Part-Time Taoist Priest 14

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The One-Legged Wutong (Part 2)

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Cheng Jie and his wife didn’t dare to continue to stay here, so Xie Lingya brought them back to Baoyang Temple for the night. The next day, they followed Shi Changxuan’s instructions and bought two pigs and two goats at the market behind the temple.

The butcher thought it was peculiar. He had never seen anyone insist on taking the skin, blood, and even feces of the slaughtered animals.

Although everything was packed properly in bags and buckets, Cheng Jie still felt faint when they loaded everything into the car. It was unavoidable that the car was filled with the strong smell of raw meat, blood, and feces. 

“I want to throw up… I definitely have to give the car a thorough cleaning.” Gloomy, Cheng Jie drove away while Fan Fang was given a Spirit Official Protection Charm and went back to her parent’s house. The couple had been preparing for pregnancy for a while now, she must not be when they lured out the Wutong.

Due to Xie Lingya’s failed attempt at exorcism, the One-legged Wutong would be more vigilant now. Cheng Jie needed to be the bait, otherwise, with just Xie Lingya and Shi Changxuan, the creature probably would not show itself.

After Xie Lingya’s introduction the day before, Cheng Jie already had an idea of what kind of person Shi Changxuan was. Shi Changxuan’s immediate identification of the One-legged Wutong had also given him much confidence. Cheng Jie couldn’t help asking, “When will Shi Daozhang be here?”

“I’ve arranged to meet him at the gate to your residential community. I’ll give him a call to see where he is. He is from out of town, so he might not be familiar with the area.” Xie Lingya called Shi Changxuan; they didn’t have to wait long for him to arrive in a taxi. He was again in casual clothing and carrying a backpack.

Cheng Jie greeted Shi Changxuan and the three of them carried the offerings upstairs. It took two trips and caught the attention of the neighbors passing by.

The offerings were packed in bags and the buckets were covered. Xie Lingya sat on the ground to rest. He checked the time—it was only 7 p.m., still a few hours away from 11 p.m.

Cheng Jie ordered some takeout and even opened a bottle of wine for a boost of liquid courage. The three ate and watched TV while waiting for the Hour of the Rat to arrive.

The One-legged Wutong statue was placed on the TV cabinet, its ominous face easily seen. But of course, nothing dwelled in it at that moment.

Cheng Jie started to feel warm after a few glasses of wine, and much braver. “Weren’t you always saying that you were going to get into graduate school and get a doctorate?” he asked Xie Lingya. “How did you end up being a priest in the end?”

“I’ve told you, I am not a priest.” Xie Lingya sighed but did not explain further.

Cheng Jie said, “I don’t believe that. Even if you aren’t one now, you’ll probably end up as one later on, right? Shi Daozhang, this guy has been an oddball since university. Every time a girl tried to ask him out he’d say he needed to concentrate on his studies. He rejected so many people, including the prettiest girl in his department. Fuck! In the end, it turns out to be because he was always fully devoted to the Dao.”

Shi Changxuan: “……”

“…What nonsense you are spouting. Is it wrong that I’m passionate about my studies? I haven’t given up on graduate school, don’t randomly change my aspirations,” Xie Lingya said discontentedly.

Most of the time waiting was spent by Cheng Jie and Xie Lingya reminiscing about their past. Cheng Jie spoke about Xie Lingya’s escapades in university, especially about all his ways of rejecting pursuers, while Shi Changxuan sat quietly by the side.

Although Cheng Jie talked much, he was constantly checking the time and the uneasiness he felt never went away.

When it was past 10 p.m., Xie Lingya put down his chopsticks. Immediately, Cheng Jie understood it was time and the smile on his face faded.

Although Xie Lingya had repeatedly tried to reassure him and the fact of the matter was that no one was hurt last night, Cheng Jie was still scared. Those science-defying scenes were just too frightening. What’s more, Shi Changxuan said they must not turn on the light tonight. He was really afraid that he would see something horrifying and get a heart attack.

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No matter Cheng Jie’s feelings at the moment, Xie Lingya began the preparations. He opened the front door to make it more convenient for the One-legged Wutong to enter the apartment. Then, he took off his T-shirt. The skin on his body and his face had a uniform tone, like a pale porcelain.

Cheng Jie, with his face drained off any color, also removed his top, the liquid courage from earlier on disappearing. Xie Lingya noticed and comforted him, “Everything will be fine after tonight. Where is the protection charm I gave you?”

Cheng Jie took out the Spirit Official Protection Charm from his pants pocket and held it tightly in his palm.

“See, just hold this and you will be fine. This charm has been blessed on the venerable founder’s altar.” As Xie Lingya spoke, he saw Shi Changxuan take off his shirt and expose the toned muscle underneath, reminding him of that time he ‘accidentally’ touched his chest in the car. Seemed like Shi Changxuan exercised regularly.

Good, good. His uncle would be pleased if he got such a disciple who excelled at everything.

Xie Lingya smiled in satisfaction. After staring for a while, his eyes met Shi Changxuan’s and Xie Lingya’s smile immediately increased in brightness levels.

Shi Changxuan: “……”

“Shi Daozhang, do we need to lay rice on the floor?” Xie Lingya asked. “I don’t know what went wrong last time. The rice did not react to the arrival of the One-legged Wutong.”

Shi Changxuan cast his eyes downwards. “…That is used for guest spirits. It does not work on the One-legged Wutong.”

“Ah, but the Wutong is also shapeless and formless, how do I detect it? If I invoke the Divine Eye of the Spirit Official, it would notice, wouldn’t it?” Xie Lingya asked, uncertain.

The divine powers of Spirit Official Wang were valiant and unyielding (as in, not subtle). Due to this, they were unsuitable for an ambush.

Shi Changxuan came prepared. “I will use the Art of the Paper Moon to illuminate the demon’s shadow. Just pay attention to the floor.”

Although Xie Lingya didn’t know how that technique worked, he understood that he only needed to look at the shadow on the floor. He nodded.

It was getting close to 11 p.m. Shi Changxuan drew all the curtains closed and opened the bags of pig and goat meat and uncovered the buckets of blood and feces. The stone statue was placed on the altar with the offerings in front of it. Then, the lights were switched off.

The room became pitch black. They could only smell the nauseating stench of blood and flesh, that brought a million disgusting thoughts to mind.

Fear manifested in the darkness. “Can’t we draw back the curtains?” Cheng Jie asked shakily.

Xie Lingya mocked, “Draw back the curtains? Don’t you know that you have floor to ceiling windows? What’s the point of turning the lights off if all the bright lights from the outside would just shine right on in?”

Cheng Jie: “……”

Shi Changxuan was much calmer. “We can begin,” he said.

Cheng Jie crawled slowly to the front of the offerings. He swallowed hard, then clapped his hands and prayed. He could only see a faint outline of the stone statue but with the memory in his brain, he imagined the one-legged statue staring at him in the darkness. His topless body felt even colder.

Xie Lingya and Shi Changxuan flanked Cheng Jie from behind. They too kneeled quietly with their peach wood swords by their sides.

Cheng Jie recited the prayers, calling upon the One-legged Wutong’s name and wishing upon it to bless him with wealth, “…If my wish is granted, from now on I’ll make these offerings to you every festival and every first day of the month.”

After he finished the prayer, Cheng Jie stepped back, slowly and without turning his body. When he had backed his way to Xie Lingya’s, Xie Lingya gave him a shove to urge him to hurry. Unwillingly, Cheng Jie moved to the side of the table and shut his eyes tightly in fear.

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In the dark, time seemed to pass exceptionally slow. Xie Lingya and Shi Changxuan also moved to the sides and waited silently for the One-legged Wutong to come forth to enjoy the offerings.

In the era of the Ming and Qing dynasties and maybe even earlier, the One-legged Wutong had many worshippers. But as the times changed, even the orthodox gods had lost their worshippers, let alone demonic idols like the Wutong.

Its temple no longer existed, its statue damaged and discarded. It had gone many years without offerings. It was extremely hungry, moreover, it was greedy by nature.

In the darkness, the excited demon was eager to move.

The opened door creaked slightly, as if someone passed it on light feet. Cheng Jie shook uncontrollably, not daring to open his eyes. Xie Lingya looked at Shi Changxuan; although it was not possible to see his expression in the darkness, there was an unspoken understanding.

The two of them moved at the same time!

Xie Lingya quickly shut the door while Shi Changxuan extracted a circular paper cutting from his pocket. He opened it and stuck it to the wall, chanting, “Paper moon giveth light!” 

With the incantation spoken, white light radiated from the paper cutting, illuminating the whole room.

The paper was like the full moon in the sky. Xie Lingya was stunned. If the situation had allowed, he would’ve asked if Shi Changxuan saved a lot of money on electricity at home.

Of course, more importantly, at this time four shadows appeared on the floor. Three of the shadows belonged to them, and the fourth was next to a bucket containing pig blood. The shadow was hunched at only half a human’s height and only had one leg.

Xie Lingya held his breath and stopped moving.

The Wutong’s ghostly shadow froze for a moment, alarmed by the sounds of Xie Lingya closing the door and Shi Changxuan casting his spell. It turned and tried to go around behind Shi Changxuan.

Is it stupid? Xie Lingya paused but quickly realized that perhaps the One-legged Wutong didn’t know that they could see its shadow. After all, the illumination didn’t come from a lamp or natural source.

Shi Changxuan’s eyes followed the shadow surreptitiously. His legs were still but his hand held the peach wood sword tightly.

Xie Lingya also played dumb but blocked off the Wutong’s escape route.

Due to the sudden brightness, Cheng Jie, who had shut his eyes in fear, opened them a little. He saw that the room was as bright as day and thought they had turned on the lights. Then he saw the ghostly shadow on the floor. 

He nearly wet himself, and quickly pressed his hands over his mouth to prevent a scream from escaping.

At this moment, the Wutong’s shadow arched back, ready to spring, and leaped forward—

With a flick of his wrist, Shi Changxuan sent his sword behind himself.

“Gaaahhh—” a child-like voice let out a shrill shriek of pain. The ghostly shadow tumbled and curled away, then it started scurrying quickly on all fours.

Cheng Jie panicked when he saw the creature hurtling towards himself. Even with a protection charm in hand, he still instinctively backed away with haste.

Next to him, Xie Lingya tried to stab the shadow.

At this time, Cheng Jie knocked into the table, causing the bottle of wine they’d opened during dinner to fall and spill out. He opened his hand, only to see the Spirit Official Protection Charm drenched in wine.

Xie Linya cursed—he had a bad feeling. He stabbed again right above the shadow but the One-legged Wutong rolled over and lunged at Cheng Jie.

“Ah!” Cheng Jie let out a loud scream and stood up.

When he stood, his back was hunched over like a monkey’s. He tilted his head and stared at them through the corner of his eyes, then let out a weird “hihi” laugh, sounding like nails scratching across a chalkboard.

…Crap. The wet protection charm was rendered invalid and it had lost its power, allowing the Wutong to possess Cheng Jie. Xie Lingya exchanged a quick look with Shi Changxuan; seeing that the other man was unperturbed, the panic in his heart calmed down.

The Wutong controlled Cheng Jie to jump at Xie Lingya. Xie Lingya was worried he would hurt Cheng Jie, so he didn’t dare to use his sword. However, the possessed Cheng Jie had become more powerful and he clawed at Xie Lingya in a frenzy. Xie Lingya tried to push him away, but to no avail.

Xie Lingya’s temper was sparked. No longer caring that Cheng Jie was possessed, he raised his hand and punched Cheng Jie in the eye.

But it was as if Cheng Jie could not feel pain. He held the hand that punched him and tried to bite it.

The human’s mouth was full of germs—if Xie Lingya got bitten, he would need to get an injection. He held Cheng Jie back with all his strength, but it was as if he was trying to pry away two metal pliers. 

Wondering where Shi Changxuan was, he turned his head with difficulty and saw that the priest was burning a talisman.

“Hurry up!” Xie Lingya urged.

Cheng Jie’s face was twisted in a ferocious expression, there was even drool dripping from his mouth. Xie Lingya felt he couldn’t hold him much longer.

After the talisman finished burning, Shi Changxuan added water to the ash. He stepped forward and put a stranglehold on Cheng Jie, trying to force his mouth open with one hand and fed him the water containing ashes of the Spirit Official Protection Charm.

Cheng Jie didn’t stop struggling but Shi Changxuan had his head locked in place while Xie Lingya restrained his hands. The ash water managed to find its way into his mouth and down his stomach. Immediately he started choking and screamed loudly, his voice hoarse and dry as if he swallowed burning coal.

Xie Lingya took the chance to escape from Cheng Jie’s grasps. He crawled to Shi Changxuan’s bag and took out a tightly wrapped knife. He unraveled it and threw it to Shi Changxuan, calling, “Shi Daozhang!”

After Cheng Jie swallowed the ash water, the One-legged Wutong came out from him; one shadow became two, and Cheng Jie fainted.

Shi Changxuan moved him to the side with one hand while his other hand accurately caught the knife that Xie Lingya threw towards him. Without a pause, he swung the knife downwards.

Xie Lingya watched the floor attentively. Although there seemed to be nothing in the air, when one looked at the shadow, it could be seen that the knife struck the Wutong squarely on its head, sinking deep in its skull.

The shadowy figure of the One-legged Wutong slowly split in two from where the knife pierced it, gradually blurring and dissipating until the whole shadow vanished without a trace.

However, the knife blade was stained with dark blood that emanated an awful stench.

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Exhaling in relief, Xie Lingya slumped on the floor. He felt pain in the places where Cheng Jie had grasped him, and some of them had also started to bruise. It looked especially terrible on his pale white skin. Even Shi Changxuan couldn’t help but glance at him a few more times.

It wasn’t obvious during the tense, adrenaline-pumping situation, but now that everything was done, the pain became painfully obvious.

“That was dangerous…” Xie Lingya mumbled. They didn’t expect such a mishap to happen. It threw a wrench in their plan but luckily everything was fine in the end.

The knife used to kill the One-legged Wutong was Shi Changxuan’s secret weapon. It was carved out of the branch of an old mulberry tree and symbols were drawn on its body.

The One-legged Wutong was a mountain goblin that had cultivated powers and received worship, and the goblins were most afraid of the mulberry wood knife.

In the past, people living near mountains would hang a mulberry wood knife on their doors so that the goblins would not dare come near. 

Shi Changxuan and Xie Lingya were worried that the Wutong wouldn’t show itself if they had used the knife from the beginning so they had wrapped it up to conceal it.

Shi Changxuan put on his shirt, then removed the paper cutting from the wall, turned on the lights and wordlessly packed his tools.

Xie Lingya was still in pain so he did not put on his shirt yet but attempted to wake Cheng Jie.

“Ah… “ As he opened his eyes, Cheng Jie moaned in pain. When he saw Xie Lingya, he asked hurriedly, “What happened to me? Where is that One-legged Wutong?”

“It’s dead. You were possessed by it just now.” Xie Lingya pointed at the bruises on his body and continued, “Look at what you did to me!”

Cheng Jie was downtrodden with guilt. When he moved his face he felt a sharp pain. He tentatively touched his eye. “That hurts!” He took out his phone to use it as a mirror and he saw that he had a bright shiner. “What the fuck….”

Xie Lingya and Cheng Jie exchanged a look and sneered at each other. Fine, they were even!

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Xie Lingya grabbed the One-legged Wutong statue and the blood and feces offerings and threw it all in the garbage dumpster.

Cheng Jie asked, “Shi Daozhang, you really don’t want any of the meat?”

He had bought two pigs and two goats. Even if he were to add their parents, he and his wife would hardly be able to consume all the meat. After exterminating the One-legged Wutong, he needed to consider the more realistic problem of dealing with the offerings.

“Yeah, Shi Daozhang, aren’t you a huoju daoshi? You can eat meat, so you could just ask the temple kitchen to keep and cook it for you.” Xie Lingya, on the other hand, had helped himself to some meat.

“I am looking for a new place. I will be moving out of Taihe Temple soon,” Shi Changxuan said.

Xie Lingya understood. It was quite troublesome after all. It made sense that Shi Changxuan won’t be staying in the school dormitory as it would be inconvenient for him to be practicing his Taoist arts and skills there.

Xie Lingya had a thought, so he asked tentatively, “Shi Daozhang, if you want a place that is convenient to get to school, why don’t you come live in our temple? There is a subway station just outside and you can get to school without changing trains.”

“School?” Cheng Jie was shocked. “Shi Daozhang, you are still in school?”

“I didn’t mention it earlier, but Shi Daozhang is our schoolmate. When the term starts, he will be a graduate student in the Religious Studies Department,” Xie Lingya said.

Cheng Jie became even more enthusiastic, he even told Shi Changxuan to look for him if he ran into any problems. “But it is even easier for you to look for Xie Lingya, haha. The location of Baoyang Temple is indeed convenient. If you stay there, you will be able to get everywhere easily and they have all kinds of amenities around there. I stayed in the temple last night. Although it is a bit old, everything else is not bad, and they have enough space.”

Moreover, since the initial considerations had included the need to provide lodging for priests and jushi in the temple, the rooms had independent washrooms.

Shi Changxuan didn’t speak.

Trying to hide his ulterior motives, Xie Lingya said, “Even if you lodge with us, you don’t need to do anything. I just thought that it would be more convenient for you to stay there, whether for resting, cultivation or going to class. But of course, we would sometimes like to get your expertise on some questions…”

Seeing Shi Changxuan’s silence, Cheng Jie also chimed in. “Do you want to rent a newer house? But the newer residences in that area are quite expensive, and if you stay further away, the amenities are not as good!”

Xie Lingya reined in his reluctance and said, “Shi Daozhang, if you want, you can have a look first. Seeing that you had donated to our temple last time, I wouldn’t take any payment from you!”

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Xie Lingya and Cheng Jie listed any and all of the merits of Baoyang Temple that they could think of. In the end, under their hopeful stares, Shi Changxuan nodded slowly, agreeing. “OK.”

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Translator: Velvet
Editor: Miiya
Proofreader: Eques

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