My name is Li Guangjun, a folk Taoist priest of the Lushan School. When I was thirteen, my dad tried to seal off my path to the gods and keep me away from this dangerous line of work where either you die or I do. But I was born with a spirit-medium fate, and there was no escaping it. The deity that accompanied me drove me nearly mad, so my dad had no choice but to accept my fate and pass down his teachings.
Seven years of study taught me the arts. It was every bit as tedious as it sounds. But my dad’s words, “Don’t judge good and evil. Just vanquish demons and evil spirits,” were etched into my bones. After I graduated, nobody believed in a kid like me. That changed when I faced Boss Wang, who had destroyed the “Panxian Cave” while mining and was tormented by the Great Immortal of Cang Mountain until his family was ruined. That green snake had cultivated for ages. It struck so hard my chest went cold, and I nearly dropped my hemp-snake whip. In the end, I severed its tail and settled the karmic debt. That was when I finally found my footing.
I saw much more after that. The Lin family of Dinglin Village committed evil, forcing someone to die by hanging in a red dress and become a vengeful ghost. In the end, the Lin family dwindled away, plagued by restless spirits. I went to cleanse the house and deliver the spirits, but my heart felt heavy. Heaven’s retribution can be too harsh. Then there was the Nine-Headed Cat, an utterly sinister creature that had even bested my great-grandfather. I used a thunder-and-fire talisman to burn it until it shrieked, finally settling the grudge between our four generations. The most dangerous battle was against the evil priest Huang Tongjun. I was helping someone dispel a curse when his “Thousand-Needle Plowhead Method” nearly pinned me to the altar. My head felt like it would explode. I only survived because my dad set up an altar back home.
This is a dangerous way to make a living among the dead, and I’m often torn between wiping out every last one and showing mercy. With talismans in hand, I travel the world, breaking spells across the land. I tread the ritual steps and shake my bell, making my way through the gaps between the worlds of gods, ghosts, and humans. Right and wrong? The ways of heaven are unpredictable? Whatever. The arts of my Lushan School have their own reasons and their own way.
