Free Web NovelChapter 364: Chapter 205: Let Me Teach You a Few Massage Techniques
Lu Yuan talked about what had happened during the day.
Su Liyan eagerly replied, "Yes, dear, you were magnificent today. I was in absolute awe watching you."
Lu Yuan then asked, "By the way, what kind of water was used to put out our Flame today?"
Su Liyan, who had witnessed the entire scene, replied, "I saw. The Daoist in charge took a small jar from a Grand Celestial Master, chanted a Spell, and the water shot out, propelled by a Technique. I’m guessing it was rootless water."
’So, my Flame can be put out with rootless water, huh.’
As Su Liyan spoke, her fair, delicate hands were not idle.
One moment, her palms were pushing against Lu Yuan’s back; the next, they were kneading his shoulders, then drumming on his back again.
Su Liyan’s small, clenched fists looked gentle, but they struck with just the right amount of pressure—not too light, not too heavy.
Each tap from her little fists made Lu Yuan want to cry out in pleasure.
’This is practically a massage from a number 555 Gold Medal therapist.’
Lu Yuan was thoroughly enjoying himself. His wife’s technique was every bit as good as a professional’s.
’That’s it!’
’Last time I was thinking about building a food street in Taiping City. I could open a few massage parlors as well!’
’I just don’t know if the people of this era would accept it. I imagine the young masters from wealthy families would be quite fond of the idea, though.’
After half an hour, Lu Yuan rolled over, a look of pure relaxation on his face. "Honey, that was amazing. Thank you."
"As long as you’re comfortable, dear," Su Liyan said softly. "I’ll give you shoulder rubs and massages often from now on. If there’s anything I’m not doing right, please teach me."
So what did Lu Yuan do in his past life? He was a certified Grade-2 Constructor!
Back then, the industry was doing pretty well. On payday, he and his coworkers would go out in a group for karaoke to blow off some steam.
Not anymore. The whole industry is in the gutter now. Aren’t all those big-name real estate giants drowning in debt?
Unwilling to keep slaving away like that, Lu Yuan had inexplicably transmigrated to the Divine Ling Empire to build his own enterprise.
Even though he could never go back, the things he had seen, learned, and enjoyed in his past life were hard to forget.
Lu Yuan sat up and gestured for his wife to lie down.
’Time to test my own skills,’ Lu Yuan thought. ’I wonder if I could train a batch of Gold Medal therapists and open a few massage parlors in Taiping City.’
’When I’m not busy, I, as the Shopkeeper, could also pop into one of my own shops to relax.’
’That way, I wouldn’t have to bother my wife to give me massages all the time.’
Lu Yuan positioned himself over his wife, rolled up the sleeves of his "Emperor’s New Clothes," and struck a pose.
Lu Yuan said with the utmost confidence, "Alright, I’m going to teach you a few more massage techniques. They’re an ancestral secret, so pay close attention. Remember to tell me how it feels, okay? Once you’ve mastered them, you can use them on me."
Lu Yuan pretended to spit into his hands. ’It’s just for show since there’s no massage oil,’ he thought. ’I can always mix some up later.’
Lu Yuan shouted, "Great Mighty Celestial Dragon! World Honored One Ksitigarbha! Prajna Buddhas! Prajna Paramita!"
"Flying Dragon in the Heavens... Go!"
Su Liyan felt his technique was simply divine. "Ah!"
Su Liyan murmured contentedly, "Dear, why didn’t you teach me this technique before? You only taught me the basics. And... does it really need a Spell to go with it?"
"Yes. The Spell makes it more effective," Lu Yuan said, talking complete nonsense.
"Okay, I’ve got it!" Su Liyan replied, silently committing the words to memory. ’Great Mighty Celestial Dragon...’
The next day, the Daoist Field of Death was held as scheduled.
Lu Yuan took his wife and their retinue to the outskirts of the ritual grounds, blending into the crowd to watch the spectacle.
Guyang Temple had spent a good deal of silver taels to set up the Daoist Field. The grounds were encircled by flags inscribed with all sorts of complex sigils.
Guyang Temple had dispatched three Grand Celestial Masters to preside over the center, where they sat cross-legged on the ground.
The Daoists seated in a circle around the three Grand Celestial Masters came from various other Daoist Temples; judging by their robes, there were at least eight or nine different temples represented.
Each temple had sent two or three Daoists—some were Martial Daoists, others were Scholarly Daoists.
The most powerful of the Martial Daoists were only at the Celestial Master level.
None of the visiting Daoist Temples had sent a Grand Celestial Master to participate in the Rituals.
The Rituals began at three in the afternoon and were set to continue until seven in the evening.
Shortly after the Rituals began, Lu Yuan crushed two Camphor Leaves and rubbed them over his eyes. He watched as wandering souls, drawn from all directions, gradually dissipated under the Daoists’ chanting scriptures. This signified that they had been successfully guided to the afterlife and would be reincarnated.
Su Liyan, however, could see them on her own, without the need for any Technique.
Lu Yuan watched for a while. ’These seated Daoists can guide wandering souls to the afterlife just by chanting scriptures. They’ve got some real skill,’ he thought.
Lu Yuan asked Su Liyan, "Honey, for a Ritual of this scale, why do they still need Daoists from other temples? From what we saw yesterday, Guyang Temple has enough Celestial Masters of its own."
Su Liyan explained, "Dear, you’ve never been to a Daoist Temple or attended a Ritual like this before. My mother told me that in the old days, it was always Grand Celestial Masters who chanted the scriptures to guide the souls. Now, it’s become more of a formality. While they can still guide the wandering Xingzi to the afterlife, the effect is greatly diminished."
In the past, the world was a more chaotic place, and there were far too many wandering souls that needed guidance. A Daoist Field of Death required a large number of Grand Celestial Masters to conduct the Rituals.
Since there were so few Grand Celestial Masters, they would often gather from eight or ten different Daoist Temples to perform the Rituals together.
This custom was passed down, but over time, the various temples gradually started sending only Daoists of the Celestial Master level to attend.
Only the host temple is required to provide Grand Celestial Masters to preside over the event.
Lu Yuan nodded in understanding and continued to watch for a little while longer.
By now, much of the crowd that had gathered to watch the spectacle had already trickled away.
Lu Yuan was also starting to feel that it was getting boring. He had seen enough to satisfy his curiosity.
Just as Lu Yuan was about to leave with Su Liyan, she suddenly said, "A Da Xingzi is here!"
"What? A Da Xingzi?" Lu Yuan was incredulous. "With so many Celestial Masters present, a Xingzi is still foolish enough to come looking for trouble?"
’Since when did Celestial Masters become so cheap that a Xingzi dares to show up and challenge them?’
Su Liyan nodded, able to clearly sense that this particular Da Xingzi was exceptionally powerful.
Suddenly, a ghastly wind began to blow. Leaves and dust swirled into the air, blotting out the sky until even the sun was obscured.
As the sinister wind swept over them, the Celestial Masters seated on the grounds swayed involuntarily, getting mouthfuls of sand and dust.
"PTUI, PTUI, PTUI..."
It was impossible to continue chanting the scriptures.
Without the scriptures’ Binding, the wandering souls immediately scattered and fled.
The Da Xingzi had been drawn by the Ritual, but the collective power of the Celestial Masters was not enough to guide it to the afterlife, resulting in a backlash.
The few townspeople who remained covered their faces to block the dust. Parents grabbed their children by the collar, clutched them tight, and scattered in all directions.
Seeing this, Lu Yuan was overcome with a playful impulse and swept Su Liyan up into his arms.
The sudden princess carry took Su Liyan by surprise. Flustered and pleased, she instinctively wrapped her arms around Lu Yuan’s neck. "Dear, what are you doing?"
Lu Yuan yelled, "Fall back, fall back!"
Possessing considerable power himself, Lu Yuan was incredibly fast when he broke into a run.
The retinue, stunned for a moment, said nothing and simply followed Lu Yuan, fleeing down the mountain with the rest of the townspeople to get away from the trouble.
Su Liyan said bashfully, "Dear, I can run on my own."
"It’s fine," Lu Yuan said, taking huge strides. "I’m strong enough to lift a thousand jin now. You can’t run properly in that pink cheongsam, so I’ll carry you."
As Lu Yuan ran down the mountain, he discovered a large contingent of soldiers at the foot of the path. They stood in formation, blocking the road completely.
The townspeople ahead of Lu Yuan didn’t seem to see the soldiers. As they ran near, they suddenly collapsed, unable to get back up.
Sensing something was wrong, Lu Yuan skidded to a halt and asked his followers, "Can you see that troop of soldiers down there?"
One of his retainers asked, "Young Nephew, what army?"
Lu Yuan wondered if his retainer’s eyes were just for show. "Look, look," he gestured. "Aren’t they right there?"
