A green light floated in the yard, which should have been very faint, but due to the lack of light in the surroundings, the black night made this green light appear eerie.
I could clearly see the face of an old man in the green light, not kind but rather emitting an evil aura. The drooping corners of the eyes, sharp nose, and the terrifying smile on the raised corners of the mouth.
It felt like seeing the face of a traitor in "Guerrillas in the Plain". But the body was hunched, very short, about the same height as Zhu. I didn’t know what color its sparse long hair originally was, but the most disgusting thing was the pus-filled sores all over its face, and even through the green light, I could see the liquid pus flowing down.
"Damn, that's really disgusting."
The fat man cursed, but the old ghost in the green light just gave a cold smile, and its eyes fell on Master Han and Mr. Yu, each eyeball looking outward, making its face look asymmetrical, and its mouth was constantly smiling in a sly manner.
"Grudge!"
After seeing the old man's face in the green light, I thought for a moment, then said so.
"What grudge?"
The fat man asked, somewhat puzzled, while Mr. Yu smiled slightly and said, "Oh? You know about the Grudge."
"The so-called Grudge is a kind of ghost recorded in the 'Mountain and Wilderness Anecdotes', not well known to the general public. It is usually when a lonely old person worked hard all their life but was not happy in their old age, finally dying in a frustrated state and turning into a grudge. Usually, their resentment comes from unfilial children; if they were abused by their children in their old age, they will become a grudge after death and haunt their children, absorbing their good fortune."
I briefly explained, the fat man nodded repeatedly, and pulled me back a few steps, indicating that Mr. Yu and Master Han should deal with the ghost.
The grudge paced in the yard, apparently reluctant to act rashly, and Master Han circled behind it, holding the small scissors he had used to deal with the roadside ghosts before. However, compared to the previous ghosts, the grudge in front of him seemed much more composed.
At this point, Master Han spoke some words that I couldn't quite understand. The syllables were simple but very obscure, and the voice was very low, with a kind of murmur.
"Mr. Yu, what is Master Han saying?"
The fat guy plucked up the courage to ask.
"My junior brother is asking why this laboring ghost broke into the courtyard," Yu Lao smiled and replied, indeed the elderly predecessor didn't change his expression facing such a frightful ghost.
After hearing this, the fat guy and I looked at each other, isn't this really talking nonsense?
Upon hearing Han Shifu's voice, the laboring ghost slowly turned its head, opened its mouth but made no sound, suddenly, pus and fluid from its festering sores sprayed out, splashing towards Han Shifu. Han Shifu seemed to have been prepared early, and he jumped to the side. The pus landed on the ground, immediately burning a large scorch mark, looking like sulfuric acid.
"Junior brother, have you not practiced for many years, and your skills have regressed?" Yu Lao shouted, Han Shifu frowned, knowing that Yu Lao was deliberately provoking him, he turned his wrist, pointing the scissors at the laboring ghost's body, stepped forward, and actually approached the laboring ghost's body!
"Urgency as per the law!"
This is the standard incantation of Taoism. As soon as these words were spoken, the scissors fell! Standing behind Yu Lao, I seemed to see a dazzling light shining from the small and exquisite scissors. The laboring ghost seemed to know the danger of the scissors and hurriedly retreated to avoid it. At this moment, Han Shifu swung out another yellow talisman, the talisman floated in front of the laboring ghost's face, but there was a "bang," and a green smoke emerged. Looking again, the paper talisman on the ground had turned green at this time!
"Fatso, did you just see the light on the scissors?"
I asked strangely.
"What light? I didn't see anything."
The fat guy shook his head, looking at me with some confusion. I was even more surprised. The light that just appeared on the scissors was very bright. It didn't make sense that I saw it wrong. While feeling puzzled, my feet stepped forward and stood beside the paper talisman.
Han Shifu reached out and picked up the paper talisman, tied a knot, then asked fatso for a lighter and set it on fire. As the flames burned the paper talisman, I seemed to hear a wail coming from it, as if from the talisman. The flames burned vigorously, the green smoke dispersed, but I saw a faint shadow float out, within which seemed to be the face of an old man.
"Can you see it?"
Yu Lao looked at me in puzzlement.
"See what?"
I asked strangely in return.
"See that shadow…" Yu Lao pointed to the air, "But generally speaking, without having experienced a heavenly eye, it's impossible to see it. If you can see it, it should be a coincidence."
"How did this happen? How could a little ghost enter?"
The fat guy interjected at this time, diverting the topic elsewhere.
Yu Lao and Han Shifu looked at each other and then turned to bring us into the house. Inside the main hall, everyone was not in their sleepwear. After Han Shifu sat on a chair and had a sip of tea, he said, "This is a greeting from the other side."
Upon hearing this, the fat guy and I were a bit puzzled. A greeting? Who would send a ghost as a greeting?
"We opened the altar this afternoon, inquired about the other side. At night, they sent a laboring ghost over just to tell me and my junior brother to mind our own business. Kid, think if you might have offended someone in the past."
Yu Lao looked at me, but how could I figure it out! I felt strange before. I'm a twenty-year-old young man, no enemies, no money, no women, I've always lived a very low-key life as an unemployed drifter. Who would have nothing better to do than to mess with me?
"But, senior brother, there are not many who can perform this technique of exorcism and soul subjugation now. The laboring ghost is not a formidable entity, but those with such abilities, do you have anyone in mind?"
Master Han asked with deep suspicion.
"Hmph, early tomorrow I will invite the ancestor to possess me, and use the Qian Guang mirror to take a look. But no matter who the other party is, their origins are not righteous. The art of driving away ghosts and capturing souls is an evil method. In the end, the other party is not a decent person. If they provoke me, I might as well fight with them in the end."
I and Fatty listened on the side, feeling as if we were in a fog, as if we were watching a martial arts movie, making it seem like a feud in the martial world, full of unpredictable enmity.
"Oh right, have you thought about what you want, little kid?"
Yú Lao asked me at this moment.
I lowered my head slowly, feeling extremely conflicted at that time. Today, a little ghost came, tomorrow I might encounter powerful demons. We spent half a day just trying to catch a "Fang Wei". How can we continue the business of trafficking ghosts and selling demons in the future? Even though I am no diamond, I always feel reluctant to quit at this moment. After all, it took so much effort to come into contact with this world, as if it were arranged for me, how can I turn back at this moment?
At the crossroads of life, turning left would just make me an ordinary person. Going right would bring many difficulties.
"Two masters!"
I suddenly stood up from the chair, feeling a rush of heat in my heart, and expressed my gratitude with a deep bow.
Fatty, beside me, was confused by my bow, saying, "What the hell are you doing?"
I pursed my lips and said in my most sincere voice, "I want to continue along this path, please teach me the skills, both of you."
The decision made that spring day has brought countless regrets throughout the years. I am not one to tell lies, and every time I faced danger and was at the brink of death, I wondered if it would have been better if I had chosen to live as an ordinary person.
However, regardless of my regrets, time cannot be turned back. On that day, I chose to step into the unknown world!
Yú Lao held my hand and said with a smile, "I may not have the bond of master and disciple with you, but I can still teach you some self-defense skills. However, if your friend does not enter this line of work, it's best not to be with you."
"Who says I won't join!" Unexpectedly, Fatty quickly shouted at this moment, "Damn it, we're good buddies, and I'm also an unemployed drifter, let's do it together! We make money together and endure hardships together."
I turned back to look at him gratefully, and Master Han, sitting in the back, looked at Fatty and laughed, "For old Cui's sake, I will also teach you a few skills. So that you won't perish at the hands of ghosts and let down your family."
Strictly speaking, Yú Lao and Master Han could be considered as our mentors, but we would later formally apprentice ourselves to others. However, if it weren't for the help of the two seniors, perhaps Fatty and I would have died young long ago.
"Get up at five o'clock tomorrow morning, learning skills is not an easy task. I won't stay in Shanghai for long, I'll leave after finishing my business. It won't be more than a month, it depends on your fate how much you can learn."
Yú Lao finished speaking and yawned, then walked back to his room with his hands behind his back. Fatty and I looked at each other, and it seemed that we could see the excitement in each other's eyes!