Chapter 962 Little Tiger
After Xuanjue and Yichen came to the fairyland, they practiced hard and showed kindness. Xuanjue used Buddhism to save all living beings and resolve the sufferings of the world; Yichen relied on his superb martial arts to protect the peace of the fairyland. Their story was widely circulated in the fairyland and the human world, and became a legend in people's hearts. Xuanjue never forgot his original intention. He often returned to Lingyin Temple to explain Buddhism to the monks and people in the temple and spread good thoughts.
After Qi Tongwei finished telling this story, everyone was immersed in this magical fate. The children's eyes sparkled with curiosity and yearning, and the adults were filled with emotion, and they became more certain of the saying that good and evil will be rewarded and that fate is determined by heaven. At this time, the flames of the bonfire gradually weakened, and the sky turned pale, and a new day was about to come.
But the crowd was clearly still not satisfied. A child pulled Qi Tongwei's clothes and begged, "Uncle Qi, tell me another story. It's not even daylight yet." Qi Tongwei looked at everyone's expectant eyes, smiled and nodded, and spoke again, "Then I'll tell you another one. This story happened in a village near us."
In the neighboring village there is a little boy named Xiaohu, who is in the second grade. Xiaohu is smart, but he has a strange problem. He always sleepwalks at night. At first, his family didn't pay much attention to it, thinking that the child was just tired from playing. But as time went by, the sleepwalking became more and more serious. Xiaohu often got up in the middle of the night, stumbled out of the house, and sometimes even walked to the river outside the village, which was very dangerous.
Xiaohu's parents were very worried about this and took him to seek medical treatment everywhere, but the doctors were helpless and only said that this disease was rare and they had no good solution. Xiaohu's parents were as anxious as ants on a hot pot, but they were at a loss.
There was a witch in the village, her surname was Chen, and everyone called her Granny Chen. Granny Chen usually stayed at home, but it was said that she could understand yin and yang, ghosts and gods, and any family in the village who had a strange thing would go to her for advice. Xiaohu's parents were desperate, so they took Xiaohu to Granny Chen's house with the mentality of giving it a try.
The yard of Granny Chen's house is full of strange flowers and plants. As soon as you enter the door, you can smell a faint herbal fragrance. Granny Chen sat on a rocking chair in the yard with her eyes closed, as if she had known they were coming. Xiaohu's parents explained their purpose, and Granny Chen slowly opened her eyes, looked at Xiaohu, and her expression became solemn.
"This child's situation is not simple." Granny Chen said, "He is haunted by a yin spirit. I'm afraid he has run into something unclean." Xiaohu's parents were nervous when they heard this and asked Granny Chen what to do. Granny Chen stood up and paced back and forth in the yard. After thinking for a while, she said, "I'll go and prepare some things. Bring the child here tonight and I'll take a look at him."
As night fell, Xiaohu's parents brought Xiaohu to Granny Chen's house again. Granny Chen had already set up an incense table in the yard, on which was enshrined a statue whose face could not be seen clearly, and candles were lit all around, the flickering candlelight adding a bit of mystery to the atmosphere.
Granny Chen asked Xiaohu to sit in front of the incense table, while she held a peach wood sword and chanted something. She circled around Xiaohu for a few times, and suddenly shouted, and the peach wood sword suddenly stabbed into the air, as if fighting with something invisible. Xiaohu's parents were stunned and dared not breathe.
After a while, Granny Chen stopped, with beads of sweat on her forehead. She said to Xiaohu's parents, "I have temporarily suppressed the evil spirit, but it is not enough. The cause of this child's illness must be found from his daytime experiences. Think carefully, has he been to any special places recently, or encountered any strange things?"
Xiaohu's parents racked their brains, recalling Xiaohu's recent actions. Suddenly, Xiaohu's father slapped his thigh and said, "Oh, right! A few days ago, Xiaohu and a few friends went to play in the old woods outside the village. After returning, he said he saw a glowing bird, and he got lost while chasing it. Later, he was brought back by the adults in the village. Could it be related to this?"
When Granny Chen heard this, her face changed and she said, "That old forest is not simple. There is an old tree in it which is so old that it might have become a spirit. That little bird might have been created by the old tree spirit. It led the child there, probably hoping to take away his spirit." When Xiaohu's parents heard this, they turned pale with fright and begged Granny Chen to save Xiaohu.
Granny Chen pondered for a moment and said, "There is a way, but it's a bit dangerous. Tomorrow, you take Xiaohu to the old forest, and I will perform some magic to lure the old tree spirit out. We'll see if we can negotiate with it and let it let Xiaohu go." Although Xiaohu's parents were afraid, they had no choice but to nod and agree for the sake of their child.
The next day, Xiaohu's parents brought Xiaohu to the old forest under the guidance of Granny Chen. Granny Chen found a clearing in the forest, set up an incense table, and began to perform a ritual. As Granny Chen chanted, a strange wind suddenly blew in the forest, and the leaves rustled, as if countless pairs of eyes were watching them in the dark.
Suddenly, a green light shot out from the depths of the forest and appeared in front of everyone in the blink of an eye. The green light faded away, and an old man in a green robe appeared. His hair and beard were green, and his eyes were full of mystery. This man was the old tree spirit.
"Why did you come here to disturb my peace?" the old tree spirit asked in a low and hoarse voice. Granny Chen stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Tree fairy, this child has no intention of offending you. I hope you can show mercy and let him go." The old tree spirit looked at Xiaohu and said coldly, "This child has a spiritual energy. I wanted to take him in to help me practice."
Xiaohu's parents knelt down and begged the old tree spirit to let Xiaohu go. The old tree spirit was unmoved. Granny Chen saw this and said, "Tree fairy, if this child has lost his spirit, he may not be able to help you practice. How about this, let's make a deal with you." The old tree spirit became interested and asked, "What deal?"
Granny Chen said, "This child will come to this forest every year to clean up fallen leaves and offer you fresh fruits. You just need to stop bothering him and let him grow up safely. When he grows up, if you still need his help, he will certainly do his best to help you." The old tree spirit pondered for a moment and felt that the deal was a good deal, so he nodded and said, "Okay, I promise you. But if you break your promise, I will never let you go." After that, the old tree spirit turned into a green light and disappeared.
Xiaohu's parents and Grandma Chen all breathed a sigh of relief and they took Xiaohu back to the village.