Although Mei Qing had only been studying under Zhang Shisan’s guidance for a few days, and had focused most of his energy on practicing low-level talismans, he was still the disciple of a renowned master and naturally displayed extraordinary talent. This small Fire Spirit Talisman—though among the lowest of talismans—nonetheless demonstrated something extraordinary when activated by Mei Qing’s incantations.
The small talisman shot forth silently, approaching the platform. Just before reaching it, Zhang Shisan subtly moved his hand within his sleeve, creating an invisible opening in the tightly sealed spiritual energy at the platform’s side. Through this invisible breach, the Fire Spirit Talisman slipped silently inside and landed soundlessly atop the Grand Master’s dazzling nine-tiered, eight-ridged ceremonial hat.
From several zhang away, Mei Qing had accurately delivered the talisman straight into the Grand Master’s ceremonial hat—a feat not particularly impressive in itself, but for someone who had just begun studying talismans, it was remarkably skillful. Zhang Shisan observed this with great satisfaction, stroking his nearly beardless chin and smiling so broadly that his red nose wrinkled with delight.
Talismans, aside from being created and used, also tested a cultivator’s ability to control them with precision. Delivering a small paper talisman accurately to a fixed location from several zhang away required particularly strong spiritual awareness and refined control of one’s spiritual energy.
Mei Qing, being new to this art, had already demonstrated exceptional skill, clearly showing his superior spiritual perception and mastery of energy control. As a grandmaster of talisman techniques who had dedicated his life to this craft, how could Zhang Shisan not feel pleased upon witnessing such performance from his disciple?
Meanwhile, the Incense Sect Grand Master remained completely unaware that he had been targeted. He was still shouting “Ya!” loudly, turning his head in all directions searching for hidden evil spirits. At that moment, he turned precisely toward the direction of Shi Mengzhu and Mei Qing, suddenly exclaiming loudly: “So it was here all along! Demon, don’t run! Watch me perform divine magic!”
He raised his large sword high above his head. The blade gleamed dazzlingly under the setting sun, almost blinding to look at, while golden light radiated from his entire body, making him appear like a descending celestial deity.
Seeing such a grand display, the onlookers were awestruck. The musicians on the stage naturally played with even more vigor. The thin man shouted hoarsely: “The Grand Master’s divine power has been unleashed, evil spirits shall be eradicated and vanish into smoke and clouds!” The crowd joined in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.
The Grand Master held the sword motionless, then gradually released one hand, holding the sword with only one hand while the other hand moved to his chin, mimicking the posture of stroking a beard—truly resembling Guan Yu incarnate. The musicians redoubled their efforts, beating drums and blowing horns so loudly it seemed as if mountains were collapsing and seas were erupting.
At that very moment, a thin wisp of smoke suddenly began rising from the Grand Master’s ceremonial hat. This smoke remained cohesive, light yet not murky, glowing golden in the sunlight, creating an atmosphere of mystical grandeur and solemn divinity.
The thin man leading the chants couldn’t help but inwardly admire: “The Grand Master’s techniques are becoming ever more refined. The timing of this smoke is truly brilliant, adding an air of mystery and majesty—a stroke of divine genius! However, this move was never practiced before, so I’m unsure how to chant properly. If I mess up, the Grand Master might punish me.”
The thin man, both anxious and excited, frantically recalled memorized flattery. Fortunately, he had risen to prominence among the group for his quick wit. He quickly adapted the lyrics he knew and loudly chanted: “Fragrant breezes swirl with rising smoke; divine power rivals the heavens. Demons and ghosts stand no chance; the Grand Master’s magic is extraordinary!”
The musicians and singers shouted “Bravo!” at the top of their lungs, then joined in chorus: “Fragrant breezes swirl with rising smoke… the Grand Master’s magic is extraordinary…”
Hearing the new lyrics, the Grand Master was momentarily stunned, but then found them quite pleasing. The chant was powerful, resonant, and melodious—certainly deserving of praise. Just as he was thinking about how to commend the thin man later, he suddenly smelled something burning. Unable to move his posture, he could only shift his eyes to locate the source of the odor.
The thin man, seeing the Grand Master’s pleased expression and darting eyes, thought he was giving a secret signal of approval and felt immense joy. Looking again at the Grand Master’s head, he noticed the smoke thickening, turning darker, and gradually blackening. Upon closer inspection, a flame—blue tinged with red—began rising from behind the tall ceremonial hat atop the Grand Master’s head!
The thin man was truly awestruck. The Grand Master was simply too impressive—creating such a spectacular pyrotechnic effect! Since he had already gained the Grand Master’s favor earlier, and now the Grand Master was displaying an even more impressive technique, he naturally needed to adjust his lyrics accordingly. The thin man turned his eyes sharply, quickly devising a new verse. Clearing his throat and drawing deeply from his dantian energy, he sang out with a voice as firm as iron and as lingering as music from bronze plates: “Flames rise to the heavens, like fiery phoenix rivaling dragons. Demons and ghosts flee in fear; the Grand Master’s divine power is unmatched…”
Just as he was singing with great enthusiasm, suddenly the flame engulfed the entire ceremonial hat, turning it into a roaring torch, nearly setting the Grand Master’s eyebrows ablaze. The people behind, lost in their rhythmic chanting with eyes closed, remained completely unaware that the Grand Master was nearly becoming a roasted suckling pig. They continued singing in unison: “Flames rise to the heavens… the Grand Master’s divine power is unmatched…”
At this point, the Grand Master finally felt the intense heat above his head but still maintained his pose, enduring the pain. His eyes darted around, yet he couldn’t see what was happening. However, the dwarf playing the role of Zhou Cang beside him saw everything clearly—the ceremonial hat atop the Grand Master’s head had suddenly caught fire for some unknown reason. Flames roared upward, reaching over a foot high. Though the hat appeared golden and radiant, it was actually just paper over a reed frame, which couldn’t withstand the fire. Within moments, the entire hat was ablaze, flames nearing the Grand Master’s eyebrows.
Zhou Cang panicked and immediately jumped up, attempting to knock the burning hat off. Unfortunately, standing only three chi tall, he barely reached the Grand Master’s waist. Worse still, the Grand Master’s hat was exceptionally tall. No matter how many times he jumped, stretching his arms to their fullest, he could barely reach the Grand Master’s shoulders—nowhere near the hat.
By now, the hat had completely disintegrated, revealing the sorghum stalk frame inside, now crumbling into pieces. Burning scraps of paper drifted down, some landing on the Grand Master’s robes, setting new holes ablaze. Smoke and flames surrounded him, creating a truly spectacular sight.
Only then did the Grand Master realize the gravity of the situation. With a jolt, he dropped the large sword in his hand. The silver gleaming blade, over a zhang in length, landed on the ground with no metallic clang whatsoever, revealing its extreme lightness. As it hit the ground, a hidden mechanism triggered, causing the blade to retract to merely a foot in length, leaving everyone stunned.
At this point, the thin man finally realized what had happened and rushed over without hesitation, yanking the disintegrating ceremonial hat off the Grand Master’s head. He hurriedly tried to pat out the flames on the Grand Master’s hair, eyebrows, and clothes. However, the fire burned fiercely and wouldn’t extinguish easily. Fortunately, the dwarf had a clever idea and gestured frantically to the thin man. The thin man immediately understood, tore off his own clothes, and wrapped them tightly around the Grand Master’s head, successfully smothering the flames.
The Grand Master’s hair and eyebrows were now charred and patchy, black and red streaked across his head. The musicians stood in stunned silence, at a loss for words. The thin man, realizing he had mistakenly praised the disaster as a divine act, feared inevitable punishment. As he was extinguishing the fire, his heart was already pounding with fear. Now, seeing the Grand Master glaring furiously, he suddenly had an idea and shouted at the top of his lungs: “The Grand Master’s divine power is unparalleled! Guan Yu’s spirit descended, igniting true immortal fire, completely incinerating the evil spirit, leaving not even ashes behind! Creation and heaven bow to the Grand Master’s divine might; invincible in battle, the Grand Master’s divine power reigns supreme!”
The crowd behind him, wiping cold sweat from their brows, quickly struck the gongs and drums and joined in chorus: “Creation and heaven bow to the Grand Master’s divine might; invincible in battle, the Grand Master’s divine power reigns supreme!”
Upon hearing this, the Grand Master quickly resumed Guan Yu’s pose, though his sword had already fallen. He had to settle for mimicking the posture of reading in the lamplight, shaking his head and chanting: “Since the demon has already been eliminated, I shall now return to the celestial realm to report!”
With a loud shout, he leapt backward, turned, and gracefully sat cross-legged on the lotus throne behind him, closing his eyes and maintaining the serene expression of a living Bodhisattva. However, his ceremonial hat was gone, his hair was scorched and curly, his eyebrows singed and uneven, his face smeared with soot, and his robes tattered—resembling Ji Gong far more than a divine figure.
Seeing this, the thin man shouted at the top of his lungs: “Honoring Guan Yu’s return to the celestial realm!” The others joined in, though their voices lacked the earlier vigor and sounded somewhat weak.
Sitting on the lotus throne, the Grand Master trembled for a moment, then suddenly cried out: “Has the divine spirit departed? Was the demon eliminated?”
The dwarf stepped forward and bowed: “Your Holiness, Guan Yu’s spirit was summoned earlier. The Grand Master displayed great divine power, with sacred flames engulfing his body, successfully eliminating the demon!”
The Grand Master nodded repeatedly: “If that is the case, the mission to eliminate the demon is complete. Children, let us return to the palace!”
With that, he rose from the lotus throne. The musicians and attendants surrounded him like stars around the moon, escorting him to the grand sedan chair nearby. Once the Grand Master entered the chair, the eight bearers lifted it, and the tall thin man shouted: “The Grand Master returns to the palace, let us proceed!” The musicians played joyfully, accompanying the bearers as they swiftly carried the sedan chair out of the village.
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