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"How can you live here?" Wei Ning complained a bit.
As soon as Wei Ning mentioned it, Wang Tuozi slammed his hand on the table. "You little rascal, how can you still have the nerve? Do you know how much I spent last time? Over three thousand! It's burning money, burning money! Nowadays, catching ghosts isn't about skill; it's about who has more money. Prices are skyrocketing! Do you know that a genuine Zhong Kui ghost-catching talisman is already being sold for over three thousand in the black market? At this rate, I won't even be able to afford food soon, let alone perform any rituals. I might as well just do my own purification."
Wei Ning swallowed hard, knowing that Wang Tuozi was referring to the past incident where he helped a child at the Zhou family. He felt a bit guilty and didn't dare to respond.
Wang Tuozi sat down, straightened his back, and said, "Let me test you and see what your aptitude is like. What are the names of the Seven Souls?"
Wei Ning raised his hand. "I know this! My grandfather told me. The first soul is named Corpse Dog, the second is named Hidden Arrow, the third is named Sparrow's Shadow, the fourth is named Swallowing Thief, the fifth is named Non-Toxin, the sixth is named Purging Filth, and the seventh soul is named Stinking Lung." Wei Ning recited them confidently.
Wang Tuozi initially wanted to show off in front of Wei Ning but was surprised that he didn't stump him. He rolled his eyes and said slowly, "Then how do you say these Seven Souls in English?"
Wei Ning: "..."
Wang Tuozi cleared his throat and straightened up even more. "Now that the world is globalized, what do they call it on TV? Right, Earth Village! Do you understand Earth Village? When you're catching ghosts in the future and encounter foreign ghosts, what will you do? You’ll need to speak English. You have to chant spells in English, understand? Otherwise, how will foreign ghosts understand us? So knowing a foreign language is very important, got it?"
Wei Ning: "..."
"Alright, that's enough for today. Tomorrow you'll start copying Wenxiang's 'Righteousness Song,' one hundred times in both Chinese and English."
From then on, Wei Ning stayed there. Every time Wang Tuozi went out to tell fortunes, Wei Ning would copy the Righteousness Song at his house. In the evenings, Wang Tuozi wouldn’t let him rest either; he brought out a pile of yellow and green paper for him to draw on. After more than a week of this routine, Wei Ning finally couldn't hold back anymore and asked, "Master, what are you drawing?"
"Ghost symbols."
"Are these things useful? Is it like what you used at the Zhou family last time?"
"Nope, just random scribbles."
"Isn't that misleading? I won't draw; I don't want to deceive people."
Wang Tuozi stopped drawing and said, "Do you know? A genuine Zhu You Ke talisman involves a very complex process from selecting materials to drawing and empowering it. Even your master can't make many of them. Just scribbling like this—hardly anyone knows what's real or fake. Those people don’t really know; they’re just buying peace of mind. You think they really rely on these for ghost-catching? Hurry up and draw; the uglier it looks, the better! By the way, tomorrow don’t just sit around; come with me to sell talismans."
After a few days, Wang Tuozi seemed to have a moment of conscience about the fact that Wei Ning was his disciple. He called Wei Ning over and asked him to bring his homework for inspection. To his surprise, despite Wei Ning's young age, he had copied the "Righteousness Song" meticulously, with not a single typo. Even the English version was neatly transcribed. What was even more impressive was that, despite Wang Tuozi having previously asked Wei Ning to sell talismans, Wei Ning had managed to finish copying one hundred copies of the "Righteousness Song" during the night shift. Wang Tuozi couldn't help but admire Wei Ning's perseverance and felt a growing fondness for this precious disciple.
Wang Tuozi had somehow procured a plate of peanuts and was leisurely munching on them, with a long bamboo stick resting on the table. Squinting his eyes in contentment, he said, "Child, show me your horse stance."
"Oh," Wei Ning quickly complied.
Wang Tuozi brought down the bamboo stick forcefully, scolding, "Are you squatting in a latrine? Listen to me: spread your legs three and a half foot lengths apart, shift your weight back, lift your head and puff out your chest, keep your thighs at ninety degrees." As he spoke, he continuously corrected Wei Ning's posture with the bamboo stick. Suddenly, Wei Ning lost his balance and stumbled.
Wang Tuozi swung the bamboo stick again and shouted, "Do it again."
Thus, Wang Tuozi continued to wield the bamboo stick while correcting Wei Ning's stance until Wei Ning finally met his requirements. Only then did Wang Tuozi's expression soften slightly as he said, "Recite the 'Righteousness Song' for me."
"Uh..." As soon as Wei Ning uttered a word, Wang Tuozi struck him hard with the bamboo stick, leaving a mark on his body. The pain pierced through him like a knife, yet he remained steadfast in his horse stance.
"Did you skip meals? Your voice is so weak."
Wei Ning raised his voice and recited loudly, "The earth..." Crack! Wang Tuozi's bamboo stick left another mark on him.
"Your energy is insufficient. Do it again."
"The earth has..."
"Crack! Again..."
The two of them went back and forth like this for an entire night. Wei Ning only managed to recite the ten words: "The earth has righteousness; mixed forms flow."
Seeing Wei Ning's body bruised and battered yet still stubbornly refusing to give in, Wang Tuozi felt a pang of compassion in his heart. He gently said, "Disciple, my treatment of you is not without reason. You know that the 'Righteousness Song' is the most important foundational skill for our Zhu You School. It can serve to intimidate all Evil Spirits when we encounter danger while walking the path. The stronger your foundation is now, the more beneficial it will be for you to learn any magical arts in the future."
Wei Ning nodded and replied, "I understand this."
Wang Tuozi looked at Wei Ning with satisfaction and said, "You know that learning magical arts boils down to four words: 'spell,' 'talismans,' 'seal,' and 'tools.' Whether it's Maoshan's 'Transcription Spell,' Zhengyi's 'Nine Character Mantra,' or our 'Thirteen Schools of Blessing,' their essence relies on the true energy from your dantian. The more abundant your true energy is, the greater its power will be. Practice well; your Wei Family has been a family with a thousand-year legacy in magical arts. Its depth is profound and has always held sway over our Zhu You School. Whether we can recreate past glories depends entirely on you."
Wei Ning nodded and suddenly said, "I often hear my grandfather mention Maoshan, Dragon Tiger Mountain, and Zhu You. What is the connection between them? What grievances do we have with Maoshan?"
"Didn't your grandfather ever mention it?"
Wei Ning shook his head.
Wang Tuozi smiled and said, "Today, I will give you a proper lesson."
Wang Tuozi took a sip of water to clear his throat and continued, "The next principle is that one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to the infinite. This 'one' refers to the ancient Nuwa the Great Deity. Five thousand years ago, Nuwa transmitted the Peace Scripture and the Thirteen Schools of Blessing to the Yellow Emperor and Chiyou respectively. This is 'two.' The descendants of the Yellow Emperor began to develop different sects such as Maoshan, Laoshan, Taiping Sect, and so on. Meanwhile, Chiyou evolved into thirteen branches from the Thirteen Schools of Blessing. However, over five thousand years, many have been lost to time. Today, only a few sects remain from the Yellow Emperor's lineage: Maoshan, Laoshan, and Dragon Tiger Mountain. As for my Zhu You School, it has dwindled significantly, mostly located in Hunan with little activity. Now only your Chen Prefecture Wei Family, Mayan Wu Family, Mayang Fang Family, and... Xu Pu Wang Family remain. Later on, something happened with the Xu Pu Wang Family—let's just say they encountered some issues—so now Zhu You School consists solely of the Wei, Wu, and Fang families. The conflict between my Zhu You School and Maoshan stems from our differing beliefs. For thousands of years, we have clashed deeply due to this enmity; however, more importantly, it is about our fundamental understanding of Dao Techniques."
"Fundamental understanding?"
"Yes, the fundamental understanding. It revolves around our differing views on 'soul' and 'spirit.' Maoshan believes that the essence of a person is the 'soul,' while we believe it is the 'spirit.' This distinction explains the difference between 'Nurturing Ghosts' in Mao Shan Daoism and our practice of 'Nurturing Corpses.'"
"It gets deeper from here; you'll gradually understand that in Daoism, it's not just about combat techniques but also ongoing debates over core theoretical principles that have persisted for thousands of years without resolution."
Seeing that Wei Ning was very interested in listening, Wang Tuozi elaborated further: "For example, there is the debate over 'Yang Body' versus 'Yin Body.' In truth, all Daoist practices ultimately aim to break free from earthly constraints."
"Earthly constraints?"
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