Old Wang agreed, and we sat on an overpass. His story intrigued me, so I pressed for details. Pent up for years, he opened up.
His real name was Wang Yi, a Maoshan Taoist—though he called himself the most unworthy patriarch ever, unable to unlock the "Divine Eye." During the Cultural Revolution, he was a temple sweeper. When his masters died and the Maoshan patriarch passed the title to him, he fled to Quanzhen Sect, only to find it destroyed too. The dying Quanzhen patriarch also named him successor, making him head of two great sects—despite being an illiterate sweeper.
Hiding for years, he dabbled in Taoism but had an affair with a widow. Lacking proper initiation, he was a barefoot practitioner cursed with the "Five Misfortunes and Three Losses" (loneliness, disability, etc.). Thus, his son became a debt - collector, abusing him since age 11.
"Solve the tomb curse with me," he said. "Your feng shui, my Maoshan arts. Split the reward."
Shocked he was genuine, I asked why he didn't return to Maoshan. "They're government - employed now," he snorted.
Panicking about Madam Dong's karma, I begged for help. "Be my apprentice," he demanded.
Though stunned, I agreed. He taught me to reverse karma through great virtue, making Zhoujiazhuang a must - go.
That night, he gave me a handwritten Maoshan Technique Records. I studied it all night, amazed how its exorcism spells mirrored feng shui. The "Divine Eye" intrigued me—awakening the third eye between the brows to sense yin and yang.
The next day, we closed the shop and practiced. With my foundation, I unlocked the Divine Eye in an afternoon—able to see human vital fires and evil energy.
"Unbelievable! I never managed this in my life," Old Wang teared up. I bowed as his apprentice, and we rushed to Tongliao. Zhao Na got a text, Zhou Jianguo wept on the phone—our mission was urgent.