Chapter 73 Extra 3: Kaleidoscope Hunting
It was midsummer, with the cicadas chirping and the sun blazing. In Fengyan City, adults and children alike stayed at home to escape the heat, and fewer people came to the Sanxian Temple to pray.
Xisheng was enjoying a leisurely life. She would lie on a bamboo chair and wipe her various musical instruments every day. Sometimes she would seem to fall asleep with her eyes closed while wiping, but if you spoke to her at this time, she would be able to answer fluently.
Since bringing his mother to Xiyuan Sanfang, Xisheng would go out during the day to complete the believers' prayers, and at night he would return to his mother's room to spend a few quiet moments with her before retiring. Though they were silent, they felt a deep peace within. The old woman spoke a southeastern coastal dialect, barely understanding the Mandarin spoken in the Central Plains. She also had a vague understanding of the Wulu and Cangming accents, but she often engaged them in conversation.
Because she couldn't sit still, the old lady not only mended clothes for the children, but also often cooked some delicious dishes, smiling as she watched them eat with relish. Xisheng, now that his sense of taste had returned, ate with great relish.
That day, Xisheng, as usual, had left his mother at Xiyuan Sanfang. Wei Qiang, visiting a friend in Fengyan City, was staying there, conveniently keeping the old lady company. Recently, Wei Qiang, assisted by Xisheng in his talisman practice, had greatly improved his technique. Combined with his mastery of previous techniques, his magical powers had skyrocketed. As a token of gratitude, Wei Qiang brewed a daily soup for the old lady that promised a youthful appearance. It sounded quite impressive.
Xisheng walked out the door, carrying his erhu, his steps unhurried. He still had a few prayers to fulfill, but they weren't urgent, so he decided to think about them in a few days. What he needed to do today had nothing to do with praying.
Following the long street leading to the east of the city, Xisheng came straight to the five-story ancient building, strode through the barrier, ignored the questioning of the little demon guarding the gate, and walked straight into the building.
The Demon King was not at home today, and Cang Ming was writing her ghost-catching cards. Seeing Xi Sheng coming to visit, Cang Ming's eyes lit up with joy, and her smile was just like Xun Yan and Mi Xia in the past.
Xisheng sat casually by the stream inside the building, gazing at the enchanted ceiling above. It seemed as if the ceiling didn't exist, the clear blue sky stretching endlessly. After gazing at the sky for a moment, Xisheng spoke, "I've been so bored lately that I composed a new song."
Cang Ming said with great interest: "What song is it? What effect does it have? Play it for me."
Xisheng nodded slightly, but then started a new topic: "I've been extremely bored lately, and I want to find some kaleidoscopes."
"Kaleidoscope?" Cang Ming was confused. "Isn't it the same kind of monster that haunted you before? Now that you've finally gotten rid of it, why are you still looking for it?"
"kill."
After hearing this concise answer, Cang Ming silently wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "You have nothing better to do than to find Wanhuajing to kill?"
"Yeah." Xisheng nodded. "I've been so bored lately that I've been wondering why Kaleidoscopes can invade people's hearts and whether there's any way to deal with them. If I could find a few Kaleidoscopes and kill them, wouldn't there be fewer Kaleidoscopes in the world?"
Cang Ming suddenly realized: "So, your new song is used to kill Kaleidoscope?"
Xisheng said, "That's right. But the Kaleidoscope is invisible and silent. I don't know where to get it, and I don't know if this song will really work on it."
Cang Ming slapped his thigh and said, "I think we should go and see which family is looking for a Taoist priest to perform a ritual to exorcise evil spirits. Doesn't that mean that family has something on their mind? People with heavy worries are more likely to be found by the Kaleidoscope."
Xisheng thought about it and felt that it made sense, so he and Cang Ming set out immediately to visit every household on the street, peeking through the cracks in the doors to see which family was performing rituals or offering tablets to the guardian deity.
After walking a few doors, he actually saw a family that had invited a young Taoist priest to set up a ritual. The doors and windows of the house were closed, and several Taoist priests were busy, some dancing with swords, and some grabbing handfuls of white rice and throwing them into the air. Xisheng frowned at this, thinking it was a huge waste of food.
The Taoist priest in the center immediately raised his head and began to perform a fire-breathing performance. Cang Ming whispered in her ear with fear: "This, please don't burn down the house..."
After the Taoist priests left, the daughter of the family opened the window and helped the paralyzed woman up from the bed: "Mom, after this ritual, your illness will surely be cured soon."
The woman replied, "I think I should be better now. You know what, when the wizards came and chanted the spell just now, I felt much better..."
At this point, the mother and daughter suddenly noticed two people outside the window staring at them intently, and they shuddered. Xisheng looked at them thoughtfully, and Cang Ming said, "Excuse me, have you ever experienced a period of weakness and listlessness, and have you always been worried and overthinking, with no hope or happiness at all?"
The woman said, "That's true. People like us have never had a happy time since we were born. We just live day by day."
Xisheng changed the question: "Do you feel like there's a net covering your heart?"
"I can't explain this," the woman hesitated. "Who are you? Are you also a Taoist priest? My family just held a ritual. I'm almost well now. I'll be fine from now on..."
Xisheng nodded and left with Cangming. As they walked, Cangming said, "I guess this ritual is for people with emotional problems. If you get rid of the emotional problems, you will be mostly cured."
"That's right. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense to say that the magic of those Taoists worked," Xisheng said calmly. "That family probably didn't have a Kaleidoscope. If a fake magic could keep it out of the door, that wouldn't be bad."
Cang Ming suggested, "Why don't we go to the streets and wait for people! If we see anyone who seems to be possessed by the Kaleidoscope, we can go up and ask them." Xi Sheng said, "Okay."
The two of them came to the busiest street in the city, each holding a brick, squatting on the roadside and observing the passersby. By this time, the sun had already set, and the heat from the ground had gradually dissipated, and more people were going out.
Xisheng observed every passerby intently. Her gaze was so cold and sharp that it made those people feel uneasy. They quickened their pace and fled like the wind. When he turned around, Cang Ming had already thrown a few copper coins in front of him.
Cang Ming tossed the coins and suddenly asked, "How did you chase away the Kaleidoscope?"
Xisheng reminisced for a moment and said, "I don't remember clearly. Anyway, I used to live in constant fear, tossing and turning at night. Then one day, I suddenly felt that the thing I feared hadn't happened yet, but it was already taking control of me. So I decided not to be afraid anymore. That night, I lay down and thought about nothing. I slept soundly for the first time in years."
"Perhaps he's been tormented by fear for too long," Cang Ming analyzed, "so he finally gave up out of exhaustion and is no longer afraid."
"That's right, why should I hold on to fear and obsession?" Xisheng agreed.
As they were talking, a young man passed by them, walked quietly to the riverside, and looked down at the water.
Xisheng and Cangming exchanged a glance, nodded, and stepped forward together, suddenly reaching out and grabbing him on either side. The young man was so frightened that his legs gave way, and he fell to his knees, held by the two men. His voice choked as he spoke: "What are you going to do?"
Xisheng frowned and said coldly, "Are you going to jump into the river? Is there something haunting you?"
"I want to jump into the river, just dive in, but I'm afraid of dying from choking on the water, which would be very uncomfortable." The young man was filled with grief. "I can't take it anymore, I really can't take it anymore..."
Xisheng's eyes lit up, as if he had found a treasure. He immediately rolled up his wide sleeves and looked at the man with eager eyes.
That man really seemed to be living a very boring life. He was not afraid of being killed by the two female heroes and seemed to wish to die immediately.
Xisheng said to the young man without a trace of smile on his face, "Let's get the contents of your heart out now." The man lay stretched out on the ground, mumbling, "You can't help me."
Cang Ming tried to place a talisman on him: "Show yourself!" The paper shattered as it burned, but no figure emerged. Xi Sheng also threw a talisman: "Listen!" Naturally, no sound revealed the Kaleidoscope's location. This thing was indeed as unpredictable as the void.
Xisheng and Cangming tried for a long time, using every possible method, but they still couldn't even find the shadow of the Kaleidoscope. Cangming tried to draw his sword and pierce the air around the young man, but he didn't hit anything.
Seeing that this man had been tortured to death and didn't want to live anymore, Cang Ming wiped the sweat off his face with his sleeve and said, "Or, let's send him home."
The young man said weakly, "I won't go home. There's no one at home, and it would be even more difficult to go back."
Xisheng pulled him up with one hand and said, "Then come with us." The young man staggered behind the two of them and came to the busiest place in the middle of the street.
Ignoring the others, Xisheng sat down on a stone pier, pulled out his erhu from behind, tweaked it briefly, and began to play a piece of music with ease. At first, the music was melodious and expansive, flowing slowly, attracting many passersby to stop and take notice.
Then, the music soared, soaring into the sky, its sonorous, uplifting rhythm deeply moving. Cang Ming was already unconsciously swaying in place, waving his arms and spinning in circles. Passersby were inspired, some banging their bowls to beat the rhythm, others using loudspeakers to accompany Xi Sheng's music, and many children joined hands in a circle, dancing around a large tree, including the young man. The young man was jostled by them, joining in the fun.
At this moment, a storyteller with a powerful voice began singing along to the tune. This immediately stirred the enthusiasm of the entire audience, bringing the atmosphere of the dance party to a climax. The streets were filled with singing and dancing, as if it were Chinese New Year. Some families who had a little savings even took out fireworks and firecrackers, making the night sky sparkle.
When the song ended, Xisheng slowly put away his erhu and walked away with Cangming, leaving the bustling crowd behind. All that could be heard was people's laughter and chatter, saying that there was a temple fair today, held in the evening, something they had never heard of before.
Suddenly, someone grabbed Xisheng's sleeve. He turned and saw it was the young man who had been about to jump into the river. His expression brightened slightly, and amid the clamor, he whispered, "I haven't felt this relaxed in a long time. For just a quarter of an hour, I actually forgot all my worries... Thank you so much."
Xisheng nodded in greeting and left with Cang Ming. To this day, they still don't know whether it was the song that could kill the Kaleidoscope in their hearts through the flesh, or whether the song and dance made them feel ecstatic and temporarily free from the troubles of the world.
But no matter what, Xisheng's music is indeed unparalleled in the world. It can be said that: the great sound is so silent that it cannot be heard.
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