The master opened his mouth placidly.
After listening, I found myself with nothing to refute.
Master had said there were two ways for me to replenish the lamp oil.
The first: to seize the lifespan of ghosts.
The second: to accumulate good karma by performing great deeds.
Although my heart was filled with apprehension, what Master said was entirely true.
Since I had entered this path, I would inevitably have to deal with such matters sooner or later.
I took a deep breath, then asked,
"Master, if I go, what should I do?"
Master took out his pipe and began to smoke again.
"I'll teach you that later!
First, go to the drawer and get a Bailing Talisman, then fetch a bowl of clean water."
I had seen the Bailing Talisman today in the "Compendium of Talismans."
It was said to be a talisman that could calm the spirit. I had even picked up a brush and drawn it a few times myself.
Lost in thought, I didn't move.
Master frowned slightly,
"What, you don't know what talisman it is?"
"Oh, I know this one, I saw it this afternoon."
With that, I turned and walked towards the counter.
It was clear that the "Compendium of Talismans" was something Master had deliberately left for me to read.
Now, by asking me to fetch a talisman, he was testing me.
When I reached the counter, I opened the drawer.
Inside the drawer were seven or eight types of talismans, neatly stacked.
I took out the talisman Master had requested, then went to fetch a bowl and filled it with clean water.
Finally, I returned and handed them to Master.
Seeing that I had not made a mistake, Master smiled slightly and nodded with satisfaction.
Holding the talisman in his hand, in front of the middle-aged woman and child,
He said very kindly to the child,
"Little one, don't cry, Grandpa will do a magic trick for you."
After speaking, he softly chanted a few words.
With a flick of his finger, the yellow talisman ignited with a "boom."
This sight left the middle-aged woman dumbfounded.
The child, who had been crying moments before, also perked up, giggling.
Master threw the ashes of the burnt yellow talisman directly into the bowl and stirred them with his finger.
"Madam, give this to your child to drink, and he will be able to sleep soundly for a few days."
"Yes, yes!"
The middle-aged woman nodded repeatedly, taking the talisman water.
She was completely awestruck by Master's skill.
Next, Master had me prepare paper and a brush.
He himself wrote a passage on it.
I looked closely and found that the words he wrote were similar to those I occasionally saw on utility poles by the roadside.
"When infants cry at night, kindly read this. If they cease crying, we offer ten thousand blessings.
Yellow sky, yellow earth, yellow, I have a crying child in my home. Passersby, read it once, and they will sleep soundly until the dawn!"
Seeing that Master had finished writing, I asked,
"Master, what is this called? Do I need to paste it on utility poles?"
He nodded,
"This is called seeking blessings.
Children are young and are not subject to karmic entanglements.
Every time someone reads it, the child's fortune increases by one point.
As more people read it, the child's spirit will stabilize, and their fortune will return.
Once the child's father is sent off, he will no longer cry at night."
Good heavens, so those small notices pasted on utility poles had such a function.
I used to find them catchy to read, but only now did I truly understand.
After the child drank the talisman water, Master handed the paper to the middle-aged woman.
"Madam, go home and copy this several times, then paste it in a conspicuous place where many people can see it.
Tonight, my disciple will come to send off your husband.
Your child will no longer cry at night, and everything will be fine."
The middle-aged woman was very emotional, nodding and thanking him repeatedly.
She carefully put away the paper.
"Master Gu, how, how much?"
The middle-aged woman, holding her child, asked somewhat nervously.
Judging by the woman's attire, she appeared to be from an ordinary family, and now her husband had passed away.
Perhaps she was worried that Master would charge too much, and she wouldn't be able to afford it.
But Master smiled,
"No rush, no rush, healing people is also a good deed.
Once the child is better, you can give me a red envelope of six hundred and sixty-six yuan."
Hearing six hundred and sixty-six yuan, to be paid after the child was cured, the woman breathed a sigh of relief.
If she could truly send off her deceased husband and her child would recover,
Over six hundred yuan was truly worth it.
She felt as though she had encountered an expert, someone with genuine abilities.
At this point, besides saying "thank you," she seemed to have no other words.
And the child in her arms, after drinking the talisman potion, had already fallen asleep leaning against her, sleeping soundly and deeply.
Master did not stand on ceremony.
He simply asked her to leave an address and contact information and take the child home to sleep.
He also instructed her to prepare a table of dishes that her husband loved the most.
Later, he asked me to go over.
After thanking him again, the woman left with her child.
Seeing the woman depart, I asked Master,
"Master, what should I do if I go tonight?"
Master took a puff of his pipe and told me,
"In such matters, it's usually because the deceased has too deep an attachment to their family.
It's caused by their reluctance to leave their children and family.
When you go there tonight, explain the pros and cons to that spirit.
Under normal circumstances, they will leave. If the other party doesn't listen..."
Master paused.
After exhaling a puff of smoke, he continued,
"If they don't listen, then use this to shine upon them.
Ghosts, like most people, are bullies and fear the strong."
With that, Master took down a Bagua mirror hanging in the shop for sale.
He made a few gestures over it with his finger and handed it to me.
It was made of bronze, only palm-sized, with a red string threaded through it.
He repeatedly emphasized that such things, when dealt with without malice,
Sending them off brings great fortune and accumulates merit.
It can also replenish my lamp oil and increase my lifespan.
If you can send them off, do so, but do not resort to force unless absolutely necessary...