Chapter 81: Unexpected Harvest
Chapter 81: Unexpected Harvest
The next morning, Liam was taken by Qiusheng to Ren Family Town to purchase the items on the list. Ren Family Town was a bustling place with many merchants from all over, so Uncle Kiu’s requirements could easily be met here.
With the help of the local resident, Qiusheng, Liam quickly found suitable shops to buy cinnabar, yellow paper, three offerings, and a rooster. Since money was no object, Liam bought a bit extra of each item and chose the best quality. After hiring someone from the town to push the goods in a wheelbarrow, Liam and Qiusheng returned to the Mortuary. Uncle Kiu inspected the items and said to Liam, “There was no need to buy such high-quality items. You’ve spent too much.”
While unloading the goods from the wheelbarrow, Liam replied, “Master Lin, this notebook was left behind by a powerful dark wizard, so much so that no one in our world dares to speak his true name. So, when it comes to dealing with his remnants, I prefer to be well-prepared. Besides, I’m not short of money, so why not spend a bit more for peace of mind?”
Qiusheng and Wencai exchanged looks of speechlessness, clearly struggling to understand the mindset of the wealthy.
By the third hour of the afternoon, everything was ready. Uncle Kiu, wearing a feathered cap and a saffron yellow Taoist robe, held a duster in one hand and a bell in the other, and walked to the center of the courtyard. The courtyard had already been set up with a ritual array, with red ropes and talismans in place, and the notebook was placed at the center of the array.
Uncle Kiu walked to the square table in front of the array, where various offerings and incense sticks were already arranged. In the center of the table stood a plaque dedicated to the Ancestor of Mount Mao. Uncle Kiu took three incense sticks and lit them on the red candles on the table, then bowed three times respectfully and placed them in the incense burner in front of the plaque.
He then turned to Liam and said, “Hold onto the red rope left open in the ritual array. I will activate the array shortly, and it will transmit all the memories stored within this notebook to you through the red rope. However, to avoid any potential counterattacks from this evil object, the memories transmitted will not include anything related to cultivation.”
Liam bowed and replied, “Thank you, Master Lin. I only wish to uncover any plots he had against my master’s sect. As for his dark practices, I have no interest in them.”
After preparing, Uncle Kiu stepped into the Yubu Step and began to chant, shaking the bell. Liam saw all the talismans in the courtyard start to vibrate in rhythm with Uncle Kiu’s incantations.
Suddenly, a black light shot out from the notebook toward Uncle Kiu but was blocked by the red light of the ritual array. They remained in a deadlock for a few seconds, and then Liam heard Uncle Kiu shout, “Invoke the ancestor!”
The black light was quickly suppressed, and a white mist began to flow through the red rope of the ritual array toward Liam. Liam closed his eyes and began to receive the memories, unaware of the shock in Uncle Kiu’s eyes as he watched him.
The memories Liam received were primarily from the year Voldemort unleashed the Basilisk, along with a small, unattributed soul fragment. However, Voldemort had clearly hidden many key details when creating his Horcruxes, so this memory only revealed that Hagrid was expelled from school due to the spider. Liam noticed that Voldemort was wearing a ring with a black gem, which he suspected to be another Horcrux, the Resurrection Stone.
In addition to everything else, Liam had a significant surprise: he learned Parseltongue. It was clear that when Uncle Kiu invoked the Ancestor, there was a clash with Voldemort's Horcrux, allowing Liam to see some deeper things.
However, this version of Parseltongue was acquired later in life and required practice to master. It couldn't compare to the innate proficiency of Harry and Voldemort.
After receiving the memories, Liam opened his eyes and found Uncle Kiu sitting in a chair nearby, looking somewhat tired. Wencai and Qiusheng were bringing him tea and water.
Upon seeing Liam come to, Uncle Kiu said, "Young friend, this thing truly is the work of a great dark wizard. It had hidden traps that almost tripped me up, but fortunately, I invoked the Ancestor in time and avoided injury. Sigh, I was too careless."
Liam felt very guilty seeing Uncle Kiu in such a state. He reached into his Spatial Bag and pulled out a batch of Sunlight Crystals he had recently acquired, handing them to Uncle Kiu. "Master Lin, I'm sorry to have troubled you. These are some of my medicines, containing the power of Life and Sunlight. Do you think they might be useful?"
Uncle Kiu took the jar of Sunlight Crystals and carefully felt their energy. He immediately told Liam, "Young friend, this is very useful to me. I'll go meditate for a while; don't worry about me." With that, he walked into the hall and closed the door.
By the time it was almost dinner, Uncle Kiu emerged from the room. Seeing Liam, he thanked him, "Such rare and precious treasures are hard to come by these days. For you to give me something so valuable, I am truly grateful."
"These aren't as rare in my world", Liam said. "So, could you tell me why you find them so valuable?"
"Because the pure and positive energy within them can neutralize the negative and evil qi in the environment. This afternoon, I used it to break through a small bottleneck in my cultivation. You can imagine how valuable something that can solve major problems in the Era of Decline would be."
Uncle Kiu paused and then added, "No wonder Westerners are so powerful. With this, they naturally wouldn't fear negative and evil qi, making them formidable."
Liam found Uncle Kiu's hypothesis a bit amusing, but he didn't say anything.
Then, Uncle Kiu regained his composure and asked Liam, "I heard you came to Zhongtu to seek the Dao. Is that true?"
"Yes, but unfortunately, I've visited several places, and each one values their traditions highly. I've come away empty-handed."
"Would you be willing to become my disciple?" Uncle Kiu suddenly asked.
Liam was surprised by this. While it was one of his goals, he was still curious and asked, "Master Lin, before I came, my elders told me that in Zhongtu, taking on disciples involves thorough examination. Joining a sect is no easy task, let alone for someone with another lineage. Why are you so willing to take me as a disciple today?"
Uncle Kiu looked a bit embarrassed and said, "On one hand, we are in the Era of Decline, where demons and monsters wreak havoc. I believe that being overly protective of our knowledge as we were in the past is no longer viable. On the other hand, when the Ancestor possessed me, I saw the golden light of virtue in you, even more than in the Headmaster. It suggests you've saved countless lives, proving your character is beyond reproach. Moreover, in this world, virtue is paramount, and I hope to benefit from your virtue."
With his doubts resolved, Liam explained that his own sect did not forbid disciples from taking on another master, only from learning dark and twisted arts. Therefore, he was very willing to become Master Lin's disciple.
(End of Chapter)
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