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墨書 Inktalez
When Ma Rulong entered his master's door, he was still a half-grown child. At that time, he and his brother Banrada were separated due to their parents' divorce. This guy had been mischievous since childhood, disliking studies and always getting into trouble. As he grew a little older, he stole money from home, thinking about going out to make a name for himself.
Somehow, he ended up here. At the Daoist temple, there was still a group of people living there. When Ma Rulong arrived, he saw a group of Daoist Priests practicing martial arts and drawing talismans, which intrigued him. He insisted on wanting to join. However, his master saw that he was just a child and refused to take him in, telling him to go home early so as not to worry his parents.
Ma Rulong hated being lectured the most, so after his master said a few words, he got angry and ran away.
The people in the temple thought he had really left, but little did they know that Ma Rulong hadn’t gone far; he was hiding nearby, pondering how to cause trouble for these bad guys. By coincidence, at noon that day, the master took his disciples outside to lift the wooden board and use the sunlight to enhance the power of the talisman. Ma Rulong watched for a long time without understanding a word; all he knew was that this talisman was very important. So he thought, since you won't accept me as your disciple, I'll just destroy this talisman and make you all furious!
That night, when the Daoist Priests were resting, Ma Rulong sneaked over. As a child, he naturally couldn't lift the entire wooden board. After struggling for a long time without success, he had to abandon his original plan. But since he was already there, he couldn't just leave empty-handed; thus, Ma Rulong poured the paint and some feces under the board and even sprinkled some urine.
However, before he could finish his mischief, someone came out to relieve themselves and caught sight of him. Just as Ma Rulong was about to run away, he was grabbed. Being just a child, he was no match for an adult.
The incident alarmed everyone in the temple, especially the master. When he came out and saw the talisman on the board stained with filth, his hair nearly stood on end with anger. This talisman was used to suppress Evil Spirits and was very sacred; it could not tolerate being defiled by dirt. With feces and urine all over it and half a bucket of paint obscuring part of the talisman, it was rendered almost completely ineffective.
Despite its small size, the master had put in considerable effort to remove it. The experts he invited were all top figures of their time; ordinary people might not have even heard of them, let alone seen them. True masters are rarely seen; as the saying goes, "A dragon's head is seen but not its tail."
Now that the talisman was destroyed, it would likely hinder future rituals for purification. If it were an ordinary person who had done this, they might have been beaten to death and thrown into a ravine by now. But Ma Rulong was quite capable; upon being caught, he immediately threw himself on the ground crying uncontrollably with snot and tears streaming down his face. Being just a child and crying so desperately made it difficult for the Daoist Priests to punish him.
In the end, it was still the master who made the decision: since you destroyed the talisman, you won't be leaving; you'll work hard in the temple for ten or eight years to repay your debt!
As for the talisman, after much thought, the master ultimately decided to use Gold Paint to repair it. Although its effectiveness might be slightly diminished, it was better than having nothing at all.
Thus, Ma Rulong finally entered the Taoist temple as he wished. Unfortunately, he was not a disciple but a laborer! At this point, Ma Rulong grumbled, saying that his master was illegally recruiting child laborers, and it was only because of his good heart that he didn't report it; otherwise, he would have been in trouble long ago.
I couldn't help but chuckle at this, thinking that if it were me, I would have dismembered him and fed him to the dogs!
Ma Rulong stayed in the temple for ten years, growing from a teenager into a young adult in his twenties. During this time, his parents came looking for him, but he was stubborn. Although the temple did not treat him as a true disciple, life there was not as wonderful as he had imagined. However, compared to his broken family, he preferred to stay there.
His parents had no choice but to ask the Taoist priest to take care of him more. The people in the temple laughed and assured them they would take good care of him. Once his parents left, they immediately told Ma Rulong to get back to work!
Ma Rulong felt quite resentful about this because for ten years, the priest had never taught him any Taoist techniques. Only after spending time with his senior brothers did they occasionally show him a few tricks out of impatience. After seeing more, Ma Rulong learned a few moves, but compared to a real Daoist Priest, he could only be considered to have a superficial understanding.
Now I understood why when helping Qin Zhenzhen deal with the evil spirit in the drum set, Ma Rulong insisted on going back for the compass. It was because he didn't know any ghost-repelling techniques and could only rely on the compass to do so!
When the tenth year arrived, one day the priest suddenly called everyone together. He offered incense to the Ancestor Master on the altar and after three bows and nine kowtows, he told his disciples that today he would leave this world and ascend to immortality. To put it simply, he was about to kick the bucket and came to arrange his affairs.
The disciples looked at each other in disbelief; no one expected their master to say such things suddenly. Especially Ma Rulong—although the priest had never formally recognized him as a disciple, he had not treated him too poorly either. Sometimes when his senior brothers bullied him, the priest would help him out. So although they were not officially master and disciple, their relationship was quite similar.
Hearing his master say this, Ma Rulong was the first to object: "Master, are you just bored and cursing yourself?"
The master responded with a slap and glared at him: "If it weren't for you ruining the Golden Curse ten years ago, why would I need to expend my own life force to make up for it? Though Buddhism and Taoism differ, today's results are indeed caused by yesterday's actions. I may not have taken you as my disciple, but you ruined my great plans—this is truly retribution!"
Ma Rulong was taken aback and suddenly felt emotional; he knelt on the ground and cried out to his master: "I was wrong!"
The master sighed and helped him up: "Whether right or wrong doesn't matter anymore. What is meant to happen has already happened; we must follow the will of heaven. You may not be my disciple, but you have been here for ten years; just stand here and listen."
Later, the master said that after his death, the people in the temple could come and go as they pleased. However, whoever chose to stay must continue the Extradition Ceremony. Otherwise, remaining here would only bring harm, not benefit! This is Wangsheng Mountain, a gathering place for Yin Spirits. If it is not regularly attended to, it will eventually become a source of disaster!
To be honest, as I thought when I first came to Wangsheng Mountain, the Extradition Ceremony is a thankless task. They say it can accumulate virtue, but in reality, one can only enjoy that virtue after death. Who among the living does not understand that being alive is the most important thing? Only living well and enjoying life is worthwhile; otherwise, why would those ancient practitioners pursue immortality?
The Taoist priest had cultivated for many years and had long seen through human nature. Although these disciples respected him on ordinary days, it was merely based on the bond between master and disciple. If he truly wanted someone to take on this hard work, no one would be willing. He knew very well that after his death, the temple would likely fall into disarray.
Thinking of this, the Taoist priest's expression darkened. He took out the wealth given to him by followers over the years for alleviating their worries and distributed it among his disciples, telling them to take care of themselves in the future and saying no more.
This money was neither too much nor too little; it was enough for a person to live without working for several years. Among everyone, only Ma Rulong had not received a single cent, but he did not mind. He only wanted to know if the master was really going to die.
That night, dark clouds covered the sky, obscuring the stars and moon. The disciples waited in the temple for their master's final moments. Ma Rulong was among them; he felt anxious and sad. From his senior brothers' expressions, it seemed that the master was truly leaving. He did not understand how the master could predict when he would die. All he knew was that if the master died today, it would be his fault.
It was his youthful ignorance that had caused his master’s lifespan to be greatly diminished!
That night, a thunderclap split the sky, shaking the heavens.
At that moment, Ma Rulong's heart raced like a wild horse. He panicked—truly panicked.
When the thunder roared in his ears, he suddenly rushed into his master's room and fell to his knees with a thud on the ground, shouting at his master who lay quietly on the bed: "I am willing to stay for the temple and inherit the Extradition Ceremony to fulfill my master's last wish!"
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