Granny Fan suddenly recalled a conversation she had with the old Taoist priest during his lifetime: “Evil forces can animate the dead and are not afraid of prohibitive talismans. With intent in the heart, one can speak; with purpose in the mind, one can act. Crying with a covered face can startle livestock at night; laughing openly can disturb both humans and beasts. Malice is hard to quell, and cruelty is difficult to extinguish. Such is the nature of a malevolent spirit. Those who have not achieved inner clarity and enlightenment should retreat and stay far away upon encountering such spirits.”
“She can laugh… this, this is a malevolent spirit…” Granny Fan trembled as she spoke, “Quick, retreat! Retreat!”
At that moment, several ghostly figures in the area let out sharp cries and scattered in all directions. The young woman let out a piercing scream, and suddenly, a fierce wind swept through the small valley, and a large dark cloud obscured the moon above. Several black shadows, as if grabbed by invisible hands, were pulled toward the young woman. After a few agonizing screams, they turned into wisps of black smoke.
Seeing her terrifying power, Liu Dashao had already turned pale with fear, while Ma Sandao wet his pants in terror… “Hark, the Six Jia and Six Ding, heed my command, the Seven Lords of Meishan, lend me your power…” Granny Fan began to step in the pattern of the Twenty-Eight Mansions, bit her index finger, and drew a ghost-subduing seal on a branch she had picked up. She steadied herself, formed a seal with her left hand, and with her right hand, she thrust the branch toward the malevolent spirit.
“You evil spirits, retreat at once!” Liu Dashao clearly saw that the seal on Granny Fan’s branch suddenly burst into red flames, shooting out three feet. The malevolent spirit, startled, exhaled a cloud of black gas, and the donkey beneath her retreated uncontrollably.
The young woman let out a hateful cry, “Old hag, was it you who sent word tonight that you would capture me?”
Granny Fan regretted her actions deeply. She had only intended to deal with a ghostly fetus and should never have provoked such a formidable entity. Liu Dashao cursed inwardly, thinking that this old woman had boasted without the ability to back it up, and now they were all in grave danger. The young woman took a few steps back, her face glowing with a greenish hue.
Granny Fan quickly said, “This… ahem, there must be some misunderstanding. I only meant to have him burn some paper money for you. Look at this mess…”
The young woman snorted, “It’s a bit late to say it’s a misunderstanding now!” With that, the greenish hue on her face faded, and suddenly, several arms, all varying in length and a sickly purple color, extended from behind her, reaching out to grab Granny Fan. With a series of slicing sounds, the arms were severed and turned to ash by the red flames on Granny Fan’s branch. However, the flames gradually dimmed. The young woman shook her head, and her hair grew rapidly, like black seaweed, swirling toward Granny Fan.
Granny Fan, quick to react, leaped to the left, dodging the sweeping hair, but a few strands grazed her arm, drawing blood. Initially, Granny Fan had considered pleading for mercy, but seeing this, she became furious, “You malevolent spirit, over the years, you’ve dragged countless people to their deaths, harming so many lives. How dare you use the limbs of others for such purposes? Aren’t you afraid of divine retribution? Today, even if I can’t defeat you, I will fight with my life to capture you!” Those arms were from the people the young woman had recently killed, their bodies incomplete, their souls unable to find peace, likely wandering and dissipating. For the dead, this was an unbearable suffering.
The young woman sneered, “I’ve only been dead for a little over a month. How could it be years?”
“A month!” Granny Fan’s pupils contracted, and her frail body visibly trembled. This was too sinister. In just a month, this entity had killed so many people? Thinking this, Granny Fan’s gaze sharpened, and she asked with a weak voice, “Who exactly are you?”
“Hmph, see for yourself!” The young woman wiped her face, revealing her features. Granny Fan, with her failing eyesight, couldn’t make out the details immediately. But Liu Dashao shouted, “A-Lan, she’s A-Lan! My god!”
“The daughter of the old mason?” Granny Fan asked.
“Yes, it’s her. I saw it clearly when the village chief burned her. I even saw her eating the hearts and livers of chickens and ducks! It was bloody…” Liu Dashao hurriedly explained.
“Absurd, utterly absurd!” Granny Fan slapped her thigh in frustration.
The young woman continued, “When I died, no one cared for me. Instead, they insulted my body and burned me. Why should I care for others? Do you know how much it hurt?” With that, she floated into the air, her hair swirling around her like snakes, her eyes glowing with malice. Liu Dashao saw that the young woman’s face was covered in burn marks, blackened like charred meat. No wonder she had applied so much makeup—it was to hide the disfigurement. “After my wrongful death, no one cared. I was buried hastily, and no one came to my aid. Even after being buried, that old scoundrel Chen the Cripple dug me up and defiled my body. Who came to save me? My corpse absorbed yang energy, gained malevolent qi, and became a spirit. I didn’t want to harm anyone except Chen the Cripple. I only ate some animals. But you, you set a fire to burn me, separating my corpse and soul, leaving me to wander this dam. Who will take care of me?”
Granny Fan, hearing her voice grow louder, knew she was about to unleash her fury and shouted, “Liu Dashao, quick, quick!”
Liu Dashao, already terrified out of his wits, cried out in panic, “Quick, quick, quick with what? We’re about to die! Oh, my poor life, my wife whom I’ve never even met!” Granny Fan, seeing him wailing at such a critical moment, was so frustrated she could have killed him, “Did you forget what I just told you?” In her desperation, she even cursed.
A-Lan floated in the air, her body creaking, her face deathly pale. Her large belly suddenly began to bulge, and the sharp cries of a baby came from within. Liu Dashao, trembling like a young girl arranging flowers, muttered, “She even has a little bastard with her. Last time, I almost got bitten to death by that ghost-possessed woman while following Master Wang. Now, in a real fight, I run into this thing again? This isn’t fair! Granny Fan, are you both cursed? Why is our luck so bad?”
Ma Sandao wasn’t making things easier for Granny Fan either. He was crouched on the ground, holding his head, wailing loudly, “I… I want to go home, I want to see my wife, see my wife…” Granny Fan was furious, “If you keep crying and stay there like a dead man, you’ll never get home!” That night, dealing with these two, she probably used up a lifetime’s worth of curses.
Just as Granny Fan was about to explode, A-Lan’s eyes glowed with a faint red light. Her body remained floating in the air, but all her hair shot toward Granny Fan with incredible speed. Granny Fan, in a panic, swung her branch to block, but with a snap, the branch broke in two. A-Lan was thrown back onto the donkey, spitting out a mouthful of foul black blood. Granny Fan felt a tightness in her chest and was about to catch her breath when she saw A-Lan’s pale hands right in front of her.
Granny Fan knew things were bad. She formed a demon-repelling seal with her hands and blocked her face. She felt a sharp pain as A-Lan’s hands grabbed hers, and a tremendous force pushed the seal toward her own neck. She heard the cracking of A-Lan’s finger bones, a sound that made her teeth ache. In no time, A-Lan’s icy, black claws had wrapped around Granny Fan’s neck.
Granny Fan’s face immediately turned black, and she couldn’t breathe. Tears streamed down her face, but she looked strangely pleased, “Liu Dashao… quick, this is a good… opportunity… act now…” A-Lan, startled, turned to look at Liu Dashao, only to find him still crouched on the ground, wailing like a scared dog. She tightened her grip on Granny Fan’s neck.
“Oh… damn you, Liu Dashao… oh, this time… you… this coward has really done us in!” Granny Fan’s heart sank, and tears flowed down her face.
As the stalemate continued, A-Lan’s belly suddenly split open, and a stream of black water poured out. Granny Fan felt the hands around her neck tighten. She looked down and saw a black, unformed child-like mass crawling out of A-Lan’s belly. The little ghost, sensing its mother’s danger, had emerged on its own.
“The child of evil has come out!” Granny Fan’s veins bulged on her forehead. “Shh, little one… don’t come out… go back in… be a good child…” The mass paused, and Granny Fan was momentarily pleased with herself for being able to soothe a child. But then the mass suddenly opened a large mouth filled with sharp, white teeth.
The mass opened its mouth and slowly but surely moved to bite Granny Fan. Knowing she was likely to die here, Granny Fan, with her last bit of strength, cursed, “Liu Dashao, you little brat, you little runt, I… even as a ghost… I’ll curse you!”
“Granny Fan, you’re about to die, so stop cursing. I’ll burn some paper money for you,” Liu Dashao suddenly interjected from behind. Granny Fan was momentarily stunned. When A-Lan first appeared, Liu Dashao had been scared out of his wits, and A-Lan, seeing his cowardice, had ignored him.
Now, hearing him speak from behind, his voice trembling but much steadier than before, A-Lan felt a sense of foreboding. She turned sharply and saw Liu Dashao standing by his donkey, holding a lit torch in his left hand and a stack of yellow paper dusted with saltpeter in his right. Though he was shaking like a leaf in the wind, he stood firm.
“You… how dare you!” A-Lan screamed and turned to pounce on Liu Dashao. But her hands were suddenly grabbed by Granny Fan, who spat a mouthful of blood in her face, “Green Dragon soars across the eight extremes, White Tiger roars in the mountains, Vermilion Bird cries with thunder, Black Tortoise captures all spirits! Four Symbols, stand by my side!” The blood was from Granny Fan biting her tongue, and because she bit too hard, her tongue was now numb, making her incantation somewhat slurred.
Liu Dashao lit the yellow paper and threw it onto the donkey. The donkey, now devoid of A-Lan’s evil influence, had turned into a lifeless paper figure. The yellow paper, mixed with saltpeter, ignited, and the donkey burst into flames. A foul stench filled the air as green lights emerged from the fireball and scattered.
Granny Fan said bitterly, “I never imagined you would imprison the souls of those you killed inside this donkey to control them. Originally pitiful, your evil deeds have made you doubly despicable!” The parts of A-Lan’s face touched by Granny Fan’s blood began to rot and emit black smoke, “Ah… ah… old hag… I’ll devour you alive…” A-Lan struggled, her hands still held by Granny Fan, but she couldn’t break free.
With the situation under control, Granny Fan began to settle accounts, “You little brat, didn’t I tell you earlier that if she came, I’d hold her off while you burned the donkey? What were you doing? Any later, and we’d be lying here dead, waiting for someone to collect our bodies tomorrow!”
Liu Dashao protested, “Granny Fan, this is your fault. The torch you use for smoking wasn’t in the tube, and Old Ma couldn’t light the fire either. I had to grope around on the ground for so long before I found it!” Granny Fan took out a soul-cleansing talisman and slapped it onto A-Lan’s face. With a puff, A-Lan collapsed to the ground, and a cloud of black and green smoke rose into the air.
Granny Fan winced as she sucked on her numb tongue, “Where did the torch fall?”
Liu Dashao exhaled in frustration, “Earlier, when you were scared by those ghosts, it fell to the ground. It was so dark, I had to play the coward and grope around for it… and I even found the broken tip of your sword…” He raised his right hand, which was covered in blood.
Meanwhile, A-Lan writhed on the ground, black smoke rising from her body. Her face was now so decayed that only her eyes remained, staring whitely at the two of them, “Ma… Ma… last night, I could have let you die. I gave you a peach, and I spared you. But now, you and this old woman have come to harm me… to harm this poor soul…” Her voice was filled with sorrow, making Ma Sandao feel a pang of guilt. He quickly said, “Grudges have their roots, and debts have their owners. This was all Granny Fan’s idea.” Granny Fan, hearing this, was furious, “Hey, Ma Sandao, is that how you treat people?”
But then Ma Sandao continued, “You were a poor soul in life, and you know the hardships of the poor. Yet you dragged so many people to their deaths. That’s not right. If you suffered and were wronged, you should have made sure others didn’t suffer the same. If you had chosen to reincarnate instead of staying here to harm others, you wouldn’t be suffering like this now.”
Granny Fan nodded silently. If you’ve suffered, you shouldn’t make others suffer. Though simple, only those who understand know how difficult it is to live by this principle. Hearing this, A-Lan suddenly fell silent. Only the sound of her body burning could be heard, and she no longer screamed… Ma Sandao still felt a bit uneasy and asked, “How long will this fire burn? We’re standing here talking while she’s burning. It feels a bit awkward.”
Granny Fan replied, “You feel uneasy? Think about it. If our luck had been worse tonight, it would be the three of us wailing here, especially you two. You’d be wailing so loudly it would shake the heavens.”
Liu Dashao suddenly felt angry, “Granny Fan, I’m not blaming you, but you said you were prepared, that you had a plan. But when the real thing came, everything went wrong!”
Granny Fan was a bit embarrassed, “Well, since I started, I’ve only dealt with weaklings. This is the first time I’ve encountered something so fierce… My preparations weren’t enough!”
Ma Sandao asked, “What were you chanting earlier? Summoning gods?”
Granny Fan smiled, “I can’t summon gods.”
Liu Dashao was puzzled, “But you were calling on the Seven Lords of Meishan. Wasn’t that summoning gods?”
Granny Fan explained, “When I chant the names of gods, I’m only invoking their spirit. Who has ever summoned a god? Gods and humans are completely different.”
She paused, “The old Taoist priest once said that many Taoist gods were once mortals, like Guan Yu, the Saint of War. When walking at night, silently chanting his name brings his righteous energy, which wards off all evil. When we Taoists perform rituals or prepare medicine, we silently invoke the Medicine King Bodhisattva, learning from his compassionate nature. Summoning gods is about invoking the spirit within ourselves. If someone claims to have summoned a god, it’s a lie. Don’t believe it.”
Liu Dashao, hearing this, gained a new respect for the old woman and suddenly asked, “If I silently chant the name of the God of Wealth while gambling, will I gain his fortune?” Granny Fan hadn’t expected such a question. After a moment’s thought, she replied, “A gambler seeking wealth has an impure heart. If your heart is impure, how can you expect divine assistance? Only those with a pure heart receive divine help.”
Ma Sandao sighed and patted Liu Dashao’s shoulder, “Granny Fan makes a lot of sense. Don’t get any funny ideas… By the way, after all this commotion, what about my wife? What about the ghost fetus? I didn’t see it… Granny Fan…”
As they chatted, they forgot about the ghost still burning beside them. Suddenly, A-Lan, now reduced to a pile of black ash, spoke, “Granny Fan, thank you for capturing me.” Her voice was much calmer now. Granny Fan bowed slightly, “Have you understood?”
A-Lan replied, “After being burned by your talisman, my hatred has been consumed. I… I grieve for the child in my belly, who suffered so much before even being born.”
A-Lan sobbed for a moment, “The fire burned away my malice, and now I realize the wrongs I’ve done. I want to ask you, is there really reincarnation after death? Why was no one there to guide me into the cycle? If I were to reincarnate, what would I become in the next life?” Granny Fan solemnly said, “The cycle of reincarnation exists, but it’s not something humans control. It’s something you enter on your own. You harbored resentment, dwelling in filth and gathering malevolent energy. You didn’t let go. How can you ask about reincarnation and what it entails?”
Hearing this, A-Lan suddenly felt a sense of clarity. Her body, now like black ash, became transparent, as if it had form but no substance. “Granny, I wasn’t as you said. In the village, I encountered the engineering team’s educated youth. He defiled me and caused my death. He is now dead, but his spirit lingers, still causing harm. If he truly takes the fetus, please intervene and prevent him from harming others.”
Granny Fan said, “I understand. If you truly repent, will you help me with something?”
At that moment, a faint light appeared on the horizon, and A-Lan’s shadow became even more transparent, as if about to dissipate. Granny Fan took out a jade pendant, “If you are willing to enter this jade, both you and your unborn child will benefit. But to capture that ghost fetus, I may still need your help.”
“She can laugh… this… this is a malevolent spirit…” Granny Fan’s voice trembled. “Quickly, retreat! Retreat!”
At that moment, several ghostly shadows shrieked and scattered in all directions. The young bride let out a piercing wail. Suddenly, a fierce wind howled through the small valley, and a mass of dark clouds blocked the moonlight above. Several black figures, as if seized by invisible hands, flew straight toward the young bride. After several screams, they dissolved into streams of black smoke.
Seeing her terrifying power, Liu Dashao’s face turned pale with fear, while Ma Sandao wet his pants in sheer terror.
Grandma Fan suddenly recalled a conversation she had with the late Taoist priest during his teachings: “Evil forces can animate the dead and are unafraid of restraining talismans. If the heart has intent, it can speak; if the intent is clear, it can act. Covering one’s face to cry can startle livestock at night, while opening one’s mouth to laugh can disturb both humans and beasts. Malevolence is hard to pacify, and cruelty is difficult to eliminate. Such is the nature of a malevolent spirit. Those who have not achieved inner alchemy but possess a clear mind should retreat and avoid it.”
“She can laugh… this is a malevolent spirit…” Grandma Fan trembled as she spoke, “Quick, retreat! Retreat!”
At that moment, several ghostly figures in the area let out piercing screams and scattered in all directions. The young woman let out a fierce howl, and suddenly, a fierce wind swept through the small valley, and a large dark cloud obscured the moon above. Several black shadows seemed to be grabbed by invisible hands and dragged toward the young woman. After a few agonizing screams, they turned into wisps of black smoke.
Seeing her terrifying power, Liu Dashao had already turned pale with fear, while Ma Sandao wet his pants in terror… “Hark, the Six Jia and Six Ding, heed my command, the Seven Lang of Meishan, lend me your power…” Grandma Fan began to step in the pattern of the Twenty-Eight Mansions, bit her index finger, and drew a ghost-suppressing seal on a branch she had picked up. She steadied herself, formed a mudra with her left hand, and with her right hand, she thrust the branch toward the malevolent spirit.
“Evil spirits, retreat at once!” Liu Dashao clearly saw that the seal on Grandma Fan’s branch suddenly burst into red flames, shooting out three feet. The malevolent spirit, startled, spat out a black mist, and the donkey beneath it retreated uncontrollably.
The young woman let out a hateful cry, “Old hag, was it you who spread the word tonight that you would capture me?”
Grandma Fan regretted her actions deeply. She had only intended to deal with a ghostly fetus and should never have provoked such a formidable entity. Liu Dashao cursed inwardly, blaming the old woman for her bravado, which had now brought them face-to-face with the real threat, endangering their lives. The young woman took a few steps back, her face now glowing with a greenish hue.
Grandma Fan hurriedly said, “This… ahem, there must be some misunderstanding. I only meant to have him burn some paper money for you. Look at this mess…”
The young woman snorted, “It’s too late to say it’s a misunderstanding now!” With that, the green aura on her face vanished, and several arms, all varying in length and a sickly purple color, extended from her back, reaching out to grab Grandma Fan. There was a series of slicing sounds as the arms were severed, turning into ashes from the red flames on Grandma Fan’s branch. However, the flames gradually dimmed. The young woman shook her hair, which grew rapidly in the wind, like black seaweed, and lashed out at Grandma Fan.
Grandma Fan, quick to react, leaped to the left, dodging the sweeping hair, but a few strands grazed her arm, drawing blood. Initially inclined to plead for mercy, Grandma Fan now became furious. “You malevolent spirit, over the years, you’ve dragged countless people to their deaths, and now you use their limbs for such purposes. Aren’t you afraid of divine retribution? Even if I, Fan Xidou, am no match for you today, I will still fight with my life to capture you!” It turned out that the arms belonged to the victims the young woman had killed recently, their bodies incomplete, their souls unable to find peace, likely wandering and dissipating. For the deceased, this was an unbearable suffering.
The young woman sneered, “I’ve only been dead for a little over a month. How could I have done this for years?”
“A month!” Grandma Fan’s pupils contracted, and her frail body visibly trembled. How could this entity have killed so many in just a month? With a stern gaze, she asked, “Who are you, really?”
“Hmph, see for yourself!” The young woman wiped her pale face, revealing her features. Grandma Fan, with her failing eyesight, couldn’t make out the details immediately, but Liu Dashao shouted, “A’Lan! It’s A’Lan! Oh my god!”
“The daughter of the old mason?” Grandma Fan asked.
“Yes, it’s her! I saw it clearly when the village chief burned her. I even saw her eating the hearts and livers of chickens and ducks! It was bloody…” Liu Dashao quickly added.
“Absurd, utterly absurd!” Grandma Fan slapped her thigh in frustration.
The young woman continued, “When I died, no one cared for me. Instead, they insulted my body and burned me. Why should I care about others? Do you know how much it hurt?” With that, she levitated, her hair floating around her like snakes, her eyes glowing with malevolence. Liu Dashao noticed that the young woman’s face was covered in burn marks, blackened like charred meat. No wonder she had applied so much makeup—it was to hide the disfigurement. “After my wrongful death, no one cared. I was buried hastily, and then that old cripple, Chen Quezi, dug me up and abused my corpse. Who came to save me? My corpse absorbed yang energy, gained a malevolent aura, and became a spirit. I didn’t want to harm anyone except Chen Quezi. I only ate some animals. But you, you set a fire to burn me, separating my soul from my body, leaving me to wander by the dam. Who cares for me?”
Seeing her voice grow louder, Grandma Fan knew she was about to unleash her fury and shouted, “Liu Dashao, quick, quick!”
Liu Dashao, already terrified out of his wits, wailed, “Quick, quick, quick what? We’re about to die! Oh, my poor life, my wife I never got to marry!” Grandma Fan, furious that he was wailing at such a critical moment, cursed, “Have you forgotten what I just told you?” In her desperation, she even swore.
A’Lan floated in the air, her body creaking, her face deathly pale, and her large belly began to bulge. A sharp infant’s cry came from within. Liu Dashao’s wooden sword trembled like a flower in a girl’s hand. “Damn it, she even has a little bastard with her! Last time, I almost got bitten to death by that ghost-possessed woman with Wang the Half-Immortal. Now, in a real fight, I run into this thing? This isn’t fair! Grandma Fan, are you both cursed? Why is our luck so bad?”
Ma Sandao wasn’t making things easier for Grandma Fan either. He was crouched on the ground, holding his head, crying loudly, “I… want to go home, I want to see my wife, see my wife…” Grandma Fan was livid, “If you keep crying and stay there, you’ll never go home!” That night, she probably used up a lifetime’s worth of curses on these two.
Just as Grandma Fan was seething with anger, A’Lan’s eyes glowed with a faint red light. Her body remained floating, but all her hair shot toward Grandma Fan with incredible speed. Grandma Fan, in a panic, swung her branch to block it, but with a snap, the branch broke in two. A’Lan was thrown back onto the donkey, spitting out a foul black blood. Grandma Fan felt a tightness in her chest and was about to catch her breath when she saw A’Lan’s pale hands right in front of her.
Realizing the danger, Grandma Fan formed a demon-repelling mudra with both hands and held it up in defense. She felt a sharp pain as A’Lan’s hands grabbed hers, and a tremendous force pushed the mudra toward her own neck. A’Lan’s finger joints creaked, sending chills down Grandma Fan’s spine. In no time, A’Lan’s icy, black claws had wrapped around Grandma Fan’s neck.
Grandma Fan’s face immediately turned black, and she couldn’t breathe. Tears streamed down her face, but she looked oddly pleased. “Liu Dashao… quick, this is a good… opportunity… act now…” A’Lan, startled, turned to look at Liu Dashao, only to find him still crouched on the ground, crying like a scared dog. She tightened her grip on Grandma Fan’s neck.
“Ah… damn you, Liu Dashao… ah, this time… you… coward, you’ve doomed me!” Grandma Fan’s heart sank, and tears fell.
As the standoff continued, A’Lan’s belly suddenly split open, and a stream of black liquid poured out. Grandma Fan felt the hands around her neck tighten. Looking down, she saw a black, unformed infant-like mass crawling out of A’Lan’s belly. The little ghost, sensing its mother’s distress, had emerged on its own.
“The child of malevolence has come out!” Grandma Fan’s veins bulged on her forehead. “Shh, little one… don’t come out… go back in… be good…” The mass paused, and Grandma Fan was momentarily pleased with her ability to soothe the child. But then, the mass suddenly opened a large mouth filled with sharp, white teeth.
The mass opened its mouth and slowly, but surely, moved to bite Grandma Fan. Knowing her end was near, Grandma Fan mustered her last strength to curse, “Liu Dashao, you little brat, you runt, even as a ghost… I’ll curse you!”
“Grandma Fan, you’re about to die, so stop cursing. I’ll burn some paper money for you,” Liu Dashao suddenly interjected from behind. Grandma Fan was momentarily stunned. When A’Lan first appeared, Liu Dashao had been terrified, and A’Lan, seeing his cowardice, had dismissed him.
Hearing him speak now, his voice trembling but steadier than before, A’Lan felt a sense of foreboding. She turned sharply and saw Liu Dashao standing by his donkey, holding a lit fire starter in his left hand and a stack of yellow paper dusted with saltpeter in his right. Though trembling like a leaf in the rain, he stood firm.
“Ah… you dare!” A’Lan screamed, turning to pounce on Liu Dashao. But her hands were suddenly grabbed by Grandma Fan, who spat a mouthful of blood in her face. “Green Dragon soars across the eight extremes, White Tiger roars in the mountains, Vermilion Bird resounds with thunder, Black Tortoise captures all spirits! Four Symbols, stand by my side!” The blood was from Grandma Fan biting her tongue so hard that she could barely speak the incantation clearly.
Liu Dashao lit the yellow paper and threw it onto the donkey. The donkey, now devoid of A’Lan’s evil influence, was nothing more than a lifeless paper figure. The saltpeter in the paper ignited, turning the donkey into a ball of fire. The flames shot into the sky, and a foul stench filled the air. Green lights emerged from the fireball and scattered in all directions.
Grandma Fan said bitterly, “I never imagined you would trap the souls of your victims in this donkey to control them. How pitiful, yet how despicably evil you’ve become!” The parts of A’Lan’s face touched by Grandma Fan’s blood began to smoke and rot. “Ah… ah… old hag… I’ll devour you alive…” A’Lan struggled, her hands still held by Grandma Fan, but she couldn’t break free.
With the situation under control, Grandma Fan began to settle accounts. “You little brat, didn’t I tell you that if she came, I’d hold her off while you burned the donkey? What were you doing? Any later, and we’d be lying here dead, waiting for someone to collect our bodies tomorrow!”
Liu Dashao protested, “Grandma Fan, this is your fault. The fire starter you use for smoking wasn’t in the tube. Old Ma couldn’t light it either. I had to grope around on the ground for ages before I found it!” Grandma Fan took out a soul-purifying talisman and slapped it onto A’Lan’s face. With a puff, A’lan collapsed to the ground, and a mix of black and green smoke rose from her body.
Grandma Fan winced as she sucked on her numb tongue. “Where did the fire starter fall?”
Liu Dashao exhaled in frustration, “When you were scared by those ghosts earlier, it fell to the ground. It was so dark, I had to crawl around like a bear to find it… and I even found the broken tip of your sword…” He raised his right hand, which was covered in blood.
Meanwhile, A’lan writhed on the ground, black smoke rising from her body. Her face was now mostly rotted away, leaving only her eyes, which stared whitely at the two. “Ma… Ma… last night, I could have killed you. I gave you a peach, and you spared me. But now, you and this old woman have come to harm me… to harm this poor soul…” Her voice was filled with sorrow, making Ma Sandao feel a pang of guilt. He quickly said, “Retribution has its source, and debts have their creditors. This was all Grandma Fan’s idea.” Grandma Fan, hearing this, was furious. “Hey, Ma Sandao, is this how you behave?”
But Ma Sandao continued, “You were a poor soul in life, and you know the hardships of the poor. Yet, you dragged so many to their deaths. Isn’t that wrong? Having suffered and been wronged, shouldn’t you have tried to prevent others from suffering? If you had chosen to reincarnate instead of haunting and harming people, wouldn’t you have avoided this suffering?”
Grandma Fan nodded in agreement. Having suffered oneself, one should not wish suffering upon others. Though simple, this truth is profound. A’lan, hearing this, suddenly fell silent. Only the sound of her body burning could be heard, and she no longer screamed. Ma Sandao, still feeling uneasy, asked, “How long will this fire burn? It feels wrong to stand here talking while she’s burning.”
Grandma Fan replied, “You feel pity? Think about it—if our luck had been worse tonight, it would be the three of us wailing and crying, especially you two, who would have made a scene.”
Liu Dashao, now irritated, said, “Grandma Fan, no offense, but you said you were prepared and had a plan. Yet, when the real threat came, everything fell apart.”
Grandma Fan admitted sheepishly, “Well, since I started, I’ve only dealt with minor spirits. This is the first time I’ve encountered something so fierce… My preparations weren’t enough.”
Ma Sandao asked, “What were you chanting earlier? Were you summoning gods?”
Grandma Fan smiled, “I can’t summon gods.”
Liu Dashao was puzzled, “But you were calling on the Seven Lang of Meishan. Wasn’t that summoning gods?”
Grandma Fan explained, “When I chant the names of gods, I’m invoking their spirit and essence. No one can summon gods. Gods and humans are entirely different.”
She paused, “The late Taoist priest once said that many Taoist deities were once mortals, like Guan Yu, the Saint of War. When walking at night, silently invoking his name brings his righteous energy, protecting against all evil. When we Taoists perform rituals or administer medicine, we silently invoke the Medicine King Bodhisattva, emulating his compassionate nature. Summoning gods is about invoking the spirit within ourselves. If someone claims to have summoned a god, don’t believe them.”
Liu Dashao, enlightened, felt a newfound respect for the old woman. He suddenly asked, “If I silently invoke the God of Wealth while gambling, will I gain his fortune?”
Grandma Fan, caught off guard, thought for a moment and replied, “A gambler seeking wealth has an impure heart. If one’s heart is impure, how can one receive divine assistance? Only those with a pure heart can receive divine aid.”
Ma Sandao sighed and patted Liu Dashao’s shoulder, “Grandma Fan speaks wisely. Don’t entertain such thoughts… By the way, after all this commotion, what about my wife? What about the ghost that stole the fetus? I haven’t seen it… Grandma Fan…”
As they chatted, they forgot about the ghost still burning beside them. A’lan, now reduced to a pile of black ash, spoke in a calm voice, “Grandma Fan, thank you for capturing me.”
Grandma Fan bowed slightly, “Have you come to understand?”
A’lan replied, “The hatred within me has been burned away by your talisman. I grieve for the child in my womb, who suffered so much before even being born.”
A’lan lowered her head and sobbed, “The fire has burned away my malevolence, and I now realize the wrongs I’ve done. I want to ask you, is there really reincarnation after death? Why was no one there to guide me into the cycle? If I were to reincarnate, what would I become?”
Grandma Fan solemnly said, “The cycle of reincarnation exists, but it is not for others to guide you. You must enter it yourself. You harbored resentment, dwelling in filth and gathering malevolence. You refused to let go. How can you ask about the existence of reincarnation or what it entails?”
Hearing this, A’lan felt a sudden clarity. Her body, once like black ash, now became translucent, as if it had form but no substance. “Grandma Fan, as you said, in the village, I encountered a worker from the construction team. He wronged me and caused my death. He is now dead, but his spirit lingers, still causing harm. If he truly steals a fetus, please intervene and prevent him from harming others.”
Grandma Fan said, “I understand. If you truly repent, will you help me with something?”
At that moment, a faint light appeared on the horizon, and A’lan’s figure became even more translucent, as if about to dissipate. Grandma Fan took out a jade piece, “If you are willing to enter this jade, both you and your unborn child will benefit. But to capture that ghostly fetus, I will still need your help.”
“Demons, retreat at once!” Liu Dashao watched closely as the sigil on Granny Fan’s branch suddenly ignited with red flames, shooting out three feet. The malevolent spirit was startled, spitting out a mouthful of black qi, and the donkey beneath her stumbled backward.
The young bride let out a furious shriek: “Old hag! Was it you who sent word tonight to capture me?”
Granny Fan regretted her decision deeply. She should have just dealt with the ghost fetus—why provoke such a being? Liu Dashao, meanwhile, cursed inwardly. This old woman had no real skill yet boasted so much, now dragging in the real villain and endangering them all! As the shrill sounds continued, the bride took a few steps back, her face darkening with greenish qi.
Granny Fan quickly replied, “Ah… excuse me, dear… surely you’ve misunderstood. I must have sent the message to someone else. You see, what a misunderstanding…”
The bride snorted: “Now you say it was a mistake? Don’t you think it’s too late?” With that, her face’s greenish hue vanished, and suddenly, several arms extended from behind her—dark purple and varying in length. They lunged straight at Granny Fan. With several slashing sounds, the arms were severed and burned to ashes by the red flames on Granny Fan’s branch. However, the flames began to dim.
The bride shook her hair violently. It stretched with the wind like black seaweed, sweeping toward Granny Fan. Granny Fan, quick to react, leapt to the left to dodge the sweeping strands, but a few strands grazed her arm, drawing blood immediately. Granny Fan had considered begging for mercy, but seeing this, her fury surged.
“You evil spirit! Over the years, how many people have you dragged into death, how many lives have you ruined? You even used their limbs for your own purposes. Don’t you fear divine punishment? Today, even if I cannot defeat you, I will give my life to seal you away!” The arms were from those the bride had killed—those who had died without their bodies whole, their souls unable to find peace, wandering endlessly and gradually fading away. For the deceased, this was a great torment.
The bride sneered: “I’ve only been dead for a month. How could it have been years?”
“A month!” Granny Fan’s pupils narrowed, and her aged, hunched body trembled visibly. Good heavens, how terrifying! In just a month, this creature had killed so many? Thinking this, Granny Fan’s eyes hardened, and she asked hoarsely, “Who exactly are you?”
“Hmph! See for yourself who I am!” The bride wiped her pale face, instantly revealing facial features. Granny Fan’s aged eyes struggled to make out the details clearly. Liu Dashao, however, shouted in shock: “Ah Lan! It’s Ah Lan! My god!”
“Old Mudcrafter’s daughter?” Granny Fan asked.
“Yes, that’s her! I watched the village chief burn her that day. I even saw her eating chicken and duck livers! So bloody…” Liu Dashao added.
“Nonsense! Absolute nonsense!” Granny Fan slapped her thigh in frustration.
The bride continued: “When I died, no one cared. They insulted my body, burned me alive. Why should I care for others? Do you know how much pain I endured?” With that, her body lifted into the air, her hair swirling like snakes’ tongues, her eyes blazing with malice. Liu Dashao noticed that her face was covered in burn marks, blackened like roasted ribs. No wonder she wore so much makeup—to hide her disfigurement.
“No one cared when I died unjustly, and they buried me carelessly. Who came to help me? After being buried, that old bastard Chen the Cripple dug me up and abused my corpse. Who saved me then? My body absorbed yang energy and became infused with evil qi, turning me into a spirit. I never wanted to harm anyone—except Chen the Cripple. I only fed on animals. But you dared to burn me with fire, splitting my body and spirit, leaving me to wander this dam forever. Who cares for me now?”
Granny Fan, seeing her rage intensifying, knew she was in serious trouble and shouted urgently: “Liu Dashao, hurry, hurry!”
Liu Dashao, already terrified beyond reason, heard Granny Fan’s cry and wailed in panic: “Hurry what? We’re all about to die! Oh woe is me! My poor life! My poor, never-married bride!”
Granny Fan, furious at his uselessness, nearly screamed: “Didn’t I just tell you what to do earlier? Have you forgotten everything?” In desperation, she even swore.
Ah Lan floated in the air, her body crackling, her face pale. Her large belly began to swell rhythmically, and a sharp infant’s cry echoed from within. Liu Dashao trembled uncontrollably with fear, his wooden sword shaking like a girl threading a needle. “This one even brought a little bastard! A few days ago, I nearly got possessed by that old hag under Wang Banxian’s guidance. Now I’m facing the real thing again? This isn’t fair! Granny Fan, are you both cursed with bad luck?”
Meanwhile, Ma Sandao wasn’t faring any better. He hugged his head, lying face-down on the ground, sobbing loudly: “I… want to go home! I want to see my wife!”
Granny Fan’s temper flared: “If you cry any more, you’ll really never go home again!” She had probably cursed more in this one night than in her entire life.
Just as Granny Fan was beside herself with rage, Ah Lan’s eyes glowed faintly red. Her body hovered motionless in the air, but her hair shot toward Granny Fan with lightning speed. Startled, Granny Fan swung her branch to block, but with a loud crack, the branch snapped in two. Ah Lan was thrown backward onto the donkey, spitting out a mouthful of foul black blood. Granny Fan felt a sharp pain in her chest and tried to catch her breath, only to see Ah Lan’s pale hands right before her.
Realizing the danger, Granny Fan formed a demon-repelling seal with both hands and raised it in front. She felt a searing pain as Ah Lan’s hands grabbed hers, a powerful force surging through her. The seal was forced down to her own neck, the sound of Ah Lan’s finger joints cracking like bones being crushed. Soon, Ah Lan’s icy, black fingers stretched around Granny Fan’s neck.
Granny Fan’s face turned black, unable to draw a breath. Tears streamed down her face like rain, but she managed a faint smile: “Liu Dashao… quickly… this is a good… opportunity… strike now…”
Ah Lan turned in alarm to look at Liu Dashao, only to find him still cowering on the ground, like a dog too scared to move. She tightened her grip on Granny Fan’s neck even more.
“Damn it… damn it… this Liu Dashao… oh no… I’ve been… ruined by this coward!” Granny Fan’s heart sank, and tears flowed.
Just as the standoff reached its peak, Ah Lan’s belly suddenly tore open, and a stream of black liquid poured out. Granny Fan felt the grip on her neck tighten. Looking down, she saw a small, black, child-like mass crawl out from Ah Lan’s stomach. The little spirit had sensed its mother was in danger and had come out on its own.
Granny Fan suddenly recalled a conversation she had with the old Taoist priest during his lifetime: “Evil forces can animate the dead and are unafraid of restraining talismans. If the heart has intent, it can speak; if the intent is clear, it can act. Covering one’s face and crying can startle livestock at night, while opening one’s mouth to laugh can unsettle both humans and beasts. Malice is hard to quell, and cruelty is difficult to erase. Such is the nature of a malevolent spirit. Those who have not achieved inner clarity and enlightenment should retreat and stay far away when encountering such entities.”
“She can laugh… this, this is a malevolent spirit…” Granny Fan trembled as she spoke, “Retreat! Retreat!”
At that moment, several ghostly figures in the area let out piercing screams and scattered in all directions. The young bride let out a shrill cry, and suddenly, a fierce wind swept through the small valley, and a large dark cloud obscured the moon above. Several black shadows, as if grabbed by invisible hands, were pulled toward the young bride. After a few agonizing screams, they turned into wisps of black smoke.
Seeing her terrifying power, Liu Dashao’s face turned pale with fear, while Ma Sandao wet his pants in terror… “Hark, the Six Jia and Six Ding, heed my command, the Seven Lords of Meishan, lend me your divine power…” Granny Fan began to step in the pattern of the Twenty-Eight Mansions, bit her index finger, and drew a ghost-suppressing seal on a branch she had picked up. She steadied herself, formed a hand seal with her left hand, and with her right hand, she thrust the branch toward the malevolent spirit.
“Evil spirits, retreat!” Liu Dashao watched intently as the seal on Granny Fan’s branch suddenly burst into red flames, shooting out three feet. The malevolent spirit, startled, spewed a cloud of black gas, and the donkey beneath it backed away in fear.
The young bride let out a hateful cry, “Old hag, was it you who spread the word tonight that you would capture me?”
Granny Fan regretted her actions deeply. She had only intended to deal with a ghostly fetus and had never meant to provoke such a formidable entity. Liu Dashao cursed inwardly, thinking that this old woman had boasted without the skills to back it up, and now they were all in grave danger. The young bride took a few steps back, her face glowing with a greenish hue.
Granny Fan quickly said, “This… ahem, there must be some misunderstanding. I only sent him to burn some paper money for you. Look at this mess…”
The young bride snorted, “It’s too late to say it’s a misunderstanding now!” With that, the green aura around her face receded, and suddenly, several arms, all of a purplish hue and of varying lengths, extended from her back, reaching out to grab Granny Fan. With a series of slicing sounds, the arms were severed and turned to ash by the red flames on Granny Fan’s branch. However, the flames gradually dimmed. The young bride shook her hair, which grew rapidly in the wind, like black seaweed, and lashed out at Granny Fan.
Granny Fan, quick to react, leaped to the left, dodging the sweeping hair, but a few strands grazed her arm, drawing blood. Initially, Granny Fan had considered pleading for mercy, but seeing this, she became furious. “You malevolent spirit, over the years, you’ve dragged countless people to their deaths, harming so many lives. How dare you use the limbs of others for such purposes? Aren’t you afraid of divine retribution? Even if I am no match for you today, I will fight with my life to subdue you!” It turned out that those arms belonged to the victims the young bride had killed recently, leaving their bodies incomplete and their souls unable to find peace, likely wandering and dissipating over time. For the deceased, this was an extremely bitter fate.
The young bride sneered, “I’ve only been dead for a little over a month. How could I have done this for years?”
“A month!” Granny Fan’s pupils contracted, and her frail body visibly trembled. This was too sinister. In just a month, this entity had killed so many people? Thinking this, Granny Fan’s gaze hardened, and she asked with a weak voice, “Who exactly are you?”
“Hmph, take a look at who I am!” The young bride wiped her pale face, revealing her features. Granny Fan, with her dim eyes, couldn’t make out the details immediately. But Liu Dashao shouted, “A’Lan! It’s A’Lan! Oh my god!”
“The daughter of the old mason?” Granny Fan asked.
“Yes, her! I saw it clearly when the village chief burned her. I even saw her eating the hearts and livers of chickens and ducks! It was bloody…” Liu Dashao hurriedly explained.
“Absurd, utterly absurd!” Granny Fan slapped her thigh in frustration.
The young bride spoke again, “When I died, no one cared for me. Instead, they insulted my body and burned me. Why should I care about others? Do you know how much pain I endured?” With that, she levitated into the air, her hair flying around her like snake tongues, her eyes glowing with malevolence. Liu Dashao noticed that the young bride’s face was covered in burn marks, blackened like charred meat. No wonder she had applied so much makeup—it was to hide the disfigurement. “After my wrongful death, no one cared. I was hastily buried, and no one came to my aid. Even after being buried, that old scoundrel Chen the Cripple dug me up and defiled my body. Who came to save me? My corpse absorbed yang energy, gained a malevolent aura, and became a spirit. I didn’t want to harm anyone except Chen the Cripple. I only fed on animals. But you, you set a fire to burn me, causing my soul and body to separate. Now I wander by the dam. Who cares for me?”
Granny Fan, hearing her voice grow louder, knew she was about to unleash her fury and quickly shouted, “Liu Dashao, hurry, hurry!”
Liu Dashao, already terrified out of his wits, heard Granny Fan’s shout and wailed, “Hurry, hurry, hurry with what? We’re all going to die! Oh, my poor life, my wife whom I’ve never even met!” Granny Fan, seeing him wailing at such a critical moment, was so furious she could have killed him. “Did you forget what I just told you?” In her anger, she even cursed.
A’Lan floated in the air, her body creaking, her face deathly pale. Her large belly suddenly began to bulge, and the sharp cries of a baby emanated from within. Liu Dashao, terrified, held his wooden sword, which shook like a flower in a young girl’s hand. “Damn it, she even has a little bastard with her! A few days ago, I almost got bitten to death by that ghost-possessed woman while following Master Wang. Now, in a real fight, I run into this thing? This isn’t fair! Granny Fan, are you both cursed? Why is our luck so bad?”
Ma Sandao wasn’t making things easier for Granny Fan either. He was crouched on the ground, hugging his head, crying loudly, “I… want to go home, I want to see my wife, see my wife…” Granny Fan was seething with anger. “If you keep crying and stay there, you’ll never go home!” That night, dealing with these two, she probably used up a lifetime’s worth of curses.
Just as Granny Fan was at her wit’s end, A’Lan’s eyes began to glow with a faint red light. Her body remained floating in the air, but all her hair shot toward Granny Fan with incredible speed. Granny Fan, in a panic, swung her branch to block, but with a snap, the branch broke in two. A’Lan was thrown back onto the donkey, spitting out a mouthful of foul black blood. Granny Fan felt a tightness in her chest and was about to catch her breath when she saw A’Lan’s pale hands right in front of her.
Granny Fan knew things were dire. She formed a demon-repelling seal with both hands and held it in front of her. She felt a sharp pain as A’Lan’s hands grabbed hers, and a tremendous force pushed the seal toward her own neck. The sound of A’Lan’s finger joints cracking was enough to make one’s teeth ache. In no time, A’Lan’s icy, black claws had wrapped around Granny Fan’s neck.
Granny Fan’s face immediately turned black, and she couldn’t breathe. Tears streamed down her face, but she managed a faint smile. “Liu Dashao… hurry, this is a good… opportunity… act now…” A’Lan, startled, looked toward Liu Dashao, only to find him still crouched on the ground, crying like a scared dog. She tightened her grip on Granny Fan’s neck.
“Damn it… Liu Dashao… damn it, you… coward… you’ve doomed us!” Granny Fan’s heart sank, and tears flowed down her face.
At this stalemate, A’Lan’s belly suddenly split open, and a stream of black water gushed out. Granny Fan felt the hands around her neck tighten. She looked down and saw a black, unformed child-like mass crawling out of A’Lan’s belly. The little ghost, sensing its mother’s distress, had emerged on its own.
“The child spirit is out!” Granny Fan’s veins bulged on her forehead. “Shh, little one… don’t come out… go back in… be good…” The mass paused, and Granny Fan was momentarily pleased with her ability to soothe a child. But then the mass suddenly opened a large mouth filled with sharp, white teeth.
The mass opened its mouth and slowly but surely moved to bite Granny Fan. Knowing her end was near, Granny Fan, with her last bit of strength, cursed, “Liu Dashao, you little brat, you… I’ll… curse you even as a ghost!”
“Granny Fan, you’re about to die, so stop cursing. I’ll burn some paper money for you,” Liu Dashao suddenly interjected from behind. Granny Fan was momentarily stunned. When A’Lan had first appeared, Liu Dashao had been terrified, and A’Lan, seeing his cowardice, had paid him no mind.
Hearing him speak now, though his voice trembled, it was much steadier than before, and a sense of foreboding washed over her. She turned her head sharply and saw Liu Dashao standing by his donkey, holding a lit torch in his left hand and a bundle of yellow paper dusted with saltpeter in his right. Though his body shook like a banana leaf in the rain, he stood resolute.
“How dare you!” A’Lan screamed, turning to pounce on Liu Dashao. But Granny Fan, with a burst of strength, grabbed her and spat a mouthful of blood in her face. “Green Dragon soars across the eight realms, White Tiger roars in the mountains, Vermilion Bird cries with thunder, Black Tortoise subdues all spirits! Four Symbols, stand by my side!” The blood was from Granny Fan biting her tongue, and because she had bitten so hard, her speech was slurred.
Liu Dashao lit the yellow paper and threw it onto the donkey. The donkey, now devoid of A’Lan’s evil influence, had become a lifeless paper figure. The saltpeter in the paper ignited, and the donkey burst into flames. A foul stench filled the air as green lights emerged from the fireball and scattered in all directions.
Granny Fan said bitterly, “I never imagined you would imprison the souls of your victims in this donkey to control them. Once pitiful, you’ve become doubly wicked in your evil deeds!” The parts of A’Lan’s face touched by Granny Fan’s blood began to rot and emit black smoke. “Ah… ah… old hag… I’ll devour you alive…” A’Lan struggled, her body writhing, but she couldn’t break free.
With the situation under control, Granny Fan began to settle accounts. “You little brat, didn’t I tell you earlier that if she came, I’d hold her off while you burned the donkey? What were you doing? Any later, and we’d be lying here dead, waiting for someone to collect our bodies tomorrow!”
Liu Dashao protested, “Granny Fan, this is your fault. The torch you use for smoking wasn’t in the tube, and Old Ma couldn’t light it either. I had to search the ground for it, and it took forever!” Granny Fan took out a soul-cleansing talisman and slapped it onto A’Lan’s face. With a puff, A’Lan collapsed, and a cloud of black and green smoke rose from her body.
Granny Fan winced as she sucked on her numb tongue. “Where did the torch fall?”
Liu Dashao, exasperated, said, “When you were scared by those ghosts earlier, it fell to the ground. It was so dark, I had to crawl around like a bear to find it… and I even found the broken tip of your sword…” He raised his right hand, which was covered in blood.
Meanwhile, A’Lan writhed on the ground, black smoke rising from her body. Her face had rotted away, leaving only her eyes, which stared whitely at the two of them. “Old Ma, Old Ma, last night I could have let you die. I gave you a chance with that apricot, but now you and this old hag have come to harm me… to harm this poor soul…” Her voice was filled with sorrow, and Ma Sandao felt a pang of guilt. He quickly said, “Retribution has its source, and debts have their creditors. This was all Granny Fan’s idea.” Granny Fan, hearing this, was furious. “Hey, Ma Sandao, is that how you treat people?”
But then Ma Sandao continued, “You were a poor soul in life, and you know the hardships of the poor. Yet you dragged so many to their deaths. Isn’t that wrong? If you suffered and were wronged, shouldn’t you ensure others don’t suffer the same? If you had chosen to reincarnate instead of haunting and harming people, wouldn’t you have avoided this suffering?”
Granny Fan nodded silently. If one has suffered, they should not make others suffer. Though simple, only those who understand know how difficult this is. Hearing this, A’Lan suddenly fell silent. Only the sound of her body burning could be heard, and she no longer screamed. Ma Sandao, still feeling uneasy, asked, “How long will this fire burn? We’re standing here talking while she’s burning. It feels wrong.”
Granny Fan replied, “You feel uneasy? Think about it. If our luck had been worse tonight, it would be us lying here, crying and wailing, especially you two. You’d be wailing loud enough to shake the heavens.”
Liu Dashao was suddenly angry. “Granny Fan, no offense, but you said you were prepared, that you had a plan. But when the real thing showed up, everything went wrong!”
Granny Fan was a bit embarrassed. “Well, since I started, I’ve only dealt with weak spirits. This is the first time I’ve encountered something so fierce. My preparations weren’t enough.”
Ma Sandao asked, “What were you chanting earlier? Summoning gods?”
Granny Fan smiled. “I can’t summon gods.”
Liu Dashao was puzzled. “You were calling on the Seven Lords of Meishan. Wasn’t that summoning gods?”
Granny Fan explained, “When I chant the names of gods, I’m invoking their essence and spirit. Who has ever summoned a god? Gods and humans are worlds apart.”
She paused. “The old Taoist priest once said that many Taoist gods were once mortals. Like Guan Yu, the Saintly Emperor Guan. When walking at night, silently chanting his name invokes his righteous spirit, which repels all evil. When we Taoists perform rituals or administer medicine, we silently invoke the Medicine King Bodhisattva, emulating his compassionate nature. Summoning gods is about invoking the spirit within ourselves. If someone claims to have summoned a god, they’re lying. Don’t believe it.”
Liu Dashao, hearing this, gained a new respect for the old woman. He suddenly asked, “If I silently chant the name of the God of Wealth while gambling, will I gain his fortune?” Granny Fan hadn’t expected such a question. After a moment’s thought, she replied, “A gambler seeking wealth has an impure heart. If one’s heart is impure, how can they receive divine aid? Only those with a pure heart can receive divine assistance.”
Ma Sandao sighed and patted Liu Dashao’s shoulder. “Granny Fan makes a good point. Don’t get any crooked ideas… By the way, after all this commotion, what about my wife?” Remembering his wife, Ma Sandao grew anxious. “What about the ghost that took the fetus? I didn’t see it… Granny Fan…”
As they chatted, they forgot about the ghost still burning beside them. A’Lan, now reduced to a pile of black ash, spoke in a calm voice, “Granny Fan, thank you for subduing me.” Her tone was much gentler. Granny Fan bowed slightly. “Have you understood?” A’Lan replied, “After being burned by your talisman, my hatred has dissipated. I… I grieve for the child in my belly, who suffered so much before even being born.”
A’Lan sobbed for a moment. “The fire has burned away my malice, and now I realize the wrongs I’ve done. I want to ask you, is there really reincarnation after death? Why was no one there to guide me into the cycle? If I were to reincarnate, what would I become in the next life?” Granny Fan spoke solemnly, “The cycle of reincarnation exists, but it is not enforced by others. It is entered voluntarily. You clung to your resentment, dwelling in filth and gathering malevolence. You refused to let go. How can you ask about reincarnation and what it entails?”
Hearing this, A’Lan’s heart suddenly felt clear. Her body, once like black ash, became transparent, as if it had form but no substance. “Granny, I am not as you said. In the village, I encountered a member of the construction team, a young intellectual. He defiled me and caused my death. He is dead now, but his spirit lingers, still causing harm. If he truly takes the fetus, please intervene and prevent him from harming others.”
Granny Fan replied, “I understand. If you truly repent, will you help me with something?”
As the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon, A’Lan’s form became even more transparent, as if she were about to dissipate. Granny Fan took out a piece of jade. “If you are willing to enter this jade, both you and your unborn child will benefit. But to deal with that ghostly fetus, I will still need your help.”
The little mass paused, and Granny Fan felt a bit of hope that she still had a way with children. But suddenly, the mass opened a wide mouth full of sharp, white teeth.
The mass opened its mouth and, without hesitation, lunged toward Granny Fan’s neck. Knowing she might die tonight, Granny Fan, in her final moments, shouted in fury: “Liu Dashao, you little bastard! You coward! I’ll curse you… even in death!”
“Granny Fan, you’re about to die anyway. Can’t you just stop cursing for a moment? I’ll burn some paper money for you!” Unexpectedly, Liu Dashao’s voice suddenly came from behind. Granny Fan hadn’t even registered what was happening.
When Ah Lan first appeared, Liu Dashao had been terrified beyond reason. Ah Lan, seeing his cowardice, had completely dismissed him.
But now, hearing his voice from behind—though trembling, it was much steadier than before—Ah Lan felt a sudden ominous premonition. She turned her head sharply and saw Liu Dashao, left hand holding a burning torch, right hand gripping yellow paper clearly mixed with saltpeter. Though his body trembled like a banana tree in the rain, he stood firmly beside the donkey.
“Ahhh… you dare!” Ah Lan screamed, turning to lunge at Liu Dashao. But before she could move, Granny Fan grabbed her with a sudden twist, spat a mouthful of blood onto her face—blood drawn from biting her tongue—and chanted: “Azure Dragon soaring through the eight extremes, White Tiger roaring through the mountains, Vermilion Bird echoing thunder in the skies, Black Tortoise commanding all spirits! Four Symbols, swiftly appear at my side!”
The blood was drawn from biting her tongue hard, causing her speech to slur.
Meanwhile, Liu Dashao lit the yellow paper and piled it onto the donkey. Without Ah Lan’s evil power, the donkey had become a lifeless paper figure. The paper, laced with saltpeter, ignited instantly, turning the donkey into a blazing fireball. Flames roared skyward, accompanied by a foul stench. Green lights rose from the fire, scattering into the night.
Granny Fan spat bitterly: “I never imagined you evil spirit would trap the souls of your victims inside this donkey, using them as your puppets. Once pitiful, you’ve now become even more despicable!”
Black smoke began rising from the parts of Ah Lan’s face where Granny Fan’s blood had landed, her flesh beginning to rot: “Ah… old hag… old hag… I’ll devour you alive…”
Granny Fan, seeing the tide turning, began to scold Liu Dashao: “You little bastard! Didn’t I tell you earlier—if she really came, I’d hold her down while you burned the donkey? What the hell were you doing? If you had waited any longer, we’d be dead tonight! Tomorrow, they’d be coming to collect our corpses!”
Liu Dashao protested loudly: “Granny Fan, this is your fault! Your fire starter wasn’t in the tube! Old Ma couldn’t light a fire either. I had to crawl around on the ground forever just to find it!”
Granny Fan pulled out a soul-cleansing talisman and slapped it onto Ah Lan’s face. “Puff!” Ah Lan collapsed, a stream of black and green smoke rising from her.
Granny Fan sucked on her numb tongue: “Where did the fire starter go?”
Liu Dashao was furious: “Earlier, you dropped it when those ghosts scared you. It was dark, and I had to crawl around like a bear to find it… I even found a broken piece of your sword…”
Ah Lan writhed on the ground, black smoke rising from her body. Only her white eyes remained, staring at the two: “Ma San Dao… last night I could have let you die, but you gave me a plum, so I spared you. Now you’ve come with this old hag to harm me… harm me, a poor soul…”
Her voice was mournful, stirring pity in Ma Sandao, who said hastily: “You have your own grudges, but this was all Granny Fan’s idea.”
Granny Fan, hearing this, was furious: “Hey, Ma Sandao! Is that how you treat people?”
But Ma Sandao continued: “You were a poor soul in life, and you know the suffering of poor souls. Yet you dragged so many others to death. Isn’t that wrong? When you suffered, you should have wanted others to avoid suffering. If you had chosen rebirth instead of haunting this world, wouldn’t you be free of suffering now?”
Granny Fan nodded inwardly. Suffering oneself shouldn’t mean making others suffer. It was a simple truth, but only those who truly understood could grasp its depth.
Ah Lan suddenly fell silent, only the sound of her burning body crackling. She no longer screamed.
Ma Sandao still felt uneasy: “How long will this fire burn? We’re just standing here talking while she burns… it feels… wrong.”
Granny Fan replied: “You feel pity? Think—if we had been just a little more unlucky tonight, it would be us crying and screaming, especially you two. You’d be howling to the heavens.”
Liu Dashao was angry: “Granny Fan, I’m not blaming you, but you said you were ready, had a plan. Yet when the real villain showed up, everything went wrong!”
Granny Fan was a bit embarrassed: “Heh heh… since I started practicing, I’ve only ever faced weaklings. This is my first time facing someone this fierce. I wasn’t prepared!”
Ma Sandao asked: “Then what were you chanting earlier? Calling on spirits?”
Granny Fan smiled: “I can’t really summon spirits.”
Liu Dashao was surprised: “But you called on the Seven Warriors of Meishan. Isn’t that summoning spirits?”
Granny Fan laughed: “I recite their names to invoke their spirit, their essence, their righteousness. Who has ever truly summoned a god? Gods and humans are worlds apart!”
She paused: “My old master once said that many gods in Taoism were once human. When walking at night, silently chanting the name of Guan Yu brings his righteous spirit, keeping away evil. When practicing Taoist arts, chanting the name of the Medicine King invokes his compassion. Summoning gods is really summoning the spirit within yourself. If someone claims to summon a god into their body, they’re lying. Don’t believe it.”
Liu Dashao was suddenly enlightened, his respect for the old woman growing. He suddenly asked: “If I silently chant the name of the God of Wealth while gambling, will I gain his fortune?”
Granny Fan hadn’t expected this but gave a thoughtful answer: “Gamblers seeking wealth—your heart is already impure. Without purity, how can you expect divine aid? Only a pure heart receives divine help.”
Ma Sandao sighed, patting Liu Dashao’s shoulder: “Granny Fan is right. You shouldn’t think of such things. By the way, what about my wife after all this?”
The three were chatting when they forgot about the burning ghost nearby. Ah Lan, now mostly ash, said softly: “Granny Fan, thank you for coming to seal me.”
Her voice was calm now.
Granny Fan bowed: “Have you found peace?”
Ah Lan replied: “This fire has burned away my hatred. I only grieve for the child in my womb, who has suffered with me before even being born.”
Ah Lan lowered her head, sobbing softly: “This fire has burned away my malice. Now I realize my past actions were wrong. I have a question, Granny: Is there truly rebirth after death? Why has no one come to guide me into the cycle? If I enter rebirth, what will I become in my next life?”
Granny Fan replied solemnly: “Rebirth exists in the heavens, not imposed by others, but entered by oneself. You held onto resentment, dwelling in impurity and gathering evil. You did not let go. How, then, can you question rebirth or its nature?”
Hearing this, Ah Lan suddenly felt clarity. Her previously dark, ashen body became translucent, as if tangible yet insubstantial.
“Granny, I’m not like you said. I met a young worker from the construction team in the village. He dishonored me and caused my death. He is now dead, yet his spirit lingers, still doing harm. If he truly took the ghost fetus, please help stop him and spare others.”
Granny Fan said: “I already know. If you truly wish to repent, will you help me with something?”
At that moment, light began to appear on the horizon. Ah Lan’s form grew more translucent, as if she were about to vanish.
Granny Fan pulled out a jade pendant: “If you are willing to enter this jade, both you and your unborn child will benefit. But we still need your help to deal with that ghost fetus!”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage