A Prophet - Chapter 11 (Part 2)
Chapter 2 - White Immortal "Possession"
Grandpa Zu's face broke out in a cold sweat, his brows furrowed tightly. The old ancestor's words flashed instantly into his mind: "A coffin covered in dark hair must not be sealed; resentment and hostility tangle like hemp..."
Boss He asked with a tremor in his voice, "Grandpa Zu, what is going on here?"
Grandpa Zu feigned composure and said, "...It is probably because the yin energy is too heavy, which has attracted a white immortal. Wait while I perform a ritual..."
At this moment, Huang Farong, who was standing behind Grandpa Zu disguised as a Daoist nun, quietly walked over to Grandpa Zu's side and whispered, "Grandpa Zu, these are 'minor ghost generals'! This place is not safe to linger; we should leave first!"
Grandpa Zu glared at her. "How can we leave in a situation like this?"
Realizing Grandpa Zu's train of thought, Huang Farong lowered her head and anxiously brainstormed a solution.
Just at this extremely critical moment, a gust of breeze swept by, causing the tree branches to sway, closely followed by a dull rumble of thunder across the sky. In the dog days of summer, wind and thunder were ordinary occurrences, but Huang Farong seemed to be struck by something. Rolling her eyes back, she collapsed to the ground.
Grandpa Zu was taken aback, and everyone present was startled.
Zhang Zizhan was standing right behind Huang Farong and hastily helped her up.
With her eyes tightly closed and her body convulsing, Huang Farong emitted low, groaning sounds from her throat. Suddenly, her tightly shut eyes snapped wide open, flashing with two beams of fierce light as she shouted, "The White Immortal has arrived! Why do you all remain kneeling?"
Unsure of what was happening, Zhang Zizhan cried out anxiously, "Farong! Farong!"
Huang Farong forcefully pushed Zhang Zizhan away and continued to shout, "I am the White Immortal! I am the White Immortal!"
Her voice trembled with an eerie, spine-chilling quality that made everyone around her shudder. By now, dark clouds were slowly rolling in, the sky was growing dim, and the wind was blowing even more fiercely, as if trying to snap the crowns of the large trees right off. Standing in the gale, Huang Farong continued to emit trembling "uh... uh" sounds from her throat.
Sensing what was truly happening, Grandpa Zu announced to the surrounding crowd, "She has been possessed by a white immortal!"
In feudal society, rumors and falsehoods spread like wildfire. The notion that immortals, ghosts, and spirits could possess living people—and even that the dead could possess the living—was a frequent occurrence, and ordinary people believed in it with unwavering faith.
With Huang Farong's outburst compounded by Grandpa Zu's reminder, everyone bought into the illusion completely.
Lifting the hem of his long gown, Grandpa Zu dropped to his knees and said, "White Immortal above, this disciple is performing a ritual today to jointly bury a pair of newlyweds. Unaware that the White Immortal was gracing us with your presence, I have been remiss in my hospitality! Forgive me, forgive me!"
Huang Farong declared, "I am a white spirit from the foot of Mount Huang. Five hundred years ago, I was almost cooked by wicked men, but fortunately, I was saved by this young lady, which allowed me to attain my spiritual body today. Now that I have achieved true fruition, I came here specifically to repay that year's debt of gratitude for saving my life, only to find that the young lady has already passed away. Before I could even arrive, you people were about to bury her! It is thanks to my swift journey here that I managed to catch a final glimpse of her..." With a sidelong glance at the surrounding people, she snapped, "Why do you all still fail to kneel? Are you defying Her Ladyship?"
The surrounding onlookers snapped back to their senses and scrambled to drop to their knees.
Boss He was the most sincere of all, pressing himself flat against the ground as he pleaded, "Unaware of the White Immortal's arrival, I have been remiss in my hospitality! Forgive me, forgive me!"
Grandpa Zu chuckled inwardly: Huang Farong is simply defusing an immediate crisis. Let's hear how she plays out the rest.
Huang Farong instructed the crowd, "Listen to my command, all of you. Quickly fetch a basket of mugwort. I am going to perform a warding-off ritual for the young lady to ensure that neither of the couple is entangled by minor ghosts on the Yellow Springs road."
Grandpa Zu glanced at Boss He, signaling him to hurry and fetch it.
In a panic, Boss He ordered his servants to drive to a nearby apothecary and buy several packages of mugwort.
Taking the mugwort, Huang Farong scattered it around the perimeter of the coffin and set it ablaze with incense fire. As the mugwort caught, a thick medicinal fragrance diffused into the air. Seizing the moment, Huang Farong began to chant in a booming voice: "A thousand hardships, ten thousand hardships, the six realms of reincarnation are the bitterest of all! What sorrow is there in life, what fear is there in death? Birth after birth, death after death, with nowhere left to go! Today I bring the child to see her off, hoping to reunite with the young lady in the next life! Gather and scatter, scatter and gather, taking five hundred years to cultivate oneself; with a single wail, the young lady severs yin and yang, and Her Ladyship repays this kindness with mutual vows..."
Catching the scent of the mugwort, the hedgehogs surrounding the coffin immediately dispersed. Some bolted deep into the thickets, while others fled toward the distant pond.
Seeing that the hedgehogs had all scattered, two lines of tears welled up in Huang Farong's eyes. "My benefactor has stepped onto the Yellow Springs road, and Her Ladyship should return as well. I take my leave! I take my leave!" With that, she stiffened her body and fell flat to the ground with a loud thud.
When the crowd helped her up, she looked around dazedly and asked, "What happened? What just occurred?"
Grandpa Zu explained, "The White Immortal possessed your body just now."
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Huang Farong put on a very weak facade. As a gust of wind blew, she swayed as if about to topple over, fortunately supported from behind by Zhang Zizhan.
Grandpa Zu gave the command: "Mound the grave!"
Amidst the blaring sounds of suonas, the crowd hoisted the coffin into the burial pit and heaped up the earthen mound.
Grandpa Zu's face broke out in a cold sweat, his brows furrowed tightly. The old ancestor's words flashed instantly into his mind: "A coffin covered in dark hair must not be sealed; resentment and hostility tangle like hemp..."
Boss He asked with a tremor in his voice, "Grandpa Zu, what is going on here?"
Grandpa Zu feigned composure and said, "...It is probably because the yin energy is too heavy, which has attracted a white immortal. Wait while I perform a ritual..."
At this moment, Huang Farong, who was standing behind Grandpa Zu disguised as a Daoist nun, quietly walked over to Grandpa Zu's side and whispered, "Grandpa Zu, these are 'minor ghost generals'! This place is not safe to linger; we should leave first!"
Grandpa Zu glared at her. "How can we leave in a situation like this?"
Realizing Grandpa Zu's train of thought, Huang Farong lowered her head and anxiously brainstormed a solution.
Just at this extremely critical moment, a gust of breeze swept by, causing the tree branches to sway, closely followed by a dull rumble of thunder across the sky. In the dog days of summer, wind and thunder were ordinary occurrences, but Huang Farong seemed to be struck by something. Rolling her eyes back, she collapsed to the ground.
Grandpa Zu was taken aback, and everyone present was startled.
Zhang Zizhan was standing right behind Huang Farong and hastily helped her up.
With her eyes tightly closed and her body convulsing, Huang Farong emitted low, groaning sounds from her throat. Suddenly, her tightly shut eyes snapped wide open, flashing with two beams of fierce light as she shouted, "The White Immortal has arrived! Why do you all remain kneeling?"
Unsure of what was happening, Zhang Zizhan cried out anxiously, "Farong! Farong!"
Huang Farong forcefully pushed Zhang Zizhan away and continued to shout, "I am the White Immortal! I am the White Immortal!"
Her voice trembled with an eerie, spine-chilling quality that made everyone around her shudder. By now, dark clouds were slowly rolling in, the sky was growing dim, and the wind was blowing even more fiercely, as if trying to snap the crowns of the large trees right off. Standing in the gale, Huang Farong continued to emit trembling "uh... uh" sounds from her throat.
Sensing what was truly happening, Grandpa Zu announced to the surrounding crowd, "She has been possessed by a white immortal!"
In feudal society, rumors and falsehoods spread like wildfire. The notion that immortals, ghosts, and spirits could possess living people—and even that the dead could possess the living—was a frequent occurrence, and ordinary people believed in it with unwavering faith.
With Huang Farong's outburst compounded by Grandpa Zu's reminder, everyone bought into the illusion completely.
Lifting the hem of his long gown, Grandpa Zu dropped to his knees and said, "White Immortal above, this disciple is performing a ritual today to jointly bury a pair of newlyweds. Unaware that the White Immortal was gracing us with your presence, I have been remiss in my hospitality! Forgive me, forgive me!"
Huang Farong declared, "I am a white spirit from the foot of Mount Huang. Five hundred years ago, I was almost cooked by wicked men, but fortunately, I was saved by this young lady, which allowed me to attain my spiritual body today. Now that I have achieved true fruition, I came here specifically to repay that year's debt of gratitude for saving my life, only to find that the young lady has already passed away. Before I could even arrive, you people were about to bury her! It is thanks to my swift journey here that I managed to catch a final glimpse of her..." With a sidelong glance at the surrounding people, she snapped, "Why do you all still fail to kneel? Are you defying Her Ladyship?"
The surrounding onlookers snapped back to their senses and scrambled to drop to their knees.
Boss He was the most sincere of all, pressing himself flat against the ground as he pleaded, "Unaware of the White Immortal's arrival, I have been remiss in my hospitality! Forgive me, forgive me!"
Grandpa Zu chuckled inwardly: Huang Farong is simply defusing an immediate crisis. Let's hear how she plays out the rest.
Huang Farong instructed the crowd, "Listen to my command, all of you. Quickly fetch a basket of mugwort. I am going to perform a warding-off ritual for the young lady to ensure that neither of the couple is entangled by minor ghosts on the Yellow Springs road."
Grandpa Zu glanced at Boss He, signaling him to hurry and fetch it.
In a panic, Boss He ordered his servants to drive to a nearby apothecary and buy several packages of mugwort.
Taking the mugwort, Huang Farong scattered it around the perimeter of the coffin and set it ablaze with incense fire. As the mugwort caught, a thick medicinal fragrance diffused into the air. Seizing the moment, Huang Farong began to chant in a booming voice: "A thousand hardships, ten thousand hardships, the six realms of reincarnation are the bitterest of all! What sorrow is there in life, what fear is there in death? Birth after birth, death after death, with nowhere left to go! Today I bring the child to see her off, hoping to reunite with the young lady in the next life! Gather and scatter, scatter and gather, taking five hundred years to cultivate oneself; with a single wail, the young lady severs yin and yang, and Her Ladyship repays this kindness with mutual vows..."
Catching the scent of the mugwort, the hedgehogs surrounding the coffin immediately dispersed. Some bolted deep into the thickets, while others fled toward the distant pond.
Seeing that the hedgehogs had all scattered, two lines of tears welled up in Huang Farong's eyes. "My benefactor has stepped onto the Yellow Springs road, and Her Ladyship should return as well. I take my leave! I take my leave!" With that, she stiffened her body and fell flat to the ground with a loud thud.
When the crowd helped her up, she looked around dazedly and asked, "What happened? What just occurred?"
Grandpa Zu explained, "The White Immortal possessed your body just now."
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Huang Farong put on a very weak facade. As a gust of wind blew, she swayed as if about to topple over, fortunately supported from behind by Zhang Zizhan.
Grandpa Zu gave the command: "Mound the grave!"
Amidst the blaring sounds of suonas, the crowd hoisted the coffin into the burial pit and heaped up the earthen mound.