C11 Five Elements Escape Technique

"It's just too revolting..."

Wang Dali seemed genuinely disgusted as he wiped the black goo from his face.

He showed no reaction, but I was terrified, feeling the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Even as a human, I could smell the stench of his sweat.

The ghost of the girl, who was the only one glowing with a white light, had turned even paler! Yes, even the ghost's face had gone white with fear, which shows just how horrifying the appearance of a living person can be in this place.

"You... He... So he is..." the girl stammered.

I quickly explained,

"Things aren't as you imagine. We are indeed human and came here to save someone. Please, don't make a sound, or they'll come..."

If the green ghosts discovered us, it would be the end for both Wang Dali and me. I can handle ordinary ghosts, but I'd be overwhelmed by hundreds of them. Plus, I suspected that these ghosts, burdened with negative karma, would become even more frenzied than blood-thirsty sharks upon discovering us.

The Eight Trigrams Formation in the forest wasn't just about gathering the village's Yin Qi; it created its own system, sealing off all the malevolent spirits in the area. Without breaking the formation like I did, ordinary people wouldn't encounter any trouble there. That's why the forest hadn't seen any sinister occurrences for years, all thanks to the ingenuity of the formation.

In reality, the bodies of the living are irresistibly enticing to these karma-laden ghosts. They might wait thousands of years to cleanse their sins and reincarnate, but absorbing the vital essence of the living could significantly speed up their process. Or they might even attempt to usurp a living body to be reborn...

The girl's spirit was still good-hearted. She didn't scream but instead gestured with her finger, leading Wang Dali and me to a secluded corner of the pine forest. We were downwind, so Wang Dali's human scent wouldn't carry far. Plus, we were at the forest's edge, ready to flee if necessary.

"Why are you humans pretending to be ghosts? What brings you here?" the girl asked timidly.

People often say that humans are afraid of ghosts, but little do they know, ghosts are also afraid of humans. After all, fear of the unknown goes both ways.

I let out a wry smile and didn't hold back the truth. I recounted how Wang Lele had visited this pine forest and, after returning home, fell into an unresponsive state. It was only then that we discovered she was bound by a ghostly pact, and now her life hung in the balance, suspended by a golden rooster weighing scale.

Upon hearing this, the girl's spectral expression grew grave. She cast a nervous glance around before speaking to us,

"It's a very powerful ghost pact... I think I know what your friend encountered..."

At the mention of his sister, Wang Dali became visibly tense, his muscles coiled like springs, his eyes wide with concern.

"What's happened to my sister? Tell me, quick!"

Humans carry three fires of life that burn with particular intensity when they are agitated, something that terrifies ghosts. As we spoke of Wang Lele, Wang Dali's inner fires blazed as if ready to sear kebabs. The girl's spirit, not particularly strong, recoiled several steps, her luminescence dimming significantly.

"Please... calm down. The ghost you're dealing with is formidable, beyond what you can handle... Oh no! They're here!"

Her ghostly visage twisted in fear, as if she saw something ominous behind us, and she bolted towards the edge of the woods...

Wang Dali and I spun around, realizing that the ghosts from the market had been drawn to us by the fiery aura of his emotional outburst.

"... Heheh, a human body... a human body..."

"... Possessing one could increase our spiritual power by five hundred years..."

"... No more suffering..."

Their craving for a human vessel was indeed maddening.

Suddenly, a horde of ghosts swarmed us, some radiating a sinister green glow. I would struggle to fend off even one, and now there were hundreds.

Wang Dali was so terrified he nearly wet himself. I tried to drag him away, but he was rooted to the spot, his face contorted in panic.

"Wang Xu, save yourself! I... my leg's cramped up..."

I felt a twinge of frustration. Despite his size, he was of little use in a crisis. But I couldn't just abandon Wang Dali. We had set out to rescue his sister, and it would be a disaster if she ended up paying the price for our failure.

Five or six ghosts, unable to contain themselves any longer, lunged at me. I quickly shoved them back with my hands, the talisman I was holding finally showing its effect and forcing them apart. My arm throbbed with pain, a sensation I rarely experienced before.

"Wang Xu, are we going to die here? My sister hasn't been cured yet. I can't die!" Wang Dali was on the verge of tears, his concern for Wang Lele still at the forefront of his mind.

I didn't respond to him; it was time to show what I was truly capable of.

I crouched down swiftly, scooped up a handful of dirt, and flung it at the ghosts. Reverence for the earth has deep roots in Huaxia culture, and as such, sand possesses a restraining effect on ghosts and spirits. Many Taoists use red sand in their rituals.

As I tossed the dirt, I muttered an incantation under my breath. This handful wouldn't vanquish all the ghosts, but the surprise of my action frightened them enough to make them step back, buying me some precious time.

I pulled out a fifty-cent coin and a lighter from my pocket, quickly snapped off a tree branch, and lit it with the lighter. I hurled these items at the ghosts in one fell swoop.

Ghosts have a natural aversion to currency and flames. Coins, having been touched by countless people, carry a strong presence of Yang energy, and fire needs no explanation... As I threw them, I deliberately smashed the lighter against the ground. Even though the ghosts didn't belong to our world, the sharp snap of the impact scattered them in a burst of green light.

I grabbed Wang Dali by the collar and dragged him as we ran, the ghosts trailing behind us. But after my earlier antics, they were no longer as swift, and despite their efforts, they couldn't catch up.

As Wang Dali's legs began to improve, he managed to run alongside me and asked, "Wang Xu, what was that you just did? How did you become so powerful without drawing any talismans?"

Gasping for breath, I explained to him, "Huff, huff, this technique isn't as easy to learn as drawing talismans. It's called the Five Elements Great Escape. Feng Shui masters use the five elements of the living world to ward off evil spirits. Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—each must be used with precision. It's quite intricate!"

A five-cent coin represents metal, a tree branch embodies wood, a lighter carries fire, and with the handful of earth I scattered earlier, we've got four of the five elements. That's what threw them off. Otherwise, how could we have outrun those specters?"

Wang Dali gave an acknowledging grunt before saying:

"But aren't the five elements supposed to be metal, wood, water, fire, and earth? Where's the water? We're missing water..."

Indeed, without water, the five elements are incomplete, and our ability to counter these spirits is compromised. Hence, a few ghastly apparitions, their visages a sickly green-black, were already cackling as they caught up to us:

"Hehe, a human body, a human body, I'm about to be reborn! I'm going to become human!"

"To seize a body and be reborn, to seize a body and be reborn..."

Their eerie energy bore down on me and Wang Dali, causing both of us to break out in goosebumps. Clearly, the Five Elements Escape Technique requires all five elements to be truly effective...