Chapter 3 - Nine Dragons Pulling the Coffin (3)
Everyone knew about Lin Pojun’s temper. After he said that, no one dared to take a step. They chose a representative to reason with him, but Lin Pojun just gave the man a slap to the face.
He pointed at the comers and yelled, “All of you say that I’m a good-for-nothing every day, but is what you’re doing good? Is Xiu’er not pitiful enough? You forced her to kill herself and that’s not enough. Now, you want to kill this newborn too? Everything I say about this counts. Whoever dares to mention this again, don’t blame me if I fight you.”
Lin Gengchen took me from my mother’s hands and forced the aggressive yellowskins to leave. Basically, he saved my first life.
Lin Pojun saved me from the threats of the villagers. He saved my second life.
Ever since then, I stayed by Lin Gengchen’s side and he became the closest person to me. Lin Gengchen became Grandpa and Lin Pojun was my Third Uncle.
Grandpa named me Lin Baqian, meaning “eight thousand.” This was taken from a line in Zhuangzi’s “Enjoyment in Untroubled Ease”: In ancient times, there is a tree called Da Chun. Its spring was 8,000 years and its autumn was the same. The two words “eight thousand” were meant to bless me with longevity and peace.
But the matter wasn’t over.
After Grandpa adopted me—in other words, after I was born—Longhukou Township fell into a three-year drought. The crops had no harvest and the entire township fell into a famine. At this time, people suddenly remembered what our village’s fool said when he was possessed by the yellowskin.
People everywhere will be in danger, because this child is trouble.
Last time, they were willing to let me go because of Third Uncle’s threats and because Grandpa made the yellowskins leave, resolving their most imminent crisis.
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This time, the matter affected their lives. Everyone from the 37 villages in the township united and even Third Uncle couldn’t control the situation. They forced Grandpa to hand me over, thinking that only my death could end the disaster.
Grandpa knelt down before the people of the 37 villages and begged them to give us half a month. If it didn’t rain in half a month, he would hand me over or even burn me to death with his own hands.
Grandpa was a trustworthy man, after all. After getting his word, the villagers retreated for now, giving him a chance.
After the villagers left, Grandpa wrote a letter and mailed it.
A few days later, an old Taoist came to our home to see me. He lifted me up and placed a hand on my head, closing his eyes. After a while, I could feel a current of heat go from the old Taoist’s hand to my skull before going through my entire body. After a while, he let go and said to Grandpa, “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Grandpa nodded. “The girl was pitiful. I can’t disappoint her final plea. She’s filled with horrible resentful Qi too and will become an angry spirit. It’s only because she still thinks of her child that she hasn’t let loose. If the child really dies this time, the resentful Qi will become uncontrollable. If Xiu’er acts out, more people will probably die than three years of drought. She won’t forgive any of the people who wanted her child’s life today.”
The old Taoist went to look at my mother’s grave and sighed. He handed Grandpa a copper coin sword and said, “I’m helping him because one, it’s a favor to Old Blindman. Two, I also want to see what exactly is in the Nine Dragon Coffin of the Green Dragon Mountain that has frustrated people for centuries. But even if I give him all of my cultivation, I can only ensure his life until he’s 23 years old. The trial at 23 years is the true Life and Death Trial.”
Holding me, Grandpa knelt down before the old Taoist. He had me kowtow with all my might to thank him for saving my life.
The old Taoist left after giving us the copper coin sword. He went up Green Dragon Mountain and never returned.
The next day, Longhukou Township finally saw rain.
It resolved the drought.
Grandpa told me that the old Taoist had used his life to exchange for the rain, saving the 37 villages and, of course, my life.
The Taoist Chengfeng had hung the copper coin sword on our home’s wall. I often played with it when I was a child. Grandpa said that it was Taoist Chengfeng’s natal sword. He was 94 years old, so there were 94 copper coins on it. The 94 coins were the fruits of Taoist Chengfeng’s lifetime cultivation. He was supposed to bring it to the underworld to show the merits of his life, but he’d left it to help me fight off disaster.
The Life and Death Trial was obviously a trial related to life and death, but no one knew what would happen when I became 23 years old.