manynovel Chapter 26 The White Crane Boy, Successor of Jinhua Mountain
Chapter 26 The White Crane Boy, Successor of Jinhua Mountain
"The procession of deities? Thanks for reminding us, we'll go."
"Duoduo, let's go back."
"Okay, sure." Duoduo obediently replied and followed Huang Bai back to the orphanage.
At night, after the courtyard had completely quieted down, Huang Bai took out his inner core, sat cross-legged, and began to practice breathing exercises to slowly refine its medicinal power.
After cultivating for most of the hour, he slowly opened his eyes, got up, and walked to the mirror.
The person in the mirror had long hair that reached their shoulders, a pale complexion, and at first glance, even a slightly effeminate air. Deep within their originally dark pupils, a faint hint of eerie green shone.
Huang Bai stared at himself in the mirror for a moment, his brows furrowing slightly.
The symptoms of blue eyes and square pupils that I had seen before have indeed returned.
After the external elixir was transformed into the internal elixir, the side effects were significantly reduced, but they did not truly disappear.
The resurrection of the red spider lily only refreshes its physical state; it does not make it immune to the poison.
Huang Bai withdrew his gaze, not feeling too anxious.
The path of external alchemy is inherently perilous, and it's normal to experience side effects.
To truly resolve this issue, one must either find an internal cultivation method, switch to a more advanced external elixir, or seek external assistance.
Fortunately, the most dangerous time has not yet arrived.
It's still a long way from the point where we really need to dissect and dissect the body.
Over the next few days, he visited several temples and finalized sponsorship agreements. Little by little, he managed to scrape together a considerable sum.
Huang Bai checked the accounts while organizing the lists.
"All accounts will be made public, and we'll also hire three more dormitory supervisors, one cook, and two night shift caregivers..."
The situation at the welfare home is finally starting to sort things out.
After finishing all these chores, he finally had time to prepare to watch the procession of the gods.
Three days later, at night.
The streets were filled with the sounds of gongs and drums, and firecrackers. The entire street was packed with people, a mix of temple fair attendees, stalls, worshippers, and onlookers.
Zhoucang Temple, City God Temple, Tiger General Temple, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Temple, Tianhou Palace... all kinds of gods take turns to make their rounds.
The priest and spirit medium, dressed in ancient costumes, carried the palanquin slowly forward. Multicolored lights illuminated the entire night street.
The leading group was headed by the officials of the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Temple.
According to folk custom, it is usually composed of one "Death General", two "Increase Generals", and a white crane attendant to guide the way.
Several spirit mediums, their faces heavily painted with rouge and dressed in magnificent robes, held ritual implements such as fire tokens, command flags, shackles, tiger tokens, and forks. Just standing there, they exuded a menacing aura.
Huang Bai, holding Duo Duo's hand, stood outside the crowd watching the excitement.
After watching for a while, Duoduo became a little scared and hid behind Huang Bai.
"Dean, they look so fierce."
"Don't be afraid." Huang Bai patted her head.
It's normal for children to be afraid of this kind of scene.
After all, these were all spirits and deities subdued by gods.
Huang Bai stood still, quietly watching the group approach.
"The Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Temple is a mix of Buddhism and Taoism, and the folk lineage is indeed quite sophisticated."
It's not simply a matter of the spirit medium acting strangely or acting erratically; there is a genuine, unseen power flowing through the incense and rituals and falling upon them.
Soon, the procession of the gods arrived.
The white crane boy at the front hopped and skipped along, his movements extremely light and agile, looking almost lively, like a playful child looking around in the hustle and bustle.
For "it", this world is probably indeed very new.
Incense smoke, lamplight, crowds, clamor, and smoke—all aspects of life unfold before your eyes. Skyscrapers, red-lit night markets, and the comings and goings of pilgrims and laypeople—you name it.
Even the evil god came to watch the show. Hmm, the evil god?
The White Crane Boy suddenly stopped.
His gaze suddenly pierced through the crowd and landed directly on Duoduo.
The world seemed to fall silent for a moment.
The people around were still talking and moving, but the noise and commotion seemed to be blocked by a thick layer of water, and could no longer reach them.
Duoduo's face turned pale instantly, her whole body trembled, and she gripped Huang Bai's hand tightly.
The White Crane Boy slowly walked towards this side.
The face paint seemed to be melting, and the spirit medium's face, which originally belonged to an ordinary person, showed a divine appearance that did not belong to an ordinary person.
Duoduo finally couldn't hold back anymore, and tears streamed down her face.
"I want to go home... I don't want to stay here anymore..."
The crying pulled Huang Bai back from his thoughts.
He frowned and immediately suppressed his original thought.
No.
This is no ordinary ghost, but a spirit summoned from the underworld.
They only care about killing, not burying. If they were to come over, the child would most likely not survive.
Putting aside whether he could eliminate the Great Black Buddha Mother, he at least didn't want to see an innocent little girl die tragically in front of him.
Huang Bai quickly made a decision in his mind.
"Let's go first."
He bent down, picked up Duoduo, and turned to retreat out of the crowd.
The White Crane Boy kept watching him, his gaze now noticeably more scrutinizing. Ultimately, he didn't pursue him further, only glancing at Huang Bai a couple more times before withdrawing from his mystical state.
The next moment, the spirit medium remained a spirit medium, turned around, and rejoined the procession of spirits.
The surrounding noise suddenly surged back.
The sounds of gongs, drums, firecrackers, and hawkers' cries blended together, making it seem as if that moment just now was merely a yellow-white illusion.
Huang Bai carried Duo Duo all the way to the street corner before stopping.
"Brother Dean..." Duoduo was still trembling.
"It's alright now." Huang Bai gently patted her back. "Let's stop watching for now and go somewhere else."
The procession of deities lasted until late into the night.
When the spirit mediums and monks returned to their temples, they looked as if they had just been pulled out of the water, their clothes completely soaked.
Inside the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Temple, several people were gathered around a pot of seafood congee.
Temple keeper Chen Lixing put down his chopsticks and looked at his disciple, Agui.
"What happened to you just now?"
"This isn't the first time you've invited the White Crane Boy, so why did you suddenly stop halfway through?"
Ah Gui scratched his head, feeling a bit bewildered himself.
"I don't know either."
"When I got there, I suddenly felt a tightness in my chest, as if I had seen something I shouldn't have seen. But when I looked closer, I couldn't quite put my finger on it."
Chen Lixing's face darkened after hearing this.
He's the master, so he sees things more clearly than others. Just now, A-Gui wasn't simply distracted; there was something that Baihe Tongzi actually glanced at.
Just then, urgent shouts suddenly came from outside the temple gate.
"Master Chen! Master Chen!"
A couple rushed in carrying an unconscious child.
"Master Chen, please save the child! He's been unconscious for three days, and the doctors can't find anything wrong..."
Chen Lixing didn't bother to ask Agui any more questions. He got up and walked out, and after just one glance at the child, he understood what was going on.
"He's possessed by an evil spirit."
"Bring me the talisman water first."
The person next to him quickly brought a bowl of water. Chen Li walked to the statue, whispered a few incantations, burned the talisman in the water, and had someone help the child to the locust tree outside the temple.
The child drank the talisman water, his body convulsed violently twice, and then he vomited a mouthful of black water.
The black water did not disperse after landing; instead, it slowly rippled, as if it were alive, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into a cloud of black mist.
Chen Lixing's expression changed instantly.
"How dare you possess someone!"
He was about to raise his hand to invite the spirit, having already calculated the auspicious time in his mind. With his seniority, it wouldn't take long for the spirit to possess him, unlike those younger disciples who still had to set up an altar and perform rituals.
But before he could make a move, someone else had already taken action.
Whoosh!
Golden light pierced through the sky.
Just as the black mist tried to retreat, golden light struck it squarely. The thing immediately let out a shrill scream, like a snowflake falling into boiling water, melting away completely in the blink of an eye.
Chen Lixing was shocked and turned his head sharply.
Not far away, Huang Bai was standing there, his hands still in the gesture of making a hand seal.
Chen Lixing's heart was suddenly filled with turmoil.
There's no need to invite gods, offer incense, or have spirits possess you.
A mere gesture unleashes a spell? What kind of magic is this?
He looked at Huang Bai, his eyes initially filled with doubt, but now they were filled with genuine shock.
"Which lineage of masters do you belong to?"
Chen Lixing was quite skilled in Taoism and could tell that Huang Bai did not possess the yin energy and ghostly aura that spirit mediums typically have when they possess a spirit.
His aura was pure, and his magic originated from his own body, not borrowed.
Huang Bai's expression remained normal as he casually revealed the identity he had previously decided upon.
"Huang Bai, a disciple of Chisongzi, from Jinhua Mountain in Jiangsu and Zhejiang."
When you're out in the world, you give yourself your own identity.
Besides, what he said wasn't entirely false. Huang Chuping's Taoist name was Chisongzi, so it was understandable that he would borrow this flag.
After hearing this, Chen Lixing was taken aback at first, but then he realized what was going on.
"So it was a Taoist priest."
He immediately stepped aside.
"Mr. Huang, please come in."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ah Gui, who was standing next to him, suddenly remembered and quickly spoke up:
"Master, during the spirit procession just now! The person the White Crane Boy stopped to look at was him!"
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