Beyond the Unworldly

In the early autumn, the big clock in the imperial city struck three times. Meanwhile, it started to drizzle with coldness.

Shortly before dusk, as one side of the gate of the imperial city opened silently, two rows of paper umbrellas and reddish lanterns slowly moved through the gate.

The leading middle-aged man, wearing an official suit and an official hat, walked through the gate and then slightly stopped. With a solemn expression, he gazed at the road veiled by the mist and the rain amidst the walled-in compounds.

“Mr. Ning, please go inside.”

Mr. Ning was a Taoist priest named Ning Qinshui, who was more than 70 years old with gray hair, still wearing a Taoist robe and a Taoist topknot decently.

Behind the old Taoist priest were a young man and a young girl dressed in the Taoist suit.

The young man was 15 or 16 years old while the girl was a bit younger, both of whom were slim and pretty. They both lowered their heads and occasionally looked up to peep at the magnificent palace in the imperial city.

In the drizzle, the imperial city seemed particularly quiet.

The middle-aged man walked into a palace with the three people. The palace was not small. The maids holding an umbrella and trimming the flowers and trees bowed slightly when they saw the middle-aged man.

After bypassing the screen wall and crossing the corridor, the man led them forward. The door of the wing room at the end was open. The middle-aged man explained, “The owner of this room is not here for the time being. You can wait here with your disciples for now. Regarding the exorcism, a master will come and discuss with you later.”

Ning Qinshui suddenly stopped pinching his fingers in his sleeve and turned around to look at the middle-aged man, saying with a grin, “I’m old. It is okay for me to stay here but my disciples are still too young to resist the evil in this room. They can’t live in this residence.”

Slightly shocked, the middle-aged man asked with a smile, “What do you mean?”

Ning Qinshui smiled slightly. He knew that the middle-aged man was flying a kite. Instead of crossing the threshold, he took out a copper coin from his sleeve and slightly tossed it. The copper coin happened to land on the threshold but rather than stop, it rolled like a living thing. In the end, the old man opened his palm and the coin just jumped back surprisingly.

Ning Qinshui closed his palm and held the copper coin tightly with his face getting more serious. After a while, he spoke slowly.

“The owner of this residence was killed three days ago. His aura of resentment has lingered for a long time. He was probably bewitched to hang himself to death. Some priests have been asked to conduct a religious rite here but they... died too. All the people in the residence have been somewhat sick. If it were not for our coming, this palace should have been locked, right?”

The middle-aged man took a profound look at him with a lot of admiration and appreciation in his facial expression. He raised his hand, the maid beside him together with the women trimming the plants just left. After all the irrelevant people retreated, he made an obeisance by cupping his hands, saying,

“The legend has just proven itself. Your skills are different from those of the previous ones. I brought you here today originally to test you. Now it seems that I cannot hide the truth from you indeed. Please forgive me.”

Ning Qinshui smiled and said, “It’s okay, I know that several unskilled wandering Taoist priests have died before. You tried to sound out my skills, which is also for the sake of my safety.”

“Of course this yard is not suitable for people to live in. Please follow me to the side yard,” the man slightly nodded his head. “I wonder when you can perform the rite.”

Ning Qinshui glanced at the dark sky and found that the rain was getting smaller.

“At midnight (23:00–01:00),” the old man said with a slightly hoarse voice. “I hope that His Lordship will not forget his promise by then.”

“Of course not,” the man smiled. “My name is Song Ce. If you have any questions, just send someone to talk to me.”

They talked in a gradually lower voice. A red sparrow at the eave flew away in the rain.

...

...

“As I often tell you, we cultivate with righteous vitality, which is like the candlelight at night. Regardless of the darkness, such dim candlelight can’t be buried in oblivion, so you only need to follow me closely and not be afraid. Even if we can’t make it, we may as well escape.”

Sitting in a wooden armchair, Ning Qinshui looked at the young man and young girl standing beside him and said earnestly, “When I perform the rite later, you two must remember to keep a clear mind and not harbor any evil intention in case the demon takes the opportunity to bewitch you. Otherwise, I can’t save you. Changjiu, Xiaoling, understand?”

The young man was Ning Changjiu and the young girl was Ning Xiaoling.

Ning Changjiu lowered his head and listened meticulously. When the old man asked the question, he nodded respectfully, “Yes, Master.”

The girl also replied respectfully with her head lowered. Her eyes slightly glittered, in which there seemed to a glint of disdain and resentment.

Ning Qinshui nodded and said, “Then you should sit in mediation. When it is midnight, you two assist me in subduing the demon.”

“Yes,” the two replied in one voice.