Just as I was about to reach out and touch the hilt of the sword, Yuan Ying slapped my hand.

"What's the rush? First, 'purify'!"

She picked up a copper basin from the table, which contained water mixed with mugwort and cinnabar.

"Use your sword technique to dip it in water and flick it three times to remove impurities from your hands."

I did as instructed.

After washing his hands, Yuan Ying handed over three sticks of incense: "I offer incense to the Ancestral Master and ask for his instructions. This Thunder Strike Sword is a sacred weapon of Taoism and needs to be witnessed by the three realms of Heaven, Earth and Man."

I knelt on the prayer mat, watching the incense ash fall vertically, and suddenly I remembered the day of my grandfather's funeral, when it also moved like this without any wind.

"Grandmaster, your disciple Chen Yan, today I am presented with the Thunder Strike Sword. I hope that with my righteous energy, I can eradicate all evil in the world."

Before the words were finished, the ever-burning lamp on the shrine suddenly blazed brightly, illuminating the lightning patterns on the sword's blade.

The three scorch marks, winding like snakes, are the marks left by the three lightning strikes.

Yuan Ying gently placed the sword in my palm: "This sword has accompanied my master through ten years of trials and tribulations, slaying more than thirty evil spirits. Today I pass it on to you not so that you can show off your strength, but so that you can remember: lightning can strike down evil, but it can also strike down people. When you use the sword, think more about the word 'compassion', and never go astray."

I gripped the hilt of the sword, and the burning sensation from within intensified.

"Yingniang, if we encounter a powerful evil spirit, will this sword really be able to handle it?"

Whether it works or not depends not on the sword, but on the person.

Yuan Ying fastened the tassel on my sword: "Remember, a sword is inanimate, but a person is alive. When it really comes down to it, what's more important than a sword is—"

She pointed to my chest, "It needs to be bright here."

I nodded and carefully sheathed the sword.

A light rain began to fall outside the window, and the copper wind chimes tinkled softly in the wind, as if the patriarch was silently approving this tradition.

"Be careful tonight. Although that thing isn't that fierce, you must protect yourself!"

Yuan Ying glanced at the sky outside.

The wind was strong, it looked like it was going to rain, and I could faintly hear thunder.

You can also smell the dampness of the rain in the air.

"Don't worry, Yingniang."

I pushed open the shop door, and raindrops fell on the sword, making a soft "sizzling" sound. "I'll take it with me to see just how powerful the evil forces hiding behind housing prices really are."

Yuan Ying stood at the door, her shadow stretched long by the light: "Go early and come back early, remember that."

She pointed to the dark clouds in the sky: "There will be thunder tonight, good weather for swordsmanship."

I nodded and was about to turn around when she handed me another talisman to ward off evil spirits.

"Take this, just in case."

The moment I saw this exorcism talisman, I was startled.

This is actually a mid-level yellow talisman.

Although yellow talismans are divided into primary, intermediate, and advanced levels, they are also divided into four realms.

The first realm protects the home, the second realm drives away evil spirits, the third realm dispels malevolent influences, and the fourth realm connects with the divine.

The house-protecting talisman I drew is at the initial stage; it can only ward off evil spirits from the wind.

The second-level yellow talisman can dispel the obsession of vengeful ghosts, but if the practitioner's skill is insufficient, they will be devoured by the ghost's energy.

The Three Realms' 'Evil-Breaking Talisman' can shake the Yin Army's formation, but it requires the use of essence and blood as a catalyst, which will shorten one's lifespan by ten years.

As for the Fourth Realm, it's even stronger.

However, Yuan Ying didn't tell me.

I asked her why they like to speak in such a veiled manner.

Yuan Ying said that it wasn't that they liked to speak in secret, but rather that Taoists often say, "The Dharma should not be easily transmitted."

They even asked me if I knew what it meant that "if one's virtue is not commensurate with one's position, disaster will surely follow."

The initial stage talisman is a 'technique', while the fourth stage talisman is a 'way'.

If one acts without understanding the principles, it is like a child wielding a knife; at best, it will injure oneself, and at worst, it will harm others.

Just like this Second Realm Talisman, it seems to be able to slay ghosts, but in reality it is slaying the caster's 'delusions'.

If I always think about achieving success overnight, I will be trapped in the illusion of 'wanting but not getting'.

...

I took the exorcism talisman and the lightning sword, went out, boarded the bus, and set off.

It was about to rain, and it was rush hour, so the bus was still very crowded.

At this moment, I had a head of gray hair, wore a white training uniform, and carried a lightning sword on my back, making me look quite like a celestial being.

As soon as I got on the bus, quite a few people looked in my direction and pointed at me.

They huddled together in twos and threes, whispering amongst themselves.

"Grandpa, are you a Taoist priest?"

A crisp voice came from behind.

I turned my head and saw that she was a pretty young woman.

It looks like he's just started college.

She wore her hair in a high ponytail, a white dress, white socks, and white sneakers.

He was looking at me with his head tilted slightly, with two shallow dimples on his face, and a hint of foolishness in his clear eyes.

A typical college student.

Whose white moonlight is this?

Beside her were several pretty girls, who, while not exceptionally beautiful, radiated youthful energy.

I've had enough of being called "Grandpa" by such a beautiful little girl.

I nodded indifferently, which was taken as tacit agreement.

"Can you draw talismans? Is it like in the movies, drawing on yellow paper with a cinnabar pen?"

"Do they catch ghosts? People keep saying they see a shadow wearing a red dress in the woods behind our school..."

"Grandpa, do you have WeChat? Could you teach us how to read palms?"

The questions came at me like a barrage of bullets.

The gazes in the carriage grew even more intense; some people were suppressing laughter, while others took out their phones to secretly take pictures.

I stared at the rain streaks on the car window, my throat bobbing: "The talisman is divided into yin and yang, and the ghosts are divided into good and evil."

"Wow, does that mean there really is an underworld?" The girl holding the milk tea leaned forward: "We played with a Ouija board last night in our dorm..."

"Yes, Grandpa Taoist, do you think we can really summon the spirit of the Ouija board?"

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