Chapter 64

Chapter 64

◎Winter Clothing Festival◎

Among the crowd of people huffing and puffing as they climbed the mountain, the two young men who still had the energy to play and chase each other really stood out.

The two of them moved swiftly through the crowd of climbers. Some were just ordinary tourists, while others carried offerings, clearly devotees of Yuchun Taoist Temple who had come specifically for the Winter Clothing Festival.

Sitting in a pavilion and seeing the two energetic young men running up from a distance, a middle-aged man, rubbing his sore legs, sighed, "Ah, to be young again."

Seeing that there were still empty seats in the pavilion, Xiao Ye grabbed Ji Nanxing, who wanted to push on to Yuchun Taoist Temple in one go: "Let's take a break. It's cold, and you'll catch a chill if you sweat and then get hit by the wind."

Sweating wasn't really an issue, but since it was still early, there was no need to rush.

Xiao Ye opened his bag and took out a lunchbox: "The food container was too heavy, so I didn't bring it. Have a sandwich to boost your energy."

Ji Nanxing, who had a big appetite, had indeed expended some energy after climbing halfway up the mountain. Just as he was about to reach out to take it, Xiao Ye took his hand, washed it with some water, and then handed him a sandwich wrapped in plastic wrap.

A man sitting across from them smiled and said, "You two seem really close."

Xiao Ye put his arm around Ji Nanxing: "Yeah, we're like brothers."

The middle-aged man chuckled: "That's just how it is. Some brothers can't stand each other, like enemies."

Xiao Ye chatted with him cheerfully: "Exactly, everything depends on fate. When fate is right, the bond is strong. Uncle, want a sandwich? We brought plenty."

The middle-aged man waved his hand: "No, thank you. Go ahead and eat. You don't see many young folks hiking on weekends these days. Most prefer to stay home and sleep. Are you two going to Yuchun Taoist Temple for fun?"

Xiao Ye: "Yes, we're going to take a look around."

The man: "Today is the Winter Clothing Festival. Yuchun Taoist Temple will hold a ritual service. You can watch it and maybe buy some things to burn for your deceased relatives."

Xiao Ye nodded, wolfed down a sandwich. Once Ji Nanxing finished eating, Xiao Ye handed him a tissue and then took out a water bottle: "Here, have some water. Careful, it's hot."

Watching them, the middle-aged man couldn't help but feel a little envious.

After Ji Nanxing finished drinking, Xiao Ye gathered their stuff and waved to the man: "Uncle, you stay here a bit longer. We'll head off first."

Ji Nanxing glanced at the man briefly before following Xiao Ye up the mountain.

The face of a "Tengshe entering the mouth" — this was the second time he had seen it. There was a folk saying: "Tengshe entering the mouth, won't live past forty-nine." People with such a face would not live past forty-nine.

Looking at the temple buildings not far away, Xiao Ye checked the time: "It took us half an hour to climb up. This temple isn't meant for secluded meditation; it's a tourist spot. Why did they build it so high up? If someone encounters a ghost and needs help, they'd probably die before reaching the top."

Ji Nanxing walked beside him: "Because the mountain land was cheap."

Xiao Ye: "Huh? Yuchun Taoist Temple shouldn't be poor, right?"

It was the largest Taoist temple in their city. In the past, he might have thought of it as just an ordinary tourist spot, but now he knew the temple had real capabilities, especially since it could perform rituals for the dead. It couldn't possibly be associated with poverty.

Ji Nanxing: "It's not poor now, but it was poor in the past. It hasn't been long since the anti-superstition movements, and back then, some events caused the entire mystical community to suffer heavy losses, leading to a decline. The mountain, especially halfway up, was much cheaper than some prime locations below, so they built the temple here."

Yuchun Taoist Temple didn't start out this big. It expanded and renovated over time, and because it was quite effective, its popularity gradually grew.

Xiao Ye asked curiously: "What happened back then that caused such a heavy blow to the mystical community? Was there some incredibly talented rebel who wanted to disrupt the balance of yin and yang and declare himself emperor or king?"

Ji Nanxing glanced at him: "Stop watching those brainless TV dramas. Although there aren't many good people in the world, there aren't many super-villains either. At worst, they scheme for wealth, and at most, they might plan for some posthumous glory. But to overthrow the nation and declare themselves emperor or king? Who could possibly have that ability?"

Xiao Ye nodded: "Then how did the mystical community suffer such heavy losses?"

Ji Nanxing: "After a major catastrophe, the casualties were devastating. Some foreign forces took advantage of the situation and opened the ghost gate, leading to the invasion of hundreds of thousands of lingering ghosts. Their iron hooves trampled the living world, and wherever they went, the land was tainted with yin energy. If the situation had not been controlled, the areas they passed through would have turned into ghost cities one after another. It would've taken at least a hundred years to bounce back from such destruction."

But a developing country doesn't have that much time to recuperate slowly. The greed of other nations would never allow such a break.

In the end, it was the Taoist priests who had been hiding in various places due to the anti-feudal movement that gathered the forces of Taoism and Buddhism to send the lingering ghosts back through the ghost gate, averting a catastrophe.

However, only a fraction of those who participated in the event survived. They truly defended their homeland with their lives, making the nation realize the dire consequences of the weakness in this area of power. This led to setting up the management bureau and the current state of the mystical world.

Back then, he hadn't even been born, and his master was just a young Taoist priest who had recently grown up, holding a square treasure cauldron and fighting fiercely to defend one of the eight gates.

When he was a child, he asked his master if he had been afraid at that time.

The lingering ghosts had swept through, leaving devastation in their wake, and yet he was the only one standing guard there.

He still remembered his master smiling and telling him: "Of course I was afraid. Who wouldn't be afraid of life and death?"

But being scared didn't mean he could back down.

Behind him, there was no one, so he couldn't retreat. But behind that emptiness were thousands of ordinary people, so he couldn't retreat even more.

These few words succinctly summarized the tragedy of that time and the hard-won peace of today.

Xiao Ye didn't say anything, just took two steps forward and tightly held Ji Nanxing's hand.

When the two arrived at Yuchun Taoist Temple, the area for the ceremony was already packed with people. Xiao Ye looked around: "Where did Boss Chi put the stuff we need to burn?"

Boss Chi was the owner of the paper offerings shop, who had promised to deliver their custom-made items to Yuchun Taoist Temple in advance.

Ji Nanxing led him inside directly: "They're inside. The ceremony outside is for the temple's devotees to make offerings. The real exorcism happens inside the mountain. Our things are all in there."

As they walked inside, a young Taoist priest passing by couldn't help but glance at them. The two good-looking guys really stood out. He only realized later that the inner area was off-limits to tourists, so he hurriedly chased after them.

Before the young Taoist priest could stop them, the senior brother came out from inside and said with a smile: "I figured you'd be showing up soon."

Seeing that the senior brother knew them, the young Taoist priest retreated. Today, with the ceremony, there were lots of devotees, and it was pretty hectic.

Xiao Ye looked at the young man in Taoist robes and whispered to Ji Nanxing: "Can he really predict so accurately?"

Shi Yi looked at Xiao Ye: "Because Nanxing usually arrives around this time. Today, he's ten minutes later than usual."

Xiao Ye nodded: "We might've lost those ten minutes hanging out at the pavilion."

Shi Yi: "???" Lost to what?

Ji Nanxing explained: "This is my friend. He wants to burn some offerings for his relatives, so I brought him along."

Shi Yi: "I was curious why you had so much stuff this year—cars, houses, even boy and girl figurines, and such a large mahjong table. Chi Yun even complained, saying he almost went cross-eyed carving the mahjong tiles, and he had to carve two sets. He said he's gotta keep up with the times and study the internal structure of electric mahjong machines, or else he wouldn't be able to make one if someone ordered it."

As Shi Yi spoke, he led them further inside. Although there were still many people inside, it was much quieter than outside.

In the center of the area, there were rows of small white porcelain jars, each about the size of a palm, with yellow talismans pasted on them. At a glance, there were nearly a hundred of them.

Seeing Xiao Ye's curiosity, Shi Yi explained: "These jars hold lingering ghosts. Today, we are performing the exorcism for them."

Xiao Ye nodded in understanding. So this was how exorcism was done. Thinking of the first ghost he had encountered, he turned to Ji Nanxing and asked: "Is that ghost here too?"

Ji Nanxing knew exactly which ghost he was referring to and nodded: "Yes, it's here. All of them will be exorcised. The sins of the lingering ghosts aren't judged in the living world."

For the lingering ghosts, they were more like police—capturing, guiding, and exorcising them. But how they atoned for their sins and how they were judged was a matter for the underworld.

After leading them to the venue, Shi Yi went out to greet other guests.

Ji Nanxing headed directly towards the management bureau. Although his master followed Taoist traditions, the situation was somewhat complicated, similar to following Taoist teachings without belonging to any specific sect.

Thus, his master was part of a sect but lived freely and independently, not residing in a Taoist temple nor being a Taoist priest. He had more dealings with the management bureau, making Ji Nanxing more acquainted with the bureau than with the temple.

This time, the bureau sent Mu Chun, the captain of the first team. In addition to the lingering ghosts housed in the temple, the bureau had also captured dozens of lingering ghosts recently, which the team members were now carefully moving to be placed alongside those to be exorcised by the temple.

After exchanging greetings, Ji Nanxing led Xiao Ye to the area where the sacrificial items were arranged. This was Xiao Ye's first time observing the Cold Clothing Festival, so he had prepared many items, nearly everything he thought would be useful.

From clothing to miniature houses, vehicles, and even figurines of boy and girl attendants, he had also thoughtfully penned letters.

Primarily because, aside from his grandmother, he was unfamiliar with his father's relatives and those on his maternal grandparents' side. Since the younger relatives were still living, he burned numerous items, entrusting his grandmother and grandparents to distribute them as needed among other relatives.

As he listened to Xiao Ye's murmurs, Ji Nanxing completed the list of items to be burned for Zhang Yuan and joked, "The Cold Clothing Festival is meant for the deceased to receive gifts from the living, but your family's version seems to be about giving the elders tasks to keep them busy."

Xiao Ye laughed, "If they can be together in the afterlife, it would be quite lively, having companions on the journey to the underworld."

After completing the list for Zhang Yuan, Ji Nanxing reviewed the items intended for the Ji family elders. He had been performing this ritual for years. There were few elders remaining in the Ji family, and even fewer on his mother's side. However, in a few more years, they might no longer need these offerings, as it would be their time to reincarnate.

He had initially invited Chen Shiyi to join, offering to handle the burning of items if he was unavailable. But Chen Shiyi's close relatives were still living, and those who had passed were not close enough to justify the expense, which was somewhat of a relief.

Noticing the array of items, both large and small, Mu Chun approached and commented, "Such generosity every year, your ancestors must be living well."

Ji Nanxing glanced at the neatly arranged porcelain jars outside and asked, "What about the Ghost Baby?"

Mu Chun indicated a jar adorned with a Pikachu design, "That's the one."

Ji Nanxing passed a bundle of toys to Mu Chun, saying, "These are for the child. Please ensure they are burned for him."

After Mu Chun departed, Xiao Ye recalled something, "Last time you mentioned purchasing toys for a child—was it a ghost child?"

Ji Nanxing nodded, "A very cute little boy."

Despite being a ghost baby, he wasn't inherently murderous. He had the chance to seek revenge but never harmed anyone. He was tragically killed before he could be born. With all these circumstances, the little ghost baby would surely have a very fulfilling life in his next reincarnation to make up for the regrets of this life.

As the fire was lit, the Taoist priests of the temple sat in various positions, chanting exorcism scriptures, while the temple bell rang softly and rhythmically.

Xiao Ye noticed that with each bell toll, the fire in the center of the venue seemed to twist. He couldn't see or hear those things, but he felt as if the wind sweeping through the mountains carried a weeping sound.

Uncertain if he was hearing things or if it was just the atmosphere of the occasion, he pulled Ji Nanxing into his arms and covered his ears with his hands.

Thinking that as an ordinary person, he couldn't hear or see anything, but Ji Nanxing was different. He could naturally see those dark entities. If there were lingering ghosts crying now, he would shield him from the sounds.

Ji Nanxing was momentarily stunned by the gesture, trying to turn his head but was held firmly by Xiao Ye, who whispered in his ear, "Don't move, I'm covering for you, so you won't hear those sounds. Or you can close your eyes, and I'll watch for you."

Ji Nanxing chuckled, "You can't see, what are you watching for?"

Xiao Ye replied, "I'll watch with my heart."

Ji Nanxing smiled, feeling the warmth spreading from his ears, and smiled again.

He could still hear the lingering ghosts, some unwilling, some resisting, some struggling, and of course, some who had fulfilled their wishes and let go of their obsessions, peacefully moving on.

As the porcelain jars shattered one by one, the lingering ghosts dissipated in the roaring flames. Ji Nanxing saw the ghost baby, still wearing his Pikachu outfit, glance back at him.

Ji Nanxing waved at him, wishing him a fulfilling next life.

The little ghost baby, holding the doll Ji Nanxing had given him earlier, turned around and disappeared into the flames.

Until all the porcelain jars on the ground shattered and the bell sounds ceased, Ji Nanxing finally pulled Xiao Ye's hand away: "It's done, let's go burn the offerings now."

The flames licked at the exquisite paper offerings, with the bamboo supports inside crackling as they burned, and the folded bags of gold ingots melted away in the fire.

Xiao Ye watched as the wind swirled, carrying the ashes of the burnt offerings into the sky, and couldn't help but remark: "I feel like the mountain looks a bit clearer now."

It was as if a rain had washed away the dust from the forest, leaving it fresh and clear.

Ji Nanxing: "Because the bell sounds are a medium for liberation. The nearby ghosts, upon hearing them, will also be liberated. Those who don't wish to be liberated will stay far away, so now the entire mountain is particularly clean."

Xiao Ye: "That Xie Paner doesn't want to be liberated, will she really be annihilated?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head: "It's hard to say. Maybe one morning she'll wake up, see a ray of sunlight, and suddenly have a change of heart. She might find her own way to the underworld without needing liberation, or perhaps not reincarnating is the path she desires. It's all her own choice."

In life, there are too many constraints, but after death, as long as they don't harm or bother others, they're free to choose their own path.

Not all new lives are desired, and similarly, reincarnation is not necessarily the desired end for everyone.

Xiao Ye spotted Wu Yang, who had approached Ji Nanxing the other day, among the busy crowd, but didn't see the other person who had sold charms to Ji Nanxing.

Following his gaze, Ji Nanxing said: "Those who come to help today receive overtime bonuses, so he comes whenever he has time. Xia Junyan, although poor, isn't lacking in money. Generally, he won't budge unless he's out of money."

One is in need of money, the other, though not wealthy, isn't lacking. Their attitudes towards life are completely different.

Xiao Ye: "Was that female ghost liberated too?"

Ji Nanxing nodded: "She was liberated." Among the lingering ghosts earlier, she struggled the most.

Xiao Ye was curious about the celebrity: "The female ghost was liberated, what will happen to that celebrity?"

Ji Nanxing: "All the things he shouldn't have received will eventually be returned. Plus, being followed by a ghost for so many years, his health will likely suffer, shortening his lifespan."

But he didn't kill anyone, nor did he make any deals with ghosts. Most of the karmic debts were shouldered by his mother, but the effects of cause and effect will surely be there, so his remaining life won't be easy.

After watching all their offerings burn away, Ji Nanxing said: "Let's go, it's done. The colleagues who receive overtime bonuses will handle the cleanup."

The broken jars need to be cleared away, and the burnt paper money needs to be buried. The lingering ghosts have been liberated, but the site also needs to be cleaned up.

Xiao Ye immediately cheered up: "Alright, let's get going."

But instead of heading down the mountain, he led Ji Nanxing upwards towards the temple.

Thinking that Xiao Ye hadn't been to the temple before and wanting to take a look since they were already there, Ji Nanxing was surprised when Xiao Ye pulled him towards the cable car.

There's only one type of cable car here, the kind that fits dozens of people per cabin, with no private sightseeing cars. Because if it were the sightseeing type, the queue would be endless, with too many people going up and down.

Once inside the cable car, Xiao Ye grabbed the spot with the best view and pulled Ji Nanxing in front of him: "Look! From here, you can see the whole mountain!"

Ji Nanxing tilted his head slightly and looked up at him: "I know you're tall, but not tall enough to see over my head. If I stand in front of you, you'll probably only see the back of my head."

Xiao Ye looked down and saw his long eyelashes and glass-like eyes, dark as ink, shining as if they could glow, leaving Xiao Ye momentarily stunned.

Not getting a response, Ji Nanxing tilted his head a bit further.

Before he could speak again, Xiao Ye turned his head straight: "Look ahead. The maple mountain isn't at its most beautiful right now. The most beautiful time is the golden yellow of late autumn or the pure white of heavy snow in winter. It's not the most golden yet, but when it's at its most beautiful, I'll bring you to see it."

Forced to face the beautiful scenery ahead, Ji Nanxing asked, "And then climb the mountain in heavy wind and snow?"

Xiao Ye smiled: "We'll drive up then. There are hot springs on the mountain, we can go soak in them tonight."

Ji Nanxing: "What's the point of soaking in man-made hot springs?"

Xiao Ye covered his mouth with his hand: "Don't be such a downer!"

Ji Nanxing swatted his hand away and grinned.

The Maple Leaf Hotel was massive, occupying almost the entire mountaintop. It was a resort hotel where you could find almost everything you needed on-site. Plus, with a famous Taoist temple halfway up the mountain, the hotel was always packed, no matter when you visited.

Knowing they were coming for the Cold Clothing Festival, Xiao Ye had booked the hotel in advance and sneakily reserved a room with a king-sized bed.

Since he was bringing Ji Naonao along, he had to ensure the other's safety. Sharing a room was both cost-effective and reassuring—perfect.

Though it wasn't Christmas yet, the hotel lobby was already decked out in a winter wonderland theme for the holidays. Xiao Ye found a seat for Ji Nanxing to sit and placed the bag beside him: "I'll go check us in. You stay put, okay?"

After saying this, he casually stuffed a lollipop into Ji Nanxing's mouth: "Here, as long as you're sucking on that candy, you can't wander off with anyone else."

Then, he playfully ruffled his hair, called him a good boy, and bolted before Ji Nanxing could swing at him.

Ji Nanxing watched the lively figure darting toward the front desk, twirled the candy in his mouth, and turned to look at the lush greenery outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

The middle-aged man they had run into earlier at the pavilion happened to be sitting not far from him and greeted him with a smile: "Hey there, young man."

The two boys didn't look too young, but they were definitely younger than his own son. So, calling them "young friends" was fitting; he couldn't just call them "little brothers."

Ji Nanxing glanced at him, and the man smiled: "Are you two brothers traveling alone?"

Ji Nanxing nodded.

Seeing that he wasn't as outgoing as the other boy and didn't talk much, the man didn't push for further conversation. He simply smiled and reminded them to be careful while traveling.

Ji Nanxing rolled the lollipop around in his mouth, then pulled it out and said, "Uncle."

The man smiled: "Yes, what is it?"

Ji Nanxing: "Uncle, since you're here to relax and unwind, stay in the hotel for these three days and don't go anywhere. It'll help you steer clear of trouble."

The middle-aged man was stunned. Before he could figure out what the boy meant, he saw him pick up his bag and walk toward the boy waving at him from the front desk.

Watching the two head toward the hotel elevator, Li Minan suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. How did that little boy know he was staying at the hotel for three days?