Chapter 17 The Descendants of Maoshan (1)

It was very early to get off work today. Just as Yin Hun was about to go back with Tang Yan, he received a call from Lao Zhaotou. The meaning was very simple, asking him to go to his house for a meal and come no matter what.

"Sit down." In the room, Old Zhaotou put down his wine glass and said in a deep voice.

Yin Hui sat down obediently, and there were only two of them in the huge venue.

However, Old Zhaotou's voice was still full of energy: "I called you here just after get off work. If you feel unhappy, you can leave immediately. I don't blame you."

Yin Hui smiled bitterly in his heart, he was already used to the old man's foul mouth.

Seeing that he was motionless, Lao Zhaotou nodded slightly and said: "Okay, since you have no objection, just listen carefully and don't miss a word, because..." As he spoke, his voice suddenly dropped and he said: "Because, this is me

This is my last lesson for you."

Yin Hui was full of questions, but she held back and couldn't speak out.

Old Zhaotou said calmly: "Before class, I have something to say. After this class, it means the end of my generation's inheritance to yours, and you will be the official undertaker.

It means that your life will no longer be peaceful. Because of responsibility, you have to do some things without regrets, so it is not too late to look back now."

Yin Hui's face turned red, and finally couldn't help but burst out a few words: "This is an insult to me, master, please take back this sentence."

Old Zhaotou looked at him with some surprise and sighed: "Don't be impulsive. It seems that getting involved with me is not a good thing now, and it will not be a good thing in the long run."

Yin Hui didn't answer a single word, but used practical actions to prove his true feelings. He slowly and firmly knelt on the ground like pushing a mountain of gold and toppling a jade pillar.

I only heard Yin Hui say in a clear voice: "I have been studying with the master for almost a year. I have the essence of a teacher and a student, but I don't have the title of a teacher and a student. Please accept the disciple's three bows, master, and ask the master to correct the disciple's name." Don't wait for Lao Zhao.

When asked to answer, he kowtowed respectfully three times and then fell to the ground.

Old Zhaotou looked at this disciple who had the same fate as him with surprise, and sighed: "Why is this necessary?"

"Do you know why I don't want to accept you as my disciple?"

Yin Hui shook his head gently and heard him say in a deep voice: "Because I am afraid. I am afraid that I will bring you an unfortunate life. In our line of work, few people can escape unscathed and die a healthy life."

Yin Hui suddenly said: "No wonder..."

"What's the wonder?" Old Zhaotou asked.

"It's nothing." Yin Hui said softly.

"Do you think that because of this reason, I didn't teach you all the Tao skills?" Old Zhaotou said with a half-smile.

"I dare not." Yin Hui did not deny it.

"You underestimate me, Zhao Deshui." Old Zhaotou shook his head and said, "Teacher, I have been here to teach you and resolve my doubts. I am not vague about you in the slightest when it comes to Taoism. On the contrary, I also see your progress.

It is clear that given time, he will definitely surpass me."

"Indeed, Taoism focuses on the use of magic weapons, spells, and natural forces." Old Zhaotou said solemnly: "But Taoism itself is just a form, which is nothing more than the nine palaces, eight trigrams, seventy-one grids, Yin Yang, Five Elements, and Three

Sixteen lots. Just draw a talisman and recite a mantra. Depending on how smart you are, it only takes a few months to learn these, but what's the use of just knowing these?"

"Can you become a qualified embalmer just by learning these things?" Old Zhaotou said solemnly: "Impossible! Because these are originally red tape and unsystematic things. If you want to understand them, you must overthrow them.

, overthrow them all!”

"What?" Yin Hui was shocked.

Old Zhaotou drank a glass of wine, and his face seemed to radiate some kind of light. Each word hit Yin Hui's heart and said: "Water, fire, metal, and wood are called the Four Symbols. The four symbols are the rise and fall of Yin and Yang.

, Yin and Yang are the ups and downs of the Qi in the body. When they are separated and named, they are called the Four Symbols, but collectively they are not the same as Yin and Yang.

"By analogy, if you want to achieve great success, you only need to master the Qi of this week." Old Zhaotou said solemnly.

"Master, how can I master it?" Yin Hui asked respectfully. He knew that this was the time for a learned man to impart the valuable experience gained after decades of painstaking research.

Just listen to Lao Zhaotou slowly speaking, word by word: "The principle of the five elements, there is life and restraint, wood produces fire, fire produces earth, earth produces metal, metal produces water, water produces wood, wood controls earth, earth controls water, water

Fire restrains fire, fire restrains metal, and metal restrains wood. They are mutually reinforcing and restraining each other, and they are all based on Qi but not quality. If they become quality, they cannot create and restrain each other."

"If they are in conflict with each other, restrain them from going too far. The nature of wood is divergent, and if it is restrained by gold energy, the wood will not disperse; the nature of fire will increase inflammation, and if it is subdued by water vapor, the fire will not be inflamed; the nature of earth will be moist, and it will be loosened by wood air.

, then the earth is not moist; the metal nature is astringent, and if it is warmed by fire air, the metal is not restrained; the water nature is dehumidifying, and if it is soaked with earth air, the water is not moisturized. This is the wonder of the natural transformation of gas." After saying this, he took a long breath and looked.

Yin Hui said: "Now you understand why I asked you to read and study the previous things first, right?"

"Basics." Yin Hui said softly: "You ask me to lay a solid foundation first, and then I can draw inferences."

"Yes, Qi is the essence, the five elements are the body, the essence is the connotation of the body, and the body is the expression of the essence. Only when you truly reach this step can you achieve something!"

"I will teach you now the real art of encoffining!" Next, Old Zhaotou started from the basics and explained to Yin Hui the methods, techniques and taboos of using Taoism in detail.

Old Zhaotou told Yin Hui that in the old society, their profession was called the funeral procession, and the makeup of the body was only a small part of the burial process.

Ancient Chinese people said: "Keeping one's health is not a big deal, but dying can be a big deal." So the ancients attached great importance to funerals.

In ancient times, funeral ceremonies mainly included obituary announcements, funerals, small coffins, large coffins, adult clothing, hanging offerings, funerals, mourning and other activities. They lasted for three years and the rituals were very complicated.

The ancient Chinese regarded the funeral of relatives, especially parents, as an extremely important event, and a strict funeral system was formed very early.

It is difficult to examine the funeral system before the Shang Dynasty, but the funeral system of the Zhou Dynasty is preserved in the Confucian classics "Three Rites", which mainly include selecting a tomb and setting up a tomb (burial system), holding funerals (funeral system), and paying homage at the funeral (

There are three aspects (mourning dress system), and each aspect is divided into different levels. The procedures are very complicated, and there are as many as fifty or sixty names in each. It is absolutely red tape.

According to the records in "Rituals": In ancient times, the dying person must live in the main room. When he was dying, family members stayed by the bed and put very light silk cotton wadding on the mouth and nose of the dying person to check whether there was any left.

Breathing, and "the man is not cut off by the woman's hand, and the woman is not cut off by the man's hand."

After a person dies, the 'embausser' takes the clothes of the deceased, faces the north where the underworld is, and shouts the name of the deceased in a long voice. After repeating this for many times, another person takes the clothes and slowly puts them on for the deceased. "Book of Rites"

"Explains: "Recovery is the way to love to the fullest." This ceremony represents the last effort to save the life of the deceased.

After the soul is summoned, the deceased is placed on the bed under the south window of the main room, and a hammer is inserted between the upper and lower teeth of the deceased to open the mouth so that he can hold food in the future. The feet of the deceased are fixed with a pair of bird's nests so that he can put on his shoes in the future.

The corpse was covered with a quilt. Wine and food were also placed on the east side of the corpse for the ghosts to drink. It was commonly known as the rice dumpling in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

A pit is dug under the west wall in front of the hall as a stove, rice water is boiled and washed to cleanse the body of the deceased, and the deceased is given a haircut and nails. This represents cleansing and restoration.

Later, through the evolution of the dynasties, people gradually discarded many tedious details and retained the main rituals.

Generally, when a person is about to die, the undertaker or relatives should shave, comb, and scrub the patient's head, making sure it is clean. Then he puts on his shroud and waits for death, to show that he has not lost his clothes.

The Exorcist believes that when a person dies, he must report to the underworld, so when a person dies, he must put some broken silver in his mouth, saying that he cannot return empty-handed, and must give it to the guards and guards in front of the Naihe Bridge and the Palace of Hell to facilitate smooth passage. At the same time,

They should also bring some money to the ancestors of the deceased.

At this time, the undertaker has vacated the furniture in the main room or the upper room, and placed the deceased in the main room with his head facing the door (sometimes with his head and feet against the wall). He calls "stop". After placing the deceased, he must prepare plant ash and bran to be mixed together.
Chapter completed!