Part-Time Taoist Priest 28

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Willow Sprite

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The next day, Xie Lingya and Shi Changxuan took the high-speed rail back to Niuyang. When they were waiting by the departure gate, a girl next to them, who was also waiting for the train, remarked, “Your doll is really cute…”

Pokeweed, who was sitting on Shi Changxuan’s shoulder, had life-like facial features and was wearing a set of overalls. Additionally, its owner was very handsome. When Shi Changxuan went out with Pokeweed on his shoulder, he always caught the attention of people.

The girl glanced away to the side and added, “Is it popular now to use a doll as an accessory?”

Was it popular?

Xie Lingya followed her sight and saw a man of around 30 to 40 years of age queuing at the departure gate to the left. He was wearing a cap, which obscured his face, and a small wooden doll was pinned onto his cap. The humanoid doll seemed to be made from sturdier material than Pokeweed and the clothes it wore were coarser.

Beside Shi Changxuan’s ear, Pokeweed said:

“Willow boy, willow boy
Born in the wild by the road
Summoned as a sprite
But acting as a partner to evil”

Shi Changxuan’s brows furrowed.

Pokeweed continued to say,“Omen of fuyin in thy fate… Sign of huagai in thy destiny… Ah!”

After stammering a few times, Pokeweed gave up, disheartened.

The man suddenly turned his head. His cap was obscuring his face, but Xie Lingya felt that he was looking in their direction. According to common sense, at this distance, he shouldn’t be able to hear their conversation.

The man glanced over for two seconds before turning away again as if looking their way was a coincidence. However, Xie Lingya’s instinct told him it wasn’t.

The line on the left started to move and the man entered the gate. Xie Lingya raised his head and saw that the train was headed for the Quedong provincial seat. It was in the opposite direction of their destination.

“…This person… gives me a bad feeling,” Xie Lingya muttered.

The ticket checking had started at their gate too and everyone stood up to queue.

Shi Changxuan then said, “The doll hanging from his cap was a willow sprite.”

Previously, when they dug out Pokeweed, Shi Changxuan had briefly explained about this type of enchantment.

Willow sprites and pokeweed sprites were both whispering sprites. The enchantment method was similar, but pokeweed sprites were natural wood spirits. Willow sprites, on the other hand, were carved from willow branches, and then the spirit of a dead person would be sealed into the carving. The spirit of children who died of unnatural causes were the most suitable.

Whether pokeweed sprites or willow sprites, both were raised by cultivators. If they accumulated good karma, their spirits would have the chance to be enlightened or to reincarnate. On the other side, if they did bad things, then heavenly punishment awaited them.

“No wonder he seemed to know that we are talking about him…” Xie Lingya didn’t expect to meet another person who had a whispering sprite. Just now, he’d sensed something off with this person, and now he wondered if the willow sprite contained a spirit that bore very strong grievances.

The person was long gone. Shi Changxuan said, troubled, “Pokeweed was divining him just now, but it changed its prediction a few times. It couldn’t make any accurate readings.”

Xie Lingya was shocked. Pokeweed’s predictions usually came true quickly, sometimes in a matter of minutes, sometimes a few days if it was slow. Destiny could change, so it would report the most likely outcome.

Under normal circumstances, a person’s destiny would not keep changing in a short time. They quickly realized something was off, as it was with cases like Director Gao’s, for example.

Such uncertainty in Pokeweed’s prediction indicated that this person might be constantly causing trouble, therefore there were too many variables in his destiny.

“But Pokeweed mentioned that his destiny contained huagai. In addition, this person has a willow sprite, so he could be a cultivator,” Shi Changxuan said. In astrology, huagai was a scholarly star. A person with huagai in their destiny was generally isolated, intelligent, and had an inclination for the mystical. They were often good at divination.

Shi Changxuan recited Pokeweed’s prediction again: “Willow boy, willow boy, Born in the wild by the road, Summoned as a sprite, But acting as a partner to evil. To be a partner of evil—this man probably didn’t use the willow sprite to do any good.”

If that was the case, it would be difficult for the willow sprite to reincarnate. 

Xie Lingya sighed. The train headed for the provincial capital had departed, carrying away that man and his willow sprite. It was but a chance encounter, and he could only feel sorry.

Pokeweed seeing the fate of its brethren, said softly, “…Hugging you tightly!”¹A Chinese meme

Shi Changxuan, being a constant listener of Pokeweed’s ramblings and constantly influenced by Xie Lingya, couldn’t help but say, “You can’t move.”

Pokeweed: Sob!

When Xie Lingya got back to the temple, he received good news. He had previously posted a recruitment ad and now there were two Taoist priests who came over for an interview. This was also because Baoyang Temple had more devotees nowadays.

The two interviewees were both over thirty and had experience cultivating in other temples. Xie Lingya asked Shi Changxuan for help to test the priests’ knowledge and found that both of them were well-learned, so they were both hired.

One of the priests was called Hou Xuzhong and the other Liu Bohe. With the new additions to the temple, Zhang Daoting’s burden could be lessened. Moreover, Hou Xuzhong could also interpret fortune sticks. 

Fortune sticks were a type of divination tool. They were made of bamboo and each stick had a number inscribed. The fortune sticks were stored in a special bamboo cup or tube. To make a divination, one would shake the cylinder until a stick fell out, then look for the oracle that corresponds to the number on the fortune stick. Many temples had this divination tool. Usually, the service for interpreting the oracles cost 10 to 20 yuan, forming a part of a temple’s income.

As for Liu Bohe, he was proficient in liturgy performance. It was said that he even participated in music class for Gaogong in his previous temple.

The only issue was that Baoyang Temple didn’t have enough rooms. Xie Lingya could only reorganize the storage room and move some of the items to his own, and even to Zhang Daoting’s, room. Then he partitioned the room into two bedrooms.

Hou Xuzhong and Liu Bohe had no complaints. In their previous temples, they had even stayed in bunk beds before.

Xie Lingya reminded himself to quickly earn more money, otherwise, they wouldn’t have enough rooms to recruit more priests. Baoyang Temple was just too small. If they had even more followers in the future, but their priests had to rent rooms elsewhere, how could they be “resident priests”?

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Xie Lingya also received an invitation from Ding Aima.

The shopping mall which Ding Aima helped construct when he was alive had finally finished renovating and was opened for business. Ding Aima enthusiastically invited the people and ghosts he knew to visit his “new home”.

“……” Xie Lingya ignored the weird feeling and decided to accept the invitation.

Hai Guanchao asked Xie Lingya when he was heading out, “Director Xie, where are you going?”

Xie Lingya thought for a moment before replying, “I’m going to a shopping mall.”

Hai Guanchao replied, “Then buy some toilet paper from the supermarket…”

“Oh.” After an awkward pause, Xie Lingya headed out.

“Teacher Xie, you can get a coupon over there.” Ding Aima welcomed Xie Lingya at the entrance of the mall. He directed Xie Lingya to the coupon counter and then introduced him to the shops and entertainment venues available on each level.

Ding Aima said, “I normally like to stay in the cinema on the fifth floor and watch some movies. The movie tickets are so expensive. Too bad I can’t watch in 3D. Or sometimes I lie down in the home department on the third floor. They have a super big bed. I’ve never slept on such a big bed when I was alive…”

Xie Lingya: “……”

…Xie Lingya felt sympathy hearing his words. 

Then he saw Ding Aima go over to greet Qin Limin, who also came to visit. He reminded Ding Aima to be careful when floating around so as not to disturb the human shoppers.

“Aima, which floor is the supermarket on?” Xie Lingya asked, remembering Hai Guanchao’s request for toilet paper.

“Basement Level One,” said a pretty young lady, who replied faster than Ding Aima. She even smiled at Xie Lingya.

Xie Lingya was stunned for a moment. “Oh, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Seeing Xie Lingya’s good looks, the lady felt their encounter must be fated, so she continued, “Are you from the Northeast? Then we share a common hometown. My mom was from the Northeast too.”

“No, I am not,” Xie Lingya replied, puzzled, then realization hit him. What Northeasterner, he was calling Ding Aima’s name, not saying aiyoma! he thought, miffed.²People from Northeast China speak Northeastern Mandarin, which is a very slight variant of the Standard Chinese but retains sporadic elements from native Tungusic languages, Korean and Russian, where there are enough differences to give the dialect its own distinctive characteristics.

Ding Aima stood by the side, hesitant. “I shouldn’t be here, should I?”

“Thank you, goodbye,” Xie Lingya thanked the lady again and hurriedly headed for the supermarket.

“What are you searching for, Teacher Xie? I know everything, let me tell you.” Ding Aima had prowled through the whole mall and was excitedly offering assistance, being even more helpful than a store assistant.

For once, Xie Lingya enjoyed VIP service. Under Ding Aima’s guidance, he bought the toilet paper with the best value for money and a few more items that were having massive discounts.

In the checkout line, he met the lady “from the same hometown” again. She smiled at Xie Lingya. “What a coincidence.”

“Yea,” Xie Lingya smiled awkwardly.

The lady didn’t feel any awkwardness at all. She continued to chat him up with a different topic this time. “Hey, did you know that when this mall was being constructed, it was haunted?”

Other people who were queuing perked up their ears in interest. A woman told her friend, “I think I have heard of that too.”

Xie Lingya glanced at Ding Aima: “…I had no idea.”

The lady said, “You didn’t know? Someone fell to their death during the construction and became a malevolent spirit. The workers and passersby were harassed by the ghost.”

Xie Lingya glanced at Ding Aima again and said drily, “Was it so scary here?”

Ding Aima hung his head, embarrassed. “That’s all in the past.”

“But don’t be afraid. The ghost is gone now,” the lady said mysteriously. “You know why?”

Xie Lingya thought for a moment and replied, “Probably… no.”

The lady pointed in a certain direction, “It is said that the ghost was exorcised by the nearby Baoyang Temple. They venerate Spirit Official Wang there. Do you know Spirit Official Wang? He is the Protection God of Taoism. How would he allow a ghost to be around him? So the ghost was exorcised!”

Xie Lingya: “……”

The lady added, “I heard this from my colleague.”

Ding Aima sulked. “Nonsense. Qin Limin is even patrolling in front of the temple.”

The lady noticed Xie Lingya’s speechless expression, and thought she failed to chat him up. She felt it was a pity but didn’t spend more thought on it.

In actuality, even though Xie Lingya felt speechless, he was still in good spirits. The lady may have gotten some details wrong, but what she said also reflected another fact, which was that Baoyang Temple was getting more and more well-known among the residents of this city. Their reputation was good, consequently, the name of their venerable founder had also spread far and wide.

In this aspect, all was well.

When Xie Lingya returned to the temple, hands full of shopping bags, Liu Bohe was giving Taoist lessons in the front yard to an old lady. “It is easier to prevent calamity than to salvage the situation after a calamity. It is like preventing illnesses. Therefore, one should always perform good deeds and accumulate blessings. If one waits until disaster strikes before…”

Old lady: “Clasping the Buddha’s feet!”³临时抱佛脚 – lit. to clasp the Buddha’s feet when danger arises (idiom); fig. to profess devotion only when in trouble (also, to do something hurriedly only at the last minute; to make a last-minute effort)

Liu Bohe: “……”

Old lady: “Oh, oh, praying to the god!”

Liu Bohe: “…Right. So a person should know what causes calamity and be more careful in one’s actions.”

Liu Bohe was older and more experienced than Zhang Daoting. He was good at explaining profound concepts in simple words. His appearance was mature, hence those who liked to judge a book by its cover were also more trusting in him.

Just selling talismans and interpreting fortune sticks was not good enough. Taoist teachings should be promoted to the worshippers to truly convert them.

Xie Lingya watched the scene with contentment in his heart.

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Meanwhile, over at Taihe Temple, Chen Sansheng was apologizing on the phone: “I have not recovered, I’m afraid I won’t be able to accept this job.”

“This… Can you accept another master from our temple? Master Zhu is also an excellent Gaogong.”

“Alright then, maybe there is someone who could fit your requirements.”

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Liu Bohe was teaching lay disciples of the temple the Taoist classics. The aunties and grannies liked to listen to Liu Bohe explain Taoist scriptures, especially since he focused mainly on life lessons. As time passed, some temple followers suggested that he conduct a class to teach the classics formally.

Zhang Daoting had never enjoyed such an attitude; people would ask him some questions at most. He looked too young after all.

Xie Lingya handed a piece of yellow cloth to Liu Bohe before the class. The surface on which the religious books were placed should be covered with yellow or red cloth. 

Then, Xie Lingya took out a paper sign and stuck it on the wall. On the sign were the words “Learning Classics, Gods Keep Away”.

The characters were written with a firm and steady hand, obviously not by Xie Lingya. The yellowing sign was written by Wang Yuji when he was still alive.

Many worshippers here only just started to learn about Taoism due to Baoyang Temple, so they asked, “Daozhang, what do these words mean?”

Liu Bohe explained, “When reciting the classics, the Six Jia gods⁴protection gods will come forth to offer support, hence one can cultivate oneself and redeem others. A person reciting the classics can benefit the grass, trees and other living things around themselves. But if the scriptures are recited wrongly, it could harm the living beings. Therefore, when we are learning and aren’t familiar with the text, we need to keep away from the gods and learn privately.”

When a mistake was made while reciting the scriptures in public, corrections needed to be made immediately, otherwise, one wouldn’t redeem others but cause harm instead.

For example, when Shi Changxuan and Xie Lingya performed rituals to purify dead spirits, if they recited the scriptures wrongly, the spirits who listened to the wrong text would not be released from their suffering. In this case, the person performing the ritual wasn’t performing a good deed, but a sin instead.

Xie Lingya only learned the texts at the last minute whenever he needed to use them, so he had only learned some scriptures on redeeming and purifying dead spirits. He stood by the side and listened to Liu Bohe teaching Qingjing Jing.

The full name of this classic was “Taishang Laojun Explains Qingjing Jing”. The entire text was just over 500 characters and was one of the most common scriptures recited by Taoist priests.

Xie Lingya memorized the text after listening to Liu Bohe reciting it once. Liu Bohe still needed to explain the text, so Xie Lingya headed out. Everyone understood the scriptures differently and on their own terms. Xie Lingya felt some inspiration, so he didn’t continue to listen to Liu Bohe to avoid confusing his train of thought. 

Xie Lingya went to tidy up the rooms after leaving the class. When he took the trash out, he saw a luxury car stopping in front of the temple. A middle-aged man about 50 years old alighted, followed by Shi Changxuan.

“Shi Daozhang,” Xie Lingya greeted casually. He observed the two of them curiously, wondering who the other man was.

The man raised his head and saw the plaque bearing the words “Baoyang Temple”. He looked surprised and exclaimed, “Baoyang Temple? You are staying here?”

Shi Changxuan nodded.

The man smacked his forehead, “This is truly heaven’s will!”

Xie Lingya: “Who is this?”

Shi Changxuan replied, “He was introduced to me by Abbot Chen.”

Chen Sansheng had not fully recovered. There were always people asking him to perform ceremonies, a few of whom he couldn’t reject, for example, this gentleman. The man, after being convinced that Chen Sansheng really couldn’t perform the task, asked that he recommend someone else instead.

Chen Sansheng had originally recommended other priests from his temple, but the man rejected all of them. Chen Sansheng could only advise that he look for Shi Changxuan. Therefore, the man went to Quedong College and found Shi Changxuan.

Although Shi Changxuan had only said one simple sentence, Xie Lingya quickly made the connection. “So that’s the case. Have you agreed?”

He thought it was strange that Shi Changxuan brought the man to Baoyang Temple. They could have just made the arrangements themselves.

Before Shi Changxuan could reply, the man reached out his hand and said excitedly, “I am Tang Qi. This master, are you surnamed Xie?”

Xie Lingya shook his hand. “You know me?”

Tang Qi said, “In my initial inquiry, a friend of mine, you should know him, Gao Xianliang, Director Gao, recommended me Baoyang Temple. He said to look for a certain Teacher Xie here. I’m ashamed to say, when I first checked out your temple, I thought it was too small. So I went to Abbot Chen in Taihe Temple instead. Abbot Chen was unwell and told me to ask if Shi Daozhang would be willing to take up the job. Who knew that Shi Daozhang is taking residence here. Things went full circle and I am back here again!”

Learning of such a twist to his journey, Xie Lingya said politely, “It seems we have some fate between us.”

Tang Qi said, “Indeed. Actually, I bought a piece of land in the mountain area and wanted to invite a master to look at the feng shui and perform a ceremony because when we were flattening the ground, we found some bones. Shi Daozhang said he needed to ask someone else before taking the job. Haha, he must have meant you, right?”

Shi Changxuan needed to ask someone? Xie Lingya looked at Shi Changxuan, confused.

Shi Changxuan was silent for a moment before saying, “Mr. Tang wanted the job done urgently and needed a few dozen talismans…”

Xie Lingya: “……”

Instantly understanding, he gestured towards the temple. “Ok, let’s speak inside.”

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Tang Qi was a wealthy man. He had recently acquired a big piece of land in the mountains which came with hot springs. He planned to construct a holiday retreat there. They had just begun working and discovered some bones when digging in the mountain.

It was a common occurrence to find bones in the wilderness. However, this reminded Tang Qi that he should be more careful when conducting business in the mountain area. He should hire someone to perform a ceremony and make more detailed plans for the feng shui. Compared to Director Gao, Tang Qi cared more about these mystical matters. He had bought the piece of land because he saw that the features of the mountain were good and now, he was obviously mindful of the building architecture as well.

Tang Qi had always believed that Chen Sansheng had some real abilities, and had also heard of the Shi family from the provincial capital. When Director Gao recommended Baoyang Temple, he was displeased by its small size and secretly felt that they didn’t have any real abilities. Now that he saw Shi Changxuan needing to consult Xie Lingya on the matter, he had a change of heart regarding Xie Lingya and Baoyang Temple.

“I am just impatient when it comes to business. Time is money after all. Why spend three days when we can solve the matter in one?” Tang Qi said. “If possible, I would like to invite both of you to the site tomorrow.”

Xie Lingya knew little about feng shui, but Shi Changxuan was proficient in it. He would just help out with the ceremony and fully display his function as a human talisman printer.

The two parties came to an agreement.

“Right, there is something I hope you two won’t mind,” Tang Qi suddenly recalled something. He scratched his head and said, “In my plan for this tourist spot, other than the hot spring resort, there will be a Buddhist temple.”

Xie Lingya: “???”

Tang Qi said innocently, “I have an agreement with an eminent monk. When the construction is complete, he will be the abbot.”

Xie Lingya: “……”

It was quite common to build Buddhist temples in scenic spots or tourist attractions.

But Xie Lingya had thought that Tang Qi was a follower of Taoist beliefs. He discovered now that Tang Qi probably believed in anything that worked. Either that or he believed in money, after all, it was indeed easier to operate Buddhist temples these days.

However, to hire a Taoist priest to advise on the feng shui for the site of a Buddhist temple, this action was just unbelievable.

Does your eminent monk know about this?

Shi Changxuan was much calmer on the other hand. He studied religions after all. He said to Xie Lingya, “Buddhism does not consider feng shui and only believes in karma.”

In Buddhist classics, Gautama Buddha had clearly forbidden his disciples from performing divination, such as feng shui or choosing auspicious dates. If a Buddhist disciple performed these actions, they were either breaking the rules or scamming. These forbidden actions were known as ‘Mithyātva’.

Therefore, when the boss Tang Qi wanted a consult on feng shui, he needed Taoist priests. The monks probably wouldn’t have minded even if they found out since it was Tang Qi and not them who were considering the feng shui. Still, it felt weird saying it out loud.

After some thought, Xie Lingya said,  “Ai, if the monk doesn’t mind, then why are we concerned!”

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

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