Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"Oh, it's nothing! I was just a bit surprised by the old man's clothes!" Xiao Yefeng said.
"Oh!" Wei Zhenjiang didn't pay much attention as he carefully put on his garments. However, Xiao Yefeng could tell that this set of shamanic attire was quite elaborate and not something one could easily buy from a street vendor.
Divine Hat, Divine Shoes, Divine Garment, Divine Skirt, Divine Belt, and Divine Gloves—these were the standard names for shamanic clothing. There were many more detailed classifications, and in Xiao Yefeng's memory, he recalled that an ancestor had once had a close relationship with a northern shaman. This shaman was said to be capable of many things that the Xiao Family members could not do. It also confirmed a saying: every profession has its own expertise, and enlightenment comes at different times.
Thus, Xiao Yefeng was even more curious about shamans. He never expected that by chance he would encounter a true Shaman Wizard wearing authentic Shamanic Garb. Although he wasn't sure if Wei Zhenjiang was indeed a wizard, this genuine Shamanic Garb couldn't deceive Xiao Yefeng.
After walking for a while, Wei Zhenjiang led his son out of the house. At that moment, the courtyard of the Wei Family was already crowded with villagers who had come rushing over. As Wei Zhenjiang stepped out, he was surrounded by villagers eager to leave the courtyard, while Xiao Yefeng walked behind with Wei Family's daughter-in-law, Yang Lin.
"Sister-in-law! Who is this old man?" Xiao Yefeng finally couldn't help but ask.
Yang Lin replied calmly, "My dad is quite mysterious. When he was young, he traveled around a lot. Later, after getting injured, he returned to the village to marry and have children. I don't know much more than that. But I've heard my husband say that my dad seems to practice Great Deity rituals and even wants my husband to learn! Haha! But now it's a new era; who would still learn such things?"
Although Yang Lin's words seemed disrespectful towards her father-in-law, they reflected some truth. Moreover, she wasn't wrong; whether it was someone like Xiao Yefeng, a Geomancer, or shamans in general, they were often seen as eccentric among ordinary people. Just like when Xiao Yefeng encountered an attack from Shikigami—ordinary people couldn't see the Shikigami; they only saw Xiao Yefeng thrashing about wildly. Wasn't that a sign of madness?
Furthermore, shamans appeared even more eccentric than Geomancers. Throughout their journey, Xiao Yefeng observed Wei Zhenjiang jumping around energetically while leading everyone up the mountain in his peculiar Shamanic Garb. To an uninformed observer, he would certainly seem insane. However, Xiao Yefeng could sense that each time the old man struck his hand drum along the way, the surrounding atmosphere shifted slightly—especially the Yin Qi at night seemed to resonate with the vibrations of the drum.
It felt like a wandering child returning home. Sensing this phenomenon, Xiao Yefeng intentionally lagged behind a few steps and activated his Heart Decision technique while opening his Yin-Yang Eye again. He discovered that wherever Old Master Wei passed along this main road, the Yin Qi would automatically avoid him. Additionally, with each strike of the Wen Wang Drum and Overlord Whip, strands of golden light seemed to continuously emerge, bathing those following in golden radiance while causing some dark energy to evaporate from their bodies.
Witnessing this scene truly impressed Xiao Yefeng regarding Wei Zhenjiang. What was happening here? This was large-scale blessing! The dark energy drifting away represented negative influences—troubles in people's fortunes or minor grievances—like getting cut by a knife today or tripping over a stone tomorrow.
Most intuitively, Xiao Yefeng noticed that within Yang Lin's aura of fortune, a recent calamity she was likely to encounter vanished before his eyes. Although he didn't know what this disappearing calamity was about, it must have been a source of worry for her. In fact, he had sensed it when he first laid eyes on Yang Lin. He had intended to offer some advice after paying his respects but hadn't expected it to disappear entirely instead.
Looking at the old man at the forefront of the group, Xiao Yefeng truly admired him. He was confident that he could help Yang Lin resolve the troubles that were about to arise, but that would only happen after Yang Lin encountered them and remembered Xiao Yefeng's words. However, it was impossible to directly expel Xiao Yefeng.
Throughout the journey, Wei Zhenjiang's drumming never ceased, yet Xiao Yefeng listened intently to each beat. Under the influence of his Yin-Yang Eye, Xiao Yefeng found himself at the back of the group. However, the Righteous Qi within him surged, and with each drumbeat, he felt his Heart Decision operating at double its usual speed. Although the amount of spiritual energy he absorbed remained scarce, it was remarkably refined.
Sensing something unusual from behind the group, Wei Zhenjiang took a moment to glance back while jumping. Using the terrain to his advantage, he spotted Xiao Yefeng at the rear. A look of surprise crossed Wei Zhenjiang's face, but he seemed unconcerned as he continued to jump. Whether he noticed the aura surrounding Xiao Yefeng remained uncertain.
Finally, they arrived at the foot of Heroic Spirit Mountain. The first to reach there, Wei Zhenjiang signaled to his son. Wei Qingqiang took out a series of items including incense burners and wine cups from their bundle and arranged them neatly in front of the mountain gate. At this moment, Xiao Yefeng followed everyone to the entrance and discovered that it was surrounded by high walls, with the only entrance being the mountain gate.
The mountain gate was built quite conventionally, adorned with flying phoenix tiles and a pointed roof. Below it hung a large plaque with three bold characters: Heroic Spirit Mountain! On either side of the gate stood stone lions guarding it. Xiao Yefeng felt a bit strange; how had things changed so much? In his memories from when he was five years old, there had been no walls or gates here—just a rugged path overgrown with wild grass and stones. He never expected such a transformation after more than a decade.
On the other side, Old Master Wei set up his ceremonial display—burning incense and pouring wine. After a series of rituals that Xiao Yefeng did not understand due to his lack of knowledge of Manchu language, Old Master Wei began to dance. As he danced and struck the drum surface, faint golden lights floated from it, swirling around everyone present. To ordinary eyes, it appeared as though an old man was performing an odd dance while beating a single-faced drum; yet even ordinary people could feel that there was rhythm in the sound—it was quite pleasant.
After about ten minutes, Old Master Wei stopped dancing. With the drumstick resting on his lower back, he spoke: "The prayer is complete! Everyone may enter the mountain to pay their respects!"
Then Wei Qingqiang quickly stepped forward to assist his father away from the altar in front of the mountain gate. At this moment, Xiao Yefeng squeezed through from behind the crowd and approached Old Master Wei. He bowed respectfully and said, "Old Master is truly a benevolent person; such large-scale prayers benefit all in this area. Thank you for your hard work!"
Seeing Xiao Yefeng's actions, those around him looked at him with puzzled expressions—including Wei Zhenjiang's son and daughter-in-law. At this point, Wei Zhenjiang was already drenched in sweat; after all, he was in his fifties or sixties and had jumped from the village here followed by such vigorous activity—he was too exhausted to speak. The old man glanced at Xiao Yefeng and waved his hand dismissively.
At that moment, Wei Qingqiang said: "Bro! To be honest with you, our village doesn't have this tradition; my dad added it after returning. I didn't want him to do this since he's getting older—what if he overexerts himself?"
Wei Qingqiang's words clearly indicated that he was unaware of Old Master Wei's identity as a shaman. However, now that Wei Zhenjiang had caught his breath, he said: "Son, you and Lin should go ahead; I’ll have a chat with Feng!"
With that, the old man sent his son and daughter-in-law away. Clearly, this kind of conversation had been ongoing for many years; what was different this year was that Xiao Yefeng had arrived—now Old Master Wei had someone new to talk to.
The crowd of onlookers had no idea that they had already been blessed by the old man, who had alleviated some misfortunes for them. As they all climbed the mountain to pay their respects, Xiao Yefeng and Wei Zhenjiang, dressed in Shamanic Garb, ascended the path at a leisurely pace.
"What do you want to ask me?" Wei Zhenjiang inquired after lighting a cigarette and glancing at Xiao Yefeng.
"Uh!" Xiao Yefeng was momentarily at a loss for words due to Wei Zhenjiang's straightforwardness. He had many questions but couldn't figure out where to start.
"Old man, I really didn't expect to meet a true Shaman Wizard!" After some thought, Xiao Yefeng managed to say this.
"Haha, that's not quite right! I'm no Shaman Wizard; at most, I'm just an ordinary person who has inherited the attire of a wizard!" Wei Zhenjiang laughed as he shared stories about himself. Meanwhile, with Wei Zhenjiang's help, Xiao Yefeng found the graves of his relatives from his memories.
Upon seeing Xiao Yefeng locate his family's burial site, Wei Zhenjiang decided not to press him further about his matters. He simply allowed Xiao Yefeng to pay his respects before returning home. Afterward, Wei Zhenjiang went to honor his own ancestors, leaving Xiao Yefeng alone at the site.
Indeed, Heroic Spirit Mountain was not particularly large; however, years of burials had covered the entire peak with various graves and tombstones. Yet, around Uncle Xiao Ye Feng and Xiao Yefeng's parents' graves, the area was remarkably serene. Xiao Yefeng understood the reason without needing much explanation— even in rural areas where people might not believe in feng shui, when someone passes away, families often consult a geomancer to choose an auspicious burial date and location.
This Heroic Spirit Mountain was inherently unsuitable for burials. The Lonely Mountain lacked protective sand and was one of the major taboos for yin burial sites. However, since it had been done by ancestors, this taboo had been overlooked. Still, being buried among communal graves meant that a good location needed to be sought. The spot chosen by Xiao Yefeng's uncle was rather poor; it did not catch the wind or gather energy. It lacked both timing and geographical advantage. Fortunately, the naturally formed depression provided some relief in terms of terrain; otherwise, Xiao Yefeng would have seriously considered relocating the graves.
Xiao Wen's grave, Murong Ye's grave, Yan Yuntu's grave—two tombs with weathered stones that stood resiliently despite years of neglect. At this moment, Xiao Yefeng knelt between the two graves with a thud. As he lowered himself, tears streamed from his eyes like a fountain onto the snow-covered hollow of the mountain. A man does not shed tears lightly; however, after more than a decade since his last visit to pay respects at the gravesite, Xiao Yefeng found it difficult to express the emotions that surged within him.
Comment 0 Comment Count