Chapter 33: Gathering Yin Site

Old Man Jiang did not pay attention to me. Instead, he carefully observed the terrain here. After looking for a long while, he said in a low voice, “Sandwiched between two bamboo groves, no wonder the yin energy is so heavy. Behind it is a small cliff, so even the circulation of the field cannot be smooth. The front is an open road, but the yang energy probably gets scattered before it even reaches here. Coincidentally, this graveyard is also in a low-lying area, directly hit by yin energy. Is this place nurturing vengeful spirits, or is it just a coincidence?”

Old Man Jiang took my hand and walked around the area, stopping at many spots, looking left and right. I had no idea what he was doing. After wandering like this for quite a while, he finally sighed, “This is actually a natural formation, with no human traces at all. But whether it was intentional to bury people here or just coincidence…”

Old Man Jiang fell into thought. I was getting impatient and could not help but shout, “Master, didn’t you say we were here to deal with the vengeful spirit that is haunting my second sister?”

“Oh, right, right. We will talk about that later.” Old Man Jiang came back to his senses and pulled me toward the graveyard.

After my earlier experience of reciting text to calm myself, I was not as afraid anymore. As we walked, I asked, “Master, what were you thinking about just now? You were just standing there spacing out.”

“Nothing much. I just discovered this graveyard is an extremely yin-heavy place, and the energy flow is obstructed. It easily traps souls. Even ordinary villagers, though they do not understand these things, would normally avoid such places by instinct. Hmm, I suspect there is some kind of scheme involved.”

I broke out in a cold sweat and said uncertainly, “Master, could it just be a coincidence?”

“Hmm, maybe,” Old Man Jiang replied just as seriously.

I nearly stumbled. I suddenly felt very insecure. What kind of master had I ended up with?

While we were talking, we had already entered the graveyard. Even in broad daylight, the cold, eerie feeling here would not dissipate. Old Man Jiang and I walked among the standing tombstones, and suddenly I stopped.

Old Man Jiang looked at me in confusion and saw that my face had gone pale. I was pointing at a tombstone, unable to speak for a long time.

He pulled my hand down and patted my back twice. I felt a warm current flow through my back, and the blockage in my chest instantly cleared. My mind also recovered.

“Do not point at tombstones. Even if it does not cause a direct clash, it is still disrespectful. Third Child, since you have entered the path of cultivation under me, you must understand that all things are part of nature. Therefore, we must maintain reverence for everything,” Old Man Jiang said softly beside me.

I came back to my senses and stammered, “Ma… Master, I recognize him.”

I was referring to the person on the tombstone.

At that time, few tombstones had ceramic portraits burned onto them, especially in rural areas, unless the family had some status. The tombstone I was pointing at was one of the few here that had a black and white ceramic portrait.

I recognized the man on it. That night when I encountered those so called good brothers, there were three that left the deepest impression. One was the man who tried to harm me. The second was the female ghost who had possessed my second sister. The third was the old man on this tombstone, the one who had told me to leave quickly.

Now looking at his portrait again, even though I had prepared myself mentally, I was still frightened.

I told Old Man Jiang what had happened. He nodded and looked at the kind faced portrait on the tombstone.

“Rare, truly rare. Even after becoming a spirit, he still retains a sense of kindness. That can be considered merit for future generations,” he said.

Hearing this, my fear faded a little. Thinking of how this old man had warned me that night, I respectfully bowed twice in front of his grave. My parents had always taught me to repay kindness.

Seeing my action, Old Man Jiang’s expression also softened. He even reached out and patted my head a few times, but I could not help but get goosebumps all over. Even though he was my master, it did not change the fact that he was a rather odd old man. Being patted like that by him still felt instinctively strange.

“Damn kid,” Old Man Jiang laughed when he saw my frightened look. He did not bother with me and instead led me around the graveyard.

Walking around a graveyard. It was such a strange thing. Normally I would be taken to markets or occasionally town streets by my mother or sisters. After following my master, my experience level had clearly been upgraded. Now I was touring graveyards.

And the biggest problem was that as I walked, I actually got used to it. I was no longer afraid, and my mood became calm. I was just a bit sleepy since I had woken up too early.

About ten minutes later, Old Man Jiang stopped in front of a grave.

“There are two graves filled with overwhelming resentment. The one who entangled your second sister should be her,” he said.

Hearing this, my sleepiness vanished instantly. I looked up and could barely recognize the name on the tombstone with my second grade reading level. It read Li Fengxian.

It seemed to be a woman, so she was likely the ghost that had possessed my second sister. For some reason, I suddenly thought of that man from that night and could not help but ask, “Master, that man from that night, I do not think he was a good person either. Should you take care of him too?”

“Take care of what? I have only heard of subduing demons, never heard of subduing ghosts. However, breaking this natural feng shui formation would indeed be a good thing. After breaking it, I will deal with the rest naturally,” Old Man Jiang replied casually. Then he fell silent for a moment while looking at the tombstone, and finally led me straight out of the graveyard toward the township.

As we reached the only path leading out, I could not help but look back. I did not know if it was an illusion, but I suddenly saw the man from that night standing inside the graveyard again, staring at me viciously.

I shuddered uncontrollably. Old Man Jiang seemed to sense something, stopped, turned around, and gave a cold snort. I felt another chill run through me. When I looked again, there was nothing there at all. It was probably just my imagination, since my vision had been hazy earlier.

“You cannot control your spiritual perception yet. That is troublesome. If you accidentally see something again, remember these four lines. Recite them repeatedly, and you will immediately regain clarity and calm your mind,” Old Man Jiang said.

After that, he taught me a four line chant. To make sure I memorized it, he repeated it more than ten times until I could recite it without a single mistake and even pronounce it correctly before he let me pass.

At that time, I did not understand what those four lines meant at all. The words were obscure and the pronunciation strange. However, since my master did not explain, I did not ask. After all, I was just a child newly exposed to metaphysical arts and did not yet have much curiosity.

I simply trusted Old Man Jiang and memorized the chant.

We walked all the way to the township. Old Man Jiang took me around, chatting with elderly villagers whenever he met them. Back then, people were generally warm and there were not many scammers, so most of them responded positively.

Old Man Jiang was very good at talking, especially with the elderly. A few words were enough to make them laugh. He could quickly get into lively conversations, and some even invited us to lunch. Strangely, he refused them all.

At the time, I did not know his love for food. If my parents had been there, their eyes would have popped out seeing him refuse meals like that.

I had no idea what he was planning. We just wandered around until one or two in the afternoon. I was so hungry I felt faint, but he was not in a hurry at all.

“Master, I am hungry,” I finally complained and refused to walk any further.

Old Man Jiang did not get angry. He took my hand and said, “Let us go to that household over there. We will ask for some water and leftovers to eat.”

“Master, leftovers?” I said bitterly.

“Nonsense. If you have not planted any cause, why should you bear any effect? Simply put, if you have not contributed anything, why should others treat you to good food and drink? Getting leftovers is already your blessing. You should be polite and sincerely grateful. That is how you avoid losing your own fortune. When dealing with villagers and ordinary people, you should always think this way,” Old Man Jiang scolded me.

At the time, I did not fully understand, but vaguely I felt there was some truth in it. In this world, nothing comes for free.

“Hello, could we have some water?” Old Man Jiang called out loudly as he entered the courtyard.