I am a swordsman in a strange city

Chapter 43 Types of Spirits and Spiritual Rituals
Aunt Wu is dead.

It was found in a sanitation worker's garbage truck.

She was lying upside down, and when Pei Ju saw her, her head was buried in the garbage.

The police said that she was probably being taken away, but because she might be closely pursued, she abandoned the car in the alley.

When Pei Ju saw the hideous gash on Aunt Wu's neck, he had no fear of the dead at all. Although it was the first time he saw it in the real world, it felt like he had seen it many times.

For no apparent reason, he felt a surge of sadness in his heart, sadness about the fragility of human life, and at the same time, a sense of the impermanence of the world.

He had clearly been running down from the rooftop a few days ago, waving a piece of ice with one hand to break the bubbles that trapped him and others, but now he died in such a dark alley and was almost treated as garbage.

You have to experience many things yourself before you can feel the power of some words.

For example, nothing is certain!
For example, it is hard to tell which will come first, danger or tomorrow.

Aunt Wu seemed to be a cautious, cultured and capable person, but she died just like that.

He looked at Ye Youruo covering her face and crying silently, and couldn't help but think that a girl like her, when her emotions explode, is actually as fragile and helpless as ordinary people.

That night, she did not return to her residence, but stayed with Teacher Han.

Pei Ju could feel that Teacher Han had a certain connection with Ye Youruo's family, otherwise Ye Youruo would not have been able to contact her in this Hai City.

The next day, when Pei Ju went out to learn sword, he glanced at the door next door. The door was locked and Ye Youruo didn't look like she was coming back.

He went to Wang Jianke's place to practice sword. After coming back and having dinner in the evening, he went to Qingdai Tower, where he saw Ye Youruo.

Ye Youruo looked much darker.

This time, Teacher Han talked about the spiritual ritual.

There are many different rituals for channeling.

There are two types of spirits: the "spirits" that are familiar to the public and the "spirits" that are unfamiliar to the public.

Some spirits are almost just a concept, a name, and in a sense are immortal.

"For example, the spirits we often know of, such as the Mirror Spirit, the Altar Ghost, the Bottle Fairy, the Ouija Board Fairy, Hide and Seek, and the Sixth Man, each of which has its own unique way of communicating with spirits. However, no matter which one it is, the first thing to do is to find a medium."

"For example, if you want to communicate with a mirror spirit, you first need to find a mirror. Different mirrors can communicate with different spirits, so when we are looking for a medium, we first need to find a special mirror."

"Let's first talk about how to choose the key medium. Let's take the psychic mirror as an example. I have a few mirrors here. Take a look."

Han Yitong opened a wooden box that had been placed on the table from the beginning, took out a cloth bag from it, poured out several mirrors, and lined them up on the table.

"Take a look at which mirror you should choose to use as a medium for communication."

Pei Ju looked at the mirrors under the light. The first mirror from the right was bright. It was placed on the table and reflected the only firelight in the darkness. It reflected the brilliance as if it could reflect everything in the darkness.

The second mirror was as big as an adult's face, but it was covered with cracks and was barely held together because it was covered with a silver shell.

The third mirror looked like an ancient mirror, probably a bronze mirror, and it was covered with rust.

The fourth mirror is even more special, with a Bagua pattern on it.

The fifth mirror is a fragment, one side of which has a sharp edge, like a knife edge.

"Start from the left side." Han Yitong said after waiting for a while.

It was a girl. Pei Ju knew her name was Gu Xiyue. She had a classical look and was wearing an ancient-style dress.

"Teacher, I think that rusty bronze mirror is okay." Gu Xiyue pointed with her finger under the light and said.

Han Yitong did not say whether the answer was right or wrong, but gestured to the second person on the left, a boy named Wang Cheng, pointed to the Bagua mirror and chose that one.

The people behind also made their choices one by one, but Ye Youruo also chose the mirror full of cracks. No one chose the broken one or the mirror that looked new.

When it came to Pei Ju, he concentrated his mind to sense it, but for some reason, the broken lens with sharp edges gave him the strongest feeling.

He even felt that it was not a mirror, but a knife that could kill people. He felt that the mirror was murderous.

Finally, everyone looked at Han Yitong.

"Every mirror here can be used as a medium for spiritual communication. However, each mirror is different, and the mirror spirit it communicates with is different."

"For example," Han Yitong said, picking up the broken, sharp piece of mirror. "This mirror was once held by someone who slashed three people's throats. The person then used it to commit suicide. So, it carries the resentment of the deceased."

"As I said earlier, the first prerequisite for spiritual communication is to find a medium that can communicate with the spirit. However, the spiritual communication ceremony is generally the Sanyuan Spiritual Communication Ritual, also known as the Triangle Spiritual Communication Ritual abroad. If we can know the story of this medium, then we will be able to communicate with the spirit better."

Pei Ju listened carefully. He understood that the spirits that came through the lens that had killed people would be very dangerous. If he entered the spiritual ceremony, he would likely be one of the people killed. He would most likely be killed as soon as he entered.

Therefore, such a mirror is not suitable for beginners to communicate with spirits. Han Yitong also deconstructed the mirrors piece by piece.

She said that if the resentment on the mirror is too strong, it is not called a mirror spirit, but a resentful spirit.

Those with other attributes that exceed the mirror attribute are not suitable to be used as mirror spirits for spiritual communication.

"A psychic mirror can reflect itself, allowing you to see yourself and understand your own shortcomings. In addition, you can also gain abilities from it, such as refraction, mirror shadow magic, mirror peeping, mirror double, mirror soul-stealing, mirror divination, reversal of reality, and mirror jumping."

"These are currently successfully researched. To obtain the corresponding rituals and communicate with the Mirror Spirit to learn these abilities, you need to serve the country and gain merit. You can then exchange your merit for these rituals."

"Of course, you can also work hard to make money and then use the money to buy it, but you have to know that good things cannot be bought with money," said Han Yitong.

At this time, a classmate asked, "Teacher Han, are the abilities that each person can acquire fixed?"

"Not really. It depends on your individual class level, but most people have similar abilities at each class level." Han Yitong said, "During the apprenticeship stage, your spirit can generally carry two abilities. However, if you don't have these two abilities, then it will be very difficult for you to gain professional abilities."

"If you cannot acquire true professional abilities, you will be trapped in the apprenticeship stage for the rest of your life. Therefore, the abilities you choose to acquire at the beginning are very important. You must choose two abilities that you are destined to have." Han Yitong's voice was not loud, but everyone could hear the warning in her words.

Time passes in darkness.

Maybe because of the assassination that happened last night, there was one more person this time for every person who came to pick up their child.

But Ye Youruo did not come out with him.

So he was still alone. After leaving Liujin Street, he looked back and saw that everyone was going in different directions and he was the only one walking.

But when he looked back for the second time, he saw a rickshaw coming out of Liujin Street.

The moment he saw the rickshaw, he saw two people sitting on it, Han Yitong and Ye Youruo.

Ye Youruo also saw him, but the rickshaw suddenly disappeared as it passed a shadow. Startled, he immediately looked around further away. He vaguely saw a rickshaw appear on the street in the distance, but it quickly disappeared into the fog. "Gu!"

Suddenly, there was a bird's cry above his head. Pei Ju looked up and saw an owl circling in the night sky and then landing on a nearby tree. He thought of the owl that could transform into a human yesterday.

He wanted to say something, but held himself back. He reached out and gripped the wooden sword on his back, then walked under the street lights that looked like blooming yellow flowers.

Of course there were cars on the road, but these cars were like glowing insects flying through the jungle, and had nothing to do with him.

A huge city is like a huge forest. At night, some people are foraging for food, some are hunting, and some are returning to their nests to rest.

Ever since Pei Ju could remember, he often went to school and played elsewhere alone. His grandfather had told him a long time ago that it was okay to go out and play, but he must remember the way home. So even though this city was big, he would remember the way wherever he had been.

I will definitely remember the way home.

When he returned home, he was hungry. His grandfather was not asleep yet, he was cooking noodles.

"Grandpa, I'm back." Pei Ju shouted loudly.

"Sit down for a moment, the noodles will be ready soon." Grandpa replied from the kitchen.

A breeze blew in from outside, causing the hanging light bulb to sway and the shadow on the ground to sway into a ball.

Under the lamp, a young man was eating noodles, and an old man was sitting next to him watching.

……

Falling asleep again.

Pei Ju opened his eyes in the dream and found himself still in the thatched hut. He was thinking about what Teacher Han had said today about the spiritual ceremony.

Then I am also communicating with spirits now, and everything that happens here must have happened before. When several generations of my Pei family came here, did they replace the original people here, or did they create a new person here?

He decided to ask Teacher Han next week. She studied forbidden secrets and had visited the Tiger Temple before, so she must know something about it.

He put aside these distracting thoughts and began to stand in the stance.

Today I heard from Teacher Han that an apprentice can carry two abilities. Before, during the first temple entry ceremony, he entered the Mountain God Temple and became that scholar. After that, at certain times, a sense of pride would always rise in his heart, freeing him from fear deep in his soul, and he would not become stiff or trembling because of fear.

The sky brightened again without any surprise, just like before.

The time came and Zhou You was waiting outside on his bike again.

The two people bought buns at the bun shop on the front street.

"Do you have a love letter for me to deliver today?" Pei Ju asked.

"No, I think it will work this time." Zhou You said happily.

"Oh, why?" Pei Ju asked.

There are many bicycles on the street, all heading in one direction.

Everyone I met along the way was talking while riding.

"Pei Ju, you haven't bought a bicycle yet." Suddenly a voice came from behind him. It was a crisp and cheerful voice, and he immediately knew who it was.

Looking back, it was indeed Liu Yijiajia. She quickly caught up with him and walked side by side with him.

Pei Ju thought that he needed to buy one.

"I'd like to ask you to be my sparring partner, is that okay?" Liu Yijia asked loudly. "I'll pay you for my sparring."

"Okay." Pei Ju replied immediately.

"Then it's settled." Liu Yijiajia said happily. Her golden hair was tied into two pigtails today, giving her a fashionable and pure feeling. The two feelings offset each other, making people's eyes bright. Even Pei Ju couldn't help but take a few more glances.

"Pei Ju, does my braid look good today?" Liu Yijiajia was obviously very sensitive to this kind of gaze and sensed it immediately.

Pei Ju sat behind Zhou You, took a bite of the bun, nodded his head, and looked away as if nothing had happened.

School life and chatting among classmates gave Pei Ju an unreal feeling.

But this is the most real thing. The siege of wild cats and dogs on the street the day before yesterday and Teacher Han fighting with others in the alley seemed like another world.

When you sleep at home, you enter the world of the temple, and after communicating with spirits, you enter those spiritual places. They are all in the same world.

This world has an ordinary side, as well as a mysterious and bizarre side.

It has a slow and stable side, but also an unexpected and unpredictable side.

They are intertwined to form this world, and it would be incomplete if we only saw any one side of it.

When I arrived at school, Ye Youruo was already there.

It's just obvious that she's in a very low mood.

During the break, Pei Ju couldn't help but ask, "Does your family know?"

"I know." Ye Youruo nodded and said.

"Will anyone else come?" Pei Ju asked.

"Yes, but it will take some time." Ye Youruo said.

"Have you been staying at Teacher Han's place recently?" Pei Ju asked again.

"Yeah." Ye Youruo responded in a low voice. He found that she seemed to have suddenly become introverted, with a vague feeling of wrapping herself up.

It was clear that the night before yesterday, when I came back with her, she was walking on the empty streets and was so happy. She also said that walking on the streets at night when there was no one around gave her a feeling of freedom, as if the whole city belonged to her.

At that time she was like a night elf, but now she was completely shrunk, like a quail.

When they went to the cafeteria for lunch at noon, Pei Ju took the initiative to walk with her, then they got food together and sat together. He wanted to comfort her, but he couldn't find the words to comfort her for a moment.

I could only sit beside him and eat in silence.

However, he ate quickly, and she was still eating in small bites after he finished. Pei Ju couldn't help but ask, "Did something happen at home?"

After swallowing the food in her mouth, Ye Youruo looked up at Pei Ju. She didn't say anything, but just nodded.

(End of this chapter)