"Are you a Daoist priest too?" Li Jingxiang asked.
"Do only Daoist priests catch ghosts?" Yaoyao chuckled. "Southern Maoshan, Northern what?"
"Southern Maoshan, Northern Shaman! Ah! You're a Shaman sorceress!" Li Jingxiang was clearly knowledgeable. The moment Yaoyao hinted, she guessed it, even I hadn't heard that before.
Yaoyao nodded. "Let's go. It's been a while since I dealt with evil spirits. I wonder if my old tricks still work."
I checked the flights. Air travel wasn't doing well, and the soonest was in the afternoon. With all the transfers, we probably wouldn't reach Jinling until evening.
High-speed rail was much more convenient. There was a train from Shengjing to Jinling at eight in the morning, arriving at two-thirty in the afternoon.
There was no time to delay. Although it was a bit rushed, I decisively booked three tickets. I asked Li Jingxiang to go back and pack a few things, and we would leave in fifteen minutes.
Yaoyao and I also quickly freshened up. It was too early for breakfast in the main building. I grabbed a few eggs and cucumbers, along with the master chef's incredibly fragrant meat sauce, and packed it to eat on the way.
Driving the BMW, we sped towards Shengjing High-Speed Rail Station. It was seven fifty-five. There were hardly any people at the ticket gate. The three of us jogged into the station, and just as we got on the train, the attendant closed the doors.
After resting for a while, I took out the still warm eggs from my bag and started eating my breakfast with cucumber and meat sauce, amidst the strange glances of other passengers.
On the journey, Yaoyao was resting with her eyes closed. Li Jingxiang occasionally communicated with the client in Jinling, inquiring about her master's condition. The situation was good, she was just sleeping, a deep sleep. However, Li Jingxiang said that based on her experience, the situation would worsen at night.
"You can also catch ghosts and expel demons?" I asked her.
Li Jingxiang shook her head. "My master said I'm a woman, with weaker Yang energy, not suited for this. He only taught me martial arts."
"Then why are you in charge of the affairs at Leiyin Temple?" I asked, referring to people paying her to perform rituals.
"Oh, those things, believe it or not! I know the basic procedures for some rituals. As for whether they're effective, I don't know."
Fine, at least she knew the proper procedures, more reliable than those fake Daoists on the market. Besides, in such matters, clients were mostly seeking psychological comfort. And anyway, the world was bright and clear, with sun and moon shining, how could there be so many vengeful spirits causing trouble?
Soon, the time reached noon. The high-speed train had long crossed the Yellow River and was now approaching the Huai River, heading south.
The temperature difference between the north and the south was clearly significant. When we departed in the morning, many passengers were wearing sweaters, some even light down jackets. But by now, new passengers boarding the train were all in short sleeves. One young lady, possibly a fellow streamer, boarded in a short yoga outfit, drawing many sideways glances, and I couldn't help but look a few extra times myself.
Long journeys tend to make one hungry. When the train stopped at a station in Anhui Province, I was about to get off to buy some boxed meals when Yaoyao suddenly opened her eyes. She glanced at her watch, then at the weather outside, and pulled me up. We hurried to the platform outside the train. This was a major station, with a nine-minute stop, and many passengers had gotten off to smoke or stretch their legs.
Yaoyao dragged me to the back of the escalators, where there was no one.
"What are you doing, being so secretive? You don't have insufficient Yang energy, do you?" I frowned, wasn't I just replenishing her Yang energy last night?
"What are you thinking! You're so lecherous all day!" Yaoyao laughed. "The time is just right. I'll teach you Qi observation techniques. You might need it tonight."
When it came to learning, I dared not slack off. Following Yaoyao's instructions, I began to practice.
Unlike the way she showed me yesterday by looking at my fingers, today Yaoyao used a different method. She still had me look at the sun, but she stood behind me, massaging my head along certain meridians or acupoints. I felt like my head was getting an electric shock, a tingling sensation. My vision became stronger and stronger, I could even see other high-speed trains kilometers away, speeding along the railway tracks...