As Liu Dashao furrowed his brow into a deep crease, his mouth twitched unnaturally upward, appearing both like a smile and a grimace. The strange giggling sound came from his mouth, caused by his chattering teeth. Then, with a voice on the verge of tears, he said, “Qiangzi, I’ve encountered something supernatural.”
“What? You encountered… something supernatural?” Tian Guoqiang’s heart sank like a stone had dropped inside his chest.
Tian scrutinized Liu Dashao’s face, struggling to find words to describe his astonishment. Just moments ago, Liu had looked frightened, but still appeared normal and human. Yet now, within just a few dozen seconds, his face had thinned dramatically, with only his eyelids becoming swollen, resembling a malnourished patient.
This was not the place to talk, and the secret they shared about the previous night could never be revealed to others. Thus, Tian motioned to the other two and dragged Liu to sit beside a pile of millet stalks.
After sitting down and taking several deep breaths, Liu’s pallor improved slightly. He anxiously blurted out, “I swear to you guys, I really encountered something supernatural—damn it, I really saw a ghost!”
“Wasn’t it just that moment last night at Lingguan Temple? Let’s not talk about it anymore,” Tian said, glancing at each of them.
“No, it’s not that!” Liu shook his head and waved his hands, “We all ran off, right? I was alone on my way back when I encountered another strange incident.”
“Take it easy, tell us slowly!” Tian said sternly. He sensed that whatever Liu had experienced might be closely related to their previous encounter. Since that night, the four of them had become much more cautious. Even Goudan and Xiao Mazi had cried on the way back. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to describe them as grasshoppers tied together on one rope.
At that moment, Liu described in detail to Tian Guoqiang and the others the incident with the child selling lanterns, scaring them all and causing them to gasp and sigh repeatedly.
“Dog Shao, you mean to say that those banknotes you paid might have been spirit money given back by the child?” After thinking for a while, Tian, who had a relatively sharp mind, finally grasped the situation. He could now understand why Liu had been so frightened just now. If it had happened to himself, he probably wouldn’t have fared any better!
“Not possibly, but definitely!” Liu insisted firmly.
“Oh my God!” Upon hearing Liu’s firm confirmation, Goudan, the most timid among the four, immediately slid off the pile of millet stalks, rolling into a ball.
“What do we do now? I heard from my mom that once you’re haunted by ghosts, it’s going to be a big trouble. These spirits don’t eat or drink and never feel tired, following you day and night. But during the day, the sunlight is too strong for them to come out generally. However, at night…” Goudan, his face covered in dust and soot, lowered his voice to a whisper.
“At night what?” Liu Dashao sneered.
“They will make you become their substitute so they can reincarnate. Then you become a ghost who died unjustly and go on to haunt others,” Goudan said, wiping his neck and making a chopping motion, as if it were a serious matter.
Indeed, the idea of a substitute has been widely circulated for a long time. In the eyes of spiritual mediums and fortune tellers, those who die by drowning, fire, hanging, or being hit by a car—these unnatural deaths—are all considered “unjustly deceased ghosts.” Because they are unjustly deceased, the King Yama of the underworld won’t accept them. Other ghosts can be assigned to the six realms of reincarnation, but these unjustly deceased ghosts can only wander in the human world as lonely souls. If you want to reincarnate, you only have one option: kill someone else at the place where you died to make them your substitute, allowing you to reincarnate.
Although this idea lacks theoretical basis, countless real-life cases vividly prove it. For example, if someone drowns in a river, one or two more people will die in the same waters the following year or the year after. The same pattern occurs at the scenes of car accidents. To add another point, ordinary ghosts are usually fragile spirits who can’t directly harm people. However, they can use illusions to confuse and scare you, causing you to make mistakes in judgment and achieve their goals. Therefore, most people can be said to have killed themselves. But if you have a firm will and aren’t confused by external things, ghosts and monsters won’t be able to do anything to you.
Although Goudan’s words made some sense and Liu Dashao’s account didn’t seem fabricated, Tian Guoqiang didn’t fully attribute the entire event to supernatural forces. He simply smiled somewhat mockingly and said, “Goudan, I’m not trying to scold you, but after carrying a schoolbag for three years, you haven’t learned to arm yourself with advanced ideas and culture. Instead, you’re always messing around with feudal superstitions. If you keep spreading rumors and confusing the people, I’ll be the first to report you to the organization the next time the intellectuals are sent down!”
“Tian Guoqiang, I’m telling you, if you dare to talk bad about me behind my back, I’ll immediately grab a big placard without hesitation, take a train to Beijing, and report you to Chairman Mao! The placard will read: Down with the evil cannibal village chief Tian Qingshan!” Goudan retorted without backing down.
“Grass, report my dad? What did he do to you?” Tian Guoqiang was both amused and annoyed.
“He didn’t do anything to me, but his son did!”
“Then why do you report, what are you reporting about!” Tian Guoqiang was extremely embarrassed by Goudan.
“Well, there are many points to report. For example, the foreign watch on your hand must have been a gift from the American president, trying to get your dad to be a spy, colluding from within to steal the fruits of our socialist family. Also, your dad’s hair is combed so slick, just like those of the reactionary Kuomintang, isn’t that a restoration of capitalism? Don’t glare at me. Moreover, your dad is just a village head, a tiny official, but insists on having a clerk. Having a clerk is fine, but why must it be a woman!” As soon as Goudan started speaking, his mouth was like an American howitzer, unstoppable.
“Isn’t it because a female clerk is more efficient and careful…” Tian Guoqiang tried to explain.
“Nonsense! Then why not find Grandma Hu at the village entrance to be the clerk? Why specifically choose a twenty-year-old girl? Don’t think I don’t know what your dad is up to. I’ve seen him staring at other people’s chests and butts multiple times. He’s using his position for personal gain, messing around, an old bull eating tender grass!”
“Ha ha…” Liu Dashao and Xiao Mazi, who were listening nearby, were amused by Goudan’s words. They exchanged glances with Tian Guoqiang, laughing uncontrollably. Tian’s face turned red and purple with anger, his fists clenched tightly.
Liu Dashao knew that if he didn’t intervene, the two might end up in a real fight after a few more exchanges. He quickly and Xiao Mazi each grabbed one of them and tried to calm them down with soothing words.
“Dog Shao, it’s not that I don’t care about this matter,” Tian Guoqiang finally spoke to Liu Dashao after a while. “There are many forests and lowlands in the countryside, and all sorts of things happen every day. So encountering something or another is inevitable. How about this! Let’s go ask the flower-observing grandma to ask her about it. Let her give us a fortune-telling to see if it’s auspicious or inauspicious, okay?”
Regarding the doctrines of ghosts and gods, one should neither fully believe nor completely disbelieve. After all, since all kinds of things in the world exist, there must be reasons for their existence. The “flower-observing grandma” mentioned by Tian Guoqiang was another name for a spiritual medium in folk culture. In layman’s terms, she was a shaman or a yin-yang master. Only that one was male, while she was female.
Grandma Flower-observing surnamed Fan. Because she was quite old and her hair was already gray, out of respect, the neighbors and villagers called her Master Fan. Over time, as people kept calling her Master Fan, no one could remember her full name anymore.
It was said that before Grandma Flower-observing officially became a medium, she was just an ordinary peasant woman.
One day, after finishing her farm work, she fell seriously ill. She often felt as if her soul was about to leave her body. When she slept, she always saw a person dressed strangely drawing talismans and saying he wanted to take her as a disciple.
Her family took her to see doctors at the clinic for a long time, but there was no improvement. Later, they took her to see a master at the town, who said, “She herself is a medium. She just needs to follow the instructions of the master in her dream, and also set up an incense burner at home, burning incense in the morning and evening. Once her third eye is opened, her body will recover.”
After Grandma Flower-observing recovered, she indeed became a medium and took over from that master.
As for why Tian Guoqiang knew about Grandma Flower-observing, there was a story behind it.
A few years ago, Grandma Flower-observing visited his house. At that time, a neighbor’s aunt was holding her grandson chatting at Tian’s home. The two-year-old boy looked very cute.
After a while, when the neighbor’s aunt left, Grandma Flower-observing shook her head and said indifferently to Tian Guoqiang’s mother: “This child of the neighbor is difficult to raise. Even if he grows up, it will cost a lot of money.”
At that time, Tian Guoqiang was also present and heard their conversation. His first reaction was that this ugly old woman was deliberately making a mystery, probably having a grudge with the neighbor’s aunt and taking the opportunity to frame their family.
But to his surprise, not long after, the child did have problems! He had a long fever, loss of appetite, pale face, and gradually his abdomen became swollen. Finally, after an examination at the town hospital, they found out the child had a strange illness and died the next day. Since then, Tian Guoqiang subconsciously accepted the existence of this feudal element. Well, this old lady might be a bit ugly, but she does know some things.
Liu Dashao’s eyebrows furrowed into a deep crease, his mouth twitching unnaturally upwards, as if caught between a smile and a cry. The strange, clattering sound emanating from his mouth was the sound of his teeth chattering. Then, in a voice on the verge of tears, he said, “Qiangzi, I’ve been haunted.”
“What? Haunted?” Tian Guoqiang’s heart sank, as if a heavy stone had dropped into it.
Tian Guoqiang scrutinized Liu Dashao’s face, his astonishment almost beyond words. Just moments ago, although Liu had looked terrified, he had still appeared normal, flesh and blood intact. But now, in a matter of seconds, Liu’s face had thinned considerably, with only his eyelids swollen, resembling a malnourished patient.
This was not the place to talk, especially since the secret of last night’s events among the four of them could not be revealed to others. So, Tian Guoqiang had no choice but to call the other two and drag Liu Dashao to sit by a pile of grain.
After sitting down and taking several deep breaths, Liu Dashao’s haggard appearance improved slightly. He immediately blurted out, “I’m telling you, I’ve been haunted, it’s really fucking spooky!”
“Wasn’t it just that moment at the Lingguan Temple last night? Let’s not bring it up again,” Tian Guoqiang said, glancing at everyone.
“No, it’s not that!” Liu Dashao waved his hands repeatedly. “We all ran away then, right? We got separated. On my way back alone, I encountered something strange again.”
“Don’t rush, take your time,” Tian Guoqiang said with a serious face. He sensed that Liu Dashao’s experience might be intricately connected to their previous encounter. Since last night, the four of them had become more cautious, even Dog Egg and Little Pockmark had cried on the way. Now, describing them as grasshoppers tied to the same string was no exaggeration.
Liu Dashao then recounted in detail the incident with the child selling lanterns, terrifying the others and leaving them gasping in shock.
“Dog Shao, are you saying that the hell money in the stack of bills you paid might have been the change the child gave you?” After hearing all this, Tian Guoqiang, who had a decent head on his shoulders, finally began to understand. He could also empathize with why Liu Dashao had been so frightened. If it were him, he probably wouldn’t have fared any better!
“Not might, definitely!” Liu Dashao insisted.
“Oh my god!” Upon hearing Liu Dashao’s firm assertion, Dog Egg, the most timid of the four, immediately slid off the grain pile, landing in a heap.
“So what should we do next? I heard from my mom that once you’re haunted by a ghost, it’s a big trouble. They don’t eat or drink, they never tire, and they follow you day and night. But during the day, when the sun is too strong, they usually don’t come out. But at night…” At this point, Dog Egg’s voice trailed off into a whisper.
“What happens at night?” Liu Dashao sneered.
“They’ll make you their substitute, then they can reincarnate. You’ll become a wronged ghost, and you’ll go on to harm others,” Dog Egg said, making a throat-slitting gesture with his hand, as if it were a matter of fact.
Indeed, the concept of substitutes has been widely circulated for a long time. In the eyes of shamans and mediums, those who die unnaturally—drowned, burned, hanged, or killed in car accidents—fall into the category of ‘wronged ghosts.’
Because they are wronged ghosts, the King of Hell in the underworld does not accept them. Other ghosts can be sent to the six paths of reincarnation, but they can only linger in the mortal world, becoming wandering spirits. If you want to reincarnate, there’s only one way: you must harm someone else at the place where you died, making them your substitute, so you can move on to reincarnation!
Although this theory lacks scientific basis, countless real-life cases vividly prove its validity. For example, if someone drowns in a river, in the second or third year, one or two more people will drown in the same area. The same goes for car accident sites. To add, ordinary ghosts are just fragile spiritual entities and cannot directly harm people. However, they can use illusions to confuse and frighten you, leading you to make mistakes and achieve their goals. So, in most cases, people can be said to have killed themselves. But if you remain firm and not swayed by external influences, ghosts can do nothing to you.
Although Dog Egg’s words had some truth to them, and Liu Dashao’s experience didn’t seem fabricated, Tian Guoqiang didn’t entirely lean towards the supernatural explanation. He just smiled, somewhat dismissively, and said, “Dog Egg, I’m not criticizing you, but after three years of carrying a schoolbag, you haven’t learned to arm yourself with advanced cultural thoughts. Instead, you’re always dabbling in feudal superstitions. If you keep spreading rumors, next time during the Cultural Revolution, I’ll be the first to report you to the organization!”
“Tian Guoqiang, I’m telling you, if you dare to badmouth me behind my back, I won’t hesitate to grab a big sign, take the train to Beijing, and report your dad to Chairman Mao! The sign will say: Down with the evil, man-eating village chief Tian Qingshan!” Dog Egg retorted without backing down.
“Damn it, report my dad? What has my dad done to you?” Tian Guoqiang was both angry and amused.
“He hasn’t done anything to me, but his son has!”
“Then what are you reporting? What are you reporting?” Tian Guoqiang was utterly embarrassed by Dog Egg.
“If it’s a report, there are plenty of things. For example, the foreign watch you’re wearing must have been given to you by the U.S. President, asking your dad to be a spy, working from within to steal the fruits of our socialist family. And your dad’s hair, combed like a dog’s tongue, just like the reactionary Kuomintang heads. Isn’t this a restoration of capitalism? Don’t glare at me, and also, your dad, a tiny village chief, insists on having a secretary. A secretary is fine, but why does it have to be a woman?” Once Dog Egg started, his words poured out like an American howitzer, unstoppable.
“Female secretaries are more efficient and meticulous…” Tian Guoqiang explained.
“Bullshit! Then why not hire Granny Hu at the village entrance as the secretary? Why pick a twenty-year-old girl? Don’t think I don’t know what your dad is up to. I’ve seen it several times, always staring at her chest and butt, abusing his power for personal gain, messing around! An old cow eating tender grass!”
“Pfft…” Liu Dashao and Little Pockmark, who were listening, couldn’t help but laugh, making faces at Tian Guoqiang and laughing uncontrollably. Tian Guoqiang’s face turned red and purple, his fists clenched tightly, clearly furious.
Liu Dashao knew that if he didn’t intervene and let them bicker, they might really come to blows after a few more exchanges. So, he quickly, along with Little Pockmark, pulled the two apart and spent a good while calming them down.
“Dog Shao, it’s not that I don’t care about this matter,” Tian Guoqiang finally spoke after a long pause. “The countryside is vast, with many lowlands. Strange things happen all the time, so encountering this or that is unavoidable. How about this? Let’s go find the Flower-Watching Granny and ask her to divine for us, to see if it’s auspicious or not?”
When it comes to the study of ghosts and gods, one should not believe everything, but one should not disbelieve entirely either. After all, everything in the world exists for a reason. The ‘Flower-Watching Granny’ Tian Guoqiang mentioned is a local term for a shaman, or in simpler terms, a medium or a feng shui master. The only difference is that while most are male, she is female.
The Flower-Watching Granny’s surname is Fan. Because she is quite old and her hair has turned gray, out of respect, the villagers call her Granny Fan. Over time, everyone just calls her Granny Fan, and her full name has been forgotten.
It is said that before Granny Fan officially became a medium, she was just an ordinary farmer’s wife.
Once, after returning from farm work, she fell seriously ill, often feeling as if her soul was about to leave her body. When she slept, she always saw a strangely dressed person drawing talismans and saying he wanted to take her as his disciple.
She visited the clinic for a long time, but there was no improvement. Later, her family took her to a local medium, who said, “You are inherently a medium. Just do as the master in your dreams instructed, and set up an incense burner at home, burning incense morning and night. Once you open your third eye, your body will heal.”
After Granny Fan recovered, she indeed became a medium, taking over the medium’s role.
As for why Tian Guoqiang knew about Granny Fan, there’s a backstory.
A few years ago, Granny Fan visited his home. Coincidentally, a neighbor’s aunt was also there, chatting with Tian’s mother while holding her two-year-old grandson, who looked very innocent.
After the neighbor left, Granny Fan shook her head and calmly said to Tian’s mother, “That child will be hard to raise. Even if he grows up, it will cost a lot of money.”
Tian Guoqiang happened to be present and heard their conversation. His first thought was that this ugly old woman was just being mysterious, probably because she had some grudge against the neighbor’s aunt and was taking the opportunity to curse them.
But to his surprise, not long after, the child indeed fell ill! He had a prolonged fever, lost his appetite, turned pale, and gradually developed a swollen abdomen. Finally, at the town hospital, they discovered the child had a strange illness, and he passed away the next day. From then on, Tian Guoqiang subconsciously acknowledged the existence of this feudal element. Well, this old woman, ugly as she was, did know a thing or two.
Another time, in the nearby Xiushan Village, a baby fell ill and died, buried in a mass grave. The mother later had two more pregnancies, but the children never survived past a few months. In desperation, she sought out Granny Fan, hoping for a solution. After asking for her address, Granny Fan burned some incense, went into a trance, and said, “Your previous child’s body hasn’t decomposed, so he can’t reincarnate and is haunting you. Dig him up and burn the body.” The woman, half-believing, returned and had someone dig up the child from the mass grave. Indeed, the body hadn’t decomposed and had turned into a mummy!
After burning the baby’s body, she gave birth to another boy, who fortunately didn’t die young and grew up healthy and safe. In gratitude, the mother gave Granny Fan three baskets of eggs. However, it was quite strange because the villagers all said that for some reason, this boy looked almost identical to the child who had died before…
After burning the infant’s body, she gave birth to another boy. This time, the child survived and grew up healthy and safe. To express her gratitude, the mother gave Grandma Flower-observing three baskets of eggs. However, there was something strange—people in the village said that for some unknown reason, this boy looked almost identical to the child who had died previously…
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage