When we caught up with Lin Erdan, he had already run to the back hill, with Bai Zhenzhu chasing after him and calling out while running. This woman became the center of attention in the village twice in one day. Lin Erdan ran like a rabbit, and at first, people thought Bai Zhenzhu was chasing Lin Erdan to fight with him again. How could she have the nerve? Almost killed him earlier, and now that he woke up, she's chasing after him to continue the fight. So, at first, everyone tried to stop Bai Zhenzhu. It wasn't until Lin Erdan's parents explained the situation that everyone joined the hunt for Lin Erdan.
The hunting party kept growing, after all, this was not a terrifying monster, just a person who seemed to have lost his mind. Until later, everyone cornered him in the peach orchard of Seven Ye on the back hill. He was wrapped in a rope, with only his head exposed.
When I arrived, I saw a bizarre scene. Lin Erdan, tied up, was standing there just like Second Uncle. At his feet, Bai Zhenzhu, his parents, were actually kneeling and kowtowing to him.
"Uncle San, it's time for you to go. It's time to reincarnate. If you need food or money, just tell me, I'll take care of it for you. But don't make it hard for the kid," Lin Erdan's father said, also kowtowing to "Lin Erdan." The scene was both bizarre and ridiculous.
Most rural people will use this method to deal with possession and other ghostly events, which is to burn paper money. It's cheap, anyway. One yuan can buy three stacks of paper money with a face value of one hundred million. How impressive? I guess that's where the saying “money talks” comes from.
But it seemed that Lin Erdan, who was possessed by San Ye, didn't want to talk to anyone, or perhaps his mind was unclear. I believe many people have not experienced possession by a ghost, but the ones who have are known to be few. So, let me describe how Lin Erdan appeared at that moment. If you looked at his expression and eyes, you could feel that it was extremely weird. If you were to say it was the expression of San Ye, it didn't look like it at all.
Because San Ye, when he was alive, was a very serious and kind person, and everyone knew that. I felt that a person's soul is their spirit. Even if there really are ghosts, the ghost represents the person's soul and spirit. How could San Ye suddenly become like this?
I didn't intend to get too close this time. My family is in the eye of the storm, and any slip could set off a wildfire. So, my father and I joined the crowd and squeezed in to watch the excitement. —— Not everyone believes in ghosts and gods so devotedly.
Right at that time, when the possessed San Ye turned a deaf ear to these pleas, Seven Ye walked over with a peach wood stick and called out to Lin Erdan, "Third Brother, you've been smart all your life. Why are you behaving like Lin Laomei now, being honest when alive and restless when dead? If you have something to say, tell me. What's the matter with making things difficult for the kid?"
"Third Grandfather" still remained silent.
"Third Brother! You better leave when you should, or else, don't blame me, Old Seven, for not showing respect to an elder brother!" Seven Ye quivered with rage. He pointed the peach wood stick at San Ye as a threat.
In broad daylight, with so many people around, it's worth noting that even though the person possessing Lin Erdan was San Ye, his brothers were not afraid of him, and actually tried to use both strong and gentle methods against a ghost.
"Old Seven, do you dare to hit me?" At that moment, "Lin Erdan," who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.
"Why wouldn't I dare to hit you!" Seven Ye said as he hit Lin Erdan with the peach wood stick (peach wood is known as the "scared ghost wood" in the countryside. When handling spiritual matters, it is usually used. In television dramas, Taoist priests often use peach wood swords as their weapon. Sometimes, people who are often oppressed by ghosts use a piece of peach wood under their pillow to prevent that situation. Of course, if peach wood cannot be found, a slightly open pair of scissors can also be put under the pillow to prevent nightmares. )
I stared intently at Seven Ye, fervently hoping that the peach wood stick would really work and make San Ye afraid, causing him to leave Lin Erdan's body.
Moreover, based on San Ye's reaction just now, it seemed that he was very afraid of peach wood. And sure enough, when Seven Ye hit Lin Erdan with the peach wood stick, the voice he let out was extremely strange, just like San Ye's voice.
"Old Seven, hit me! You can't kill me," Lin Erdan endured the hits and yelled, while Seven Ye hit him, crying and shouting, "Third Brother, even if you die, you shouldn't end up like this!"
I understood Seven Ye's feelings, and I was equally surprised. How could San Ye, who had been so stable, have become like this?
Does a person become bad after turning into a ghost?
I continued to silently watch. My father wanted to step forward, but I held him back. It's not that I chose to evade at this moment because of cowardice, but because even if we went over, it would have been useless. What could the two of us do to subdue Lin Erdan's fraudulent corpse at this moment?
So, Seven Ye used the peach wood stick to whip Lin Erdan, and the voice coming from Lin Erdan's mouth was San Ye's strange voice, making people feel extremely uncomfortable.
However, just hitting like this obviously isn't a solution. You should know that although the peach wood branch is known as a ghost-scaring wood, it's now being used to hit Lin Er Egg's body. In the blink of an eye, the peach wood branch has hit Lin Er Egg's body hundreds of times.
At this point, Bai Zhenzhu couldn't bear it and pounced on Lin Er Egg, grabbing the peach wood branch that Uncle Seven had been using, and shouted, "Uncle Seven, stop! You're hitting Lin Er Egg!"
Uncle Seven also clearly noticed the problem and angrily tossed aside the peach wood branch, pointing at Lin Er Egg and said, "Lao San! If our ancestors knew about this in the afterlife, would they forgive you for tormenting a child like this?"
"If you have any grievances, just say it. We're brothers, no need to be so polite," said Bai Zhenzhu.
Now, it seemed that every possible method had been used, but none of them worked. Grandfather Three, who had turned into a "ghost," seemed to have become a fearless rascal.
"You ask me to leave, but I won't. You hit me, but you can't get rid of me. I simply won't leave."
Faced with such a person, everyone was at a loss. Seeing the helplessness of the others, Lin Er Egg's family, who were already in a sorry state, were now crying uncontrollably. I felt that I couldn't just stand by and watch. Even if this whole thing was caused by my grandfather, I couldn't avoid it anymore. When facing a crisis that seemed unresolvable, people always hope for the appearance of a hero, just like seeing a monster and knowing that Ultraman will come to the rescue. And at this moment, although I couldn't find Yin Yang Master Xu Lin, as he was in Shanghai, there was someone else who would surely have a solution.
That person was Second Uncle. But as I searched for him in the crowd, I couldn't find him anywhere. Watching Lin Er Egg, possessed by Grandfather Three, in such distress, Second Uncle seemed like someone with incredible skills but who desired seclusion. Unfortunately, this person didn't have a sense of justice. However, I had decided to ask him for help.
At this point, I secretly said to my father, "Dad, I'm going back home for a while."
Although my father didn't understand why I chose to go back at this time, he nodded. Seeing the helpless and desperate look in Lin Er Egg's eyes, I thought, even if it was to ease my father's guilt, I had to go and ask Second Uncle for help.
As I left the crowd, I hurried back home. My grandmother was bedridden, and my mother was at home. When I arrived, I knocked on Second Uncle's door and found him lying on the bed with his eyes closed. Seeing his face, I suddenly thought of the expression he had when he saw Grandfather Three, and when he discovered the secret with Lin Xiaoyao and approached her with a pair of chopsticks. He looked so scary back then. The excuses I had prepared for my return now got stuck in my throat, and I couldn't speak a word.
"Second Uncle..." I called out.
"Speak, what's the matter?" He asked, sitting up.
"Grandfather Three has possessed Lin Er Egg's body and is causing trouble. I want to ask for your help. Even if you don't want others to know that you have this ability, you can teach me the method, and I'll do it," I said. This was the best plan I had thought of on the way, and I believed it was the only way to get a reserved person like Second Uncle to act.
"Why don't you go to Mr. Xu? What use is it to ask me?" Second Uncle said.
"Mr. Xu is not here; besides, you know that technique, don't you?" I said.
"Who told you I know that technique?" Second Uncle gave me a very innocent look.
"That night in the ancestral hall, the way Grandfather Three and you behaved, I definitely saw it," my voice grew quieter as I spoke, subtly conveying a sense of threat that I knew his secret and if he didn't come forward, I couldn't guarantee that I wouldn't tell anyone.
"That was a move I read about in a novel. You actually think I can do that? If you don't believe it, you can try it for yourself," Second Uncle said, then lay back on the bed and closed his eyes, ignoring me for a long time. In the end, I had no choice but to leave his room. After all, he was my Second Uncle, so what could I do to him? But I didn't believe what he said about learning the technique from a novel, because of how he reacted when encountering a situation.
An ordinary person hearing about a possession by a ghost would definitely be curious, but he didn't seem interested at all. It was clear that he had become so numb after experiencing too much.
I left the room feeling frustrated. I even had the thought of simply burning Grandfather Three and my real grandfather's coffins. People in the city are cremated, and it's not a custom to say that burning the body prevents reincarnation. This superstition is more prevalent in the countryside. However, I felt it was not right to cremate the bodies, as it seemed like my real grandfather might have been afraid of his body being burned after his death, and the ancestors were afraid of this too. This rule stemmed from respect, and thus, it was passed down through generations.