Chapter 123: The Haunting

That night, Liu Dashao lay beside Goudan, but couldn’t fall asleep. His mind kept turning to when Zhang Enpu and the others would return, and also to some confusing phrases in the book—terms like “Thunder Heaven Great Marsh” and “Rotten Cart Returning on the Same Track.” After what felt like an eternity, he finally drifted off.

The next morning, Liu Dashao rose early and practiced his footwork and hand seals in his courtyard. Goudan groggily got up too and asked, “You’re up so early! What are you doing?”

Knowing Goudan wouldn’t understand, Liu Dashao simply replied that he was just exercising.

After playing around in the yard for a while, Liu Laoshi called the two inside for breakfast. After eating, Liu Dashao suddenly remembered it had been a long time since he last visited Huang Er Ye. So he and Goudan set off toward the small grove.

“Where are we going?” Goudan panted, already tired.

“To meet a good friend of mine. While you were away, I used to play with him every day!”

Moments later, they reached the grove and Liu Dashao called out at their usual spot, “Huang Er Ye… Huang Er Ye… It’s Dashao coming to see you!”

They shouted for a while, but there was no sign of Huang Er Ye. Liu Dashao checked the tree hollow and sure enough, found Huang Er Ye sleeping inside. As he reached in to grab him, a strong stench of alcohol hit his nose. It seemed Huang Er Ye had been out drinking again and was now completely drunk—likely wouldn’t wake up anytime soon.

Goudan looked on in amazement, “Wow, such a big rat!”

“Don’t be rude! That’s Huang Er Ye. Don’t call him names!” Liu Dashao scolded.

So they left Huang Er Ye sleeping in the hollow and walked back down the hill.

When they reached the foot of the hill, Liu Dashao suddenly felt homesick and said to Goudan, “I want to go check out Master Zhang’s house.”

Goudan asked, “Isn’t it locked? Do you have the key?”

“No, I don’t. We’ll just hang around outside for a bit,” Liu Dashao replied.

As they arrived at the gate, Liu Dashao felt a pang of sadness. He recalled the laughter and joy he shared with Zhang Enpu inside, but now he could only stand outside, not knowing how Zhang was doing or whether he had arrived safely at his relatives’ home.

Goudan sensed Liu Dashao’s mood and said, “Don’t be sad, Dashao. They’ll be back soon. Don’t cry—I’ll play with you!”

Liu Dashao smiled, about to leave, but suddenly turned back to glance into the courtyard. He walked up to the gate and peeked through a crack.

What he saw made him jump in terror—a white figure had just flashed past inside the courtyard.

He felt a cold sweat break out on his back. After a moment of shock, he thought maybe he had imagined it, so he steeled himself and looked again through the crack.

And there—right there—was a pair of blood-red eyes staring back at him!

The figure inside was also peering through the crack, staring straight at Liu Dashao!

Liu Dashao screamed in fear, “Ahh!” and fell onto the ground.

He felt completely drained of strength, trembling all over. There really was a pair of eyes staring back at him—right there through the crack in the door.

Goudan, puzzled by Liu Dashao’s sudden outburst, asked, “What’s wrong? What did you see?”

Liu Dashao couldn’t even speak properly, only pointing at the door.

Goudan looked at him doubtfully, then walked over and, mimicking Liu Dashao, peeked through the crack.

After a moment, he suddenly jumped back and screamed, “Oh my god! There’s a ghost!”

Liu Dashao was already terrified, and Goudan’s scream made him break into another cold sweat. He stammered, “Was it… red eyes… and was it staring at you through the crack?”

“Yeah! And it had big ears! Its fangs were as long as fingers! And it talked to me! It said you’re a coward, hahaha!”

Liu Dashao realized he had been tricked by Goudan. He stood up and asked, “So… you really didn’t see anything?”

Goudan shrugged, “See what? There’s nothing in there!”

Liu Dashao looked at Goudan, then cautiously approached the door again, peering through the crack.

Indeed, there was nothing. Just the tidy courtyard left behind by Liu Laoshi and his wife. Liu Dashao pulled his head back and stood up straight, wondering if he had just imagined it. But he was certain he had seen red eyes—could it have been a hallucination?

Suddenly, the house felt unfamiliar. Maybe he was just imagining things.

Seeing Liu Dashao deep in thought, Goudan suggested they go back to his house, or his dad might get worried. So they left—but as they walked away, Liu Dashao couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching him from behind, making him deeply uneasy.

Back at Goudan’s house, they played for a while, then Liu Dashao took out his book and began reading the chapter on “Feng Shui Fortune” in *The Records of the Celestial Master*.

Goudan, seeing Liu Dashao reading, picked up the book next to him and started pretending to read too.

“When Yin and Yang are clear, the cycles are infinite…”

Liu Dashao laughed and corrected him, “It’s *Yin Yang Hui Ming*, you big dummy!”

Goudan pressed the book to his face and giggled, “I haven’t learned that character yet, hehe.”

They played around for a while longer, then had dinner. Just like that, the day passed in the blink of an eye.

The next day, while Liu Dashao and Goudan were playing outside, they noticed several strangers walking toward Zhang Enpu’s house. Curious, the two followed behind.

The group was led by a man in his early thirties, neatly dressed. Beside him was a woman wearing many gold and silver ornaments—likely his wife. Behind them were three or four young men who looked like servants. Their expressions were all unusually grim.

Sure enough, they arrived at Zhang Enpu’s house and knocked a few times. When no one answered, they noticed Liu Dashao and Goudan standing at a distance and walked over.

“Little boys, do you know where Master Zhang lives?” the man asked.

So they really were looking for Zhang Enpu.

Liu Dashao replied, “My master went away on a long journey. I’m his apprentice. That house you just knocked on is his!”

The man looked at Liu Dashao carefully and asked, “So when will he be back?”

“About a month,” Liu Dashao answered.

Upon hearing this, the man’s face fell. He muttered to himself, “Then it’ll be too late…”

The woman beside him tried to comfort him, saying everything would be fine. Liu Dashao closed his eyes and focused on observing the man’s aura, a technique he had learned from *The Records of the Celestial Master*.

Sure enough, he saw a dark cloud hovering over the man’s forehead—an omen of impending death in the family.

Liu Dashao spoke up, “Uncle, I see a dark cloud over your forehead. I fear someone in your family may be in danger.”

The man was visibly shaken. He grabbed Liu Dashao’s hands desperately, like a drowning man clutching at a straw, exclaiming, “You truly are a child prodigy! To tell the truth, things at home have indeed been very troubled lately!”

Liu Dashao replied, “Uncle, why don’t you tell me about it? I’ve studied some Daoist techniques with my master—I might be able to help.”

The man sighed and began, “I won’t hide anything from you, young master. My family is from Xiushan Village, the Qian family. My name is Qian Qing. Our home has always been peaceful, and we’ve done many good deeds. But recently, everything has gone wrong…”

With a sorrowful expression, Qian Qing continued, “A few nights ago, every evening at dusk, the pots and pans in our kitchen would clatter and bang on their own. At first, we thought it was just mice. But later, one of our servants hanged himself. Then more followed—some went mad, others broke arms or legs. The servants either fled or lost their minds, and things kept getting worse. The village elders told me to come find your master. They said to look for a house with red doors and an iron gate, so here I am.”