Regarding the Five Rampant Soldiers and Horses, my understanding of it is still limited to the time when my uncle’s teahouse was haunted more than a year ago. Out of curiosity, I asked the master what he said. Later, I thought that it was probably because of my question at that time that Master first came up with the idea of accepting me as his disciple. Until I became a disciple, my master's teachings to me stayed at some very basic stages and did not involve any spells, let alone soldiers and horses.
Based on my own reading, I learned that the so-called "rampant soldiers" are actually the most commonly used and easiest to collect in military and horse magic. To put it simply, a mage is in a place where people have died, or On the way to check things, or even in some places with strong aura or yin energy, collect some lonely ghosts, or even incomplete souls, provide them with food, eliminate their hostility, and send them away before sending them away. During these days, these lonely ghosts will repay the favor by helping the mage.
The reason why they are called "rampant" soldiers actually has a lot to do with their origin, because they all grow wild and are difficult to restrain and discipline, and they often lose their sense of proportion. Therefore, rampant troops are the most radical and courageous in their work, but their efficiency is compromised due to their own rampant nature.
The master is sending out a group of rampant soldiers at this moment. They are really suitable for running around in this wild forest. Obviously, Mr. Liu's understanding of this set of things was even lower than mine, so Master had to briefly explain it to him.
As he spoke, the bell in the master's hand began to jingle, so the master immediately lowered his body and grabbed the three incense sticks stuck on the ground, and said to Mr. Liu, please don't follow us in, just wait here for us.
Then he turned to me and shouted, Brat, follow me. No matter what sound you hear or what you see later, remember never to look back! Master told me so, I nodded and followed behind Master. My heart was full of urgency, but also felt very exciting.
So Master and I walked into the woods one after the other. I can't tell what kind of trees here are, but judging from the chaotic growth pattern, they are definitely not artificially planted. I was only about a foot away from Master, which meant that unless a force suddenly pulled me back, I could grab Master's robe with just a little stretch of my hand.
The master holds a bell in his left hand and incense in his right hand. The bell rings intermittently, as if it is a message sent back by the soldiers and horses. The master keeps staring at the incense head in his hand. Whichever direction the smoke rises, the master moves towards it. Whichever direction we go, it's as if the smoke is guiding us. Although I was full of questions at this moment, I didn't dare to ask Master, because I also knew that now was not the time, and I also knew that I would learn Master's skills in the future.
About forty or fifty meters into the woods, I suddenly started to feel a pressure in my ears. This feeling is like suddenly climbing up a very high mountain and having to swallow a mouthful of saliva to get the ear pressure back to normal. So I swallowed my saliva habitually, and at the moment of swallowing, I very clearly felt that there was a strand of hair or other soft gauze-like things, gently brushing from the back of my neck.
If it hadn't been for Master's repeated warning not to look back before entering the woods, I would have turned around long ago. And because of this, the fear in my heart only became stronger. People are always like this. They always have a dubious attitude towards what is happening in front of them, but they have no doubts about the invisible places behind them. The slightest feeling will also make you think desperately towards the place you are most afraid of. So I endured it and continued to keep this distance from Master.
Although the trees in the forest are not thick, they are relatively dense. There is no regular growth pattern in the wild forest, so the route taken by Master and I is actually crooked, which means our speed is destined to be very slow.
Master, Master asked me, have you noticed anything? I guess the reason why Master asked this is because he noticed some changes in the surrounding atmosphere. So I quickly answered Master, something floated past the back of my head! Master said, don't worry about it, don't look back.
The more Master emphasized this, the more terrifying it became for me. After walking for another twenty or thirty meters, I began to notice that the visibility around me was getting lower and lower. I couldn't help but take a sideways glance, only to find that a thin layer of fog had accumulated on the ground, and this fog The flow is faster and becomes more and more dense.
I was scared and shouted to Master, Master! It's getting foggy! what to do? Master said, if you grab my clothes, don’t let go until you die. So I couldn't wait to reach out and grasp Master's Taoist robe tightly. The mist thickened rapidly. Even though Master was only more than a foot away from me, I could only see the outline of my hand grasping his Taoist robe. At this time, , I felt Master stopped. Master must have been unable to see in such a thick fog.
Master said to me, brat, we have been warned. The things here are trying to scare us, which probably means we are not allowed to move forward. I was flustered and anxiously asked Master, should we leave? Master said, of course we have to leave, but just wait a moment. The reason why this thing scares us is to prove that we are very close to its "nest", otherwise it would not be so nervous.
Let me go, my personal master, this person has already issued an eviction order and you still deliberately go against it. Don’t you deserve a beating? What you taught me earlier about running away if you can't do it was just a joke. What if this female ghost really gets angry and beats the shit out of us in a minute? Of course, I didn't dare to say this. The fog was so thick that I couldn't see anything, so I simply closed my eyes tightly, but I still held Master's robe in both hands.
At this time, I heard a sound running very quickly from left to right. It felt like it was running in a circle around where Master and I were standing. But the speed was obviously very fast, even for wild animals. It's impossible to run so fast.
That sound stirred the fallen leaves on the ground, and there was also a sound that I couldn't tell whether it was crying or laughing. This was somewhat different from the female ghost's voice I originally imagined, because the one I heard in my ears was deeper. Hoarse, as if a person has a lot of stuff stuck in his throat.
At this moment, Master shouted loudly:
"The imperial edict is in the ocean, and the sun rises in the east. I give you a spiritual talisman to sweep away all the bad luck. I spit out the fire of the mountains from my mouth, and the talisman flies to the door to capture the light. I raise monsters all over the sky and meet the past generations. I use the year to break the plague and eat diamonds. I subdue the demons and the dead and turn them into Good luck, the Supreme Lord, I am as lucky as the law!"
The master's voice was loud and full of energy, and he kept repeating this mantra. A low buzzing sound began to come from my ears. The feeling was quite uncomfortable, but I didn't dare to open my eyes. , from birth to now, this is the most scary time for me.
Master recited this mantra about five or six times. Suddenly, the oppressive feeling suddenly disappeared, and the low hum in the ears suddenly became clearer, turning into a "嘤——" sound, and then Weaken, then disappear.
"Hey! Brat, are you closing your eyes?" Master asked me. I nodded violently, but soon realized that I was behind Master and he couldn't see me nodding. So I answered yes. The master said with a mocking tone, "Tch, open it, they're all running away!" That thing just now wants us to retreat in spite of difficulties. My exorcism spell is to fight against it, telling it that I am not afraid of it and asking it to be honest. So I opened my eyes timidly and slowly, only to find that everything in front of me was normal. The dense fog that had filled the surrounding area a few seconds ago had dissipated without a trace.
Master said, you don’t have to hold me and walk side by side with me, but it’s best not to look back. I’m afraid that thing is hiding in the woods and watching us from afar. If you see it and get scared, I’ll have to to take care of you. So I could only let go and follow Master obediently and continue walking forward.
I was still frightened. Everything that happened just now was too fast and sudden, and I didn't even have time to prepare. During the walk, apart from the tinkling of the bell in Master’s hand, the only sound left was the rustling of fallen leaves under Master and I’s feet. I am not a noisy person by nature, but the silence at this moment also made me feel uncomfortable.
So I started looking for topics to talk to Master. I asked Master, Master, how did you know that I had my eyes closed just now? The master snorted and said, I don't know how little you are. You look calm on weekdays, but when you are in trouble, you are still timid! People are like this. When they are scared, they close their eyes and don't look, as if if they don't look, things won't happen. You're deceiving yourself!
I said harshly, who told you that I am timid? I have never encountered this kind of thing before and don’t know how to deal with it. The first time you encountered it, you might have been more timid than me. Master smiled and said, you won’t have the chance to prove whether I am a coward or not, but I really understand in my heart whether you are a coward or not...
After asking for trouble, I stopped talking. This matter was already far away from the entrance of the grove. Maybe even if I shouted loudly, Mr. Liu might not be able to hear me clearly because of the obstruction of the trees. I also figured it out. I can’t escape now anyway, so I’ll just go for it.
At this time, the incense in Master's hand was almost burning to the end, and the rising smoke began to no longer float around, but started to feel like it was falling after spinning a few times. Master asked me, do you remember when we burned incense at home? I said remember. The master asked again, have you never seen smoke floating downward? I thought about it and it seems that this is really the case.
So the master said that the smoke of the incense of soldiers and horses pointed downwards, which meant that we had arrived at this place. The yin energy in this place was very heavy, so heavy that it suppressed the rising smoke. Remember, this is experience. After saying that, the master threw away the incense in his hand and put it out. The master said, okay, you can look around, we are here. I asked Master with some confusion, are we here yet? Where is this going?
The master stretched out his foot and stepped on the ground a few times and said, "That thing is a grave."
