Chapter 2

1. People who often walk at night should carry a protective amulet with them.

2. Those with heavy yin energy in their八字 (eight characters) should avoid walking at night, otherwise they will surely encounter ghosts. In rural areas, this often happens in the wild, while in cities, it often occurs under overpasses, at intersections, or in dark alleys. If these people must walk at night, they should use their hands to wipe their forehead three times and repeatedly chant “Om Mani Padme Hum.”

3. When walking, it is best to stay in the middle of the road and avoid getting too close to the walls on either side to prevent collisions with spirits. As the saying goes, “snakes have their paths, and rats have theirs.” Similarly, humans have their paths, and ghosts have theirs.

4. During the Qingming Festival or around the 14th day of the seventh lunar month, avoid walking at night if possible.

5. When walking at night, do not constantly look back and around. Instead, use your ears to listen for any sounds behind you. If you hear something, then you can turn to look. To boost your courage and ward off evil, you can softly sing Buddhist hymns.

6. When you encounter someone while walking at night, do not stare into their eyes, especially if they are of the opposite sex. They might not be human, and staring could create a “love resonance,” leading to possession.

7. Do not pick up anything from the roadside, even if it is valuable. Greed can lead to bringing evil energy home.

8. If something silently touches your shoulder, do not panic. Pretend you do not know anything.

9. If it is raining and you are using an umbrella, when you get home, turn the umbrella upside down to close it, to prevent any spirits from hiding inside and entering your home.

10. When entering your home, do not turn your head to look outside. Use your ears to listen for any sounds behind you. If you turn to look, bad luck may follow you from that moment on.

11. When walking at night, do not look back. According to legend, there are three lights on our head and shoulders. Looking back while walking at night can blow out the lights on your shoulders, allowing unclean things to attach to you. This may be superstition, but imagine the difference between someone who is constantly looking around and someone who walks with their head held high.

12. Do not pat someone on the shoulder when greeting them. Friends from the northeast know that hunters are very忌讳 (superstitious) about this, as wolves and bears often place their paws on a person’s shoulders and bite their throat when they turn to look.

13. Do not respond if someone calls your name at night.

14. If you notice someone following you at night, do not panic or speed up. You can cross the street or go to a crowded place. If there is no other option, you can quickly turn to face the person and then continue walking. Whether the person is human or a ghost, your positive energy will overwhelm them.

15. Do not be attracted to attractive men or women when walking alone at night. Those who are out at such hours are more likely to be spirits. Sometimes they try to harm you by making you see them. If you get too close, you are in trouble. The night scenery may be beautiful, but remember it is still night.

16. When walking alone at night, do not be afraid. The more afraid you are, the weaker your yang energy becomes, and ghosts like that. Walk with your head held high!

17. If someone calls you from behind while you are walking on a dark road, even if it is a loud noise or the voice of a family member, do not look back. Looking back can cause a ghost to create a wall of confusion.

18. If you encounter a ghost wall, do not panic. Women should spit, and men should urinate to break the spell.

19. According to legend, from July 1st to July 15th, the King of Hell opens the ghost gate to allow hungry ghosts to seek food. Avoid going out at night to prevent encountering ghosts (those with light八字 should especially avoid going out).

20. If you must go out for special reasons, carry blessed amulets (such as Buddha beads) or hold a peach branch or willow branch (do not wave it to avoid harming hungry ghosts) and chant Buddhist mantras or Taoist spells.

21. Do not go to the river at dusk. There are water ghosts seeking substitutes, and the river is a gateway between the human world and the underworld, allowing drowned ghosts to return at night to seek food.

22. Avoid whistling, ringing bells, or making any metal sounds at night. If you have wind chimes at home, remove them to prevent ghosts from mistaking them for the soul-summoning bells of the judges.

23. Remove any long poles with fluttering objects from your yard at night. Ghosts may mistake them for soul-summoning flags, attracting spirits that will not leave.

24. Avoid frequently saying the word “ghost” to prevent drawing the attention of spirits and causing trouble.

25. Avoid calling out someone’s name or your own name at night, as it can make ghosts remember and capture your soul.

26. Avoid wearing red clothes, pants, or shoes at night to prevent hungry ghosts from mistaking them for blood (red threads can also attract souls).

27. Do not insert chopsticks into your rice bowl at dinner to prevent ghosts from mistaking it for the “last meal” and coming to eat, which can bring ghosts into your home.

28. When going out at night, if someone calls you, do not turn to look to prevent a ghost from capturing your soul. If you must turn, stand still and turn your entire body (the three lights on your head and shoulders prevent ghosts from getting close, but turning your head can extinguish them, allowing ghosts to attach to you).

29. Avoid stepping on ashes, offerings, or clothes left on the roadside, as it is disrespectful to ghosts and can cause them to attach to you.

30. When returning home at night, use a willow branch or peach branch to brush off your clothes to remove any negative energy and ghostly influences before entering (to prevent ghosts from following you by the energy). Take a bath and change into new clothes.

31. Hang peach branches or willow branches on your doors and windows to ward off evil and prevent hungry ghosts from entering to seek food.

32. If it is very dark when you return home at night, spit before entering. Saliva can ward off evil, as mentioned in “Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio.” Whether you see anything or not, you must spit before entering to prevent anything from following you home. Even if it is not true, doing this can provide some psychological comfort and reduce fear.

33. If you feel or see something following you at night, and it speeds up when you do, and slows down when you do, do the following: First, try not to look back out of fear (everyone has a certain amount of yang energy). Second, close your eyes and spit once. After spitting, ignore it and keep walking. Third, if you smoke, light three cigarettes and hold them (this is based on the idea that humans have three sources of yang energy).

34. Spirits mainly invade your mind, so when walking at night, think about happy things. Happy thoughts can excite you and provide some resistance against spirits.

35. If you carry things like dog blood or a butcher’s knife, spirits will not dare to approach you. However, these items are hard to find. Therefore, it is best to carry something made of iron or shiny metal when walking at night.

36. While walking at night, occasionally pinch your middle finger, like the hand gesture of Guanyin Bodhisattva (I have not tried this).

37. If something is following you from the front, clench your fists and make yourself angry. Anger can increase your yang energy (in simpler terms, it gives you courage). Unbutton your shirt, take a deep breath, and be prepared to fight, but it is best not to provoke them.

These taboos and legends come from the internet and may be true or false—do you want to know the truth?

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