Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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In his dream, he had a mountain of winter vacation homework, the Taoist temple was bustling with miscellaneous tasks, and he was constantly preparing for inspections. His father was complaining about his relationship with Shi Changxuan, calling him home and having a neighbor introduce him to girls, trying to “straighten” him out. Shi Changxuan’s parents were also very dissatisfied with him, hoping he would find a female Taoist priest…
Xie Lingya woke up with a start, the feeling of being overwhelmed still lingering in his mind.
He sat up, catching his breath, and realized he was sweating profusely on his back.
“Yes, running a Taoist temple is really troublesome. There are so many things to deal with. Not all tourists are well-mannered, and not all Taoist priests are talented. I don’t know when I’ll be able to save enough money to expand, and it’s quite difficult to get government cooperation. On top of this, there are more and more lessons to learn in life, and parents are so inconsiderate. When will this ever end?”
Xie Lingya felt dejected. Then he got up, put on his slippers, and without even putting on his coat, pushed open the door and went out to stand in the corridor in the cold wind.
The night wind was bitterly cold, and Xie Lingya was stunned when he stepped outside.
The entire Baoyang Temple, apart from a vegetable garden in the backyard, some potted plants in the front yard, and a circle of bamboo around the wall, had hardly any trees.
Yet now, on the wall, layers upon layers of green leaves could be seen, interspersed with clusters of red flowers, spreading out in large swaths, as if the outside world had completely surrounded the temple, obscuring all other buildings.
The red flowers were dazzling, vibrant and beautiful, but Xie Lingya couldn’t tell what kind they were… He momentarily forgot why there were so many flowering trees outside the wall. The flowers were beautiful, but they only added to his unease. He thought of all the unpleasant things in his life, even the few thugs he’d bumped into on the pedestrian street earlier that day, wondering why he hadn’t beaten them up then.
A feeling of unease built up inside him, making Xie Lingya feel nauseous. Leaning on the railing and looking down, the height of the several stories made him want to jump and end it all.
Xie Lingya stared blankly down when, just then, a rooster crowed beside him.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo—”
Although it was quite a distance away, it sounded like a thunderclap to Xie Lingya.
He jolted awake, feeling a foul stench in his nose that almost made him vomit. He immediately covered his mouth and nose. At the same time, Liu Lingtong’s urgent calls entered his mind; that soft voice had been preventing him from waking up. Looking down, he saw Guai Long rolling on the ground, seemingly also because of the stench.
The stench was indescribable, like garbage left for a hundred years, or a mass grave on a sweltering day, stirring up all sorts of anxieties.
Xie Lingya sniffed for a while before confirming that the smell was coming from the nameless flowering trees outside the wall. The contrast was so stark that he found it hard to believe that such beautiful flowers could emit such a foul stench.
His worries still lingered, and Xie Lingya felt a sense of foreboding. He wondered if the others had been affected. Looking up and down, thankfully no one had fallen from the ground floor, he immediately went next door and banged on the door, trying to wake them.
Shi Changxuan, pale-faced, leaned against the door, covering his mouth and nose— he hadn’t been bewitched, but having just woken from a dream, the stench was unbearable.
They tried to wake the others, but most seemed to be trapped in a nightmare.
Xie Lingya knew that prolonged nightmares could lead to thoughts of jumping, just like he had just experienced, except that while he was awake, the others might have been sleepwalking.
“What is this thing?!” Xie Lingya said, his face grim. “Is it an illusion?”
Shi Changxuan hesitated, unsure what to say. The two hurriedly went downstairs.
Red flowers fell softly outside the wall. Shi Changxuan saw the petals clearly, closed his eyes, and recalled for a moment before saying, “Inapara tree, the foul-smelling tree of afflictions.”
Or rather, this tree was affliction itself; what they saw was not a tree, but an illusion of tangled afflictions.
Xie Lingya murmured, “Inapara tree…”
Shi Changxuan said, “That’s Sanskrit; you might find it unfamiliar.”
Inapara symbolized afflictions, while sandalwood, which was more familiar to everyone, symbolized enlightenment. Indeed, this was the Buddhist interpretation.
Xie Lingya understood the Sanskrit upon hearing it, but he wondered, “…Back then, there were so many Hongyang Daoists, were any of them caught?”
The Inapara tree reminded him of the charnel ground he encountered when investigating the Hongyang Dao; both were distorted versions of Buddhist doctrine, and he had no connection whatsoever with the Tantric monks. If there was any real connection, the evil Buddhas of the Hongyang Dao might be considered.
Since Xie Lingya destroyed the spirit of the Primordial Mother, if the remnants of the Hongyang Dao wanted revenge, they were right to target him.
Those Hongyang Daoists had infiltrated many places; Shi Changxuan couldn’t completely deny that a few might have escaped. And considering their motives, it was indeed quite possible.
Xie Lingya was pondering when he suddenly heard several screams and vomiting sounds, but they didn’t come from inside the Taoist temple; they came from outside. His brow furrowed. Someone was passing by in the middle of the night— had they been implicated?
A chill ran through him. He drew his Three Treasures Sword, chanting, “Sunlight flows like crystal, moonlight flows like light, sweeping away evil, all wickedness perishes. True officials and generals, their might is like thunder and lightning, their divine water spreads everywhere, bringing ten thousand blessings!”
Xie Lingya dipped the Three Treasures Sword a few times in the lotus vat in the courtyard, then splashed water.
The water sprayed like shattered jade, imbued with Taoist power, but it had no effect on the flowers outside the wall. Instead, it seemed to nourish them, making the red flowers bloom even more vibrantly, and the stench even more pronounced.
Xie Lingya could barely breathe in the stench. Seeing the peach wood sword in his hand, a sudden inspiration struck him. He said to Shi Changxuan, “I understand. Watch.”
Shi Changxuan, who had been covering his mouth and nose to calm himself, looked at Xie Lingya after hearing his words.
Xie Lingya twirled his three swords, pointed them eastward, closed his eyes, and chanted, “Fire and wind, the four seasons are bright. I obey the true god, commanding all spirits. By the decree of the Nine Heavens, manifest yourself immediately!”
With a clear shout, an east wind blew in from outside the wall, carrying pale pink petals. The almost imperceptible sweet fragrance dispelled the stench of the Inapara tree flowers. The seemingly soft petals further sliced through the Inapara tree like blades.
A petal gently landed on Xie Lingya’s pale pink lips. He opened his eyes— he was surrounded by countless petals.
Shi Changxuan’s heart skipped a beat, his eyes fixed on him.
Xie Lingya smiled arrogantly, “Peach blossoms ward off evil.”
Both were red, but the Inapara tree was a bloody red, emitting a foul stench. The peach blossom, however, was a sweet pale red, a traditional Chinese talisman against evil. The spellcaster was no ordinary person; using water to break the flowers only nourished them, and the Taoist peach blossoms had a miraculous effect on the Buddhist evil tree.
The illusion of the Inapara tree had vanished, and peach petals fell to the ground within the temple, covering the ground with fallen blossoms.
The peach tree on the roadside flowerbed, less than a hundred meters from Baoyang Temple, had been carelessly forced to bloom in late winter, and then carelessly shaken down its blossoms, leaving only lonely stamens. The fleeting bloom, suddenly bursting with vitality, dispelled all evil.
Shi Changxuan brushed the peach blossoms from Xie Lingya’s head, and couldn’t help but cup his cheeks, lowering his head.
Xie Lingya: “Senior Brother—”
Shi Changxuan’s heart started burning with passion, and he was unusually impulsive, ignoring Xie Lingya’s shy resistance, and kissed his lips.
Xie Lingya’s lips seemed to still carry the sweet taste of the peach blossoms. So Shi Changxuan held his shoulders and kissed him deeply for several seconds before pulling away.
Xie Lingya stared blankly, “…”
Shi Changxuan, noticing his expression, realized something was wrong and immediately turned around.
From the first floor to the top floor, all the Taoist priests and staff of the entire temple were standing in the corridor, all leaning on the railings and staring blankly in their direction.
Shi Changxuan: “………………”
….
“Holy crap, I don’t believe it, you guys aren’t just using magic for romance?” Hai Guanchao said.
They had also been troubled by the Inapara tree, and one by one they went outside, only to be awakened by the peach blossoms. Before they could even ask what had happened, they saw Teacher Xie and Taoist Master Shi kissing in the courtyard, and Hai Guanchao couldn’t stop them.
Xie Lingya slumped on the table, “Are we crazy? Getting up in the middle of the night to scatter flower petals and talk about love! Didn’t you smell the stench when you woke up?”
Hai Guanchao muttered to himself, “I thought it was the stench of love…”
Xie Lingya: “…”
He was very frustrated. He hadn’t planned to come out to everyone because he was considerate of his father’s feelings, but he hadn’t been careful, and everyone had seen it… Did they have some kind of negative buff? They always got seen!
The others were alright, and because of Xie Lingya’s intimidating reputation, they didn’t dare to do anything. The simple-minded Xiao Dian was speechless for a long time after witnessing his respected teacher Xie and senior brother Shi kissing.
Fang Zhe took the initiative to comfort him and went to talk to Xiao Dian.
After a while, Xiao Dian came over with red eyes and said to Xie Lingya, “Teacher Xie…you and my senior brother have really gone through so much. I… I support you!”
Xie Lingya: “…Thank you?”
He asked Fang Zhe in a low voice, “What did you say to him?”
Fang Zhe also whispered, “I helped you play the victim.”
Xie Lingya: “That works? My dad even broke his leg!”
Fang Zhe: “…”
Xiao Dian was so innocent. Xie Lingya looked up and smiled at him again, then seeing Xiao Dian’s pained expression, he was a little speechless. Thinking about it, he felt like he had forgotten something, but couldn’t remember it for a moment.
….
Of course, even worse off than those at Baoyang Temple were the few young people from the underworld who came to Baoyang Temple last night to cause trouble after being confronted by Xie Lingya.
This morning, they were found unconscious in a puddle of vomit, their belts loosened, and with marks on their necks. They were rescued by tea drinkers who came to fetch water early in the morning, who thought they had attempted suicide.
Xie Lingya cried out in surprise when he heard someone say there was someone fainted outside. He suddenly remembered something he’d forgotten from the previous night, so he said he’d heard screams from passersby.
Luckily, as soon as he went outside, he discovered that the so-called passersby were just the few thugs who had caused trouble for Tan Qing on the pedestrian street the day before.
The youths, terrified, said that last night they saw some trees here and tried to climb them over the wall, but they smelled a stench and then inexplicably wanted to hang themselves… they couldn’t remember what happened after that.
Xie Lingya pushed through the crowd, put his hands in his pockets, and asked, “You guys wanted to climb in last night?”
The youths: “…………”
Upon seeing Xie Lingya, they became very guilty, stammering and unable to speak. They simply then got up, covered in filth, and ran away.
The remaining people were bewildered. “Are these thugs talking nonsense or hallucinating? There aren’t any trees on or off the wall, but the peach blossoms in the roadside flowerbed seemed to have bloomed last night.”
Indeed, the attention of the onlookers was immediately diverted; no one cared about the loud, sleazy youths anymore.
Last night, the peach blossoms in this area bloomed and fell overnight. Before anyone could see the full bloom, all that remained upon waking was a carpet of fallen petals. Beautiful as it was, it was perplexing.
Early risers on their way to work couldn’t help but take photos, both puzzled and delighted.
“Could it be that the warm weather a while back made the peach blossoms think their blooming season was over, so they opened early, only to be knocked down by last night’s sudden drop in temperature?”
People discussed.
Someone looked at Xie Lingya, “Xiao Xie, don’t you think so?”
Xie Lingya smiled, arms crossed, looking at the fallen petals. Although no one had seen their blossoms in full bloom, he gently smiled and said, “All things have a spirit. Perhaps they bloomed last night to do something righteous.”
Everyone laughed. “Young people are so funny. What good can peach blossoms do? Maybe they’ll help people find love?”
Xie Lingya: “…Hehehe.”
The author has something to say:
Recently, some people in related industries have messaged me privately, saying they think my comment section has a unique style and potential, and want to promote it through me. I’m not a monk or Taoist priest… but it’s also quite amusing. My readers’ wishes and vows have been a continuation from when I was a Nine-Tailed Fox, like sharing koi fish and praying to the God of Exams. Perhaps because of the subject matter of this story, it seems even more… well, you know. Actually, what I write is all for the protagonist’s enjoyment. There are so many comments that I sometimes can’t read them all, so I hope both new and old readers will keep their eyes open. Even if you’re genuinely interested in this kind of thing, please be discerning.
Also, this story is nearing its end, so I’ve listed some reference materials. There’s also some information on rituals that I found scattered on Taoist websites; you can find them by searching for incantations. They’re all ancient traditions, and most of them aren’t my original work. I only made some adaptations and rearrangements, including some personal interpretations, so they’re not entirely accurate and contain many errors. Please don’t take them too seriously.
*Yunji Qiqian*, *Baopuzi*, *Luban Jing*, *Dongling Xiaozhi*, *Zi Bu Yu*, *Youyang Zazu*, *Liaozhai Zhiyi*, *Daoting Tushuo*, *Taiping Guangji*, *Soushen Ji*, *Taoist Priests in Qing Dynasty Folk Secret Religions*, *Early Taoist Incense Offering Culture*, *Menshi Tangui Lu*, *Chinese Folk Gods*, *Lushan School of Taoism*, *Chinese Gods and Monsters Dictionary*, *Folk Taboos*, *Jinfa Jing*, *Zhuyou Shisan Ke*, *Fangshu Jiyi*, *Three Supreme Treasures of Taoism— Taboo Words, Seals, and Scepters*, *A Treatise on the Five Ghosts Transporting Wealth at the Celestial Master’s Mansion*, *Qingyao Dong Lishiji— An Ancient and Mysterious Ancestor Worship in Quanzhou, Guangxi*, *A Study of Qiangmu Ritual Dances*, *Lingga Disposition and Bardo Salvation in Tibetan Buddhist Qiangmu Ritual*, *The Logic of Folk Beliefs— Taking the Phenomenon of the Belly Immortal in Cixi as an Example*, *A Study of Classical Chinese Ghost Marriage Novels from the Early to Mid-Qing Dynasty*, *A Study of the “Family Letter Style” of Taoist Magic*
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