Although sanitary pads were common now, in such poor and backward countryside, women were still reluctant to buy sanitary pads that would be thrown away after being used once.

  The old man looked at Ning Shu angrily. “Why were you so unfamiliar with the exorcism process this time? You need to have a good eye to survive in our line of business. You should pay more attention to your surroundings. Daoism isn’t a feudal superstition. Rather, it’s observing and analyzing the situation to deduce the auspiciousness of a residence.

  “There’s a well under the locust tree, and it’s convenient to wash clothes next to it. After decades of being watered, how could there be no problem?” The old man shook his head and said, “It’s just that the locust tree’s roots were deep, and the well water wasn’t clean either. The locust tree is a tree that grows from a grave. If it wasn’t planted by someone, there’s probably a grave within one meter.”


  Ning Shu: (☆_☆)

  Master was so amazing!

  “Then why didn’t you tell him?” asked Ning Shu.

  The old man looked at Ning Shu like she was a blockhead. “If I tell him everything, it will be just one job and one payment. However, if he digs it up himself, he will definitely come to me again, making it two payments. Why are you so stupid?

  “When you dig up a grave, you must ask the deceased’s soul to leave and check the feng shui. It’s a big job. Jade Emperor, please bless us. Please allow him to dig up the grave!”


  Ning Shu: ……

  Sure enough, she was still too inexperienced. What happened just now made Ning Shu aware of how dangerous this world was. Even a tree could do this, so what about the phantom king?

  “What was that spell formation you used just now?” asked the old man. He had racked his mind for a long time, but he didn’t have any impression of it.

  Ning Shu had already thought of a good excuse. “Isn’t this the spirit trap formation you taught me?”


  “Do you think I wouldn’t be able to tell whether or not it was the spirit trap formation?” said the old man in annoyance.

  Ning Shu thought for a while and finally said, “I must have made a mistake, and it turned out to be like that.”


  The old man smacked Ning Shu’s head. “And you even wanted me to let you go out and gain experience? With your skill, how could you gain any experience? You’d directly be killed by evil things!”


  Ning Shu sighed.

  After returning to the Daoist temple, the old man told Ning Shu to hurry up with cleaning the rooster, then to stew it with pumpkin.

  “Master, weren’t you going to help it transcend?” Ning Shu cast him a sidelong glance.

  “You talk too much.” The old man quickly changed out of his semi-new Daoist robe and put on his normal clothes. This was the only work attire he had after all.

  Seeing the old man like this, Ning Shu’s heart ached a little. She wasn’t in the mood to fight with the old man anymore. She just went to the kitchen to deal with the rooster.

  On the other side, some junior brothers and junior sisters picked up dry firewood from the mountain and piled them in the firewood room neatly.

  These children were very sensible and always helped out whenever they could. Those who were a little older would carry water buckets to the back mountain’s spring and bring back water.

  Ning Shu stewed the chicken in the pot, and when it was done, she poured the pumpkin in. Anyway, this was what communal meals were like. The taste was not the main concern here. As long as it could be eaten, it was enough. Just having a full stomach was already kind of difficult.

  Ning Shu cooked another pot of noodles and added some dough dumplings.

  The rooster was so small that it would already be good if each person could get a slice of meat.

  The old man and Ning Shu didn’t touch the meat, leaving it for the younger children.

  After dinner, Ning Shu asked the old man, “Is it so hard for Daoists of North Mt. Mao only? Or is it the same for South Mt. Mao?”


  There were two branches of Mt. Mao, North and South Mt. Mao. Although the founders of the two sides were not the same person, they all studied the five arts of Daoism.

  These five arts included mountain, medicine, life, appearance, and divination.

  MTL Editor: Meraki

  TLC: Kaho

  #Meraki’s comments: An explanation on the five arts—mountain, medicine, life, appearance, and divination – 5 Arts of Chinese Metaphysics (中华玄学) – Wu Shu (五 术)