Chapter 2 A Blind Taoist

  My dad finally came back with a black dog, and the blind Taoist priest, after finishing his kowtows, sprinkled the incense ash used for worshiping ancestors on the broom that was most commonly used in my home, forming a circle around my bed, sweeping non-stop. It's strange to say, but those incense ashes never fell anywhere else.

  The blind Taoist priest had my dad kill a black dog in the northern part of our house, and after taking out the dog's blood, he buried the dog's body in that location. At the same time, the Taoist priest took out his own brush and drew several symbols at seven locations around my bed, which my mom later told me was called the Seven Star Array Spirit Symbol.

  The night grew darker and darker, but my home was brightly lit. The blind Taoist priest walked back and forth in our kitchen, saw a fishing net, picked it up and said to my grandfather: "Get a bowl of dog blood and sprinkle it on the fishing net. Hopefully we won't need to use it, but if we have no choice, we'll have to."

  Mom also thought that the Taoist was a bit strange, although he was blind, but his perception of things was clearer than ordinary people. At that time, Mom didn't understand the difference between heart and eyes either. The Taoist had indeed cultivated to the point where his five senses were interchangeable, meaning his ears could be used as a mouth to eat, his mouth could be used as eyes to see things, and his nose could be used as ears to listen. Although it sounds unbelievable, some people who have reached a certain level can do this, and it doesn't require a very high level of attainment.

  That night, my family and the blind Taoist priest surrounded me, vigilantly guarding against the evil spirit's invasion. We waited until the third watch of the night, but there was not a single movement. The lamp light did not flicker, and the atmosphere in the house was not filled with cold air. Only a few birds flew away outside the window.

  No one noticed these little animals until I met Mr. Zhuo, but that's a story for later.

  Everyone in the house surprisingly didn't feel any sleepiness, staring at the situation around them and me who was fast asleep. My father's scientific theory once again occupied the high ground of faith, thinking that the hundred-day-old taboo is still a deceitful trick. He even heated up some rice in the kitchen to feed everyone, although he thought this blind fortune teller was just after money, but since he came as a guest, he still gave him a big bowl of rice.

  When the father handed the rice to the blind Taoist, the copper bell on his waist suddenly rang out with a loud clang. The Taoist immediately stood up and looked at everything in the house, feeling shocked in his heart. This warning bell had never been wrong before, so why didn't it show any signs of ghosts or monsters this time?

  What a fierce spirit! The blind Taoist suddenly felt a chill, secretly cursing his bad luck. Because I, on the bed, had an eerie expression, with a purplish face and eyes like a malevolent deity, the Taoist casually flicked his wrist, and the dog's blood splattered onto the seven-star array spirit symbols arranged in seven positions.

  Suddenly, a white mist rose from the talisman, my body began to contort, constantly tossing and turning on the bed. The fierce spirit appeared under the pressure of the Seven Star Array Spirit Symbol, visible to the naked eye was a giant black spirit, covered in sharp teeth, with scarlet blood eyes, trampling on me, unwilling to leave my body.

  At this time, my mother had fainted from fright.

  The blind Taoist suddenly threw the fishing net into the basin filled with dog's blood, and it instantly covered my body. The Seven Star Array Spirit Symbol's oppressive power grew stronger, and the ferocious spirit seemed to see a great enemy, its eyes filled with terror and fear. Suddenly, it transformed into a black crow, broke through the air from the hole in the net, and disappeared with a whooshing sound.

  The blind Taoist sat stupidly on the spot, since he had been out of the way, he had never seen a demon that could break the Seven Star Array Spirit Symbol, let alone with the fishing net, the Hundred Xiao Sheng Literary Network was like seeing the heavenly net, it was impossible to escape, even if it was the Ghost King would be captured, and this fierce spirit not only rivaled the Seven Star Array Spirit Symbol, but also broke through the fishing net, I'm afraid...

  "This is absolutely not a ghost." The blind Taoist's one sentence was like a death sentence.

  Grandfather suddenly felt more than a decade older, originally already an eighty-year-old old man, and now his expression was gloomy, because Grandfather understood that if it wasn't a ghost or monster, then it was a non-human being. Only a human-shaped demon with the ability to suppress the Seven Star Array could also break through the fishing net to such an extent.

  Grandpa hugged me tightly, and this usually strong grandpa couldn't control his emotions at all: "My grandson... why are you so unlucky? My grandson!"

  The old man burst into tears, and his mother had already become a tearful person with fear and crying. She hugged her father and had to believe in the fact that what can't be seen doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't exist, and there are indeed things that science can't explain.

  And I have been possessed three times and five times, and I have been in a high fever that has not receded.

  The whole family was immersed in a sad atmosphere, the father seemed very rational because the mother had been panicked for several days. The father kept comforting her and called everyone to drink some soup. At that time, the father said: "I don't understand these ghosts and monsters, whether I am an atheist or a theist, there is one thing that will not be wrong, that is evil can't win over justice! No matter what it is, as long as there is still a glimmer of hope, I won't give up!"

  The blind Taoist looked at my father, nodded slightly, and actually what my father said was not wrong. Evil cannot overcome righteousness, it is indeed so. All evil and filth fear cleanliness and brightness. This is the way, but my father just didn't have the skill.

  My complexion slowly recovered, and my mother's emotions calmed down a bit after drinking some soup. She held me tightly and comforted me until the blind Taoist said at dawn: "I can understand your feelings, but this is not something that I can handle with my abilities. It's all because of the cycle of cause and effect."

  "What does it mean?" Father thought that this blind Taoist priest was going to stir up trouble, but actually he didn't care, only he hadn't expected him to give up so quickly.

  "Don't get me wrong, what I mean is that in this place, there shouldn't be anyone stronger than me. If you can find someone more powerful within a short period of time, then do it quickly, because tomorrow no one will be able to hold on anymore. If you can't find anyone within a short period of time, then trust me and listen to what I have to say!" The blind Taoist paused for a moment.

  Grandfather still trusted this Taoist very much. The Seven Star Formation he displayed was a traditional Daoist technique passed down through generations, and the number of people who could cast this formation in the entire world would not exceed five. Grandfather himself was also half an insider, so he understood this aspect of the martial arts very well. And tonight, that fierce spirit would definitely come again - who else could withstand it? No one.

  "What should we do?" asked Grandpa.

  "Han Dong's child is not only a simple Tianyan that has not closed, but also a rare golden pupil Tianyan in a thousand years. It can penetrate the secrets of heaven and earth, see through the cycle of all things, and naturally possess yin-yang eyes after growing up a bit older. Han Dong's essence is extremely precious, so if that fierce non-human gets it, he will suck it dry to improve his skills, and then devour Han Dong's soul, that non-human can immediately be reborn in the demon world and become the Demon King, while Han Dong will never be able to reincarnate forever." The blind Taoist explained the ins and outs of the matter clearly.

  Grandpa seemed to have thought of something when he heard this, and his weak appearance was as if he had just recovered from a serious illness. He asked: "Well, what's to be done?"

  The blind Taoist held the golden compass in his hand, constantly detecting this region, nodded and said: "Indeed, heaven does not cut off people's roads. There is a dragon cave in this area. If Han Dong is buried inside, even if the evil spirit is stronger, it will be no match for the dragon energy. If Han Dong dies in the dragon cave and reincarnates, he will become a powerful figure in any of the three realms. I advise you to bury Han Dong there, otherwise, after tonight, Han Dong will never be able to transcend again."

  My parents were both frowning, neither of whom wanted to see their only son buried before he was even a month old. But the fact is in front of us, even if we don't believe in reincarnation, can't just watch as the child is killed by evil spirits, right? Burying him whole in thick earth is still better than being taken away by something non-human!

  So we had no choice but to listen to the blind Taoist's words, and our whole family took iron shovels and hammers to the dragon hole found by the blind Taoist. This place is nestled between two mountains, with flowing water and clear air. Even a family without any geomancy skills felt that this place was indeed good, and being buried here was much better than elsewhere.

  The mother was lying on the ground, her voice hoarse from crying, her eyes red and swollen. But at this moment, Father couldn't care about Mother anymore. If he didn't cry now, when would he? Holding it in would be worse. The strong Father confirmed the direction with the blind Taoist priest, who then said: "I must leave now. I may not have repaid Han Dong's kindness, but this Dragon Cave really violates the heavenly way. I'm afraid it will suffer retribution again. I won't do the burial. Farewell."

  Although this blind Taoist priest did not completely eliminate the disaster for the Han family, he had indeed made an effort, and they wanted to invite him to stay for a meal. However, seeing that he was determined to leave, the whole family was filled with sorrow, thinking that they would thank him properly next time they went to the neighboring village.

  Father hugged his fist, slightly bowed, that Taoist walked really fast, just a while and disappeared from sight. Mother told me, she had never seen Han Tianya cry in her life, except on the day he dug my grave.

  My father worked hard to dig a grave for me, and soon he had dug out a rough shape.

  But at this moment, I couldn't stop smiling towards the high mountains because I saw a very familiar person walking out from between the two high mountains. His pace was steady but his speed was fast, and in just a blink of an eye, he walked from far away to close by.

  I was in a cradle watching that middle-aged man, and he actually burst out laughing. The kind of inexplicable closeness and familiarity I felt was heartfelt joy.

  Both parents noticed me, and to their surprise, I was smiling. I even raised my hand, and with a childish gesture, I grasped at the air in front of me. They followed my gaze and saw a middle-aged man wearing a simple yet neat Changshan suit.