing him so humble and submissive, there was nothing much to say. Out of curiosity, my little sister and I followed Second Uncle to the Huangs' home.

  When we saw Huang Lao San, we were frightened. We only saw that Huang Lao San had been taken down from the cowshed door and laid flat on the slaughter board in the yard, his eyes wide open, his face pale, foaming at the mouth, and making a gurgling sound in his throat.

  Second Uncle's face changed upon seeing this, his hand slightly trembling as he pulled out a talisman, suddenly shouting and slapping the talisman onto Huang Lao San's forehead, then his fingers bent and straightened in a seal, reciting an incantation.

  After a while, Huang Lao San suddenly sat up straight, with the talisman on his forehead hanging down over his face, making him look like a zombie, and his appearance was very frightening.

  "Greatly Supreme Daoist, Five Directional Emperor Lords, Heavenly Spirit, Earthly Spirit, Quickly, quickly, as if by imperial decree!"

  Second Uncle's face turned red as he shouted loudly, his hand pressing fiercely on Huang Lao San's forehead.

  Huang Lao San's whole body was as if electrified, trembling violently, and then suddenly his throat let out a loud "Oh" sound. He opened his mouth and spat out a large amount of black, foul-smelling stuff. Then, with a thud, he fell onto the slaughter board, his chest heaving violently, gasping for air.

  "Nie Tian Shi, this..." Old Man Huang was startled by his grandson's behavior and hastily looked at Second Uncle.

  "He's okay now."

  Just then, Huang Lao San suddenly woke up like a nightmare, and Grandpa Huang exclaimed in surprise, followed by extreme joy and tears. Er Biao kept bowing to thank him. Huang Lao San himself removed the talisman from his forehead, looking at Grandpa with a confused face. Grandpa Huang pulled him over and made him kneel down to thank Er Biao. Huang Lao San realized that it was Er Biao who had saved him, and without hesitation, he knelt down with a thud to thank Er Biao.

  Second Uncle casually waved his hand and let Old Man Huang stand up to speak.

  "Lao San, what exactly did you see on the mountain behind?" asked Er Shu, his eyes calmly fixed on Huang Lao San.

  Huang Lao San was stunned for a moment, then suddenly remembered something, his face changed drastically, and he exclaimed: "There's a ghost in the mountain, there's a ghost..."

  "Speak properly!" Second Uncle growled, pressing down on his shoulder with one hand.

  Huang Lao San slowly came to, and after a while, told us that there was a dark cave below the Dog's Head Slope at the back of the mountain, where ghosts resided. Second Uncle immediately asked Huang Lao San to lead everyone to take a look, and my younger sister and I followed along as well. As we walked up the winding stone path shaded by trees, we arrived at the Dog's Head Slope on the shady side of the mountain. When we saw what was above, we couldn't help but gasp in shock.

  The reason why Gou Tou Po is named as such is that the mountain head on the slope looks like a giant dog's head, which belongs to our Yun Long Ba. Nobody doesn't know about it, and in the past, I and my little sister often came here to graze cattle. Perhaps due to the torrential rain a few nights ago, the mountain body of Gou Tou Po collapsed, and now there is a dark cave on top, which is deep and mysterious, constantly emitting a cool and damp air that makes people feel chilly.

  "There...there's a ghost..." Huang Lao San pointed at the black hole above, his heart still racing with fear, and said in a trembling voice.

  The mountain collapsed and actually collapsed into a cave, I also felt incredible, and looking at the deep and quiet appearance of the cave, it seemed to lead to the gate of hell, and my heart was even more frightened.

  Everyone stood under the tree in the forest, looking at each other for a moment, and then they all looked at the old village chief, letting him make the decision. The old village chief sighed, but looked at Second Uncle and said: "Wenshan, you are a Taoist master who understands Feng Shui and the Five Elements, take charge of this."

  I found that my uncle had been frowning and looking serious since he arrived at Dog's Head Slope, with a hint of surprise in his eyes. After hearing the old village chief's words, he coughed lightly, looked at the old village chief, and said seriously: "Uncle Chen Wu, this cave is a place of evil spirits, where yin energy gathers, it's extremely dangerous, absolutely no one should be allowed to enter."

  Second Uncle has a certain prestige in the village, and his words carry weight. Hearing him say this, the villagers couldn't help but take a cold breath.

  "Wenshan, this is a place of evil spirits, will it harm our village?" the old village chief asked worriedly.

  Second Uncle's face was solemn, and he slightly shook his head, saying: "Wait a minute, I'll use some talismans to seal this place, it should be fine."