After listening to Qian Qing’s eerie account, Liu Dashao immediately sensed something suspicious and said to him, “Uncle, would you mind taking me to your house to have a look?”
Qian Qing was a man whose emotions showed clearly on his face. He immediately grinned widely and bowed with a laugh, “If you, young master, can save my family, I’ll be sure to thank you properly!”
Liu Dashao modestly scratched the back of his head, “Let’s see what we can do!” Suddenly, as if remembering something, he turned to Goudan behind him and said, “Goudan, can we come back a bit later? Let’s go play at Uncle Qian’s house outside the village!”
Goudan, indifferent, wiped his nose and hitched up his pants, “Fine by me, what’s the big deal!”
This scene didn’t escape Qian Qing’s eyes, and a hint of hesitation flickered in his gaze, “Who is this?”
Liu Dashao furrowed his brow and quickly laughed it off, “Oh, oh, he’s my assistant!”
Since Liu Dashao had explained it this way, naturally Qian Qing didn’t dare ask further. Soon, everyone boarded a small cart and left the village.
Before long, the clatter of hooves stopped—they must have arrived. Liu Dashao and Goudan got off the cart. Before them stood a grand courtyard mansion, clearly indicating that Qian Qing’s family was wealthy. Qian Qing then led Liu Dashao and Goudan into his house, showing them room by room.
“This is my bedroom and my wife’s, next to it is the study, and the kitchen is at the back courtyard,” Qian Qing explained carefully to Liu Dashao.
“Uncle, let’s check the kitchen first!” Liu Dashao suggested, and Qian Qing nodded in agreement.
Upon entering the kitchen, Liu Dashao scanned the area with his yin-yang eyes but found no signs of evil spirits. He then walked around the courtyard, but again found nothing unusual. This was strange—without any evil spirits causing trouble, how could such things happen?
This wasn’t simply a case of bad luck for Qian Qing. Besides, from what he’d said, he had often done good deeds and accumulated blessings—surely he should be protected by spirits or deities. So why was this happening now?
Suddenly, a thought struck Liu Dashao. Could it be…
Before finishing the thought, he hurriedly asked Qian Qing, “Uncle, has anyone in your family passed away recently?”
Qian Qing thought for a moment and replied, “I lost my mother at a young age, and my father passed away about a year ago.”
This was exactly what Liu Dashao had expected. He said, “That’s it then, Uncle. I suspect the problem lies with your father’s grave!”
Qian Qing clearly didn’t believe him, “That shouldn’t be the case. When my father passed away, we gave him a grand funeral. Everyone from the surrounding villages came to mourn. We even paid a fortune to a Taoist priest to select a prosperous burial site for him. It shouldn’t be the grave’s fault!”
Liu Dashao decided he needed to demonstrate his abilities to convince Qian Qing. He asked, “Uncle, do you have ancestral tablets in your house?”
“Yes, of course. In the inner room, we have tablets from my great-great-grandfather’s generation all the way up to my father’s.”
After hearing this, Liu Dashao formed a hand seal, muttered some incantations, and pointed at Qian Qing’s eyes, saying, “Uncle, if you don’t believe me, go to the room with the ancestral tablets and cover your left eye. Then tell me what you see.”
Qian Qing replied, “Alright, I’ll give it a try!”
He then led Liu Dashao to a slightly smaller room.
Opening the door, they saw only a table filled with ancestral tablets.
Qian Qing first glanced at the tablets normally, then covered his left eye and looked again. He hesitated slightly, uncovered his eye to check, then covered it again. After a long pause, Qian Qing’s voice trembled.
“When I looked at the tablets with both eyes, they were all fine… but when I covered my left eye, my father’s tablet was upside down!”
Everyone present except Liu Dashao gasped in shock.
“Uncle, I think you believe me now. I believe the root of the problem lies in your father’s grave!”
It took Qian Qing quite some time to recover before he said to Liu Dashao, “Young master, whatever you say, we’ll do. My family’s fate is in your hands.”
Liu Dashao looked at Qian Qing and said, “Uncle, take me to your father’s grave. Perhaps the burial location was inappropriate.”
After Liu Dashao spoke, Qian Qing turned to his servants and ordered, “Call more people and bring shovels. We’re going to the back mountain!”
Qian Qing led Liu Dashao and Goudan, followed by the servants, out of his house. On the way, Goudan asked Liu Dashao, “Master, how did you do that? You’re amazing!”
Liu Dashao proudly replied, “I learned it from my master. When we get back, I’ll teach you too!”
Goudan nodded happily.
Qian Qing led Liu Dashao to a mountain. This mountain had a waterfall nearby, with a spring at its base and the essence of sun and moon above. If a family’s ancestors were buried here, their descendants would either become officials or wealthy merchants. If Qian Qing’s father was buried here, his family shouldn’t be experiencing these problems. It seemed that the Taoist priest Qian Qing had hired wasn’t useless after all, since this was indeed a place of good feng shui.
Halfway up the mountain, Qian Qing stopped at a grave mound and said, “This is my father’s grave. Young master, please take a look!”
Liu Dashao’s suspicions were confirmed—Qian Qing had indeed buried his father here. The grave radiated prosperity and vitality, with no sign of evil spirits. Yet why had Qian Qing’s family suffered misfortune instead of peace and prosperity? Liu Dashao suspected there must be something wrong within the grave itself.
Liu Dashao used his yin-yang eyes to examine Qian Qing’s father’s grave and discovered several strands of living energy within.
Liu Dashao told Qian Qing, “Uncle, there’s something wrong with your father’s grave!”
Qian Qing understood Liu Dashao’s meaning. After a moment’s thought, he knelt before his father’s grave and said, “Father, forgive your unworthy son for disturbing you!”
After murmuring a few more words, he turned to the servants with shovels and said, “Dig!”
The servants began digging with their shovels.
Before long, they could see Qian Qing’s father’s coffin. Qian Qing hesitated for quite some time, glancing at Liu Dashao as if to confirm whether they should proceed.
Liu Dashao said, “Uncle, trust me. If you want to resolve the strange occurrences in your house, we must open the coffin.”
After hearing this, Qian Qing seemed to make a firm decision. He looked up and shouted at the servants, “Open the coffin!”
The servants quickly opened the coffin. Everyone gasped at what they saw.
Qian Qing’s father’s body showed no signs of decay—it looked as if he were merely sleeping. By all rights, since he had been buried a year ago, his body should have long since decomposed. Yet here he was, looking alive.
Qian Qing cried out, “Father! Forgive your unworthy son for disturbing your rest!”
His wailing sent chills down Liu Dashao’s spine, though he understood Qian Qing’s grief.
Liu Dashao approached him and said, “Uncle, don’t be too upset. The real problem lies beneath your father’s coffin!” Hearing this, Qian Qing immediately ordered the servants to lift the coffin out of the grave.
Everyone looked down into the grave and saw a hole the size of a basin, continuously gushing water—it was a spring. Inside the spring swam two red fish.
Everyone stood frozen. Liu Dashao slowly explained, “A spring beneath a grave nourishes the ancestors but brings misfortune to descendants. Uncle, the reason your father’s body hasn’t decayed is because of this spring and the fish. The energy from the water and the fish has preserved the body, but it brings calamity to the descendants!”
Qian Qing stood there stunned. After a long silence, he asked, “Then… what should we do?”
Liu Dashao continued, “Immediately have someone seal off the spring, catch the two red fish and release them, and then rebury the coffin upright. Offer incense and prayers for seven days, and everything will be fine!”
Qian Qing ordered his servants to carry out the tasks and led the two young men down the mountain. All the way, he expressed his deep gratitude, urging Liu Dashao and Goudan to stay for a proper meal and hospitality. Liu Dashao declined, saying his family might be worried, so Qian Qing reluctantly let them go. He personally escorted them back to the village. At the village entrance, Qian Qing got off the cart, walked them to their doorstep, and pulled out a wad of money to give to Liu Dashao. Liu Dashao refused, but Qian Qing insisted, saying he wouldn’t leave unless Liu Dashao accepted. With no choice, Liu Dashao took the money and watched Qian Qing leave.
Watching Qian Qing’s retreating figure, Liu Dashao thought to himself that the Taoist priest from back then must have deliberately sabotaged the grave, intentionally causing misfortune to Qian Qing’s family. Sighing, he and Goudan returned home.
Liu Dashao’s parents had already prepared dinner, waiting anxiously for the two troublemakers. Just as they were about to go look for them, the pair returned. After dinner and washing up, Liu Dashao and Goudan lay on the kang bed, preparing to sleep.
Liu Dashao asked Goudan, “Why were you so quiet the whole way back?”
Goudan replied, “Master, today’s events left me speechless!”
Liu Dashao chuckled at Goudan’s words. Goudan continued, “Master, you’re amazing, like a real immortal!”
Hearing this, Liu Dashao thought of Zhang Enpu. They had been gone for several days now, and he wondered where Zhang Enpu was and when he would return.
Liu Dashao told Goudan, “All this I learned from Master Zhang. Much of it I read in his books!”
Goudan touched his chubby face and said, “If only I could be like you, Master! Then we could go out together and rid the world of evil spirits!”
Liu Dashao laughed at Goudan’s naivety, “We don’t have that kind of power. There are so many capable people in the world—there’s no room for us. Don’t you think so?”
Liu Dashao nudged Goudan with his elbow, but there was no response. He turned his head and saw that Goudan had already fallen asleep.
“What a lazy dog!” Liu Dashao thought to himself, pulling the blanket up and preparing to sleep.
As soon as Liu Dashao closed his eyes, he heard a ‘bang’ from the courtyard, as if something had hit the wall. Liu Dashao saw that Goudan was sound asleep and decided not to wake him. He grabbed a coat, put it on, and opened the door.
It was a bit chilly outside. Liu Dashao looked around but saw nothing. Just as he was about to close the door and return inside, he noticed a figure crouching in a corner of the courtyard. He closed the door and stepped outside, activating his yin-yang vision. This time, he saw more clearly—a long-haired figure with its face covered, facing away from him. It appeared to be a resentful ghost. Seeing no malice, Liu Dashao turned to go back inside, but suddenly felt a cold gust of wind sweep across his back.
Liu Dashao inwardly cursed. Just as he turned his head, a hand grabbed his throat. He couldn’t move, feeling as if he were suffocating. He tried to push it away but couldn’t reach it. The ghost lifted him off the ground, and Liu Dashao struggled, unable to speak, his ears ringing.
Feeling as if he were about to die, Liu Dashao panicked, bit his tongue, and spat the blood toward the ghost with his last ounce of strength.
A piercing scream echoed, and the pressure on his throat suddenly released, dropping him to the ground. Liu Dashao fell to his knees, coughing violently and gasping for breath. After catching his breath, he looked up at the ghost, which was now far away, clearly affected by his blood.
Furious, Liu Dashao coldly said, “You brought this upon yourself!”
Swiftly, he formed another hand seal and chanted, “Ta Yi Zhen Yuan, all evil spirits keep away! Thunder strikes the courtyard, no harm shall come! So it is commanded!” He pointed his finger at the ghost, and it vanished without a trace. Exhausted, Liu Dashao collapsed onto the ground.
At that moment, footsteps were heard outside the door.
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