Chapter 44: Setting the Wenchang Array

Xu Jia returned to his room and dismantled the copper coin sword.

The Tushi formed by the original body's Soul remained restless; the copper coin sword itself was already covered in rust, as if it had just been dug out from underground.

Earth can produce metal, but it can also corrode metal.

Seeing that Xu Jia had ignored him for two or three days, this Tushi secretly exerted force, intending to corrode the coin sword Xu Jia had woven.

But that would not work now.

Xu Jia took out the Pressing Money and spoke to him: "If you have even a shred of intelligence, listen to me carefully. That evil Daoist is up to no good; he doesn't know where he conjured a fake body from, and a struggle will be inevitable when the time comes."

"If you want an unknown monster to enter the manor and harm your parents, then keep on making a scene. Although I have occupied your physical body, it is because you were already dead and had stopped breathing. Furthermore, I am willing to bear the Cause and Effect of this birth, to fulfill filial piety on your behalf, and even lead them to Taoism and Longevity. You can also cultivate alongside me in the future; are you not willing?"

After Xu Jia finished speaking, the coin stopped moving erratically, and a thought was transmitted: "Remember what you promised me!"

Seeing that he had regained some intelligence, Xu Jia breathed a sigh of relief and tucked this piece of Pressing Money into the mouth of the golden toad to secure it.

He then simply opened a small altar, performed the Xun Water Cleansing Altar, and recited the Eight Great Divine Incantations several times.

He performed the "Spirit Pointing" technique to dot the eyes of the golden toad. In reality, this was the same process as "consecrating a divine statue," using a cinnabar brush on the toad's eyes, nostrils, mouth, abdomen, heart, and other parts.

While dotting, he recited: "Heaven is round and Earth is square, the law follows nine chapters, divine light shines and inspects, the five viscera and six bowels, the seven apertures are exquisite; I now act according to the law to consecrate you."

Immediately after, he lit a bundle of incense and recited the Golden Toad Wealth God Incantation he had composed himself: "Looking up at the auspicious image, the golden light shines brilliantly, manifesting holiness upon the bluestone; carrying the Big Dipper on its back, the abdomen contains the universe. Its form is plump, signifying wealth and abundance; its mouth is always open, gathering wealth from all four directions. Spitting out treasures like the Heavenly River pouring onto the earth. Shimmering with golden light, gloriously manifesting divine power!"

Within Taoism, the golden toad does not have any special precious eulogies or divine incantations; it generally appears as a villainous supporting character in "Liu Hai Plays with the Golden Toad." Although Liu Hai is not one of the "Five Direction Wealth Gods," he is known as a "Quasi-Wealth God." Xu Jia's method can only be described as "nothing is taboo, everything is effective."

To put it nicely: "The Dharma has no fixed form"; to put it bluntly: "I reckon so."

However, this is also a characteristic of folk Dharma sects. When Xu Jia first learned the Dharma, his master's master told him that many things were "modern Dharma"—such things didn't exist in the past—so many Dharma incantations were vague and unclear, with the master's own intent being paramount and primary.

If a sect does not pass down the "nothing is taboo, all Dharma is effective" teaching, it is a formal lineage that must strictly follow the rules. If these two phrases exist, it means the Ancestor of the Dharma lineage has vast Divine Ability and will provide a safety net for you.

In his past life, Xu Jia was a "Dharma Lord" of a Golden Body Temple, meaning he provided his own safety net, so naturally, he did whatever was most convenient.

This golden toad was quickly consecrated and seemed lively.

The Tushi stored within the Pressing Money was swallowed by the golden toad, transforming "grave" into "wealth."

The Tushi let out a painful hiss, yet from the golden toad's mouth, it sounded like the croaking of a toad itself.

Xu Jia wanted to keep the golden toad in the "Kan Position" to promote "metal producing water."

But it was not convenient to throw it into the Well, so it could only be placed in the Ming Tang of "Four Waters Returning to the Hall."

Where could it be placed? Only on the "roof beam."

Folk sorcery, the Lu Ban Arts, contains many spells related to Yang Dwelling Feng Shui, the most sinister of which is the "Nightmare Suppression Method."

For example, placing a worn-out shoe worn by a beggar on the main roof beam of a wealthy family's house, or a broken bowl picked up from a grave, are all items of nightmare suppression that severely damage Feng Shui. Once the Qi of the Tushi is completely gone, the original Soul can be refined into a personal heart-general, and the golden toad will also be nurtured; the golden toad can then continue to sit in the house, protecting the family business.

The "Pressing Money" in its mouth will be transformed into a "Magic Tool of Wealth," which can be enshrined in the Incense Burner of the Fox Immortal Hall, allowing "Dharma Lord Master Xu" to possess Wealth God Authority.

In this way, the various Immortals of the hall will naturally acquire some minor wealth-related spells, making it more convenient to protect the believers.

The roof beam was extremely high, and ordinary people could not climb up, but Xu Jia was no ordinary person; he hugged the pillar and climbed up like a monkey climbing a tree.

Once he climbed onto the main beam, he disregarded the danger and moved toward the center of the beam, placing the golden toad in a position directly facing the patio.

After placing it, the Feng Shui of the house underwent some changes; originally there was some auspicious Qi, but now there was more "Qi of Wealth Generation."

Wealth Qi likes to attach itself to "Official Qi" and "Noble Qi"; if these two types of Qi are absent, then "Literary Qi" will also suffice.

Therefore, this stream of Wealth Qi began to burrow into the study behind the main hall's Ming Tang.

Xu Jia could also "observe Qi"; this was the slightly crude Divine Ability of "sitting on a mountain and watching Qi," which Xu Jia invoked directly.

Of course, he had also cultivated this in his past life, but his current body was still very weak, and cultivating it alone would take a long time, so it was better to borrow it directly.

Seeing the Wealth Qi moving toward the study, that was perfect—"transforming wealth into rank." He could use the golden pagoda to set up a "Wenchang Array" in the study to refresh the mind, increase learning efficiency, and combine the Wealth Qi and Literary Qi to transform them into "Rank Qi." Rank Qi is the evolution of "official rank"; a scholar who has not yet become an official can still have rank, meaning they are free from worries about food and clothing. With Rank Qi on one's person, the probability of passing examinations can be increased.

Of course, this still depends on one's own hard skills.

After carefully climbing down from the roof beam, Xu Jia opened an altar again to perform rituals, drawing "Wenchang Talismans" and the "Name of Wenchang Emperor," and consecrated the small golden pagoda.

This pagoda had to be placed inside a wooden pagoda; as the saying goes, wealth should not be exposed, and after all, the study was not a completely safe place.

Just then, the hollow peach-wood pagoda that Xu Jia's father had ordered from a carpenter was delivered; the craftsmanship was even rougher, without any carved pavilions.

But that didn't matter. Xu Jia used a brush to write the two characters "Wenchang" on each level, tucked the small golden pagoda into the storage space inside the wooden pagoda, locked the Talisman and secret name inside as well, and then carried the pagoda toward the study.

Xu Jia's father was still in the study, looking at the essays Xu Jia had corrected. At first, he felt a bit ashamed, then he learned with an open mind, rewriting the essays following Xu Jia's train of thought to find the right feel.

Seeing Xu Jia enter carrying the pagoda, he asked curiously: "Is this the Wenchang Pagoda you mentioned that can help me gather literary inspiration?"

Xu Jia nodded: "The golden pagoda is sealed inside. This pagoda is suitable for placement in the Wenchang position. The Wenchang position changes every year; this year it is most suitable in the northwest corner, which is the Qian Position."

The northwest corner of the study was exactly where an antique shelf stood, and Xu Jia placed it on a high spot.

Immediately, it gathered the "Literary Qi" of the entire room. These were relatively abstract, mainly manifesting from the "Four Treasures of the Study," as well as books and essays. More or less, thick or thin, they all became active, faintly giving a sense of the dim light of "candle flames" or "fireflies."

This intersected perfectly with the Wealth Qi from the golden toad transforming the grave into wealth, and the auspicious Qi from the Four Waters Returning to the Hall transforming evil into good.

(End of chapter)