“Granny Fan, which Granny Fan?” Perhaps distracted by the earlier banter, Young Master Liu's mind momentarily short-circuited, and he didn't quite grasp the situation. A closer look revealed an elderly woman in simple attire standing discreetly beside Old Man Liu. She had remained silent the entire time, her plain clothes rendering her almost invisible until that moment. Seeing her now, he couldn't help but think she looked like some monkey spirit that had just hopped out of a rock.

“Child, we met just last year, and now you don't remember Granny Fan?” The old woman smiled as she spoke. Though well into her sixties, and with hearing and sight still intact, her appearance was hardly complimentary; describing her as having a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks would have been a kindness. Up close, her eyes were deeply sunken, her face practically devoid of elastic muscle or soft tissue, leaving only skin dyed a purplish-brown by years of exposure, stretched over high cheekbones. Her hands were rough as aged pine bark, crisscrossed with cracks, her palms hardened with thick calluses. And those 'three-inch golden lotuses,' bound in the old society, resembled small sticky rice dumplings, causing her to limp with every step, as if afflicted by a congenital disability.

The sight of the old woman made Young Master Liu visibly flinch, mostly out of guilt. He frantically thought, Oh no, this is bad. Why did Father invite this hag here? I have history with her—she'll probably show up with an axe to cleave me! No, if she asks anything, I'll deny everything. Yes! A brilliant idea. Gathering his composure, he waved his hand dismissively. “I don’t know you, not at all! Heh heh heh…”

He decided to gamble, betting that her advanced age meant failing memory, allowing him to smoothly deceive her. But unfortunately, Granny Fan did not seem to fit that description.

“You don’t know me?” Granny Fan didn't expose him directly. She merely pursed her thin lips and said, “So, were those big pumpkins I grew tasty? It’s fine if you ate them. It was only one mu of land; Grandma doesn't have that big an appetite. But why destroy them? That was your harvest, something to help with the household expenses. Don't worry, Grandma doesn't blame you. Children, who doesn't cause some trouble?”

Old Man Liu immediately understood and turned his reprimand onto Young Master Liu: “You little brat, why do you always cause me trouble? If you don’t like studying, I won’t force you. Just stay put, learn farming properly, inherit our land, and you won’t starve when you marry and start a family. But… Granny Fan is the old shaman of our Xiushui Village! Aren't you just making your poor father lose face?”

“Alright, alright, it’s nothing,” Granny Fan said with an air of kindness, but to Young Master Liu, it looked like a deliberately adopted posture. He was sure that deep down, she was relishing his discomfort.

“Immortal Aunt Fan, I’m so sorry, truly sorry,” Old Man Liu kept apologizing, then pulled a crumpled ten-yuan note from his bag and firmly pressed it into Granny Fan’s hand.

“Brother Liu, what are you doing?” Granny Fan asked.

“A small token, to compensate for your loss—the harvest from one mu of land, alas,” Old Man Liu sighed.

“No, I cannot accept this!” Granny Fan demurred.

“That won't do, you must accept it today, whether you want to or not.” After Old Man Liu’s repeated insistence, Granny Fan finally said no more, tucking the ten yuan into her bosom. At this moment, the others from the house also emerged. Little Ma Zi’s mother's eyes lit up when she saw Granny Fan, her face splitting into a wide smile that stretched the flesh on her jaw. Village Head Tian, however, immediately stiffened his aged face, coldly observing this class antagonist without a hint of a smile.

“Granny Fan, you truly possess divination skills! Knowing our family was in trouble, you came to help. Quick, come inside, I’ll brew you some tea.” Little Ma Zi’s mother welcomed her enthusiastically.

“Hmph!” Village Head Tian turned his head away.

“Heh heh, Sister-in-law Chen, what are you talking about? I’ve come to draw a 'flower' for Brother Liu (a term folk spiritualists often use for summoning spirits), to examine the household.”

“Oh, when did you become so capable, knowing things before they happen?” Village Head Tian sneered, feigning sudden realization.

“Ashamed, ashamed.” When under someone else’s roof, one must be humble. Especially before the grand Village Head, Granny Fan showed no displeasure at Village Head Tian’s undisguised sarcasm. Instead, she nodded, but midway through the nod, she frowned and looked at Little Ma Zi’s mother: “Sister-in-law Chen, what trouble did you say your family is having?”

“It’s nothing more than the children being foolish,” Little Ma Zi’s mother said, looking back on the painful experience, and then recounted the situation of the three families to Granny Fan in great detail. She embellished the story of Young Master Liu’s ordeal with dramatic flair. Granny Fan, standing by, showed no sign of alarm, merely nodding now and then, shaking her head at other times, clearly deep in thought about something the whole time.

“Sister-in-law Chen, I can confirm that your child has offended the spirits,” Granny Fan stated after a long pause. “And that pile of joss paper in front of your door is likely a warning from those spirits!”

“Waaah…” Hearing that her son had truly angered the spirits, Little Ma Zi’s mother immediately threw herself to the ground, clutching Granny Fan’s legs tightly, weeping torrentially, not forgetting to wipe her nose and tears onto Granny Fan’s trouser leg.

“Sister-in-law, don’t be like this, don’t be like this,” Granny Fan said, concerned, trying to steady her.

“He is my only child; you must find a way to save him! We’re willing to pay any amount of money.” Little Ma Zi’s mother pleaded.

“It’s not about money,” Granny Fan said with a wry smile. “Alright, I promise, now get up! First, take me to see your child.”

In the room, Little Ma Zi was also buried under a thick quilt, his body covered in sweat that soaked the bedding, yet he kept crying out, “Cold, cold, cold…” His expression suggested he was frozen stiff. His lips were blue and purple, his eyes dull and lifeless, as if covered with gauze. As for his face, it was pale; a light touch felt bone-chillingly cold, far more effective than any refrigerator owned by the rich folks in town.

“This child is serious,” Granny Fan said faintly after brushing his cheek with a finger and quickly withdrawing it. Her nose and eyes crinkled together. Village Head Tian followed behind, just watching the show, waiting for a chance to expose this old charlatan’s trick.

“Th-then what do we do…” Little Ma Zi’s mother’s voice lost all strength, and she nearly fainted. Dog Egg’s father grew anxious too.

“Let me look again!” Granny Fan shook her head, closed her eyes, and signaled everyone to step back a few paces. After clearing the space, she pulled out a square of red silk from her bosom and tied it around Little Ma Zi’s head before laying him flat again. She formed a strange gesture with her left hand, tapped the spot where the red cloth was tied, then retreated to the bedside, took a mouthful of tea, and suddenly lunged toward Little Ma Zi’s face. Before this action was fully completed, she snatched a handful of whitish material from her pocket and sprinkled it onto Little Ma Zi’s already moistened face. This caused an immediate uproar; upon contact with water, these white specks began to hop and writhe, much like water hitting a pan of hot oil. Though they didn't jump high, the sight stunned everyone into silence—a truly breathtaking spectacle. The rustling, jumping sound spread throughout the room. At that moment, besides the heavy breathing of everyone present, all that could be heard was the crisp, crackling sonata performed by Granny Fan.

“Gra-Granny Fan, what are you throwing?” Village Head Tian, riddled with suspicion, couldn't help but break the tense silence.

“Salt! Genuine old Northeastern Qing salt!” Granny Fan replied openly.

“Impossible! Are you trying to fool me? How can salt jump when it meets water?” Village Head Tian looked utterly disbelieving.

Granny Fan smiled but didn't answer. She simply took a pinch of the remaining white substance from her pocket and handed it to Village Head Tian. He took it, personally inspected it, and even tasted it, making his eyes water from the saltiness. It was indeed Qing salt. However, this did not improve his opinion of the superstitious old woman. Hmph, there must be some other trick involved, he thought decisively. Yes, that’s it!

Crystalline salt has been considered a symbol of "purity" in both Eastern and Western cultures since ancient times. Therefore, it was also believed to ward off "unclean" things, such as demons and monsters.

The reason salt crystals were regarded as symbols of purity stems from the ancient discovery through experience: the phenomenon of crystallization upon evaporation. Many murky, dark solutions, when heated, would yield sparkling white particles. Lacking an understanding of the underlying principles, ancient people regarded these particles, which emerged 'unstained from the mud,' as a concrete manifestation of "purity."

Records of such 'experiments' exist in the notes of some ancient Chinese alchemists, as well as in old texts on Western alchemy. These crystallized substances were often salt. Thus, the belief spread from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred, its efficacy persisting to this day.

If explained scientifically, salt is a general term for a class of substances usually composed of ions, which only conduct electricity when molten or dissolved. However, crystalline salt can dissipate electric fields and effectively neutralize charges. Ghosts, possibly being a combination of electromagnetic waves carrying some form of charge, would logically be counteracted by salt. Thus, theoretically, the concept remains plausible.

In the disheveled bedding, Little Ma Zi's body continued to twist from side to side like an earthworm, as if his joints could rotate at will. His back against the board did not cease its movement; suddenly, it arched high, looking from a distance like a stone arch bridge spanning a small river.

“Wife of the Chen family, do you know your child’s birth date and hour?” Seeing Little Ma Zi’s contortions, Granny Fan’s deep-set, dim eyes filled with vigilance, and the wrinkled skin of her aged face tightened. Her left hand slowly reached into her cloth pouch, never drawing anything out, yet she seemed to grasp something.

In those days, birth details like the Bazi (eight characters of birth time) were highly popular in the countryside, unlike the Tarot cards or zodiac signs of today. Little Ma Zi’s mother provided her son’s details without a second thought. Granny Fan, her back to her, was faintly seen nodding and smoothing a lock of silver hair from her forehead.

“Is there any water? Bring a basinful.”

“Yes, yes…” Little Ma Zi’s mother instinctively obeyed Granny Fan’s command, rushing into the kitchen, finding a bronze basin, and carrying a full basin of water from the large cistern. She swayed with every step, spilling some along the way.

“I didn't tell you to bring this much water!” Granny Fan took the basin, nearly dropping it from the weight, grumbled briefly, then poured out two-thirds of the water. She set the basin down, muttered an incomprehensible incantation, pressed her right thumb against her middle finger, raised the other three fingers high, and lightly flicked the water's surface. Then, using her hand as a brush, she drew a string of bizarre symbols. Because she wrote them quickly in the water, the four onlookers couldn't make out the outline of a single mark.

“Done!” Granny Fan took a breath and brought out her left hand from the pouch. This time, it wasn't the coarse salt, but handfuls of incense ash—the remnants of burnt sandalwood used for offerings to deities and Bodhisattvas. The substance looked sticky and quite dirty, staining Granny Fan's already waxy, slightly dark hand even blacker. Uncaring, she continued to sprinkle handful after handful into the basin until the surface was covered with floating gray particles. Granny Fan didn't stop, plunging both hands into the muddy water and kneading vigorously, her movements almost identical to a country woman mixing dough. No one knew what spell she was brewing. When almost all the water had been absorbed by the agglomerated ash, Granny Fan wiped the sweat from her brow. She turned to the others and said, “Hurry and bring your sick children here. I have to deal with them all at once; otherwise, dealing with them one by one will break this old body of mine!”

It took about half an hour for the three families to settle their precious bundles. Little Ma Zi’s mother pushed two beds together and spread brand-new thick quilts over them. This made it easy for the three children to lie down comfortably and warmly. It was a pity that Tian Guoqiang and the others were in a semi-comatose state and felt none of it.

Granny Fan scooped a small handful of the thoroughly mixed ash-mud from the bronze basin. She lifted Tian Guoqiang’s garment and covered his navel entirely with this paste. She followed the same procedure for Little Ma Zi and Dog Egg.

“You three families, help your children sit upright. The old woman is about to perform the ritual!” Granny Fan commanded. Dog Egg’s father and Little Ma Zi’s mother quickly lifted their children, slowly helping them sit upright in the middle of the bed. However, their bodies were so limp and shaky that the family members had to act as supports just to keep the children positioned. Village Head Tian, though highly reluctant, saw that the town doctor was still nowhere in sight and could only sigh inwardly, adopting the attitude of treating a dead horse as if it were alive, to help Tian Guoqiang sit up.

Granny Fan nodded, took out three incense sticks, and easily found holders among the existing offerings.

Granny Fan found a pair of scissors and cut three human-shaped figures from red paper, placing them before the incense burner. After mumbling something unintelligible, she spoke in an eerie, singsong voice, “Whatever you see or hear later, do not be alarmed, and do not scream, or it will cause great trouble.”

After receiving assurances from everyone, she approached the makeshift altar, bowed deeply three times, took a swig of Erguotou (strong liquor), blew out the candle, and ignited a fierce fire dragon, which appeared startlingly glaring and monstrous in the dimly lit room. Watching from the bedside, Young Master Liu’s heart gave a sudden lurch, almost leaping out of his chest.

“Damn it, this old hag just knows how to scare people!” Young Master Liu grumbled internally, grabbed the corner of his quilt, and shrank further toward the foot of the bed.

At this moment, the bedroom door had been tightly closed, and the only windows allowing ventilation had been pulled shut. In the cramped space, only a faint, hazy beam of light pierced through, clearly illuminating the dust motes floating in the air. However, one thing was strange: since the door and windows were sealed, there should have been no wind, yet the two burning candles kept flickering—brightening, dimming, drifting, and falling erratically. Granny Fan’s deeply recessed eye sockets, accentuated by the candlelight, looked even more terrifying. Coupled with the cries that sounded alternately human and ghostly every few seconds, this scene would have scared a whole crowd to death on a dark street at midnight.

“Lami ma hong…”

“Lami ma hong…” Her two hands, shaped like chicken claws, pressed hard onto the table. Granny Fan chanted continuously while slamming her head against the solid wood table with each word, as if she felt no pain. This made Young Master Liu gasp again. Damn, is this old woman’s head made of iron, or did she train in Iron Head Skill at the Shaolin Temple? So tough! If I could learn that, ten stacks of bricks wouldn't knock me down!

“Crack!” Suddenly, Granny Fan’s eyes, which had been half-rolled back to show only white, snapped wide open. Blood vessels, like spiderwebs, instantly spread from the edges toward the center, weaving into a bizarre pupil. These two pupils shone like massive searchlights, piercing the room as she scanned her surroundings. Immediately afterward, Granny Fan brought her hands together, continuously making gestures of worship, chanting:

“I invite the Three Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Venerable Ones; the Supreme Lord Laozi, the Two Lords Zhang and Zhao, Ancestor Yue Fei, True Man Li Gong, Old Man of the Eastern Mountain, Little Sister of the Southern Mountain, Mother of the Earth Yuanjun, Seventh Brother of the Horizontal Mountain, Ninth Brother of the Luo Mountain, the Two Heavenly Sovereigns, the Five Great Mountains and the Earth Mother, the Palace of the Divine Heavens, Marshal Zhao of the Dragon Tiger Altar, the Three True Lords of Mao, the Five Stars and the Twenty-eight Mansions, all the deities holding talismans and magic spells, capable of healing and bringing the dead back to life, subduing demons and eliminating evil, answering every call, acknowledging every spirit, effective even without being called!”

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