And the old gentleman standing aside was still looking at me expectantly.
"Zhuxuan!" I raised my voice this time, and the guy finally heard it.
"What are you doing?" Zhu Xuan frowned displeased.
This guy even asked! I gritted my teeth and asked, "The spell..."
"What happened to the spell?" Zhu Xuan looked innocent.
I had to soften my tone and take a deep breath, "The spell...how is it written?"
Zhu Xuan straightened up with an innocent look on his face, "Master, you are a master, why do you ask others about writing spells?"
"you!"
Zhuxuan is heartless! Thanks to me for helping you so much!
Looking back, the old man had already looked at me suspiciously. At this time, even if you can't pretend, you have to pretend.
I pretended to pick up the brush, dipped it in the ink, and looked at the white paper that was laid out, and my scalp felt numb.
There is no way... only hard on it. I picked up the pen and started to write and draw on the paper.
"alright!"
After a while, I put down the brush and looked at my "painting" with satisfaction, "Old man, can you help me to make the painting on it... ah no, cut the spell into a rectangle and paste it in the four directions of the bedroom, east, west, north and west." Already!"
The old man hurried over, but when he saw the painting on the paper, he was stunned.
"This, this is...an apple?" The old man asked in confusion.
That's right. I don't even know how to hold a brush, let alone draw symbols. Bite the bullet, I could only draw four crooked apples... At least the old gentleman didn't say that it was a butt, which was already giving me face.
Zhu Xuan, who was watching on the sidelines, burst out laughing with a "puchi".
Still laughing! I stared at Zhuxuan fiercely. If it weren't for you not helping and making trouble, how could it have become like this
"This, this..." The old gentleman held the crooked apple painting, looked at Zhuxuan and then at me, at a loss.
"Oh, Mr. Yang, just follow suit." Zhu Xuan said with a smile, "This is the master's order, and there will be no mistakes."
"Hey, good!" The old man finally nodded his head after getting Zhu Xuan's affirmation, and honestly went to cut the talisman. In the evening, I actually saw the crooked apples I drew posted in the old woman's bedroom.
"Zhuxuan!" I dragged Zhuxuan into a corner in a panic, "Hey, what do you want to do?"
"What are you doing?" Zhu Xuan looked puzzled, as if he really didn't understand what I was asking.
"What are you talking about!" I got angry and pointed to the old woman's bedroom and said, "What do you mean? Just let me pretend to be a Taoist master, but you even asked me to draw a spell. How can I understand?" How to draw amulets to exorcise ghosts? At most, you can draw an apple to fool the old man. You see, the old man completely believes that I am a master and obeys me. If this continues, what will happen to the old lady's illness? Do you want to Let her have such a fever, do you want to die?"
"When am I, Bai Ze, going to see people die?" Zhu Xuan looked at me dissatisfied, "Besides, why did you so easily conclude that the talisman you drew is useless?"
"Ah?" Zhuxuan's words made me stunned, "But, I am neither an exorcist, nor can I draw amulets, nor do I know yin and yang arts..."
Zhu Xuan shook his head, "Listen to me, getting rid of evil spirits has nothing to do with how to draw talismans or what kind of talismans to draw."
"It doesn't matter?"
"The most important thing is faith, not power." Zhu Xuan said, "or in other words, the power to exorcise demons and subdue demons also comes from faith. Gods appear because of human beliefs; the power of gods also comes from human beings Faith. Can you understand me when I say that?"
I shook my head in confusion.
"Language and runes are just forms, a way of expressing power. In other words, it is language."
"language?"
"In Japan, there is a special name for this kind of language, called 'word spirit'. It is a powerful language." Zhuxuan talked eloquently, "Speaking a language is a spell, and writing it down is called a rune. But in the final analysis, they are all tools to make people believe."
"The more you talk, the more confused I become..." I was even more confused.
Zhuxuan thought for a while, "Let me give you a simple example. If during Chinese New Year, a relative's brat made trouble in front of you, what would you do?"
Zhuxuan's inexplicable sudden change of subject made me puzzled, "Uh... this, I'll probably reprimand him."
"That's right." Zhu Xuan nodded in satisfaction, "If a child behaves mischievously, the adults will reprimand. If the subordinates make mistakes, the leaders will also criticize them. This is language. Since human beings cannot directly understand each other's hearts, they must use language. To express each other's ideas and communicate with each other. In the whole world, only human beings have mastered this wonderful art of communication. Language is a kind of power, and the meaning and power are different through the difference between the sender and the receiver. But the only What is certain is that language is the means by which faith is inspired, and faith is the immediate source of power."
I frowned and made a stop gesture, "Wait, you said that, I still don't understand. Faith can inspire power, I understand that. Because of the belief of believers, religion has power. Or How is it that you can inspire faith by speaking a language?"
Zhu Xuan laughed, "It's very simple. When Wen Jiubai casts down demons and casts spells... Do you believe that he will succeed?"
I was taken aback, and after thinking about it carefully, it was indeed the case.
Not only because of the spell, Wen Jiubai's every move has such an aura, which makes people firmly believe that he must have this power and be able to succeed.
"That's it. The spell is a highly suggestive language." Zhu Xuan nodded, "You believe it, and at the same time the demons he subdued also believe it. The spell not only hints at you, but also hints at his enemies. Make the other party have the feeling of 'this person is very strong', making it easier to lose to Wen Jiubai."
"Is that so..." I murmured. So, the spells chanted by demon masters and Taoist priests before eliminating demons do not have power in themselves, but just cast a powerful hint for the enemy
"This is what I say language inspires faith. But if you already have faith, language is not so important." Zhu Xuan leaned against the wall and said with his arms folded, "Because I have told Mr. Yang before that you are The master I invited, Mr. Yang, is convinced of this. Because of the old man’s conviction, even if you draw apples, you will have a certain deterrent effect. Besides, you are not without strength. Those If the spell is pasted on the wall, it will more or less have a certain power."
"This, this way..." That's why Zhuxuan insisted on me being a Taoist priest. Even so, why didn't you tell me something beforehand.
Zhuxuan seemed to see through my thoughts, and said lazily: "If I had been talking to you so long from the beginning, wouldn't you have no patience to listen to it?"
That's what I said... I smiled embarrassedly.
"For the old lady, I also prescribed some self-cultivation medicine for her. I have already entrusted Mr. Yang to buy the medicine. There shouldn't be any serious problems tonight." Zhu Xuan said.
"But Zhuxuan, that old lady... and this family, what happened to make this happen?" I asked, "Do you have any idea about this problem?"
Zhu Xuan shook his head, "No..."
"No?"
"No, that's not the problem at all." Zhu Xuan looked at me with a worried expression, "I have a very strange feeling here."
"Huh?" I felt that I couldn't understand Zhu Xuan's words again.
"That's right, it seems that everything is normal, but something is always abnormal." Zhu Xuan murmured, "I don't know how to describe this feeling."
I sighed, "Then you don't need to describe it. Now that we have accepted this commission, we have to take responsibility for the old man and the old woman, right? It's our responsibility to find out how their son died. mission, isn't it?"
"That's right." Zhu Xuan nodded, and his frown relaxed.
"Brother Bamboo, Master!" Hearing Mr. Yang's voice from a distance, we turned our heads to look, only to find that the old man surnamed Yang had returned with a medicine bag, "I bought the medicine!"
"Ah, thank you for your hard work." Zhu Xuan hurriedly stepped forward and took the medicine bag, "I'll make the medicine."
"No, no, no!" Mr. Yang quickly shied away, and snatched the medicine bag back, "You two go and rest, I'll just go and decoct the medicine. How can such a trivial matter bother the masters any more!"
Zhu Xuan saw that he couldn't agree with the old man, so he didn't insist anymore, "Okay then. You go to decoct the medicine, and Master Gu and I will go to prepare the meals, how about it?"
Holding the medicine bag, Mr. Yang became embarrassed again, "This, how can this work..."
"Oh, what can I do?" I also stepped forward, pushed the old man's shoulder and said, "Now you are the only one in this house, how can we not help? Go, wait for you to cook the medicine, I will He Zhuxuan has already prepared the meal!"
Mr. Yang used the small stove in the yard to decoct the medicine. And Zhuxuan and I borrowed the kitchen to prepare meals.
"Okay, there are still two potatoes and an eggplant in the refrigerator." Zhu Xuan was gearing up, looking at me, "How about Gu Yu, can you cook?"
"I don't dare to brag about anything else, but I'm definitely no worse than you, the Bai Ze beast, when it comes to cooking." I was also eager to try.
Since my mother has been very strict with me since I was a child, I have been able to do all kinds of housework since I was very young, including cooking of course. Not to mention Bai Ze. As a divine beast who is proficient in the affairs of the world, his cooking skills are not bad at all. It didn't take long for the two of us to serve a table of delicious meals.
Mr. Yang just cooked the medicine and looked at the food on the table in surprise. Zhuxuan and I quickly helped him to sit down.
"Mr. Yang, you've worked hard, let's take a break." I put the bowl and chopsticks in front of Mr. Yang, but I didn't expect that Mr. Yang was so moved that tears filled his eyes.