《The Nine Dragon Coffin》Chapter 6 – Communicating with Demons
Advertisement
Chapter 6 – Communicating with Demons
Hope rose within me. I hoped that this person really could unveil the truth of Green Dragon Mountain. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Captain Wu leading the team this time. The soldiers imposed martial law at the foot of the mountain, so we couldn’t go up to see.
Coincidentally, a while later, a soldier came down and told Captain Wu, “The cadre said to have you find someone familiar with the local situation and go up.”
As it was, we were right beside him. Captain Wu waved. “Old sir, please.”
Grandpa picked me up. “I want to bring the child with me,” he said.
Captain Wu was taken aback. “Old sir, no one knows what will happen. It won’t be good if we scare the kid, right?”
“This child has been with me since childhood. He can’t leave me.”
Captain Wu nodded. “Okay, fine.”
After we climbed the mountain, we saw the man in the Chinese tunic suit up close. Even I, a seven or eight-year old, thought that he was handsome—a very masculine type of handsomeness. After Grandpa explained the situation with the back of Green Dragon Mountain, he nodded and said, “Thank you, sir.”
Chinese Tunic waved. Soldiers carried a box over. At first, I thought that it was some secret weapon, but after they set it up, I realized that it was an altar. They placed it before the ancient stele and stepped to the side.
Chinese Tunic went up and lit three incense sticks, pushing them gently into the burner.
I couldn’t help but think that this was way too different from the demon-fighting scene I’d imagined!
Could the mountain ghost be defeated just like this?
Chinese Tunic didn’t do anything else. He stood before the altar, staring at the three incenses.
Advertisement
“Incense Reading?” Grandpa murmured.
“What’s that?” I asked hurriedly.
“I heard Old Blindman mention it before. There’s a saying that goes, ‘Incense Reading technique, watch the incense. The Immortals light incense to communicate with the three worlds.’
“People from some northern places are skilled at Incense Reading. The master communicating with spirits would worship all the gods at home. If anyone comes for a reading, he would have the man burn incense before the gods. The answer you want would appear within the smoke and ashes. Of course, regular people won’t understand. Only the communicating master can read the meaning. That incense is the medium for gods to communicate with humans.
“But Old Blindman also said that these people usually can only invite minor gods, so the shamanistic Chuma disciples in the Northeast use it more often.”
I didn’t really understand, but I found it magical, so I asked, “Then what is that guy asking the incense?”
Grandpa shook his head. “I wouldn’t know.”
As soon as he finished, his head whipped toward the Woods of No Return. I followed his gaze. A ball of black smoke was rising behind the woods. It seemed to carry something inside. The black smoke was moving straight toward the Woods of No Return. As it moved, the trees in the woods all swayed from side to side!
My mouth dropped open. Earlier, I’d promised Grandpa that I wouldn’t be scared, but now I was shaking. As the trees moved, I heard footsteps get closer from the direction of the woods. It was like a huge beast was racing through the trees, or an army of thousands of soldiers and horses!
Grandpa and I weren’t the only ones who saw this creepy scene. The prepared soldiers instantly raised their guns and aimed at the Woods of No Return. I hid in Grandpa’s arms, but I couldn’t help but look up at Chinese Tunic, whom I thought was a hero.
Advertisement
But then I realized that he’d knelt down before the altar at some point. He kept kowtowing toward the Woods of No Return while chanting something. His words were fast, spitting out things that I couldn’t understand like a machine gun.
“Hey, say something I can understand!” the government official-like man cried frantically. “What should we do? Blast them to hell or what?”
Chinese Tunic raised his head and said, “Everyone, go down the mountain. If we anger him, all of us will die! No matter what you hear, no matter what happens, do not look back, do not come back up! Remember! Do NOT look back!”
Advertisement
A Snake's Life
The Afterlife isn't always what you think… The loving father of three children, Alfred lived a life of few regrets. He served his country far from home. He outlived his soulmate. He died alone. However, Albert's intentions about a peaceful eternity, reunited with his wife, are thrown out the window when a meddling god digs his fingers into Albert’s afterlife. The positive? He has a chance to make things right—to live the life that was so cruelly taken from him the first time. Reincarnating into a world full of magical evolutions, monstrous deer, and sassy ten-year-old elves, Albert worries he doesn't have a chance of surviving the three-hundred-years the god promised it would take to reunite him with his beloved. But if life has taught Albert anything it’s this: If something is worth having, it's worth fighting for. And he intends to fight.
8 143Samsara Cycle - Xianxia - Villainous Reincarnation [COMPLETED]
A thousand lifetimes ago, Qiu Xuanwu stood atop the world as the King of the Underworld. He sealed the righteous deities and reigned alone--until the last remaining righteous deity, Kai Bailong, tore him from his throne, released the righteous deities, and restored order to the world. Instead of exterminating Qiu Xuanwu, Kai Bailong consigned his soul to enter the cycle of samsara, experiencing countless reincarnations until his soul purified. Kai Bailong followed him into the mortal cycle, watching over the evil deity. For eons, the two reincarnated together, locked in eternal moral combat. As orange trees, bees, cats and dogs, and a thousand other lifeforms, the two struggled endlessly. A thousand lifetimes later, Qiu Xuanwu awakens as the young Chen Wuya, finally reincarnated into a human form capable of cultivation. With Kai Bailong nowhere in sight, he sets out to once more become the strongest martial deity and finally complete the vengeance that led him to become the King of the Underworld in his first life. Though a thousand lifetimes have passed, nothing will keep him from his goal... unless that damned Kai Bailong finds him again! -Low-fantasy for Xianxia, high-fantasy in general -Lightly comedic, mostly action/adventure -Updates biweekly Mon/Fri, daily updates until I catch up to backlog!
8 141Death's Emissary
Caught in a conflict between gods, Scarlet is forced to serve the goddess of Death to save her own life. When her mother goes missing, Scarlet becomes determined to use her newly acquired prowess as a mage to rescue her—which means entrenching herself further in Death's battle against Riordan, a power-hungry god who seeks to control mortals and immortals alike. Dante would do anything to protect the people he cares about, but he isn’t safe himself. Magic is illegal, and it’s getting harder to hide that he’s a mage. Visions of the past and future haunt him, and it won’t be possible to protect himself and his magically-inclined sister forever. When his quiet life is torn away, he’s forced to face his powers and a whole new world. Someone stole Jarrett’s memories. He isn’t going to stop searching until he finds out who—and why. In the meantime, his focus is on commanding a secret rebellion force in hopes of securing autonomy for the oppressed mages of the kingdom. Their fates collide as they become entrenched in the battle against Riordan. To have any chance of slaying a god and freeing themselves from his tyranny, they’ll have to place trust in the right allies and master newfound powers.
8 175Aftershocks
When the long-overdue Cascadia earthquake hits, Portland is not only devastated by the damage, but also abandoned by a corrupt government, isolated by broken infrastructure, and overrun by organized crime networks fighting the strict federal regulations on fossil fuels. Lacey, the captain of a high school outrigger canoe team, persuades her girlfriend Rede and the other paddlers to use their unique skill as a means of survival, acting as couriers who navigate the waterlogged ruins of the city. All goes well until a botched job leaves Lacey with no other option but to disappear in order to protect her team. Rescued from her attempted suicide by a criminal duo, Lacey reluctantly begins her new secret life among the community she once exploited. Meanwhile, Rede and the team try to move past their anguish at Lacey's apparent death, but when a mysterious newcomer sheds a new light on the circumstances, they find themselves embroiled in a plot to bring about justice. *updates every other Tuesday*
8 173The fisher and the beast (Complete)
A ditzy goddess summons a bunch of humans to Nugaia and tells them to fight an undead horde. She then dissapears and leave them alone, fortunately before that blessing them with some skills to survive...
8 136A Spark in the Wind
Though there has been mistrust between the Kingdom of Alinor and the Forest Kingdom for thousands of years, Prince Meneldir has naught but love in his heart for Lord Vilyánur, his oldest and closest friend.But something's coming: something that will turn their lives upside down, something that will consume them and everything they hold dear should they fail to unite their two kingdoms into one and rise up against this threat.But then comes the real question: if you tamper with essential forces of nature to save the one you love, is it even worth it? What can be the result of such an action? Is a world claimed by decadence and degeneration even worth saving? The board is set, the pieces are moving.[A WATTYS 2018 SHORTLISTER] [ALSO SHORTLISTED FOR INDIAN AWARDS 2019]
8 111