"Hmm?"
Looking at Old Zhang's urgent expression, I couldn't help but be confused, after some thought, I quickly followed Zhang and chased after him.
Chasing all the way, we finally reached the half mountain of the back hill, where I saw Old Zhang standing in front of a big tree that could be hugged by one person. He looked heartbroken and said, "Oh my! This hundred-year-old acacia tree that I've watched over for years!"
"You stingy brat! You little rascal, do you have no heart at all? It's just a broken spirit tablet. Do you have to use my hundred-year-old acacia tree?"
Old Zhang's eyes were full of regret, and he frequently stomped his feet, the pained look on his face made it seem like a precious treasure had been stolen.
"Uh..."
Looking at Old Zhang's distressed face, I couldn't help but weakly ask, "Are you saying that this spirit tablet is made from this old acacia tree?"
"Of course! What else could it be?"
Old Zhang glared at me fiercely, as if he wanted to skin me alive.
"Geez, you're too stingy!"
Old Zhang's gaze startled me, and I couldn't help but complain, "This spirit tablet is just a small piece. It probably only used a bit of wood the size of a fist. This tree is so big, do you really need to do this?"
Without me saying a word, my complaint made Old Zhang fly into a rage, "What do you know? You think this spirit tablet is made from the branches of this old acacia? It's made from the tree core, which contains the essence of the hundred-year-old acacia's life. Once it's taken away, this old acacia tree will definitely die within half a month!"
"What? Really?"
Hearing this, I couldn't help but have some doubts, and subconsciously said, "They say people fear heartache and trees fear bark stripping. Could it be that this old acacia tree also fears heartache?"
"Hmph! I don't need to explain to an ignorant person like you!"
After speaking, Old Zhang gave me another fierce glare, then reached out his hand to me, "Forget it, show me your spirit tablet, why did she give you a spirit tablet for no reason…"
"Don't worry, I just want to take a look!"
Seemingly sensing my concerns, Old Zhang couldn't help but give me an exasperated look and said helplessly, "It's too late, even if I take your spirit tablet, it's useless. I'm just curious, why did she give you a spirit tablet for no reason? Are you planning to raise a little ghost?"
"I'm telling you, raising a little ghost will bring karma. It can lead to loneliness, poverty, or an early death. With your 'lonely star of fate,' if you encounter any of these three, it's enough to take your life!"
As he spoke, Old Zhang grabbed the spirit tablet from my hand and carefully examined it, then breathed a sigh of relief, "Phew...not bad, judging by the craftsmanship, it didn't waste the tree core of the hundred-year-old acacia…"
"Huh?"
Suddenly, as if he had discovered something, Old Zhang's face changed drastically. Unable to restrain himself, he turned to me, his face full of shock, and said, "This…this is the aura of a ghost spirit?"
"You...did you capture a ghost spirit??"
Old Zhang looked at me in disbelief, clearly showing some trembling in his calm demeanor, indicating the rarity of this ghost spirit.
"Heh…"
Seeing his 'unimpressive' look, I couldn't help but smile, acting mysteriously and said, "No, it came on its own, refused to leave, so it ended up like this…"
"Refused to leave?"
"Whatever, it's not true…"
Old Zhang gave me a speechless look, obviously not quite believing it, then pinched the seal and immediately chanted, "Manifest in light, manifest in shadow, release the debt, manifesting before me, show yourself, Bagua radiance, swiftly as the law demands!"
After finishing the spell, a whirlwind suddenly rose from the ground, and a chill emanated from the spirit tablet as if a ghostly aura appeared from it, "Roar..."
With a roar, Little Radish opened its mouth and bit towards Old Zhang's arm!
"Ah—ghost!"
At the first sight of Little Radish, Zhang was quite startled and quickly retreated behind me.
But I was worried that Old Zhang might harm Little Radish, so I hurriedly shouted, "Don't! Quickly come to Daddy!"
"Huh?"
Hearing my shout, Little Radish indeed stopped attacking, looked at me, then threw itself into my arms, rubbing its head against my chest and calling out affectionately, "Dad...dy…"
"This…"
The scene in front of him left Old Zhang dumbfounded, and he couldn't help but ask subconsciously, "Isn't this the ferocious spirit of a ghost mother? How did it evolve into a ghost spirit?"
"Heh, as I said, it came on its own, and you still don't believe it…"
"The situation is like this…"
After the conversation with Xia Xiaoyi just now, I basically ruled out Old Zhang as a "suspect." Naturally, I wouldn't hide it from him now, so I quickly told him all the details of how I subdued Little Radish!
"I'll be! Aren't you the 'lonely star of fate'?"
After hearing my story, Old Zhang's reaction was surprisingly similar to Xia Xiaoyi's, and he couldn't help but be full of envy and jealousy, "How did you have such good luck? This isn't scientific…"
Hearing him say that, I was quite speechless, and couldn't help but give him a resentful look, saying impatiently, "I must have stepped in dog poop!"
"Tsk tsk...I have to say, you really have a stroke of luck!"
Old Zhang gave an impressed look, "This is the legendary ghost spirit! If it truly grows up, even in the cultivation world, few would dare to provoke you!"
"Alas, why can't I have such good luck? The key is, it even took the initiative to come to me, so in doing so, I am absolved of any karma with you…"
"Hmm?"
Upon hearing this, my eyes lit up, and I hurriedly asked, "Are you saying that if I want to adopt Little Radish, I don't actually need to incur any karma?"
The saying "solitude, poverty, early death" for ghost raisers is something I've seen in many books. Solitude refers to a lifetime of loneliness, aging with no one to depend on; poverty means being destitute; and early death, well, that's just dying young!
It's not just ghost raisers; people who raise Gu, practice evil arts, generally cannot escape these three fates.
In many sects, even before disciples are admitted, the master will make them take an oath, letting them voluntarily choose one of these fates. However, there are also those who don't choose any, and usually, they die before completing their apprenticeship...
"Don't rejoice too soon, even though this little ghost has no karmic ties to you. But you should know, once you enter the world of cultivation, these three fates will always accompany you! Unless one day, your strength reaches the level of your grandfather's, otherwise..."
"My grandfather?"
Hearing this, a touch of sorrow appeared in my eyes. But then I thought, wasn't my grandfather's fate also "solitude"?
After my first birthday, he moved to an old house alone, living a solitary life. What else could it be if not a lonely old age?
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but ask with suspicion, "Didn't my grandfather also fail to escape these fates?"
"Who said he didn't escape?"
Old Zhang said seriously, "In his last twenty years, although he lived alone, he still had descendants. If it weren't for changing your destiny against the heavens, he..."
At this point, Old Zhang suddenly fell silent, looking at me with a complex expression, and sighed, "Alas... It's a pity..."
"Huh?"
After hearing Old Zhang's words, I felt my heart being heavily struck, and I was petrified in place!
My grandfather indeed died because of me!
Although I had already suspected this, it was just a guess. Now, getting the confirmation from Old Zhang, my heart was suddenly filled with mixed feelings, very unpleasant...
I am indeed a disaster!
I shouldn't have come into this world at all. I killed my grandmother on my birth, and in the end, even a master like my grandfather also died because of me!
"Never mind! Don't be too upset. The dead have passed, and the living should strive continuously! Only by living a splendid life can I make Old Wang's hard work not be in vain!"