It is said that long ago, a group of Luoshi spirits arrived in Xiushui Village, all coming from Luoyang. Elders also said that Luoyang was the ancient capital of nine dynasties and was home to the Goddess of the Luo River. In Luoyang long ago, a group of children drowned in the river while bathing there, becoming spirits of drowning deaths. Later, for unknown reasons, these spirits traveled together on a boat to Northeast China, where they settled down permanently. From then on, the area was never peaceful again. Because these drowning spirits came from Luoyang, and the words “Luo” and “Luo” (fall) are homophones, they became known in the Northeast as Luoshi spirits.
Liu Dashao always believed that Luoshi spirits, along with the tiger grandmother (an old woman who specialized in eating children) and the Pa Hua laotai (an old woman who would pat children’s heads, causing them to lose their minds and be manipulated), were merely stories adults used to scare children. Thus, he always felt skeptical and curious about them.
Luoshi spirits, also known as water monkeys, are immensely strong in water and can even drown a bull in water just one meter deep. However, on land, they are so weak they cannot even fend off a chicken, making them easy prey for humans. Therefore, they can only live in water, and once they come ashore, their lives are in grave danger. Yet very few people have actually seen a real Luoshi spirit. Some say they look like children, while others claim they resemble ducks. Those dragged into the water by Luoshi spirits become their substitutes; once a substitute is found, the Luoshi spirit is reborn. Meanwhile, the person drowned by the Luoshi spirit becomes one themselves, continuing to search for a substitute in the pond until one is found. This cycle repeats endlessly.
However, everything in the world has its weaknesses, and Luoshi spirits are no exception. Their fatal weakness is their inability to leave water, which is the source of their power. Once a Luoshi spirit leaves the water, it is like the Western ancient mythological hero Hercules separated from his mother earth, losing his strength and being vulnerable to enemies who can kill him mid-air. Luoshi spirits also like to use a child’s crying to lure people to the water’s edge, then drag them underwater. They specifically target women and children because they are weaker and easier to overpower, while men, being stronger, are avoided. This belief further deepened Liu Dashao’s skepticism about the existence of Luoshi spirits in the world.
That year, a child from the neighboring Xiushan Village was dragged away by a Luoshi spirit. In that village lived a boy named Yusuo, three years younger than Liu Dashao.
That day happened to be market day in town. The adults from the village had all gone to the market, leaving only elders and children at home. Since it was June and the weather was unbearably hot, Yusuo and some friends secretly decided to go swimming in the pond, completely forgetting the adults’ warnings not to swim in the pond while they were away. When they came out of the water afterward, they realized Yusuo had not surfaced yet. The children shouted his name toward the pond, but he did not respond for a long time. Eventually, they grew anxious and speculated that Yusuo must have been dragged away by a Luoshi spirit. After discussing, they all made a pact not to tell the adults about Yusuo’s drowning. They also hid Yusuo’s clothes in the bushes.
At noon, the adults returned from the market. Yusuo’s parents saw other children but not their own son, so they asked the children if they had seen Yusuo. All of them shook their heads, claiming they had not seen him. Yusuo’s parents searched the entire courtyard calling their son’s name but could not find him anywhere, becoming increasingly anxious. At that moment, one child’s mother noticed something odd about her son’s gaze when answering Yusuo’s parents, and his words were hesitant. After all, children are still children; they couldn’t even lie well enough to deceive their parents. So the mother immediately slapped her son’s face and asked, “Tell the truth, where did Yusuo really go?”
The child then tearfully recounted the entire incident. Upon hearing this, Yusuo’s mother rushed madly to the pond in front of their house. Seeing his wife heading toward the pond, Yusuo’s father followed. Not yet understanding what was happening, Yusuo’s father suddenly heard his wife shouting his son’s name toward the pond and immediately realized the truth, jumping straight into the pond.
The parents of the other children also arrived at the pond, and several men, just like Yusuo’s father, jumped into the pond without even removing their clothes. Within less than a quarter of an hour, Yusuo was pulled out by his father. When brought ashore, Yusuo had already closed his eyes, blood pouring from his mouth and nose, and it would not stop.
Seeing her son in this condition, Yusuo’s mother cried out in grief and fainted. Yusuo’s father placed his son across his lap and continuously pounded his back with his fists, squeezing blood from Yusuo’s mouth onto the ground. Tears streaming down his face, Yusuo’s father kept pounding, but Yusuo showed no response. His skin had no color at all, turning a dark purple. The men present sadly shook their heads because they all knew Yusuo had been pulled out too late and was beyond saving. Meanwhile, the women began removing their sons’ pants and mercilessly striking their tender buttocks, saying, “I told you not to go swimming in the pond, I told you not to go. I’ll beat you to death today.” For a while, the children’s cries filled the sky.
Yusuo’s aunt hurriedly brought a bamboo blowpipe (a hollow bamboo tube used to blow air into a fire to accelerate its burning) to Yusuo’s father. Taking the blowpipe, Yusuo’s father aimed it at Yusuo’s anus and began blowing air into him. Not long after, a stream of dirty water and blood poured from Yusuo’s mouth. Yusuo’s father again pounded his son’s back with his fists, but Yusuo still showed no response. Then, Yusuo’s father aimed the blowpipe at his son’s anus again and continued blowing. Soon, feces began to pour from Yusuo’s mouth. Yusuo’s father pounded his son’s back forcefully again, but Yusuo remained with his eyes tightly shut. Desperately, Yusuo’s father wiped the filth and blood from his son’s mouth, hugged him, and walked toward their home.
The people helped Yusuo’s mother, who had regained consciousness, back to her house. She lay over her son’s body, crying bitterly until her tears were dry and her heart broken. Eventually, she kept tearing at her own hair with her hands. Seeing this scene, all the women present couldn’t help but shed tears and rushed forward to hold Yusuo’s mother. Nearby, Yusuo’s father remained silent, harshly puffing on his pipe. Everyone’s heart was cloaked in sorrow, feeling deeply distressed. In the morning when he left home, the child had still been fine, so how could he have become like this in just half a day? Poor Yusuo, so young, had become a child spirit (a child who died before reaching adulthood), and his entire family was immersed in grief.
The next day, people from the neighboring village came to Liu Dashao’s house, requesting Master Zhang to come and take a look. After Zhang Enpu heard the entire story, he agreed to go and check. Upon hearing this, Liu Dashao also wanted to go with Zhang Enpu. Liu Laoshi tried to stop him, saying there was no need to see a dead body because it might cause him to dream of ghosts at night. Liu Dashao was unsure whether to agree with his father’s words. Zhang Enpu thought for a moment, believing that increasing his apprentice’s experience was appropriate, so he accepted on behalf of Liu Laoshi. Seeing that Zhang Enpu had agreed, Liu Laoshi had no choice but to let him go, muttering only some words about taking good care of Liu Dashao.
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