Chapter One Hundred and Three: The Protective Talisman
At Master Zhou's signal, Yang Haoran followed him out of the courtyard.
It was indeed a bit exasperating; not much time had passed since Yang Haoran first stepped into his third uncle's courtyard, yet he had already gone in and out twice during that short span.
Master Zhou was not Yang Haoran's mother; he didn't blurt out something like "Your second uncle is dead" the moment he left the courtyard, unlike her. Instead, he led Yang Haoran to a more secluded spot, not speaking immediately, but scrutinizing him with furrowed brows.
Yang Haoran felt a slight surprise in his heart, wondering if Master Zhou had discerned his identity as a Night Watcher.
Though such a suspicion brewed within him, he showed no outward sign, instead displaying a look of confusion as he asked Master Zhou, "Master Zhou, why did you call me out?"
Master Zhou's face was stern. He waved a hand, cutting Yang Haoran off, and said, "There's no mistake. You truly are entangled with Yin Qi. Before, I was too far away and only vaguely sensed its presence on you, but now that I'm closer, the sensation of this Yin Qi is much stronger."
Hearing Master Zhou's words, Yang Haoran forced a smile, his expression a mix of curiosity and apprehension. He asked, "What Yin Qi? Master Zhou, what are you talking about? I don't understand a single word."
Master Zhou didn't answer Yang Haoran's question. He continued to ask Yang Haoran, "Have any strange things happened to you recently?"
"Strange things? " Yang Haoran looked puzzled, pondered for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Does constantly having nightmares recently count?"
"I went to a public cemetery once, and I started having nightmares the very night I returned. I haven't had a peaceful night's sleep for several days straight now. " At this point, Yang Haoran looked at Master Zhou with some concern and asked, "Master Zhou, listening to what you're saying, have I encountered something. . . untoward?"
"Of course, it is. . . Sigh, never mind. It's not as terrifying as you think. Your Yang energy is too low, and the cemetery has heavy Yin Qi, which is why you've become entangled with it, causing you to have nightmares every night."
From Master Zhou's demeanor, it seemed he had initially intended to give Yang Haoran a definitive affirmative, but perhaps he worried it would frighten Yang Haoran, so he abruptly changed his words halfway through.
Immediately after, Master Zhou took something out of his pocket. After a moment of hesitation, he finally handed it to Yang Haoran, revealing a reluctant expression.
Yang Haoran's gaze was also drawn to the item. It was a triangle folded from yellow paper. Aside from the paper itself appearing somewhat special, there was nothing else extraordinary about it.
"This is a Protective Talisman. Keep it on you, and it will ensure you won't have nightmares again in the future. However, this talisman is very important to me, so I cannot give it to you as a gift; I can only lend it to you for a period of time. When the Yin Qi on you dissipates, remember to return it to me."
Master Zhou handed the talisman to Yang Haoran with one hand, while with the other, he took a deep drag from his cigarette. His expression was as if he were lending out a piece of his own heart.
Looking at the Protective Talisman Master Zhou offered, a pang of guilt arose in Yang Haoran's heart. He hadn't told the truth; everything he had said to Master Zhou at that moment was a lie. Yet, Master Zhou not only believed it all to be true but even took out his own talisman to lend him for protection, which made Yang Haoran feel quite apologetic.
His experiences over the years had made Yang Haoran highly guarded. Apart from his closest relatives and best friends, he only believed three parts of anything others told him, reserving the other seven for doubt.
He had no intention of harming anyone, but he couldn't afford not to be wary of others harming him. That was simply how the world was: just because you didn't harm others didn't mean others wouldn't harm you. For some madmen, there was no need for a reason to inflict harm.
Therefore, to avoid suffering such losses—losses he couldn't afford—he always maintained a strong guard against outsiders.
Yet at this very moment, facing Master Zhou, his ingrained vigilance somehow loosened. He even began to wonder if his overly cautious approach to others was wrong, if he should try to trust people more.
"Why are you just standing there? Take it quickly and put it away."
Master Zhou, seeing that Yang Haoran was only looking at the talisman in his hand without reaching out to take it, couldn't help but urge him.
Yang Haoran came back to his senses, an embarrassed look on his face. He said, "I don't think I need it. This talisman is clearly a valuable item. Master Zhou, you should keep it for your own protection."
"Why are you being so polite with me? Both our names were given by my master; we have this special connection between us. Don't be so wishy-washy, just take it. Besides, this talisman is only borrowed, not given to you. You're going to return it, so there's no need to feel any psychological burden."
As his words fell, seeing that Yang Haoran still hadn't reached out, Master Zhou simply grabbed the talisman and forcefully stuffed it into his pocket.
"Keep it safe, don't lose it for me. " As he spoke, Master Zhou lightly patted the pocket containing the talisman.
Yang Haoran gave a wry smile. Although he felt deeply ashamed, he no longer refused Master Zhou's kindness.
In his estimation, Master Zhou's strength couldn't be very high, because the Yin Qi on him was quite heavy. If Master Zhou were a true master, he would have been able to sense this strong Yin Qi from a considerable distance. Yet, Master Zhou only clearly sensed the Yin Qi on him after approaching, which led Yang Haoran to believe that Master Zhou's strength was perhaps even weaker than he had imagined.
And that Protective Talisman he had given might very well be the foundation of his livelihood for all these years, the reason he hadn't encountered any trouble in his profession.
Of course, these were merely Yang Haoran's personal conjectures; he couldn't be sure if they were true. However, he had certainly felt Master Zhou's warmth and sincerity in that moment, and so he genuinely felt too awkward to refuse the other party's good intentions.
"Then thank you, Master Zhou. As soon as I stop having nightmares, I'll return this Protective Talisman to you."
Yang Haoran offered an embarrassed smile and spoke to Master Zhou. He had already decided that in a few days, he would casually send the talisman back to Master Zhou.
However, he couldn't deliver the talisman himself. Due to the Spirit Power within him, the Yin Qi clinging to him wouldn't dissipate. If he were to approach Master Zhou, the latter would still sense the Yin Qi on him. To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and trouble, he decided that when the time came, he would ask his mother to make the trip, and incidentally, bring some gifts and money along to express his gratitude.
Master Zhou tossed away his cigarette butt, nodded, and said, "As long as you stop having nightmares, it means the Yin Qi on you has mostly dispersed. Recently, avoid places with heavy Yin Qi, and get more sun when you have time; it will speed up the dissipation of the Yin Qi on you."
"Alright, thank you very much, Master Zhou. Oh, by the way, what exactly happened with my second uncle's death? My mom said he was bitten by a venomous snake, but where would a venomous snake come from this time of year? Could there have been a mistake? " After expressing his thanks, Yang Haoran shifted the topic to his deceased second uncle.
He had always felt that his second uncle's death was somewhat suspicious, and his mother's explanation seemed too far-fetched. With Master Zhou right there, he thought asking him might clear up his doubts, as Master Zhou was conducting the funeral rites and must have examined his second uncle's body.
"Venomous snake? That was just a wild guess from your second uncle's family. They came up with what they thought was the most reasonable explanation, and it spread by hearsay, so everyone in Yangjiawan believes your second uncle died from a venomous snake bite."
"However, your second uncle was indeed poisoned to death after being bitten by something. But I don't think it was a venomous snake; it was probably some kind of poisonous insect or creature. Your Yangjiawan's back mountain naturally has many poisonous creatures; you grew up here, so I'm sure you know that better than I do."
Yang Haoran nodded, agreeing with Master Zhou's words. Indeed, he had grown up there and knew the place well. There were quite a few poisonous insects and creatures in Yangjiawan's back mountain. Adults needed to be very careful when going up the mountain to avoid being harmed by these toxins, and children were usually not allowed to go up by their families.
However, he still had some doubts.
"I know there are many poisonous creatures in the back mountain, but I've heard the elders say that once winter arrives, these things rarely appear. Furthermore, our Yang family has lived here for generations, constantly needing to go up the mountain for various reasons. It's inevitable that we'd encounter these poisonous insects and such, so we've gradually developed some folk remedies to repel poisons. While I don't understand these methods, many elders in our family do, and my second uncle was one of them. He dared to go up the mountain alone to cut firewood, I believe, precisely because of this knowledge. But I never imagined he would still fall victim. I truly don't know what kind of poisonous creature he encountered."
Master Zhou shook his head, a wry smile on his face, and said, "As for what exact poisonous creature it was, I can't say for certain right now. That's why I didn't agree with the claim that your second uncle was bitten by a venomous snake, but I didn't deny it either. However, your Yangjiawan's back mountain isn't small; who knows how many types of poisonous creatures there are? What if your second uncle encountered a species that can remain lively even in the dead of winter?"
After thinking it over, Yang Haoran felt that such a possibility, as Master Zhou described, wasn't entirely out of the question.
"Don't overthink it. Your second uncle is gone. What we need to do now is ensure he rests in peace and send him off properly. Alright, I've been out here long enough. It's time for me to go back and continue chanting scriptures to send your second uncle's soul to the afterlife. And you, young man, you need to be careful lately."
Having said that, Master Zhou returned to the courtyard to continue his work, while Yang Haoran remained standing where he was.
"Perhaps I really am too sensitive and overthinking things."
Yang Haoran let out a self-deprecating laugh, lit a cigarette, and then pulled out the Protective Talisman Master Zhou had lent him from his pocket.
He didn't sense any special power fluctuations on this Protective Talisman, but he didn't understand talismans to begin with, so not sensing a power fluctuation didn't mean the talisman was useless.
He had originally wanted to unwrap the talisman and send a picture to Wang Yiming, the professional, to examine. That way, he might learn exactly what kind of talisman this Protective Talisman was and what its specific function was.
However, on second thought, he felt that doing so would be somewhat disrespectful to Master Zhou. Regardless of what this Protective Talisman was or what its function might be, it was, after all, Master Zhou's kind gesture. He couldn't use another's goodwill to measure its practical value. So, he put the Protective Talisman back into his pocket and paid it no further mind.
Comments