I was surprised and excited when my master said he would teach me the "Qiankun True Method."
This was an advanced Taoist technique comparable to Master Mo's "Spirit Invocation Art."
If I learned this technique, my own strength would undoubtedly be elevated to another level.
My breathing quickened.
Seeing my hesitation, my master smiled and furrowed his brow:
"What? You don't want to learn?"
His words brought me back to reality.
I quickly replied:
"No, no, Master, I want to learn, I want to learn!"
My master feigned impatience:
"If you want to learn, why are you still standing there?
Why haven't you kowtowed to the Ancestral Master and paid your respects?
According to the rules, once the Ancestral Master bestows his blessings, I can then pass on the teachings."
"Yes, Master!"
I said with a smile.
Then, facing the short incense sticks before the cliff, I knelt down.
"Ancestral Master above, accept the three kowtows from your disciple, Qin Ze."
With that, I kowtowed to the Ancestral Master.
After kowtowing, my master stood beside me, holding a prepared talisman.
He then said:
"Disciple Gu Hui, today I pass on the Qiankun True Method to the sixty-seventh generation disciple Yin Ze, requesting the Ancestral Master's blessings."
After speaking, my master flicked the yellow talisman in his hand.
My birthdate was inscribed on the yellow talisman.
With a "boom," the talisman instantly turned to ash.
As the talisman burned, a gust of mountain wind suddenly arose.
It blew with a "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh."
The three short incense sticks in front of me flickered, their flames rising and falling.
The tips of the incense even produced green flames due to the mountain wind.
Seeing this, my master and I both wore strange expressions.
Incense burning midway and suddenly erupting in flames was not a good omen.
My master's eyebrows shot up, and he immediately commanded me:
"Little Qin, quickly kowtow to the Ancestral Master!"
Not understanding why, I could only obey my master.
I "bang, bang, bang"-ed my head against the ground before the three incense sticks by the cliff.
My forehead was already red, but my master didn't tell me to stop.
I heard my master take out another yellow talisman, burn three in succession, and continuously chant:
"Ancestral Master above.
Below, the sixty-seventh generation disciple Yin Ze is rightful.
His heart is just, his actions are upright.
His entry into the path was guided by this disciple.
Now that his Taoist cultivation is slightly accomplished, he may receive the great law.
We hope the Ancestral Master bestows his blessings.
May he master the Qiankun True Path.
Walk the human world, vanquishing demons and monsters.
Uphold the righteousness of Heaven's Tao, and the prestige of our sect..."
My master's voice stretched out, as if he were rapping.
However, the green flames on the three short incense sticks did not disappear.
Moreover, after my master had been chanting for half the time,
One of the three incense sticks snapped in the middle with a "crack."
Seeing this, I was completely dumbfounded.
I was just learning a technique, and all I had to do was kowtow to the Ancestral Master.
After paying respects to the Ancestral Master, I could learn the technique.
Basically, from ancient times to the present,
Every trade, when learning true skills, followed such a ritual.
It was a formality, an expression of respect for the Ancestral Master.
But why was it that when it came to me, the burning incense could break?
"Master, this..."
I looked at the short incense sticks in shock.
It didn't feel right. Did it mean the Ancestral Master didn't want to bestow his blessings upon me?
Did he not want my master to pass on the teachings to me?
This was also the first time my master had encountered such a situation.
He wore a stern expression:
"Little Qin, you continue to kowtow.
If the incense breaks, your master will burn more!"
With that, my master took out three more short incense sticks from his bag and lit them.
Once again, he stuck them into the side of the stone cliff.
As my master instructed, I continued to kowtow.
But this time, the incense did not break.
However, the short incense sticks were as if they had been exposed to moisture.
After burning for a while, they quickly extinguished.
Seeing this, I felt a strange unease.
There was clearly something wrong!
Had I somehow offended the Ancestral Master?
And now, when learning the true methods of our sect, such a bizarre thing was happening?
"Master, does the Ancestral, Ancestral Master not want me to learn the Qiankun method?"
I looked at my master awkwardly, feeling a sense of disappointment.
But my master looked at my scraped forehead and then at the three short incense sticks.
He showed a pensive expression.
He coughed a few times.
Finally, my master took a deep breath.
He pulled out the short incense sticks stuck into the cliff face.
And threw them down the mountain.
Then, he spoke to me kneeling on the ground:
"The incense has gotten damp and won't light.
It has nothing to do with the Ancestral Master.
But before I pass on the true method to you,
You must swear to me.
That you will uphold the righteous path and do good deeds in the future.
Do not fail to do good deeds, however small, and do not commit evil deeds, however minor."
Things were likely not as simple as my master claimed.
Especially after following my master, I had become more wary of mystical matters.
But my master clearly intended to pass on the true method to me.
Was I supposed to refuse?
I wanted to learn. Since my master was willing to teach, how could I not learn?
Even if the Ancestral Master seemed unwilling.
Without hesitation, I raised my right hand and pointed to the sky, swearing:
"Master, I swear to you.
After learning the true method, I will surely uphold the righteous path and do good deeds.
I will not fail to do good deeds, however small, and I will not commit evil deeds, however minor.
If I violate this oath, may I be struck by lightning."
For others, an oath was like a fart.
Some people swore every day, with different oaths each time, and suffered no consequences.
But for those in our line of work, we placed great importance on karma and sin. Oaths were not to be made lightly.
Because they were very effective.
Seeing me swear, my master nodded slightly.
Then he spoke to me again:
"Get up, Little Qin.
Your master will now pass on the Qiankun True Method to you.
I hope you study it well.
Use this method to slay demons and eliminate evil, and be able to maintain peace in a region.
This will also prove that your master did not misjudge you..."