Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

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Cheng Mo cleared his throat: "There is an ancient legend that says that when chaos first began, there were many spirits in Changbai Mountain. Some of them helped people and saved them, while others brought disaster to the world. The Jade Emperor sent the Five Thunder Gods with heavenly soldiers and generals to exterminate them."

"At this time, a fox spirit appeared and pleaded for mercy, willing to convert the troublesome spirits. The Jade Emperor granted his request, appointing him as the head of all the immortals of Changbai Mountain, and establishing rules to restrain the spirits. This fox spirit was none other than Hu San Taiye."

Xia He listened intently: "What's another explanation?"

Cheng Mo continued, "There is another version of the story that is related to Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. Legend has it that when Kangxi was on his eastern tour, an epidemic broke out in the Northeast, and Kangxi himself fell ill. In his dream, a Taoist priest appeared who claimed to be Hu San Taiye from Changbai Mountain and cured him."

"When Emperor Kangxi woke up, he was cured of his illness, and the epidemic subsided. After returning to Beijing, Emperor Kangxi issued an edict to bestow an official title upon Hu San Taiye, granting him a yellow robe and mandarin jacket, and ordering the construction of a temple and the erection of a statue for worship. From then on, the statues of Hu San Taiye were mostly depicted in Qing Dynasty official attire, and the reputation of the shamanic priests also soared."

Xia He clicked her tongue in amazement: "This Third Grandfather Hu is quite something."

"Whether he's powerful or not is another matter." Cheng Mo remained noncommittal, then changed the subject to taking action.

"Anyway, the immortals in Changbai Mountain will come to the mortal world to help people in order to accumulate merit. However, it is inconvenient for the immortals to show their true forms directly to people, so they choose mortals with affinity to become their disciples and use the disciples' bodies to do good deeds and help people. This is called 'chuma' (intervening in spirit mediumship)."

Xia He asked again, "Isn't that still the same as shamanism, where the master-disciple relationship is the only one that is passed down, without involving other people?"

Cheng Mo shook his head: "It's still not quite the same. The disciples have been dealing with the immortals for generations, so naturally they have families and independent practitioners who attach themselves to them. Gradually, they have formed a power similar to a sect, which is larger and more tightly structured than the shamanic culture."

Xia He said "Oh," then suddenly remembered something: "Hey, little Taoist priest, what does what you're saying have to do with us?"

Cheng Mo glanced at her sideways: "Didn't you want to see what it's like to be a charlatan? Isn't this just giving you a background story?"

Xia He glared at him: "It's clearly you who wants to see it, but you always drag me into it."

As they spoke, the two had arrived in front of the building, which resembled a temple with gray walls and blue tiles. Two pillars stood at the entrance, with red lanterns hanging from them.

As I approached, I saw a plaque hanging above the doorway with three large characters written on it—

"Shihua Hall".

The plaque looks quite old, with worn-out edges, but the characters are still clear and written with great vigor.

Just as Cheng Mo and Xia He were about to go in, someone came up to them.

He was a young man in his early twenties, wearing a dark blue cotton-padded jacket, with a buzz cut, and a rather honest-looking smile.

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and said with a smile, "Are you two here to have your fortune told or to consult a spirit medium?"

Cheng Mo cupped his hands in greeting: "I am Cheng Mo from the Liangyi Temple of Zhongnan Mountain."

Xia He then cupped her hands in greeting: "Xia He of the Two Elements Observatory."

Upon hearing this, the young man quickly returned the greeting: "Oh, so you're a friend from the Taoist sect! My apologies for not recognizing you. My name is Liu Zhuzi, and I'm here to run errands."

But he was wondering to himself – what were two Taoist priests doing at the shamanic shrine?

He tentatively asked, "What brings you two here?"

Cheng Mo said, "There are some things I would like to ask the immortals."

Upon hearing the words "immortals" instead of the old woman who set up the altar, and seeing that the two people were from the Taoist sect, Liu Zhuzi felt that he already understood seven or eight parts of the story.

He nodded: "There are other guests inside. Please follow me and do not make a sound."

The two nodded to indicate that they understood and followed Liu Zhuzi inside.

Upon entering, there is a short corridor leading to the main hall.

The place is quite large, but the lighting is a bit dim.

Against the wall were drums, incense tables, and incense burners. A few thin incense sticks were stuck in the incense burner, and wisps of smoke rose from it. Some abstract patterns were painted on the wall, red and green, with rough lines, looking like animals or people at the same time.

Cheng Mo stared at it for a long time, but still couldn't figure out what the drawing was.

The young man did not linger, but led the two through the hall, across a courtyard, and to a palace.

The palace doors were closed. He knocked on one: "Brother Youcai, are you inside?"

A male voice came from inside, sounding quite casual, not much like a street thug: "Come in, why are you knocking?"

The young man pushed open the door and led the two inside.

The main hall is even more spacious than the front hall.

A man stood in the very center, with a crew cut, a square face, wearing a black vest and a floral cotton-padded jacket over it, his coat open.

He had a rather thick mustache and wore a large gold chain that looked about the thickness of his little finger.

Cheng Mo thought to himself: If this is real gold, my cervical spine will probably develop problems in two or three years.

Beside them stood two gaudy figures, their faces painted with masks, wearing colorful robes, and holding drums.

He looks intimidating, but upon closer inspection, you can tell he's a young man, probably no more than twenty years old.

Opposite the man sat a man and a woman, both in their early twenties.

The woman's face was sallow, with a bluish-gray tinge; her eyes were sunken, and her lips were pale. She slumped limply in the chair, as if she had no bones. The man sat beside her, looking anxious.

Deng Youcai first said to Cheng Mo and the other person, "Please wait a moment, I'll show it to Xiaolin first."

Cheng Mo nodded in agreement. He had only wanted to see the methods of the shaman, and there was no rush to find his martial uncle later.

The man with the gold chain didn't stand on ceremony and turned back to the man in front of him, asking, "Tell me what happened."

The man wrung his hands anxiously, pleading, "Master Deng, is Xiaolin possessed? She's been having nightmares every night for the past few days. She screams as soon as she closes her eyes, but I can't understand what she's saying. We went to the hospital, but the doctors couldn't figure it out either. Please take a look, I'm begging you!"

His hands were trembling as he spoke, and his eyes were red; he looked genuinely anxious.

Deng Youcai stood up, walked up to the girl named Xiaolin, and waved his hand in front of her eyes, but she didn't even blink.

He checked her pulse again; it was weak, but regular.

Upon examining the eyelids, the pupils appear to be of normal size, with a sluggish but not absent light reflex.

Deng Youcai frowned: "When you went to the hospital before, what exactly did the doctor say?"

The man quickly said, "The doctor said it was caused by excessive worry and fatigue, and prescribed sedatives, but Xiaolin's condition is getting worse every day, and the medicine isn't helping at all!"

He became increasingly anxious as he spoke, his voice trembling: "She's my only daughter, Master Deng, you have to save her!"

Xia He listened from the side, feeling quite moved.

When she was little, she always wished she had an older brother who could help her fight off the bad guys.

She turned to look at Cheng Mo.

Cheng Mo looked puzzled and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

Xia He shook her head and simply hugged his arm tighter.

But in my heart I was thinking: My parents couldn't give me an older brother, but I found my own little Taoist priest, hehe~

Across from him, Deng Youcai's expression turned serious as he asked the man, "When did Xiaolin completely lose her mind?"

The man said, "Just yesterday, she completely stopped talking. She doesn't respond when I talk to her. Master Deng, could you please take a look and tell me what's wrong?"

"I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush." ​​Deng Youcai checked Xiaolin's condition again.

After a moment's hesitation, he spoke: "Xiaolin is possessed by a malevolent spirit. Moreover, there is more than one malevolent spirit on her, and they are interfering with and impacting each other, which is why Xiaolin has lost her mind."

The man's face turned deathly pale, and his legs went weak: "Ah? Then... what should we do?"

Deng Youcai said, "I can set up an altar and perform a ritual to guide the evil spirits possessing Xiaolin out and send them away."

The man immediately knelt down: "Please, Master Deng, act quickly! Save my sister!"

Deng Youcai waved his hand: "Since you've come to me for help, I'll naturally help you, but there are some things you need to prepare."

The man quickly scrambled to his feet: "Please give me your orders!"

Deng Youcai took a pen and paper from the table next to him and handed them to him: "Write this down."

The man hurriedly took the paper and pen.

Deng Youcai listed the items one by one: "Three feet and three inches of red cloth, unused; one foot and five inches of black cloth, same as before; two ounces of cinnabar, pure; one ream of yellow paper; three bundles of incense; a pair of candles; one rooster, with a red comb; a bowl of black dog's blood..."

He said a long string of words, and the man wrote it all down with trembling hands.

Deng Youcai concluded by saying, "Also, buy two bottles of strong baijiu, over 65 degrees."

After the man finished writing, he looked up and asked again, "Master Deng, is there anything else?"

Deng Youcai thought for a moment and said, "That's about enough. Go and prepare first, then come back when you're ready."

The man glanced at his younger sister, who was slumped in a chair, and asked with some concern, "What about Xiaolin..."

"Put it here," Deng Youcai said. "I'll watch it for you, so hurry up."

The man nodded, then said to Xiaolin, "Wait for me, little sister, I'll be right back," before hurriedly running out.

The online sensation "Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain" is a heartfelt work by the author who was asleep and didn't want to think about anything. It's available on Cola Novels.