PCJ – Chapter 125 Interpretation of the Personal Hexagram

“Shhhhh…”

Rain poured down heavily as Zhang Jiaohua entered his dream again. In this uncontrollable dream, he was running through a torrential downpour. He had just received a message from his master, the old Taoist priest, saying that he was ill and wanted to see him. Zhang Jiaohua needed to hurry back to the Taoist temple.

Zhang Jiaohua had been having this dream for a long time and slowly began to realize that this was actually someone else’s experience that had somehow become his dream. It felt like he was possessing someone else, and every time the person’s name appeared, the voice seemed muffled. Zhang Jiaohua always felt that this person was himself. Perhaps, as the villagers said, people have past and present lives, and this person might be his past life.

The old Taoist master was ill, and although Zhang Jiaohua didn’t know it, he felt a sour sensation in his nose. He suddenly forgot how the old Taoist used to hit his tender little palms with a ruler. He also seemed to forget how the old Taoist forced him to keep practicing water spells, refining talismans, copying scriptures, and standing on stakes every day… It was as if all the old master’s bad deeds were forgotten in an instant, leaving only the good ones in his memory.

He walked very quickly. Because the road was muddy, his shoes came off, but he didn’t notice. His entire body was soaked by the rain, but he was fearless, continuously running through the rain, forgetting about the rain and time. When he arrived at the temple on the mountaintop, it was just dawn, and the rain was pouring even harder.

He rushed into the temple, straight to the old Taoist master’s room. The old Taoist was bedridden but sat up with a hearty laugh, “My disciple is back!”

The old Taoist was ill for several months, with his condition fluctuating multiple times and becoming critical several times. Thanks to Zhang Jiaohua’s meticulous care, he gradually recovered.

One day, the old Taoist called the young disciple to his side, “I have lived a long life and fear that my time is running out. Thanks to your filial piety, I survived this ordeal. The talisman I placed on you can now be removed. Although you have a kind heart, you have a bad temper and can’t endure hardship, so I haven’t taught you the full method of using the magical instrument. Now, it’s time for you to learn it.”

This time, removing the talisman was much simpler than the previous time when he removed the apprenticeship talisman. There was no need for sacrificial wine or elaborate ceremonies; just a simple altar setup with incense and paper money was enough to invite the gods.

“If the patriarch agrees, an ‘Yin’ sign will appear,” the old Taoist said as he threw the goat horn talisman onto the ground.

It landed on a ‘Yang’ sign.

The old Taoist had to plead with the patriarch, saying many good things, and only after several attempts did an ‘Yin’ sign appear.

The old Taoist wiped the sweat from his forehead, indicating that this process had exhausted him.

“I’m old and no longer capable. Come see me often when you have time. Who knows if I’ll still be here the next time you come up the mountain,” the old Taoist said with a light shake of his head.

Next, he needed to cast a ‘Holy’ sign to officially remove the talisman. This time, it was very smooth, and a ‘Holy’ sign appeared as soon as he cast it.

“Good, good. It seems the patriarch wants you to stand on your own. Stay here for a few days, and I’ll teach you some of the Meishan martial arts techniques. Practicing martial arts without practicing internal skills is a waste. It’s time for you to learn the internal skills,” the old Taoist said, as if it were a trivial matter.

Finally, Zhang Jiaohua was exposed to another aspect of Meishan Arts—martial arts. Meishan martial art includes stance training, hard skills, soft skills, and qi exercises. He had already practiced stance, hard skills, and soft skills before becoming a disciple, but he had not yet been introduced to qi exercises. This was the part the old Taoist had withheld.

“Qi guards the exterior, while blood nourishes the interior. Qi and blood support each other like a continuous cycle, reaching the five viscera and six bowels, the twelve meridians internally, and the limbs and nine orifices externally…” The old Taoist taught him the core practices of Meishan martial art over the next few days.

Before he left, the old Taoist finally revealed the method for using the bell: “This bell is a magical instrument called the Soul Capturing Bell. It can nurture five ghosts and use captured souls as their food, allowing the ghosts to grow. Do not use this bell for evil, or it will bring disaster upon you.”

Despite this warning, the old Taoist also taught him the Five Ghosts Heaven Mixing Technique before he left.

When Zhang Jiaohua woke up, it was already the next morning. He had slept for a very long time. No wonder, because months had passed in his dream. Everything still felt vivid in his memory.

“Right, the bell method.” Zhang Jiaohua shook the bell in his hand a few times, and it jingled softly. Jin Hu, Fugui, Xiao Shuan, Gouwa, and Mancang all appeared in front of Zhang Jiaohua.

“Jin Hu… you are all finally back. I missed you so much.” Zhang Jiaohua immediately climbed out of bed.

Jin Hu and the other little ghosts were also very happy to see Zhang Jiaohua, their faces filled with smiles. They were quite different from before. Previously, they rarely showed any emotion, often looking dazed and confused. But now, they seemed more spirited, almost like real children.

Zhang Youping and Liu Qiaoye had harvested rice all morning, cutting down nearly two acres. When Zhang Youping told his parents and elder brother about it yesterday, they had no objections. However, his elder brother and sister-in-law said they had promised to help with the late rice harvest at her family’s place, so they couldn’t assist. Zhang Youping knew they were making excuses, as his brother had mentioned earlier that Hu Xiaoqing’s family’s rice was a late-maturing variety and had urged Zhang Youping to harvest early to avoid the rainy season.

Although Zhang Youping was displeased, he said nothing. The entire family usually helped each other during the harvest season. His sister-in-law Hu Xiaoqing always found ways to avoid helping with Zhang Youping’s harvest. Despite this, Zhang Youping and Liu Qiaoye never complained.

Zhang Jiaohua’s grandparents didn’t criticize their eldest son and daughter-in-law but quietly came to help their younger son.

The four of them worked hard all morning, managing to harvest almost two acres. Zhang Youping and Liu Qiaoye got up early and worked swiftly.

When Liu Qiaoye entered the house, she heard Zhang Jiaohua talking to someone, feeling inexplicably tense. It had been a long time since Jiaohua talked to those children. But now, it seemed like he was sharing interesting stories with them.

“Mom, you’re back!” Zhang Jiaohua ran out excitedly.

“Jiaohua, who were you talking to in your room?” Liu Qiaoye asked.

Zhang Jiaohua was about to tell the truth but then changed his mind, “Oh, nothing. I was just reciting my lessons.”

Liu Qiaoye could tell Zhang Jiaohua was lying but didn’t press further, merely sighing internally, thinking her son might have seen those ghosts again.

“Jiaohua, come help mom with the fire. Your dad and grandparents will be back for lunch soon.” Liu Qiaoye immediately started preparing breakfast without even taking a sip of water.

When the meal was almost ready, Zhang Youping, Zhang Manyin, and Ma Donghua returned.

“Jiaohua, why didn’t you come to help harvest the rice this morning?” Zhang Manyin teased, gently pinching Zhang Jiaohua’s cheek.

“Dad and mom didn’t wake me up,” Jiaohua said innocently.

“We tried to wake you. You wouldn’t budge even when we shook you. I was about to pour water on you from the water tank, but your dad wouldn’t let me,” Liu Qiaoye said with mild frustration.

“Well, you can’t blame me. The old Taoist master was sick last night and taught me many things. It was a very long dream,” Zhang Jiaohua scratched his head.

Hearing this, Liu Qiaoye felt relieved. She thought the conversation she overheard was just about the dream. Zhang Youping and Liu Qiaoye both believed the old Taoist master in the dream was a divine messenger, and thus had no fear. However, Zhang Manyin and Ma Donghua looked worried.

“Jiaohua, what did the old Taoist teach you?” Zhang Manyin asked cautiously.

“The old Taoist master taught me Meishan martial arts.” Zhang Jiaohua stood up and demonstrated Meishan stake exercises in the kitchen. He did it with a decent amount of skill.

Zhang Manyin couldn’t understand it, thinking it was just another flowery boxing style taught by local boxing masters. Little did he know, Zhang Jiaohua was learning authentic Meishan internal martial arts.

“Wow, that’s great. Jiaohua should practice martial arts more. He could become a martial arts expert in the future,” Zhang Manyin said with a smile, not taking it too seriously.

After breakfast, Zhang Jiaohua went to the fields with his parents. Despite being only seven years old, he was able to contribute significantly to the farm work. Rural children took on responsibilities early, with all the children starting to participate in agricultural labor from a young age.