At night in the old mansion, candlelight flickered, and an eerie wind seemed to come and go. In the main hall, a coffin was placed, with white cloths hung horizontally, clearly indicating a funeral was taking place.
In the courtyard of the old mansion were two trees; one was a pagoda tree, and the other was also a pagoda tree. Between them, a table was set. Sitting to the east was an old ghost, and to the west was a young man. The young man looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old, wearing a green Daoist robe. His hair was rather sparse, and he didn't have a dignified appearance, but his expression was solemn.
The old ghost smirked, looking at the young man, waiting for him to make a move, as if everything was within his grasp...
The young man didn't move, his left hand gently fidgeting. He lowered his head, lost in thought for a long time, then opened his Cửu Thiên bài to look, and said softly:
"— Tạp bát?"
Cửu Thiên bài, also known as Tuyên Hòa bài, is a type of gambling tool commonly used by common folk, not bài cửu.
"— Tạp bát? Haha..."
The old ghost seemed to have known the young man's hand long ago. He lightly flipped over the tile in front of him and asked with a hint of surprise:
"— Why isn't it Nhân Đối? I distinctly remember that was the Nhân Bài position. Are you cheating?"
"— Only officials are allowed to set fires, but common folk aren't allowed to light lamps? You flip your tiles, and that's not cheating?"
The young man waved his hand and said:
"— Show your hand, old ghost!"
The old ghost snorted, opened his hidden tile, and said:
"— Young man, I knew you weren't honest long ago. Luckily, I still had a trick up my sleeve: Trường Đối! You lose."
"— Not necessarily. I have Hòa Đối."
The young man flipped over his own bone tiles and said:
"— Old ghost, you have Zhang Liang's stratagems, and I can climb walls. You can cheat with tiles, and I can switch tiles. You cut the tiles, and I can't?"
"— You're a cheat! I refuse to accept this!"
The old ghost roared in anger, his entire body enveloped in black energy.
The young man calmly said:
"— Old ghost, if you want to gamble, I'll accompany you. If you want to bet money, I'll follow you. Since you've lost, then according to our agreement, eat this bowl of 'Thất Oản' rice. Grudges of one lifetime end in that lifetime; all past affairs are like smoke. You refuse the toast and drink the penalty wine. If you're not a 'Hồi Sát', then don't blame this Daoist master for being impolite."
'Thất Oản' refers to the soul of a deceased person returning home on the seventh day. As long as it doesn't see anyone worrying for it, it will leave after eating a meal. Even if it sees someone worrying, it can only stay for a few more days.
'Hồi Sát' is when a wronged spirit, after its 'Thất Oản' return home, stays in the house and doesn't leave until the forty-ninth day when ghost-soldiers lead its soul away. A Hồi Sát causes minor harm, its yin energy damages the body, and in the most severe cases, it possesses a person. There are two ways to deal with a Hồi Sát ghost: banishing it or releasing it. After banishing it, it will become a wandering, wild ghost. Releasing it means dissipating its malevolent energy and sending it on its way.
The old ghost laughed heartily and said:
"— Do you know how unjustly I died? Do you also know that the heavier the resentment, the fiercer the malevolent energy? You want to subdue me? Just with you?"
The young man's expression didn't change as he said:
"— Look down."
The old ghost looked down, only to see the ground around the table covered in Daoist talismans. The old ghost cried out in alarm:
"— This is impossible! You clearly kept your hands on the table the whole time."
The young man smiled and replied:
"— That's right, but I also have feet."
The old ghost looked towards the young man's feet, only to see his left foot holding a brush, drawing talismans on yellow paper, and his right foot flicking the finished talisman. The talisman flew several meters and landed on his own foot.
"— You tricked me!"
The old ghost flew into a rage, black energy surging around his entire body.
The young man stretched out a finger and shouted:
"Quick!"
As soon as he finished speaking, all the talismans on the ground emitted a faint light, contained yet ready to unleash, poised to strike. The young man said:
"Old ghost, look out for yourself, you have no chance of winning. This Daoist has captured countless ghosts, and even fiercer vengeful spirits have been encountered before."
"Those unfilial descendants, they killed me with poison, my resentment is hard to dispel."
The old ghost let out a mournful cry. He truly didn't dare to risk his life against so many talismans; even half of them would likely be too much for him. This prodigal brat, I can't believe he drew so many.
The young man slapped the table and shouted:
"You old gambling fiend, you lost so much that you even pawned your daughter-in-law to loan sharks… Look at your hands, how many fingers do you have left after sixty-five years? Every time you swore to quit gambling, you made even more mistakes. You lost so much that you even sold your own daughter, what face do you have left to live in this world? If you hadn't tried to gamble away your own grandchild, your son wouldn't have gritted his teeth and resorted to such a cruel act. This Daoist respects Heaven's virtue of cherishing life and has offered you a chance; don't think this young Daoist is easy to bully."
"Didn't you use a delaying tactic, tricking me into playing Xuanhe cards, and then drawing this talisman array?"
The young man winked and said:
"Well… you can think that, but thinking too much won't do you any good. Anyway, you can't defeat me now."
The old ghost lowered his head and gave a bitter laugh, the black aura around him gradually dissipated, and he said:
"Alright, in this life I brought disaster upon my family, never repented, so I deserve this retribution."
Having said that, the old ghost floated upwards. The young man formed a hand seal, and all the talismans on the ground stuck to the opponent's body. He worried the old ghost wouldn't keep his word, and after escaping the talisman array, would turn against him. Who would he complain to then? "Just go honestly and peacefully, and I won't activate the talismans. But if you try anything reckless, then I'll have no choice but to shatter your soul."
…
Early in the morning, as the sun rose, the young man walked out of the ancient manor. The village chief had long been waiting nearby, and seeing the young man emerge, he asked:
"Immortal Master, how did it go?"
"He's on his way."
The young man took the washcloth prepared by the servant, washed his hands, and said:
"Farewell."
"Immortal Master, travel safely."
The young man nodded, slung his travel pack onto his back, and left the village. This travel pack was made of wood, worn over the shoulder, and could hold all sorts of items. When it rained, a waxed cloth could be pulled over the head. It was the standard travel pack for wanderers or scholars traveling the four directions.
After leaving the village, the young man flipped his hand, took out paper and brush, and drew a talisman. This talisman was called the Yu Feng Talisman; when burned, the user could borrow the wind to fly. The duration and speed depended on one's cultivation. Along the way, after replacing the talismans twice, the young man entered a vast mountain range. This mountain was called Yunqing Mountain. On the mountain was the Yunqing Sect, the number one cultivation sect in Dongzhou.
Yunqing Mountain had a peak called Zhengyi Peak, where the entire Yunqing Sect was located. A middle-aged Daoist, around thirty years old, was playing Chinese chess with an old Daoist outside the main hall. Both sides were fiercely battling, creating a lively atmosphere. The young man descended with the wind, beads of sweat already dotting his forehead. Each Yu Feng Talisman required infusing true qi, so it was not comfortable at all.
The middle-aged Daoist didn't look up and asked:
"Subdued him?"
"Subdued."
The young man walked to the well, drank a cup of water, then went to watch the game, saying:
"You lost."
"Go somewhere else." The middle-aged Daoist said.
"This is an advantage. As long as I launch an attack, it will surely turn into a winning position."
"That's right, your move forces one to use a cannon to defend."
The young man said:
"Cannon 6 to 5. You use the horse to attack the chariot; if you evade, I'll directly capture your general."
The middle-aged Daoist priest stared intently for a while, then angrily slammed the stone table, stood up, and said sternly:
"Lin Fan, a true gentleman doesn't comment on a game in progress, do you understand?"
Lin Fan lowered his head and looked. The old Daoist's forehead was throbbing with dark veins, and he noticed that when the other party had slammed the table just now, all the chess pieces had been sent flying.
The middle-aged Daoist priest lowered his head and looked, then exclaimed in surprise:
"Oh dear, what happened here? We'll have to find another board."
"As both a Sect Master and a Daoist practitioner, it's improper to be so concerned about winning or losing a chess game."
Lin Fan, lamenting that iron could not be forged into steel, shook his head and said:
"Old Man Zhang, let's play another round."