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

It was already late at night when Li Mu got home.

He placed the backpack on the table, took out the black wooden box from it, and opened the lid.

The pale blue Celestial Master's Seal lay quietly on the yellow velvet, the coiled dragon on the seal knob gleaming warmly under the light.

Li Mu reached out and took out the seal, holding it in his palm.

That warm feeling surged back, as if responding to something within him.

He turned the seal over and looked at the four characters on the seal face—Yangping Zhidu Gong Seal.

This seal holds a supreme position in the Taoist tradition. Passed down through generations of the Zhang Tianshi lineage of Longhu Mountain, this seal can command spirits and deities, suppress all evil, and open all doors.

One hundred and twenty years ago, Shen Heming and Zhao Zhushi's master wanted to find it, but they couldn't.

Now, it's in its own hands.

Li Mu put the Celestial Master's Seal back into the wooden box, closed the lid, then took out his phone from his backpack and dialed Zheng Hongyuan's number.

"Mr. Zheng, are my items ready?"

"It's all ready." Zheng Hongyuan's voice was a little hoarse, obviously from staying up all night. "I had someone buy the things you wanted overnight. They'll be delivered to your house first thing tomorrow morning."

"Okay. One more thing."

"you say."

"Lend me a car. One that can handle mountain roads."

"No problem. I have an SUV, I'll deliver it to you tomorrow."

"Thanks."

After hanging up the phone, Li Mu sat on the sofa and closed his eyes.

My mind kept replaying the plan to go to Dongshan tomorrow.

The fact that the City God is in Dongshan indicates that the situation at the Zhou Clan Ancestral Hall is more serious than expected, to the point that the City God needs to personally oversee it.

Thinking of this, Li Mu felt a little heavy-hearted.

The City God is a deity, and although his position is not high, he is still a legitimate and upright god of the underworld.

Can something that requires a god to personally intervene be trivial?

He stood up, walked to the bedroom, and opened the iron box at the very back of the wardrobe.

Inside the iron box were several spare talismans, a small bottle of cinnabar, a peach wood short sword, and the token given by the City God.

Li Mu took all the items out, counted them, and then put them back.

He then took out a black windbreaker, a pair of hiking pants, and a pair of non-slip hiking boots from the top of the wardrobe.

I'm going up the mountain tomorrow, and it's inconvenient to wear sportswear.

With everything ready, Li Mu lay on the bed and forced himself to fall asleep.

……

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Li Mu woke up.

After washing up, he changed into the hiking clothes he had prepared the day before and packed everything from the metal box into his hiking backpack.

Cinnabar, talisman paper, writing brush, peach wood short sword, token, Celestial Master's seal...

Everything was accounted for, and the zipper was zipped up.

Doorbell rang.

Li Mu walked over and opened the door. Standing outside was a young man in a gray work uniform, carrying two large bags.

"Mr. Li, Mr. Zheng asked me to deliver this."

Li Mu took the bag, opened it, and looked inside. It was full of ritual supplies.

Li Mu packed his belongings into his backpack, zipped it up, slung it over his shoulder, and tested its weight.

It's not light, but it's still acceptable.

A black SUV was parked at the entrance, with the key in the ignition switch.

Li Mu walked over, opened the driver's side door, placed the backpack on the passenger seat, and started the car.

……

Shen Xiao was already waiting downstairs, dressed in dark outdoor clothing and carrying a rather large hiking backpack.

Upon seeing Li Mu's car, he waved, opened the passenger door, and got in.

Li Mu then stepped on the gas and set off; he arrived at his destination shortly afterward!

Li Mu had been here once before and remembered the way.

As we passed through the village, several elderly people who had gotten up early were sunbathing at their doorsteps. They all cast curious glances at the two young men carrying large bags and walking up the mountain.

But no one asked.

Li Mu noticed something indescribable in the eyes of these elderly people.

It wasn't curiosity, nor was it vigilance; it was a kind of... avoidance.

It's as if they know there's something on the mountain, but they're unwilling or afraid to mention it.

Once outside the village, the road became narrower.

On both sides of the dirt road are abandoned terraced fields, overgrown with waist-high weeds.

Further up, the terraced fields turned into a mixed forest, with the trees becoming denser and the path narrower.

After walking for about forty minutes, Li Mu stopped.

Ahead lies that grove of mixed trees, the entrance to the mass grave ditch.

"We've arrived," Li Mu said.

Shen Xiao walked to his side, looked at the dark woods, and frowned.

"The yin energy is very strong."

"You can sense it?" Li Mu was somewhat surprised.

"A little," Shen Xiao said. "Not very obvious, but you can feel it."

Li Mu glanced at him, said nothing, took out two golden talismans from his backpack, stuck one on his chest, and handed the other to Shen Xiao.

"Put it on your chest."

Shen Xiao took it and did as instructed.

Li Mu then took out the peach wood sword from his backpack, held it in his right hand, and took out the City God token from his pocket with his left hand, hanging it on his waist.

"Walk."

The two walked into the thicket, one after the other.

……

The light inside the woods was much dimmer than outside.

The tree canopies intertwined, blocking out most of the sky, with only scattered patches of light filtering through the gaps and casting circular spots of light on the ground.

The ground was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves, which felt soft and slippery underfoot, making no sound.

Li Mu walked slowly, observing his surroundings as he went.

When he came last time, he marked the tree—carving a shallow rune on the trunk with a peach wood sword.

After walking for a while, he saw the first marker.

Then comes the second one.

The third.

The marker is still there, which means this is the right road.

But Li Mu noticed a change—the marks on the tree were fading.

It's not the kind of faded light that comes from being weathered by wind and rain, but rather as if it's been erased by something, leaving only a faint mark.

Something was moving in the woods and erased his mark.

Li Mu gripped the peach wood sword tightly and quickened his pace.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, the open space appeared ahead.

The weeds were taller than a person, and a corner of the large rock in the center was exposed, covered with moss, looking no different from last time.

But as soon as Li Mu stepped onto the open ground, he sensed that something was wrong.

It's too quiet.

Last time I came, there were at least birds chirping and insects buzzing in the woods, though not loudly.

This time, there was nothing.

There wasn't even a whisper of wind.

The entire open space seemed to be covered by an invisible dome, isolating it from the outside world.

Li Mu walked to the large rock, squatted down, and used his peach wood sword to scrape off the moss on the rock's surface.

The runes were revealed.

But it's different from the last time.

The runes have changed.

The original runes had clear lines and neat strokes, resembling a complete pattern.

The runes now have several broken lines and some strokes that have become blurred, as if they have been eroded by something.

Li Mu took out the bronze mirror from his backpack and aimed it at the stone.

The image reflected in the bronze mirror made his pupils shrink.

There were several times more dark red threads on the stone than last time.

It was densely packed, like a giant spider web, completely enveloping the entire stone.

The silk threads extended from the stone, spreading in all directions before disappearing into the depths of the forest.

Several threads were particularly thick and dark in color, resembling the main veins.

Li Mu looked in the direction of one of the main ridges—that was the direction leading to the mountaintop.

Zhou Family Ancestral Hall.

I'm currently reading Chapter 58 of the novel "Departure" on Cola Novel, completely engrossed in it.