Chapter 6

Stopping here with the pen, someone might wonder: How could you suddenly know the incantation for cursing, when you knew nothing before?

Let me explain a bit. Raising a spirit is actually quite easy, but cursing is difficult. The reason I knew the incantation for raising a spirit is that I had seen it in a spell book, a simple phonetic translation, which suddenly became very clear in my memory, so I learned it. Moreover, among all types of cursing, cursing someone in person is the simplest, akin to the level of a driving test for reversing into a parking space. Of course, the most important point is that I have the King of a Hundred Spirits, the Golden Silkworm Spirit, in my stomach, which has become my life-bound spirit.

What is a life-bound spirit? It is connected to the flesh, sharing life and breath.

After I finished reciting the spirit incantation, I focused on Officer Yang's face. Within two minutes, he clutched his stomach, his facial muscles twitching, his face turning ashen, his neck stiff, and large drops of sweat trickled down from behind his ears. Officer Ma asked him what was wrong, and he said it might be the fast food he ate yesterday, causing his stomach to hurt, piercingly so, and he wanted to go to the toilet.

I sneered and told him, "Don't go, or you'll see a pile of feces full of worms and scare yourself."

The two officers and the plain-faced female recorder all looked at me. Officer Ma asked, "Did you do this?" I had an itchy nose and sneezed, first silently reciting the mantra "Ling Biao Tong Qie Jie Xin Lie Qi Chan," then sneered, "I've been here in the station all day for no reason, hungry and with a headache. Someone has to take responsibility."

"Stop your nonsense!"

Officer Yang slammed the table, glared at me, and left, clutching his stomach. I didn't say anything, just lowered my head and dozed off. The atmosphere inside was so tense it could freeze a person. After a while, Officer Yang, pale-faced, pushed open the door. He almost dragged himself to the door, his eyes red, and shouted at me, his voice tinged with tears, "You damn bastard, what did you do to me?"

Officer Ma quickly supported him, "Xiao Yang, Xiao Yang, what's wrong with you?"

Officer Yang weakly grabbed Officer Ma's sleeve, crying uncontrollably, "I went to the toilet, and I pooped out a pile of live white worms... They were still wriggling..." He tried to continue, but Officer Ma stopped him, turned to look at me, paused for three seconds, then bowed and apologized, "Mr. Lu, I'm sorry, our investigation methods were inappropriate. I apologize on behalf of everyone. Please don't make things difficult for Xiao Yang."

In our family, "Mr." is usually used for fortune-tellers or people in the occult, and this title made me want to laugh. Thinking that we were all from the same place and would see each other often, I didn't want to offend him too much, so I said, "I need to call home to report my safety..."

******

I was immediately released. Officer Ma said he would treat me to a meal at the best restaurant in the county to apologize. I said there was no need to rush, and looking at the furious Officer Yang, I asked him, "Do you admit it?" He was probably terrified by the worms, and though he was resentful, he could only lower his head and say, "I admit it."

I said, "Good, go change your pants first."

His face turned red, and Officer Ma's face twitched. After Officer Yang left, he wiped the door vigorously. I didn't mention the part about Officer Yang not wiping his bottom, but I instructed Officer Ma, "Go to the market or the nearest farm and buy a fresh, free-range egg. It must be the freshest. Also, get some red thread and yellow paper talismans. These can be found in a spirit goods store. Hurry, the faster the better."

He agreed and immediately ordered his subordinates to do it, while I was led to an office to sit, with Officer Ma keeping me company. We talked about the dismemberment case. Soon, Officer Yang came in with the red thread and yellow paper talismans. I told them I really didn't know anything about the case. They said they knew, explaining that the two dismemberment cases had the same method, but I had an alibi for the first one, so I was a suspect but not a major one. They were just under pressure from above and wanted to try to find a breakthrough through me.

I cursed these bastards in my heart, but since we had reconciled, I didn't say anything.

When a pretty young policewoman brought in a brownish-yellow egg, I took it and placed it in a cup of boiling water they had prepared. Then I used the red thread to tie Officer Yang's wrists and ankles and started to beat him. After two minutes, I told him to take off his shirt, and I rolled the egg over his stomach, slowly, from his chest to his ribs, and down to his pelvis.

After about two minutes, I burned the yellow paper talisman and untied the red thread.

Officer Ma asked if it was done. Although I had no experience and was just following the book, I had to say, "Yes, it's done." Officer Yang, after being beaten, turned red and said he needed to go to the toilet again. I said it was a good sign, as the remaining toxins would be expelled, and this time there would be no worms. He ran out, half-believing me.

Officer Ma continued to talk about the dismemberment case. I asked if Li Decai had been found. I suspected that the dismemberment was not done by a human but by a dwarf horse. He asked why I thought so, and I helped him analyze it. Seeing me as an expert, Officer Ma remembered a strange case and showed me the file, asking me to help analyze it.

I didn't refuse and took a look: The victim was a little girl, only six and a half years old, the youngest daughter of a wealthy businessman in the county. She died mysteriously, without any illness, suddenly falling ill for several days, her eyes rolling back, and spitting black blood. The businessman was very sad and buried the child, but his wife suspected something was amiss and called the police for help. In a remote county, burials are usually traditional, and it hadn't been long, so the businessman, though opposed, eventually agreed to an autopsy. To their surprise, the body had been stolen.

I said that the symptoms of eyes rolling back and spitting black blood suggested she might have been cursed, or it could have been a disease.

If an autopsy had been done at the time, it would have been best, but now that the body was stolen, it was pointless to speculate.

It was all from half a year ago.

At this moment, Officer Yang came in and bowed deeply, saying, "I'm sorry, Mr. Lu, I didn't recognize your greatness and offended you. Fortunately, you are magnanimous and let me off. I, Yang Yu, will remember this in my heart." Seeing his sincerity, I waved him off, saying it was to get out of trouble, and he shouldn't bear a grudge. Officer Yang quickly said he wouldn't, looking devout.

I was afraid he might still harbor resentment, so I said, "Don't overthink it. Although I made you suffer a bit, I also cured your neck pain. We're even now." He touched his neck and found it no longer hurt, jumping up in joy.

Actually, the original purpose of spirits was not to harm but to heal, also known as witch doctors, as recorded in Li Shizhen's "Compendium of Materia Medica." I won't go into the details, but later people found it more useful for harm than healing, leading to its bad reputation.

Officer Yang said he would treat me to a drink at the best restaurant in the county.

I didn't refuse, knowing that having more friends means more paths, and having more enemies means more walls.

At this moment, the pretty young policewoman with a well-endowed chest came in, pointing to the items on the table and asking if they should be cleared away. I said yes, and she put them in a plastic bag to throw out. Officer Ma joked that the egg wasn't broken and could be breakfast for Officer Yang, as it was expensive. I shook my head, saying it wouldn't do, and when they asked why, I said to open it and see. Officer Ma cracked the egg, and the egg white was already solid. When he peeled to the yolk, it was covered with tiny white and black worms, still wriggling.

Everyone's faces turned pale, and the policewoman screamed in fright.

I was also scared but had to act like an expert, saying, "This must be burned in a stove, not thrown away carelessly, to prevent it from spreading."

They all agreed and looked at me with reverence.

At that moment, I felt extremely satisfied. Although I had done well in 2007, every time the uniformed tax inspectors came to my shop, I had to bow and scrape, fawning like a second-rate lackey, for fear they would cause trouble. So, although I had some money, being treated like this was a first, and the pride I felt was like basking in the sun, warm and comforting.

What's the big deal about public safety experts? They were still at my mercy.

At that moment, I suddenly became interested in the things my grandmother left me. These mysterious items made me feel that with them, I didn't have to live a meek and lowly life. I could hold my head high and live with dignity, making all those who looked down on me see me in a new light. This thought made me extremely elated.

We had dinner at Shanjiang Hotel that evening. In the private room, there were over a dozen dishes, all hearty, and the wine was good, Wuliangye. The company, however, was only Officer Ma, Officer Yang, and the policewoman I had seen in the station, a lavish scene that left me, a small and frugal shop owner (or individual entrepreneur?), speechless.

After a few rounds of drinks and a variety of dishes, as the atmosphere grew lively, Yang Yu (now familiar enough to drop the "Officer" title) held my hand and called me brother, saying he had never truly admired anyone in his life. His father was a state leader, and his mother was the CEO of a timber company, so he had grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth, proud of everyone. But today, he truly admired me, wholeheartedly. If I needed anything, he would do it, and anyone who said otherwise was a bastard.

I said it was a matter of necessity today, but it was also a case of no fight, no acquaintance. If anything happened in the future, we would help each other.

Ma Haibo was a slick old hand, always trying to get me to reveal my secrets, asking how I did it. I only knew a little, half a bottle of water shaking, a full bottle not spilling, so I couldn't explain it to him. I just played it mysterious, talking in riddles, telling him it was a family tradition, not to be shared with outsiders.

Yang Yu, pulling on my sleeve, envied me to tears: Having a state leader for a father was nothing compared to having a grandmother with real skills.

I'm a foodie, having tried most of the delicacies in Dongguan, always craving good food, sometimes driving over an hour just for a good meal, and eating in a very unrefined manner. This habit was formed during my early years of hardship, when I was hungry and had no money, so I drank a lot of water and tightened my belt. Now, with a beautiful woman beside me, I tried to eat more refinedly. However, the girl named Huang Fei didn't let me off, constantly pouring me drinks.

I'm a man of pride, not wanting to be seen as ungracious, so I drank whenever someone toasted me.

Before long, a liter of white wine was in my stomach, and I started to feel light-headed, agreeing to things I couldn't remember. I tried to stay sober but became more unsteady, looking at the beautiful Huang Fei, her smile like a flower, my long-dormant heart suddenly racing, just wanting to hold her hand and embrace her.

"Lu Zuo, please help us... please help us, or I'll be criticized by my superiors!" Her voice was sweet, coming from a policewoman, making me feel a surge of manliness and courage... definitely!

{Piaotian Literature}