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墨書 Inktalez
From such a distance, the compass reacted so violently that if I hadn't felt that intense chill in the hall earlier, I would have thought the Spirit God was right beside me.
My master studied the compass for a while before he said seriously, "This situation is a bit tricky. Follow me." After saying this, he picked up the Cloth Bag and the Great Seal, then turned and walked toward a woodshed on the far east side of the old house. I grabbed the Flashlight and followed him.
The far east was a Stove House, which served as the kitchen. For safety reasons, Stove Houses in rural villages are generally not built with wood but constructed from mud bricks. In terms of Feng Shui, kitchens are associated with fire, which is considered yang, so typically, a kitchen in a haunted house is relatively safe. Moreover, the earthen stove is protected by the Kitchen God. Even though it had been abandoned for years, the Stove House was less likely to accumulate yin energy.
Arriving at the entrance of the Stove House, my master took out something resembling a small flag from the Cloth Bag. However, instead of fabric, it had three red ribbons attached. He drew this object across his chest several times and then pointed forcefully into the air ahead. To my surprise, instead of being carried forward by inertia, the three ribbons intertwined in an orderly manner for about three seconds before loosening and hanging independently and vertically from a pole without any signs of movement. At that moment, there was a slight breeze blowing, yet the delicate ribbons did not flutter at all; this was significant. This small flag-like object is called a Knocking Stick. The stick itself is made of iron that must be refined from iron used in fire tongs for over ten years. The ribbons are not ordinary either; they are specially crafted using the Five Elements method. The purpose of the Knocking Stick is to test whether there has been any activity from Spirit Gods within the Stove House. If there has been any activity, even without wind, its ribbons will move; if not, they will remain still regardless of wind conditions. This is considered a peculiar method within Feng Shui; however, I could never learn it—not because I wasn't smart enough but because this kind of minor spell requires fate as its foundation, similar to Yin-Yang Eye or Underworld Witchcraft; these are all methods that choose their masters.
Seeing everything normal, my master put away the Knocking Stick and said to me, "Let's go inside."
Once inside, to my left was an earthen stove with three openings: one small for cooking rice and stir-frying dishes and one large for boiling pig feed. It had not been used for quite some time; even the ash had begun to clump together. Behind the stove was a dining rack that was completely empty. Opposite it stood an Eight Immortals Table. My master placed the Cloth Bag on the table and said, "Set up a Symbolic Altar here and prepare everything; I need to draw some talismans later." He then walked outside while saying, "I'm going to get a rooster from Ning Family."
After my master left, I took out a pair of red candles and set up a Symbolic Altar on the table. I prepared ink and cinnabar in an Inkstone and laid out seven long blank Yellow Talismans on the table. After pressing them down with a brush, I took the Flashlight to carefully examine the Stove House.
To the right of the Stove House was a side door leading to another room. I shone my light into that room and saw various-sized jars for pickled vegetables lining the walls. Against the right wall stood a Wooden Bed draped with a gray coarse mosquito netting. At the foot of this bed was another door leading to another room on the right side. According to typical wooden house construction, this right room should lead to the Main Hall of this old house.
I stood at the Stove House without entering; I slowly pulled the door shut and returned to the table. I opened my master's Cloth Bag and took out an Exorcism Charm to place on that side door. Then I pulled out a cigarette and lit it while waiting for my master to return.
As I was finishing my cigarette, I vaguely saw my master approaching with something in his hands. Snuffing out my cigarette butt, I lit the red candles and turned off the Flashlight.
When my master entered, he held a rooster in his left hand while grasping a kitchen knife and a white porcelain bowl in his right hand. I took the rooster from him as he instructed me to draw some blood first.
I held onto the rooster while my master made symbols in mid-air above its head with two fingers while reciting some incantations. This was meant to perform an early ritual for the rooster's soul so that its next life would be smoother; at least it wouldn't be reincarnated as something unfortunate again. Although we were killing this chicken, doing so for handling Ghostly Affairs can be seen as a form of creation since it accumulates Yin De for them. Of course, this excludes certain harmful rituals.
After reciting the incantation, the chicken cooperated without any struggle. Even when its throat was plucked and cut, it merely kicked its legs a couple of times. My master collected half a bowl of chicken blood and, while it was still liquid, poured some into the Inkstone. He stirred it lightly with a brush before beginning to chant.
To draw talismans, a Taoist must first set up a Symbolic Altar and recite the Opening Spell, followed by the Pen Spell, Water Spell, and Yellow Paper Charm. After completing these steps, one must focus and stabilize their mind for three minutes before starting to draw the talismans. There are several major categories of talismans, each with different brush strokes, water, paper, and spells. This is just the preparatory work; when it comes time to draw the talismans, one must concentrate fully, free from distractions. Each stroke corresponds to a specific incantation. If the brush moves quickly, the chant must follow suit; if the brush moves slowly, so must the chant. The moment the Gathering Footprints is completed, the incantation must also conclude simultaneously—timing cannot be rushed or delayed. Moreover, the speed of chanting must remain consistent without errors or pauses; any mistake would render the talisman useless. It sounds quite difficult; without years of practice, one cannot achieve such fluidity.
After finishing the drawing, one must seal it with hand gestures and apply an imprint using specific Hand Seals along with dedicated incantations.
Though this sounds complicated, my master executed it with such grace that it seemed effortless. The brush in his hand moved swiftly across the Yellow Talismans like he was signing his name, while incantations flowed rapidly from his lips—fast yet clear and precise.
Once he completed a talisman, he handed it to me and said to add yang energy by placing three drops of chicken blood at the head of the talisman and sticking a few fine feathers from around the Cockscomb on top of the middle drop. This significantly enhances the talisman's power in a short time but has limitations; the blood must be fresh—taken from a living chicken within three hours. Otherwise, it won't serve its intended purpose. Some Taoists prefer to add chicken blood and feathers while drawing talismans as a habit; however, after some time has passed, their effectiveness diminishes greatly.
Just as my master was about to finish drawing a few more talismans, he suddenly turned to me and asked, "Hey, where's your cloth bag?" I replied that I hadn't brought it. He shot me a sideways glance and said, "Then draw a few for me to see if you haven't wasted your skills during your college years."
I took the brush from my master and started over with the Opening Spell. After drawing several talismans for exorcising spirits and warding off evil, my master nodded approvingly and said, "Not bad; better than I expected." I chuckled lightly and added yang energy to my own drawn talismans since everything was readily available.
By the time I finished drawing, the pair of red candles had nearly burned out. Glancing at my watch, I saw it was almost ten o'clock. My master said, "Let's wrap this up and prepare to go in for a look." I nodded and tidied up the items on the table.
He handed me some Cinnabar Incense Ash and a piece of Ink Fight Line in succession before taking out two protective talismans—one for me to stick on my back and another for himself.
When I folded one Exorcism Talisman into a triangle and tucked it into my shoe, he asked curiously what I was doing. I laughed and said, "Master, I've found that putting a talisman in my shoe allows me to kick Spirit Gods effectively; it works pretty well! If I could use my foot technique from Foshan without shadows, its power would be even greater."
My master sighed helplessly and replied, "If your method lacks force, it won't work at all; if you kick hard enough to hit something else instead... that could be dangerous. Some Ghostly Veils can make you see tables as them; if you kick full force at a table corner with your leg... what then? Every method has its pros and cons; for our safety's sake, we should avoid using unreliable methods."
I nodded in agreement. "No worries, Master; better safe than sorry! I'll be careful." Knowing my stubborn nature—once I decided on something there was no turning back—he stopped talking. Slinging my Cloth Bag over my shoulder while holding the Great Seal in my right hand and a Flashlight in my left, I walked toward the side door. At the entrance, I crouched down to place the Flashlight on the ground while pulling out a small bottle of Cow Tears from my Cloth Bag. "Let's open our eyes before we go in," I said.
ps. Recently, some students have been supporting me one after another, so I won’t name them here. I would like to thank Nalan Xiaoming, Nalan Xiaolun, Zoe's Enchanted Home for more than 1,000 coins, my favorite, surian .There will be an update later. Thank you... <div style="text-aliger;margin-bottom:30px"><a id="pb_shouye" .akxs6.odules article="" addbookcase.php?bid="6160&cid=3538082""> 《</a id="pb_shouye" .akxs6.odules></div style="text-aliger;margin-bottom:30px">
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