At the same time, the knocking outside suddenly stopped. Liu Dashao opened his yin-yang eyes and looked out, but the monster was nowhere to be seen—it must have been captured by the Grand Duke of yearly misfortune.
Zhang Enpu exhaled in relief and said, “The evil has been eliminated!” He opened the door, let Liu Dashao sprinkle some water infused with willow branches around the house to remove bad luck, and then hurried Liu toward the village head.
When they arrived at the village entrance, the scene had completely changed. Village Chief Tian and several members of the joint security team were talking nearby, while the gang members of Ke Jiang were all tied up and kneeling on the ground.
It turned out that Village Chief Tian had prepared in advance, ordering the joint security team to be ready. As soon as the fight broke out, they rushed over to capture the gang, holding them down so Liu Dashao and Zhang Enpu could return home to perform their ritual and eliminate the ghost summoned by Ke Jiang. Looking at Ke Jiang now, his eyes were wide open, staring into the sky—he must have been dead for quite some time.
Zhang Enpu quietly told Liu Dashao that the Grand Duke had captured the summoned ghost, and taken Ke Jiang’s soul as well. This was nothing but the result of karma.
When Village Chief Tian saw Zhang Enpu approach, he said, “Master, you’re truly amazing! We subdued this group and were just about to tie up Ke Jiang when he suddenly went mad and strangled himself!”
Zhang Enpu sighed and said, “It’s karma. He only has himself to blame for all the atrocities he committed. Summoning ghosts is already a heretical practice that violates the cycle of cause and effect, of good and evil. Worse still, he desecrated his father’s grave and murdered his own mother—that alone was enough to invite heavenly punishment. His fate today is entirely self-inflicted!”
Village Chief Tian nodded repeatedly. After exchanging a few words with Zhang Enpu, he ordered the team to confiscate the ill-gotten wealth, carry away Ke Jiang’s body, and bind the remaining gang members for transport back to the town.
Zhang Enpu murmured softly, “Yan Xiaoliu, you can finally rest in peace now, and you too, Old Lady. May you both find a better rebirth!”
Liu Dashao used his yin-yang eyes to scan the surroundings and indeed saw the old ghostly woman and Yan Xiaoliu bowing deeply to Zhang Enpu in the distance before vanishing in an instant.
This was the ultimate truth—good and evil will eventually receive their due, and karma always circles back.
Liu Dashao finally understood a passage from the *Records of the Celestial Master* that had been written in Zhang Enpu’s generation:
*”There are many paths to convenience, but only one road leads to the origin.”*
This meant that great evildoers would inevitably face karmic retribution, while those who do great good would be watched over by Heaven, no matter how difficult their lives might be.
When Zhang Enpu returned home, he explained to Liu Dashao that the summoned ghost had been bound to the ring. By pasting a *Five Thunder Guardian Talisman* on the door, all evil spirits were kept at bay. Therefore, once Zhang Enpu retrieved the ring, the ghost was blocked outside. Then, Zhang invited the Grand Duke to guard the ring, forcing the ghost back into it. When it tried to enter the ring, it collided with the Grand Duke and was captured.
Liu Dashao asked, “Master, how exactly did you defeat Ke Jiang? You had me worried stiff!”
Zhang Enpu chuckled. “It was quite simple, really. Before the duel, I sealed the evil ghost on his left hand. Then, when I saw the red glow above Ke Jiang’s head turn into a lifeless bluish-green, I knew I could easily defeat him with any move I chose.”
Later, the villagers buried Yan Xiaoliu on the mountain behind the village and planted an elm tree beside his grave. “I hope Yan Xiaoliu will be a good person in his next life,” Liu Dashao thought from the bottom of his heart.
A month later, Goudan returned with his arm wrapped like a dumpling. On the fifteenth day of that lunar month, Zhang Enpu specially instructed Liu Dashao to draw a “Ding Mou Military Escort Talisman” to ensure Goudan’s safety.
It was Liu Dashao’s first time drawing a talisman. He spent the entire morning on it, his hands trembling nervously, fearing that he might make a mistake.
Zhang Enpu said that the Dao follows nature, and intention arises from the heart. There was no need to be overly concerned about the strokes of the talisman. Liu Dashao pondered this and realized this must be why Master Zhang could draw talismans so quickly—not because he focused on the strokes, but because he used his heart and intention.
Winter arrived, and the weather grew increasingly cold. Before long, the Lunar New Year was approaching, and the village became lively again. Liu Laoshi and his wife went to buy New Year’s goods. Zhang Enpu went to the temple to worship the Three Pure Ones. Liu Dashao and his grandmother stayed at home, cleaning. His grandmother took out a pot of wine and some homemade dumplings, instructing Liu Dashao to deliver them to Village Chief Tian’s house. Liu Dashao put on a thick cotton coat and stepped outside.
It was the coldest time of winter. As Liu Dashao walked along the snow-covered path, his footsteps crunching softly, he passed a small grove and heard a series of high-pitched squeaks, like the sounds of mice. Curious, he followed the sound into the woods.
After searching for a while, he found a small creature, completely white, with its leg caught in a hunting trap. Though it looked like a rat, it was much larger. It had clearly been trapped for a long time—the blood on the trap had dried and turned black. The little creature just stared at Liu Dashao with pleading eyes.
Liu Dashao set down the wine pot and dumplings, knelt down, and tried to pry open the trap with his hands—but it wouldn’t budge. He exerted all his strength, pushing the trap apart with all his might. Just as a small gap opened, the white creature yanked its leg free. As soon as Liu Dashao let go, the trap snapped shut with a loud *bang*, its force astonishing. Not even a wild beast could have escaped once caught—let alone a human. Liu Dashao thought to himself how easily his fingers could have been crushed.
He lifted the creature’s hind leg and saw several deep puncture wounds, the blood already dried. He took out a few dumplings and gently offered them to the creature’s mouth. The little creature used its front paws to hold the dumpling and began eating rapidly.
After finishing one, it immediately grabbed another, clearly famished. Liu Dashao opened the wine pot, and a strong aroma wafted out. He poured some wine over the creature’s injured leg, tore off a strip of cloth, and wrapped it carefully.
The creature twitched its nose a few times—probably in pain—and sniffed the wine. Then, using its front paws, it reached for the wine pot and licked a few drops from the rim before lying back down, smacking its lips.
Liu Dashao reached out and gently stroked its head, saying, “Little guy, I have to go home now. I’ll come see you tomorrow, okay?”
To his surprise, the creature seemed to understand. It spun around a few times, gave Liu Dashao a few curious glances with its bright little eyes, and then darted off into the woods without a trace.
Since Tian Guoqiang had gone on leave weeks earlier, Liu Dashao delivered the items to Village Chief Tian’s house and returned home. When he got back, his parents had already returned with the New Year’s goods. Suddenly, Liu Dashao remembered that there was a book in Zhang Enpu’s study that described an animal similar to the one he had just seen. He immediately went to the study to find the book.
After flipping through for a while, Liu Dashao finally found it. The little creature was actually a yellow weasel—commonly known as the “Huang Er Ye,” or “Second Master Huang,” one of the fox immortals. Huang Er Ye possessed great powers—able to possess people, control animals and minor ghosts, and even command respect from other immortals. It also loved drinking alcohol. Now Liu Dashao understood why the creature had clung to the wine pot.
But why was this Huang Er Ye white instead of yellow?
According to the book, Huang Er Ye was usually yellow, and those with deeper cultivation were black. Could it be that a white one had even greater powers?
No matter what, he decided to bring some medicine tomorrow to check on Huang Er Ye. Liu Dashao returned the book and picked up a copy of the *Records of the Celestial Master*, planning to read it after dinner.
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