Chapter 79: Uncle Zhong’s Advice
After I came back, I called Li Daming and the guy finally answered the phone. I smiled and asked him how he went last night and whether he got the girl.
Li Daming said, what are you talking about, Meiyu and I are brother and sister.
"Oh, you got the nice guy card?" I joked.
Li Daming was puzzled: "Lin Cong, you seem to be in a good mood today, what's wrong?"
This kid is too sensitive, he can guess so many things from my tone, which makes me more cautious. I changed the subject and asked him what was the scream when he sang, why it sounded so much like a dragon's roar.
Li Daming said on the phone: "Lao Lin, we are brothers, I will not hide it from you. That shout was indeed unintentional, I don't know what happened, but the voice of the dragon in the bardo is deeply engraved in my mind. Whenever I think of it, I can't help shout it out."
"Is it true?" I was a little surprised. "It's a bit mysterious."
"I don't know what's going on." Li Daming laughed: "Maybe it's a natural talent, haha."
Actually, I also have a secret. I just sold the dragon scales and I am in a good mood so I don’t want to pursue it too much. I told him that I want to resign. Li Daming said, “What a coincidence. I just told the company that I want to resign. I will go to handle the formalities the day after tomorrow.”
I couldn't wait any longer, so I asked him to go with me.
Li Daming asked me what my plans were after resigning?
I was speechless. Putting aside the matter of saving my mother, if I want to make money, I must find an opportunity to enter the bardo realm, which is actually inseparable from the purpose of saving my mother.
I told him my idea, and Li Daming said, "I have the same idea. Why don't we go see Uncle Zhong and see if he can recommend some more work for us."
We agreed that after completing the resignation procedures, we would go directly to Uncle Zhong to discuss the next plan.
To save my mother, I must find Meng Po. I also need to consult Uncle Zhong about this matter. There are so many things to do and I can only take it one step at a time.
I rested at home for a day, and then went to the company on the day. The company was confused about the fact that Li Daming and I resigned at the same time, which triggered a wave of gossip. Li Daming had many friends in the company, so he made an appointment to get drunk that night. In the evening, he booked a private room at the seafood restaurant in the central square. Including my colleagues and his colleagues, there were about 20 to 30 of us, and we got together to drink all night.
Many people asked why we left, but we both smiled and said nothing. Finally, our colleagues came to the conclusion that these two guys must have a way to make money. They probably started their own business. Otherwise, how could they pay for such an expensive meal? It was not in line with their usual style. Li Daming was usually generous, but my colleagues complained that I was the most stingy.
Of course I have reasons that I can't tell you. My family member is still in the hospital, so how can I spend money lavishly?
After the song ended, everyone left drunk and satisfied, leaving only Li Daming and I in the huge private room.
Li Daming was the main guest today. He drank quite a bit of wine but his face looked calm at this moment. He lit a cigarette and looked at the bright lights outside the window.
I felt uncomfortable in my stomach and burped. I stood up, patted his shoulder and motioned to leave.
Li Daming looked at me and said, "It is just as you said. Chen Meiyu rejected me."
I was a little surprised, then said, "That's normal. That girl is not an ordinary person. She has her own considerations and ideas. She is definitely not suitable for you."
Li Daming looked a little melancholy: "Who is the right person for me?"
I was speechless. This topic made me feel hypocritical, two grown men talking about love. I said, "I'm single too, I'm here with you."
Li Daming shook his head: "I can foresee our future path. We will enter the field of Taoism. The more we learn, the further we will drift from ordinary people. It will be difficult to find a partner in the future."
"Don't you despise worldly love the most?" I said.
Li Daming looked at me and said, "Who told you that? Isn't this a rumor? I am at a higher level, but I also have worldly desires and want to have sex. I am not a neutral person."
He put out his cigarette and said, "I'm sleepy. Let's go back. We'll meet at Jingming Building tomorrow to find Uncle Zhong."
He and I went our separate ways. I took a taxi home and fell asleep on the bed.
The next day, I was woken up by the alarm clock. I washed up briefly, rubbed my sleepy eyes, and went to Jingming Building without eating. Li Daming had been waiting for a long time, and we went to Uncle Zhong's office together.
Uncle Zhong knew we were coming and had already prepared tea. He politely asked us to sit down, made some tea and started chatting.
Uncle Zhong praised us, saying that Wei Zhen was very satisfied with our mission and that we successfully brought back her dead man.
Li Daming directly stated his current situation, saying that he had already resigned, and asked Uncle Zhong if he had any similar tasks he could take on.
Uncle Zhong smiled bitterly: "You are only capable of doing shady work now, and you are not good at other jobs. But to be honest, there are very few shady jobs in the mainland, let alone in Jiangbei. If you go to Hong Kong, Japan, and Southeast Asia, you may have a future."
Li Daming and I looked at each other, our hearts sinking.
Uncle Zhong said, "My advice is that if you really want to do something in this industry and start a business, you have to learn real skills and receive guidance and practice from famous teachers. Don't even think about making a lot of money now. Don't start with this greed. Be prepared to be an apprentice for three years. If you want to learn real skills, you have to empty the urine pot for your master's wife first."
Li Daming clenched his teeth and said, "Uncle Zhong, it's okay to empty the urine pot for my master's wife. As long as she is willing, I can also clean up the sanitary napkins. The problem is, we have to find a real master. It's meaningless to follow a charlatan."
Uncle Zhong didn't say anything. He crossed his legs, tapped his fingers on the table, and thought about the problem.
I put down the teacup and said, Uncle Zhong, can I ask you a question?
Uncle Zhong came to his senses and gestured to me.
"Do you know how to find Meng Po?" I asked.
Uncle Zhong was drinking tea from a small cup, and when he heard me say that , he almost spit out a mouthful of tea. "What the hell, you want to find Meng Po?" he asked.
"Yes." I said directly: "Damin met my mother in the bardo realm. My mother left a message saying that Meng Po must be found to save her."
Uncle Zhong put down his teacup and sighed, "Xiao Lin, this Meng Po is not something you can find just because you want to. It's like me asking you how to find the Jade Emperor. Is it possible?"
"Aren't you a ghost?" I asked anxiously.
Uncle Zhong said, "To put it simply, Meng Po is a deity. Immortals are the achievements of cultivation, and deities are the status of a Taoist temple. Once a deity is achieved, that existence is beyond our imagination. I am just a small ghost messenger, which means nothing. If you go out to East Asia and Southeast Asia, you will see that ghost messengers are everywhere, and Meng Po has at least 10,000 Taoist temples. Even so, I have never heard of anyone being able to contact Meng Po directly."
"But I have seen the Seventh Lord in the Bardo." I said hastily, "Isn't the Seventh Lord Bai Wuchang also a god?"
Uncle Zhong shook his head, "That's different. Let me give you some simple knowledge. There are ten ghost messengers in the underworld. Got it? They are ghost messengers. Those people in the world of the living are called ghost messengers. In fact, to put it bluntly, they all work for the underworld. What are the ghost messengers? Ghost King, Day Traveler, Night Traveler, Impermanence, Ox Head, Horse Face, Leopard Tail, Bird Mouth, Fish Gills, and Wasp. Impermanence is Black and White Impermanence. These ten ghost messengers have mediums in the world of the living who can possess them and invite gods. But I haven't heard of anyone being the medium of the King of Hell. Meng Po's status in the underworld is a god, similar to the King of Hell. Does she exist? She does exist, but how and where she is is not something you and I can imagine."
Li Daming said, "Uncle Zhong, I heard that there are many mediums of Nezha, the Third Prince, overseas. Isn't Nezha also a god? How come he has a medium?"
Uncle Zhong said, "There are many kinds of gods. The Third Prince is known as the Great God of Subduing Demons, and he is a very powerful figure, but his existence and the underworld of Lord Meng Po and the King of Hell belong to two different systems and worlds. What I said may be a little biased, but it will help you understand."
Li Daming blinked: "You mean, for example, Americans are allowed to enter the country, but South Africans are not?"
"That's a little bit of the idea." Uncle Zhong said, "The Chinese system of gods and Buddhas is not just mythology. It contains very profound metaphors about the world, which we cannot understand. However, since you mentioned this, I think of someone."
"Who?" Li Daming and I asked at the same time.
Uncle Zhong said, "This man's name is Huang Teng, and he is also a ghost messenger. But he is not as low-key as me. He has opened a Taoist temple in the city center. On the one hand, he teaches classes, and on the other hand, he helps people with fortune-telling and feng shui. This man is not simple. He has been able to walk in the ghost since he was a child. He is definitely a boy's skill . The most important thing is." He paused, "This man may have seen Meng Po. He is the only ghost messenger I know who has seen Meng Po."
I was anxious: "Uncle Zhong, shall we go straight over there?"
Uncle Zhong smiled and shook his head: "Of course you can't go like this. Huang Teng loves money like his life and has a great business sense. How would he know who you are if you come to his house so straightforwardly? How about this, I recommend you to be his apprentices."
"Oh, this is interesting." Li Daming patted me on the shoulder.
Uncle Zhong said, "You can learn a lot of real skills by being his apprentice. He is very protective of his students, and he will definitely not treat you unfairly if you can become his apprentice. Another thing is that you can gain his trust, and then it will be easier to discuss any secret matters. This is called killing two birds with one stone."
I thought of a question, "Uncle Zhong, do you think I should look for Liu Yang first, or Meng Po first?"
