Chapter 2 Big Uncle

  Shi Yian felt a chill run down her spine and her scalp went numb.

  After lunch, all the plates and bowls were taken away, and Master Wang called over a young boy. The boy was wearing a green short jacket, with two braids tied up on his head with red ribbons.

  "Xiao An, you live in Si Wei Ju, this is Yun Mo, who is in charge of cleaning at Si Wei Ju."

  The little boy bowed and called out "Young Master Sun". This startled Shi Yiran half to death. What kind of era is this? There's still such a title, and this child is at most thirteen or fourteen years old... shouldn't this be considered employing child labor?

  "It's okay, it's okay, I can clean up myself." Shi Yi'an had a strong sense of self-protection and found it really hard to get used to having someone help him clean these things.

  "It's too biased there, let Yun Mo and you live together, I'm more at ease."

  Shi Yi'an returned to Si Wei's residence under Yun Mo's guidance, and it was only when he rested that he finally understood what 'that place is too biased' meant. All the other courtyards in the mansion were together, but Si Wei's residence was a small independent courtyard surrounded by peach trees. As he walked through the peach grove, he heard the rustling sound of peach leaves and the sweet laughter of girls playing, but after looking around for half a day, he only saw a short, stout man squatting under a peach tree fertilizing it. No one else was seen besides him.

  "Si Wei Ju originally was where the second young master lived, later the second young master went down the mountain and it became empty." Yun Mo led Shi Yi An into the courtyard and introduced: "The house facing north and south is the main house, Sun Shao Ye lives in the main house. The west house is a study room, the east house has no use now and is empty. I live in the south house, if you need anything just call me."

  Two people walked through a small door beside the main house, behind which was a basketball court of several dozen square meters...

  "This is the schoolyard, the toilet is at the southeast corner, every morning Old Man Lin will come to clean it."

  Shi Yi'an looked at the thatched cottage surrounded by a wooden fence, his face turned green. Then he heard Yun Mo continue to say: "Oh, of course, you can use the bathroom in the main house normally, this outhouse has basically not been used for a long time."

  "...please don't speak in such a loud and urgent tone."

  The main house where Shī Yǐ ān lives looks like it has been renovated recently, and basically all kinds of modern household appliances are available. The doors and windows do not use paper like the main house, but instead choose wooden windows with larger gaps, and glass is also installed in the gaps.

  "Master Sun, you rest first, if there's anything just call me."

  Yun Mo silently backed away, leaving only Shi Yi'an alone in the room. His luggage was neatly stacked on the round table, he didn't know if it was Old Lin who put it there. Shi Yi'an took out his phone from his pocket, but there was no signal at all. Now even the chance to seek help outside was gone.

  Perhaps because they were in the mountains, the house was very cool even without air conditioning, and Shi Yian felt a bit tired after relaxing his nerves. Since he had come, he might as well rest, so he decided to take a nap first.

  Shi Yi'an slept exceptionally well, and when he opened his eyes, it was already dark outside. He had just sat up and was looking for his shoes under the bed with his head down when he heard the sound of the wooden door in the main hall creaking open. Immediately after, Yun Mo's voice came in. When he walked, there was no noise, and only when he spoke could Shi Yi'an sense the presence of this person.

  "Master Sun, I've put dinner on the table. Call me if you need anything."

  Shi Yi An used her foot to hook a pair of slippers, lifted the thin gauze on the bed and ran outside. Yun Mo was already gone. On the table were three dishes, one meat and two vegetables, and a bowl of rice. Yun Mo had left early.

  "Yun Mo." Shi Yi'an went to pull open the door, and as soon as it opened, she bumped into Yun Mo who was standing at the entrance, face to face, startling Shi Yi'an.

  Yun Mo's hands were clasped together in his sleeves as he bowed his head and asked, "Young Master Sun, what is the matter?"

  "Don't be so polite, I'm not used to it. Just call me by my name." Every time Yun Mo called him "Young Master Sun" with such politeness, Shi Yian would feel goosebumps all over his body, and this way of addressing him made him feel like he had traveled into some ancient romance novel.

  Yun Mo listened but didn't express agreement or refusal, waiting for Shi Yi's next instruction.

  "I just want to ask, I don't have to go to the main hall for meals anymore?"

  "The dinner at the Master's residence has always been eaten in each house's own courtyard." This Yun Mo spoke slowly and elegantly, completely inconsistent with his appearance, giving a feeling of being an old soul in a young body.

  "Oh, I see. Thank you for letting me know. Why don't you join me and eat together? It's boring to eat alone." Shi Yian felt that he couldn't help but tense up whenever he saw Yun, unable to treat him like a child.

  "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Sun, but I've already eaten."

  Got it. They didn't listen to themselves anyway, still calling him Young Master Sun. Shi Yinan smiled awkwardly and said, "Fine, I'll just eat by myself then."

  "After Master Sun finishes his meal, just leave the plates on the table and I'll take care of them."

  "I understand."

  After eating, Shi Yi'an lay on the bed with his legs raised, staring blankly at the various jade stones, enamel, and ceramic pieces inlaid on the eaves. He felt that everyone in this mansion was strange, as if their thoughts and values had already become disconnected from others.

  The company asked him to report on Tuesday next week. He thought he could go back after staying for two days, but now it seems that he may need to think of other ways to leave.

  Shi Yi'an yawned and felt drowsy again, vaguely hearing a girl's laughter outside. He rubbed his eyes and listened carefully, but heard nothing. Probably misheard, Shi Yi'an didn't think much of it and fell asleep soundly.

  At the gate of Si Wei's residence, Yun Mo chased out several little girls in pink clothes from the courtyard and said in a low voice: "Don't make noise, Young Master Sun is resting."

  Several little girls pushed each other, and finally one little girl was pushed out, standing timidly in front of Yunmo, saying: "We just want to go see the young master, we won't make any noise."

  "This is not the young master, but the young master's son. If the young master returns, I will naturally notify you." Yun Mo stood at the door, in short, he didn't let them enter and waved his hand to shoo them away.

  Several girls looked at each other and couldn't provoke Yun Mo, so they left in a huff.

  In the room, Shi Yi's mouth was watering freely as he dreamed of getting a promotion and raise, becoming the CEO, marrying a beautiful rich woman, and reaching the pinnacle of his life.

  On the second day, at dawn, when the sun had just risen, Shi Yī ān was called up, and after washing and having breakfast, he followed Master Shi's old grandfather to the ancestral hall for worship. His eldest uncle also went with them.

  The great uncle walked beside Shi Yi, saying in a low voice: "Our family has been dealing with catching ghosts, exorcising demons, communicating with spirits and fortune-telling for over 1,200 years. Of course, under special circumstances, we are also responsible for killing zombies."

  Shi Yi's mood wasn't very pleasant, and she couldn't care less that her elder uncle was her senior. She coolly asked: "Is that so? So we're that awesome? Can we also fight zombies and bravely venture into the doomsday world?"

  "The zombies are not our responsibility, the emergence of zombies is due to the virus, we are powerless against the virus, this problem needs to be solved by relying on modern science and technology." The elder's face changed slightly, and he explained seriously in a normal tone.

  “……”

  Can't you tell I'm mocking you? Shi Yi'an rubbed her forehead and stopped talking, continuing to listen to her uncle's teachings.

  "There are five people in your generation with the surname Yi. Your eldest brother, Shi Yi Bo, specializes in Qimen Dunjia. Your third brother, Shi Yi Qun, specializes in Feng Shui. Your younger sister, Shi Yi Ming, is skilled at divining with rice grains. These three usually don't live on the mountain. Your youngest brother, Shi Yi Xing, has been living in Yangyang House on the east side due to health reasons."

  "Hmm, I have a question. Why are all the members of our family doing this line of work, except for my dad?" Shi Yi'an asked.

  The great uncle glanced at him and turned around to continue saying: "Generally speaking, among you descendants, there should be one person mainly responsible for catching ghosts and monsters..."

  Ignored, and Eldest Brother's method of diverting the topic is also too unrefined.

  Seeing that his uncle was unwilling to answer, Shi Yue also stopped asking. If he didn't want to say it, someone would eventually know anyway.

  Three people walked through the garden and turned around a house made of grey bricks, then they saw the gate of the ancestral hall.

  Originally, Shi Yi An thought he would see a large stack of ancestral tablets, but it turned out to be a wall full of portraits, and the ones closer to this generation were even sketches and oil paintings, really keeping up with the times.

  "The first master of the Shi family received help from the ancient wolf god, Xukong, and learned the Taoist arts, which allowed the Shi family to stand alongside the other three great families." Master Shi said with his hands behind his back, looking at a faded portrait.

  Ancient wolf god, Gonggong? I haven't read many books, don't try to cheat me. How can he say that in his childhood, he was also familiar with Chinese mythological stories and played several domestic games, but he only remembers that there is a Gonggong in the game "Gods", how come he doesn't remember that there is also a Gonggong?

  "Uh, excuse me, I've never heard of this 'Kong Kong' before." Shi Yian asked.

  The old man turned around and looked at Shi Yian, answering: "Many of China's ancient myths were passed down orally, even if they were recorded in writing at the time, they have been scattered in the long river of 5,000 years. As for the legend of the ancient wolf god, I also heard it from my father."

  "Oh." It's just making up stories, wait until I make them up for my son, they will definitely be more wonderful than yours.

  "There are many families that can exorcise evil spirits and demons now, but most of them look up to the four families of Bai, Zhang, Zhong and Lu. In their eyes, our family is just a small, insignificant household." The old man couldn't help but let out a long sigh as he said this, continuing, "Remember, try to have as little contact with them as possible."

  Shi Yi'an nodded along even though he didn't understand. He had long since made up his mind to slip away, and as for the family that subdued demons and evil spirits, he wasn't interested in the slightest.

  "Offer the incense, after this stick of incense is burned out, you can formally start practicing Taoist magic." The old man handed over three sticks of black incense, which emitted a strange and inexplicable smell that made Shi Yian feel nauseous. Just as Shi Yian was thinking about how to leave quickly, he felt something cold and wet brush against his forehead, like an icy animal had licked him with its tongue, sending shivers down his spine.

  "Did you feel it?"

  "What?" Shi Yian was still thinking about the strange feeling from just now, and had to divide his attention to consider Master Shi's question.

  "Do you feel cool between your eyebrows?"

  "Yes." Now he was not only cool between his eyebrows, but also all over his body. The numbness on his scalp flowed down along every nerve, causing goosebumps all over his body. The old man heard the affirmative answer and let Shi Yu'an insert the three incense sticks into the incense burner. This inexplicable ancestor worship ceremony ended just like that.

  "From this afternoon onwards, let your three uncles formally start teaching you."

  "Uh-huh." I'll slip away early tomorrow morning.

  After a brief lunch break, Shi Yi An officially began his first lesson in Taoist magic.

  "I'm mainly in charge of explaining the relevant theories, but theoretical things are often quite dull. To increase your interest, today we're going to talk about a more interesting book, 'Shan Hai Jing'." The elder stood opposite, tapping his hand on the thread-bound book on the table, speaking with an air of authority.

  Shi Yi'an held his chin with one hand and flipped through the Shan Hai Jing with the other. The contents were written in standard script, all handwritten, and there were some dark pictures at the back, probably depicting the animals and plants described in the previous text. However, the painting skills were really not worthy of praise.

  "Three hundred and seventy miles east of here is the mountain called Zhenyang. Its sunny side has a lot of red gold, while its shady side has a lot of white gold. There's an animal that lives there, it looks like a horse but with a white head, its markings are like those of a tiger but with a red tail, and its sound is like a song. It's called the Luoshu deer, wearing it can bring good fortune to one's descendants."

  The old man spoke in a rhythm and tone that was comparable to the news broadcast, every sentence had the same speed and tone, he managed to turn an interesting book into something as dull as sugarcane pulp.

  Shi Yi'an listened intently while covering his mouth and nose with his hand, secretly yawning.

  "There is a bird, its shape is like a chicken, with three heads, six eyes, six feet and three wings. Eating it will keep you awake. What do you think?" The elder saw that he was really not in the mood, so he found some topics to ask him about.

  "It's pretty good, six legs and three wings, similar to the KFC chicken rumored online." said Shi Yian.

  The old man thought for a moment and said, "The characteristic of this bird is that it's not edible, so basically no one will eat this bird. However, your thinking is good. Let's continue with the next content."