Translator-Rhapsodite
Editor- Koneko, Proofreader- Spring Flower
Liu Fan and the driver had already set up the altar in the center of the yard according to Bei Quan’s request. They covered it with a yellow cloth and placed incense burners on it. They also lit candles on both sides. It looked like the real deal.
Bei Quan previously mentioned that he would ‘perform the ritual in the yard after nightfall’, but he didn’t specify the exact time.
The villagers were afraid of missing out on the show, so most of them hurriedly came to watch after dinner. And the later it got, the more people gathered.
Luckily, Bei Quan didn’t make them wait too long.
Just ten minutes before nine o’clock, Bei Quan and Wei Fuyuan appeared in front of the villagers.
By this time, they had changed into dark gray Taoist robes and even wore wigs, looking like the stereotypical ‘Taoist priests’ that people were familiar with.
Both Bei Quan and Wei Fuyuan were extremely handsome.
They both had a fair and elegant complexion, one with a smile as gentle as a spring breeze, and the other with eyes that shone like bright stars. They were both handsome and charming as if they were celestial beings who had traveled through time and space in their Taoist robes.
Their appearances were truly outstanding, and as soon as they appeared, they exuded a charismatic aura. Their persuasiveness was off the charts, with a +1000 charm buff. The crowd of onlookers in the yard involuntarily closed their mouths, and the buzzing chatter had disappeared. The scene strangely quieted down.
“Are you ready?”
Bei Quan lowered his voice and asked his lover.
Wei Fuyuan nodded.
Following Bei Quan’s instructions, he walked slowly step by step to the long table serving as the altar. He lit three sticks of incense and bowed three times in each direction. Then, he inserted the joss sticks into the incense burner, completing the offering to the gods of the four directions and the eighteen heavenly deities.
Next, Wei Fuyuan elongated his tone and said slowly, “The auspicious moment has come—The immortal master opens the altar—”
After saying that, he took three steps back to the side, standing solemnly by the altar as if he were a guardian.
Bei Quan held a peach wood sword and walked in a four-directional pattern to the front of the altar, chanting an incantation.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Ktf tfjnfcr qbrrfrr atgff kbcvfgr- atf rec, wbbc, jcv rajgr, mjqjyif bo gfjmtlcu ybat atf tfjnfcr jcv atf fjgat, rajgailcu utbrar jcv rqlglar. Po jcs wjilmlber ubvr bg fnli rqlglar jqqgbjmt, atfs klii yf ecjyif ab mbcalcef atflg wjifnbifca jmalbcr…”
Cr tf gfmlafv atf lcmjcajalbc, tf rafqqfv klat j qbkfgoei rajcmf, klfivlcu atf qfjmt kbbv rkbgv klat j olfgmf jcv rkloa wbalbc.
Surprisingly, despite the intense movements, his recitation remained steady and smooth, the tone still gentle and graceful. His steps and sword techniques carried a dance-like elegance, captivating onlookers who couldn’t help but hold their breath, not even daring to blink.
As the incantation was about to reach its conclusion, Bei Quan suddenly waved his left hand, and a yellow talisman flew out like a hidden weapon, landing directly on the candle next to the incense burner.
The talisman paper was instantly ignited by the flames, turning into a fireball.
With a light thrust of his peach wood sword, Bei Quan delicately balanced the burning talisman on the tip of the sword. He then spun his body with a turn of his right foot, and the peach wood sword traced a perfect circle in the air, causing the fireball held by the sword tip to also rotate 360 degrees.
Even though it was just a thin piece of yellow paper, according to common sense, it should have turned to ashes in an instant when touched by the fire. It shouldn’t have burned at all.
But with the talisman on Bei Quan’s sword, the flames unexpectedly surged up to half a meter high, and with the inertia of his spinning, it left behind a long, meteor-like tail of flames in the air. What was even more amazing was that it still hadn’t burned out!
The onlookers couldn’t help but widen their eyes, their attention focused on the massive flame on the tip of Bei Quan’s sword.
“The three pure ones, those grandmasters of taoism, have commanded me to tell you, Lord Vermillion Bird, sovereign of the seven southern constellations, to destroy the wicked and protect the true; follow swiftly this command!”
As the final word fell, the blazing fire on the tip of Bei Quan’s sword suddenly soared into the sky, shooting up like a rocket.
“Wow!”
The onlookers were completely caught off guard by this spectacle, and they all let out a gasp, tilting their heads back to watch the cluster of flames soaring into the night sky.
Then, what happened next was even more astonishing and left everyone in shock.
That cluster of red flames flashed in the air, suddenly burst open, and astonishingly transformed into a large bird.
The bird was as big as an eagle, completely red, with a wingspan of about two meters. Its tail feathers swayed at least twice the length of its body.
“Phoenix!”
Someone shouted in a high-pitched voice:
“It’s a phoenix! It’s a phoenix!”
The phoenix flapped its wings, scattering sparks of red light, and flew two circles around the Liu family mansion. Then, it suddenly dove towards the ancestral hall behind the mansion, disappearing behind the courtyard wall.
The courtyard suddenly fell into a deathly silence, and for a moment, no one spoke.
After several seconds of silence, someone suddenly exclaimed again:
“Oh my, my grandma! I saw a phoenix!?”
This exclamation was like a drop of boiling water falling into a hot pan, instantly causing an explosion.
Cries of astonishment and buzzing discussions erupted all at once. Everyone was eager to share their own experiences with their fellow villagers and neighbors. The scene quickly became as noisy as a morning market.
Bei Quan didn’t feel the need to explain in a hurry.
He stood in front of the altar, wearing a faint smile, with a calm and composed expression, openly accepting the gaze of thousands of eyes from all directions.
After another two minutes, the discussions finally quieted down a bit.
At this moment, a loud middle-aged man shouted:
“Taoist Master, what technique was that just now? How did you manage to summon a phoenix?”
He asked the question that everyone wanted to know, so everyone consciously closed their mouths and perked up their ears, waiting to hear Bei Quan’s explanation.
Bei Quan smiled slightly and answered loudly:
“I just invited the Southern Vermilion Bird God to come and burn away the evil spirits and exorcise the demons for the Liu family.”
“Oh, oh!”
There were many voices of agreement in the crowd.
A middle-aged woman, speaking in slightly non-standard Mandarin, quickly asked:
“So, does this mean that the Liu family will no longer be haunted in the future?”
“Of course, from now on, the Liu family will be peaceful and free from any trouble.”
Bei Quan nodded with a smile and then said:
“Tonight, my disciple and I will sleep in the ancestral hall of the Liu family to personally prove this.”
————————————
On November 9th, Tuesday, at 10:20 PM.
Bei Quan and Wei Fuyuan checked into the dilapidated shack in the ancestral hall of the Liu family as planned.
Since the four workers were scared out of their minds by the swarm of bugs that emerged from the hot pot, the construction site has completely shut down and the small board house used for workers to rest and on duty has naturally not been inhabited again.
At that time, although the mess on the ground was roughly cleaned up, it was only the overturned pots and pans that were cleared away. The red soup and tiny food scraps scattered all over the floor were left unattended. By now, they had dried up, sticking to the cement floor with a sticky and greasy texture, emitting a strange smell that was both spicy and rancid.
Not to mention the dirt and disorder inside the house, even the sleeping area consisted of nothing more than a few narrow camp beds.
The bedding on the bed had never been changed, and it was visibly covered in dust. The original color and pattern were almost unrecognizable.
In the past, Young Master Wei would have flipped the table and refused to stay in such terrible accommodation.
However, after following Bei Quan for half a year and seeing his memories as a general in the Pool of All Beings, his two lifetimes of experiences had merged, and his temperament had become much more steady.
So, after Wei Fuyuan entered the room, he calmly looked around and walked straight to the two beds on the inner side. He picked up a blanket and vigorously shook off the dust.
However, the room was really dirty.
With Wei Fuyuan’s shake, a cloud of dust filled the air. When the light bulb above shone on it, it looked like a smoke effect.
————Cough! Cough, cough, cough!
While coughing, Bei Quan went to open the window. ”Let’s get some fresh air in.”
Wei Fuyuan glanced back at Bei Quan and noticed a fleeting mischievous smile at the corner of his lips. He immediately understood what was going on.
Without saying anything, he continued to tidy up their beds…
