After Grandpa left, the four remaining Zhang brothers, along with their wives, gathered in the room where their brother's body lay.
Funeral arrangements needed to be made, but the air, instead of being thick with grief, buzzed with the unpleasant hum of penny-pinching.
They argued, voices rising as they debated the cheapest way to send their brother off to the afterlife.
Suddenly, a chilling sound pierced through their squabbling – a laugh, coming from where the fifth son's body lay.
At first, it was dismissed as a stray cat, ignored in their eagerness to save a few coins.
But then, the second brother's wife, her gaze drawn to the body for a fleeting moment, screamed.
A shrill, terrified sound that brought their bickering to a halt.
She scrambled backward, collapsing in a heap, her face ashen.
"What is it, ?" her husband snapped, annoyed.
"He… He's alive," she stammered, pointing a trembling finger.
They turned, their eyes fixed on the bed, and gasped.
There, sitting cross-legged, was their dead brother.
Their bickering had been so absorbed, so loud, that none of them saw him rise.
He sat there, a grotesque mockery of life: face a mottled canvas of blue and black, lips tinged purple, eyes open, but with a disturbing, white sheen to them.
His gaze swept over them, and then came the laugh again – the sound that had chilled them to the bone, like a cat yowling in the depths of night.
Panic erupted.
They screamed, pushing and shoving each other in their haste to escape the room.
The women, terrified out of their wits, could barely contain their bladder.
In their terror, they remembered Grandpa and Granny Liu's warnings from earlier that day.
Suddenly, past grievances meant nothing in the face of this chilling reality.
The oldest brother, forgetting their earlier animosity, ran towards my house, desperate for help.
He burst through the door, his words tumbling out in a breathless rush.
"Uncle… you have to come! It's my brother… he's alive!" His voice shook, tears streaming down his face.
Grandpa's disbelief was evident.
"The boy was hanging for half a day! Stiff as a board when I cut him down! How can he be alive?"
"I don't know!", the eldest brother cried, grabbing Grandpa's arm. "But Granny Liu is here, she'll know what to do!"
Grandpa turned to Granny Liu, his face etched with concern.
"It seems you were right, sister," he said, his voice grave. "We have a situation."
Granny Liu wasted no time.
"Then we mustn't delay," she said, her voice firm. "Show us the way."
They followed the eldest brother back to the Zhang house, a palpable sense of dread hanging heavy in the air.
Outside, the remaining brothers milled about, their wives huddled together, a chorus of weeping and terrified whispers filling the night.
"He's inside," the eldest brother whispered, his face pale as he pointed towards the house. "Sitting on the bed…"
And as if to punctuate his words, the chilling laugh echoed once more from within the house, raising goosebumps even on Grandpa's weathered skin.
"That laugh…" Grandpa's eyes narrowed, turning to the eldest Zhang brother.
"It's him! ", the eldest stammered. "I can't go back in there… It's unnatural… Please, Uncle, you and Granny Liu, you go!"
He backed away as if afraid they'd force him to re-enter the house.
"He's your kin! What harm can he inflict?" Grandpa chided, though a flicker of unease crossed his face.
"Please, Uncle… I beg you! I can't…", the eldest pleaded, fear contorting his features.
Seeing the genuine terror in the man's eyes, Grandpa sighed.
He turned to Granny Liu, a silent request for her to take the lead.
Together, they entered the house, leaving the terrified brothers behind.
The fifth son was a tableau of stillness, perched on the bed, the grotesque discolouration of his skin even more pronounced in the dim light.
His eyes, those unnervingly white eyes, were fixed on them as they entered.
A strange, vacant smile played on his lips.
Grandpa, despite his initial skepticism, felt a tremor of fear crawl up his spine.
"We should've brought a blade," he whispered, his voice barely audible.
"A blade wouldn't stop what's already happened, Lao Wu,"
Granny Liu replied, her gaze never leaving the figure on the bed. "He's not alive… not truly. He's a vessel, inhabited by the Yellow Immortal."
As if on cue, the fifth son let out another chilling cackle, his body swaying slightly.
Granny Liu stepped forward, her voice calm but firm.
" Liu from Sanlipu, at your service," she said, inclining her head in a gesture of respect. "Yellow Second Master, you've taken your vengeance. Surely, there's no need for further torment?"
The Yellow Second Master, as a weasel spirit was called, was second in rank amongst the five celestial beings – a force to be reckoned with.
The fifth son's head turned towards her, and then, with a voice that seemed to claw its way up from some dark abyss, spoke.
"You may hold some sway, old woman," it rasped, "but I caution you against interfering. The Zhang family disrespected my brethren. This… this is merely the beginning. I will bring them ruin! Do you truly believe I fear your kind?"
Before Granny Liu could respond, Grandpa, his anger overriding his fear, strode towards the possessed man.
With a resounding crack, he slapped him.
The force of it sent the fifth son's head reeling.
"A spirit, are you?!" Grandpa roared. "You dare defy the natural order? Begone!"
Even Granny Liu was taken aback by his boldness.
To strike a man possessed by a Yellow Immortal?
It was an act of incredible bravery, or utter foolishness.
She wasn't sure which.
The fifth son's white eyes locked onto Grandpa's, a flicker of malice in their depths.
"You, old man, share a connection with my kind," he hissed. "I will not harm you. But do not mistake this for fear. Leave. Now."
Grandpa took another step forward, fists clenched.
But Granny Liu, fearing the consequences of further provocation, gently restrained him.
"Lao Wu, let me handle this." Her voice was calm, but there was an underlying current of urgency.
They might share a connection with me, but striking the spirit directly? It was a dangerous game.
Reluctantly, Grandpa allowed himself to be pulled back.
"Yellow Second Master," Granny Liu continued, her voice even and respectful. "The Zhang family erred, this much is clear. But surely, a compromise can be reached? Name your price, and if it's within our power, it shall be done."
The possessed man gave a chilling smile.
"Bring me chickens," he croaked. "The freshest you can find. I hunger."
"You want chicken?" Grandpa burst out, his voice thick with indignation. "Eat shit!"