Uncle San’s words gave Shui Miao a general idea of the situation. It turned out that all the grudges and conflicts were sparked by this bulldog. However, after calming down and thinking carefully, Shui Miao felt something suspicious about the whole matter. Long Wuye was indeed domineering and sinister, but why did Zhang Ling always forget things? And not just once—dozens of times! That was simply too strange.
Speaking of poisons and curses, Shui Miao naturally thought of gu bugs—poisonous insects. Could it be that Zhang Ling kept forgetting things because some cursed insect had entered his brain, turning him into a fool?
Then why had Zhang Ling ended up dead by the riverside?
Thanks to Uncle San’s explanation, Shui Miao felt that Zhang Ling’s death probably had little to do with his arrival. He had just happened to stumble upon a fortunate opportunity. Perhaps it was fate, and heaven had sent him here to avenge Zhang Ling. Regardless, the young bride had already slept beside him—even if they hadn’t gone all the way, they had still shared a bed. Just for that, Shui Miao felt he must help seek vengeance.
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Shui Miao decided to seek out the old woman—the disciple of Bai Niangzi—to learn more about the situation and discreetly inquire what foul entity had possessed the young bride’s body last night.
“Understood. Go back now, Uncle San.”
Shui Miao nodded, then crawled out from the doghouse.
He gently patted the bulldog’s head and whispered, “The chance for revenge will come. Don’t rush.”
The dog obediently wagged its tail and returned to the doghouse.
By then, Uncle San had already disappeared.
Shui Miao turned back to glance at the bulldog, then looked up at the sun in the sky, puzzled. Why were ghosts afraid to come out during the day everywhere else, yet in this Miao village, they acted so brazenly? Not only human souls, even the soul of a dog was so strong—weren’t they afraid of the sunlight? Oh right, local conditions nurture local people. Could this have something to do with the feng shui of Shuilong Ridge?
Shui Miao was deeply contemplative. If his dantian hadn’t been sealed and he could still channel his spiritual powers, he would have been able to see the various spiritual energies of this mountain ridge with just a glance. Now, he had no choice but to plan to climb to the highest point of the ridge later to observe the terrain and figure out why this place was so nurturing to yin spirits.
Without hesitation, Shui Miao set off immediately.
When he reached the main gate, he noticed that Zhang Juan’s family belongings were still there. If they returned and started beating up the young bride, it would be troublesome. As he stepped outside the gate, looking down the road, he suddenly heard Zhang Ling’s mother standing at the doorway, waving and calling to him. He couldn’t understand her local dialect, but he assumed she was calling him back, worried he might run off somewhere.
Not wanting to worry the elderly woman, Shui Miao returned, helped her into the house, then fetched a chair from the inner room and sat at the main gate, basking in the sunlight.
Zhang Ling’s mother stood up again, leaning on her cane, walking to the doorway. Seeing her foolish son’s actions, she froze in shock.
Zhang Ling’s father also came out. The old woman tugged at the old man, pointing at Shui Miao and whispering softly.
What Shui Miao had done was not something a fool could accomplish.
This worried the elderly couple greatly.
Thus, Zhang Ling’s mother summoned the young bride, instructing her to take Shui Miao to see Master Ma, the old woman who had given Shui Miao tea—the same old woman known as Ma Po. She was the shaman of the eastern village, the one people turned to whenever they encountered evil spirits. Seeing her son’s unusual behavior, she wanted Ma Po to check if Zhang Ling had been possessed by something unclean.
Upon hearing this, the young bride immediately dropped her chores and hurried with Shui Miao toward Ma Po’s house.
Ma Po’s house was very close to Zhang Ling’s, only about a hundred meters away. They arrived quickly after a short run.
Ma Po had just finished burning incense when she saw the young bride and Shui Miao arrive. She smiled warmly to greet them. After exchanging a few words with the bride, she took Shui Miao’s pulse and shook her head, telling the bride that he wasn’t possessed. After the bride finished her inquiries and turned to leave, Shui Miao suddenly pulled away from her, dragging Ma Po into the house, closing the door tightly, and whispering directly into her ear, “Who or what was the ghost that possessed the bride last night?”
“Such a thing happened?”
Ma Po was taken aback, glancing outside, thinking to herself how fortunate she was to be so old—otherwise, the bride might have become jealous.
Shui Miao frowned. “Of course it happened. Otherwise, why would I come to you? Also, tell me about Zhang Ling’s family and Lord Long. Exactly how did Zhang Ling die?”
“That matter, you’d better not ask for now. When the time comes, I’ll naturally tell you. As for what possessed your bride last night, I can ask the immortal master for you right now.” Saying this, Ma Po walked directly to the altar, respectfully bowed, closed her eyes, and began chanting incantations.
Shui Miao looked around, curious to see what this “immortal master” Ma Po spoke of looked like.
But before he could see any immortal, Ma Po turned around and whispered conspiratorially, “It was just a wandering ghost in the village. The immortal says you already destroyed it. What else is there to ask?”
Shui Miao looked at Ma Po, frowning in doubt. “Really destroyed?”
“How could the immortal lie to you?” Ma Po slapped her thigh, slightly annoyed. Suddenly, her expression changed again. “Oh no, no, no! Zhang Juan is coming with a group of people to cause trouble. They’ve already reached the village entrance. The immortal is asking if you want help?”
“Yes, of course!”
Shui Miao readily agreed—it seemed unreasonable not to.
After all, the last time he had confronted Zhang Juan’s family of three alone, he had suffered greatly.
Moreover, Shui Miao sensed that this immortal spirit within Ma Po was being overly helpful, which itself suggested something. The ghost that had possessed the bride last night must have been this very spirit. Her current behavior was merely an attempt to avoid blame and curry favor.
Ghosts were the products of the dead—there was no guarantee they were particularly intelligent.
With such a simple exchange of question and answer, Shui Miao had already deduced much.
After speaking, he opened the door and found the young bride’s gaze unusually strange.
Indeed! Any wife witnessing her husband shut the door and whisper with an old woman would feel uneasy.
Quick-witted as ever, Ma Po hurried over and quietly explained to the bride that she had been treating Zhang Ling. He was currently recovering and would soon regain much of his memory—even able to speak again. He now trusted only her, hence the secrecy. Upon hearing this, the bride naturally felt delighted. Healing Zhang Ling’s condition was her greatest wish.
“Thank you, old lady! Thank you so much…”
“Alright, alright. It’s not time to thank me yet. First, let’s deal with the people Zhang Juan has brought.”
Ma Po remained relaxed, holding the bride’s hand as they headed back toward Zhang Ling’s house.
Shui Miao followed behind, eyes narrowed, brow furrowed, pondering the true abilities of the spirit within Ma Po. Was it genuinely helping him? What mission had Bai Niangzi given her? And how could he extract information from her and manipulate her at will?
Through prolonged hardship, one’s mind matures quickly.
After enduring so much, Shui Miao’s psychological age had matured to that of a man in his forties.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage