The Tale of the Ghost Eyes Chapter 80 Making Paper Amulets (2)

"You again?" It spoke, rumbling inside of me. I concentrated on the warmth, placing mental hands on either side of it and spoke.

"That was the deal wasn't it?" I said. "Spirit, I need your supernatural air to craft paper amulets."

A deep laughter filled my head. "Use it wisely." The spirit said. Then something changed. The warmth and light pulled into me, sinking from my head to my chest and expanding into my limbs.

"Woah." I accidentally said out loud. Master Ge smiled slightly across the room. I held up my hands and looked at them. The power coursing through my body felt as if it extended in an aura around me.

"Well done." Master Ge said. "You'd better get started, that incantation doesn't usually last too long."

"As long as your body can handle the strain." The voice inside me said.

"Okay…" I breathed out and started the process. Murmuring the incantations with a new powerful speed, I drew the pattern and recited the words, moving everything at the perfect time.

As I was just about to finish, I felt the air around me pull towards the amulet. The power that coursed through me pulsed wildly like it was being drawn into a vortex.

"Control it…" Master Ge said with a teacher's condescension.

The warmth and power of my supernatural aura pulsed towards the amulet, and then expanded outwards into the room. Master Ge raised his hand in defense as a wave of supernatural air boomed out of my grasp.

"No!" I shouted, "Stop!"

I moved my hands in the finalizing rite above the amulet with as much of the power I had left. As it drained into the amulet, I whispered the incantation to send the spirit away and felt the warmth sink out of my body without a word. Panting, sweating, and slightly terrified, I turned to Master Ge. "What do you think? How'd I do?"

He was staring at me with wide eyes and a surprise that I'd never seen on his wise features.

"What? Did I do something wrong? I know I lost a lot of the power towards the end there. It felt like a water balloon full of holes."

The master shook his head as if that'd clear his vision and closed his mouth. "Xiao Yong," he started, "You are genuinely powerful…" He raised his hands and them dropped them again. "Boy, you might be more powerful than I am. That…that spirit, that strength! If you were not Liu Chunan's godson I would take as my apprentice right now!"

"What?" I said, laughing. "No way! Master Liu told me that I have the heart of Taoist, but I can't ever be one. He taught me how to do that so I could protect myself."

Master Ge smiled brilliantly, "Liu Chunan has a lot of rules. If I were him I would've picked you up immediately too. It doesn't matter if you grow to be a Taoist or a plumber, you are something special."

He pointed to the paper amulet sitting on the table in front of me. "Despite how much spiritual energy you just released into the room, I think that caught enough to be viable. Congratulations Xiao Yong, you've just crafted your first paper amulet!"

Master Ge knelt down and took out a large blue book. Handing it to me, he said, "There are hundreds of records and methods about various amulets. Here, you can continue researching on your own. Each amulet has a slightly different, but similar drawing process. If you keep practicing you'll be a master one day."

My head was floating from all the praise. "Thank you!" I said, accepting the book with a smile.

He grinned and knocked me on the head with his writing brush. "Don't let it go to your head." He gave me a slight bow, "I have fulfilled my duty to Liu Chunan and I must be off. Come, help me gather my things and I will go."

My heart sank. "But Master Ge, won't you stay until Master Liu comes back? Don't you want to see him?"

Master Ge shook his head. "I'd love to see Liu Chunan, but there is no time now. I have things to take care of and people to see. I must go."

He walked past me as I struggled to think of what to say. "Xiao Yong, you might be one of us some day. You must continue your training."

Time seemed to move faster after that. Master Ge ate lunch with my parents and went to the bus stop shortly afterwards. I walked him to the bus stop and bowed deeply. "Thank you Master Ge."

"Keep practicing with those amulets, son. I expect to see much progress next time we meet. Here, I made this for you." He handed me a small red wooden box. "I carved that myself. It'll be a nice keepsake."

When I returned to the house I put my first paper amulet inside of the red wood box. I placed it on the table by my bed and the other treasures.

Time continued to march after Master Ge left. I practiced Da Hong fist in the morning and evenings and practiced making paper amulets after dinner each day. School went on without incident and before I knew it I was months away from being a fifth grader!

I learned how to make eight kinds of amulets. The book Master Ge left me had chapters on catching spirits and performing religious rites. I became familiar with conjuration footwork and how to better focus supernatural air into amulets.

The red spirit that I could now invite into my body with ease became a familiar part of my life. "You're making progress," its deep voice rumbled as I called on him to practice the craft.

It was sitting in meditation with my legs crossed, hands moving in a Taoist rite and murmuring an incantation from the book when he spoke. With his words came a force of supernatural air that rotated around me like a blanket of sunlight.

"What do I call you?" I asked inside my mind. "How did you become a spirit? Were you a Taoist?"

The energy continued to swirl around me. It pulsed warm light around my head and chest, flittering up and down my limbs. "I will tell you," came the voice from within me. "But not now. Ask again when you are older…wiser."

I opened my eyes and bit my lip, annoyed at the spirit. "Very well then."

After our final exam at the end of the year we started the summer holiday. Shang Haoming pulled me aside as we were leaving the school grounds.

"Hey. When do you think Master Liu is coming? I want to meet him."

"I don't know." I told him with a shrug. "Sometime this summer is all I can say. You're welcome to come stay with us if you want. I'm sure mom and dad wouldn't care."

They didn't. Shang Haoming stayed at our house almost constantly that summer. He joined me in completing my chores and practicing Da Hong fist during the days. He marveled at me as I crafted paper amulets. I made so many in anticipation of Master Liu's visit. One rainy day Zhao Jie and Shang Haoming sat on my bed and watched me crafting an amulet.

"Can you show us how to do that?" Zhao Jie asked.

"Nope."

"Aw, come on!" He pestered, the more we have the better prepared we'll be!"

"I can't!" I told him seriously, "Master Ge said I'd be struck down by lightning if I taught anyone else." I made a thunder rumbling sound. "I promised him."

"Liar!" Shang Haoming said with a grin, "You're so mean!"

"Xiao Yong, where are you! My things are getting all wet!" Came a familiar voice from outside the house.

"No way!" I said under my breath. The three of us dashed out of my room to the front door. Standing in the rain, holding his bags was Master Liu. He looked just as he always had. In one hand he had a bag overflowing with food.

"Master Liu!" I cried, hugging him around the waist.

He smiled and pushed me aside, coming in out of the weather. My parents joined us at the door and greeted the old man. Master Liu greeted everyone, introducing himself to Shang Haoming.

"We met a long time ago, Shang Haoming. You might not remember, but we've got history." He said with a mysterious smile.

Once he got dry, settled, and began unloading food he said, "Well, no time like the present. Tell me about the ghost you boys dealt with." We recounted the story from start to finish, interrupting each other a thousand times.

The old man laughed and was serious at the right places, not interrupting or imposing. When we were finally finished he said, "Yes, yes, that last part I heard about from Master Ge. Speaking of, Xiao Yong I hear that you're quite the amulet maker. Tell me. How many have you learned?"

"Eight!" I said with a smile.

"Which ones have you mastered?"

I thought over and said, "I don't know about mastery, but I'm pretty good at the soul binding ones, thunder ones, and safety ones."

He nodded approvingly and said, "I'd like to see for myself. Show me later, okay?"

I nodded eagerly, excited to show off what I could do.

Later that afternoon Master Liu watched me draw and prepare six paper amulets. He nodded and said, "Not bad, but keep practicing. These amulets are a yellow grade quality, functional, but not perfect. You have a long way to go."

"I will!" I told him, only slightly put off by his lack of praise.

When I summoned the spirit to use his supernatural air, his reaction was much more reserved than Master Ge's.

I performed the incantation and felt the familiar warmth pool into my mind. Concentrating and directing the spirit, I used it to craft the amulets. When all was finished and I dismissed the spirit, without losing any of its energy I might add, Master Liu only nodded his head.

"You've made a contract with a green ghost I see." He said.

"I think its red…" I told him.

"Hmm, whichever class it presents to you, it is powerful. That much is sure. When I taught you that incantation it was to summon a god, a real god. Have you succeeded in doing that?"

My eyes fell to the floor and I shook my head.

"That incantation can summon immortals more powerful than a red or green spirit, Xiao Yong. You could embody a human immortal, or even a hell immortal." I started to speak, but he cut me off. "It matters not, you've come a long way and can access powers to protect yourself. That's one less thing for me to worry about in the coming years."

"What do you mean?" I asked, "You'll be around…wont you?"

Chapter end