“Oh, are you two leaving already? Hehe! What a wonderful time we’ve had!” Liu Dashao laughed. “I wonder where your homes are, brothers. If they’re nearby, maybe I can visit next time—don’t misunderstand my intentions! I’ll sneak a few bottles of real good wine from my father’s stash and treat you two to something special!” Liu Dashao, having hit it off well with Xie and Fan, felt reluctant to part ways so soon, so he suggested this.
“Where we live?” Xie Qige hesitated, then exchanged glances with Fan Bag. They both thought, hehe, do you really think you can know where we live? If you knew, wouldn’t you wet your pants in fear? Xie, being the more talkative of the two, spoke up with a chuckle, “Ah, this does disappoint you, brother. We’re just wanderers on the Jianghu, with no fixed abode. We’ve been doing business here for a while, just happened to pass by and coincidentally met you. I say we don’t wait for another day—let’s do it today! After finishing this bottle of wine, we’ll each go our separate ways. Though the world is vast, we shall meet again someday!”
Upon hearing this, Liu Dashao felt a pang of disappointment but quickly forced a smile and said, “Great! You two are so bold and generous, so I won’t be polite either.” He picked up the wine bottle to drink but suddenly remembered something and said, “When I was little, the old men in the village told me that when a man and a woman are in love, they marry. When men become close friends, they swear brotherhood. Since you two have honored me so much, after finishing this bottle of wine, why don’t we three swear eternal brotherhood? Then, if we meet again in the future, we can drink together again. What do you two think?” Normally, Liu Dashao would never have thought of such a thing, especially since Xie and Fan were both over a decade older than him and carried themselves with a certain air of authority. But now, with nine parts of his mind already drunk, he blurted it out without thinking.
“Excellent! Couldn’t be better!” Xie Qige, already quite drunk, his tongue thick, his eyes squinting into crescents, happily agreed with a broad smile on his chubby face.
Liu Dashao turned to Fan Bag and asked, “What about you, elder brother?”
Fan Bag raised his sleeve and wiped his mouth, “Better to comply than to refuse politely. Little brother, if you’re so kind, cough, cough! I’d be delighted.”
“Great, then it’s settled today!” Overjoyed, Liu Dashao cheered loudly. Then he took off his shirt, used it like a mop to clean a patch of ground in the graveyard, blew away the leaves and dust, and stealthily found three fist-sized stones. He placed one on top and two below, forming a mountain shape as an offering. He broke a branch into three equal pieces and stuck them in front of the stone pile as incense. After finishing all this, he shyly said to Xie and Fan, “Elder brothers, the conditions here are quite humble. We’ll just have to make do! If you’re not satisfied, we can always make it up later!”
Seeing what he had done, Xie Bians and Fan Wujiu couldn’t help but stifle their laughter. They exchanged a glance and, for the first time, nodded in agreement.
“Hehe, in my life, I’ve seen all sorts of people and experiences. I won’t hold such trivial things against you. As long as you’re sincere, brother, I’m satisfied. You know, there are many people who put on grand displays, but in the end, they’re nothing but backstabbers, willing to throw their sworn brothers off a cliff for the smallest of gains. Truly despicable.”
“Say no more!” Liu Dashao deeply resonated with Xie Qige’s words and nodded repeatedly. He then walked up to the pile of stones, picked up the three branches, pretended to bow, poured three bowls of wine, handed one to Xie Qige and one to Fan Bag. Then the three knelt down in the dust, and Liu Dashao declared:
“Heaven above! Today, I swear brotherhood with these two elder brothers. Above us is the blue sky, below the yellow earth. We offer three bowls of wine as witness. Though we may not wish to be born on the same day, month, and year, we do wish to die on the same day, month, and year!”
“Great!” Xie Qige took the bowl, watched Liu Dashao pour the wine into the sky, and did the same himself. Fan Bag followed suit. They exchanged a glance and silently understood each other’s thoughts, saying, “Heaven above, I, Xie Bians (Fan Wujiu), swear brotherhood with this young master Liu. Let all the gods bear witness!”
They kowtowed once, and when Liu Dashao stood up, Xie Bians smiled and said, “Brother, I’m a few years your senior. Today, we’ve sworn brotherhood. Not seeking to live together, but hoping to die together. On the day of your death, it shall be the day of my death as well. Are you willing?”
“Brother Xie, what are you saying!” Liu Dashao patted his chest and said, “You speak like this, and you’ll shame your younger brother! From now on, whatever my elder brother commands, I shall obey without hesitation!”
“Hmph, then I thank you in advance, third brother!” Xie Bians bowed.
“Brother, if you speak like this, you’re treating me like an outsider!” Liu Dashao heavily patted his shoulder.
“Marvelous! Little brother, say no more. Let us drink the wine in our bowls, and from this day forth, we shall be brothers in life and death! Cheers!” After saying this, Xie Bians and Fan Wujiu clinked glasses with Liu Dashao and drank deeply.
“Then it’s settled. We shall meet again someday!” Xie Bians and Fan Wujiu, slightly tipsy, stretched and yawned.
“Alright, but…” Liu Dashao hesitated as he spoke.
“What’s the matter, brother? Speak up! Don’t be shy. Don’t underestimate your elder brothers!” Xie Bians laughed. Beside him, Fan Wujiu nodded grimly in agreement.
“Er, it’s like this. I’ve been wandering around and got lost. I was wondering how to get out of this place?” Liu Dashao shyly scratched his head.
“I thought it was something serious!” Xie Bians smiled and pointed a path for Liu Dashao, “Brother, look clearly. Follow the path I’ve shown you, go straight ahead without turning. Whatever you do, don’t look back. Soon enough, you’ll be home!”
“Great! Brother, you’re truly a master of the roads!” Liu Dashao gave each of them a bear hug and said, “I’ll miss you.” Then he turned and walked away without looking back.
As Liu Dashao’s figure gradually faded into the distance, a sinister black wind suddenly began to blow around Xie and Fan! This extremely eerie wind wrapped tightly around the two, making it feel as if some monstrous creature was about to be born!
Soon, the black wind dissipated, and the two transformed completely, donning bizarre new outfits…
They were dressed in black and white, each wearing tall hats with long tongues hanging out, even longer than those of hanged ghosts! The black-clad one held a weeping staff, with the words “I’m coming for you” written on his tall hat; while the white-clad one held an iron chain in one hand and a token in the other, with his tall hat bearing four characters, completely opposite in meaning to the black one, reading “wealth upon sight.”
Their costumes were very similar, both wearing coarse hemp robes dragging to their feet. The only difference was in color, and the black one had a fierce expression—this was Fan Wujiu. The white one had a kind face, clearly recognizable as Xie Bians. Anyone with sharp eyes would instantly know the truth—yes, they were the yin-yang messengers from the underworld, the Black and White Impermanents!
According to legend, the White Impermanent is named Xie Bians, and the Black Impermanent is named Fan Wujiu, also known as “Seventh Master” and “Eighth Master.” It is said that Xie and Fan had sworn brotherhood since childhood, sharing an inseparable bond. One day, the two walked together to Nantai Bridge. As it was about to rain, Seventh Master asked Eighth Master to wait while he went home to fetch an umbrella. However, after Seventh Master left, a thunderstorm broke out, the river swelled, and Eighth Master, unwilling to break his promise, drowned due to his small stature. Soon after, Seventh Master returned with the umbrella, only to find Eighth Master missing. Overcome with grief, Seventh Master hanged himself on the bridge pillar (hence the long red tongues often depicted on White Impermanents). King Yama commended their deep loyalty and assigned them to apprehend lawbreakers before the City God. Some say that Xie Bians means that one who thanks the gods will surely be safe, while Fan Wujiu means those who commit crimes have no salvation.
“Oh no, the rooster will crow soon. If we delay tonight’s duties, what should we do? Will King Yama get angry?” Xie Bians, his fair, chubby face wrinkled with concern, sighed.
Fan Wujiu sucked on his long tongue and frowned, “What else can we do? If he gets angry, let him get angry!”
“True. We’ve lived for thousands of years, and today was the happiest. And the roast meat was delicious too.” Xie Bians bit into a candle he had somehow grabbed, then discarded it on the ground without a second glance, smacking his lips with lingering satisfaction.
“Hehe, next time we go on duty, let’s bring some roasted rabbit too!” Fan Wujiu scratched his head with his token.
“Absolutely. If we can meet that kid again, even better! Alright, let’s go.” Xie Bians put his arm around Fan Wujiu and walked back the way they had come, side by side.
Along the way, they sang together, “White and black, black and white; brothers united, serving the yin; soul-catchers, life-takers; eating roast meat, forming brotherhood…”
“Haha, Xiao Bai, it’s time to go home!”
“Hey hey hey! Why do you call me Xiaobai? Aren’t I older than you? I’m Seventh Master, you’re Eighth Master!”
“Why? Black and White Impermanents! Black and White Impermanents! Since ‘Black’ comes first, I’m the older brother!”
“Go to hell! That’s not a valid reason at all!”
“Hmph! Not convinced? Then I’ll have to explain it to you properly…”
“Ahh!” Liu Dashao suddenly sat up halfway, his eyes wide open. The darkness in front of him suddenly disappeared, revealing only his small room and the moonlight spilling on the floor.
His bangs were soaked with sweat, sticking together in clumps, losing their previous flowing grace.
A cold sweat slid down his face, tickling, dripping from his jaw.
Liu Dashao gasped for breath, his tense nerves relaxing. He grabbed the quilt and roughly wiped his face.
Looking around at the familiar surroundings, Liu Dashao frowned. Could everything before have just been a dream? But why did it feel so real?
He cautiously scanned the surroundings. The child under the bed was gone, the small lake and the graveyard were gone, and the two sworn elder brothers were nowhere to be seen.
The entire room was peaceful, as if nothing had ever happened.
“Strange,” Liu Dashao muttered to himself. Suddenly, he remembered something and instinctively reached for his neck. The jade pendant, that jade pendant was gone!
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage