Chapter 9

At first, I felt a heavy weight on my shoulders, as if someone was sitting there, making me feel chilly. Later, when the chubby girl sat down, I felt a bit better. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but when I looked into the bronze mirror, I saw a wet, small child sitting on my shoulders. It looked to be about one or two years old, with chubby hands and feet, but not white—rather, it was a pale green, covered in water plants and crawling with tiny bugs. Half of its head was rotten, and it stared at me with eyes as sharp as knives, full of venomous hatred, as if it wanted to devour me.

Ah...

I had never seen such a terrifying scene before. I was so scared that I screamed loudly, falling to the ground. My pants felt warm and damp, and I started slapping my head frantically, as if I had gone mad.

How could there be such a terrifying thing in this world?

My hands waved like windmills, but they were useless. I couldn’t touch the rotten child at all. The harder I waved, the more it laughed. Its mouth stretched wider than my head, revealing a dark, sinister void inside. A chill ran down my spine, and I felt paralyzed, my body numb and unable to breathe. I rolled on the ground, feeling dizzy.

Suddenly, I glanced at the bronze mirror again and saw my face, pale and lifeless, with eyes almost bulging out and my mouth agape. On my neck, two wet hands were tightly gripping me.

"Before is the Yellow God, behind is the Yue Zhang, the divine master kills without mercy, not sparing the powerful; first, kill the evil spirits, then slay the night demons, what god will not submit, what ghost will dare to stand in the way!"

Just as the last bit of breath in my chest was about to fade, a loud voice echoed in the cave. I was jolted, feeling a warm surge in my heart, and the chill lessened. I looked up at the bronze mirror and saw the hateful expression on the wet ghost child's face disappear, replaced by fear as it retreated into the bloody, scaly flesh on my neck. My teeth chattered, and I looked up to see the old Taoist in the blue robe walking over to me. Tears streamed down my face. "Master, save me!"

Only then did I realize that what he had told my parents was true. If I were to be possessed by such an evil ghost, I wouldn’t even make it to eighteen, let alone eight.

Tears streaming down my face, the old Taoist in the blue robe paid no attention, kicking me with his black cloth shoes. "Get up. With me here, it won’t come out."

To avoid angering him, I didn’t dare disobey. I scrambled to my feet, wiping away my tears and asked, "Master, what is this thing? What should I do?"

The old Taoist found my lack of courage amusing and led me to the fire, where we sat down. He laughed and said, "You coward, you didn’t cry at all when you were born. How did you become such a crybaby after eight years?"

I felt a bit embarrassed, wiped away my tears, and sniffed, asking curiously, "Master, did you see me when I was born?"

The old Taoist smiled ambiguously and then began to tend to the injured little fox. He first cleaned the wound with boiled water, then took out two yellow papers, which ignited on their own. He carefully sprinkled the ashes on the wound and wrapped it with a clean white cloth. Finally, he pried open the fox’s mouth and fed it a fragrant red pill. The pill smelled so good that I couldn’t help but swallow my saliva, and my stomach growled.

I had only eaten a few bites of sweet potato at noon and hadn’t had a drop of water all day. Children can’t withstand hunger, and my eyes lit up at the sight of anything edible.

My stomach growled like a cuckoo bird singing. The old Taoist looked at me and asked if I was hungry. I nodded honestly. He understood and told me to skin and clean the two dead rabbits my father had brought. I took the rabbits from the bamboo basket and walked to the large water jar, where there was a small stream for washing. Next to it was a sharp little sword, and when I looked into the jar, I saw half a gourd floating.

My father was kind-hearted and couldn’t bear to kill chickens. I had helped with live animals at home because I was greedy, so I knew what to do. I set to work, skinning and cutting the rabbits. It’s a skill I wasn’t good at, but the little sword was incredibly sharp, and I finished quickly. The two fat rabbits filled a large clay pot. The old Taoist took it and prepared an iron pot. He heated some oil, added ginger, garlic, and small chili peppers, and stir-fried the rabbit meat until it lost its blood color. Then he added some wine and water, and the pot began to bubble, filling the cave with a delicious aroma. I watched the bubbling oil and swallowed my saliva repeatedly.

When the rabbit meat was cooked and tender, he added some wild green onions. I felt as if I had entered heaven. When the old Taoist placed a bowl and chopsticks in front of me, I couldn’t help but ask, "Master, aren’t you a monk? Can you eat meat?"

The old Taoist had been craving food for a long time. He poured a little wine, took a sip, and quickly stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth. The hot meat was delicious, and he ate it happily. Hearing my question, he couldn’t help but laugh, tears streaming down his face. After laughing, he explained, "Little one, I am from the Shangqing Sect, skilled in drawing talismans, chanting spells, exorcising ghosts, and performing blessings. I don’t abstain from meat." I nodded and said, "That’s right. Meat is so delicious. It would be sad if you couldn’t eat it..."

In front of the steaming, fragrant pot of rabbit meat and a little wine, the old Taoist’s mood seemed to improve. I saw his lips curl into a smile, and I no longer felt restrained. I ate heartily, and the little monkey, Chubby Girl, sniffed and jumped around. I glanced at the old Taoist and gave her a piece of the rib with no meat. Chubby Girl took it, blew on it, and ate it with tears streaming down her face. Seeing that the old Taoist didn’t mind, I gave her several more large pieces of meat.

Chubby Girl, who was so thin that she was all bones, had never seen such a feast. She squatted on the ground, eating happily.

That meal was the most beautiful scene in my memory. After eating, I took the initiative to wash the dishes and clean the stove. After washing my hands, I approached the old Taoist respectfully and asked what he needed me to do. He looked at me and said calmly, "Sit down. I’ll tell you about your situation."

Feeling the old Taoist’s kindness, I sat down happily, looking at him excitedly. He didn’t speak immediately but cleaned his hands with water and then began to feel my bones.

He felt my bones for a long time before withdrawing his hands, washing them again, and sighing, "Erdan, do you know why I didn’t want to save you at first?"

I shook my head. This old man, though stern-faced, wouldn’t even harm a few wolves, so he must be kind-hearted. But if he could save the wolves, why couldn’t he save me? I was puzzled, but he explained, "You have the 'Mountain Ghost Old Demon Evil Mark.' Those who have this mark are either reincarnated evil spirits or wandering spirits. I initially thought you were the reincarnation of an old friend, so I wanted to help you. But upon closer inspection, I realized you weren’t. Instead, I found a demon within you, a terrifying demon that hates everything in this world. If it were to be reborn and cultivate again, it would bring another calamity to the world. So, I would rather let you die than let you live!"

I burst into tears, exclaiming, "How could that be? I, Erdan, have been mischievous, but I have never done anything evil!"

The old Taoist sighed, "You are innocent, but you were born into the wrong body. If I hadn’t suppressed it, you would have started doing evil long ago."

I was terrified, my mind blank, and I could only keep kowtowing. The old Taoist, seeing my pitiful state, sighed and said, "The Great Dao has fifty paths, and one is hidden. If you truly want to live, I have a way, but it’s no easier than the eighty-one tribulations of Tang Sanzang. Are you willing?"

I kowtowed deeply and cried, "As long as I can live, I am willing to do anything!"