Chapter 655 Wusong Temple

When Chinese people build houses, they pay attention to the fact that “the beams should not be left hanging above the ground”.

This means that there must be something on the beam, otherwise the family will have no backbone.

There are also rules about what to put on the beam.

The red thread strung copper coins and nailed to the beams symbolizes “pressing the beams to protect the house and making the source of wealth stable”…

But the coins must be genuine, ghost money or damaged coins are prohibited…

The Bagua mirror is hung in the beam to dispel the bad luck of Feng Shui. If the house faces the intersection or the graveyard, the mirror will reflect the bad luck outwards.

Put a “house-guarding charm” or a small peach wood sword to drive away ghosts and avoid disasters…

Wrapping grains in red cloth and placing them in the beam seams symbolizes “a good harvest and a prosperous family”…

Scattering sorghum and sesame seeds on the beams symbolizes “rising step by step”…

Putting down a brush represents good fortune in literature, and praying for the descendants to study and become talented…

In short, there are many varieties and many details.

Some are just for pure blessing, while others are conservative arrangements to suppress Feng Shui.

After all, the beams are the core area of ​​the building.

Those who want to use magic to harm others often choose the beams of the house.

After hearing what Zhao Luzi said, many innkeepers spoke up immediately.

“Yes, yes, I’ve been suffering from sleep paralysis these days!”

“Me too, but I’m afraid of being scolded by my boss, so I don’t dare to say it…”

“I often dream of an old man in black. He stands on my chest at night, staring at me with his eyes. I can’t breathe many times…”

“Yes, me too. I was thinking of quitting after the fair…”

Listening to everyone talking, Shi Heilong’s face turned ugly.

He clenched his fist fiercely, “This is Lu Ban’s technique, which bastard is harming me?”

As he said this, he quickly stood up, bowed and clasped his fists: “Thank you all for your help. Please give me some advice on how to resolve this situation.”

Zhao Luzi shook his head in a low voice, “There is something wrong with your house. I am not good at this.”

Upon hearing this, Sharifei quickly looked at Long Yaner.

He didn’t understand these things either, let alone Wu Ba, so he could only pin his hopes on Long Yaner.

Unfortunately, Long Yaner only knows the art of poison and is not proficient in this area.

For fear of bringing disgrace to the reputation of the Twelve Yuanchen, Sharifei had to ask the Cao Gang disciples to go back and invite Wang Daoxuan.

The arrival of the immortal Wang Daoxuan immediately made everyone at Jingyanggang Inn feel at ease.

He turned the compass a few times, stroked his beard and smiled, “This is a simple matter.”

After saying that, he asked Shi Heilong to find various tools.

Arrange the altar, open the altar, burn incense, clean up…

The ink line was stretched on the beam, and then the main beam was wrapped with red cloth, with copper bells hung at both ends…

While doing so, he explained: “The ‘Eternal Light’ is an old item from the tomb. The person who harmed you was just a half-witted person who wanted to use this item to ruin the fortune of Jingyang Ridge Inn, but his method was wrong, and there were a few cats in the inn, so you escaped.”

“The ‘Eternal Light’ has different functions depending on where it is placed.”

“Put it in front of the coffin, with the lamp seated on the Big Dipper, to guide the ascension. The Book of Burial says, ‘The lamp shines in front of the coffin, like the rising sun, and the deceased will not be ignorant of heaven’…”

“The ear chamber symbolizes the ‘human residence’, and the one placed inside it represents ‘eternal brightness in the world of the living’…”

“If you place it in the northeast of your room, the layman will die in three days!”

When Shi Heilong heard this, his scalp went numb, “Master, please save me.”

“rest assured.”

Wang Daoxuan smiled and said, “The main beam symbolizes the ‘sky’, and the lamp hanging below it means ‘lighting up the road to the underworld’. The Secret Burial Scripture of the Han Dynasty’s Yuanling Mausoleum says ‘the lamp is hung at the top of the sky, and the soul returns to the Purple Star’, so every midnight, yin and yang are not distinguished, and evil things are attracted.”

“This method may seem to occupy the main position, but it actually disperses the power. In addition, the sound of a cat can drive away evil spirits, so your problem is not serious. Just get more sun at noon every day, and you will recover in three days.”

“Also, this ‘Eternal Lantern’ is not simple. The beams have been contaminated with evil spirits and will attract evil spirits.”

“The ink line can prevent the ‘wood spirit’ from causing trouble. The red cloth and copper bells are festive and can also scare away evil spirits. If you hear copper bells ringing without wind during these three nights, don’t be afraid. You will be safe after three days…”

Wang Daoxuan is indeed an expert.

After this explanation, although the people at Jingyang Ridge Inn still didn’t understand, they didn’t find it too harsh and felt much more at ease.

Shi Heilong breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, anger rose in his heart. He bowed respectfully and said, “Master, do you know who is harming me?”

Wang Daoxuan glanced at him calmly, “We only deal with the mysterious magic and don’t participate in the fighting in the martial arts world.”

This matter is very simple. Both the victim and the perpetrator are idiots.

Most conflicts in the martial arts world are caused by interests, and Wang Daoxuan and his men have seen too many of them.

“Thank you, Taoist Master.”

Shi Heilong was not a fool, so he did not ask any more questions, but secretly wondered which enemy was responsible.

He thought of a few people, but he was not sure, so he looked at the hunters thoughtfully and said, “Master, is the ‘tiger demon’ on the mountain someone pretending to be someone else and trying to ruin my business?”

“That’s not it.”

Wang Daoxuan had heard what happened on the way and shook his head, saying, “It was definitely the tiger demon that was causing trouble.”

“That evil creature carries a sinister aura, so their leather armor is frozen into ice. The weird old man in black they encountered was also under an illusion, but there is something strange about this matter.”

“Oh, what’s strange?” Shi Heilong asked hurriedly.

Wang Daoxuan glanced at the craftsmen beside him, stroked his beard and said, “With the ability of that tiger monster, if he really wants to kill them, none of them will survive!”

Shi Heilong was a little confused, “Master, do you mean that there is something wrong with the tiger demon?”

“Hard to say.”

Wang Daoxuan looked thoughtfully at the distant Jingyang Ridge and said, “Find someone to lead the way for us. We will take over this matter. You don’t need to worry. It’s better to find out who wants to kill you as soon as possible.”

“Yes, thank you, Taoist Priest.”

Shi Heilong’s attitude at this time was completely different.

He could see that the abilities of Wang Daoxuan and others were far beyond what the local wizards could match.

No wonder Senior Brother is so respectful to these people…

With a plan in mind, he did not dare to delay and quickly called a hunter who was not injured. He also prepared dry food and drinks, and personally sent Wang Daoxuan and others to the foot of the mountain road.

After watching them leave, Shi Heilong returned to the inn.

As soon as he entered the door, his face turned gloomy:

“Check! The Beggars’ Sect and those martial arts groups, let’s see who is behind this!”

…………

Jingyang Ridge in early spring is shrouded in warm sunshine.

New sprouts are sprouting sporadically on the undulating sand dunes, and dew is condensing on the gnarled old pine branches.

It can’t be said that the mountains here are high and the forests are dense, but the hills are undulating, and the patches of dead grass are half a person’s height. In addition, there are those twisted and strange pine trees that have been growing for who knows how many years. It’s really no big deal if there are some wild beasts and tigers hiding here.

There are many old graves among the pine forests, and it is unknown how old they are.

Withered vines entangled the tombstone, fallen leaves covered the grave, and it looked quite eerie hiding under the tree.

“This… isn’t right.”

The one who came to lead the way was a young hunter.

He walked around a few times and asked anxiously, “The old grave we encountered before was much bigger than this one. It was right here. How come it disappeared again?”

“Needless to say, you are bewitched by an illusion.”

Sharifei sneered and turned to look at Wang Daoxuan, “Master, have you found anything?”

Wang Daoxuan shook his head slightly and said, “There is some yin energy here, but that’s normal. What about you, Miss Long?”

Long Yan’er, who was standing aside, was spreading out her white palms.

But I saw a huge moth flying through the forest, turning a few circles and then landing in my palm.

Long Yaner frowned slightly, “That thing is very careful, the smell has been wiped off.” Sharifei heard this and was helpless, “It’s a pity that Brother Lu San still has to protect Brother Yan. If he is here, he will definitely find that thing.”

As he spoke, he looked into the distance and said, “Hey, Brother Zhao, did you find anything?”

Zhao Luzi squatted beside the grass and waved his hand, asking everyone to pass by.

He said in a muffled voice: “I am not as good as Brother Lu, but I am familiar with the mountains and forests.”

As he spoke, he pushed aside the grass, only to see a lot of broken grass and footprints on the ground.

The young hunter who came to lead the way said, “This is ours, but it doesn’t look like there’s a tiger chasing us.”

“This is not what I want to show you…”

Zhao Luzi said something in a muffled voice and then cleared away the loose soil on the ground.

Beneath the loose soil, there were a large number of dead ants and two tiger claw marks frozen by frost.

“It’s a ghost wandering around!”

When Wang Daoxuan saw it, his expression immediately became solemn.

The Yin Spirit travels out, this is an ability only possessed by those at the fourth or fifth level.

In Ezhou, they saw Liu Gang’s spirit, which was possessed by a tiger demon, traveling around and leaving such footprints in the courtyard.

“Be prepared, that thing may be difficult to deal with…”

Wang Daoxuan gave an instruction and took out the rag doll from his arms.

When encountering a monster of this level, only the “Seven Arrows Secret Spell” can deal with it.

And the others also quickly prepared themselves.

None of them had reached the fourth level, but they were not afraid at all.

After all, we have fought against more difficult ones and have gained experience.

Whether it is Wu Ba’s tiger squatting cannon or Wang Daoxuan’s spell, they are both killing moves.

As for the others, they just need to block the guardians.

With clues, everything becomes easier.

Long Yaner summoned the poisonous insect again, smelled the Yin Qi, and led everyone to move forward.

Soon, we arrived at the highest point of the sand hill.

But there is a small temple built on the mountain, which is quite old.

On the faded vermilion lacquer lintel, the golden plaque with the words “伏虎威灵” has become mottled and cracked.

A few clusters of goose yellow forsythia flowers emerged from the cracks in the stone steps, and vines climbed up the incomplete brick-carved animal heads, swaying gently in the wind.

“It’s Wusong Temple!”

The young hunter leading the way was a little panicked, “That monster, could it be hiding in the temple…”

“You’ll know after you try it.”

Without saying a word, Wang Daoxuan took out a handful of incense ash from the leather bag at his waist.

He made hand gestures and chanted a spell, then blew hard in the direction of the ruined temple.

The incense ash surged out, unhindered in the air, and slowly fell on the steps in front of the temple.

“It’s okay, let’s go in and take a look…”

Wang Daoxuan shook his head slightly and led everyone towards Wusong Temple.

Outside the faded blue brick wall of the courtyard, there were several hunting forks inserted diagonally, with the handles of the forks wrapped with faded red cloth strips.

Seeing Wang Daoxuan checking, the young hunter quickly explained: “This is an old custom among our hunters. We pray for peace when we visit the temple.”

I pushed the door open and saw a small yard with weeds more than half a person tall.

Entering the front hall gate, the sweet and fishy smell of pine resin mixed with the smell of incense hits you in the face.

The clay sculpture of Wu Song was repainted with gold by the hunter, and three yellow wolf skins treated with nitrate were draped diagonally on its gnarled arms.

There were several empty wine jars tilted in front of the altar, and the incense burner was filled with residual incense of varying lengths.

There was a pile of fluffy thatched blankets in the corner, and the embers of the bonfire had left charred circular spots on the blue brick floor.

“We have spent the night in the temple before.”

The young hunter looked around with vigilance in his eyes. “This temple was built a long time ago. It was funded by the wealthy people in Yanggu County back then. But because it is located in the mountains, there are many wild beasts. After the original temple priest was killed by a wolf, no one dared to come here to burn incense, and it was gradually abandoned.”

“Only hunters like us come to clean up occasionally…”

Wang Daoxuan listened and made some gestures while watching.

There was a gleam in his eyes, and it was obvious that he was using his magical powers to investigate.

Soon, everyone’s attention was focused on the statue of Wu Song.

“Wuba, move the statue away.”

At Wang Daoxuan’s command, Wu Ba immediately stepped forward and easily moved the statue aside.

Only then did everyone realize that Wu Song was leaning against the wall.

The body of the statue had long been hollowed out, and there was also a large hole on the wall behind it.

Through the hole, you can see large areas of weeds and trees.

There were a few tufts of yellow hair in the cracks between the bricks.

The young hunter felt a chill down his spine as he saw it. “This hole is new. That thing was there last night!”

“Ah.”

Sharifei immediately went forward to check, and after a pause, he said thoughtfully: “This tiger monster must have dug a hole when you were here. The things hidden in the statue are not here, so maybe this is its target.”

The young hunter turned pale upon hearing this. “We burned incense to Master Wu Song and prayed for more tigers. The tiger demon must have heard it and got angry, so he scared us.”

“interesting…”

Sharifei touched his big bald head and said, “Master, what do you need to hide?”

Wang Daoxuan said, “If it is a Buddha statue, there will be some scriptures and mantras, such as the Heart Sutra, the Great Compassion Mantra, and the Shurangama Mantra, rolled into a tube and placed inside, symbolizing the residence of the Dharma, as well as five treasures, five medicines, five spices, etc….”

“If it is a Taoist statue, there will be some scriptures, talismans, maps of the true forms of the Five Mountains, taboos or secret characters written in cinnabar, and objects of the five elements of gold, wood, water, fire and earth, symbolizing the completeness of the five elements.”

“Wusong is a famous person, but he is not included in the national sacrifice. He is considered a local sacrifice. In the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas, he is called ‘Yili Zhaoyou Lingying Hou’, and in Luzhou, he is called ‘Fuhu Shen’. He is usually used to guard the mountains…”

“Master, you are very knowledgeable!”

The young hunter quickly flattered him, “We all call him ‘Master Fu Hu’.”

“Ah.”

Wang Daoxuan didn’t care, and said thoughtfully: “Local sacrifices are usually not as good as scriptures and five elements. Could it be that there was something hidden in it?”

While they were talking, Long Yan’er and Zhao Luzi also searched the field behind the cave. After returning, they both shook their heads and said, “We can’t find it. All traces of the scent have been wiped out.”

“I have a solution!”

The young hunter said quickly, “We have a rule here. All residential buildings must be registered with the government. The same is true for temples. There should be records in the government.”

“Let’s go back and look for it!”

Wang Daoxuan immediately ordered to go back.

This tiger demon is a fourth-level demon king in the mountains, but he came here to steal. Everyone is really curious…

……

Ordinary people naturally cannot access the government’s archives.

But the Chen family in Zhangqiu is not an ordinary family.

The old butler Chen Fu took care of it and everyone finally found the file.

“In the third year of Xianhua, Yanggu County donated money to build the Wusong Temple, which faces south and is built in the pattern of ‘hill in front and water behind’. It has a five-beam gable roof, is three rooms wide and two rooms deep, and is 26 feet high…”

When he saw the last line, Wang Daoxuan suddenly stood up with an incredible look on his face.

“Baohua Bookstore presented the fragment of Xu Fu’s bamboo slips as a treasure to the temple, and hid it in the belly of the statue of Wu Song…”

(End of this chapter)