Chapter 4: Soul grabbing

In Grandma's kitchen, the whole family looked at the exhausted Daoist and asked, "What happened?"

Wenbin looked at the eager faces of his relatives and shook his head, saying, "Today might bring trouble."

Upon hearing this, Grandma suddenly knelt down, followed by Aunt San and Uncle Xiao. Grandma tearfully begged Wenbin, "Daoist, back then we were blind and didn't recognize your master; please don't hold it against us. We beg you to save my daughter! The doctor has already declared that we should prepare for her last rites. We have no other way out, so we can only hope for your help. Our Xu family has spent a lifetime making coffins, never shorting anyone on wood, and we've even given thin coffins to those who couldn't afford them. How could our fate be so cruel?"

Wenbin hurriedly pulled Grandma up and said, "Sister-in-law, I understand about my master. His ways are quite peculiar; it's not just you, I sometimes don't understand either. I don't blame you. It's just that your daughter's birth chart is reversed, and at the age of ten, she's meant to face a calamity. On that night near the reservoir, this little girl is lacking water in her Five Elements and just happened to encounter a little ghost. According to my calculations, she's supposed to pass away on the fifteenth of this month, and today is already the fourteenth. Right now, that little ghost is still in the room; it has temporarily trapped her soul with a binding rope and sealed the exits with talismans. I suspect it's waiting to snatch her soul."

Grandma was terrified upon hearing this. She had heard tales of little ghosts snatching souls from the elders, but now it was happening to her daughter. It would be false to say she wasn't scared. Summoning her courage, she asked Wenbin, "How many little ghosts are there?"

Wenbin held up two fingers: "Two, one boy and one girl; they are transformed from two children."

These words brought clarity to the family. Many years ago, two children had drowned in the reservoir while playing with a screw. Since then, the village had prohibited children from playing near the reservoir until it was renovated. Wenbin continued, "Those two children died unjustly, so they've been trying to pull two others down with them. It's very likely that something will happen to a boy in your village on the thirtieth of this month."

Grandma asked if there was a way to help.

Wenbin replied, "There is a way, but..."

Grandma thought he was asking for money, so she immediately pulled out several large bills and handed them to Wenbin.

However, Wenbin waved his hand: "Sister-in-law, go prepare some red and green paper and some food."

Fortunately, Grandma had some colored paper at home. Aunt San often enjoyed paper cutting, so it didn't take long to have a table full of red and green paper.

Wenbin instructed Aunt San, "Take some scissors and cut out two sets of clothes, one red and one green, for children. The style doesn't matter, just make them look like clothes."

Though Aunt San was timid, she had a skilled hand, and soon enough, she handed two sets of paper clothes to Wenbin. He placed them in a bamboo basket and reminded Grandma to prepare six dishes—three meat and three vegetables, plus two cups of wine and two empty bowls with chopsticks on top—all to be arranged in the basket.

After everything was prepared, half an hour had passed. Wenbin carried the items to the entrance of Grandma's house and lit three sticks of incense and two candles.

As the incense burned down, a crowing of a rooster suddenly erupted from the chicken coop. Wenbin shouted, "Not good!" and rushed into Aunt's room. He bit his middle finger and pressed it against Aunt's forehead, instructing Grandpa to catch the largest rooster from the coop.

Grandpa hurriedly brought the rooster, and Wenbin cut its throat, letting the blood drip around Aunt's bed. He then exited the room and went to the altar where the offerings were laid, closing his eyes and shouting, "Get out!"

From his bag, he retrieved a treasured sword and a large seal. The sword glowed with a chilling aura, its design both ancient and elegant, with a yin-yang symbol on the hilt. The seal was made of bronze, roughly the size of an adult's palm, inscribed with the words: "Daoist Master's Treasure!"

With the sword in his right hand and the seal in his left, Wenbin began chanting incantations, looking like a celestial being. As he chanted, his right hand twitched, and the sword gleamed, lifting a talisman from the table. He pointed the sword at Aunt, and with a rip, the talisman ignited. He repeated this with a second talisman. After that, he took out a piece of black paper and vigorously drew a talisman, pressing the large seal onto it and sticking it in Aunt's room, layering it with eight additional talismans before closing the door behind him.

Wenbin instructed Grandma to take Grandpa and the two kids to the reservoir to place the paper clothes and dishes there, telling them to wait until dawn to return. They must not speak or look back toward home, and he asked Uncle Xiao to bring his small black dog.

Grandma and Grandpa, carrying the bamboo basket, walked the long distance to the reservoir, following Wenbin's instructions to reach the dam. Facing away from home, they lit incense and set the dishes, hiding in the dilapidated pump house until dawn.

At daybreak, the family hurried home. Upon arriving at the door, they found it wide open. Grandma stepped in first and saw Wenbin collapsed outside Aunt's door, unconscious. Grandpa rushed in to check on Aunt.

To their relief, Aunt lay peacefully in bed, with no signs of distress. They exchanged glances and carried Wenbin into the guest room. Wenbin soon awoke, looking weak, and told Grandma, "It's all fine now. Let her rest well."

Wenbin slept until the next evening, waking at the same time as Aunt. When she mentioned she was hungry, Grandma quickly made her some egg noodles, and Aunt enjoyed the meal.

After dinner, Grandma respectfully served Wenbin tea and handed him a bundle of cash. In rural customs, it was customary to give a red envelope as gratitude for spiritual help; after all, it seemed Aunt was truly out of danger.

Wenbin chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "Sister-in-law, I don't work for money. I can't accept this red envelope. As a Daoist, my purpose is to help others. Besides, this matter is connected to the child; I can't accept money. If my master knew, he would scold me."

Grandma was insistent, feeling grateful that the person who saved her daughter's life refused any reward. What should she do?

Wenbin took a sip of tea and continued, "However, the child is safe now. But I fear I have my own issues tonight. The little ghosts will likely come after me tonight since it's the night of the full moon and their resentment will be strong. If my master were here, dealing with these two ghosts wouldn't be difficult. But my skills are limited; I may need your brother's help."

Grandpa stood up immediately: "You just say the word, and I will do it."

Wenbin patted the small black dog beside him. "I predict those two little ghosts will try to ambush me on the way back. Brother, please find three butchers to accompany me home. As long as I make it back, those little ghosts won't be able to do anything to me."

He explained that butchers often dealt with blood, carrying a heavy aura, which generally kept small ghosts away, emphasizing that this time, those two little ghosts were indeed not simple.