Chapter 61: The Ghost Baby! (2)

The four of them had stern expressions as they said, “Brother, you’re indeed an honest fellow!”

Old Yang spoke up, “To be honest with you, we’ve been eyeing your two baskets of apricots and were really tempted to eat them. But we were worried you might have other plans for them. So here’s the deal, brother—treat the apricots as coins and we’ll pay you one copper coin per apricot. That’s fair, right?”

Ma Sandao was delighted, unable to believe such good fortune existed in the world. Without hesitation, he sprang to his feet with a fish-like somersault and sat at the table.

As soon as he held the dominoes in his hands, Ma Sandao was so moved he nearly wept. For months, his hands had only known the toil of farm work or the pleasures of his wife. Now, holding the dominoes, their smooth texture felt almost as delightful as his wife’s body.

As the five began playing, Ma Sandao initially won quite a few rounds, but soon his luck turned. He was left with nothing but poor hands. The apricots were soon gone. Greed stirred in him, and his gambling fervor grew so intense that he completely forgot his wife was longing for those apricots. He no longer saw the apricots as money, and losing them didn’t bother him in the least.

After several consecutive losses, Ma Sandao became obsessed. The white light from the lamp above seemed to swirl before his eyes, making him dizzy. When Old Yang dealt the tiles, he placed them face down on the table, blew on them, and peeked. He saw red and white tiles. Looking closer, they were both sixes—the Heaven Tile! Regaining his composure, he carefully kept his expression completely neutral.

The stakes were high this round. When it came to Ma Sandao’s turn to bet, he realized his basket was nearly empty. Panic broke out on his forehead: “Can I bet with this cloth instead?”

Old Yang coldly replied, “What would we men want with a woman’s cloth?”

Ma Sandao was desperate. Finally getting a good hand, but with nothing to bet!

Then Bao Zhang spoke up, “Hold on, brother. If you agree to one condition, we’ll consider it a bet, and you can even have your apricots back!”

Ma Sandao hurriedly asked, “What condition? Tell me quickly!”

Zhang Bao said, “If you win, all the money and apricots on the table are yours. But if you lose, you must agree to one thing—let me become your son.” Ma Sandao laughed in disbelief, “You’re joking, right?” But Zhang Bao’s face showed no hint of humor: “Not at all, I’m completely serious.” Old Yang added, “This is actually a huge advantage for you, Ma brother!”

As the saying goes, once someone sits at a gambling table, they’re no longer themselves—they’ve become a gambling ghost. Ma Sandao’s mind was filled with nothing but the desire to win. He said, “Fine, fine! Even becoming someone’s father is a small price to pay. How could I possibly refuse?” His eyes sparkled with joy. The four exchanged a few hollow laughs, their faces showing no real mirth. Ma Sandao was extremely pleased, looking around at the four men, then suddenly flipped his tiles: “Heaven Tile! Heaven Tile! Haha!” His face was already beaming with pride.

The four stared at him coldly without uttering a word. A chill ran down Ma Sandao’s spine as he sensed something was wrong. The lamp had been so glaring all along, and after playing for so long, Ma Sandao had already felt something strange but couldn’t quite place it. Now, seeing the four staring at him so coldly, he suddenly realized—the lamp had been hurting his eyes, but these four hadn’t blinked even once the entire time. Looking closer, their eyes were mostly white with little black, and their pupils were gray and lifeless. These were definitely not the eyes of living people!

Examining them carefully under the lamp, Ma Sandao noticed a thin black line around each of their necks, like dried blood. Even Old Yang had two such lines on his wrist! The room was filled with a chilling, decaying atmosphere. Goosebumps rose all over Ma Sandao’s body. “Damn it, did I run into those things again?” Zhang Bao stared straight at Ma Sandao and said, “You lost!”

Looking at the flipped tiles, they were a mixed pair, but together they formed the supreme “Three Gods” combination. Ma Sandao’s heart sank. Then, in unison, the four heads tilted backward and rolled off their necks. Zhang Bao’s head rolled right to Ma Sandao’s feet, its eyes filled with mockery as black blood poured from its mouth. The lamp in the room suddenly went out.

This was the third time Ma Sandao had wet himself that night. A cold breeze brushed against his body, instantly clearing his head. He found himself standing in a valley on Black Rock Slope, with his carrying pole still intact beside him. A faint light appeared on the horizon, signaling the coming dawn. Recalling the night’s events, Ma Sandao was suddenly overcome with inexplicable fear. He picked up his load and hurried home.

He couldn’t quite explain what he was afraid of—he just wanted to see his wife quickly, yet at the same time, he was afraid to see her. He silently cursed himself for being unable to control his gambling instincts.

As midnight approached and her father Li Sandao still hadn’t returned, Ma Xiaoyan grew increasingly restless, frequently opening the door to look outside. Her mother was even more anxious, constantly urging her: “Yanzi, why don’t you go look along the road? Maybe he got lost in the dark.”

Ma Xiaoyan replied to her mother, “Mother, it’s already this late, and Father hasn’t come back. I think he might be staying overnight in town. There are so many relatives there, surely someone would offer him a place to sleep.”

Her mother thought this made sense and adjusted the lamp wick as she said, “Then you should go to sleep. No need to wait for your father.”

Ma Xiaoyan went to her room to rest, preparing to blow out the lamp and go to bed. Just as she was puffing her cheeks to extinguish the flame, a knocking sound came from outside.

Her mother, who was staying in the adjacent room, called out to Ma Xiaoyan, “Yanzi, who would come at this hour? Quickly go see if it’s your father.”

Ma Xiaoyan responded from the next room, then got out of bed to open the door.

While unlocking the door, Ma Xiaoyan impatiently said to whoever was outside, “You finally remembered to come back! Did none of the relatives in town want to put you up for the night?”

There was no response from outside.

Ma Xiaoyan didn’t think much of it, assuming her father was embarrassed by her words, and opened the door.

But outside was just endless darkness with nothing in sight. At that moment, the family dog, Wangcai, started barking furiously and kept backing away.

Hearing Wangcai barking nonstop, Ma Xiaoyan shouted at him, “Wangcai, stop barking!”

Instead of stopping, Wangcai rushed to the doorstep, baring his teeth with fierce eyes.

Wangcai’s behavior completely enraged Ma Xiaoyan, who was about to close the door. She raised her foot and kicked Wangcai, yelling, “Did your dog eyes go blind? There’s nothing out there, so why are you barking like crazy? Get lost!”

Wangcai was kicked several meters back, whimpering and looking at his master with a wronged expression, as if asking Xiaoyan: What did I do wrong?

As the saying goes, a good dog never bites its own family. Ma Xiaoyan scolded the dog again as it got up from the ground: “If you keep barking, I’ll break your dog legs.”

The big dog stopped barking but remained wary of the door.

Inside the house, Xiaoyan’s mother heard the commotion outside and asked, “Yanzi, who is it at the door?”

Ma Xiaoyan smiled and replied to her mother in the house, “Mother, it’s nothing, probably just a mistake.”

“Oh,” her mother responded, then asked, “Then why was Wangcai barking nonstop?”

Ma Xiaoyan answered, “Mother, I don’t know what’s wrong with Wangcai today. As soon as I opened the door, he got excited.”

Hearing this, Xiaoyan’s mother opened the door from inside, called out to Wangcai, who looked at her for a moment before turning his gaze back to the door.

Thoroughly annoyed, Ma Xiaoyan glared fiercely at Wangcai, then slammed the door shut. A gust of wind blew in, causing Ma Xiaoyan to shiver involuntarily, though she didn’t notice the fear in Wangcai’s eyes.

As dawn approached and he reached the village entrance, not far from home, Ma Sandao wiped his sweat and quickened his pace. Under the big tree, he saw Old Lady Fan practicing alone by the roadside. Ma Sandao knew her, but he usually didn’t believe in ghosts or deities, thinking she was just a fraud pretending to be supernatural. After all, could someone who acted like a spirit really be good? So despite living close by, they had little contact.

This was the first time Ma Sandao had seen Old Lady Fan practice. He watched as she sat cross-legged facing east, making audible sounds as she inhaled and exhaled. Suddenly, she inhaled deeply like a dragon swallowing water, a large bulge forming in her throat before being swallowed down. Then she leaped up, a wooden sword already in her hand. She soared more than ten feet into the air, her sword trembling with a buzzing sound. As soon as she landed, she rushed forward as if her feet never touched the ground, her sword slicing through the air with a sound like wind and thunder. Ma Sandao finally realized this old woman was no simple fraud.

With a single leap, Old Lady Fan landed in front of Ma Sandao. She stared at him for a long time, making Ma Sandao feel uneasy in his heart: “This… Auntie Fan, what’s wrong…” Ma Sandao lowered his head, unsure why he felt so guilty. He tried to make small talk: “Those moves you just did were truly impressive, real martial arts!”

Old Lady Fan ignored him and suddenly asked, “May I try one of your apricots?” Ma Sandao’s heart relaxed slightly as he smiled and said, “Immortal maiden, you can have as many as you want. If it weren’t for my wife wanting to eat them, I’d give you all of them without hesitation.”

Old Lady Fan took one apricot herself, took a bite, and suddenly spat it out: “Tsk, how stinky these apricots of yours are!” Ma Sandao’s heart tightened. Seeing her serious expression, he quickly picked up an apricot himself and took a bite, then spat it out too: “What the hell is this stinky smell? Tsk tsk!”

Old Lady Fan sneered coldly: “You yourself are stinky, can’t you smell it?” Ma Sandao was puzzled. When he bought these apricots yesterday, he had tasted more than ten of them himself, almost making the seller cry from tasting. Hearing Old Lady Fan’s words, he hurriedly smiled and said, “It’s just from urinating a few times last night.” Before he finished speaking, his face turned red.

Old Lady Fan frowned and said, “Your face is filled with ghostly energy. You must have encountered something evil!”

Ma Sandao was filled with admiration. This Taoist must truly be a living immortal! But at this moment, he was more concerned about his home, so he quickly said, “No, no, Auntie, nothing’s wrong. I’ll just go home and see my wife first.” Old Lady Fan said, “You’re filled with yin energy. I think you’ve encountered something, though you yourself don’t realize it. Well then, go home first. If something happens, come find me. It won’t take your life in just a day or two!” Hearing this, Ma Sandao’s heart sank. He quickly bid farewell, picked up his load, and hurried home. Old Lady Fan watched his back with deep thoughts.

In the early morning, after encountering Old Lady Fan and discarding the stinky apricots, Ma Sandao hurried back home. Upon arriving, he heard Zhang Zhao Di weakly groaning from the inner room. Ma Sandao was extremely anxious and rushed into the inner room. He saw Zhang Zhao Di lying in bed with a pale face. She couldn’t even get up when she saw him return. Ma Xiaoyan was anxiously pacing beside her.

“You’re back… I’m feeling a bit unwell today and couldn’t get up… breakfast isn’t ready yet…” Her voice was trembling, as if she was afraid of something. Ma Sandao immediately hugged his wife in his arms and said, “I’ll cook breakfast myself. You don’t need to get up if you’re unwell.” Zhang Zhao Di looked at him with hesitation, “Husband, last night… last night…”

Ma Sandao quickly asked, “What happened last night?” Zhang Zhao Di tightly hugged him, her body slightly trembling: “I had a strange dream last night!” Hearing this, Ma Sandao became anxious and hurriedly asked what she dreamed of. Zhang Zhao Di, burying her face in his chest, began recounting the dream.

In her dream, Zhang Zhao Di was walking alone by a marsh. She couldn’t see the end ahead or the path behind. Thick mist covered the marshside, making her feel scared. A man suddenly ran toward her, looking like he was being chased, panting heavily. As a shy woman, she quickly stepped aside to let him pass. But the man suddenly knelt before her and begged for help. Zhang Zhao Di was so frightened she couldn’t speak. She saw the man was about thirty years old, with a fierce appearance. She quickly turned around and said, “Who are you? How can I, just a woman, save your life…” She heard hoofbeats approaching from afar, as if someone was riding an animal toward them. The man’s face showed even greater fear as he said, “Then borrow your belly for a moment!” This frightened Zhang Zhao Di so much that her face turned pale. She said, “How can I lend you my belly? If you keep harassing me like this, my husband will surely kill you when he comes.” The man showed a hint of satisfaction and laughed, “Your husband has already agreed to me, little lady, why are you so afraid?” Then he bent down and hit Zhang Zhao Di’s belly, disappearing instantly. Zhang Zhao Di felt a sharp pain in her abdomen and squatted down.

The hoofbeats arrived, and Zhang Zhao Di looked up to see a big-bellied woman dressed like an old-fashioned young bride, riding a donkey without a bridle. The woman’s face was pale and lifeless. She asked, “What are you doing here? Did you see a man pass by?” Zhang Zhao Di was scared by the woman’s lack of vitality and lied, saying, “I didn’t see any man. I’m just waiting for my husband!” The woman sneered coldly and pointed toward the marsh with her hand, “Your husband, look, isn’t that your husband?” Following her finger, Zhang Zhao Di saw it was indeed Ma Sandao carrying his load walking in the water. Zhang Zhao Di was anxious and wanted to call out. Suddenly, the donkey behind her let out a strange cry, scaring Zhang Zhao Di so much that her legs gave way and she fell into the marsh.

She woke up with abdominal pain and fever, worrying that her husband might not return until evening. She never expected him to come back so early in the morning. Ma Sandao lovingly held his wife, then ran to find a local herbalist and asked a neighbor to help cook some sugared eggs. The herbalist examined Zhang Zhao Di’s condition and said it was a common cold, advising that rest would help. He added that with pregnancy, taking medicine wasn’t advisable.

Ma Sandao couldn’t sit still anymore. After all, it was his own child. After the events of last night, Ma Sandao vaguely thought of a terrifying possibility. As he was feeling uneasy, the herbalist asked, “Ma Sandao, your wife is fine, but what about you?”

Still confused, Ma Sandao was handed a small glass mirror. When he looked into it, he nearly dropped the mirror in shock. In the mirror, his eyes were dark, and his face had a bluish tint—an unmistakable sign of serious illness. He looked like he wouldn’t live more than a few days.

Ma Sandao quickly instructed the neighbor auntie who had come to help, realizing this matter couldn’t be delayed. He immediately grabbed some money and headed toward Old Lady Fan’s house. Halfway there, he saw Old Lady Fan walking toward him with a large bag. Ma Sandao thought to himself, “Oh no, is he going to perform a religious ceremony or something?” At this moment, he had no concern for appearances. He rushed over and knelt on the ground, crying out just like in the opera, “Living immortal! Save me, Old Lady Fan! Save me!”

Old Lady Fan pulled him up directly: “Even if you didn’t ask, I would still save you. This morning when I saw you, I knew something was wrong. I was afraid it couldn’t wait, so I came to see you after breakfast.” Ma Sandao hurriedly took out the money from his pocket and said politely, “Old Lady, this is a small offering for you.” Old Lady Fan laughed loudly: “We practitioners don’t care about these things.” Before she finished speaking, she took the money but suddenly looked puzzled: “That’s all?”

On the way, Old Lady Fan listened to Ma Sandao’s recounting of the previous night’s events, her brows already furrowed. She said, “Judging from what you’ve described, this is a serious matter.” Before Ma Sandao could become frantic, she added, “It could be tai duo!” Ma Sandao immediately understood the meaning of “tai duo.” At that moment, his legs gave way, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

The two quickened their pace and arrived at Ma Sandao’s home. Zhang Zhao Di had already fallen into a drowsy sleep. The neighbor auntie saw Ma Sandao returning and, after a brief goodbye, left. Ma Sandao was too anxious to thank her and immediately pulled Old Lady Fan to see his wife. When Old Lady Fan approached and took a look, sweat immediately appeared on her forehead. After feeling Zhang Zhao Di’s pulse, she immediately said, “An evil ghost is trying to take over the fetus!”

Ma Sandao’s body went weak, and he directly knelt in front of the bed. “What, what, an evil ghost taking over the fetus… taking over what?” In his anxiety, his tongue started to clash with his teeth. Old Lady Fan was also anxious and agitated: “Normally, when a woman is pregnant, her pulse feels like pearls rolling through one’s hand—smooth and round. Now her pulse is sometimes dry and rough, sometimes impossible to catch. Isn’t this already a ghost’s pulse!” She paused for a moment: “How did you encounter those things? It’s not easy for ordinary people to run into them.” Suddenly staring at the already terrified Ma Sandao, who had tears and snot running down his face, she asked, “Could you possibly be someone’s enemy?”

Ma Sandao was anxious, but at this critical moment, who cared about being someone’s enemy or not! He directly asked Old Lady Fan, “Is there still a way to save her? I have more money, I can even borrow…” He wiped his tears again, “I’m already almost fifty years old. I have a daughter, but I’m counting on this last child to give me a son, Immortal Lady!” Old Lady Fan was also troubled. This matter had no guarantee. She said, “You come with me to that place again. Find someone to watch your wife for another night.”

Thus, Ma Sandao didn’t close his eyes for a whole day and night, walking nearly a hundred miles without a moment’s rest before setting out again. As they walked, Ma Sandao realized how profound Old Lady Fan’s martial arts skills were. She walked up the small hillside as if playing. Ma Sandao almost walked his feet lame. But since this was for his family, he didn’t feel the slightest bitterness or fatigue.