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Chapter Ninety-Nine Half-Baked Feng Shui Master (3)
After Lao Zhao's soul was attached to the Paper Figurine, I lit the Revival Lamp for Lao Zhao, formed a hand gesture, and threw a Small Yellow Flag onto the Altar. The Small Yellow Flag stood upright, motionless as if it had grown into the Altar.
It was the twentieth day of the eighth lunar month, when Five Elements Gold was in its ruling position. I then chanted, “The Ruler Thrives, those who give me life rest, I Am the One Who Gives Life, Conqueror Be Imprisoned, I Kill Those Who Oppose Me! The spell begins…”
Each of the Five Elements has its ruling days throughout the year, meaning that during this period, the Five Elements are positioned accordingly. This corresponds to what is commonly referred to as 'spring, summer, autumn, winter.' Spring Wood, Li Xia Huo, Autumn Gold, and Winter Water represent the Five Elements' positions in spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
The positioning time for Earth of the Five Elements occurs on the third, sixth, ninth, and twelfth lunar months, each lasting eighteen days. The position of earth is called Seasonal Positioning. This is what people refer to as the Five Elements positioning or Five Seasons positioning.
In spring, when the Five Elements wood is positioned according to “The Ruler Thrives, those who give me life rest, I Am the One Who Gives Life, Conqueror Be Imprisoned, I Kill Those Who Oppose Me,” wood is strong; this is The Ruler Thrives. Water nourishes wood, thus water rests; this is those who give me life rest. Wood generates fire; hence fire is in harmony; this is I Am the One Who Gives Life. Metal restrains wood; thus metal imprisons. Wood restrains earth; thus earth dies. This illustrates their relationships; similar reasoning applies to other elements' positional changes. Prosperous, harmonious, resting, imprisoned, and dead are five transformations within the Five Elements.
The Three Killers God belongs to earth; the deceased return to earth. Therefore, today’s ritual has significance as I avoided performing it on a day when earth is strong. Currently, it is precisely when Five Elements Gold is in its ruling position; earth generates gold which means those who give me life rest. This indicates that the Three Killers God is in a resting state while gold is stronger than earth. This embodies “Five Elements repositioning; gold causes earth to rest.”
After initiating the spell, I took out Eighty-One Copper Coins, arranging them in nine circles around the Paper Figurine. This formation is called Ascend the Nine Heavens Yang Formation. Once set up, I retrieved a prepared nine-inch-nine Golden Needle, recited an incantation while forming a hand gesture and pierced it into the Tianyang Point of the Paper Figurine. Then I shouted: “Nine-Inch Gold Needle, let the evil spirits flee!”
This nine-inch-nine Golden Needle has its significance; nine is the largest single-digit number and represents extreme yang and supremacy. It symbolizes greatness and utmost significance. Such examples are not uncommon in real life: for instance, Nine Yin White Bone Claw, Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms (2x9=18), Thirty-Six Stratagems (4x9=36), Sun Wukong's Seventy-Two Transformations (8x9=72), Eighty-One Tribulations (9x9=81), etc. Additionally, emperors are referred to as Nine-Five Supreme, representing utmost authority. Furthermore, nine sounds like "久" (long-lasting) in Chinese; thus it is considered a number representing longevity.
The reason for using a nine-inch-nine Golden Needle and arranging the Eighty-One Copper Coins in a Ninefold Celestial Yang Formation is to embody extreme yang and supreme significance. Ghosts represent the opposition between yin and yang; to defeat evil forces requires your righteousness and yang to overpower them. Although the Three Killers God also belongs to ghosts, they are not ordinary spirits but rather malevolent entities; hence ordinary talismans cannot dispel this calamity. The use of the Ninefold Celestial Yang Formation, along with the nine-inch-nine Golden Needle, harnesses pure yang energy to suppress the malevolence of the Three Killers God.
As soon as I initiated the formation and inserted the Golden Needle into the Tianyang Point of the Paper Figurine, it immediately trembled with an odd expression. At that moment, a chilling wind arose from the Altar, causing the Small Yellow Flag to flutter wildly. Looking at that flickering Revival Lamp, I became anxious because that lamp was crucial for my own vitality's strength or weakness.
The Revival Lamp, also known as the Lifeline Lamp or Endless Lamp, is an oil lamp. The state of the Revival Lamp directly affects the life of the caster; it is the lifeline of a Mage during the casting process. When the lamp is bright, the Mage's spellcasting goes smoothly with minimal obstacles. However, if the flame of the Revival Lamp weakens, it indicates that the Mage's spell is being obstructed, and the Mage must be cautious. If the lamp goes out, it means the Mage's life is forfeit at the Altar.
Seeing that my own lifeline, the Revival Lamp, was flickering, I immediately realized that I was facing difficulties in this duel; clearly, the Three Killers God was not easy to deal with. I dared not take it lightly and quickly picked up the Five Thunder Wood to strike the Altar. I bit my finger and then dripped my blood onto the forehead of the Paper Figurine.
This is called Essence Blood, which is extremely Yang; it essentially lends my own Yang Qi to the Paper Figurine.
With my Essence Blood, the Revival Lamp finally stabilized, and the trembling of the Paper Figurine lessened significantly. Seeing this, I knew that for now, I had suppressed my opponent's momentum, and I quickly recited the Exorcism Spell.
However, at that moment, an unexpected event occurred. Suddenly, for reasons unknown, all Nine Circles of Copper Coins placed beside the Paper Figurine stood upright with a "ding" sound. All eighty-one copper coins began to spin in place, producing a piercing sound of "dingling."
For those who have played with coins, it's like placing a coin on a flat surface and making it spin upright. The eighty-one copper coins on the Altar were doing just that; however, they were not manipulated by anyone but stood up and spun on their own.
Seeing this made my heart tighten; I knew something was wrong. Just as I felt anxious, suddenly the Small Yellow Flag standing on the Altar broke into two pieces!
I immediately shouted that it was bad news because the Small Yellow Flag represents a form of magical decree. Before casting spells, one usually inserts one or more Small Yellow Flags, which are typically inscribed with Sky-Viewing Talismans to glimpse Heaven's Will. During casting, if a flagpole breaks or falls over, it signifies Heaven's Will or indicates a force that cannot be overcome by the caster; thus, casting must be terminated. Otherwise, one may suffer a shortened lifespan or even death. A fallen flagpole is somewhat acceptable; however, if a flagpole breaks spontaneously, it indicates something absolutely untouchable.
To put it plainly, the Small Yellow Flag is similar to the Revival Lamp in that it represents the caster's life; during casting, it is connected to my spiritual energy.
With the Small Yellow Flag broken, how could I dare to continue casting? I hurriedly stopped reciting the incantation and changed my hand gestures to withdraw my spell. However, before I could finish reciting the withdrawal incantation, a thunderous roar suddenly echoed from above in the sky and struck down directly onto the Paper Figurine on the Altar. Instantly, the Paper Figurine was charred black while the eighty-one spinning copper coins around it exploded with a loud bang like grenades going off. The coins flew in all directions, creating a cacophony throughout the room. At that moment, I felt a sharp pain in my chest and spat out a mouthful of blood. Looking at that Revival Lamp now, it was weaker than ever...
At this point, how could I not realize? Clearly, this was a breach of magic; my spell had failed, resulting in backlash against me.
When I saw that Small Yellow Flag suddenly break during casting earlier, I knew something bad was about to happen; this ritual was destined to fail. However, what I did not expect was that it would be heavenly thunder that caused my failure!
I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and couldn't help but sigh, "You reap what you sow; good and evil have their consequences. If you plant evil seeds, you will surely reap evil fruits. Old Zhao, you have done too much wrong, even wanting to destroy a precious feng shui spot. I originally intended to save you, but it seems that even the Heavenly Father does not wish to spare your life, sending down heavenly thunder as punishment. Alas, it appears you are truly beyond saving!"
Indeed, during the spellcasting process just now, because I had infused my own Essence Blood into it, I was on the verge of forcing the Three Killers God away. However, at that critical moment, heavenly thunder struck down and interrupted the spell. It could only be said that even the Heavenly Father did not want him to live. Perhaps this truly reflects the saying: "Heaven's punishment can be forgiven, but self-inflicted punishment cannot be survived." Maybe the reason Old Zhao's ancestors did not help him was that they had already seen Heaven's Will; as they say, Heaven's Will is hard to defy!
At that moment, I could only shake my head and smile bitterly. Fortunately, I had immediately stopped casting the spell; otherwise, I would have faced disaster as well. After all, my spiritual energy was fully invested in the altar. If I hadn't stopped in time, it wouldn't have been as simple as just spitting out some blood. It seems that some people can be saved while others are simply getting what they deserve; those are ones that cannot be saved at all.
Having thought this through, I felt less guilty. After all, it's not that I didn't want to save you; it's that Heaven wants to take you away, so I can't be blamed. That night, I dismantled the altar and went to bed early, planning to visit Old Zhao's house again the next day.
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