The fat man never lacked money since childhood, at least until his own uncle had an accident. His grandfather used to be an old Red Army, and reportedly also served as a bodyguard for a certain high-ranking official. His father was originally a manager in a state-owned enterprise, then moved to another city because of state reform. He would come back five or six times a year, but his salary was very high. At that time, when the average worker earned thirty to forty yuan a month, his father earned around a hundred yuan, plus food stamps, oil coupons, and subsidies, so his life was quite comfortable.
The fat guy is rarely scolded for being poor, and the other party does not know if they are deliberately provoking him, but as soon as these words were spoken, the fat guy's face immediately changed.
"I have a total of four here. If you want them, take them for a hundred and fifteen bucks, and I'll give you a wolf tooth pendant as well. I guarantee it's genuine..."
The seller took out a piece of red cloth and wrapped several knives together with a wolf tooth. I whispered to the fat guy, "Don't be impulsive, you can't do business like this."
But the fat guy was in a bad mood, and no one could stop him. He threw a stack of ten-dollar bills over, took the knives wrapped in red cloth, and dragged me away. As we left, I heard the seller chuckle quietly, looking like he had made a big profit.
After leaving the market, we found a secluded corner. The fat guy lit a cigarette and then opened the knives wrapped in red cloth. He smiled and said, "This time, it's a gain."
I couldn't react for a moment. Just now, he was aggressive, like he's the one with money, so why is he now saying he made a gain?
"Master Han didn't say that a senior brother from Beijing would come to Shanghai in a few days? He notified me last night that the senior brother arrived in Shanghai today. These knives can be blessed by him and then sold to the jewelers at a higher price!"
So this guy had this idea. I cracked a smile, picked up the wolf tooth, and examined it. I couldn't tell if it was a real wolf tooth, but it was long and sharp, looking like the teeth of a carnivorous animal. I just hoped it wasn't another case of canine teeth being used to fake it.
"We'll go to Master Han's place this afternoon."
The fat guy said cheerfully.
On the way there, the fat guy told me about Master Han's senior brother, Yu Faxian, a successor of the Zhengyi sect. Chinese Taoism today can be roughly divided into two sects, Quanzhen and Zhengyi. Quanzhen Taoism originated in the Northern Song Dynasty, while Zhengyi Taoism is said to have origins in the Han Dynasty.
The two sects also differ in their practices and precepts. As we made our way there, the fat guy told me about Master Han's senior brother, Yu Faxian, a successor of the Zhengyi sect.
The new arrival at Master Han's place was a venerable man with long white hair and a serene face. He was dressed in simple old Daoist robes and looked very clean. He introduced him as his senior brother, Yu Faxian.
Master Han prepared for the ceremony, and briefly left the room. The uneasy atmosphere was broken by Yu Faxian asking if we had recently been to any unclean places. This took us by surprise, as we hadn't mentioned our encounter with the soil beasts and entering the Xuanming Temple. We were even more surprised when Yu Faxian asked if we had been to unclean places recently.
"Did you figure it out, sir?"
The fat man asked with a smile.
"You're fine, but this little kid's face is surrounded by dark air, and even the heavenly spirits are dark, I'm afraid he's been to a place with heavy Yin energy. Tell me, where have you two been recently?"
I felt like I was being caught red-handed, but after thinking for a moment, I briefly mentioned our encounter with the soil beasts. Unexpectedly, Old Yu laughed and said, "You kids have some nerve! You have no skills, yet you want to take on a risky task like that? Haha..."
I felt embarrassed by his words and awkwardly smiled. The fat man took the opportunity to reveal several wolf bone knives and said with a smile, "I made these knives out of wolf bones this morning. Would you mind giving them a blessing later?"
"Put the knives down and go help my junior brother set up the altar at the back."
Old Yu seemed to be trying to send the fat man away. After hesitating for a moment, the fat man gave me a look, nodded, and walked out of the main hall. Now, only Old Yu and I were left in the hall.
Knowing that he was intentionally sending the fat man away, I became even more anxious, feeling like Old Yu might say something crucial. It felt like the uneasiness a seriously ill patient feels when facing a silent doctor.
"Have you made up your mind to join this profession?" asked Old Yu calmly.
I was momentarily taken aback and showed a puzzled expression.
"If you enter this field, it won't be smooth sailing. If you haven't decided to take this path in the future, then just be an ordinary person. Later, when we open the altar, I want to see if someone is obstructing you from behind. It's also a chance for you to make a decision. If you and your companion haven't made up your minds to enter this profession, it's best to leave before anything unexpected happens. Sometimes, it's better not to see or hear certain things."
His words were cryptic, but it was clear that he was guiding me. I couldn't speak for a moment, and Old Yu smiled faintly, saying, "One in a hundred who can see soil beasts succeed. Everyone's luck and destiny are different. You've lived through twenty peaceful years, don't ruin it at such a young age. If you engage in the business of trafficking ghosts and monsters, it will be hard to turn back. Think about it carefully..."
At that time, I didn't really understand things like destiny and luck. In fact, I was quite naive back then, feeling that my fate was in my own hands. I could die without regrets, just like the heroic characters in the novel "Water Margin."
Moreover, neither the fat man nor I were really in this business. Although we had caught soil beasts, we hadn't made a single penny, so I didn't see it as real trafficking in ghosts and monsters.
Fundamentally, at that time, I was still quite different from Old Yu and the others.
After Old Yu finished speaking, he fell silent. As evening approached, the fat man and Master Han had arranged the altar in the courtyard.
"Let's open an altar for you first to see if someone is targeting you. Come with me..."
Old Yu walked into the courtyard with his hands behind his back, and I followed closely. Watching his back, I didn't feel like I was looking at an ordinary person; he seemed to exude a sense of transcendence...