Chapter 58: Wang Banxian's Confession (2)

“I fancy you!” said Wang Banxian.

“What did you say?” Fan Popo’s eyes widened like light bulbs, and she stood there stunned for a moment.

“You didn’t hear me? Then I’ll say it again, louder this time!” As soon as Wang Banxian said this, he felt a wave of relief wash over him, his heart finally unburdened.

“I fancy you!”

“I adore you!”

“I love you to bits!”

“Ha!” Liu Dashao couldn’t help himself and burst out laughing so hard he rolled down the hill. Fortunately, the ground below was covered in soft grass, so he wasn’t hurt. Startled, Fan Popo hurriedly covered Wang Banxian’s mouth, her face a mixture of fear and anxiety, scolding him, “You shameless old thing, what are you saying? If someone hears you talk like that, where will I, an old woman, have the face to show myself?”

“I don’t care anymore! I’ve kept this bottled up for thirty years. I had to say it, and it’s not too late now. You should go home and tell your children—you should remarry me and become my wife! I promise I won’t mistreat you. I’ll cherish you!” Wang Banxian continued.

Liu Dashao got up from the ground, thinking to himself that Wang Banxian was truly a remarkable person. He couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up from afar, saying, “Wow, Wang Banxian, you’re amazing! I, Liu Dashao, have never admired anyone in my life, but you’re the first!”

“You… you stop showing off!” Fan Popo blushed furiously, burying her face into her clothes, while Wang Banxian grinned foolishly, winking and flashing another thumbs-up at Liu Dashao.

Putting aside their sweet talk, the three returned to the village to discuss matters further. At Liu Dashao’s warm invitation, they went to his house. When Liu Laoshi and his wife saw Fan Popo arrive, they welcomed her enthusiastically. Coincidentally, Ma Xiaoyan had also come over, so the group gathered around the fireplace, snacking on sunflower seeds and chatting happily. Liu Laoshi was especially pleased with Ma Xiaoyan, his future daughter-in-law, and went outside to thresh grain. About an hour later, while everyone was chatting merrily, Liu Laoshi suddenly ran in, “Popo Fan, Wei Fuguo is here, asking nonstop whether you’re here or not…”

He hadn’t even finished speaking when a middle-aged man, around forty years old, stumbled in frantically, shouting, “Oh my! Popo Fan, you really are here! Come quickly and see my Xiu Lian! Something’s happened!”

Fan Popo was shocked and stood up from her chair, “What happened?”

Wang Banxian and Liu Dashao were also curious. This man was a familiar face in the village—Wei Fuguo. Normally, he was a modest and hardworking man, full of energy when working in the production team, able to do the work of two people. Liu Dashao had a good impression of him. Wei Fuguo’s wife was Lü Jinlian, a notorious fierce woman known throughout the village as a “tigress” and “fiery pepper.” She was infamous for pulling women’s hair during arguments and threatening to “sleep with their husbands,” while when fighting men, she’d kick them below the belt, threatening to “sleep with their fathers.” She was truly ruthless, and most people were afraid of her.

Wei Fuguo was already sweating profusely, “She… she suddenly went mad this afternoon!”

Liu Laoshi, who had come over upon hearing the commotion, was also greatly startled. It was believable if someone else had gone mad, but for such a strong woman to go mad? That was hard to believe!

Fan Popo quickly handed him a chair to sit down, saying, “Don’t panic. The more anxious you are, the more confused things get. Sit down, catch your breath, and tell us clearly what happened. We’ll see if we can help.”

Wei Fuguo calmed himself a little and asked for a bowl of water, “Two days ago, she was fine while working in the fields. Yesterday, she had a slight fever, and today, she didn’t even get out of bed.”

“I originally wanted to ask Popo to come over, but I thought you had gone to town by tractor last time, and Master Wang was busy helping with Comrade Li’s funeral matters, so I didn’t want to bother you. I figured maybe she was just tired and needed rest. But who would’ve guessed that in the afternoon, she suddenly got up. I had gone to the ancestral grave to burn paper money and was coming back when I saw her standing at the door. I was quite happy and wanted to go over and talk to her.” At this point, Wei Fuguo’s eyes were filled with panic, his trembling gaze revealing a hint of fear. After a pause, he continued, “But before I could even speak, she came charging at me with a kitchen knife! I nearly couldn’t escape, my legs turned to jelly. But she didn’t chase me, just stood there holding the knife and yelling at the rice pile. When I left, she was still cursing there! Fortunately, I had already sent my two kids to my older brother’s place. If not, those two kids of ours would’ve ended up as filling in Sun Erniang’s dumplings!”

Fan Popo frowned, “What exactly was she cursing about?”

Wei Fuguo blushed, “She was yelling about disobedience, not respecting ancestors, things like that.”

“Oh, I see!” Fan Popo narrowed her eyes slightly, as if she had caught a clue. Just as she was about to ask more, Wang Banxian cut in, “So, have you encountered anything strange or unusual in the past few days?”

Wei Fuguo thought for a moment, “There was something odd, but not exactly strange.”

“Tell us, the more details, the better!”

“Alright!” Wei Fuguo nodded.

“I fancy you!” exclaimed Wang Banxian.
“What?” Granny Fan’s eyes widened like light bulbs, and she was stunned for a moment.
“Didn’t you hear me? Let me say it again, louder.” As soon as Wang Banxian spoke these words, he felt a great sense of relief, free from all worries.
“I fancy you!”
“I adore you!”
“I love you to death!”
“Pfft…” Liu Dashao couldn’t control himself and tumbled down the hillside. Luckily, he landed on soft grass and wasn’t hurt. Granny Fan, horrified, quickly covered Wang Banxian’s mouth, looking as if she was afraid of both wolves in front and tigers behind. She scolded, “You shameless old man, what are you saying? If someone with a loose tongue hears this, where will I put my old face?”
“I don’t care. I’ve kept this in for thirty years. It’s been eating at me, and now it’s time to say it. It’s not too late. Go back and talk to your children, and marry me! I won’t mistreat you; I’ll cherish you!” Wang Banxian continued.
Liu Dashao got up from the ground, thinking that Wang Banxian was truly an extraordinary character. From a distance, he gave him a thumbs-up: “Damn, Wang Banxian, you’re amazing. I, Liu Dashao, have never admired anyone in my life, but you, my friend, are the first!”
“You… stop making a scene!” Granny Fan blushed, burying her face in her clothes, while Wang Banxian chuckled foolishly, winking at Liu Dashao, who was giving him two thumbs-up.
Let’s skip the sweet talk and move on to the three of them returning to the village, planning to discuss things in detail. At Liu Dashao’s enthusiastic invitation, they went to his house. Liu Laoshi and his wife warmly welcomed Granny Fan. Coincidentally, Ma Xiaoyan also arrived, so they all gathered around the stove, eating melon seeds and chatting. Liu Laoshi was quite satisfied with Ma Xiaoyan, his future daughter-in-law, and went out to thresh grain. About an hour later, while they were happily chatting, Liu Laoshi suddenly ran in: “Granny Fan, Wei Fuguo is here, asking if you’re around…” Before he could finish, a middle-aged man in his forties stumbled in, “Oh, Granny Fan, you’re really here! Come quickly and see my Xiulian! Something’s happened!”
Granny Fan was shocked and stood up from her chair: “What happened?”
Wang Banxian and Liu Dashao were also curious. This man, Wei Fuguo, was a familiar face in the village, known for his humility and hard work in the production team. He was as strong as two men, so Liu Dashao had a deep impression of him. Wei Fuguo’s wife, Lü Jinlian, was a notorious shrew in the area, known for her fierce temper. She would pull hair when fighting with women, threatening to sleep with their men, and kick men in the groin when fighting with them, threatening to sleep with their fathers. She was exceptionally ruthless, and most people were intimidated by her.
Wei Fuguo was already drenched in sweat, “She… she… suddenly went mad this afternoon!”
Liu Laoshi, who had come over upon hearing the commotion, was also shocked. It was hard to believe that such a strong woman had gone mad!
Granny Fan quickly offered him a chair to sit and speak, “Don’t panic. The more you panic, the more chaotic it gets. Sit down, catch your breath, and explain clearly. We’ll see if we can help.”
Wei Fuguo calmed down a bit and asked for a bowl of water, “She was fine the day before yesterday when we were working in the fields. Yesterday she had a slight fever, and today she didn’t get up at all.”
“I thought about asking Granny to come and see her, but I remembered that you had taken a tractor back to town last time, and Mr. Wang was busy with Secretary Li’s funeral, so I didn’t want to trouble you. I thought maybe she was just tired and needed some rest. But who knew that she suddenly got up in the afternoon. I had gone to burn paper at the old graves and came back to see her standing at the door. I was happy and wanted to talk to her.” At this point, Wei Fuguo’s eyes were filled with panic, a flicker of fear in his trembling gaze. He paused for a moment before continuing, “But before I could say anything, she grabbed a kitchen knife and came at me. I was so scared I almost couldn’t run, my legs went weak. But she didn’t chase me; she just stood in the rice pile, cursing. When I left, she was still cursing in the rice field! Luckily, I had already sent my two kids to their uncle’s place, or else they would have been chopped into filling for Sun Erniang’s buns.”
Granny Fan frowned, “What was she cursing about?”
Wei Fuguo blushed, “She was cursing about being unfilial and not respecting our ancestors.”
“Oh, I see!” Granny Fan narrowed her eyes, as if she had caught onto something. Just as she was about to ask more, Wang Banxian interjected, “Have you encountered anything strange recently?”
Wei Fuguo thought for a moment, “There was one strange thing, but it wasn’t too unusual.”
“Tell us, the more details the better!”
“Alright!” Wei Fuguo nodded.
It turned out that the day before yesterday, the team was still working. Wei Fuguo and Lü Jinlian were in the fifth team. They had a piece of wasteland that they planned to turn into dry fields by next spring. That day, they were finishing up the last bit of work, and the whole team was on it. This land used to be part of the Lü family’s ancestral graves. Although the red flag was flying high and the intellectuals had been sent down, people still had some superstitions. So before they started digging, they cleared the graves and reburied the few remaining bones in a mass grave, burning incense and kowtowing, making it quite formal. While they were working, a woman who was on good terms with Lü Jinlian joked, “If your ancestors weren’t moved properly, no one would dare to plant this field. Your ancestors were quite fierce!”
Lü Jinlian swung her hoe, “Fierce my foot! Once you’re dead, what’s there to be fierce about? Whoever dares to block our revolutionary work, we’ll smash them!”
At that moment, the fifth team’s leader was nearby. Hearing this, he was delighted and wanted to flatter this fierce woman to make future work easier. He shouted, “Did everyone hear that? Comrade Lü Jinlian’s spirit and enthusiasm are worth learning from. Let’s give her a round of applause!” Lü Jinlian was thrilled and stood up to receive the applause.
But only the fifth team leader clapped a few times; no one else paid attention. She snorted in anger, swung her hoe, and struck the ground with a dull thud, as if she had hit something. She pried the hoe out and brushed away the soil, revealing a round, white object. “What the hell is this?” she blurted out.
The woman next to her peeked and turned pale, “Oh my god, it looks like a human skull!” A few people gathered around and carefully dug it out with shovels. Sure enough, it was a human skull. The fifth team leader gasped, “How did this happen? I thought we cleared everything out! Come on, let’s dig around here carefully and see if there are any other bones.” They dug a bit more but found nothing else, just the skull.
When Lü Jinlian saw what they had dug up, she was already fuming. Why? Because this thing had to be dealt with—burning incense, burning paper, and burying it in the mass grave. If this kept up, they wouldn’t finish the field before dark. And she had a lot of things to do at home!
Sure enough, the leader called out, “Hey, Wei Fuguo, go to the team office and see if there’s any incense left. I remember we had some left from this year.” Wei Fuguo was about to go when Lü Jinlian stepped forward, “Don’t bother. It’s just a dead man’s skull. Why go through all this trouble?”
With that, she picked up the skull and, to everyone’s astonishment, walked to the foot of the mountain about a hundred meters away. There were many unused pits from previous tree-planting efforts. She tossed the skull into one of the pits and shouted back, “Keep digging so we can finish early! I’ll bury this damn skull first!”
Everyone was stunned. They knew Lü Jinlian was fierce, but this was beyond their expectations!
Lü Jinlian started shoveling soil into the pit while glaring at the skull, getting angrier by the minute, “You damn skull, why aren’t you staying on your neck? Wasting my time!” In a fit of rage, she swung her hoe and smashed the skull.
After smashing the skull, she hastily buried it and returned to the field. The fifth team leader was in awe, thinking to himself, “Now that’s leadership material—so decisive and efficient!” He couldn’t help but feel a bit ashamed.
That night, Lü Jinlian came down with a fever and went to bed before finishing shelling the peanuts. Wei Fuguo let her sleep. But she slept for two days straight, and when she finally got up, she had gone mad! No wonder Wei Fuguo was so anxious!
Hearing this, Granny Fan and Wang Banxian exchanged glances, each understanding what was going on. Granny Fan turned to Wei Fuguo and said, “I think it’s a case of a spirit possession!”
Wang Banxian was delighted. He packed up his tools and said to Granny Fan, “Sister, you rest. I’ll handle this!”
Liu Dashao asked, “Isn’t Granny Fan going?”
Wang Banxian shot him a look, “Kid, can’t you be more considerate? Sister is getting old, running around all the time. She doesn’t say it, but her legs are tired. Let her rest in bed, okay? Why use a sledgehammer to kill a chicken? I, the feng shui master, can handle this easily.”
Wei Fuguo, knowing that many hands make light work, was still worried when he saw only Wang Banxian going back with him, “Master, are you sure about this?”
Wang Banxian snorted, “This is a small matter. Nothing to fear!”
Ma Xiaoyan, hearing that there was nothing to fear, urged Liu Dashao to take her along, saying they could help if needed! The girl had been bored these past few days and was eager to see some excitement, which was better than just sitting around at home.
Wang Banxian, who had often been called a fraud by the younger generation, felt a bit of resentment. This time, he agreed to let them help, thinking, “This time, I’ll show them whether I’m a fraud or not!”
Wang Banxian took out a few talismans and borrowed a pen from Ma Xiaoyan, drawing thick lines on the talismans. Liu Dashao was stunned, “Old man, I’ve seen this kind of thing since I was a kid, but using a pen to draw talismans is a first for me!” Ma Xiaoyan finally realized that Wang Banxian was drawing talismans and exclaimed, “So this is a talisman? I thought Uncle Wang was writing a note for us to deliver. No wonder I couldn’t recognize the characters!”
Wang Banxian stroked his goatee smugly, “As long as there’s spirit in a person, there’s spirit in the talisman! Drawing talismans is all about the spirit!”
Liu Dashao said, “So, according to you, as long as there’s spirit, even drawing a turtle would work, right?”
Wang Banxian wasn’t offended and chuckled, “Not entirely! Just like Chairman Mao’s selected works. Printed in a book, they’re his selected works, and reading them helps us progress. Printed in a newspaper, they’re still his selected works, and reading them still helps us progress! But if you change the words, it’s no longer his meaning!”
Everyone nodded, saying that this analogy made it clear. They didn’t stop to think whether the analogy was appropriate or not.
The wooden sword and talismans were cumbersome, so Wang Banxian stuffed them into a bag and set off in a hurry. Wei Fuguo led the way, while Liu Dashao held Ma Xiaoyan’s hand, walking calmly behind.
The Liu family was about a hundred meters away from the Wei family, and the walk left them all sweaty. When they arrived at the Wei house, there was no one in sight. Thinking about a madwoman with a kitchen knife, everyone was on edge. They looked around, but there was no one in the rice pile.
Wei Fuguo said shakily, “Did she run away… or is she inside?” Liu Dashao shielded Ma Xiaoyan behind him. After all he had been through, he wasn’t afraid of ghosts anymore, but the girl was scared! Besides, he was still a bit wary of a madwoman with a kitchen knife. Although he had some martial arts training from his military days, he had never been in a real fight, so he wasn’t entirely confident.
Wang Banxian reassured them, “If it’s a spirit possession, she won’t run far; she’ll just stay around the house. Since there’s no one in the rice pile, she’s probably hiding inside.”
Wang Banxian led the three of them cautiously to the edge of the rice pile, about twenty meters from the front door. Below the rice pile was a steep slope leading to the Wei family’s pond. As they approached, Wang Banxian instructed, “The ground here is muddy. Be careful not to slip when you run. Don’t run back; the pond is below. Run towards the road!” Seeing that everyone was a bit nervous, he smiled and said, “This is a small matter! Don’t be afraid. Safety first, be careful. If something happens, I wouldn’t dare bring you two kids along. If something goes wrong, how would I explain to the young lady?” With that, he winked meaningfully at Liu Dashao. His words were quite bold, and if Granny Fan had heard them, she would have blushed, punched him, and called him an old shameless man.

While working, a woman who was friendly with Lü Jinlian joked, “If your ancestors didn’t move out completely, no one will dare to plant in this field. You know your ancestors were pretty fierce people!”

Lü Jinlian swung her hoe, “Fierce? Dead people can’t be fierce anymore! If anyone dares to hinder our revolutionary work, we’ll smash them!”

Just then, the fifth team’s squad leader happened to be nearby. Hearing her words, he was delighted. Wanting to flatter this fierce woman to make future work easier, he loudly shouted, “Did you all hear that? Comrade Lü Jinlian’s spirit and enthusiasm are worth learning from by all of us! Come on, everyone, let’s give her a round of applause!” Lü Jinlian was clearly pleased and straightened up, ready to accept the applause.

But to her surprise, only the squad leader clapped a few times, and no one else responded. She snorted in anger, swung her hoe, and struck the ground hard. There was a dull thud, as if she had hit something. She pulled the hoe back and brushed away the soil, revealing a round white object. “Huh, what the heck is this?” she blurted out.

The woman beside her looked over and turned pale, “Oh my God, this looks like a human skull!”

Several people gathered around, carefully digging it out with shovels. Sure enough, it was a human skull. The squad leader inhaled sharply, “How come this thing appeared again? Didn’t we say it was cleaned up already?”

“Come on, dig around here carefully and check if there are any more bones.” They dug a bit more but found nothing else—just that one skull.

After this sweet talk, the three of them returned to the village, planning to discuss things further. At Liu Dashao’s enthusiastic invitation, they went to his house. Liu Laoshi and his wife warmly welcomed Granny Fan. Coincidentally, Ma Xiaoyan also arrived, so they all gathered around the stove, eating melon seeds and chatting. Liu Laoshi was very satisfied with Ma Xiaoyan, his future daughter-in-law, and went out to thresh grain. About an hour later, as they were happily chatting, Liu Laoshi suddenly ran in: “Granny Fan, Wei Fuguo is here, asking if you’re around…” Before he could finish, a middle-aged man in his forties stumbled in, “Oh, Granny Fan, you’re really here! Hurry, come see my Xiulian! Something’s happened!”
Granny Fan was shocked and stood up from her chair: “What happened?”
Wang Banxian and Liu Dashao were also curious. This man, Wei Fuguo, was a familiar face in the village, known for being humble and hardworking in the production team. Liu Dashao had a deep impression of him. Wei Fuguo’s wife, Lü Jinlian, was a notorious shrew in the area, known for her fierce temper and aggressive behavior.
Wei Fuguo was drenched in sweat, “She… she… suddenly went mad this afternoon!”
Liu Laoshi, who had come over upon hearing the commotion, was also shocked. It was hard to believe that such a strong woman could go mad!
Granny Fan quickly offered him a chair to sit and said, “Don’t panic. The more you panic, the more chaotic it gets. Calm down and tell us clearly. We’ll see if we can help.”
Wei Fuguo composed himself, asked for a bowl of water, and said, “She was fine the day before yesterday when we were working in the team. Yesterday she had a slight fever, and today she didn’t get up at all.”
“I wanted to ask you to come and see her, but I thought you had taken a tractor back to town last time, and Mr. Wang was busy with Secretary Li’s funeral, so I didn’t want to bother you. I thought maybe she was just tired and needed rest. But who knew, she suddenly got up in the afternoon. I came back from burning paper at the old graves and saw her standing at the door. I was happy and wanted to talk to her.” At this point, Wei Fuguo’s eyes were filled with panic, and his trembling gaze held a hint of fear. He paused before continuing, “But before I could say anything, she grabbed a kitchen knife and came at me. I was so scared I almost couldn’t run; my legs went weak. But she didn’t chase me; she just stood in the rice pile, cursing. When I left, she was still cursing in the rice pile! Luckily, I had already sent my two kids to their uncle’s place, or they would have been chopped into filling for Sun Erniang’s buns.”
Granny Fan frowned, “What was she cursing about?”
Wei Fuguo blushed, “She was cursing about being unfilial and not respecting our ancestors.”
“Oh, I see!” Granny Fan narrowed her eyes, as if she had caught onto something. Just as she was about to ask more, Wang Banxian interjected, “Did anything strange happen to you guys these past few days?”
Wei Fuguo thought for a moment and said, “There was one strange thing, but it wasn’t too bizarre.”
“Tell us, the clearer the better!”
“Alright!” Wei Fuguo nodded.
It turned out that the day before yesterday, the team was still working. Wei Fuguo and Lü Jinlian were in the fifth team. They had a piece of wasteland that they planned to turn into dry fields by next spring. That day, they were almost done with the work. The land used to be part of the Lü family’s ancestral graves. Although the red flag was flying high and the intellectuals were being sent down, people still had some superstitions. So when they started digging, they first cleaned up the graves and reburied the bones in a mass grave, burning incense and kowtowing, making it quite formal. While everyone was working, a woman who was on good terms with Lü Jinlian joked, “If your ancestors weren’t moved properly, no one would dare to farm this land. Your ancestors were quite fierce!”
Lü Jinlian swung her hoe, “Fierce my foot! Once you’re dead, what’s there to be fierce about? Whoever dares to block our revolutionary work, we’ll smash them!”
At that moment, the fifth team’s captain was nearby. Hearing this, he was delighted and wanted to flatter this fierce woman to make future work easier. He shouted, “Did everyone hear that? Comrade Lü Jinlian’s spirit and enthusiasm are worth learning from. Let’s give her a round of applause!” Lü Jinlian was thrilled and stood up to receive the applause.
But only the fifth team captain clapped a few times; no one else paid attention. She snorted in anger, swung her hoe, and struck the ground with a dull thud, as if she had hit something. She pried the hoe away and brushed aside the soil, revealing a round, white object. “What the hell is this?” she blurted out.
The woman next to her peeked and turned pale, “Oh my god, it looks like a human skull!” Several people gathered around and carefully dug it out with shovels. Sure enough, it was a human skull. The fifth team captain gasped, “How did this happen? I thought we cleaned it all up! Come on, let’s dig around here carefully and see if there are any other bones.” They dug a bit more but found nothing else, just the skull.
Seeing this, Lü Jinlian was already fuming. Why? Because once this thing appeared, they would have to burn incense and paper and bury it in the mass grave. This would delay their work, and it was already getting dark. She had a lot of things to do at home!
Sure enough, the captain shouted, “Wei Fuguo, go to the team office and see if there’s any incense left. I remember we had some left from this year.” Wei Fuguo was about to go when Lü Jinlian stepped forward, “Don’t bother. It’s just a dead man’s head. Why go through all this trouble?”
With that, she picked up the skull and, under the stunned gazes of everyone, walked to the foot of the mountain a few dozen meters away. There were many unused pits from previous tree-planting efforts. She tossed the skull into one of the pits and shouted back, “Keep digging so we can finish early! I’ll bury this damn skull first!”
Everyone was dumbfounded. They knew Lü Jinlian was fierce, but this level of fierceness was eye-opening!
Lü Jinlian shoveled dirt onto the skull while glaring at it, getting angrier by the minute, “You damn skull, why aren’t you staying on your neck? Wandering around, wasting my time!” In a fit of rage, she swung her hoe and smashed the skull.
After smashing the skull, she hastily buried it and returned to hoeing. The fifth team captain was in awe, thinking to himself, “Now that’s leadership material, so decisive and efficient!” He couldn’t help but feel a bit ashamed.
That night, Lü Jinlian came down with a fever and wanted to sleep before even finishing shelling the peanuts. Wei Fuguo let her go to bed. But she slept for two days straight, and when she finally got up, she had gone mad! No wonder Wei Fuguo was so anxious!
Hearing this, Granny Fan and Wang Banxian exchanged glances, and in that moment, they both understood. Granny Fan turned to Wei Fuguo and said, “I think it’s a case of a spirit possession!”
Wang Banxian was delighted. He packed up his tools and said to Granny Fan, “Sister, you rest. I’ll handle this!”
Liu Dashao quickly asked, “Isn’t Granny Fan coming?”
Wang Banxian shot him a look, “Kid, why are you so inconsiderate? Sister is getting old, running around all day. She doesn’t say it, but her legs are tired. Let her rest in bed, okay? Why use a sledgehammer to kill a chicken? I, the yin-yang master, can handle this easily.”
Wei Fuguo, knowing that many hands make light work, was still worried when he saw only Wang Banxian coming with him. He said, “Master, are you sure about this?”
Wang Banxian snorted, “This is a small matter. Nothing to fear!”
Ma Xiaoyan, hearing that there was nothing to fear, urged Liu Dashao to take her along to see what was happening. She said if there was any work to be done, they could help! The girl had been bored these past few days and wanted to see some excitement rather than just sitting at home.
Wang Banxian, who had often been called a fraud by these youngsters, felt a bit indignant. This time, he agreed to let them help, thinking, “I’ll show them whether I’m a fraud or not!”
With that, Wang Banxian took out some talisman paper and borrowed a pen from Ma Xiaoyan, drawing thick lines on the paper. Liu Dashao was stunned, “Old man, I’ve seen this before, but using a pen to draw talismans is a first for me!” Ma Xiaoyan realized that Wang Banxian was drawing talismans and exclaimed, “So this is a talisman? I thought Uncle Wang was writing a note for us to deliver. No wonder I couldn’t recognize the characters!”
Wang Banxian stroked his goatee smugly, “As long as the person has spirit, the talisman has spirit! Drawing talismans is about the spirit!”
Liu Dashao said, “So by your logic, as long as the person has spirit, drawing a turtle would work too, right?”
Wang Banxian wasn’t offended and chuckled, “Not entirely! Just like Chairman Mao’s Selected Works. Printed in a book, they’re his Selected Works, and reading them makes people progress. Printed in a newspaper, they’re still his Selected Works, and reading them still makes us progress! But if you change the words inside, then it’s no longer his Selected Works!”
Everyone nodded, saying that this analogy made it clear. They didn’t think about whether the analogy was appropriate or not.
The wooden sword and talisman paper were cumbersome, so Wang Banxian stuffed them into a bag and set off in a hurry. Wei Fuguo led the way, while Liu Dashao held Ma Xiaoyan’s hand and followed at a leisurely pace.
The Liu family was about a hundred meters away from the Wei family, and the walk left them all sweating. When they arrived at the Wei house, there was no one in sight. Thinking of a madwoman with a kitchen knife, everyone was on edge. They looked around and saw that the rice pile was indeed empty.
Wei Fuguo said shakily, “Did she run away… or go inside?” Liu Dashao shielded Ma Xiaoyan behind him. After all he had been through, he wasn’t afraid of ghosts anymore, but the girl was! Besides, a madwoman with a kitchen knife was still something to be cautious about. Although he had been a soldier and had some skills, he had never been in a real fight, so he wasn’t entirely confident.
Wang Banxian reassured them, “If it’s a spirit possession, she won’t run far. She’ll probably just wander around the house. Since the rice pile is empty, she must be inside.”
Wang Banxian led the three of them cautiously to the edge of the rice pile, about twenty meters from the front door. Below the rice pile was a steep slope leading to the Wei family’s pond. As they approached, Wang Banxian instructed, “The ground here is muddy. Be careful not to slip when you run. Don’t run back; the pond is below. Run back the way we came!” Seeing that everyone was a bit nervous, he smiled and said, “This is a small matter! Don’t be afraid. Safety first, be careful. If there was any real danger, I wouldn’t have brought you two kids along. If something happened, how would I explain to the young lady?” With that, he winked meaningfully at Liu Dashao. His words were quite bold, and if Granny Fan had heard them, she would have blushed, punched him, and called him shameless.

Sure enough, the squad leader shouted, “Hey, Wei Fuguo, go to the brigade office and check if there’s any incense or paper left. I remember we had some left this year.”

Wei Fuguo was about to go when Lü Jinlian stepped forward, “No need. It’s just a dead person’s skull. Why so many rituals?”

Saying that, she grabbed the skull, and under everyone’s stunned gazes, carried it dozens of meters away to the foot of a hill where there were many unused pits left from past tree-planting efforts. She tossed the skull into one of the pits and shouted back, “Keep digging! Let’s finish early! I’ll bury this stupid dead skull first!”

Everyone was stunned. They all knew Lü Jinlian was fierce, but to see her act like this was truly eye-opening!

As she shoveled soil over the skull, she kept looking at it, growing angrier by the second, “You stupid skull! Instead of staying on your neck, you’re running around and wasting my time!” In a fit of rage, she swung her hoe and smashed the skull.

After smashing and hastily burying it, she returned to work. The squad leader watched in admiration, thinking to himself, “Now that’s leadership material—so decisive and efficient!” He couldn’t help but feel a little inferior.

That night, Lü Jinlian went home with a fever. She hadn’t even finished shelling peanuts before she wanted to go to bed. Wei Fuguo let her rest. But who would have guessed that she slept for two days straight, and when she finally got up, she had gone mad! How could Wei Fuguo not be worried?

After hearing the story, Fan Popo exchanged glances with Wang Banxian, and they both understood each other’s thoughts. Then Fan Popo said to Wei Fuguo, “It must be a malevolent spirit possessing her!”

Wang Banxian was delighted. He quickly packed his tools and said to Fan Popo, “Master Sister, you rest. I’ll go handle it myself!”

Liu Dashao hurriedly asked, “Won’t Master Sister be coming along?”

Wang Banxian gave him a look, “How insensitive can you be? Master Sister is a lady, and running around like this must have already tired her legs. She might not say anything, but she needs to rest in bed. Why use a big knife to kill a chicken? I, a yin-yang master, am more than enough for this job.”

Wei Fuguo, knowing that many hands make light work, felt uneasy seeing only Wang Banxian going back with him. He asked anxiously, “Master, are you confident you can handle this?”

Wang Banxian snorted, “This is just a small matter. No need to be afraid!”

When Ma Xiaoyan heard that there was nothing to fear, she encouraged Liu Dashao to take her along, saying that if there was any heavy work, everyone could pitch in. After all, the girl had been bored for days and was eager to see something exciting instead of just sitting at home doing nothing.

As for Wang Banxian, he had often been teased by the younger generation, calling him a charlatan and accusing him of peddling the people’s opium. He had always felt a bit resentful. Now he agreed to let them tag along, thinking, “This time, I’ll show you whether I’m a fraud or not!”

Right then, Wang Banxian took out a few talismans, borrowed a pen from Ma Xiaoyan, and drew thick strokes on the talismans. Liu Dashao watched in amazement, “Grandpa, I’ve seen this kind of stuff since I was a kid, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen someone draw talismans with a pen!”

Ma Xiaoyan only now realized that Wang Banxian was drawing talismans. She exclaimed in surprise, “So this is a talisman? I thought Uncle Wang was writing us a note to deliver a message! No wonder I couldn’t recognize the characters!”

Wang Banxian smugly stroked his goatee, saying proudly, “As long as the person has spiritual power, the talisman will have spiritual power too! Talismans are drawn with spirit!”

Liu Dashao said, “So what you’re saying is, as long as the person has spirit, even if you draw a turtle, it would work. Is that right?”

Wang Banxian wasn’t offended at all. Smiling, he replied, “That’s not entirely correct! Take Chairman Mao’s Selected Works, for example. Whether it’s printed in a book or in a newspaper, it’s still his Selected Works. Reading it helps us progress. But if you change the words inside, then it’s no longer what he meant!”

Everyone nodded, saying that this analogy made things much clearer. They didn’t even consider whether the analogy was appropriate or not.

Since the wooden sword and talismans were inconvenient to carry, Wang Banxian put them all into a bag and hurriedly set off. Wei Fuguo walked ahead, while Liu Dashao held Ma Xiaoyan’s hand, walking calmly behind.

The distance from Liu’s house to Wei’s was about a hundred meters, and the walk left them all sweaty. When they arrived at Wei’s house, no one was there. Thinking of a madwoman with a kitchen knife inside, everyone was on edge. They looked around and saw no one in the rice pile.

Wei Fuguo trembled as he said, “Could she have run away… or gone inside?”

Liu Dashao shielded Ma Xiaoyan behind him. Having experienced so much, he wasn’t afraid of ghosts anymore, but this young girl might be scared. Besides, he still had some concerns about facing a knife-wielding madwoman. Although he had served in the army and had some martial arts skills, he had never been in a real fight. If it came to a confrontation, he wasn’t confident at all.

Wang Banxian comforted them, “If it’s a possession, she can’t have gone far. She must be around the house somewhere. Since there’s no one in the rice pile, she’s probably hiding inside.”

Wang Banxian led the three cautiously to the lower edge of the rice pile, about twenty meters from the front door. Below the rice pile was a steep slope leading to Wei’s fishpond. As they approached, Wang Banxian warned, “This place is muddy. Be careful not to slip when you run. Don’t run back down the slope—it leads to the fishpond. Run back the way we came!” Seeing that everyone was a bit nervous, he smiled and said, “It’s just a small matter. No need to be afraid. Safety first—better to be cautious. If there were any danger, I wouldn’t dare to bring you two kids along. How would I explain it to the young lady if something happened?” He winked meaningfully at Liu Dashao. His words were quite bold—if Fan Popo had heard them, she would surely have blushed, punched him playfully, and scolded him with a “You shameless old man!”
When everyone heard this, they burst into laughter. The four of them stood by the rice pile, and Wang Banxian said, “Brother Fuguo, call out to your wife!”

Wei Fuguo cleared his throat and shouted, “Hey, Lian…” Liu Dashao nearly fell over from shock. Ma Xiaoyan clutched her stomach, laughing so hard it hurt. At their age, shouting like that was just too much. Truth be told, Wei Fuguo and Wang Weizhen were quite the pair of clowns.

Wiping sweat from his brow with his sleeve, Wang Banxian said, “I meant for you to call her by name! That thing won’t understand you otherwise!” Wei Fuguo hurriedly asked, “What thing? What do you mean ‘that thing’? Listen, big brother, I’m really scared, don’t go scaring me like that!” Wang Banxian impatiently replied, “Just shout, okay? Why so many questions, big brother?”

Gathering his courage, Wei Fuguo shouted loudly, “Lvjinglian!” The voice was loud enough, and Wang Banxian quickly turned to Liu Dashao and the others, saying, “Keep an eye on the entrance. If she comes out and charges, you run. If she doesn’t, just watch me show off my real skills! Hey, Brother Fuguo, shout again!”

“Lu Jinlian!” Wei Fuguo shouted again. There was no movement at the entrance. All around, only the sound of the wind rustling the rice stalks could be heard. Just as Wang Banxian was puzzled, he suddenly heard a noise behind him and turned around. There was Lu Jinlian, wielding a massive cleaver and charging up the steep slope from the pond. That Wei family cleaver was truly enormous—it was practically as big as Guan Yu’s legendary blade! In the blink of an eye, Lu Jinlian was less than three meters away.

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter. The four of them stood beneath the rice stack, and Wang Banxian said, “Brother Fuguo, call your wife!” Wei Fuguo cleared his throat and shouted, “Hey, Lian…” The moment he yelled, Liu Dashao nearly fell to the ground. Ma Xiaoyan clutched her stomach in pain, exclaiming, “You’re over forty, and you’re shouting like that? It’s just too much…” To be fair, Wei Fuguo and Wang Weizhen were quite the pair of clowns.

Wang Banxian wiped his sweat with his sleeve and said, “I told you to call her by her name. Shouting like that, she won’t understand!” Wei Fuguo quickly asked, “What thing? What are you talking about? Brother, I’m a bit of a coward, don’t scare me!” Wang Banxian impatiently replied, “Just call her, why are you making such a fuss?”

Wei Fuguo mustered his courage and shouted, “Lü Jinlian!” The shout was so loud that Wang Banxian immediately turned to Liu Dashao and the others, saying, “Keep an eye on the door. If she charges at you, run. If she doesn’t, stay here and watch me show you my real skills! Brother Fuguo, call her again!”

“Lü Jinlian!” Wei Fuguo shouted once more. There was no movement at the door. The only sound was the wind rustling through the rice stalks. Just as Wang Banxian was starting to wonder, he suddenly heard a commotion behind him. He turned around to see Lü Jinlian charging up the steep slope from the pond, wielding a massive kitchen knife. The knife was so large it could rival Guan Yu’s legendary blade! In a split second, Lü Jinlian was less than three meters away from them.

“Run!” Liu Dashao’s earth-shaking shout nearly deafened everyone. As they turned to flee, Wei Fuguo’s legs gave out, but fortunately, Granny Fan and Wang Banxian caught him. Liu Dashao was so terrified he wished he had an extra pair of legs. He ran with all his might, his mind completely blank. Granny Fan, quick-witted, shouted, “Run inside and close the door!” By then, Wei Fuguo had regained his senses and sprinted forward. Just as the four of them were about to reach the door, the supposedly fearless Liu Dashao tripped and fell face-first into the dirt.

Liu Dashao, still somewhat coherent, yelled, “Don’t worry about me, get inside first!” He looked up to see the other three had already entered, and Wei Fuguo was closing the door. No one was coming to help him. Liu Dashao was furious: “These bastards are faster than me when it comes to running for their lives!” Before he could think further, a gust of wind rushed toward him from behind.

Without even looking, Liu Dashao knew it was Lü Jinlian, wielding her massive knife. In a moment of desperation, he kicked backward without turning around. With a thud, Lü Jinlian slipped, and the enormous knife, accompanied by a chilling gust of wind, narrowly missed Liu Dashao’s head. The close call left Liu Dashao’s legs weak—if that knife had hit, his head would’ve been chopped off like a pig’s!

Liu Dashao seized the opportunity to leap toward the door. Thankfully, Wei Fuguo hadn’t closed it yet. Once Liu Dashao was inside, Wei Fuguo quickly bolted the door. Liu Dashao immediately scolded, “Wei Fuguo, you sure closed that door fast!”

Wei Fuguo sheepishly replied, “I was just worried, that’s all.”

“Granny Fan, you’re in charge here. What do we do now?”

Granny Fan, now calm, said, “All of you stay inside. I’ll handle this.”

Wei Fuguo asked, “If you have a plan, why did we have to run inside? Couldn’t we have dealt with it outside?”

Wang Banxian glared at him, “I haven’t practiced with this thing in a while. I got careless and didn’t take out my sword in time!” As he spoke, he placed a bag on the ground and pulled out a wooden sword. Just then, there was a loud bang on the door—Lü Jinlian had struck it with her knife. Everyone quickly backed away, and Wang Banxian, retreating too hastily, tripped over Wei Fuguo’s foot and fell to the ground. Liu Dashao was on the verge of tears. The man who claimed to have all the answers seemed to have none now. Seeing that Wang Banxian had even wet his pants, Liu Dashao lost all confidence.

Peering through the door crack, they saw Lü Jinlian’s bloodshot eyes darting around, her mouth covered in mud. It became clear that she had been eating mud by the pond earlier.

Wang Banxian coughed, stepped forward, and held the wooden sword in front of his chest, shouting, “Who are you? State your name!” Surprisingly, Lü Jinlian’s face suddenly showed fear, and she took a step back. Seeing this worked, Wang Banxian quickly formed a hand seal with his left hand and pushed forward. Lü Jinlian let out a strange cry and retreated five meters. The three onlookers finally felt that Wang Banxian might actually have some skills.

Wang Banxian turned and instructed, “When I go out, close the door immediately. No matter what happens outside, don’t come out!”

Ma Xiaoyan whispered, “Uncle Wang, isn’t it dangerous? Shouldn’t we just stay inside and wait for help?”

Wang Banxian replied, “That’s not an option! I’m ready now. Dealing with someone like her is a piece of cake!” With that, he opened the door and leaped out, covering nearly four meters in a single bound. The three inside were left speechless. It was truly impressive! As soon as Wang Banxian leaped out, Wei Fuguo closed the door. The timing was impeccable—another impressive feat!

Wang Banxian landed less than two meters from Lü Jinlian, pleased that his skills hadn’t deteriorated despite his lack of practice. However, as soon as he landed, he slipped on the rice stalks and started to fall backward.

Quick to react, Wang Banxian straightened his back and used the wooden sword to steady himself. Just then, with a snap, the sword broke. The three inside gasped in shock! Wang Banxian broke into a cold sweat, almost shouting, “Open the door and let me back in!”

But Lü Jinlian didn’t seize the opportunity to attack, so Wang Banxian relaxed and stood up straight. He thought to himself, “I’ve been meaning to replace these worn-out shoes, but I kept putting it off. Now I almost lost my life because of them!” Holding the broken sword, he finally had a chance to take a closer look at Lü Jinlian. Her eyes were darting around, her mouth covered in mud and drool, looking utterly deranged.

Wang Banxian struck a commanding pose and shouted, “What kind of wandering spirit are you? State your name, or I’ll scatter you without knowing who you are!”

Lü Jinlian let out a sinister laugh, “Hehe… you… dead… person…” Her voice was low and muddled, but it was clearly a man’s voice. Wang Banxian thought for a moment and realized the spirit was asking who he was. This infuriated him. He hadn’t practiced in years, and now even these wandering spirits were looking down on him!

“Hey, you’re really testing me. Today, I’ll take care of you!” Holding the broken sword in his right hand and forming a demon-repelling seal with his left, he advanced. Lü Jinlian seemed intimidated and retreated several steps. Wang Banxian seized the opportunity to move closer. But suddenly, Lü Jinlian let out a roar and swung her massive knife down with such force that her body twisted slightly.

Wang Banxian, being a rational man, realized that the spirit, having just taken over the body, wasn’t very agile. Feeling more confident, he dodged to the left as Lü Jinlian swung, and kicked her feet. Lü Jinlian was fast but slow to react. She stumbled forward, losing her grip on the knife, which flew a meter away. She herself fell face-first into the rice stalks.

Wang Banxian was delighted. One move had worked wonders. His confidence soared. If his old flame were here, she’d probably kiss him! He focused intently, the broken sword whistling in the north wind. As Lü Jinlian tried to get up, Wang Banxian stepped on her, pointing the broken sword between her eyes.

“I’ll ask you again, what kind of wandering spirit are you? If you have grievances, speak them. Why did you possess Lü Jinlian’s body?”

Lü Jinlian growled, “You… old man… dare to ask my name!”

Wang Banxian was furious. He pressed the broken sword against Lü Jinlian’s forehead. The moment the sword touched her, she let out a wild scream, her eyes rolling back, and foam spilling from her mouth. Wang Banxian continued, “If she wronged you, I’ll make her apologize properly. How about that?”

Lü Jinlian twisted her body, “Aiyo… she… this unfilial… swine… even struck her ancestors… aiyo… I’ll kill her…”

Wang Banxian confirmed his suspicion. Lü Jinlian had indeed been ruthless, even striking her ancestors with a hoe. Though he didn’t know who the ancestor was, he assumed it was an elder. He moved the sword slightly away and said, “What she did was harsh, but you’ve already tormented her enough. Let it go. Come out, and I’ll have her family find you a proper resting place. If I have to use a talisman, I doubt you’ll be able to withstand it.”

Lü Jinlian panted heavily, cursing, “When I died, my sons didn’t even buy me a coffin… now my head’s been smashed…” Tears welled up in her eyes. Wang Banxian quickly said, “We’ll bury you properly this time, and I’ll perform a ritual for you. It’ll be a grand affair. Just come out now.”

Lü Jinlian rolled her eyes, “Move that sword away. I’m scared of it.”

Wang Banxian was relieved. It seemed the matter was resolved without even needing a talisman. Looking at the three hiding behind the door, he suddenly felt like a commanding general. He waved them over, “Come out, all of you!”

Wei Fuguo cautiously opened the door a crack, “Banxian, is it safe?” Wang Banxian replied, “It’s safe. Come out.”

Liu Dashao was the first to rush out, “Aiyo, old man, you scared me to death!”

“Don’t you dare doubt your Uncle Wang’s skills! When Granny Fan gets here, you better put in a good word for me, or I’ll never let you off the hook! My future happiness depends on your silver tongue.”

Liu Dashao wasn’t pleased, “Are you complimenting me or insulting me? I’m not some loudspeaker tied to a pole, broadcasting your praises.”

“Hehe, I know you. Don’t worry, if you do a good job, I’ll reward you with some foreign cigarettes,” Wang Banxian said with a sly grin, the air of a sage he had been trying to project completely gone.

But Wang Banxian’s distraction proved costly. Lü Jinlian, lying on the ground, suddenly grabbed his leg and twisted it. With a groan, Wang Banxian was flipped onto his back. Before he could react, he saw Lü Jinlian clutching his leg, her mouth wide open, ready to bite.

“Aiyo, my god!” Without thinking, Wang Banxian kicked Lü Jinlian in the face with his free leg. Her neck made a cracking sound, but she didn’t manage to bite down.

Possessed individuals often have immense strength, and Wang Banxian felt the pressure on his leg increasing. He looked up to see the other two had already retreated behind the door.

Wang Banxian cursed inwardly and shouted, “Quick, bring me the bag with the talismans! I’m done playing nice with this guy!”

“Uncle Wei, you go get it!”

“Xiaoyan, your Uncle Wei’s legs are still weak from fear. How can he go? You’re a girl, but you’re brave. We need someone like you in this revolution!”

“Xiaoyan’s a girl, she can’t go. Uncle Wei, you’re a man, you should go!”

“Hey, Liu Dashao, that’s not fair. Granny Fan’s closest to you, and Uncle Wang’s your relative. Now that he’s in danger, it’s not right for you to refuse.”

Wang Banxian, outside, was using every ounce of strength to keep Lü Jinlian at bay, his leg feeling like it might break. Hearing the three inside debating who should bring the bag, he nearly cried in frustration.

“Wei Fuguo, you bastard! If you don’t bring it out now, I’m done. When your kid comes back, let this old ghost chop them up one by one. I’ll even take a bite of the filling!”

Hearing this, Wei Fuguo couldn’t stay put. Trembling, he picked up the bag and walked out, his legs shaking so badly that Wang Banxian felt sorry for him.

“Hurry up, you useless fool…” Wang Banxian roared.

Wei Fuguo saw that Lü Jinlian seemed entirely focused on biting Wang Banxian and hadn’t turned her attention to him yet. Relieved, he brought the bag to Wang Banxian. Wang Banxian felt a wave of relief and reached inside, only to break into a cold sweat.

Wei Fuguo, seeing Wang Banxian’s expression, quickly backed away, “Brother, what’s wrong?”

Wang Banxian shouted in despair, “Damn it, it’s gone!” Wei Fuguo was already retreating to the door, “No way, brother, I saw you put it in the bag!” Wang Banxian frantically searched the bottom of the bag and finally gave up—there was a tear in the seam.

Still somewhat aware, Liu Dashao shouted, “Don’t worry about me, just get inside first!” As he tried to get up, he saw that the other three had already rushed inside, and Wei Fuguo was even closing the gate. Who had time to worry about him? Liu Dashao was furious: “These damn cowards, running faster than me when it comes to saving their own skins!” He didn’t have time to dwell on it when a strong gust of wind came from behind.

Without even needing to think, he knew it was Lu Jinlian with her giant cleaver. Desperate, Liu Dashao summoned a bit of quick thinking and, without turning around, kicked backward. With a thud, Lu Jinlian slipped, and that massive cleaver, slicing through the air, narrowly missed Liu Dashao’s head. Liu Dashao was so terrified his legs nearly gave out—had that cleaver connected, it would’ve split his head open like a pig’s!

Taking the opportunity, Liu Dashao sprang forward and dove through the doorway. Fortunately, Wei Fuguo hadn’t yet shut the door completely. As Liu Dashao stumbled in, Wei Fuguo quickly bolted the door shut. Liu Dashao burst in, shouting immediately, “Wei Fuguo, you shut that door fast enough, huh!”

Embarrassed, Wei Fuguo replied, “Well, I was just worried, okay?”

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter. The four of them stood beneath the haystack as Wang the Half-Immortal said, “Brother Fuguo, call for your wife!” Wei Fuguo cleared his throat and shouted, “Hey, Lian…” The moment the words left his mouth, Liu Dashao nearly collapsed to the ground in shock. Ma Xiaoyan clutched her stomach, laughing so hard it hurt. A man in his forties shouting like that—it was just too much! Yet, Wei Fuguo and Wang Weizhen were truly a pair of clowns.

Wang the Half-Immortal wiped his sweat with his sleeve. “I told you to call her name! Shouting like that, the thing won’t understand!” Wei Fuguo hurriedly asked, “What thing? What do you mean by ‘the thing’? Brother, I’m easily scared—don’t frighten me!” Wang the Half-Immortal snapped impatiently, “Just call her name! Why so much chatter?”

Summoning his courage, Wei Fuguo bellowed, “Lü Jinlian!” The shout was so loud that Wang the Half-Immortal quickly turned to Liu Dashao and the others. “Watch the door! If she charges at us, run. If not, stay here and watch me show you some real skills! Brother Fuguo, call her again!”

“Lü Jinlian!” Wei Fuguo shouted once more. There was no movement at the door. The only sound was the wind rustling through the rice stalks. Just as Wang the Half-Immortal began to wonder, a sudden noise came from behind. Turning around, he saw Lü Jinlian charging up the steep slope from the pond, wielding a massive cleaver with a ferocious expression. The cleaver was so large it could rival Guan Yu’s legendary blade! In the blink of an eye, Lü Jinlian was less than three meters away.

“Run!” Liu Dashao’s thunderous shout nearly deafened them. As they turned to flee, Wei Fuguo’s legs gave out, but Granny Fan and Wang the Half-Immortal caught him. Meanwhile, Liu Dashao was so terrified he wished his parents had given him extra legs. His mind went blank as he sprinted for his life. Granny Fan, quick-witted, yelled, “Run inside and shut the door!” By then, Wei Fuguo had regained his senses and bolted forward. Just as the four were about to reach the door, Liu Dashao—who prided himself on being tough—tripped and face-planted.

Still lucid, Liu Dashao shouted, “Don’t worry about me—get inside!” But when he looked up, the other three were already inside, with Wei Fuguo slamming the door shut. No one had spared him a thought. Furious, Liu Dashao cursed, “Those bastards! They run faster than me when their lives are on the line!” Before he could dwell on it, a gust of wind rushed toward him from behind.

Without turning, Liu Dashao instinctively kicked backward. With a thud, Lü Jinlian slipped, and the massive cleaver whizzed past his head with a chilling whoosh. The near-miss left Liu Dashao weak with fear—had it landed, his head would’ve been chopped clean off like a pig’s!

Seizing the moment, Liu Dashao scrambled up and dashed for the door. Luckily, Wei Fuguo hadn’t fully closed it yet. Once inside, Wei Fuguo hastily bolted the door. Liu Dashao immediately snapped, “Wei Fuguo, you sure were quick to shut that door!”

Wei Fuguo sheepishly replied, “I was just worried, that’s all.”

“Granny Fan, you’re in charge here. What do we do now?”

Granny Fan composed herself. “Stay inside and don’t come out. I’ll handle this.”

Wei Fuguo asked nervously, “If you can handle it, why did we have to run inside? Couldn’t you have dealt with it outside?”

Wang the Half-Immortal glared. “I haven’t practiced this in a while. I got careless and forgot to take out my sword beforehand!” He set his bag down and pulled out a wooden sword. Just then, a loud crash echoed as Lü Jinlian hacked at the door with her cleaver. Everyone recoiled, and in the chaos, Wang the Half-Immortal tripped over Wei Fuguo’s foot and fell on his backside. Liu Dashao felt like crying—this so-called expert seemed utterly useless! Noticing the wet stain on Wang’s pants didn’t help his confidence.

Peering through the door crack, they saw Lü Jinlian’s bloodshot eyes rolling wildly, her mouth smeared with mud. It dawned on them—she’d been eating mud by the pond earlier.

Wang the Half-Immortal coughed and stepped forward, raising his wooden sword. “Who are you? State your name!” Oddly, Lü Jinlian’s face twisted with fear, and she retreated a step. Encouraged, Wang formed a seal with his left hand and pushed forward. Lü Jinlian shrieked and stumbled back five meters. The three onlookers finally saw Wang’s skills in action.

Wang turned to them. “Once I step out, shut the door immediately. No matter what happens, don’t come out!”

Ma Xiaoyan whispered, “Uncle Wang, isn’t it dangerous? Shouldn’t we just wait for help?”

Wang scoffed. “Nonsense! I’m fully prepared now. Dealing with this low-level spirit is child’s play!” With that, he flung the door open and leaped out—a full four meters, leaving the trio inside gaping in awe. His landing was flawless, but as soon as his feet touched the ground, he slipped on the rice stalks and nearly fell backward.

Quickly recovering, Wang used his sword to steady himself—only for it to snap with a crack. The three inside gasped. Sweat poured down Wang’s back as he fought the urge to scream, “Open the door and let me back in!”

But Lü Jinlian didn’t seize the opportunity to attack, so Wang straightened up, relieved. Grumbling inwardly, he thought, “I should’ve replaced these worn-out shoes ages ago! Now they nearly cost me my life!” Gripping the broken sword, he finally got a good look at Lü Jinlian—her eyes rolled unnaturally, her mouth drooling mud and saliva like a madwoman.

Wang struck a dramatic pose and bellowed, “What wandering spirit are you? Name yourself, lest I scatter your soul and leave you unknown!”

Lü Jinlian grinned eerily. “Heh… you… dead… man…” The voice was deep and garbled, unmistakably male. Wang realized the spirit was asking who he was. Incensed, Wang thought, “Just because I haven’t practiced in years, even these petty ghosts look down on me now!”

“Still defiant? Today, I’ll put an end to you!” Brandishing the broken sword, Wang advanced with a demon-repelling seal. Lü Jinlian retreated fearfully, but suddenly roared and swung the cleaver with such force she spun slightly.

Wang, sharp as ever, noted the spirit’s clumsiness in its new host. As Lü Jinlian staggered, he sidestepped the blade and swept her legs. Though fast, her reflexes were slow—she stumbled forward, losing grip of the cleaver, which flew a meter away as she face-planted into the rice field.

Thrilled by his success, Wang swaggered. “I’ll ask again: Which spirit are you? State your grievances. Why possess Lü Jinlian?”

Lü Jinlian growled, “You… old fool… dare ask me?”

Enraged, Wang pressed the broken sword to her forehead. The moment it touched, Lü Jinlian convulsed, foaming at the mouth. Wang softened. “If she wronged you, I’ll make her apologize properly. Deal?”

Lü Jinlian writhed. “That… unfilial… swine… struck her own ancestor… I’ll kill her…!”

Wang’s suspicions confirmed—Lü Jinlian had smashed her ancestor’s skull with a hoe. Though unsure of the relation, he guessed it was an elder. He eased the sword. “She acted harshly, but you’ve tormented her enough. Leave now, and I’ll have her family rebury you properly. Force my hand, and my talismans won’t be kind.”

Panting, Lü Jinlian spat, “When I died… my sons didn’t even buy me a coffin… now my head’s gone…” Tears welled in her eyes. Wang coaxed, “This time, we’ll bury you well, with rites. Just leave now.”

Lü Jinlian rolled her eyes. “Move the sword… I’m scared.”

Wang beamed—success without talismans! Glancing at the cowering trio, he felt like a triumphant general. “Come out now!”

Wei Fuguo cracked the door. “Is it safe?” Wang nodded. “Safe. Come out.”

Liu Dashao rushed out first. “Uncle Wang, you scared us half to death!”

Wang smirked. “Still doubt me? Remember, when Granny Fan arrives, you’d better sing my praises—my future happiness depends on your silver tongue!”

Liu Dashao scowled. “Are you complimenting or mocking me? I’m not your messenger!”

Wang chuckled. “I know you. Do well, and I’ll reward you with foreign cigarettes.” His earlier mystique vanished, replaced by a sleazy grin.

Distracted, Wang failed to notice Lü Jinlian grabbing his leg and twisting hard. With a yelp, he crashed to the ground. Before he could react, she sank her teeth toward his thigh.

“Mother of—!” Wang kicked her face, her neck cracking audibly as the bite missed.

Possessed people had brute strength—Wang’s leg screamed under the pressure. Glancing up, he saw the other two had fled back inside. Furious, he yelled, “Bring me the talisman bag! I’m done negotiating!”

“Uncle Wei, you go!”

“Xiaoyan, I’m too scared! You’re brave—revolution needs girls like you!”

“She’s a girl! Uncle Wei, you’re the man—you go!”

“Liu Dashao, that’s unfair! Granny Fan favors you, and Uncle Wang’s your kin. Don’t chicken out now!”

Outside, Wang strained against Lü Jinlian’s grip, tears of frustration welling. “Wei Fuguo, you coward! Bring the bag, or I’ll let this ghost chop your family into mincemeat—and I’ll take a bite too!”

Trembling, Wei Fuguo shuffled out with the bag, legs wobbling so badly it pained Wang to watch.

“Hurry up, you useless—!” Wang roared.

Seeing Lü Jinlian fixated on biting Wang, Wei Fuguo relaxed slightly and handed over the bag. Wang reached in—and froze in horror.

Wei Fuguo backed away. “What’s wrong?”

Wang wailed, “It’s gone!” Wei Fuguo edged toward the door. “No way! I saw you pack it!” Desperate, Wang tore open the bag’s lining—only to find a gaping hole at the bottom. His heart sank.

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter. The four of them stood beneath the pile of rice straw. Wang the Mystic said, “Brother Fuguo, call your wife!” Wei Fuguo cleared his throat and shouted, “Hey, Lian…” This shout nearly made Liu Dashao fall to the ground. Ma Xiaoyan clutched her stomach in pain. For a man in his forties to shout like that was just too much. It must be said, Wei Fuguo and Wang Weizhen were quite the pair of clowns.

Wang the Mystic wiped his sweat with his sleeve, “I wanted you to call her name. Shouting like that, she won’t understand!” Wei Fuguo hurriedly asked, “What thing? What do you mean by ‘that thing’? Big brother, I’m quite timid, don’t scare me!” Wang the Mystic impatiently said, “Just call her name, why so much chatter?”

Wei Fuguo, mustering his courage, shouted loudly, “Lü Jinlian!” The shout was so loud that Wang the Mystic quickly said to Liu Dashao and the others, “Watch the door. If she charges out, you run. If she doesn’t, stay here and watch me show you my real skills! Brother Fuguo, shout again!”

“Lü Jinlian!” Wei Fuguo shouted again. There was no movement at the door. The only sound was the wind rustling through the rice ears. Wang the Mystic was puzzled when suddenly he heard a noise behind him. Turning around, he saw Lü Jinlian charging up the steep slope from the pond, wielding a large kitchen knife, looking ferocious. The knife was so big it was almost as large as Guan Yu’s legendary blade. In a moment of shock, Lü Jinlian was less than three meters away.

“Run!” Liu Dashao shouted so loudly it nearly deafened everyone. Turning around, Wei Fuguo’s legs went weak, but fortunately, Granny Fan and Wang the Mystic caught him. Liu Dashao was so scared he wished he had more legs. He ran with all his might, his mind blank. Granny Fan, quick-witted, shouted, “Run into the house and close the door!” At this moment, Wei Fuguo also regained his senses and charged forward. Just as the four were about to reach the door, Liu Dashao, who was known for his bravado, tripped and fell face-first.

Liu Dashao, still conscious, shouted, “Don’t worry about me, get inside first!” Looking up, he saw the other three had already entered, and Wei Fuguo was closing the door. Who would care for him now? Liu Dashao was furious: these bastards ran faster than me! Before he could think further, a gust of wind came from behind.

Without thinking, he knew it was Lü Jinlian with her big knife. In a moment of desperation, Liu Dashao didn’t turn around but kicked backward. With a thud, Lü Jinlian slipped, and the large kitchen knife, carrying a cold gust of wind, narrowly missed Liu Dashao’s head. This scared Liu Dashao so much his legs went weak. If that knife had hit, it would have chopped his head off like a pig’s!

Liu Dashao took the opportunity to leap towards the door. Luckily, Wei Fuguo hadn’t closed it yet. Once Liu Dashao was inside, Wei Fuguo quickly bolted the door. Liu Dashao immediately scolded, “Wei Fuguo, you sure closed the door fast!”

Wei Fuguo sheepishly replied, “I was just worried.”

“Granny Fan, you’re in charge here. What should we do now?”

Granny Fan calmed down and said, “All of you stay inside and don’t come out. I have a plan.”

Wei Fuguo hurriedly asked, “If you have a plan, why did we have to run inside? Couldn’t we have dealt with it outside?”

Wang the Mystic glared, “I haven’t practiced this in a while, so I was careless and didn’t take out the sword beforehand.”

As he spoke, he placed a bag on the ground and pulled out a wooden sword. Just then, there was a loud bang on the door as Lü Jinlian struck it with her knife. Everyone quickly retreated, and Wang the Mystic, retreating too hastily, stepped on Wei Fuguo’s shoe and fell to the ground. Liu Dashao felt like crying. This person who claimed to have a solution seemed to have none at all! Seeing that Wang the Mystic had wet his pants, Liu Dashao lost even more confidence.

Peeking through the door crack, they saw Lü Jinlian’s bloodshot eyes rolling around, her mouth full of mud. They realized she had been eating mud by the pond earlier.

Wang the Mystic coughed, stepped forward, and extended the wooden sword to his chest, shouting, “Who are you? State your name!” Strangely, Lü Jinlian suddenly looked frightened and took a step back. Seeing this worked, Wang the Mystic quickly made a hand gesture with his left hand and pushed forward. Lü Jinlian let out a strange cry and retreated five meters away. The three finally felt that Wang the Mystic had some skills.

Wang the Mystic turned and instructed, “When I go out, close the door immediately. No matter what happens outside, don’t come out!”

Ma Xiaoyan whispered, “Uncle Wang, isn’t it dangerous? Maybe we should all stay inside and wait for help.”

Wang the Mystic said, “How can that be? I’m ready now. Dealing with such a lowly character is a piece of cake!”

With that, he opened the door and leaped out. He leaped nearly four meters, leaving the three inside in awe. What a display of skill and grace! As soon as Wang the Mystic leaped out, Wei Fuguo closed the door. The timing of the door closing was as precise as Wang the Mystic’s leap.

Wang the Mystic landed less than two meters from Lü Jinlian, pleased that his skills hadn’t deteriorated despite not practicing much. However, as soon as he landed, he slipped on the rice straw and fell backward.

Quickly, Wang the Mystic straightened his waist and used the wooden sword to steady himself. Just then, there was a snap as the wooden sword broke. The three inside gasped in shock! Wang the Mystic broke into a cold sweat, almost shouting, “Open the door and let me in!”

But seeing that Lü Jinlian didn’t take the opportunity to attack, he relaxed and stood up straight. He thought to himself, “I should have replaced these worn-out shoes earlier, but I kept putting it off, thinking I’d do it next year. Now, I almost lost my life!” Holding the broken sword, he finally had a chance to look closely at Lü Jinlian. Her eyes were rolling, and her mouth was full of mud and drool, looking like a fool.

Wang the Mystic assumed a commanding stance and shouted, “Which wandering spirit are you? State your name, so I don’t scatter you without knowing who you are!”

Lü Jinlian gave a sinister smile, “Hehe… you… dead… person…” Her voice was low and muffled, but it was clearly a man’s voice. Wang the Mystic thought for a moment and realized it was asking who he was. This angered Wang the Mystic. He hadn’t practiced in years, and now these wandering spirits looked down on him!

“Hey, you’re arguing with me? Watch me capture you today!” Holding the sword in his right hand and making a demon-repelling gesture with his left, he advanced. Lü Jinlian seemed a bit afraid of Wang the Mystic and retreated several steps. Seeing this, Wang the Mystic took a few more steps forward. Suddenly, Lü Jinlian let out a roar and swung her large kitchen knife down. The force was so strong her body slightly twisted.

Wang the Mystic, being a sensible person, knew that the spirit newly occupying the body wasn’t very agile. He felt more at ease. Seeing her body sway, he dodged to the left, avoiding the knife, and took the opportunity to kick her feet. Lü Jinlian was fast but slow to react. She stumbled forward, the knife flying out of her hand and landing a meter away. She fell face-first into the rice straw.

Wang the Mystic was delighted. One move had worked. His prestige had greatly increased. If his old lover were here, she would have kissed him. He focused all his energy, the sword blade whistling in the north wind. As Lü Jinlian turned over, Wang the Mystic stepped on her, the broken sword pointing menacingly between her eyes.

“I ask you again, which wandering spirit are you? If you have grievances, speak them. Why have you possessed Lü Jinlian?”

Lü Jinlian growled, “You… old man… dare to ask my name!”

Wang the Mystic was furious, pressing the broken sword against Lü Jinlian’s forehead. As soon as the wooden sword touched her, Lü Jinlian let out a wild howl, her eyes rolling, and foam spilling from her mouth. Wang the Mystic said, “If she has wronged you, I will make her apologize properly, how about that?”

Lü Jinlian twisted her body, “Aiyo… she… this unfilial… worse than a pig or dog… even hit her ancestors… aiyo… I want to kill her…”

Wang the Mystic confirmed his suspicion. Lü Jinlian had been too cruel, even breaking her ancestor’s skull with a hoe. Though he didn’t know who this ancestor was, he guessed it was an elder. He moved the sword away slightly and said, “What she did was harsh. But you’ve already made her suffer enough, so let it go. Come out. I’ll have her family help find you a new resting place. If you force me to use a talisman, I’m afraid you won’t be able to withstand it.”

Lü Jinlian panted heavily, cursing, “When I died, my sons didn’t even buy me a coffin… now even my head is gone…” Tears actually welled up in her eyes. Wang the Mystic quickly said, “This time, we’ll bury you properly. I’ll also perform a ceremony for you, making it a grand affair. Come out now!”

Lü Jinlian rolled her eyes, “Move that sword away, I’m scared!”

Wang the Mystic was pleased. The matter was resolved without even using a talisman. Looking at the three hiding behind the door, he suddenly felt like a great strategist. He waved, “All of you, come out!”

Wei Fuguo cautiously opened the door a crack, “Mystic, is it safe?” Wang the Mystic said, “It’s safe, come out.”

Liu Dashao was the first to run out, “Aiyo, old man, you scared me to death!”

“Damn it, you still doubt your Uncle Wang’s skills? Remember, when Granny Fan comes, you better say some nice words for me, or I won’t let you off! My happiness in the second half of my life depends on your silver tongue.”

Liu Dashao wasn’t pleased, “Hey, Fan, are you praising me or insulting me? I’m not a loudspeaker tied to a pole, broadcasting for you.”

“Hehe, I know you. Don’t worry, if you do well, I, Wang Weizhen, will reward you with some foreign cigarettes.” Wang the Mystic squinted his eyes, his earlier air of mystique completely gone.

But Wang the Mystic’s distraction was a big mistake. Lü Jinlian, lying on the ground, suddenly grabbed Wang the Mystic’s foot, twisted it, and with a grunt, Wang the Mystic was flipped onto the ground. Before he could react, he saw Lü Jinlian holding his leg, her mouth opening wide to bite.

“Aiyo, my mother!” Without thinking, Wang the Mystic kicked Lü Jinlian in the face with his other foot. Lü Jinlian’s neck made a cracking sound, but she didn’t manage to bite down.

The possessed have a lot of brute strength. Wang the Mystic felt the pressure on his leg increasing. Looking up, he saw the other two had already retreated behind the door.

Wang the Mystic cursed inwardly and shouted, “Quick, bring me the bag with the talismans! I’m done playing nice with him today!”

“Uncle Wei, you take it out!”

“Xiaoyan, your Uncle Wei’s legs are still weak from fear. How can he take it? Even though you’re a girl, you’re brave. We need brave girls like you in the revolution!”

“Our Xiaoyan is a girl, she can’t take it. Uncle Wei, you’re a man, you should take it out!”

“Hey, Liu Dashao, that’s not right. Granny Fan is closest to you, and Wang the Mystic is also related to you. Now that he’s in danger, it’s not good for you to refuse.”

Wang the Mystic was using all his strength outside, feeling like his leg was about to break. Hearing the three behind the door discussing who should bring the bag out, he shed two tears of frustration.

“Wei Fuguo, you bastard, if you don’t bring it out now, I won’t care anymore. When your kid comes back, let this old ghost chop them one by one. I’ll get a share of the meat!”

Hearing this, Wei Fuguo couldn’t stay put. Trembling all over, he brought the bag out, his legs shaking so much Wang the Mystic felt sorry for him.

“Bring it here quickly, you useless…” Wang the Mystic roared.

Wei Fuguo saw that Lü Jinlian seemed focused on biting Wang the Mystic and hadn’t turned her attention to him yet. Relieved, he brought the bag to Wang the Mystic. Wang the Mystic felt a bit safer and reached in to grab the talisman, but his forehead broke into a sweat.

Wei Fuguo, seeing Wang the Mystic’s expression change, quickly stepped back, “Big brother, what’s wrong?”

Wang the Mystic shouted in despair, “Damn it, it’s gone!” Wei Fuguo was already at the door, “No way, big brother, I saw you put it in the bag!” Wang the Mystic desperately felt around the bottom of the bag and finally gave up. There was a hole in the bottom.

Wei Fuguo quickly asked, “If you have a plan, why did you make us run inside? Why not deal with it outside?”

Wang Banxian glared and snapped, “I just haven’t practiced this stuff in a while! I was careless and didn’t take out my sword in advance!”

As he spoke, he dropped a bag on the ground and pulled out a wooden sword. Just then, there was a loud crash at the door—Lu Jinlian had struck it with her cleaver. Everyone quickly backed away. In the panic, Wang Banxian tripped and fell, his shoe caught under Wei Fuguo’s foot. Liu Dashao was practically in tears—this guy who claimed to have a plan seemed to have no plan at all! And to make matters worse, he had wet his pants, making Liu Dashao even more hopeless.

Peering through the crack in the door, they saw Lu Jinlian’s bloodshot eyes rolling wildly, her mouth smeared with mud. They finally realized she had been scooping up mud and eating it by the pond.

Clearing his throat, Wang Banxian stepped forward, raised his wooden sword, and shouted, “Who are you? State your name!” Surprisingly, Lu Jinlian’s face suddenly showed fear, and she took a small step back. Seeing this work, Wang Banxian quickly formed a magical hand gesture with his left hand and pushed forward. Lu Jinlian shrieked and stumbled back five meters. The three finally felt that Wang Banxian might actually have some skill.

Wang Banxian turned and said, “When I go out, you shut the door immediately. No matter what happens outside, do not come out!”

Ma Xiaoyan whispered, “Uncle Wang, isn’t this dangerous? Maybe we should wait for help instead of going out!”

Wang Banxian replied, “Impossible! I’ve already prepared everything. Taking care of such a low-level opponent is a piece of cake!”

With that, he opened the door and leapt out. The jump was nearly four meters, leaving the three inside stunned. What a display of skill! As soon as Wang Banxian exited, Wei Fuguo slammed the door shut. The timing was impeccable—both actions nearly simultaneous. Truly, a masterful move!

Landing less than two meters from Lu Jinlian, Wang Banxian was pleased with himself. Though he hadn’t practiced much in recent years, his skills were clearly still sharp. But the moment he landed, he slipped on the rice grains and began to fall backward.

Quickly, Wang Banxian straightened his waist and used his wooden sword to prop himself up, managing to stand firm. At that very moment, there was a loud snap—the wooden sword broke! The three inside gasped in shock. Sweating bullets, Wang Banxian almost screamed, “Open the door quick, let me back in!”

But to his relief, Lu Jinlian didn’t take advantage of the moment to attack. He exhaled, straightened up, and muttered to himself, “I’ve been meaning to replace these worn-out shoes for ages, but I kept putting it off, thinking I’d do it next year. Now look what’s happened—I nearly lost my life!”

Holding the broken sword, he finally had a good look at Lu Jinlian. She was staring at him sideways, her eyes rolling wildly, drool and mud dripping from her mouth. She looked like a complete idiot.

Striking a confident pose, Wang Banxian shouted, “Who are you, rogue spirit? State your name, or I’ll destroy you without knowing who you are!”

Lu Jinlian gave a sinister grin, “Hehe… you… die… person…” Her voice was low and muffled, but unmistakably male. Wang Banxian paused, then realized she was asking who he was. This infuriated him—he may not have practiced in years, but now even minor rogue spirits dared to disrespect him!

“Hmph! You dare challenge me? Watch me defeat you today!” He raised his broken sword in his right hand and formed a demon-repelling gesture with his left, advancing toward her. Lu Jinlian seemed slightly fearful, retreating several steps. Wang Banxian seized the moment and advanced further.

But suddenly, Lu Jinlian roared and swung her massive cleaver downward. The force caused her to spin slightly. Wang Banxian, a man of reason, realized that the rogue spirit had just taken over this body and was still uncoordinated. This realization eased his anxiety.

As Lu Jinlian turned, Wang Banxian quickly dodged to the left, avoiding the blade, and used his foot to trip her. Lu Jinlian was fast but slow to react. She stumbled forward, her cleaver flying from her hand and landing a meter away. She herself fell face-first into the rice pile.

Wang Banxian was delighted—his move had worked! His confidence soared. If his old flame were here, she’d probably throw her arms around him and kiss him! He raised his broken sword high, brandishing it proudly in the cold wind. As Lu Jinlian tried to rise, Wang Banxian stepped on her and pointed the broken sword between her eyes.

“One last time—I ask you, rogue spirit, who are you? If you have a grievance, speak it! Why have you possessed Lu Jinlian’s body?”

Lu Jinlian growled, “You… old man… dare ask my name!”

Furious, Wang Banxian pressed the broken sword against her forehead. At the touch of the wooden sword, Lu Jinlian suddenly screamed, her eyes rolling, foaming at the mouth. Wang Banxian continued, “If she has wronged you, I can help you settle it. I’ll make her apologize properly. What do you say?”

Lu Jinlian twisted her body, groaning, “Ah… she… this ungrateful… pig-dog… she hit her ancestor… I’ll kill her…!”

Wang Banxian finally confirmed his suspicion—Lu Jinlian had been too cruel, striking her ancestor’s head with a hoe. Though he didn’t know who that ancestor was, he guessed it was an elder. He quickly lifted the sword slightly and said, “She was harsh, yes. But you’ve punished her enough. Let it go. I’ll help you find another resting place. But if you force me to use talismans, I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle it!”

Lu Jinlian panted and cursed, “When I died, my sons didn’t even buy me a coffin… Now my head’s gone…” Tears streamed from her eyes. Wang Banxian quickly added, “I’ll make sure you’re buried properly, and I’ll perform a funeral rite for you. Come out now!”

Lu Jinlian rolled her eyes, “Move that sword away—I’m scared!”

Wang Banxian was delighted—the deal was done, and he hadn’t even needed to use a talisman. Looking at the three hiding behind the door, he suddenly felt like a great general commanding his troops. He waved, “Come out, all of you!”

Wei Fuguo cautiously opened the door a crack, asking, “Half-Immortal, is it safe now?” Wang Banxian replied, “Yes, come out.”

Liu Dashao rushed out first, exclaiming, “Oh man, I was so scared just now!”

“Who dares doubt your Uncle Wang’s abilities? Remember, when Master Fan comes, you better say a few good words for me, or I won’t let you off easy! My happiness for the rest of my life depends on your silver tongue!”

Liu Dashao frowned at that, “Hey, Master Fan, are you complimenting me or insulting me? I’m not some loudspeaker tied to a telephone pole, you know!”

“Hehe, I know you too well. Don’t worry, if you do a good job, I’ll reward you with a few packs of foreign cigarettes!” Wang Banxian winked slyly, his earlier air of mystical dignity completely gone.

But the moment Wang Banxian let his guard down, disaster struck. Lu Jinlian suddenly grabbed his leg and twisted. With a yelp, Wang Banxian was thrown to the ground. Before he could react, he turned and saw Lu Jinlian holding his leg, her mouth wide open, ready to bite.

“Ahhh, my mother!” Without thinking, Wang Banxian kicked her in the face with his free foot. Her neck cracked loudly, and the bite never landed.

With immense strength, Lu Jinlian tightened her grip on Wang Banxian’s leg. Looking up, Wang Banxian saw the other two had already retreated behind the door again.

Cursing under his breath, Wang Banxian shouted, “Quickly, bring out my talisman bag! Today, I’m not holding back anymore!”

“Uncle Wei, go out and get it!”

“Xiaoyan, your Uncle Wei’s legs are still shaking—how can he go out? You’re a brave girl, we need girls like you for the revolution!”

“But Xiaoyan is a girl—she shouldn’t be the one to go out. Uncle Wei, you’re a man, you should go!”

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter. The four of them stood beneath the rice stack, and Wang the Immortal said, “Brother Fuguo, call out to your wife!” Wei Fuguo cleared his throat and shouted, “Hey, Lian…” This shout nearly caused Liu Dashao to fall to the ground. Ma Xiaoyan clutched her stomach in pain, exclaiming how absurd it was for a man in his forties to shout like that. Indeed, Wei Fuguo and Wang Weizhen were quite the pair of jokers.

Wang the Immortal wiped his sweat with his sleeve and said, “I wanted you to call her name. Shouting like that, she won’t understand!” Wei Fuguo quickly asked, “What thing? What are you talking about? Brother, I’m easily scared, don’t frighten me!” Wang the Immortal impatiently replied, “Just call her name, why so much chatter?”

Wei Fuguo, mustering his courage, shouted loudly, “Lü Jinlian!” The shout was so loud that Wang the Immortal immediately turned to Liu Dashao and the others, saying, “Watch the door. If she charges at you, run. If not, stay and watch me show you my real skills! Brother Fuguo, shout again!”

“Lü Jinlian!” Wei Fuguo shouted again. There was no movement at the door, only the sound of the wind rustling through the rice ears. Wang the Immortal was puzzled when suddenly he heard a noise behind him. Turning around, he saw Lü Jinlian charging up the steep slope from the pond, wielding a large kitchen knife. The knife was so big it could rival Guan Yu’s legendary blade! In a moment of shock, Lü Jinlian was less than three meters away from them.

“Run!” Liu Dashao shouted so loudly it nearly deafened everyone. Turning around, Wei Fuguo’s legs went weak, but fortunately, Granny Fan and Wang the Immortal caught him. Liu Dashao was so terrified he wished he had more legs. In a panic, he ran with his mind blank. Granny Fan, quick-witted, shouted, “Run into the house and close the door!” By then, Wei Fuguo had regained his senses and sprinted forward. Just as the four were about to reach the door, the supposedly brave Liu Dashao tripped and fell face-first.

Liu Dashao, still conscious, shouted, “Don’t worry about me, get inside first!” Looking up, he saw the other three had already entered, and Wei Fuguo was closing the door. No one was coming to help him. Liu Dashao was furious: these bastards were faster than him in escaping! Before he could think further, a gust of wind hit him from behind.

Without thinking, he knew it was Lü Jinlian with her big knife. In a moment of desperation, Liu Dashao kicked backward without looking. With a thud, Lü Jinlian slipped, and the large kitchen knife, accompanied by a cold gust of wind, narrowly missed Liu Dashao’s head. This close call made Liu Dashao’s legs go weak. If that knife had hit, his head would have been chopped off like a pig’s!

Seizing the opportunity, Liu Dashao leaped towards the door. Luckily, Wei Fuguo hadn’t closed it yet. Once Liu Dashao was inside, Wei Fuguo quickly bolted the door. Liu Dashao, upon entering, immediately scolded, “Wei Fuguo, you sure are quick with that door!”

Wei Fuguo sheepishly replied, “I was just worried.”

“Granny Fan, you’re in charge here. What should we do now?”

Granny Fan, calming down, said, “All of you stay inside and don’t come out. I have a plan.”

Wei Fuguo quickly asked, “If you have a plan, why did we have to run inside? Couldn’t we have dealt with it outside?”

Wang the Immortal glared, “I haven’t handled this kind of thing in a while. I was careless and didn’t take out my sword in advance!”

As he spoke, he placed a bag on the ground and pulled out a wooden sword. Just then, there was a loud bang on the door as Lü Jinlian struck it with her knife. Everyone quickly retreated, and Wang the Immortal, in his haste, stepped on Wei Fuguo’s shoe and fell to the ground. Liu Dashao felt like crying. This person who claimed to have a solution seemed to have none at all! Seeing that Wang the Immortal had wet his pants, Liu Dashao lost even more confidence.

Peeking through the door crack, they saw Lü Jinlian’s bloodshot eyes rolling around, her mouth full of mud. It became clear that she had been eating mud by the pond earlier.

Wang the Immortal coughed, stepped forward, and held the wooden sword in front of his chest, shouting, “Who are you? State your name!” Surprisingly, Lü Jinlian’s face showed fear, and she took a step back. Seeing this worked, Wang the Immortal quickly made a hand gesture with his left hand and pushed forward. Lü Jinlian let out a strange cry and retreated more than five meters. The three inside finally felt that Wang the Immortal had some skills.

Wang the Immortal turned and instructed, “When I go out, close the door immediately. No matter what happens outside, don’t come out!”

Ma Xiaoyan whispered, “Uncle Wang, isn’t it dangerous? Shouldn’t we all stay inside and wait for help?”

Wang the Immortal said, “That won’t do! I’m all prepared now. Dealing with such a lowly character is a piece of cake!”

With that, he opened the door and leaped out, covering nearly four meters in one jump. The three inside were astounded. What impressive and graceful skills! As soon as Wang the Immortal leaped out, Wei Fuguo closed the door. The timing of the door closing was as impressive as Wang the Immortal’s leap.

Wang the Immortal landed less than two meters from Lü Jinlian, pleased that his skills hadn’t deteriorated despite his inactivity. However, as soon as he landed, he slipped on the rice field and fell backward.

Quickly, Wang the Immortal straightened his back and used the wooden sword to steady himself. Just then, with a snap, the wooden sword broke. The three inside gasped in shock! Wang the Immortal broke into a cold sweat, almost shouting, “Open the door and let me in!”

But seeing that Lü Jinlian didn’t take the opportunity to attack, he relaxed and stood up straight. He thought to himself, “I’ve been meaning to replace these worn-out shoes, but I kept putting it off, thinking I’d do it next year. Now, I almost lost my life!” Holding the broken sword, he finally had a chance to observe Lü Jinlian closely. Her eyes were rolling, her mouth full of mud and drool, looking like a complete fool.

Wang the Immortal, putting on a brave front, shouted, “Which wandering spirit are you? State your name, so I don’t scatter you without knowing who you are!”

Lü Jinlian gave a sinister smile, “Hehe… you… dead… person…” Her voice was low and muffled, but it was clearly a man’s voice. Wang the Immortal thought for a moment and realized it was asking who he was. This angered Wang the Immortal, thinking that just because he hadn’t acted in years, these wandering spirits now looked down on him!

“Hey, you’re still arguing with me? Watch me capture you today!” Holding the sword in his right hand and making a gesture with his left, he advanced. Lü Jinlian seemed a bit afraid of Wang the Immortal and retreated several steps. Wang the Immortal took the opportunity to move closer. Unexpectedly, Lü Jinlian suddenly roared and swung her large kitchen knife down. The force was so great that her body slightly twisted.

Wang the Immortal, being a sensible person, knew that the spirit, having recently taken over the body, wasn’t very agile. Feeling more at ease, he dodged to the left as Lü Jinlian’s body swayed, avoiding the knife’s edge, and took the chance to kick her feet. Lü Jinlian was fast but slow to react. This time, she stumbled forward, losing her grip on the knife, which flew a meter away. She fell face-first into the rice field.

Wang the Immortal was delighted, not expecting his move to be so effective. His confidence soared, thinking that if his old flame were here, she’d surely give him a kiss. He mustered all his energy, the broken sword whistling in the north wind. As Lü Jinlian tried to get up, Wang the Immortal stepped on her, the broken sword pointing menacingly between her eyes.

“I ask you again, which wandering spirit are you? If you have grievances, speak them. Why have you taken over Lü Jinlian’s body?”

Lü Jinlian growled, “You… old man… dare to ask my name!”

Wang the Immortal, furious, pressed the broken sword against Lü Jinlian’s forehead. As soon as the wooden sword touched her, Lü Jinlian let out a wild howl, her eyes rolling, and foam spilling from her mouth. Wang the Immortal continued, “If she has wronged you, I’ll make her apologize properly, how about that?”

Lü Jinlian twisted her body, “Aiyo… she… this unfilial… worse than a pig or dog… even hit her ancestors… aiyo… I want to kill her…”

Wang the Immortal confirmed his suspicion that Lü Jinlian had acted too harshly, even hitting her ancestors. Though he didn’t know who they were, he guessed they were elders. He moved the sword away slightly and said, “What she did was indeed harsh. But you’ve already made her suffer enough, so let it go. Come out. I’ll have her family help find you a new resting place! If you force me to use a talisman, I’m afraid you won’t be able to withstand it!”

Lü Jinlian, panting heavily, cursed, “When I died, my sons didn’t even buy me a coffin… now even my head is gone…” Tears welled up in her eyes. Wang the Immortal quickly said, “This time, we’ll bury you properly, and I’ll perform a ceremony for you, making it a grand affair. Come out now!”

Lü Jinlian rolled her eyes, “Move that sword away, I’m scared!”

Wang the Immortal was relieved; the matter was resolved without using a talisman. Looking at the three hiding behind the door, he suddenly felt like a great strategist, commanding an army. He waved, “All of you, come out!”

Wei Fuguo cautiously opened the door a crack, asking, “Immortal, is it safe?” Wang the Immortal replied, “It’s safe, come out.”

Liu Dashao was the first to run out, “Aiyo, old man, you scared me to death!”

“Damn it, you still doubt my skills? Remember, when Granny Fan comes, you better say a few good words for me, or I won’t let you off! My happiness in the second half of my life depends on your silver tongue.”

Liu Dashao wasn’t pleased, “Hey, Fan, are you complimenting me or insulting me? I’m not a loudspeaker tied to a telephone pole, broadcasting for you.”

“Hehe, I know you. Don’t worry, if you do well, I, Wang Weizhen, will reward you with a few packs of foreign cigarettes.” Wang the Immortal squinted his eyes, his earlier air of immortality completely gone.

But Wang the Immortal’s distraction proved disastrous. Lü Jinlian, lying on the ground, suddenly grabbed his leg and twisted it. With a groan, Wang the Immortal was flipped onto the ground. Before he could react, he saw Lü Jinlian clutching his leg, her large mouth about to bite down.

“Aiyo, my god!” Without thinking, Wang the Immortal kicked Lü Jinlian in the face with his free leg. Lü Jinlian’s neck made a cracking sound, but she didn’t manage to bite down.

Possessed people have immense strength, and Wang the Immortal felt the pressure on his leg increasing. Looking up, he saw the other two had already retreated behind the door.

Wang the Immortal cursed inwardly and shouted, “Quick, bring me the bag with the talismans! I’m done playing nice with him today!”

“Uncle Wei, you take it out!”

“Xiaoyan, your Uncle Wei’s legs are still weak from fear. How can he do it? Even though you’re a girl, you’re brave. We need brave girls like you in our revolution!”

“Our Xiaoyan is a girl; we can’t let her do it. Uncle Wei, you’re a man, you should take it out!”

“Hey, Liu Dashao, that’s not fair. Granny Fan is closest to you, and Wang the Immortal is also related to you. Now that he’s in danger, it’s not right for you to refuse!”

Wang the Immortal, outside, was using all his strength, feeling his leg was about to break. Hearing the three behind the door arguing about who should bring the bag out, he shed two tears of frustration.

“Wei Fuguo, you bastard, if you don’t bring it out now, I won’t care anymore. When your kid comes back, let this old ghost chop them one by one, and I’ll have a share of the meat!”

Hearing this, Wei Fuguo couldn’t stay still. Trembling all over, he carried the bag out, his legs shaking so much it pained Wang the Immortal to watch.

“Bring it here quickly, you useless…” Wang the Immortal roared.

Wei Fuguo, seeing that Lü Jinlian seemed intent on biting Wang the Immortal and hadn’t yet thought of attacking him, felt a bit relieved and brought the bag over. Wang the Immortal, feeling somewhat at ease, reached in to grab the talisman, only to break into a cold sweat.

Wei Fuguo, seeing Wang the Immortal’s expression change, quickly stepped back, “Brother, what’s wrong?”

Wang the Immortal shouted in despair, “Damn it, it’s gone!” Wei Fuguo was already backing towards the door, “No way, brother, I saw you put it in the bag!” Wang the Immortal frantically searched the bottom of the bag and finally gave up—there was a hole in the bottom.

Outside, Wang Banxian was practically using every ounce of strength he had left, his leg nearly broken. Hearing the three behind the door debating who should bring out the bag, he was so angry he nearly cried.

“Wei Fuguo, you damn coward! If you don’t bring it out now, I’m done! When that old ghost comes back, I’ll let her cut you all down one by one—I’ll even take a bite of the filling myself!”

Hearing this, Wei Fuguo could no longer hold back. Shaking all over, he grabbed the bag and stepped out. His legs trembled so badly that even Wang Banxian felt sympathy for him.

“Hurry up and bring it over, you useless fellow!” Wang Banxian shouted.

Wei Fuguo saw that Lu Jinlian was still focused on biting Wang Banxian and hadn’t turned her attention toward him. Feeling slightly reassured, he approached with the bag. Wang Banxian felt relieved and reached into the bag, but immediately broke into a sweat.

Noticing Wang Banxian’s expression, Wei Fuguo quickly stepped back, “Brother, what’s wrong?”

Wang Banxian cried out in despair, “Damn it, it’s gone!” Wei Fuguo immediately started running toward the door, “No way, brother! I saw you put it in the bag!”

Wang Banxian desperately dug through the bottom of the bag and finally accepted the truth—the bag had a tear at the bottom.
Over there, Lü Jinlian seemed particularly interested in Wang Banxian’s legs. She was so fixated on biting his leg that she hugged it tightly. Wang Banxian was lying on the ground, struggling under the pressure on his leg, unable to get up. His broken sword was too short to be useful in this situation. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind: “A nuclear submarine capsizing in a sewer, and Zhang Fei choking to death at the dinner table.”

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