My dad lit a cigarette, as if he was trying to comfort my mother and himself: "Leave when you are 15 years old. 15 years old is not too young. Boys should be independent. I will be 13 when I leave." The son just helps others with work. Besides, there is no point in a boy staying in front of his parents. You see, the eldest son of Mr. He from the next village has a big future. I heard that he is a high-ranking official in the city. He is a big man. Didn’t my son leave home to study early? He doesn’t have time to come back often now. I think it’s okay, Sanwa’er, you can be Master Jiang’s apprentice obediently.”
Want to live with your son in this village until he is 15 years old? It’s just that I won’t be able to serve my parents all the time in the future. My mother felt a little comforted after hearing these words. She agreed with my father’s point of view. Although she didn’t understand what a great future a Taoist priest could have, Master Jiang was capable. People are not fake.
"Yes, now that Master Jiang has said this, I feel relieved. You know, if the child leaves me when he is young, my heart will really hurt more than cutting flesh. Sanwa'er, from now on Master Jiang This is your master. Even if you don’t listen to your parents, you still have to listen to your master and learn your skills well.” My mother also comforted me with gentle words.
Anyway, after all, it was a matter of ironclad certainty that I would become Old Man Jiang's apprentice. It can be said that even the Red Army soldiers have to be heroic. I pretended to give a deep sigh, which was regarded as acquiescence. For parting after the age of 15 , because it was too far away, and I didn’t feel anything.
"You kid." My dad couldn't help but hit me when he saw how serious I was. But no matter what, the thorn in his and my mom's heart was finally removed.
"We will discuss the matter of Sanwa'er joining our family in a few days. Choosing an auspicious day is indispensable. For now, we still need to resolve the matter of the second sister. Tomorrow Sanwa'er will go to the countryside with me. Since After becoming a disciple, you have to learn a lot, but I still have one thing to do now." Old Man Jiang said simply.
My mother was very frightened when she heard that I was going to do things with Old Man Jiang tomorrow, but she didn’t dare to disturb Old Man Jiang’s business. Under Old Man Jiang’s repeated instructions, she brought some things for Old Man Jiang. .
Old Man Jiang was busy in the yard with these things. As his apprentice, I had to watch him. In the past, if I dared to go to bed so late, my father would have beaten me to death, but today I have a master to protect me. , my parents had no choice but to let me go.
Gradually, I realized what Old Man Jiang was trying to do. He was making a lantern!
I have to admit that Old Man Jiang's hands are very skillful. The lantern is very delicate, but the style is a bit special. It is a long white lantern, which feels like the kind that is hung in front of the coffin.
After making the lantern, Old Man Jiang looked at it carefully, and then he was satisfied and picked up a cinnabar pen to write and draw on the lantern. I couldn't help but be curious, so I asked: "Old... Master , Why are you making a lantern? Is it just for me to play with?"
"You want to play with this? Since you like the soul-inducing lantern, then take it." Old Man Jiang smiled and was about to stuff the lantern into my hand. I backed away repeatedly. The soul-inducing lantern sounded like it was not a good thing. , I would be crazy to play this.
"Master, what is this for?" After keeping a proper safe distance, I still couldn't help but be curious.
"This is for your second sister to attract the soul. Your second sister has lost one soul and four souls, and has been lost for some days. There is no need to use the soul-inducing lamp, I'm afraid she won't be able to attract her back. Moreover, she has been in the wilderness for a long time, and the soul has been lost. I'm afraid I'm weak, but with a soul-guiding lamp in front to guide the way, your second sister's soul will be much more relaxed on the way back." Old Man Jiang explained to me while carefully painting with cinnabar on the soul-inducing lamp, And the things he drew were simply ghost drawings in my eyes, and I had no idea what they were.
"Would you like to ask me what I drew?" Old Man Jiang turned to me and asked, as if it was a very happy thing for him that I had a thirst for knowledge in his place.
Seeing Old Man Jiang asking me, I nodded hurriedly. I was actually very curious about why writing, drawing and drawing something would give those things magical effects.
"The light seen by ghosts and us humans are different. It does not mean that ghosts can see when a person holds a bright lantern. What I drew is a transformation rune, in order to transform the sun fire into the energy of ghosts. The yin fire you see. In addition to these runes, some lamp oil also has this effect, but you can't get it from your home." Old Man Jiang explained in detail, and I felt more and more that Old Man Jiang's abilities were too mysterious. .
After I finished painting the lantern, Old Man Jiang kicked me in the butt and said, "Go to bed now. Come to work in the farm with me tomorrow."
I wasn't angry with Old Man Jiang at all, and went to bed very happily. Going to the farm with him tomorrow means that I don't have to go to school tomorrow. After laughing three times, I suddenly felt like being Old Man Jiang's apprentice. Also a nice thing.
I got up early the next morning. Children are always inexplicably curious about unknown things, and their fear was reduced a lot.
This is why I was haunted by hundreds of ghosts that day, but I was only weak and did not lose my soul. It was because I was still young and had no fear of anything except some very special things.
If I don't have fear, my mind is calm, and my aura is right, those lonely ghosts will not be able to do anything to me for a while.
The second sister's situation is different. She was very afraid of the female ghost, so she was squeezed out of her soul. It all depended on her willpower. Therefore, it makes sense that she would lose her soul when frightened. This is what is in her heart. The fear of fear will make the soul unstable. To put it simply, it is okay to want to escape.
Without further ado, I got up excitedly, only to find that Old Man Jiang had been in the yard for a long time. At this time, he was practicing boxing and kicking. I didn’t know that he was practicing Tai Chi at the time, but I just saw him doing it. While practicing in the yard, my mind couldn't help but be attracted.
After playing for a while, Old Man Jiang opened his eyes and saw me at the same time. He was not surprised. He wiped his sweat casually and said, "What I just did was Tai Chi. Did it look good?"
"Well, it just looks so limp and powerless."
"Haha, Tai Chi emphasizes the balance of hardness and softness. The pauses between the fists and feet are even more profound. In your lifetime, you will never know whether you can do Tai Chi successfully even once. What do you know, little kid?" Old Man Jiang It's not annoying at all. What's the point of arguing with a kid who doesn't understand anything
After breakfast, Old Man Jiang took me and set off. When I met curious people in the village, Old Man Jiang always replied that I was already his godson. As for the reason, he told them to ask my parents.
After all, I want to stay here until I am 15 years old. It’s impossible without setting up a name. But that old man Jiang didn’t bother to think of a reason at all. He just blamed it all on my innocent parents and asked them to satisfy the needs of the villagers. Curiosity.
In mountain villages in October, thick fog is often shrouded in the morning. When Old Man Jiang and I walked to the countryside, the fog had completely dissipated. As we walked on the country roads, we were paying attention to other people's fields and fields. The old man Jiang who happened to walk by finally looked at me for the first time.
He said quite seriously: "Sanwa'er, I know that the evil ghost came because of you, but I don't know the detailed process. Now you have to take me to the place where you first hit the evil spirit, and then, what happened that night must be Tell me everything verbatim."
Seeing how serious Old Man Jiang was, I didn't dare to neglect him. I quickly told Old Man Jiang everything that happened that night, including the dream he had.
After listening to what I said, Old Man Jiang let out a few surprises. Then he pulled me over, pulled open my collar, and looked at the back of my head carefully.
In fact, I have always known that there is a birthmark on the back of my head. It is blood red and looks like an eye. However, as I grow up, this birthmark has become lighter and lighter. Now I am afraid that there is only a circle of shadow left.
"Baby, I actually opened my eyes in a daze. This kind of spiritual awareness is very rare." Speaking of this, Old Man Jiang couldn't help but sigh.
I looked at Old Man Jiang very confused, but this time, Old Man Jiang didn't seem to want to explain to me, but just let me take him straight to the cemetery.
Relying on my vague memory, I led Old Man Jiang around and around to find the place where the car crashed that night. Unfortunately, it was too late that day and I was walking around casually, so it took me a long time to find it. .
After seeing the familiar bamboo forest and the cemetery not far from the bamboo forest again, I felt chilly in my heart even though it was broad daylight.
"Sanwa'er, please listen carefully. In your heart, you can either treat this as a normal scenery and treat it as normal. Or you can be sad and compassionate, and sincerely pity the desolation after death from the bottom of your heart. Or you can memorize the text you have learned and concentrate on it. Just don't show a trace of timidity, even if the landslide and the earth are falling, you can just take it easy." Old Man Jiang saw me cowering and couldn't help but said to me seriously.
But I was extremely sensitive at this time, so I couldn't help but grab the corner of Old Man Jiang's clothes, and shouted very sincerely for the first time: "Master, is there any danger? Do you want to tell me this?"
"What danger can there be? I'm telling you this to make you remember that under any circumstances, you can't be timid easily. You must keep your own innocence, understand?" After telling me this, Old Man Jiang said He held my hand and walked straight towards the bamboo forest.
Because it was too late that night, I couldn't see clearly. When I looked at it today, I discovered that the bamboo forest I entered that day was on a gentle slope. The cemetery was just below the gentle slope, and there was also a bamboo forest at the other end of the cemetery. There is a steep cliff at the back, and only the front has a road leading directly to the cemetery.
There are no fields around the cemetery. I was on the edge of the bamboo forest that day, right next to the road leading to the cemetery. It was on that road that my father and the others found me. If I had walked through the bamboo forest.
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but sweat covered my forehead, but when I thought of Old Man Jiang's fear, I quickly diverted my attention and memorized the text desperately. Under my full concentration, I gradually calmed down. Come down.