The ghost on the road generally doesn't cause trouble and comes and goes on its own, but if it encounters a grudge or debtor, then trouble arises. The so-called grudge or debtor, to put it plainly, refers to those who have unfulfilled wishes in the mortal world, and hope to cling to a living person with greater blessings, in order to sever their own karmic ties through the blessings of this person and thus be able to reincarnate.
But at the time when I was in my early twenties, I didn't understand this kind of thing at all, nor did I have a master to teach me, my only remaining knowledge came from the legends of the older generation and folk stories.
The two floating heads in front of me looked sinister at first glance. They had followed me all the way from the train to Shanghai, and had not appeared for nearly half a month. I thought this matter had passed, but to my surprise, shortly after I entered Xuanming Temple during the day, they came looking for trouble at night.
The first two times they each came alone, but this time both of them were present. The old woman and the eerie child's heads continued to emit terrifying laughter, and a buzzing noise rang in my ears, my heart beat violently, and I could even feel the strong vibration when my heart was beating.
Knowing that I couldn't make a sound when I opened my mouth, I forcibly calmed my mind and gradually felt for the protective amulet given to me by Daba. It was this amulet that saved my life the first time, and since the child was afraid of it, I used it as a method to save my life.
A white snake was shuttling in the child's eyes, the snake slowly stuck its head out, obviously trying to attack me. On the other hand, the old woman spat out some bugs from her mouth onto my blanket, and several centipede-like creatures, as long as a middle finger, slowly twisted their bodies and crawled towards me.
As the situation grew more and more perilous, I stood up and retreated to the corner of the room. The two passing ghosts dared not approach, but the white snake and the centipedes got closer and closer to me. With a frown, I saw the white snake raise almost half of its body, a signal of a snake preparing to attack.
In a desperate moment, I suddenly tore off the protective amulet hanging on my neck, and threw it at the child's head. As soon as the amulet hit the child's face, the child immediately screamed, the sound pierced my head like nails scratching glass, but the effect was good!
The child's head was struck directly by the amulet, and it immediately retreated, screaming loudly and with a large dark mark appearing on its face, as if it had been scorched. The white snake also stopped its attack and crawled backward. As for the centipedes, I wasn't afraid of them at all. I suddenly flipped the blanket, shook the centipedes out, and then tried to run out of the room. But just as I jumped off the bed, I felt a sharp pain on my shoulder. When I turned back, I saw that the old woman had actually opened her mouth and bitten my shoulder.
"Damn it, let go!"
At that time, I was anxious, I didn't know how to subdue ghosts or demons, and I had no tools at home. I only knew to rely on brute force to charge forward. The old woman's bite was excruciating, it felt like her teeth had pierced my skin, but there was no blood. I dragged the old woman's head forward and ran, and grabbed the amulet from the floor, then turned and pressed it forcefully on the old woman's forehead.
"Damn it, how dare you bite me!"
At that time, I didn't have time to care about the idle talk in my mouth, I just wanted to make the old woman let go. Just like the child, she screamed loudly, and finally let go. I staggered forward and opened the door, then fell into the living room.
This fall truly woke me up from the nightmare, and I was covered in sweat. I sat on the bed and saw that the blanket covering me had been completely thrown off, my shoulder was very painful, and even in the darkness, I was still terrified. I walked to the bathroom and looked in the mirror, and took a cold breath. The mirror clearly reflected a bite mark on my shoulder, although there was no blood, it was very red, and there was a clear sense of depth when touched.
The last time I encountered the child, the snake had wrapped around my arm, and the next day I woke up with noticeable marks on my arm. This time, I was bitten by the old woman and had tooth marks. I couldn't help but worry. If I were killed in the nightmare, would I really not wake up?
The next day, Fatty came to my house, and I told him about it, and we sat down and talked about it for over an hour.
"I think you felt dizzy and confused when entering Xuanming Temple, and the reason might be related to the two ghosts attached to you," Fatty said in a low voice. I was not too surprised, because I had thought of this before.
"According to you, because there are two ghosts attached to me, I angered the Bodhisattva when I entered Xuanming Temple, so the Bodhisattva didn't allow me to enter and made me dizzy. This makes sense..." I said somewhat guiltily.
"But damn it, this just proves that Xuanming Temple is indeed blessed by the Bodhisattva. So if we go in to steal stuff, will we really anger the Bodhisattva? Don't let a few thousand dollars ruin your whole life," Fatty and I thought about it again, and ultimately it became a big taboo for us.
This is something that a layperson wouldn’t understand and needs to be explained. In general, it means that locking up ghosts and monsters in a magic tool, like the shamanistic stick that Daba had, or the copper coin from the Motan religion, which not only avoids retribution but can also be sold at a good price, is their favorite task. The next is to obtain a blessed magic tool from an old monk or Daoist, this requires a higher cost but also avoids a loss of lifespan, and is therefore considered to be the second-best task. The third is tomb burial items, but grave-robbing has its own group of practitioners, people like Fatty and them don't normally get involved. The rules of the tomb are not understood by them, especially famous historical figures that would not be ordinary ghosts. As a proverb says "Be a man of outstanding ability in life, and an indomitable hero in death." When alive, they were an extraordinary person, and are equally not easy to mess with after death. But, in order to make a living, one might take the risky step of robbing a grave.
However, there are two places you should never go unless absolutely necessary, namely, the ancient temple and the Taoist temple. Even if there are no worshippers, it's still the territory of the bodhisattvas and immortals. As a commoner, wouldn't you be courting death by venturing into such a moldy place?
However, at that time, the Fatty and I were young and ignorant of such matters. We simply felt it was taboo. After a moment's thought, Fatty lit a cigarette and suddenly said, "Do you remember the graveyard behind Xuanming Temple?"
"You planning to tamper with offerings?" I asked, slightly surprised.
"Why would I need those rotten fruits! I meant, there might be earth creatures in the graveyard. Didn't you read that book? Let's try catching an earth creature in the graveyard and sell it for money!"
Upon hearing this, my mind immediately awakened. In modern society, especially in Shanghai, there were hardly any forests, let alone finding earth creatures as described in the book. But in a place like the graveyard, with heavy yin energy, there might be something to gain.
"Alright!" I immediately nodded. "But I need to get rid of the two passers-by ghosts on me first, otherwise I wouldn't dare to sleep at night. Do you know any old monk in a temple?"
Fatty thought for a while with pursed lips, then whispered, "My grandpa seems to have an old comrade who knows a bit about this. I'll ask him for you when I get back. Just wait for the news."
The day of waiting for the news was the most uneasy time in my twenty-year-old life. I couldn't tell my parents, and I couldn't sleep at night. Alone in the room, I spent the whole night reading "Mountain Wild Tales," tightly holding the talisman given by Daba. I even had several cups of strong tea, barely making it through the night.
Fatty called at noon and asked me to meet him on Lianyue Road.
Lianyue Road was near Jiading in Shanghai. I took a bus for over two hours to get there and passed through crowded and dark alleys before reaching the destination.
In front of me was an old residential courtyard with an old wooden door and copper handle. On it hung a pair of somewhat faded door gods. It looked like a very ordinary family, not quite like the secluded hermits I had imagined.
I knocked on the door, and Fatty let me in. After seeing me, he said in a serious tone, "Inside is my grandpa's old comrade, surnamed Han. The neighbors nearby all call him Master Han. Be polite and don't talk too much inside."
I nodded hurriedly and entered the courtyard. As I looked up, I saw a birdcage hanging below the eaves, inside which was a black myna. This myna had round eyes and stared at me incessantly as soon as I entered the door.
Fatty led me forward, and when I walked underneath the birdcage, the myna suddenly started chattering.
"Two ghosts, two ghosts..."