My name is Liang Yueming, and I was born in a remote and poor rural village, the kind where chickens don't lay eggs and birds don't defecate.
Because of the secluded location, there was no electricity, and chatting became the biggest pastime for the villagers after meals. Ghosts were also one of their favorite topics to discuss with relish.
Since I was little, I had listened to the adults talk about ghosts and monsters. At first, I was a bit scared, often diving under the covers and unable to fall asleep for a long time. But as I heard more and more, I became indifferent to such stories, convinced that they were all made up, and that there were no such things as ghosts or spirits in this world.
That was until I fell ill with a strange sickness when I was ten. Each evening, I would come down with a high fever, but as soon as dawn broke, the fever would subside. Due to limited resources, the local doctors couldn't diagnose the illness, and a trip to the city was at least three hundred miles away. For these people who had scarcely left their village, three hundred miles was an astronomical distance.
My grandmother was a firm believer in ghosts and spirits, and it wasn't until the third day of my illness that she felt something was wrong. She insisted on running over ten miles to bring back a Yin Yang Master.
As soon as he arrived home, my grandmother was busily boiling water and cooking meals, even killing my favorite big rooster.
After having his fill of food and drink, the Yin Yang Master examined me and declared that I was afflicted by a vengeful ghost. He then asked me what I had been doing before falling sick.
Feeling obligated to that big rooster that had been eaten because of me, I carefully recalled the period before I became ill. There had been nothing out of the ordinary, just eating and playing.
The only thing that had been different was when my friends and I were playing in the gully outside the village, I stepped on and shattered a skull. That night, I also had a terrifying nightmare about a woman in red with a bloody face coming after me to take my life, although I can't remember the specific reason why.
Upon hearing that I had crushed a skull and about the dream I had, my grandmother scolded me for not telling the family about such a significant incident.
The Yin Yang Master suggested that the problem might lie with that skull, so at his request, I led them to the gully where we used to play.
By the time we reached the spot where the skull was, dusk had fallen. It wasn't all that unsettling during the day, but it felt rather eerie after dark.
A chilling breeze caused shivers down our spines, and countless bats, casting shadows like a cloud over the moon, had taken flight in search of food. The occasional hoot of an owl seemed to convey that darkness had set in. The willow trees in the gully, swayed by the wind and rustling loudly, looked almost as though something exciting was dancing among them, adding a touch of terror to this lonely gully.
My body temperature had started to rise, bringing on the fever, and my grandmother held me tight in her arms. Other than being lucid, I couldn't even move my fingers.
The Yin Yang Master lit a torch and examined the shattered skull, only stopping when he found some decayed yet recognizable red fabric among the dry bones around it. Frowning, he announced that we would discuss it back at home.
On the way back along the original trail, navigating the gully at night was exceptionally difficult. Boulders of various sizes lay scattered about, having rested there for who knows how many years. The group had to pick their way carefully over large stones while also warding off sudden attacks from the bats, which were either hungry or behaving aggressively for some other reason, ready to bite at any moment. I only recently found out that the bats in my hometown were vampiric.
The journey of a few miles from the gully back home took us over two hours.
Once home, my grandmother laid me out on the bed, covered me with the blanket, and placed a cool cloth on my forehead. Then, unable to wait, she eagerly asked the Yin Yang Master if the situation looked hopeful.
Taking a deep draw from his pipe, the Yin Yang Master looked rather solemn as he said that a vengeful ghost indeed haunted me and it was a fierce one at that, not easy to deal with.
My grandmother, frightened, begged the Yin Yang Master to help. She said that as long as my illness could be cured, sacrificing all she had was a price she was willing to pay.
The Yin Yang Master replied that there was no need for such measures. He had only one request, which was that after curing my illness, I would become his apprentice.
My grandmother agreed immediately, without even consulting my parents. They, standing by, didn't interject, knowing that curing my sickness was all that mattered.
The Yin Yang Master instructed my grandmother that after dawn, to bring some incense, candles, spirit money, and gold ingots to where the skeleton was, bury it, and burn the offered items for it, appealing to it to see if it would let me go. If that didn't work, we would consider other methods.
Grandma arranged a room for the Yin Yang Master to settle down in while she herself didn't close her eyes all night, sitting in the old house stacking spirit money and gold ingots.
After daylight arrived and my fever subsided, I carried a hoe and, holding the incense, candles, and spirit money, went with Grandma back to that ravine again.
The scenery in the ravine during the day was a huge contrast to the night, with colorful flowers and green willows, and various birds chirping on the branches. There was no need to worry about bats, and the road was much easier to travel, so we quickly reached the spot with the skull.
Once I finished digging the hole, Grandma carefully buried the bones. Not a single fragment was left behind.
After the burial, Grandma lit the incense and candles, placed them in front of the grave, and had me kneel down with her to start burning the spirit money and gold ingots.
As she kowtowed, Grandma burned the spirit money and gold ingots, muttering continuously, "The child doesn't understand, don't blame the strange. I'm burning more incense and gold ingots for you, please let my grandson go." She spoke such words, but due to the passage of time, I no longer remember exactly what else was said.
After returning home, we prepared some food to treat the Yin Yang Master. The whole family didn't do anything, just silently waited... During this time, the Yin Yang Master asked if I was willing to become his apprentice and learn some skills, but seeing my lack of interest, he didn't say anything further.
As dusk fell, the Yin Yang Master spread a thin layer of rice on the ground in the yard, placed a table at the door, lit an oil lamp, and set three bowls on it, filled with clear water. An incense burner held five sticks of incense, and on one corner of the table, a pair of chopsticks tied with a red string was placed—this was considered opening the altar.
A chill wind blew through, and the Yin Yang Master ordered my family to hold hands and form a circle around me, not allowing me to step out. He lit five sticks of incense again and inserted them into the burner, looking out of the house.
Creak, creak...
A faint sound came from outside, as if someone was stepping on the rice spread on the ground.
The sound drew closer, and the three bowls of water began to boil and bubble as if they were heated.
Whoosh...
Another chill wind blew, and my temperature rose again, my strength slowly fading away.
The Yin Yang Master shouted, "Everyone, hold hands tightly, don't let go!" He grabbed the chopsticks tied with the red string and fiercely clamped down on the middle finger of my left hand.
My consciousness started to slip away, but I vaguely remember the conversation between the Yin Yang Master and "me".
The Yin Yang Master asked why I wouldn't accept the apology and continued to harass this child.
"I" replied that I had been wandering in the wilderness for over a hundred years, originally having been wronged, committed suicide in red clothing to become a vengeful ghost seeking revenge. But after my vengeance, I unexpectedly couldn't reincarnate, turned into an evil spirit, and my corpse was exposed to the wilderness. The Underworld wouldn't accept me, so I could only become a wandering ghost. It was because he had stepped on my bones that I followed him back...
After hearing its tale, the Yin Yang Master knew it would not leave easily, and after discussing with my family, he told "me" there was a way to resolve the matter, which was to become the Home Guardian Deity for the Chen Family. I would be offered our family's sacrifices, but must ensure the family's safety and well-being.
Seeing "me" agree, the Yin Yang Master released the chopsticks holding my left middle finger.
With a gust of cold wind, I slowly regained consciousness and my strength gradually returned...