Chapter 63: The Ghost Baby! (4)

Old Granny Fan recalled a passage from her late master’s teachings: “Evil forces can animate the inanimate and are unafraid of talismans. When the heart intends, it can speak; when the intention is firm, it can act. Covering one’s face and crying disturbs livestock at night; laughing aloud unsettles both humans and beasts. Malevolence is hard to quell, and sinister hatred does not fade. This is what we call a malevolent spirit. If someone without achieving inner cultivation encounters such a spirit, they should retreat immediately.”

“She can laugh… this… this is a malevolent spirit…” Granny Fan trembled as she spoke. “Quickly, retreat! Retreat!”

At that moment, several ghostly shadows shrieked and scattered in all directions. The young bride let out a piercing cry. Suddenly, a violent wind blew through the small valley, and a large patch of dark clouds obscured the moon above. Several black figures, as if seized by invisible hands, flew straight toward the young bride. After several screams, they dissolved into several wisps of black smoke.

Seeing her formidable power, Liu Dashao had already turned deathly pale with fear, while Ma Sandao had wet his pants in terror. “Hey, spirits of the Six Jia and Six Ding, heed my command; Seven Lords of Meishan, lend me divine power…” Granny Fan began moving through the Twenty-Eight Constellations Formation, bit her fingertip, and drew a spirit-binding sigil onto a branch she had picked up. Holding still, she raised her left hand in a mystical gesture while wielding the branch like a sword, directly confronting the malevolent spirit.

“Demons, retreat at once!” Liu Dashao clearly saw the sigil on Granny Fan’s branch suddenly ignite, sending red flames three feet outward. The malevolent spirit was startled and spat out a mouthful of black qi. The donkey beneath it stumbled backward.

The young bride shrieked hatefully, “Old hag, was it you who sent word tonight saying you would capture me?”

Granny Fan regretted her decision deeply. It would have been better to just deal with the ghostly fetus instead of provoking such a being. Liu Dashao was cursing inwardly, thinking how this old woman had boasted so much without real ability, only to invite a real monster, which could now get them all killed! As the incessant chattering continued, the young bride took a few steps back, her face darkened with greenish qi.

Granny Fan quickly replied, “This… ahem, who said that? Must be a misunderstanding. I merely told him to burn some paper money for you. Look at this misunderstanding…”

The young bride snorted, “You say it’s a misunderstanding only now? I think it’s too late!” With those words, her face’s greenish hue receded, and suddenly several arms extended from behind her back. They were of varying lengths and shades of bluish-purple, reaching straight for Granny Fan. With several sharp sounds, the arms were severed by the red flames on Granny Fan’s branch, turning into piles of ash. However, the flames on the branch gradually dimmed. The young bride shook her hair, which grew longer with the wind, like black seaweed, sweeping the sky toward Granny Fan.

Granny Fan quickly leaped to the left to dodge the sweeping hair, but a few strands grazed her arm, drawing blood immediately. Granny Fan had initially considered pleading for mercy, but seeing this, she became furious. “You evil spirit! Over the years, how many people have you dragged into your fate, how many lives have you ruined? You dare to use others’ limbs like this—don’t you fear divine punishment? Even if I cannot defeat you, I will give my life to subdue you today!” It turned out that those arms belonged to people the young bride had killed. Their bodies were left incomplete in death, making it extremely difficult for their souls to find peace. They might wander endlessly, gradually dissipating. For the deceased, this was an extremely painful fate.

The young bride sneered coldly, “I’ve only been dead for a little over a month. How could it be years?”

“A month!” Granny Fan’s pupils constricted, and her old, hunched body visibly trembled. Goodness, this was too bizarre! In just a month, how many people had this creature killed? Thinking this, Granny Fan’s eyes sharpened, and she asked with a weak voice, “Who exactly are you?”

“Hmph, see for yourself who I am!” The young bride rubbed her hand across her pale face, instantly revealing facial features. Granny Fan’s aging eyesight made it difficult to discern clearly. Liu Dashao, however, cried out in shock, “Ah Lan! She’s Ah Lan! Oh my god!”

“The old mason’s daughter?” Granny Fan asked.

“The very one. I saw clearly when the village chief burned her that day. I even saw her eating chicken and duck livers! All bloody…” Liu Dashao hurriedly replied.

“Nonsense! Nonsense!” Granny Fan slapped her thigh in frustration.

The young bride spoke again, “When I died, no one cared for me. They insulted my body and set me on fire. Why should I care for others? Do you know how much pain I felt?” She rose into the air, her hair flying around like snakes flickering in and out. Her eyes burned with malevolence. Liu Dashao saw that her face was covered with burn marks, blackened like roasted pork ribs. No wonder she had applied so much makeup—to hide the scars. “After my unjust death, no one cared. They buried me hastily. Who cared then? After being buried, that old scoundrel Chen Que dug me out and took me home to abuse. Who came to rescue me? My corpse absorbed yang energy and gathered malevolent qi, becoming a spirit. But I didn’t want to harm others, except for that old cripple Chen Que. I only devoured animals. Yet you people dared to burn me with fire, causing my body and soul to separate, leaving me wandering here at the dam. Who has cared for me?”

Seeing the young bride’s voice rising, Granny Fan knew she would be difficult to handle now and shouted urgently, “Liu Dashao, quickly, quickly!”

Liu Dashao had already been scared out of his wits. Hearing Granny Fan shouting, he cried out desperately, “Quickly, quickly, quickly what? We’re all about to die! Oh woe, poor me! My poor life! My poor, never-seen bride!” Seeing him wailing at such a critical moment, Granny Fan was so furious she wanted to kill him. “Have you forgotten everything I told you earlier?” In her anger, she even cursed.

Ah Lan floated in the air, making crackling sounds, her face pale. Her large belly began to swell rhythmically, and a shrill infant’s cry came from within. Liu Dashao was so terrified that his wooden sword trembled like a girl threading a needle. “This one even brought a little brat with her! A few days ago, I almost got possessed by that old hag following Wang Banxian, and now I’m facing something like this again? This isn’t fair! Granny Fan, are you both cursed with bad luck or something? How can you be so unlucky?”

Ma Sandao wasn’t giving Granny Fan any peace either. He was hugging his head and sobbing on the ground, “I… want to go back. I want to go home. I want to see my wife, see my wife…” Granny Fan was furious beyond words, “If you cry again, you’ll really never go home!” Tonight, with these two fools, she had probably cursed more than in her entire life.

Just as Granny Fan was furious, Ah Lan’s eyes began to glow faintly red. Her body floated motionless in the air, but all her hair shot rapidly toward Granny Fan. Startled, Granny Fan swung her branch to block, but with a loud crack, the branch snapped in two. Ah Lan was pushed backward onto her donkey and spat out a mouthful of foul black blood. Granny Fan felt a suffocating pressure in her chest. As she tried to catch her breath, she saw Ah Lan’s pale hands right in front of her.

Realizing the danger, Granny Fan formed a demon-repelling mudra with both hands and raised it in front of her face. She felt a sharp pain as Ah Lan’s hands grabbed her own. A tremendous force surged forward, pulling Granny Fan’s mudra straight toward her own neck. The sound of Ah Lan’s finger joints cracking was enough to make one’s teeth ache. In no time, Ah Lan’s icy, black-blue claws stretched out to encircle Granny Fan’s neck.

Granny Fan’s face immediately turned black, unable to draw even a breath. Tears streamed from her eyes like rain, but she still managed to wear a look of joy on her face. “Liu Dashao… quickly… this is a good… opportunity… hurry and act…” Ah Lan, alarmed, turned to look at Liu Dashao, only to find him still cowering on the ground, crying like a terrified, dead dog. She had wanted to pull her hand away, but now she gripped Granny Fan’s neck even harder.

“Ow… damn… Liu Dashao… oh no, this time I’ve… been ruined by you… this coward!” Granny Fan’s heart sank, and tears began to flow.

Just as the situation reached a stalemate, Ah Lan’s belly suddenly opened, and a stream of black liquid poured out. Granny Fan felt a tightening grip around her neck. Looking down, she saw a small, black, flesh-like mass crawl out of Ah Lan’s belly. The little demon had sensed its mother was in danger and had come out on its own.

“The child of misfortune has emerged!” Granny Fan’s forehead bulged with veins. “Shh, little one… don’t come out… go back in, go… back in, be a good child…” Hearing her words, the flesh mass paused. Granny Fan was just feeling pleased with herself for managing to soothe the child. But then, the mass suddenly opened a large mouth, revealing rows of sharp, white teeth.

The flesh mass opened its mouth and, without hesitation, slowly moved toward Granny Fan to bite her. Knowing that today might be her last, Granny Fan, filled with resentment, used her last bit of strength to curse, “Liu Dashao, you little brat, you little coward, I’ll… curse you… even as a ghost!”

“Granny Fan, since you’re about to die, can’t you just stop cursing for a bit? At least I’ll burn some paper money for you.” Suddenly, Liu Dashao’s voice came from behind. Granny Fan hadn’t realized what was happening yet. When Ah Lan first appeared, Liu Dashao had been scared stiff, and Ah Lan, seeing his cowardice, hadn’t even considered him a threat.

But now, hearing him speak from behind, although his voice trembled slightly, it was much steadier than before. A sense of foreboding surged in her heart. She quickly turned her head and saw Liu Dashao, standing firmly beside his donkey, his left hand holding a lit firebrand and his right hand gripping a stack of yellow paper clearly mixed with saltpeter, his body shaking like a banana tree in the rain.

“Ahh… you dare!” Ah Lan screamed and turned to lunge at Liu Dashao. But before she could move, Granny Fan suddenly grabbed her hand and spat a mouthful of blood onto her face. “Azure Dragon soaring through the eight extremes, White Tiger roaring through the mountains, Vermilion Bird echoing thunder in the azure sky, Black Tortoise commanding myriad spirits! Four Symbols, quickly stand at my side!” The blood Granny Fan spat was from biting her tongue. She had bitten it so hard that it was now swollen, making her chant slurred and unclear.

Meanwhile, Liu Dashao lit the yellow paper and piled it onto the donkey. Since Ah Lan had left her body, the donkey had lost its evil power and had long become an immobile paper donkey. The yellow paper contained saltpeter, and once lit, the donkey burst into a ball of fire. Flames roared into the sky, accompanied by a foul stench. Green lights floated out from the fireball and scattered in all directions.

Granny Fan spat angrily, “I never thought you evil spirit would trap the souls of those you killed inside this donkey’s body, using them as your puppets. Originally pitiable, but when you do evil, you become doubly despicable!” The parts of Ah Lan’s face that had been splattered with Granny Fan’s blood were already smoking and rotting. “Ah… ah… old hag… old hag… I’ll eat you alive…” Ah Lan struggled in vain, her hands trapped and her body twisting, unable to escape.

With the situation now under control, Granny Fan began to settle the score. “You little brat, didn’t I tell you clearly before—if she really came, I would hold her down while you burned the donkey? What the hell were you doing? If you had been any later, we’d be lying here dead tonight! Tomorrow, someone would be coming to collect our corpses!”

Liu Dashao cried out in protest, “Granny Fan, this is your fault! Your firebrand wasn’t in the tube you usually keep it in, and old Ma couldn’t light a fire. I had to crawl around on the ground for ages just to find it!” Granny Fan took out a soul-purifying talisman and slapped it onto Ah Lan’s face. “Puff,” Ah Lan collapsed to the ground, a stream of black and green smoke rising from her body.

Granny Fan sucked on her numb tongue with regret, “Where the hell did that firebrand fall?”

Liu Dashao was so angry he could only exhale, “Earlier, when you were scared by those ghosts, you dropped it on the ground. It was dark, and I had to crawl around like a bear to find it… and I even found a broken piece of your sword on the ground…” He raised his right hand, which was covered in blood.

At this time, Ah Lan was rolling on the ground, black smoke rising from her body. Her face was now only a pair of white eyes staring at the two of them. “Ma San Dao, Ma San Dao, last night I could have let you die, but you gave me an apricot, so I spared you. Now you’re helping this old woman to harm me… harming me, a poor soul…” Her voice was mournful, making Ma San Dao feel a pang of guilt. He quickly said, “Justice has its own source, and debts have their own owners. This was all Granny Fan’s idea.” Granny Fan, listening nearby, was furious. “Hey, Ma San Dao, is this how you treat people?”

But then Ma San Dao continued, “You were a poor soul in life, and you know the hardships of poor souls. Yet you dragged so many people to their deaths. Isn’t that wrong? When you suffered and were wronged, you should have made sure others didn’t suffer the same. If you had chosen to be reborn at that time instead of haunting and harming others, wouldn’t you be better off now?”

Granny Fan nodded silently. Suffering oneself and not wanting others to suffer too—though simple, only those who truly understand know how difficult it is. Upon hearing Ma San Dao’s words, Ah Lan suddenly fell silent. The only sound was the crackling of her burning body, but she no longer screamed… Ma San Dao still felt uneasy inside and asked, “How long will this fire burn? We’re standing here talking while she’s burning and roasting. How come I feel so uneasy?”

Granny Fan replied, “Unbearable? Think about it—if tonight our luck had been just a little worse, it would have been us three crying and wailing, especially you two. You’d have been howling so loud the heavens would have trembled.”

Liu Dashao suddenly felt angry inside, “Granny Fan, not to say anything, but you said you were prepared, you had a plan, but when the real thing showed up, everything went wrong!”

Granny Fan felt a little embarrassed, “Hehe, since I started my journey, I’ve only encountered weaklings. This is the first time I’ve met someone this fierce… I wasn’t prepared enough beforehand!”

Ma San Dao asked again, “Then what were you chanting earlier? Calling on gods?”

Granny Fan smiled, “I can’t really summon gods.”

Liu Dashao was surprised, “But earlier you called on the Meishan Seven Lords. Isn’t that summoning gods?”

Granny Fan laughed, “I was just reciting the names of gods, calling upon their essence and spirit. Who has ever really summoned a god? Gods and humans are completely different beings. They can’t be brought together no matter how many sticks you throw!”

She paused, “My old master once said that many gods in Taoism were originally humans. Like Lord Guan Yu, when walking at night, silently chanting his name brings his righteous spirit, keeping away all evil. When we Taoist practitioners perform rituals and administer medicine, silently chanting the name of the Medicine King Bodhisattva is to learn from his compassionate nature. Summoning gods is about summoning the spirit within oneself. If someone claims to have gods descending upon them, they’re just trying to scare people—don’t believe it.”

Liu Dashao suddenly understood and gained even more respect for the old woman. He suddenly asked, “If I silently chant the name of the God of Wealth while playing cards, would I receive his blessings of wealth and fortune?” Granny Fan hadn’t expected this question at all. After thinking for a moment, she actually gave a reasonable answer, “Gamblers seeking wealth—this mindset is already wrong. If you’re not upright yourself, how can you expect help from the gods? Only those with a righteous heart can receive divine assistance.”

Ma San Dao sighed and patted Liu Dashao’s shoulder, “Granny Fan makes a lot of sense. You kid, stop thinking crooked thoughts… By the way, with all this going on tonight, what about my wife?” Thinking about his wife suddenly made Ma San Dao anxious, “What about that ghost that was stealing the fetus? We haven’t seen it yet… Granny Fan…”

The three of them were chatting happily when they forgot about the ghost burning nearby. But they suddenly heard Ah Lan, now reduced to a pile of black ash, say, “Granny Fan, thank you for coming to subdue me.” Her voice was now much calmer. Granny Fan bowed, “Have you seen the truth now?” Ah Lan replied, “With this talisman burning me, my hatred must have already been burned away. I… I’m just sad about this child in my belly, suffering so much with me before even being born.”

Ah Lan lowered her head and sobbed for a while, “The fire has burned away my resentment, and now I realize my past wrongs. Now I want to ask you one question, Granny. Is there truly reincarnation after death? Why hasn’t anyone come to take me to reincarnation? If I enter reincarnation, what will I become in my next life?”

Granny Fan replied solemnly, “There is reincarnation in the world, but it is not enforced by others—it happens naturally. You harbored resentment, dwelling in a murky place, gathering yin and evil. You didn’t know how to let go. So why ask about reincarnation? What is reincarnation?”

Upon hearing Granny Fan’s words, Ah Lan suddenly felt a clarity in her heart. Her previously dark and grayish body suddenly became transparent, as if it had form but no substance. “Granny, it’s not as you say. In the village, I met that engineering team’s young man. He dishonored me and caused my death. He is already dead, but his soul lingers, still causing harm. If he really took the fetus, Granny, please help me and don’t harm others.”

Granny Fan said, “I already know. If you truly repent, would you help me with something?”

At that moment, faint light appeared on the horizon, and Ah Lan’s shadow became even more transparent, as if it were about to dissipate. Granny Fan took out a jade pendant, “If you are willing to enter this jade, both you and your unborn child will benefit. But this time, capturing that ghostly fetus will still need your help!”