The Three Pure Ones' Secret: Expressing Spirit

I looked at him and said, "No, I'll just watch from the side and talk to him when he's done."

I then passed through the main hall and came to the small courtyard behind the temple. There I saw an old man dressed in a tattered blue Taoist robe, sitting at a writing table with peeling paint. In front of him sat a middle-aged man and woman. The middle-aged woman was probably a couple, but I didn't pay much attention to her. Instead, I stared blankly at a girl standing next to them. This girl was very beautiful and quite tall. Even though she was wearing a thick down jacket, she didn't look fat. She was probably a tall and slender girl.

I stared blankly at the group, while the girl looked at me from the side. The girl had waist-length hair, and I looked at her round face. She had very big eyes, a small nose, long eyebrows, and lips that were still like a child's.

Perhaps I noticed her looking at me, because I felt a little embarrassed and quickly looked away. The girl had probably been standing there for quite a while and was getting bored. So she said to the middle-aged couple, "I'm so bored. You two keep chatting. I'm going to wander around the neighborhood. Call me when you're done."

The couple didn't seem to care much, only telling her to be careful. The girl then walked towards me, and as she passed by, I smelled a faint scent of gardenias. She glanced at me briefly, then continued walking towards the lobby without giving it much thought, before exiting through the main door.

After the girl left, I didn't want to disturb my second uncle's efforts to help others—no, I meant to interrupt him. So I just watched from the side. They seemed to be talking about something like business being bad, but I couldn't understand what they were saying.

My second uncle said to the two of them, "You really shouldn't have come to me. Fortune telling and divination are not my forte. Besides, my master has been gone for so many years. Now, only your old man is left from his generation. You should consult him. This old man can only help you so much."

The middle-aged man sighed, "Actually, it's not that we don't want to contact my uncle, it's just that things happened a few years ago, and my cousin's relationship with us is a bit strained now. Sigh, it's my fault back then, why did I have to take it so seriously, and now we're in such an awkward situation."

My second uncle comforted them, saying, "It's alright, you go ahead. I know his personality, he'll definitely help you. I can only help you temporarily. To resolve things completely, you'll still have to ask him for help."

The couple chatted with my second uncle for quite a while, seemingly about business matters and some bad luck they were experiencing. They seemed quite familiar with my second uncle; I guess they must have an elder who was a fellow disciple of his. My second uncle's master was a very powerful old Taoist priest, quite famous in our area, named Cui Hongzhi. However, Master Cui ascended to heaven when I was twelve. I remember that old bastard used to like teasing me when I was little, secretly bringing me snacks he bought at the market. I cried quite sadly when he died.

I guessed they were from the same generation as Cui Hongzhi. My legs were getting tired from standing at the door, and my phone was almost out of battery. Finally, the couple got up, thanked my second uncle, and told him not to see them off.

My second uncle politely said to them, "Business is secondary; people are more important. Go back and have a good family gathering. If there's anything that can't be resolved, talk it out as a family. Don't hold grudges!"

After seeing the middle-aged couple off, he walked over to me, lit a cigarette, and asked, "What's up, my dear grandson? What brings you to see your grandpa this late in the afternoon?"

Looking at the old man who had seemed so venerable just moments before, now the same Second Master I always knew, I said to him helplessly, "My dear grandfather, it's New Year's Eve! Aren't you going home for dinner?"

The old man, puffing on his cigarette, smiled broadly at his wrinkled face. "I just ran into a few acquaintances who needed help. Grandpa has some things to do this afternoon, so I might not be back until later. You go back and tell them dinner will be a little late!"

I was speechless, so I argued with him for a while before leaving.

I returned to the square of the Sanqing Hall, and just as I was about to ride my electric scooter, I saw that girl again. I don't know what she was saying to her parents, but she was smiling happily, and her flamboyant appearance stunned me.

I didn't come to my senses until they were almost right next to me. The three of them were looking at me, and I immediately felt incredibly embarrassed. So I quickly looked away and pretended to be looking at something else.

But as the girl walked past me, she stared straight at me, looking me up and down. I actually felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze and felt extremely shy.

She probably just glanced at it casually, and soon got into the car with her parents.

I rode my electric scooter slowly down the mountain and got home, ready to turn on my computer to play games. But for some reason, the home network had a problem, so I opened the drawer under my computer desk to check if the network cable was loose.

But when I opened the drawer, I saw the strange book that my second uncle had originally put here. I took it out and threw it on the computer desk. After checking the network cable and finding nothing wrong, I had no choice but to give up. I guessed the network was down and they were doing some maintenance.

With no computer games to play, I was about to turn off the computer, but then I saw some books on the desk, so I picked them up and decided to look at the pictures on the back to pass the time.

I turned to the first page and was immediately surprised, because I could inexplicably understand the characters that I initially didn't recognize. I stared blankly at the large characters on the first page: "The Three Pure Ones' Divine Transmission Techniques," followed by some incantations. It read: "The Three Pure Ones transmit divine power, dividing Yin and Yang; Yin and Yang energies roam the four directions; if an immortal understands the principles of Yin and Yang, their immortal position will surely be long; the right hand is Yang, supporting the lamp's flame; the left hand is Yin, pointing to the four directions; commanding all gods to assist..."

This book not only contains tongue-twisting mnemonics but also finger gestures, presumably working together to interact with each other. My mind is a bit of a mess; how come I suddenly can understand the words in this book? What's going on? Could it be that I inexplicably learned something, or is it because of that strange encounter while I was in the hospital?

I found it very strange, but also very shocking, so I quickly messaged Fan Biao to ask him, and then sent him a picture of the book on the ground. Fan Biao was probably busy and didn't reply to me for the time being.

I estimate that the reason I can understand the words now is probably because I went to the underworld and came back. When I first arrived at Xingyao Village, I couldn't understand the words either. It was only after Fan Biao appeared that I was able to understand them. Could it be because of the old place back then?

I couldn't be sure of my deduction, but I didn't take it too seriously. Anyway, I should be able to understand the reason once Fan Biao replied to my message.

Fan Biao didn't reply to my message, so I just kept flipping through the book out of boredom. Actually, it's quite strange; as I read, I found myself unconsciously reading aloud and even gesturing with my hands. I was a little confused by myself; it seems this book really does have some kind of magic.

As it was getting dark, I had read more than ten pages. The things in the book were strange. I don't know why, but I was able to memorize everything after reading it once. Although it wasn't all correct, it was pretty close to the truth.

Just as I was about to continue watching, I heard my mother calling me: "You brat, come down and go out with your dad to buy things! It's the New Year, and you're not going out at all. All you do is play video games. When you leave, I'll take them to the junk collector and sell them to him!"

I reluctantly went downstairs and went to my dad's car. I listlessly opened the door and sat in the passenger seat. Seeing my dejected expression, my dad asked me jokingly, "What's wrong? Which young lady has bothered your son this time?"

When he mentioned "girl," I immediately thought of the girl I met that afternoon. She was so beautiful. I wonder what her personality is like. I wish my future wife was like that!

Just as I was lost in my daydream, my dad lit a cigarette and poked my shoulder: "What's wrong? Did you really get fooled by a girl?"

I rolled my eyes at him, speechless. "What a load of rubbish! Are you going or not? If not, I'm leaving!"

The Spring Festival was pretty boring, but that was just me. My family members were either playing mahjong or bragging. My buddies were playing video games to stay up late, not to participate in the festive atmosphere, but to collect the lucky money they were supposed to give me.

As the firecrackers went off at midnight, I went downstairs to go through the formalities and then returned to my room. To be honest, the Lunar New Year was pretty boring. When I was a child, we could set off fireworks and firecrackers, but as the city expanded, our workplace was also included in the area where fireworks and firecrackers were prohibited.

After receiving the red envelope, I still didn't hear from Fan Biao. I wondered where that old rascal had gone. Maybe the fireworks were too powerful, or maybe the internet was acting up again. I was planning to go to sleep, but then I saw that lousy book, "The Three Pure Ones' Divine Transmission Technique." I recalled the contents of the book and, for some reason, I suddenly had the idea to give it a try.

I sneaked downstairs to the kitchen and grabbed a white oil candle I used to use. I stealthily returned to my room, closed the door, and locked it. I sat cross-legged on the bed, placed a book in front of me, held the candle in my right hand, and awkwardly made some hand gestures with my left. Then I muttered to myself, "The Three Pure Ones transmit their spirit, dividing Yin and Yang; Yin and Yang energies roam the four directions..."

As I coordinated my movements and chanted the incantation, there was still no reaction after I finished reciting it. I wondered if I had made a mistake somewhere, or if the book was a pirated copy!

Just as I was holding the candle like a fool, I smelled something burning, and the room light flickered and then went out. A faint blue light appeared in the room, and it wasn't coming from anywhere else but from the candle in my right hand. The wick had a tiny blue flame, the size of a grain of rice, which grew and rose little by little, eventually becoming a flickering blue flame that illuminated the room with a deep blue glow.

I was startled by the room lights going out and the blue flame, feeling a mix of excitement and fear. Before I could react, I felt a strong wind blowing outside the window. I placed two candles on the computer desk, intending to close the windows, but through the window I saw a figure standing on the bamboo tips in the bamboo forest outside. She gracefully touched the bamboo leaves on the tips, moving in an unimaginable way, and soon arrived at my windowsill.

When I looked, I was surprised to find it was a woman. She was wearing a long, light blue dress. This woman was incredibly beautiful, with a curvaceous figure. If she participated in a beauty pageant, I felt she would be a force to be reckoned with. But was this woman a ghost or a demon?

She floated straight towards me, and I was so frightened that I backed away, landing on my bottom with a thud. I shuffled backward as fast as I could, but soon I reached the doorway against the wall. I cried out in terror, "Are you a human or a ghost?"

She brought her face close to mine, looking me up and down. I don't know what she saw, but she chuckled softly and said, "The master of the art? I didn't expect there would still be someone carrying on this lineage in this day and age."

I stared at her, somewhat dumbfounded, wondering how she knew I was using the "Lifelike" technique. So, with a mixture of confusion and fear, I asked her, "Beautiful lady, no! I was just curious. I'm sorry, I won't play around with these things anymore. Please forgive me!"

She gently stroked her embroidered robe, covering her face with a smile, and said to me, "What are you saying, little brother? I'm not a bad person, I'm a fairy!"

I stared at her blankly for a long time before finally asking, "Huh? You're a fairy?"

Perhaps she also thought I was dull and silly, and chuckled: "No, no, not a fairy, but a celestial being. Have you ever heard of a wild fairy? I am a wild fairy, a member of the Chang family. My name is Chang Qingqing, and I am stationed in this town, responsible for this area."

I was completely confused. What's with "Changjia Changqingqing" and "Wild Immortal"? What do they mean?

After she explained for a while and I still didn't understand, she sighed and said to me, "Sigh, it seems you don't understand anything. I'm actually an animal that has become a spirit, do you understand?"

My mouth dropped open: "Ah, a monster?"

She looked at me speechlessly and said, "Okay, you're right. I am a snake who cultivated into a spirit and attained enlightenment. But I'm not an ordinary snake demon. I have a family lineage. In the past, there were true immortals in our great family who attained enlightenment and became immortals. I am one of their descendants. I am a branch of the Five Clans Immortal Soldiers."

I looked at her, and she said she was a snake demon, and that someone in her family had actually become an immortal—no, a demon! What kind of animal in our local mythology cultivates itself into a spirit? Erlang Shen? No, that's a human becoming an immortal, and a physical one at that. Who else could it be besides Erlang Shen? Li Nezha? That's not right either; that's a lotus root spirit, clearly not a snake. Could it be a woman from Sichuan, a man from Zhejiang, or a monk from Henan who doesn't show any mercy—Bai Suzhen?

I asked him, somewhat uncertainly, "Are you perhaps a descendant of Bai Suzhen?"

She paused for a moment, seemingly not understanding, and then began to tell me about her family: "It's Chang Guangxing. What Bai Suzhen? You've been watching too many Bai Suzhen movies!"

I was quite surprised to hear that; she actually knew. A little nervously, I asked her, "Are you good or bad? You won't hurt me, will you?"

I seemed to have really left her speechless: She stared at me with wide eyes, like a girl her age: "Why would I harm you, little brother? You are a legendary figure, and I already know your family. Your grandfather and I have some connection. The reason I am able to attain enlightenment and be placed in this area by my family is because of something your grandfather did many years ago."

I was very curious and was about to ask her, but she quickly said to me, "Someone's coming. I'll tell you another time. Quickly blow out the light, I'm going to revert to my original form and hide!"

I didn't know what she meant, and just stared at her blankly. She quickly reminded me, "You're a fake fortune teller, aren't you? Blow out the candles! Someone will find out!"

I somewhat understood what he meant, so I blew out the candle beside me as she told me. As soon as the candle flame was extinguished, the surroundings suddenly lit up, and I saw a bright green snake in front of me. I didn't know what kind it was, but it should be the prototype of Chang Qingqing from earlier. I saw her crawl under the bed.

Perhaps animals are indeed much more perceptive of their surroundings than humans, because then I heard someone knocking on the door while humming a little tune.

"Mandarin ducks swim in pairs, butterflies fly in pairs, tonight I want to sleep with Ou Yanni, I secretly asked the Queen, how many hundreds for one time, how many hundreds for one time..."

I overheard my dad's fabricated story about a client at a brothel, and, somewhat speechless and nervous, I opened the door. As soon as I opened it, I smelled a strong odor of alcohol; he'd probably had quite a bit to drink with my grandpa and second grandpa tonight. He was dazed and sniffing around like a dog, then looked at me warily and said, "You little rascal, were you secretly hiding firecrackers in your room?"

I looked at him, speechless, and said, "What the hell am I hiding? What do you want from me?"

He didn't believe me and looked around: "Then why does your room smell like it's burning?"

Seeing the candles nearby, I nervously made up a lie: "I don't know, maybe the computer was on for too long and I didn't turn it off. Why aren't you drinking with my grandpa and the others? Tell me what you need, I'm going to sleep!"

He seemed to see right through her, grinning foolishly, "You little rascal, I know you too well, all you want to do is play games! Here, take a good look at this!"

After saying that, he handed me a document, which I found quite unusual. He turned and left without even acknowledging me! I stared at the document in my hand. What was this? Could it be a property transfer agreement? He didn't seem to have much savings; wasn't it usually split equally between us? He often borrowed money from my grandfather. What could be in these documents?

I opened the file, and it turned out to be school information and enrollment instructions. I thought he hadn't given me enough red envelopes at the New Year's Eve dinner, and that he had a change of heart and secretly gave me some. It seems I was just disappointed.

I wasn't very interested, so I tossed the things aside and turned to look under the bed, trying to find Chang Qingqing. There she was, curled up under the bed, speaking to me without even transforming into human form, which startled me: "Little brother, I have to go back now. Use teleportation to find me after the fifteenth. I'll tell you everything later!"

After saying that, he actually climbed to the windowsill and climbed out, then crawled along the wall outside the windowsill and disappeared into the darkness in no time.