There are many methods for raising little ghosts. In Thailand, they are divided into two types Ling Ying and Yuan Ling. The former involves asking a powerful monk to comfort the soul of a deceased child and then invite it into a doll. These little ghosts are clever and harmless, bringing fortune to their master, like adopting an abandoned child who cannot reincarnate. The latter is used by unscrupulous practitioners who seal the angry spirit of a dead child into a doll. These are stronger little ghosts, with a mischievous temperament, some even described as evil, often taking the good fortune from others to benefit their master, and some may even turn on their master.
In our country, there is no such detailed distinction. Generally, it involves a skilled person capturing the soul of a child who has not reincarnated, and keeping a tablet for them, burning incense and paper money. When needed, the spirit may be attached to a piece of paper to help the master.
I've heard Yu Lao say that he hasn't raised one himself, but he mentioned that little ghosts may not be able to handle major matters, but they can accomplish many small tasks. Moreover, if you can help them reincarnate in the end, it's akin to performing a great deed, increasing your blessings and longevity.
Gu Yu was undoubtedly a skilled folk practitioner. I could confirm that there were no strings tied to the paper, as the two paper men were moving forward on their own, albeit slowly, but much safer than any of us going inside.
"Changping, shine a light!"
Gu Yu gestured, and Wei Changping raised a large flashlight, illuminating half of the interior of the secret chamber. The walls were filled with various murals, and beneath the coffin in the center, there was a huge pedestal, the shape of which could not be discerned for the time being, but some pointed stone protrusions were visible.
There were several pillars around, and as Wei Changping moved the light, I could clearly see that there were a total of four pillars in the secret chamber, each with unique carvings. The carvings on each pillar were entirely different, and upon careful observation, the nearest pillar to me depicted a coiling large snake, the adjacent pillar displayed two creatures that resembled a mix of dogs and wolves. On the other side, two pillars were positioned in front of each other, with the first pillar seemingly depicting a large bird, but upon closer observation, it appeared to be closer to an earthly beast. The last pillar, and the one I found hardest to understand, bore carvings of several little ghosts, one of which had a head larger than its body, while another had its abdomen open with ribs protruding like spikes.
"What do these columns mean?" I asked curiously, but it was clear that the others had no understanding of it, so no one answered my question. As the two paper ghosts walked into the room, the fat man suddenly pulled me back, signaling me to step back a few steps.
"What's up?" I asked curiously.
"It's the first time I've seen these columns, but I feel like I've seen the reliefs on top before."
The fat man has been studying some local customs and practices at the border for several years, much of which I am not familiar with. Maybe this time he has made a discovery...
"I went to the Gobi Desert in May or June last year. I went there with a friend from the north to see if there was a chance to create a tour route. I stayed in Ningxia for about ten days. When I was about to leave, my friend said that someone had dug up something good from the Gobi and asked me to go see it with him. I was curious at the time, so I went with him. I saw a lot of people watching in the town. In the center was a huge stone pillar, which had weathered considerably, but the patterns on it were still recognizable. The pillar was about four or five meters long, but one end was clearly broken, so it should not be complete. Carved on it was a huge eagle with its wings spread out!"
What the fat man said seems to be somewhat similar to what I had just seen in the secret room. Could it be the same thing?
"Is it the same as the pillars in the secret room?"
"The shape looks similar, but the carvings on them are different. Later, I asked my friend about the origin of the pillar. My friend said it was pulled out from an ancient temple in the Gobi. The temple seemed to be a sect of a nomadic tribe."
What the fat man said was as good as not saying anything. I pursed my lips, about to ask further questions, but suddenly heard exclamations from behind. I hurriedly turned around, only to find that the two paper ghosts who had entered the secret room were in danger!
By this time, the two paper ghosts had walked about ten meters from the entrance and were very close to the central stone coffin. One of the paper ghosts began to float slowly, then landed on the edge of the stone coffin, attempting to explore it up close. But just as it was about to touch the stone coffin, the entire paper suddenly burst into flames.
A strange green flame erupted from the surface of the stone coffin, and the paper, which was in contact with it, was completely burned to ashes by the green flame. I saw a faint shadow float above the paper, panicked and flew towards the entrance.
"Is that the soul of the ghost?"
I said softly as the panicked shadow landed on Gu Yu and wrapped around his body, accompanied by a flurry of chatter, sounding like a frightened child.
"That's why I released the ghost." Gu Yu collected the shadow into a small jar he carried, and then pointed to the second paper ghost floating beside the coffin, circling around it, apparently trying to find out the cause of the sudden burning of the eerie green flames.
It circled the coffin three times but still found nothing. It then floated lightly, and we waved our hands.
"No mechanism found?"
Gu Yu quickly understood the gestures of the paper ghost, and then with a change of handprint, there was a "bang," and the paper ghost floating in the air suddenly exploded, turning into countless flying scraps of paper that fell from the sky, even the little ghost attached to the paper also shattered. The mixed black and green resentment fell on the surface of the stone coffin, and the surface of the stone coffin immediately ignited a layer of green flames, as if it had wrapped the stone coffin in a terrifying flame fur coat.
"It's as I expected," Gu Yu said coldly.
"The surface of this stone coffin has been enchanted. As long as an unwelcome spirit or ghost approaches and lands on it, the flames on the stone coffin will automatically ignite. These are ghost fires used by the underworld's ghost messengers, and they are very lethal to souls."
"Did you deliberately make the ghost explode? Aren't you harming it?" Luo Qiong asked in surprise, although we had already seen that Gu Yu did it intentionally.
"It's just a wandering soul," Gu Yu replied indifferently with a wave of his hand.
"It's just a wandering soul? But it's also a child, isn't what you're doing equivalent to killing it?"
Luoyun was unusually agitated, even looked a bit crazy, and began to roar at Guyu. Fatty pulled Luoyun from behind, but this kid was about to explode like he had eaten gunpowder.
"It's been dead for a long time. If you think I'm doing something wrong, then find a way to open the stone coffin. If you can't, then do it my way."
Guyu's entire face also darkened in that instant. There was already a conflict between us, and now, because of Luoyun, this conflict was further exacerbated.
"Fine! I'll open the stone coffin."
The kids from the mountain are just too straightforward. A few words from Guyu immediately provoked a personal heroic flaw in Luoyun. He went into the secret room with the rope on his back, and even fatty couldn't stop him. With a stubborn face, he shook off fatty's hand and entered the secret room.
"If the dead can approach the stone coffin but can't open it, then what about the living? Can they open the stone coffin?"
Seeing Luoyun walk in, Guyu's serious face suddenly revealed a sly smile. I frowned and whispered, "You deliberately provoked him and made him your guinea pig."
"I told you earlier," he turned to look at me, "you are our cannon fodder. He's just doing his job."
I clenched my fists, suppressing my anger, teetering on the edge of exploding. But at that moment, Luoyun, who had just entered the secret room, suddenly stepped on something. There was a "click," as if he had triggered a mechanism, and then the secret room slowly began to close. We were caught off guard as the huge stone wall in front of us started closing bit by bit!