Chapter Four: Truly Behaving Now

After learning these things, one inevitably becomes inflated with pride, wishing the whole world knew that I was a practitioner. Thinking back to the very beginning, it felt like a dream I dared not wake from. I did not know my own birth data, but I was so eager to learn the arts that one day, when I was with a junior fellow apprentice, I took advantage of my father sleeping to sneakily find my birth certificate. I was overjoyed and secretly sent the information to my master, who followed the formal procedures to report it to the patriarchs before beginning the initiation ritual.

The next day, I lost no time in preparing the altar, the portrait of the patriarch, and the various tools for consecration and practice. Whenever we performed consecrations, my master would patiently guide us until the very end. On the day I performed my own consecration, I set a record online. What should have been resolved with a few sticks of incense ended up consuming over twenty, and if you ask why, it was because I kept stumbling over my incantations. From dusk until late at night, my master and several senior fellow apprentices stayed with me, guiding me. I was truly happy and moved; every time I failed a consecration, they encouraged me, saying I would surely succeed. When I finally succeeded, we cheered and jumped for joy—it was an incredible feeling.

"You really need to practice your handwriting," "If you can't manage, practice your calligraphy before trying to draw talismans," "Oh, my, this writing of yours..." Yes, these are the things my master and senior fellow apprentices said to me most often. My handwriting could no longer be described as merely abstract; it was hilarious.

Soon, I received my first client. She was a woman who found me through a platform, telling me she often felt inexplicably panicked and fearful, suffered from strange dreams, and experienced random bouts of bad luck and physical discomfort. Based on my analysis, I quickly determined that ghosts were at play. I hurried to the altar to consult the patriarchs, who confirmed that spirits were indeed involved and that I had the ability to resolve it. After discussing a solution with her, I obtained her birth date and address to begin the ritual. I placed the talisman I had drawn together with her paper effigy and began to recite the incantations: "Incense must not be burned carelessly, paper must not be scorched in vain, the disciple today..." After a series of actions, I prepared a bowl of consecrated exorcism water for her. The next day, she told me she had slept soundly. Over the following week, she happily reported that everything had become much smoother than before. I was overjoyed; I had helped someone and fulfilled my original intention for learning these arts. I shared the news with my master and seniors, who gave me their encouragement, just as they still do today. Perhaps this was just a practice exercise given to me by the patriarchs, for what follows is how I truly dealt with such entities.

At the beginning of the Year of the Water Rabbit, a believer approached my master, saying that for some reason, their family was constantly facing misfortune, poor health, and various other problems. My master used a series of deductions and operations to discover that they had been worshipping an unconsecrated deity statue. Here is a small bit of knowledge: whether it is a statue or a portrait, consecration is essential. Otherwise, it is just an inanimate object. The offerings and incense you present will be consumed by wandering ghosts, mountain spirits, and wild demons rather than by the true deities. Over time, problems naturally arise in the household. As for this believer? Their family had been worshipping a statue of Guanyin for nearly thirty years, only to discover it had never been consecrated and had been occupied by a spirit. It had been eating their incense for thirty years; the longer it received offerings, the more powerful it became. At that time, my master was young and arrogant: "Let's see what a measly ghost can do!" My master began a series of operations, and the house was quiet for a while. Then, one night, my master suddenly felt unwell, breaking out in cold sweats, trembling uncontrollably, and weeping. In his sleep, he saw someone staring at him. He quickly broke the state he was in, and once he recovered, he called my senior fellow apprentice and me to discuss the matter. My stubborn senior fellow apprentice spoke up: "It's fine, Master, how much trouble can a tiny spirit cause? Just watch me!" Following the same procedure, he didn't even last an hour before rushing to my master: "Master, save me, I feel so terrible!" My master immediately performed rituals to rescue him. During that time, he was very dejected. We were all like calves that didn't fear the tiger. I stepped up and said, "Master, let me try!" The result, as you can imagine, was that I was even worse; I started getting beaten the moment I began the ritual. In an instant, the room felt freezing cold, even though it was the hottest part of summer. My body felt cold inside, but the air outside was scorching. My mind went completely blank all night, unable to recall the incantations or protective measures. Then, I did something truly absurd: fearing the entity might possess my dog, I grabbed it and ran five kilometers in my slippers to my aunt's house. Yes, you heard me right: a practitioner running five kilometers down the road in slippers, clutching a Teddy dog. When dealing with these things, if you get entangled, it disrupts your mind as if someone is pulling at your nerves; your mood suddenly plummets, and you become extremely irritable. Just when we were at our wits' end, my father returned. He was a veteran who had seen much of the world. As soon as he walked in, all the discomfort I felt vanished. It was truly miraculous. Thinking back on it now, it was both ridiculous and pathetic.

After this incident, we contacted the believer and told him that we really had no way to help and explained the severity of the spirit. However, he thought we were just trying to swindle him. There was nothing more to be done. By the beginning of the Year of the Dragon, we received feedback: they were still suffering from misfortune. His grandmother had tripped and died while cleaning the stairs; she had inexplicably stepped into thin air and suffered multiple fractures. We could only offer our condolences, and we also suffered our own consequences, such as bouts of bad luck.

Through this, we learned the importance of consecration and realized that one must not become arrogant or think oneself extraordinary just because one knows a few tricks. Do not think you are powerful, because you simply haven't met anything truly powerful yet. Life is a place of learning everywhere. See you next time.