Chapter 56: The Strange Pregnancy (1 / 2)

After unwrapping the bundle, I found an object wrapped in red cloth. Judging by its shape, it looked like a book. Curious, I opened the red cloth and was stunned to see four bold characters on the cover: "Yin-Yang Secret Arts" (阴阳秘术).

A chill crept up my spine — I had a bad feeling about this. As I flipped to the first page, a small note fell out.

I picked it up and read:

"Today, you buried me in the Hidden Dragon Vein. For this great kindness, I, Liu Changsheng, am deeply grateful. I once asked the Ashen Grandmother to pass on the Yin-Yang Celestial Manual to the one who laid me to rest — to make up for my past wrongs. This scripture has since been renamed to Yin-Yang Secret Arts, and contains methods to travel between the realms of Yin and Yang.Master, remember: do not use it recklessly — or you will be punished by the heavens."

My heart trembled. The sheer weight of this was overwhelming.

Now, all three secret scriptures of the Maoshan inner sect had come into my possession. Just one of them alone would be enough to shake the entire metaphysical world. In the right hands, they could guide and protect. In the wrong ones, they could destroy lives and even entire bloodlines.

Feng shui can ruin a family.Talismans can harm a person.Yin-Yang arts can harm the soul.

No wonder Master Wang Yi always said that Maoshan places utmost importance on a person's character — anyone morally corrupt is absolutely forbidden from learning its secrets.

I skimmed through the Yin-Yang Secret Arts briefly, then carefully placed it in my green pouch. For a moment, I felt a strange illusion — as if some invisible force was steering my fate onto another path altogether.

The contents of this book were unbelievable. It focused mainly on accounts from the Road to the Underworld and rituals for crossing between the Yin and Yang realms.

In the old days, the Yin-Yang profession had three main branches:

Out-Mounting (出马): Spirits possessing a medium to perform rituals. Usually involves fox spirits or other entities working through human vessels.

Out-Black (出黑): Refers to capable Yin-Yang masters with real spiritual power. Not just from Maoshan — many other secret lineages exist. "Out-Black" usually meant methods of spirit travel or communication with the dead, especially common among village mediums who send their soul to the underworld to contact the deceased.

Out-Dao (出道): These were reclusive seekers of the Way, living in sacred mountains or remote spiritual grounds, chasing the Dao through abstinence and isolation. Some of them were truly enlightened, though many were merely "philosophers" who lacked real technique.

Recently, there was even a news story about a college graduate who quit his job and moved to Qingcheng Mountain to live as a hermit. That's a modern version of "Out-Dao" — the pursuit of harmony between nature and self.

I ended up staying in Zuohe Banner for a full month. The money had been paid, and the series of supernatural events left the foreman too frightened to delay the construction. When the temple was finally complete and opened for incense burning, I wore a proper Daoist robe for the first time, holding the Seven-Star Sword Master Wang Yi had left me, standing before the main incense burner of the temple.

Any construction project — whether it's starting or finishing — must be commemorated with a ritual. This was no exception.

I placed three giant incense sticks into the incense burner, each taller than a grown man. The villagers had all come to watch.

I drew three talismans: "Heaven's Blessing," "Earth's Blessing," and "Fortune's Blessing." I lit them and performed a sword dance with the Seven-Star Sword, holding both hands at my chest as I chanted loudly:

"Mysterious origin of Heaven and Earth,Source of all energies.After countless kalpas of cultivation,My divine powers are proven.In the Three Realms, only the Dao is supreme.My body shines with golden light,Cloaking me in protection.Neither seen nor heard,Encompassing Heaven and Earth,Nurturing all beings.I now beseech the Patriarch's divine presence,To suppress the evil dragon and bless this land.Infinite blessings upon the living.Wúliáng tiānzūn. Wúliáng shòufú."

When the ritual concluded, I removed my robe and told the village chief:

"From now on, this temple will be highly effective in treating spirit-related illnesses. Even children who've lost their souls can be healed just by burning incense and praying. But the incense must never be interrupted. And every year, on this very day, the villagers must host a Daoist ceremony to show gratitude."

The chief agreed wholeheartedly.

So ended my business in Zuohe Banner. I left Tongliao not long after.

Now, about the temple's so-called miraculous blessings — they weren't granted by the Heavenly Venerables. Think about it — even the Patriarch has his hands full and won't be guarding this small temple all day.

People seem to have forgotten about the giant rat. That rat had become a spirit. It wouldn't be long before it fully transformed into human form and resumed cultivation. But in order to survive the heavenly tribulation, it must stay at the temple and accumulate virtue.

Only once its accumulated good deeds balance out the heavenly punishment will it be allowed to leave the temple and walk the earth again.

Before I left, I exchanged numbers with the village chief. I didn't go back to Shenyang right away — I wanted a break after all the chaos. I set out to travel, explore the world, and broaden my horizons.

But less than a month after leaving, I got a call from the village chief. He said a mysterious old Daoist had arrived and refused to leave the temple, even claiming to know me. The chief wanted to check with me whether I knew this man.

I simply smiled and said, "Let him stay."

I'm sure you already know who that old Daoist really was.

With all my possessions, I had just a few thousand yuan left. It really felt like living by the old rule: "Don't keep money overnight." Honestly, I wanted to save, but I had to have money first.

I wandered from town to town, relying on fortune-telling to earn just enough for travel expenses. Along the way, I thoroughly read through all three scriptures. I felt like these books had opened a new door, though I had yet to step through it.

Over the past month, I'd saved a few lives and gained valuable insight.

I had just made some money outside Siping Train Station, thinking I'd take a trip to Tiananmen Square in Beijing… when a phone call brought me back to Shenyang.

It was Zhao Na. She said she'd been having repeated nightmares lately — in them, a blood-soaked child kept calling her "Mommy," begging to be held and breastfed.

But Zhao Na had never been pregnant — how could she possibly have milk?

Stranger still, she woke up one morning to find that her breasts had begun to lactate.

That's when she panicked and thought of me. On the call, she swore over and over again that she hadn't been with another man since we separated — that there was no way she was pregnant.

You know, when someone has changed your life, you'll always have a strange emotional pull toward them — not quite love, not quite friendship, but still something. Something powerful, indescribable.

Just like how I've always felt I owed someone something — especially the one I left with the words:

"Let's not miss each other next time."

That ache surfaced in my chest again.

But this wasn't the time to dwell on feelings. Zhao Na had clearly been haunted by a ghost child.

I didn't dare waste any time — I bought a train ticket and rushed back to Shenyang.

She came to pick me up at the station. As soon as she saw me, she ran into my arms, crying out,

"Dabao! I missed you so much!"

Her shout turned heads, and I could see envy in the eyes of the men nearby. But only I knew the truth — it wasn't love.

It was fear.

She feared death, and I was her only hope.

I remained calm. Maybe I'm just too principled — once things are over, they're over. There was no need for unnecessary intimacy.

I instinctively took a step back and dodged her embrace.