Part-Time Taoist Priest 27

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Venerating the Lone Spirit

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When the other bar employees entered the washroom, Xie Lingya was using all his strength to finish drawing the last stroke. The symbol was completed!

Suddenly, as if something had been detached from her body, Yue Tong collapsed on the floor.

Xie Lingya could not adequately explain the violent scene, hence when Yue Tong was sent to the hospital, he was escorted to the police station.

From the waiter’s statement, the police originally thought it was a case of domestic violence. But the classmates who followed along knew Yue Tong had a boyfriend and all of them were confused.

Since both Xie Lingya and Yue Tong were acting strange today, they weren’t confident that the two of them hadn’t had a dispute.

“It really is a misunderstanding. Ask the waiter, weren’t Yue Tong’s pupils unnaturally shrunken just now?” Xie Lingya said. “We are just regular classmates attending a gathering. She attacked me all of a sudden and bit my hand. I was just restraining her in self-defense!”

“Yes…” the waiter said timidly. “But I thought it was because of you strangling her.”

“How could strangling cause that? Her eyes weren’t rolled back.” Xie Lingya was speechless.

Suddenly, the police asked, “Hold on, your name is Xie Lingya? Where is your workplace?”

Xie Lingya replied, “Workplace? I work at Baoyang Temple.”

“It is really you! My colleagues in that area always bring up your temple during meetings. They said the people there are warm-hearted and love to help. They also always provide clues to crimes. Isn’t that so?” The police slapped his thigh and said, “And there is that Taoist priest who went on the news. I’ve watched it!”

Xie Lingya: “……”

Should he thank the ghosts for making him known in the law enforcement system?

Due to his history of good deeds, Xie Lingya’s statement became more credible.

At this time, a call came in from Mu Shan who had sent Yue Tong to the hospital. 

Her phone call was put on speaker mode and her voice rang out, “Oh my god, I just called Yue Tong’s parents. They told me that since a few days ago when Yue Tong returned from a holiday, she had lost her mind. She assaulted her parents and boyfriend with a knife. They were preparing to send her to the provincial hospital but yesterday Yue Tong escaped from home. They have been looking for her ever since!”

This information corroborated Xie Lingya’s statement, explaining why Yue Tong had suddenly attacked him.

The classmates were dumbfounded. The normally gentle and timid Yue Tong assaulted someone? Were they lucky that Yue Tong did not have a knife with her when they were playing?

They couldn’t wrap their heads around how Yue Tong suddenly had mental issues. No one knew about this beforehand. Yue Tong’s parents probably wanted to keep it private as well. No wonder Yue Tong didn’t seem well. 

Xie Lingya was the unluckiest, to have been chosen as Yue Tong’s groom. Thinking about it sent shivers down everyone’s spine.

Xie Lingya instantly turned from a suspect to a victim. After making sure that Yue Tong had only fainted and not sustained other injuries, the police patted Xie Lingya on the shoulder.

The policeman was initially skeptical that a model citizen like Xie Lingya would deliberately attack a girl. Now, he sympathized with his misfortune instead. He told Xie Lingya to hurry off and seek treatment for his neck, which was injured from the strangulation.

The bar employee who made the police report also apologized for mistaking the victim for the offender, causing him to be arrested. Xie Lingya let him off without a fuss. After all, the scene did look very violent.

Xie Lingya walked out of the police station with his classmates. Immediately, he saw Shi Changxuan waiting for him outside the entrance, as if knowing the misunderstanding would be cleared.

Because Xie Lingya stopped in place, everyone else noticed Shi Changxuan. Shi Changxuan’s appearance made everyone apprehensive to move forward, mainly due to the sword he was carrying on his back.

“It is fine. He is my friend. He came for me after hearing that I got arrested,” Xie Lingya said nonchalantly.

One of his classmates asked, a tint of fear in his voice, “Your friend is involved with gangs? Coming armed with a sword to get you out?”

“….” Xie Lingya glanced at the person. “Can you look more carefully? That’s a wooden sword.”

Classmate: “……”

Another classmate, who also mistook it for a weapon, added, “A wooden sword is still weird.”

“Can’t he come over from practicing Tai Chi in the park?” In greeting, Xie Lingya waved a hand at Shi Changxuan and then said to his classmates, “Let’s get together again at another time. I might visit Yue Tong in the hospital tomorrow.”

“Go home quickly and take some medication. Your voice is all hoarse.”

“Sigh, Yue Tong became like that because she is ill… Thank goodness you are not blaming her.”

They said their goodbyes and left. They met to have fun today, but who knew that things would turn out the way they did.

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“Sorry for making you come for nothing. Let’s go.” Xie Lingya raised his chin at Shi Changxuan. They walked along the street for a while and then made a turn into a deserted alleyway.

Xie Lingya rubbed his neck and turned around. “What do you want exactly?” he rasped out.

A figure appeared mid-air. It had long hair and was dressed in a red dress that looked like it came from the feudal era. Chilly air radiated from it. It was the female ghost who was possessing Yue Tong before she was banished from Yue Tong’s body with Xie Lingya’s blood talisman. 

She didn’t continue haunting Yue Tong but followed Xie Lingya. As he still had the Spirit Official’s Divine Eye drawn on his forehead, he easily discovered her.

Shi Changxuan was also prepared and drew his sword.

It was as if the female ghost did not see his actions and just continued staring straight at Xie Lingya. “Did you forget? You are my groom.”

…Fuck, so you want to do me in?

Xie Lingya’s expression soured. “That was only a game. Even if I was the groom, I was with Yue Tong. Don’t flatter yourself.” 

Had the ghost escaped when she was banished, he wouldn’t have gone looking for her and would have let her off. But now she followed after him instead.

The ghost’s gaze turned sharp and her tone became angry, “Why? We are already a married couple, why don’t you want me?”

And she was at it again. Somehow she had her mind set on Xie Lingya being her groom. Many malevolent spirits were like this, possessed by their own obsession, forgetting everything else.

“Hey, you are really thick-skinned,” Xie Lingya blurted out. “Why, you ask? Because I don’t want to be your husband.”

As if provoked by his words, the ghost lunged at him.

Xie Lingya took a step back while Shi Changxuan stepped forward and held the sword out horizontally, parrying the attack.

Xie Lingya squatted down next to him. His throat was feeling uncomfortable and his finger was wounded, so he had an unspoken understanding with Shi Changxuan to take a back seat.

The ghost wanted to go around Shi Changxuan to catch Xie Lingya, but Shi Changxuan did not give her any chance to do so. The ghost was enraged and shrieked, “Go away!!”

Blood flowed out of the ghost’s eyes and the crimson color of her dress became more vivid, making her appear even more terrifying. But Shi Changxuan remained stoic.

“Die—” The ghost went berserk. She sprung forward and made a quick turn, grabbing hold of Shi Changxuan’s shoulder from behind.

Pokeweed was right beside the ghost’s face. With the loudest voice it could muster, it shouted, “Xie Lingya is not your husband. He likes us the most!”

Shi Changxuan: “……”

Ghost: “Ahhh—”

Of course, from Xie Lingya’s perspective, he could only see that the ghost had abruptly stopped in her tracks for some unknown reason, and then Shi Changxuan stabbed his sword behind him into her chest.

“Ah—” The ghost screeched and was repelled away. 

In a flash, she crawled back again. “Shameless, shameless, shameless! I am his bride. Anyone who takes him from me shall die—”

Xie Lingya saw Shi Changxuan’s brows furrowed, then the other man pierced a paper talisman with his sword and lifted it. “I bow to the gods, let all evil be banished!”

The ghost was bound by the talisman yet she glared at Shi Changxuan stubbornly. “I came first! He promised me!”

From Shi Changxuan’s shoulder, Pokeweed cooly huffed, “Pfft.”

“……” Shi Changxuan shot Pokeweed a look, and finally snapped. “Shut up.”

“Did Pokeweed say something to the ghost just now? I saw her suddenly go crazy and start spouting gibberish,” Xie Lingya asked in surprise. “Did it cuss at her?”

“…It was nothing. Just nonsense.” Shi Changxuan avoided Xie Lingya’s eyes. He wanted to reach out to stuff Pokeweed back into his pocket but after giving it some thought, he still restrained himself.

When Xie Lingya got back to the temple, Hai Guanchao was brewing medicine for him. Shi Changxuan had texted him about the situation. He also prepared ointment for the injuries on Xie Lingya’s neck and finger.

“Luckily, I have a good reputation. Even the police didn’t believe I would beat a woman and heard me out,” Xie Lingya said.

“Your voice is all raspy, stop speaking.” Hai Guanchao handed him the brewed herbal concoction and watched him down the whole bowl with his nose pinched. He turned to Shi Changxuan and asked, “The sponge demon¹Xie Lingya, for having a brain that absorbs knowledge like a sponge tortured some ghosts again?”

It took two seconds for Shi Changxuan to realize who he was referring to, before nodding.

Xie Lingya put down the bowl, “Eh, what did you call me?”

“I called you Director Xie,” Hai Guanchao lied without batting an eye. He moved to put the bowl away, “I told you to speak less.”

Xie Lingya’s face was full of suspicion. He didn’t hear clearly, but it definitely didn’t sound like his name or Director Xie.

“Never mind that… I’ll just say this one thing. I did not torture the ghost, I only forced her out. It was Shi Daozhang who tortured her,” Xie Lingya said and finally shut up.

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The next day, Xie Lingya visited Yue Tong at the hospital. 

When he arrived, she was asleep. Her parents and boyfriend were accompanying her and were apologetic when they saw him. They had heard from Mu Shan about what happened yesterday.

“Xiao Xie, I’m really sorry. Our Yue Tong only became like that because she is sick,” Yue Tong’s mother said with tearful eyes. She couldn’t bear to use the word “crazy” in regards to her daughter.

“It is fine, aunty. I know. I also choked Yue Tong yesterday,” Xie Lingya said embarrassedly. “But don’t you worry, before Yue Tong fainted yesterday, she had regained her senses. I believe she will recover quickly.” 

As if to prove Xie Lingya’s words, Yue Tong woke up. 

Despite her weak body, she was very clear-headed. She couldn’t remember why she was at the hospital. She felt like she’d just had a long dream. And now she was back to being the gentle and timid girl she used to be.

The doctor performed a few simple tests on Yue Tong. Seeing that she had regained her sanity, he ordered a few more examinations.

While Yue Tong’s parents and boyfriend were busy with her, Xie Lingya refilled Yue Tong’s mug with water from a jug. Turning his back to them, he secretly poured talisman ash into the mug.

“Yue Tong, drink some water.” After some thought, Xie Lingya decided it was better not to let Yue Tong know the truth.

“Xie Lingya? Why are you here too?” Yue Tong felt the soreness of her throat so she reached out to accept the mug and drank from it. The water tasted weird but at the same time, as she drank, she felt the inexplicable weariness in her body dissipating. The feeling made her finish the water without stopping.

Yue Tong let out a sigh and she felt energized. “Mom, Dad, Ah Zhi, why are you all looking like that? I didn’t get any terminal illness, did I? I’m feeling great now.”

“Of course not. It is just a check-up because you fainted,” Yue Tong’s boyfriend said without mentioning her episode.

“Oh… That’s strange. I could only remember that I went to travel around Xiangyin. I visited an ancient ruin with my friends, where worshipping had been performed. After that, I returned to the hotel and fell asleep.” As she tried to recall, Yue Tong felt her memory became more and more blurry. “I really can’t remember anything else.”

“Then don’t think about it. It’s time for you to be examined, ” Xie Lingya comforted.

“Ok.” Yue Tong then asked curiously, “What happened to your neck?”

“Just an accident,” Xie Lingya lied. “I should go now. I’ll come again.”

Xie Lingya said goodbye to Yue Tong’s parents and turned to leave.

When he reached the door, Yue Tong suddenly called out to him. There was an inexplicable feeling in her heart that made her blurt out, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. We are classmates after all.” Xie Lingya waved at her and left.

On his phone, Xie Lingya typed in the keywords “Xiangyin worship ruins” in the search box. The search showed several results. He clicked on one of them and was sent to a page regarding the ancient ruins in Xiangyin City.

The information was brief and only mentioned that this was the place where ancient Xiangyin people worshipped their gods and asked for blessings. Xie Lingya felt something was not right and showed it to Shi Changxuan.

Shi Changxuan was very familiar with the rules and customs of rituals. Upon seeing the attached photos, he remarked decisively, “This is a folk ritual that does not conform to the rites²An important concept in Chinese philosophy and general culture. Some translate it as ‘rules of conducts’ that not only encompass religious ceremonies, but also interactions between people and the world etc..”

In ancient times, occult rituals were popular. Worshipping unorthodox gods³Folk religion, not formally recognized by the state. was considered occult and was not approved by the state. For example, the worshipping of the one-legged Wutong was a kind of occult ritual. The one-legged Wutong was not an orthodox god, but a mountain goblin.

The spirit which possessed Yue Tong had been trapped in a place of worship, being unable to reincarnate—what had she gone through before coming to Niuyang? Why was she searching for a groom?

Xie Lingya suddenly recalled something from within the Baoyang notes. It was written that many dynasties had prohibited occult rituals because many unorthodox gods were demonic idols, like the one-legged Wutong, but even more of these rituals were scams.

Scammers commonly worked around rural areas, fooling the residents for offerings.

These offerings included but were not limited to, items like money, food… or women.

Shi Changxuan whispered, “She might’ve been sacrificed when she was alive. Occult rituals commonly used unmarried girls as sacrificial offerings. When she approached you, she was obsessed with a groom. Maybe she had a marriage which was canceled, then was chosen as an offering, or was arranged to be married to the ‘god’.”

No matter which was her fate, both were tragic. Xie Lingya was speechless for a moment. When he saw the ruins, he had a feeling that the ghost had experienced something tragic. Perhaps she had been trapped in this world for more than a century.

“Sigh…” Xie Lingya was initially mad that the ghost had possessed Yue Tong, but now it seemed that she was just a poor spirit that had lost her mind.

The two could only deduce some possibilities of what had happened in the ruins since the details were difficult to ascertain. The buried truth might be even more gruesome and one shouldn’t dwell too much on the injustices of the past.

Faith could give people hope, but it could also cause some to lose their rationality.

Shi Changxuan returned the phone to Xie Lingya and said, “I’ll go to Xiangyin this weekend to venerate the wandering spirits.”

Venerating the wandering spirits would allow them to be purified and salvaged. Shi Changxuan figured the ruins might have trapped more than one spirit.

Hearing his plan, Xie Lingya’s mood turned better. “I’ll go with you.”

Xie Lingya remembered when his uncle was still alive, he would always leave the temple to perform ceremonies. After taking over Baoyang Temple, Xie Lingya realized that there were fewer and fewer people who came to him for exorcism and religious ceremonies. 

Perhaps Wang Yuji was traveling everywhere to salvage these spirits that were unable to move on in their afterlife. Baoyang Temple only had one person, so Wang Yuji could not manage both operations and hence the temple became desolate.

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Xiangyin City was a two-hour car ride away from Niuyang City. When Xie Lingya and Shi Changxuan arrived in Xiangyin, they decided to stay in a hotel in the city center.

The ruins, officially known as the Xiangyin East Worship Ruins, were situated in the outskirts. There would definitely be tourists at the ruins during the day. They could only head there at night.

Xie Lingya did not think much when he booked the hotel. They were just two guys so he only booked one room. When they got into the room, they discovered that the twin room was actually a double room with only one bed. He was too lazy to change rooms, so they decided to settle with what they had.

Although the car ride between the cities took two hours, adding on the time spent preparing for the trip, when they reached the city, Xie Lingya flopped down on the bed, exhausted.

Pokeweed: “I… @#$%^!!”

It had already gone crazy and could not make any coherent speech.

Shi Changxuan unpinned Pokeweed from his shirt and put it on the pillow. Xie Lingya turned and came face-to-face with Pokeweed— Pokeweed went silent immediately.

Shi Changxuan took off his jacket and saw Xie Lingya’s waist which was exposed due to his posture. There were still some blue and black bruises on his waist from being constricted by the hanged ghost the other time.

Xie Lingya was very fair, so although he had applied ointment to the bruises, the marks were still obvious. In addition to the injuries he had on his ankle, neck, and finger, Shi Changxuan was startled at the sight, even though this was far from the worst injuries he had seen.

At 11 p.m., Xie Lingya and Shi Changxuan took a cab to the outskirts. 

The Xiangyin East Worship Ruins were about 10 meters in width and length. The area was only recently excavated and it wasn’t a very valuable site, so it was not guarded. 

There was only a signboard introducing the ruins. The sign said there was a temple next to the ruins, but it was so dilapidated that one couldn’t tell its original form.

The scale of the altar wasn’t big compared to others, but when the two regarded the place, they saw dozens of spirits wandering around. Some were stoic, some seemed to still retain some sanity, but all were trapped in the agony of death. They mechanically repeated the same motions. 

Perhaps they had a different past life from the ghost bride, but their pain was the same.

The two took out their tools. They couldn’t bring the ritual table, so they used the rocks in the ruins instead. Thankfully, both their skills had already excelled beyond the level of being constrained by form.

‘The way of the Tao is profound, its light shines brightly upon the world. Follow my voice to escape the suffering, the dead shall ascend to heaven quickly.’

Shi Changxuan put on his ritual robes and recited solemnly: “…The Tao teaches all beings without bias, all that is convenient is cultivation. If you convert to the holy wisdom, you will ascend to heaven and be enlightened.” 

As the ceremony progressed, the grievances of the listless spirits were washed away and they gradually regained consciousness. They went from numb and hateful to sad and tired. They had been trapped here for far too long. At this moment, they moved and gathered in front of the altar.

Using a willow branch, Xie Lingya made food offerings to the spirits. 

After they satisfied their hunger and their throats were unlocked by the holy water, the spirits started crying. But with Shi Changxuan’s recitation of scriptures, they slowly calmed down. 

In the end, in a faint glow, the spirits were purified. Before leaving, the spirits bowed deeply to Shi Changxuan and Xie Lingya. 

As if cleansed with water, the sacrificial altar made of rocks was rid of all negative energy born of resentment. Xie Lingya sat on the floor. They were performing the ceremony for the lone spirits, but he felt like he was also purified in the process.

Shi Changxuan put things away and sat down next to Xie Lingya.

“We definitely won’t be able to get a ride at this hour. We can only spend the night watching stars,” Xie Lingya joked. “Have you stargazed like this with anyone before?”

Had Shi Changxuan ever performed ceremonies in the wild? Did he bring help? People who performed these good deeds without repayment, were they as lonely as Uncle was? Uncle had no car. If he went to the outskirts, he probably needed to sleep outdoors, in the open air.

“……” Shi Changxuan tilted his head to look at Xie Lingya. After a pause, he said, “…No.”

Xie Lingya suddenly leaned in and said to Pokeweed who was on Shi Changxuan’s shoulder, “But you must’ve.”

With Xie Lingya being so close, Pokeweed was too shy to utter even a single word.

“Hm?” Xie Lingya tilted his head and glanced at Pokeweed.

Shi Changxuan went rigid. Xie Lingya was almost touching his shoulder, with a faint smile on his lips, it was worse than the time he leaned on his back.

Shi Changxuan’s mind was blank. This person was unscrupulous yet kind and understanding, violent yet gentle. He made Shi Changxuan speechless all the time, yet he couldn’t stop him from getting closer—just like now, Shi Changxuan could only observe him up close and silently guess his intentions.

Xie Lingya’s eyes met Shi Changxuan’s for a moment before averting his gaze and saying naturally, “Aih, let me take a nap.”

In his heart, Xie Lingya thought, No, I can’t anymore. The more I look, the more envious I am. I want a pokeweed spirit too!

Shi Changxuan withdrew his gaze abruptly too. He couldn’t help but lament— so even Xie Lingya could feel embarrassed.

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Niuyang Residents Forum

[Niuyang Anecdotes]

Title: Wuwuwu OP is seeing ghosts again

Content: Wuwuwu OP is frightened even now. I only dared to post this during the day. Yesterday I went traveling with my friends. We were driving at night and took a wrong turn. When we passed by an area on the outskirts of Xiangyin, I heard the sound of women crying. The cries were very awful. I woke my friend up but she said she didn’t hear anything. She even wanted to go have a look. I felt something was off, so I stopped her with all my strength. I checked after that, that place was an ancient sacrificial site TAT

1l: That last line was too scary…

2l: Hold on, this is 1l here. After replying, I thought OP’s ID looked familiar and my reply was also familiar… Like I have replied to a similar post before. OP, are you the one who saw ghosts during the Ghost Festival?

3l: I also remember OP. OP, your illness has not been cured yet?

4l: OP, maybe you missed the chance to save someone. What if it was someone who was injured?

5l: What injuries? Her friend didn’t hear anything. Obviously, they had a supernatural encounter.

6l: You are seeing ghosts again? Told you to stop going out at night.

7l: Diagnosis complete—delusional disorder.

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Translator: Velvet
TL checker: Darkchocolatesan
Editor: Miiya
Proofreader: Taalia, Eques
QC: Eques

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