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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 136 Fengdu Ghost City
Wong Tai Sin thought for a moment and told me, “When Ferry Master Qu reincarnated and left the Underworld, it is said that he docked the Ming Ship in the Ghost City. You should be able to find it there. As long as you find the Ming Ship, you can naturally cross the river directly to the River of Forgetfulness.”
Hearing this, I was taken aback, thinking that I might have to go to the Underworld again. After all, last time during the Crossing the Yin, we were punished by the Underworld for trespassing, and we still hadn’t completed our punishment of building the Spirit House. Would we really have to trespass again?
Since returning from the Underworld, Cao Qilong and I had been busy every night building Spirit Houses. Whether we were borrowing someone else's home or camping in the wilderness, we were focused on constructing Paper Houses. By now, with over ten thousand Spirit Houses, we had only completed a third, leaving a lot more to do.
I thought to myself, if only I had known Wong Tai Sin earlier. During our last trip to the Crossing the Yin, we could have asked Grandfather and Master Ma for help in finding the Ming Ship. Perhaps Lin Xiaoqi would have already been rescued.
Sighing, I quickly clasped my fists and said, “Thank you, Great Master, for your guidance. I will make a trip to the Underworld soon to search for Ferry Master Qu’s Ming Ship!”
To my surprise, Wong Tai Sin chuckled and shook his head, saying, “No, what I mean by Ghost City is not the Hell City of the Underworld, but rather the Fengdu Ghost City.”
“Fengdu Ghost City?” I was astonished. Isn’t that a tourist attraction in Chongqing? How could there be a Ming Ship belonging to Ferry Master Qu there?
Not only I was surprised; even Cao Qilong, who had been silent until now, expressed his astonishment, saying, “The Fengdu Ghost City is a recreational area built by the government. Could it really be a Ghost City of the Underworld?”
Wong Tai Sin replied, “What you refer to as a ghost is man-made. The true Ghost City of Fengdu is not what you see as the Fengdu Ghost City.”
Upon hearing this, both Cao Qilong and I were curious. I hurriedly asked, “Great Master, could there be two Fengdu Ghost Cities in this world?”
Wong Tai Sin nodded and said, “Yes, the real Fengdu County has long been submerged by water; people can no longer see its traces. Instead, they rebuilt a city called Fengdu County not far from there. The Ming Ship you are looking for is located within the submerged original city of Fengdu County.”
Now I understood; it turned out that what Wong Tai Sin referred to as Fengdu was indeed underwater.
I had heard of the name Fengdu. In the Han Dynasty, it was under the jurisdiction of Bajun, and it was also an early center for Taoism. A geographer from the Northern Wei Dynasty mentioned in "Shui Jing Zhu": “The Tianshi governs here.” The term "govern" refers to a place of preaching and also a place for Taoist cultivation. Historical records indicate that this Tianshi governance was established by Zhang Daoling’s grandson, Zhang Lu. The path created by Zhang Daoling is called “Ghost Path,” which is also known as the Five Dou Rice Path. This means that after Zhang Daoling established Taoism in Fengdu County, it became deeply connected with the Ghost Path.
I had always thought that so-called Fengdu Ghost City was merely built based on legends of the Underworld, but I never imagined it would actually have other intrinsic connections with it. However, hearing from Wong Tai Sin that Ferry Master Qu had docked his Ming Ship at the Fengdu Ghost City, it was clear that there were some connections between them.
It seemed that Wong Tai Sin noticed our confusion; he smiled and said, “The Sanzu River is located in Fengdu County. During his lifetime, Ferry Master Qu ferried people across that river. Didn’t I mention before that the Sanzu River used to be in the Yin Realm but later merged into the Underworld? The reason for this is that later on, when Fengdu was submerged by water, it fell under the jurisdiction of the Underworld. In today’s underwater Fengdu, that river leads directly to the River of Forgetfulness, and it is said that the Ming Ship is docked by its banks. However…”
So indeed there was a connection between Fengdu and the Underworld, and surprisingly enough, even the Sanzu River flowed through Fengdu . No wonder Ferry Master Qu left his Ming Ship there. With this thought in mind, everything made sense now. However, seeing that Wong Tai Sin seemed like he still had more to say, I asked him: “ Great Master , do you have any further guidance for me?”
Huang Great Master said, "It's nothing, just wanted to tell you that Fengdu County is now hidden beneath the waters of the mortal world, but it ultimately belongs to the underworld. Therefore, it is fraught with danger. Moreover, it is said that there are caves within Fengdu County, resembling an underground maze. It won't be easy to navigate through the maze-like county to find the Sanzu River!"
Since Huang Great Master said so, it clearly indicates that Fengdu is not simple. It seems that if we really want to go to Fengdu, it won't be that easy. However, I must go save Lin Xiaoqi because if she hadn't helped me cross the Naihe Bridge last time, I might have been trapped in the Wangchuan River by now. Furthermore, with Ferry Master Qu not in the underworld, I would truly be unable to turn things around for eternity.
Thinking of this, I thanked Huang Great Master for his guidance and made up my mind. No matter what dangers and difficulties lie ahead in Fengdu, I will find it and then seek out Ferry Master Qu's Ming Ship to cross the Wangchuan River.
After giving these instructions, Huang Great Master smiled mysteriously and then turned and disappeared, leaving us a few dumbfounded in the room.
Although I now knew how to cross the river and about the Ming Ship, I still had many doubts in my heart. One was that I am just a Paper Craftsman; if I really found the Ming Ship, would I truly have the ability to operate it as Huang Great Master said? Also, why did he call me a boatman? I'm clearly just a Paper Craftsman! Of course, my biggest concern was that Fengdu was submerged underwater; finding it would not be easy at all.
Naturally, I temporarily set these doubts aside because no matter how many difficulties lay ahead, I would not give up on finding a way to cross the river.
At this moment, Cao Qilong patted my shoulder and said, "Junior Brother, don't worry. I will accompany you to Fengdu Hell City."
I smiled in response.
At this time, Aunt Liu and the others had just recovered from their fear of death. Seeing that Huang Great Master had left, they expressed their gratitude for our great kindness while asking what we should do next.
Although I had taken the elixir given by Huang Great Master, my injuries were still quite severe. So next, I was helped to rest while Cao Qilong arranged for Liu's family to worship their Guardian Spirit.
He built a fairy house for Liu's family. In folk customs, there are two ways to worship a Guardian Spirit. One is to place their statue next to the Buddhist altar or ancestral hall at home; the other is to build a fairy house in a corner of the yard to enshrine their spirit tablet. In simple terms, this is equivalent to building a Spirit House for the spirits.
As long as you build a fairy house for the Guardian Spirit and offer sincere worship, they will protect your family and ensure everything goes smoothly. Moreover, good-hearted Guardian Spirits may even bring wealth into your home.
Yes, I'm not lying to you. People have only heard of Five Ghosts bringing wealth; in fact, fairy families have even greater abilities in this regard without any side effects. Of course, what is meant by bringing wealth is that your financial luck will be very good and making money will be easy and quick. This kind of Great Master is best suited for common families; whether it's Bai Wuye or others—some families often see small snakes in their grain storage known as "Little Seven Inches." If someone with bad luck sees one of these snakes, they might see a large snake instead and scream in fright. Old Qi (the monkey) has a bad temper; if you offend him, he might take away your family's wealth—his temper is quite poor. However, those who have been possessed by monkeys possess high skills and unique methods; they act decisively.
There are also flower fairies known as Flower Girls in folklore. I know of a barefoot doctor from a rural area whose family worships the Hundred Flowers Fairy. He possesses exceptional virtue and skill—balancing both reality and illusion while treating both yin and yang. Of course, his situation isn't purely about being a Guardian Spirit but rather something special; it's definitely not about being possessed.
Additionally, there are Rabbit Immortals, Gray Spirits (mice), Eagle Immortals, Sparrow Immortals, Deer Immortals, etc., but very few become Guardian Spirits; they only appear under special circumstances in certain regions.
As the saying goes: it's easy to invite spirits but hard to send them away. Regardless of which type of spirit it is, if you don't serve them well enough, don't expect them to bless you with safety or wealth; they might turn around and cause chaos in your home.
Cao Qilong helped Liu's family settle all these matters within two days. Meanwhile, due to taking Huang Great Master's elixir, I was recovering quite well.
At that point, we decided to leave Liu's family and begin our journey towards Chongqing as guided by Huang Great Master in search of the long-lost Fengdu Hell City!
When we left the Liu family, in order to prevent them from disrespecting the Immortal family again, I told them: "On the first and fifteenth of each month, you must burn incense. On the first day of the lunar new year, the fifteenth day of the first month, the third day of the third month, the sixth day of the sixth month, and the ninth day of the ninth month, you must prepare offerings. It is best to sacrifice a large rooster for the offerings. Remember these days well, because on these occasions, Great Master will definitely return to enjoy your offerings. If he does not see your offerings, he will surely be angry and cause you headaches to remind you."
The Liu family agreed wholeheartedly and sent us out of the village before departing...
Originally, we were heading northeast to find the Immortal family, but now we turned towards Chongqing. Cao Qilong asked me if Huang Great Master was deliberately trying to deceive us.
I had my doubts as well, but after thinking it over, I realized that what he said was reasonable and more credible than Paper Figurine crossing the river, so I began to believe him even more.
I told Cao Qilong: "Now we have no choice but to believe. Whether it's true or false, I have to give it a try."
So we headed towards Fengdu in Chongqing. Although the original Fengdu County has been submerged by water, Huang Great Master also mentioned that the current Fengdu County city was built next to the old site, which means that as long as we reach today's Fengdu County, there is a possibility of finding the ancient city of Fengdu submerged underwater.
This time was different from going northeast; there was no clear destination when going northeast—it was all about luck in finding the Immortal family. This time, we had a clear goal: Fengdu County. Therefore, we chose not to walk but to take a vehicle directly to Fengdu County!
There are many versions regarding Fengdu County. Some say it was established by Zhang Daoling of Taoism with his "Five Dou Rice" teachings, absorbing many shamanistic practices and becoming what is later known as Ghost Cult, hence calling Fengdu "Ghost Capital." Another version mentions a person named Earth God who was the first generation Ghost Emperor of Bashu Ghost Clan; this Ghost Emperor resided in Fengdu County, which is why it is referred to as Ghost Capital or Underworld.
According to Huang Great Master’s account, however, there is another version. From what Huang Great Master said, it can be inferred that Fengdu is actually just a small county town in folklore; Ferryman Qu used to ferry boats there. Since it was later submerged by water, it was classified under the jurisdiction of Underworld; there was no Yama Palace there at all, nor any Fengdu City—there is only one Fengdu City, which is where we had previously visited in the Underworld.
Two days later, we arrived at Fengdu County. Fengdu Hell City is one of the most famous cultural attractions along the Golden Tourism Route of the Yangtze River. However, that was not what we were looking for; thus, we began searching around Fengdu County that day.
Next to Fengdu County is the Yangtze River. Since Huang Great Master also mentioned that the old city of Fengdu had been submerged by water, we went directly to the riverside. In our search for the old city of Fengdu, instead of finding it, we encountered a water ghost!
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