People worship their ancestors: I'm just burning some paper money, how did I become a Taoist ma

When Li Mu came out of the City God Temple, the night wind was strong.

He stood on the stone steps in front of the temple gate and looked up at the sky.

The City God is not at the City God Temple today. Manager Zhao said, "Don't ask about things that shouldn't be asked about the City God."

But Li Mu knew in his heart that a being of the City God's caliber would not leave his jurisdiction without a reason.

Unless there is something more important to do.

What could be more important than the City God of Tianhai presiding over his own yamen?

Li Mu couldn't figure it out, but he vaguely felt that this matter was related to Zhou Lingsu, the big bronze tree, and the unresolved case from 120 years ago.

He hailed a taxi and gave them his home address.

Leaning back in his seat, he closed his eyes, and the photo Shen Xiao had shown him floated into his mind—the enormous bronze tree, its branches densely covered with bells, numbering at least a thousand at a glance.

Thousands of bells. Thousands of lost souls.

If each one needs to be "replenished" with ghost children, how many target families does Zhou Lingsu need? How many ghost children does she need to raise?

Li Mu felt a chill run down his spine as he thought about this.

This is no longer just one person's ambition. It's something larger, more systematic, and more organized.

……

It was past 11 p.m. when I got home!

Li Mu dragged his tired body straight to the shower and went to bed!

The next morning, Li Mu went out again.

Instead of going directly to Shen Yi's villa, he went first to the largest sacrificial supplies market in Tianhai City.

The market is located on the edge of the old town, a large area of ​​simple tin sheds selling various incense, paper money, Buddha statues, shrines and the like.

There were quite a few people early in the morning, mostly elderly people, buying incense, candles, and paper money to take home and worship.

Li Mu walked around the market and stopped in front of a shop that specialized in selling Taoist ritual implements.

The shop was small, with two apricot-yellow flags hanging at the entrance, one with the character "道" (Tao) written on it and the other with the character "法" (Fa).

The shop shelves are filled with items such as peach wood swords, copper bells, magic seals, and tokens, most of which are mass-produced handicrafts.

But the boss seemed to be a knowledgeable person.

He was in his fifties, with a thin face, a goatee, and wearing a gray Taoist robe. He was sitting behind the counter reading a yellowed old book.

"Boss, do you have cinnabar?" Li Mu asked as he walked in.

The shopkeeper looked up, glanced at him, then took a small porcelain bottle from under the counter and placed it on the counter.

"The best cinnabar costs three hundred per tael."

Li Mu uncorked the bottle and poured a little into his palm. The cinnabar was bright red, with uniform grains, and shimmered with a faint metallic sheen under the light. It was indeed a good product.

"Give me five taels."

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up. He took a small jar from the shelf, weighed out five ounces of cinnabar with a steelyard, poured it into a paper bag, and handed it to Li Mu.

"What else do you want?"

"Realgar, the best kind."

The shopkeeper then took out a porcelain bottle from under the counter, poured out some realgar powder into his palm, and showed it to Li Mu.

It is a bright yellow color, the powder is fine, and it has a faint scent.

"One or two hundred."

"Give me three ounces."

The shopkeeper weighed out the realgar, wrapped it up, and handed it to Li Mu.

Li Mu paid the money, packed the items into his backpack, and turned to leave.

"Young man," the shopkeeper called out to him from behind, "you're buying so much cinnabar and realgar, are you going to perform a ritual?"

Li Mu turned around and glanced at him.

I guess so.

The shopkeeper looked him up and down, then took a cloth bag from under the counter, placed it on the counter, and opened it.

Inside is a complete set of tools—a brush, yellow paper, talisman cloth, talisman seal, and token. Each item is not one of the mass-produced products commonly found on the market, but rather handmade, made with high-quality materials and exquisite craftsmanship.

Moreover, the item looks quite old.

"These were used by my master," the shopkeeper said. "After he passed away, these things have been kept here with me. I can tell you know your stuff; are you interested in these?"

Li Mu picked up the calligraphy brush and weighed it in his hand.

The brush handle is made of boxwood, the brush hair is made of wolf hair, and the tip is flexible; it's clearly a high-quality product.

Although the Daoist arts of this world have been lost, these things before us are quite good; they have clearly been passed down!

Li Mu picked up the token again, turned it over and looked at the back. The token had the character "令" (command) engraved on it, with strong strokes that exuded an indescribable sense of majesty.

"How much?" Li Mu asked.

The boss held up three fingers.

"Three thousand?"

"Thirty thousand," the shopkeeper said. "These were left behind by my master, not some of those mass-produced items. These things contain extraordinary power, specifically designed to subdue evil spirits. Thirty thousand is a very fair price."

Li Mu smiled without saying a word. The item was indeed good, but to say it possessed any extraordinary power was nonsense. He couldn't sense any cultivation or power within it at all.

However, Li Mu was too lazy to waste too much breath arguing with this person, so he simply scanned the QR code posted on the counter.

The 30,000 yuan has been credited to my account.

Seeing Li Mu's decisiveness, the shopkeeper immediately rewrapped the cloth bag and handed it to Li Mu with both hands.

Li Mu took the cloth bag, nodded to the shop owner, and turned to leave the shop.

After leaving the market, Li Mu found a breakfast shop by the roadside, ate a bowl of wontons, two steamed buns, and drank a bowl of soy milk.

……

At 2:30 p.m., Li Mu arrived at Shen Yi's villa.

He took out the key that Shen Yi had left him from his backpack and opened the door.

The villa remained the same, quiet and still, with a faint, chilly atmosphere permeating the air.

Li Mu changed his shoes, went upstairs, and pushed open the door to the study.

The bronze tree is still on the table.

The seven small flags were intact, and the cinnabar on the Taiji diagram was still bright red. But Li Mu noticed a change—some of the bells on the bronze tree were swaying slightly, emitting an extremely faint, almost inaudible tinkling sound.

These bells were not moving before.

Li Mu walked over and took a closer look at the swaying bells.

A thin layer of black mist was flowing on the surface of the bell, as if something was struggling inside.

Li Mu took out the cinnabar and realgar he had bought that morning from his backpack, mixed them in proportion, and diluted them with white wine to make a special pigment.

Then he took out the set of calligraphy brushes he had just bought, dipped them in paint, and began to draw arrays on the study floor.

This formation is much more complex than the previous Seven Star Formation.

The formation is divided into three layers. The inner layer is a Tai Chi diagram, representing the harmony of Yin and Yang. The middle layer is a Bagua diagram, representing the eight directions of heaven and earth. The outer layer is a Twenty-Eight Mansions constellation, representing the stars in the celestial sphere.

The three layers of array diagrams are nested together to form a complete "Spirit Crossing Array".

Li Mu painted very slowly, each stroke meticulously executed. Sweat began to bead on his forehead, and his arms started to ache, but his hands did not stop.

It took a full forty minutes to draw the array diagram.

Li Mu straightened up, let out a long breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, took out three incense sticks from his backpack, lit them, and placed them in the four corners and the center of the study.

There are fifteen incense sticks in total, arranged according to the positions of the Five Directions and the Five Emperors.

Everything is ready.

……

After leaving the market, Li Mu found a breakfast shop by the roadside, ate a bowl of wontons, two steamed buns, and drank a bowl of soy milk.

……

At 2:30 p.m., Li Mu arrived at Shen Yi's villa.

He took out the key that Shen Yi had left him from his backpack and opened the door.

The villa remained the same, quiet and still, with a faint, chilly atmosphere permeating the air.

Li Mu changed his shoes, went upstairs, and pushed open the door to the study.

The bronze tree is still on the table.

The seven small flags were intact, and the cinnabar on the Taiji diagram was still bright red. But Li Mu noticed a change—some of the bells on the bronze tree were swaying slightly, emitting an extremely faint, almost inaudible tinkling sound.

These bells were not moving before.

Li Mu walked over and took a closer look at the swaying bells.

A thin layer of black mist was flowing on the surface of the bell, as if something was struggling inside.

Li Mu took out the cinnabar and realgar he had bought that morning from his backpack, mixed them in proportion, and diluted them with white wine to make a special pigment.

Then he took out the set of calligraphy brushes he had just bought, dipped them in paint, and began to draw arrays on the study floor.

This formation is much more complex than the previous Seven Star Formation.

The formation is divided into three layers. The inner layer is a Tai Chi diagram, representing the harmony of Yin and Yang. The middle layer is a Bagua diagram, representing the eight directions of heaven and earth. The outer layer is a Twenty-Eight Mansions constellation, representing the stars in the celestial sphere.

The three layers of array diagrams are nested together to form a complete "Spirit Crossing Array".

Li Mu painted very slowly, each stroke meticulously executed. Sweat began to bead on his forehead, and his arms started to ache, but his hands did not stop.

It took a full forty minutes to draw the array diagram.

Li Mu straightened up, let out a long breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, took out three incense sticks from his backpack, lit them, and placed them in the four corners and the center of the study.

There are fifteen incense sticks in total, arranged according to the positions of the Five Directions and the Five Emperors.

Everything is ready.

……