/
Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.
 [] [Table of Contents] []\n
<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\nA man wearing a cap and large sunglasses hopped off the bus and ran after Chu Yue, “Miss Exorcist, please wait, Miss Exorcist…”\n
This was the first time Chu Yue had been called ‘exorcist’ since coming to Yancheng. She stopped and turned around, apparently waiting for the man to speak.\n
The man hesitated for a heartbeat, but couldn’t resist asking in the end, “Miss Exorcist, do ghosts really exist in this world?”\n
Chu Yue looked the man up and down, sizing him up. She could see a faint aura of yin qi surrounding him. Instead of giving a straight answer, she threw the question back at him, “Do you think that ghosts exist in this world?”\n
“I…” If he didn’t believe in ghosts at all, he wouldn’t have gotten off the bus and chased after her, right after witnessing the incident with the young man. Although he used to look down on those who believed in the supernatural, he just couldn’t explain away the things that had happened to him recently using science.\n
But… could this young woman really help solve his problems? She looked to be eighteen at the most, and she was just a student at that. What if she just liked reading about supernatural incidents as a hobby?\n
I’ve just been overwhelmed by everything lately, I’m just clutching at straws now… Why did I think that a random girl talking about the supernatural on a bus would be able to solve my problems? She can’t possibly be a proper exorcist or anything…\n
The man’s hesitation and doubt were written all over his face, so Chu Yue knew that it would be futile to say anything more. She handed him a name card, “You can contact me here. When you’ve thought things through, just give me a call, I’m open to help you at any time.”\n
For a minor case like this, where the victim hadn’t suffered much, and wasn’t sure about spending money to fix their otherworldly problems, it wasn’t good to push her services on them. It could even bite her back in the ass later. She just had to wait a few more days. Once the victim had experienced how troublesome those ‘friends’ could be, he would definitely come right up to her doorstep.\n
After giving out her name card, Chu Yue turned around and continued on her way. She and Zhu Xixi headed straight for the school gates.\n
Zhu Xixi was almost bursting with excitement and curiosity.\n
“Chu Yue, are you a Taoist nun? From what you were talking about just now, and the metaphysics you mentioned, did you choose philosophy as your major because you wanted to learn more about the arcane? Is it like studying Tao Te Ching? Do you know how to perform those exorcism rituals like in the movies? Can you use yin-yang sight to communicate with the dead? That would be so cool!”\n
No wonder Chu Yue was dressed in such a particular way: a traditional Chinese style shirt and long pants, both blue, combined with a white outer robe embroidered with clouds and cranes. Her outfit had an elegant air to it, but it didn’t seem like Han clothing. Now that she thought about it, Chu Yue really looked the part of a Taoist priest.\n
“I’m not ordained as a nun,” Chu Yue shook her head, a little resigned from the common misunderstanding, “There’s no such thing as a Taoist nun in Taoism too. Taoism is split into two ways: the Gan and the Kun. Male practitioners can be called huangguan, while female practitioners can be called nǚguan. I’m not a Taoist practitioner though; if you absolutely have to label me, you could call me a cultivation practitioner, or cultivator.”\n
People no longer believed in gods or deities in the modern day world. Taoism was also becoming less and less popular, while cultivation was viewed as something only the gullible or mentally ill would believe in. Given how little the general public knew about those who dealt with the other world, most people tended to have strange misconceptions, just like Zhu Xixi.\n
“Tao Te Ching is one of the foundation works of Taoism. Together with Mohism and Legalism, they form part of the Hundred Schools of Thought. It’s not really a scripture of Taoism, but just a different way of looking at the world. If you want to read more about Taoism, you can check out books like Taipingjing or Baopuzi. The exorcism ritual you mentioned isn’t actually an exorcism ritual in the Taoist teachings, it’s a purification ceremony. On a large-scale, the purification ceremony can be used to pray for blessings and give gratitude to an area, or get rid of bad luck and disasters. For smaller-scale ceremonies performed with a small altar, it can help someone ward off evil spirits and bring peace to a household. As for the yin-yang sight you mentioned, that doesn’t exist in Taoism. It actually belongs to cultivation; for cultivators who cultivate for years, they develop a connection to the earth and start to understand the natural laws. They’ll understand the complicated ties of karma generated between all living beings, and in doing so, they develop the power to sense special energy fields.” \n
Zhu Xixi’s mouth was open wide enough to catch flies at this point. The poor girl was obviously dumbstruck at the amount of information she had been given. After a long pause, Zhu Xixi finally came back to life, “Chu Yue, I finally understand why you chose philosophy as your major.”\n
It took a few more moments of crinkled brows and hard thinking before Zhu Xixi came up with a suitable conclusion, “You’re really suited to be a philosopher, what you just explained about… about Taoism and all, it sounded exactly like philosophy.”\n
Chu Yue chuckled in response, “The arcane studies also started out in philosophy, and it’s also a product of humans observing the natural world around us. However, the arcane studies focus less on philosophy and more on cultivation. It’s fine if you think of it that way though.”\n
Zhu Xixi had always been more of an introvert, to the point of avoiding social contact. However, Chu Yue had completely won her over. Chu Yue was just so kind, strong, and yet refreshing. She also had a totally deep side to her, being able to consider such philosophical questions. Zhu Xixi would be the first to admit that she wouldn’t be able to figure all that out even if she tried for her entire lifetime.\n
The wholehearted praise from the round-faced girl didn’t make Chu Yue blush, she accepted it openly with a nod, “Not at all, not at all. It’s a new world now, we have to keep up with the times, no matter what profession we’re in. If we stand still, we’ll get swept away in the sea of time.”\n
Zhu Xixi continued the deep conversation with Chu Yue and they quickly became friends over WeChat. After accepting her friend request, Zhu Xixi recalled her initial question: “So do cultivators really have a mysterious power? If I’m totally earnest in my prayers, will they be able to give me some sort of magic spell that will make all my wishes come true?”\n
Xixi was a total programming geek and she lived and breathed code. She had recently encountered a few problems with her code that she couldn’t solve even after almost tearing all her hair out. This short time spent interacting with Chu Yue had piqued her interest and curiosity in supernatural abilities. She wanted something that could make whatever she wanted happen.\n
Chu Yue couldn’t help but smile at the question, “There’s no such magic spell, and even if there was one, it would be against the laws of nature.”\n
After seeing the devastation and disappointment in Xixi’s face, Chu Yue added on, “Although there isn’t a spell to truly make your wishes come true, there are some talismans that can achieve a similar effect. For example, a talisman to clear the mind and calm the heart can help you when you’re grappling with a problem that requires a lot of thinking. Those so-called flashes of inspiration actually come from the experience you’ve already accumulated through years of studying. Couple that with a sharp, clear mind, and I’m sure you’ll be able to figure your own way to achieve what you want.”\n
“Really?” Xixi’s eyes lit up once again, “Chu Yue, you’re really good at giving advice. You remind me of Master Yichan, he’s really famous online. The way you speak is similar to his, simple, yet deep and encouraging.”\n
Chu Yue’s expression remained the same, but inwardly, she took a mental note of this Master Yichan that Xixi mentioned. Was the competition so fierce within the arcane community nowadays? Everyone seemed to be fighting hard for the sake of their careers.This Master Yichan sounded like one of her direct competitors; she had to find some time to take a look at him online and see how he attracted fans.\n
<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\nTL Note: The man calls Chu Yue 大师 (literally master), a respectful term for someone who is highly skilled in any profession. I decided to use ‘Miss Exorcist’ as it fit the context.\n
道姑 = Taoist nun\n
道士 = practitioner\n
符咒 = spell/talisman\n
Tao Te Ching is an ancient fundamental text for Taoism. I used the most common English name for it here, rather than the pinyin name for it. Same with the other Taoist texts mentioned: Taipingjing and Baopuzi. It’s also true what Chu Yue says about philosophy and Taoism~\n
Chu Yue speaks about a lot of complex concepts in this chapter… I tried to translate them into similar terms in English so that it’s easier to understand overall. \n
Basically the entire community that deals with the supernatural will be the arcane side, or the arcane community. Within it, there are a few branches with different abilities/methods, one of them would be Taoism, the other would be cultivation. Cultivators can use talismans to invoke some sort of effect. \n
<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\n [] [Table of Contents] []\n
Like this:Like Loading...