Chapter 145: The Actor!

Liu Dashao smiled nervously and said, “You see, I’m just worried there might be something… not quite clean up here in the mountains. If we had a few talismans, that would be great!”

Su Yougui suddenly spoke up, “I’ve got newspapers, will that work?” Fan Debiao was about to scold the boy for not understanding, thinking how could newspapers compare to talismans, when Liu Dashao joyfully slapped his thigh and said, “Great! Hurry and bring them out!”

Fan Debiao could hardly believe his ears, “Newspapers work too? I have some on me, I use them for rolling cigarettes!”

Liu Dashao took a few newspapers and tore them into neat strips with his hands. Frowning, he asked, “But we don’t have any pens. Who among you is a virgin?”

Huang Shitou asked, “What’s a virgin?”

Fan Debiao impatiently replied, “Someone who’s never touched a woman…”

Huang Shitou said, “Then I’m not. I held hands with a girl in elementary school!” Fan Debiao almost fell over laughing. After further clarification, everyone realized Huang Shitou actually was still a virgin. Fan Debiao stared at Su Yougui, thinking: “You little punk, you’re already eighteen and still…”

Liu Dashao took a thorn from a locust tree and quickly pricked a small hole in Huang Shitou’s thumb. Using the thorn, he dipped it in the blood and drew several blood talismans on the paper. Liu Dashao said, “These are talismans to expel ghosts. You all should keep one in your pockets for peace of mind!” After last night’s incident, everyone had begun to feel deep down that they couldn’t fully trust what they learned from books anymore. They silently took the talismans and put them away. Huang Shitou held his hand and asked nervously, “Mr. Liu… you don’t need to draw more talismans, right?”

Liu Dashao replied, “We’ll draw them when needed. Drawing them now would be a waste!” Hearing this, Huang Shitou nearly burst into tears.

Fan Debiao was curious and asked, “Hey, little brother Liu, I’ve often heard people talk about Taoist priests drawing talismans. Tell me, what are these talismans actually good for? Do ghosts really fear them?”

Liu Dashao chuckled and said, “As for other priests, I don’t know. But the talismans passed down from our Dragon and Tiger Mountains aren’t meant for ghosts to see—they’re for people!”

Fan Debiao became interested and asked, “Back when I was destroying the Four Olds, I went after those old masters. They all said talismans were useless and just tricks to fool people. What do you say about that?” This was a matter of his sect’s reputation, so Liu Dashao turned serious and said, “Take this ghost-exorcising talisman of mine, for example. This design has a name—it’s called the ‘Vitality Chart.’ Look at these strokes—they represent a vibrant, thriving energy. Ghosts are transformed from dead things, and they fear the very essence of life. Humans are different. Looking at this drawing, a person’s spirit and presence can rise significantly!” His words made perfect sense, and the others nodded repeatedly, thinking: “This man is truly different from those fraudulent old masters!”

As they talked, they continued walking. The hill wasn’t large, and the trees weren’t particularly dense. Yet they walked for quite a while without reaching the bottom. Ge Shuanwa grew impatient and swung his knife, slashing a nearby tree, “When are we gonna get out of here? This is ridiculous…”

Liu Dashao looked around and said, “Don’t rush. Let’s walk a bit more and see.” After walking for a while, Liu Dashao suddenly shouted, “Sure enough! I think we’ve entered a maze!” Confused, the others looked where he pointed. On a tree ahead was a fresh slash mark—it was the same one Ge Shuanwa had made earlier!

Fan Debiao grew anxious, “Have we been walking in circles this whole time?” Liu Dashao was also puzzled, “Strange! Who would set up a maze in such a remote, uninhabited mountain?”

Fan Debiao asked, “What should we do? Do we need to break through the maze or something?” Liu Dashao replied, “If this maze was set up in these hills, the foundation must be deep and extensive. To dig it out might take until nightfall!”

Seeing everyone anxious, Liu Dashao reassured them, “Don’t worry. The presence of a maze means we’re on the right track!” He then rubbed his chin thoughtfully, “I’ve always felt this place was special.”

Just then, Ge Shuanwa’s knife suddenly dropped to the ground with a loud ‘clap.’ His whole body trembled as he pointed toward a spot deep in the woods. Everyone looked up and saw a red-clothed woman standing there with disheveled hair…

Huang Shitou immediately turned around, but being short, he accidentally slammed into Liu Dashao’s nose. Liu Dashao sucked in a breath from the pain and said, “Hey! Watch it! Don’t let fear make us hurt each other before we even see the real enemy!”

Huang Shitou didn’t dare to look back, his teeth chattering, “Mr. Liu… that… that woman…” The other four were frozen in terror. But they heard Liu Dashao calmly say, “Look closely, don’t be afraid…” Then, to their amazement, he walked straight toward the red-clothed woman. Fan Debiao was usually brave, but faced with such strange occurrences, he couldn’t match Liu Dashao’s composure. Seeing Liu’s courage, he couldn’t help but admire him inwardly.

Liu Dashao strode forward, grabbed the woman’s hair, and yanked hard. In his hand was nothing more than a red cloak with fur lining. Everyone exhaled in relief. Liu Dashao laughed heartily, “It’s just a stage costume! A few years ago, there was a play called ‘Mu Guiying Takes Command,’ and young Mu wore this exact piece. They don’t perform it anymore, so you kids probably haven’t seen it—I recognized it right away… Ha ha!”

Liu Dashao showed off his knowledge, clearly proud of himself. Seeing how tense the others were, he narrowed his eyes and said, “The sun hasn’t set yet. Ghosts wouldn’t dare come out. If one did, it wouldn’t be an ordinary ghost—it’d at least be a ‘sha’ (malevolent spirit)! Don’t scare yourselves. Let me tell you, back when we watched that play, that girl playing Mu, with her whip cracking and her cloak flying, the fur on her collar standing straight up—it was magnificent! We’re all grown men. Can’t we be as brave as a woman? As the saying goes…”

Before Liu Dashao could finish, Huang Shitou suddenly let out a scream like a slaughtered pig. The next moment, the four of them stumbled and ran backward in panic. Su Yougui’s legs gave out—he crawled a few steps on the ground before scrambling to his feet. Liu Dashao shook his head in frustration, but then noticed the cloak in his hand instantly disintegrating into black, ash-like fragments. He felt a chilling presence behind him and inwardly cursed. He quickly turned around.

Right in front of his eyes, a pair of small feet in embroidered shoes swayed back and forth. Knowing something was terribly wrong, he gulped and slowly looked up. A female ghost in theatrical costume was hanging from a tree behind him. Her face was covered in white makeup and had turned a sickly green, like a fresh bitter melon. Her eyes bulged out beyond their sockets, and a three-inch-long tongue hung from her mouth. The sight made Liu Dashao’s heart nearly stop. But then, the ghost’s lips curled into a smile directed at him.

Liu Dashao immediately wet his pants. In one swift motion, he leaped backward like a frog jumping from dry land. He flew backward at least ten feet and shouted mid-air, “Oh dear ancestors!” Actually, Liu Dashao did have some skills, but he was a bit weak in handling sudden shocks. If a fierce ghost approached slowly, he’d be ready to fight with all he had—after all, a fierce ghost doesn’t ask where you’re from, and a rogue doesn’t care about age. But if someone suddenly screamed behind him, he might break into a cold sweat. In modern terms, his psychological resilience wasn’t strong, and he didn’t perform well under pressure.

As Liu Dashao jumped back, he immediately sprinted away. All the steps and rituals Zhang Enpu had taught him—like the “Steps of the Constellations” and “Five Elements Converging to the Origin”—were completely forgotten in the panic.

Fan Debiao and the others ran in sheer terror, fearing that a single glance behind might reveal the female hanging ghost. Who had time to think about Liu Dashao now? Su Yougui, the smallest and weakest among them, surprisingly led the pack, running as if flying through the clouds like the Monkey King. No one knew how far they had run when suddenly, a dark shadow darted out from the side and crashed straight into him. Su Yougui screamed, “Waaah!” in terror, but heard the other person shout too, and the two collided head-on, falling to the ground.

Su Yougui thought, “This is it. I’m done for,” and braced himself for death with his eyes shut. But then he heard the other person cursing, “Damn it, my poor nose… you bastard…” He opened his eyes and realized—it was none other than Liu Dashao!

Huang Shitou quickly helped Liu Dashao up, saying, “Oh my, Mr. Liu! You’re okay! We were just running to save you!” As he helped him up and looked around, he saw the mark Ge Shuanwa had made on the tree again. They had run so far, yet were still going in circles! At this realization, his eyes welled up with tears. Liu Dashao was furious inside. Pointing at the group, he shouted, “Do you still want to find Huang Peng? Are we going to figure this out or not? If not, I’m taking you all back right now!”

The four of them remained silent for a long time. Fan Debiao coughed twice, stood up, and said, “Mr. Liu, I want to make something clear—we’re determined to find out the truth. There’s no way someone could just disappear without a trace, alive or dead!”

He looked at the others and added, “We’re all grown men. We can’t let a few strange sights scare us back. If people hear we’re afraid of ghosts, we’ll be laughed at by everyone. That kind of life would be unbearable!”

Once Fan Debiao spoke, the others felt a sense of determination. Ge Shuanwa said, “Damn it! We should rely on ourselves. Once we make up our minds, we’ll see this through to the end!” Su Yougui and Huang Shitou also expressed their determination. Especially Huang Shitou, who tearfully said, “I can’t let my brother’s death remain a mystery. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart! From now on, if I run away again, may lightning strike me down!”

Liu Dashao had always admired how cadres and officials in the village gave motivational speeches on the stage, waving their hands and declaring, “We must do this and that…” Now he had his chance. Standing among the group, he shouted, “I remember what my ancestors wrote: in this world, humans are righteous, and ghosts and monsters, no matter how fierce, are evil. As long as a person holds a sense of righteousness in their heart, when they see injustice, they will have the courage to act. How can they fear ghosts? If we work together to uncover the truth, even if we can’t get off this mountain, we’ll die as true heroes!”

His words ignited their passion. Then suddenly, he smiled and said, “But just to be safe, I’ll draw a few more talismans for you to carry. It’s better to be over-prepared!” Everyone nodded eagerly. Liu Dashao called out, “Huang Shitou, come over here again…”

Huang Shitou turned pale, “Master, again… again?!”

Liu Dashao drew several more talismans—some for clarity of mind, others invoking the protection of the True Immortal. He used the thorn from the locust tree to prick Huang Shitou’s finger again, using his blood to activate the talismans. One talisman was placed on the chest, and another on the back. Liu Dashao explained, “The key is to believe in your heart. If you truly believe in the talisman, ghosts and monsters will dare not approach!”

As Liu Dashao continued working, Huang Shitou asked, “Mr. Liu, I’m a bit confused. What kind of maze is this? And how did that hanging ghost end up in it?”

Liu Dashao thought for a moment and said, “This maze confuses people and ghosts differently. Humans walk by sight, while ghosts walk by sensing the earth’s energy. To confuse a person, you use visual tricks to make them follow the maze. To confuse a ghost, you disrupt the flow of earth energy. I think the person who set this maze intended to confuse people, but wasn’t satisfied with just that, so they hanged a person inside. The ghost couldn’t escape the maze and transform, so over time, it became a malevolent spirit. The longer the maze exists, the more dangerous it becomes!”

As he spoke, Su Yougui suddenly interrupted, “I heard that sacred objects blessed by high monks can break this kind of maze magic and ward off evil. Is that true?” Liu Dashao nodded, “It depends on who does the blessing. If it’s a person of integrity, full of righteousness, the object will truly gain protective power. But if it’s someone who only has a false reputation and uses blessings to cheat people for money, then such a blessed object won’t only be useless—it might even bring harm. In short, any blessed object that costs money should never be accepted!”

Upon hearing this, Su Yougui exclaimed, “Could it be that the item I had was real?” Everyone asked what he meant. Su Yougui told a story. Before liberation, his mother was still a young girl. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, she went to Guanyin Temple in Wuhan to burn incense. At that time, it was said to be lucky to burn the first incense of the year, so she pushed her way through the crowd. In the chaos, she saw an old lady fall, but no one around her helped. Moved with compassion, she went over and helped the old lady to the side.

A monk sweeping the ground noticed this. He put down his broom, took a string of cheap prayer beads from around his neck, joined his palms, silently recited a few lines of scripture, and gave them back to her.

Strange as it seemed, from that day on, Su Yougui’s mother rarely fell ill. After giving birth to Su Yougui, she loved her son dearly and gave him the prayer beads. Su Yougui added, “Back then, I wore them around my neck. Even in the coldest winter, my chest always felt warm!”

Upon hearing this, Liu Dashao’s eyes lit up. He quickly said, “Bring them out! This is a precious item! With this, passing through the maze will be easy!” Su Yougui hesitated and said, “Back in school during the campaign against the Four Olds, I got excited and smashed them in front of the teacher…”

“Ahhh!” Liu Dashao pouted in disappointment and said, “You wastrel!”

As they talked, the five of them armed themselves. Ge Shuanwa led the way with a machete. Fan Debiao held a kitchen knife in the middle, and Liu Dashao brought up the rear with another knife. These three blades had all been “sharpened” with Huang Shitou’s virgin blood, according to Liu Dashao, making them effective against evil spirits. Su Yougui didn’t get a weapon and kept complaining. Liu Dashao handed him a detonator in one hand and a lighter in the other, saying it was like the ancient “Sky-Shaking Thunder,” feared even by demons. Huang Shitou held a pointed pine stick. Liu Dashao explained that pine wood, being evergreen, symbolized vibrant life and was greatly feared by dark entities. Some Taoist priests misunderstood and used peach wood instead—an act of losing a whole cart of watermelons for just half a sesame seed.

Though initially uneasy, after Liu Dashao’s explanation, the five felt as if their entire bodies were now filled with magical power. Not only could they face a few evil spirits, but they could even challenge the King of Hell himself! Their morale soared, and suddenly, each of them looked more spirited. Only Huang Shitou, weakened from blood loss, walked in the middle, pale-faced and leaning on his magical pine stick.

Fan Debiao asked Liu Dashao about the hanging ghost. Liu Dashao sighed and said, “Whoever set up this maze here is unknown. But by killing a woman here, they wanted to make the maze even more dangerous. I think the person who set this maze must be hiding something important they don’t want us to see.” With last night’s resurrection, the flying white dog in the sky, and now this dangerous maze, this mountain was clearly no ordinary place. “Damn it! Why did it have to be me who got caught up in this?”

As they passed the tree where they had previously seen the hanging ghost, they all felt a chill. Liu Dashao stepped forward and shouted, “Everyone, close your eyes! Walk with one hand on the shoulder of the person in front of you! This maze only confuses the eyes! Remember, no matter what strange sounds you hear or what strange things you feel, do not open your eyes!” The four of them looked around nervously. This strange command confused them—what if they walked straight into the arms of the hanging ghost with their eyes closed?

Seeing their hesitation, Liu Dashao grew anxious, “Did you hear me? You must keep your eyes closed, no matter what! If you open them, your soul might be scared away!”

Fan Debiao shouted, “Alright! We trust Mr. Liu!” The others reluctantly closed their eyes. Strangely, once their eyes were shut, the cold feeling on their bodies eased. Their confidence in Liu Dashao grew.

Liu Dashao had Ge Shuanwa place his hand on his shoulder, one person after another. Huang Shitou, being weak, was placed in the middle. Su Yougui, holding the detonator, walked at the back. Liu Dashao held the kitchen knife across his chest, closed his eyes, and chanted, “May the Star Lord of the North Pole be present, guiding your disciple out of the maze…” He made a small cut on his hand with the knife, letting a few drops of blood fall onto the blade.

The Star Lord of the North Pole is one of the Four Emperors of Taoism, governing the stars and commanding all celestial beings. By silently invoking his name, Liu Dashao felt the knife in his hand move, pointing in a specific direction. This was a method from the “Zhengyi Talisman School” to harness one’s own abilities, using the flow of energy in the universe to guide direction—not that the Star Lord himself had truly descended. He was far too busy to bother with a minor character like Liu Dashao.