Halfway there, Granny Fan claimed she hadn't brought her implements and, being alone without backup, seemed to have gotten cold feet. Thus, she had to turn back midway, leaving the bundle behind but bringing Young Master Liu along. As for Old Immortal Wang, he was done for; the possessed shrew had pinched his eyeballs so badly they were swollen like goldfish, and Young Master Liu had fitted his leg with wood, plastering it, meaning he wouldn't be off his bed for at least three to five days.

Along the way, Granny Fan recounted what Ma Sandao had encountered the previous night. She said the four figures were likely people executed at the execution ground, unable to travel far, called Diling (Earth Spirits). They could only cause trouble and confuse people near the place of their death. Those with a weak constitution and light Bazi (Eight Characters of Fate) could see them at night. These Diling also understood the bond between father and son; by confusing the father, they could seize the soul of the unborn child, take possession of a human body, and avoid the hardships of reincarnation. That young wife, however, was probably different; she must be an Earth Fiend (Disha), capable of animating paper objects—turning paper into a donkey proved that much. She also traveled a much wider area. If she had intended harm, Ma Sandao surely wouldn't have returned last night. This time, the trip concerned the ghost fetus, which probably had nothing to do with her, but as a practitioner, she was bound to eliminate such evil. Her words made Ma Sandao’s legs tremble, and he urgently asked if the child could still be saved. Granny Fan only replied that they would have to see.

Under Ma Sandao’s guidance, Granny Fan arrived at the spot where he had woken that morning. She sat down cross-legged and took two stacks of joss paper from her large satchel. “Ma Sandao, you go wait near the water marsh. When the moon is about this high, burn this. You must burn it in a figure-eight pattern; that way, she’ll know an expert has come to deal with her. If she’s smart, she’ll hide and go reincarnate, never daring to cause trouble again. If she’s not smart, don’t blame me for not showing mercy!” She then pointed to a few pine trees by the roadside: “See there, as tall as those trees!”

Ma Sandao was nearly in tears: “Granny, these trees are rooted here; I can’t move them. When I get over there, how will I know how high the moon is?”

Granny Fan touched her head: “Ah, true. Then wait until the fog rises before you burn it.”

As soon as Ma Sandao agreed, Granny Fan added, “And once you light it, run fast! The thing will come after you as soon as the fog appears. Whatever sounds you hear, don’t be afraid, just run, and don’t slow down…” Ma Sandao was anxious and terrified… In those days, the poor couldn't afford watches, which truly was a hassle.

Granny Fan cleared a spot right there and instructed Young Master Liu to set up a few incense sticks and candles. She took another handful of joss paper and began burning it, scattering pieces here and there. In moments, she had burned a large circle, and on the ground in the center, she placed several yellow talismans. This, too, was a skill; as soon as these talismans touched the ground, the evening wind couldn't blow a single scrap of ash away. Ma Sandao dared not delay, dragging his nearly broken legs, and rushed straight toward the water marsh.

As mentioned earlier, the water marsh was not far from Green Stone Slope. Ma Sandao’s legs ached from running, and it took him some time to get there. Looking from a short distance, he saw trouble: fog was already starting to rise over the marsh. In a panic, he yelled out, “Fog! Hey, slow down your rising!” This shout actually came out in a genuine Errenzhuan (folk opera) tune.

In his haste, mistakes were made. As soon as he reached the edge of the marsh, he slipped and went sprawling in a face-first fall. Ma Sandao didn’t even stop to cry out in pain; he immediately pulled out a tinder stick and blew on it. This tinder stick was actually a small paper stick used for lighting pipes when smoking dry tobacco; water pipe smokers kept theirs smoldering inside a small brass tube. When needed, they took it out and blew, igniting a bright flame. Matches were hard to buy then, so most smokers carried a tinder stick. Ma Sandao blew on his tinder stick until he was breathless, his face as red as Guan Gong’s, but the thing wouldn't light. Squinting in the moonlight, he took a close look and cursed in anger—this was a dead stick! Granny Fan had been smoking one right before they left; why was his dead?

Cursing was useless, as the joss paper still needed lighting. Trembling, he dug into his inner shirt pocket and pulled out a box of matches. Well, at least he had these! Ma Sandao had bought this box, and it had lasted him half a year; he usually hated using them. When he opened it, he nearly choked from shock—only three matches were left. Ma Sandao called out the names of all the gods and Buddhas he knew, carefully piled up the joss paper, and struck a match. It snapped. Ma Sandao’s forehead broke out in a dense layer of sweat! He carefully steadied his hand, took a breath, and struck another match. Snap—this time it broke cleanly in two. Late at night, the tough old Ma Sandao couldn't stop the tears from springing to his eyes. Staring at the box, only the last match remained. Ma Sandao took a breath, drawing on his years of match-using experience, settled into position, and just as he was about to strike it, he suddenly burst into tears—the head of the last match had absolutely no striking compound on it.

Ma Sandao angrily smashed the empty box aside and turned around, wailing, “Oh, my dear mother, my…” Before he could wail louder, he suddenly saw two blood-red eyes staring at him, with a small white flower above the eyes. Ma Sandao knew this all too well—wasn't this the donkey he’d seen last night? Looking up again, he saw the pregnant young wife with a pale, ashen face, her face swollen like a steamed bun, her protruding, dead-fish eyes fixed solely on him.

“M-y… G-o-d… A-l-m-i-g-h-t-y!” Ma Sandao let out a cry that seemed to summon death itself. He immediately sprang up like a carp leaping out of water, and his crotch immediately dampened. Ma Sandao truly was no ordinary man; most people, terrified to the point of wetting themselves, couldn't even move, left entirely to the ghost’s mercy. But Ma Sandao gained strength the more he wet himself, running away while urinating—the villagers would say that a water buffalo urinates for half a li.

He ran much faster this time than on his way there. Seeing Granny Fan still lighting incense and candles over there, he rushed over, yelling like a slaughtered pig: “Granny! She’s out! She’s out…” Before the words were finished, he was beside her.

Ma Sandao grabbed Granny Fan, his eyes glistening with agitated tears. Granny Fan saw his soaked crotch and was delighted: “You wet yourself? You wet yourself?” Ma Sandao thought to himself: This old woman has eyes like a hawk; why is she always looking at people’s crotches? “Granny, yes… but, that donkey—no, that young wife is out again!” Granny Fan was even more pleased: “It’s good that you wet yourself, good! You really are the right sort of person!”

“Granny, I couldn’t light my joss paper!” Ma Sandao urgently explained, but Granny Fan didn't care at all, saying, “It’s fine. What good is lighting joss paper? If she’s set her sights on you, she’ll come looking whether you light the paper or not.”

Ma Sandao cursed inwardly: Then why did you tell me to light the paper… Granny Fan smiled, “The time for that hasn't come yet. Let me explain the Tao to you: once people die and become ghosts, do they still need joss paper?”

Ma Sandao said, “I don’t believe it either, but the elders say you have to burn it, fearing that even the dead might be poor ghosts.” Granny Fan replied, “You thinking that way is correct. If people haven't died, they don't know what ghosts are like, so they guess wildly. All that talk about rituals and ceremonies, I think it’s all nonsense!” Ma Sandao nodded, then suddenly exclaimed in shock: “Aren’t you gentlemen specialized in this? Aren’t you bluffing?”

Granny Fan sighed, “There’s no other way. Everyone has their own baseline belief. If you don't say what they expect, they won't trust you, and when you explain, they run off. Sometimes, we are just bluffing. We perform the deed for them, but the words are ours to choose.” Ma Sandao sat down, resting his legs for a moment. With a living immortal nearby, what was there to fear? The group sat side-by-side.

Young Master Liu chimed in, “What Granny says makes a lot of sense. I stopped believing in burning joss paper ages ago. I haven’t visited my grandfather’s or great-grandfather’s graves in seven or eight years, let alone burning paper, and neither of them ever sent me a dream begging for money?”

Granny Fan nodded, saying, “Seeing Little Ma’s condition today confirms my suspicion: he is the right sort. As the saying goes, doubt breeds hidden ghosts, and physical weakness invites evil. Humans and ghosts are inherently on different paths, coming and going independently. But if the human heart harbors a ghost, they are easily controlled by evil entities…”

Listening, Ma Sandao started to feel something was off. “Granny Fan, what ghost do I have in my heart? I’m…”

Granny Fan countered, “If you didn’t have a gambling ghost in your heart, why would you have the presence of mind to gamble, and over apricots no less, when you run into trouble like that in the middle of the night?” Seeing Ma Sandao speechless, Granny Fan continued, “I see you as someone connected to the Yin, just like that Young Master Liu. You’re a rare giant panda in our village. The reason I burned that joss paper was to attract the ghosts. Ghosts don't need joss paper, but having once been human, they know that when paper is burned, someone might be paying respects. Someone with your constitution, however, doesn't need joss paper to attract wandering, lonely spirits—that’s actually quite fortunate.”

Ma Sandao asked, “What do you mean by connected to the Yin? Since I was small, I’ve only encountered that thing once last night. Does that count?”

Granny Fan chuckled, “There are people whose protective Gang Fire extinguishes when they are tired. Normally, they are full of fiery energy, capable of extreme Yang, yet also extreme Yin. There might not be one in ten thousand such people in the world; I am one, and you are another. People like us are best suited to be practitioners, able to approach Yin and evil without harming ourselves. That is extremely rare.”

Hearing this, Young Master Liu felt a spark of interest. “Granny Fan, are you perhaps thinking of taking me as a disciple?”

Granny Fan said, “We’ll discuss that later. First, let me tell you, soon the evil entities around here will manifest. Once they enter this circle, this Dingyou Gong Kai Lu Talisman will disorient them so they can’t find their way out. Then, all you need to do is this, this, and that… and those remaining three Earth Spirits can be eliminated!”

Young Master Liu exclaimed in shock, “You expect me to fight? Granny, I wet my pants just seeing one of those things! Besides, weren't there four?”

Granny Fan chuckled, “You don’t know the benefit of wetting your pants yet; it’s called purging Yang. Heh heh. Don’t worry, just do as I say. Also, listen carefully when I talk; why do you keep poking my shoulder?”

Ma Sandao quickly retorted, “I didn’t! Why do you keep hitting my back?”

“Weren’t you scratching me?” Young Master Liu’s face also went pale. It seemed he was in a similar situation to the other two.

The three suddenly remembered something and turned around simultaneously. Kneeling behind them was a person, their head leaning right next to the faces of the other two. Their dead-fish eyes were rolled way up, and two streams of black blood were slowly seeping from the eyes. The face was covered in knife wounds, and the head was crooked half off the neck. The swollen head swayed in the night wind, looking as if it might fall off its neck at any moment.

“Mommy…” Granny Fan jolted, while Young Master Liu and Ma Sandao screamed in unison. Young Master Liu’s pants immediately soaked through, and Ma Sandao wet himself for the second time.

Fortunately, both were brave types who fought harder the more they wet themselves. Granny Fan rolled sideways about ten feet, let out a soft cry, and regained her footing. She immediately drew the wooden sword at her side and held it horizontally before her chest. Over there, Young Master Liu performed another carp leap, pushed off the ground, and tried to stand up straight. Who knew that the ground, slicked by the urine of two men, caused him to slip; instead of rising, he bumped backward, right into the embrace of that thing. This offering of oneself was smooth indeed.

Young Master Liu snapped back to his senses, looked up, and saw that thing staring at him tenderly with two black, watery eyes. Suddenly, the thing opened its mouth with a hiss. A long tongue shot out with a chliup sound straight toward Young Master Liu’s left cheek: “Oh, my God!” Young Master Liu shrieked, suddenly finding an unknown source of strength. He leaped a full ten feet away, sweat pouring from him like a fountain, and urine bursting forth like the Yellow River.

Once the three regained their footing, they looked around in awe—good heavens, it was terrible! On that clearing, ten or so black shadows were flitting about; some were headless, some missing legs. Nearby was a familiar one—wasn't that Old Man Yang? Both hands were severed at the wrist, and his eyes were rotten away, leaving two deep sockets. He seemed to recognize Ma Sandao standing to his left, and even without eyes, his head was aimed straight at Ma De. Ma Sandao cursed inwardly, You bastard, even without eyes, why do you only stare at me? Granny Fan started yelling on the other side: “Ma Sandao! Didn’t you say there were only four? Why is there such a large crowd? And they’re all vicious ones… I think these are all Earth Fiends (Disha)!”

“What, so many, and all vicious ones?” Young Master Liu pulled off his cloth shoes, intending to throw them at the head of his future father-in-law. He thought: Damn it, just because I touched your daughter’s hand? Is it necessary to trick me here to have a public referendum with these things? This isn't an election for village head!

Ma Sandao felt terribly wronged: “I really didn’t know!”

“Granny Fan, stop talking! Hand me that sword you mentioned!” Young Master Liu shouted in the crisis. Granny Fan drew a mark in front of her with the wooden sword and pulled a short sword from her waist. “Here, catch.” Young Master Liu caught the sword, but his heart sank—it was so short, anyone would believe it was a fish-slaughtering knife. Strangely, the ghostly shadows that had been circling in the circle of ash burned by Granny Fan suddenly seemed to find direction and rushed straight toward Young Master Liu.

Old Man Yang let out a strange cry, and his bloody severed wrist reached before Young Master Liu. A female fiend, clad entirely in white, circled from the left and lunged for Young Master Liu’s shoulder. Young Master Liu saw clearly that the female fiend’s face was riddled with sores, but her long tongue was greasy and slick, with half of her bone-white teeth rotting and exposed. If she bit down, there would be no escape. Young Master Liu cried out, rolled on the ground to gain distance, and then drew the short sword. Granny Fan’s words still echoed in his ears: “You take this Evil-Guiding Sword. Its scabbard is Yin, made from old bamboo over ten years old from a grave mound. Those evil things will definitely move toward you. Draw the blade and hold it before your chest. The blade has been soaked in saltpeter for a year and consecrated with rooster’s blood. Once unsheathed, its fire power is immense, sure to frighten those ghosts and monsters into keeping their distance.”

Shing! Young Master Liu drew the sword and held it before his chest, suddenly feeling a surge of heroism. He immediately felt something wrong with the weapon in his hand, lowered his heroic gaze, and widened his heroic eyes, only to discover this sword was not only short… but broken… Broken!?

Young Master Liu’s scalp tingled with anxiety: “Granny Fan! Why is it broken?”

Granny Fan looked and slapped her thigh in distress: “Oh dear, we were in a rush, I grabbed the wrong one! The good one is still back at the house!”

Just as Young Master Liu was about to wail in anger, Old Man Yang’s severed wrist shot right in front of him. Seeing that the sword, though short and broken, still had a section of blade left, Young Master Liu didn’t overthink it. He flipped his hand and stabbed it down. The moment it touched Old Man Yang’s wrist, Old Man Yang let out a shriek, like a strange owl crying at night, making his teeth ache. Black mist shot out from Old Man Yang’s two empty eye sockets, and his figure rapidly retreated, becoming somewhat transparent. He wailed incessantly within the circle of ash. Looking at his own sword, it was now broken down to just the hilt.

Having struck a blow, Liu Da Shao didn’t have time to breathe a sigh of relief before the long-tongued female ghost’s teeth reached his face. Young Master Liu’s vision went black, and he suddenly felt all his strength drain away. Just then, a piercing scream echoed in his ear. He saw the long-tongued female ghost engulfed in rolling black smoke, a foul, fishy smell washing over them. After the black smoke dispersed, a burning talisman drifted down.

“Granny! You finally found a talisman…” Young Master Liu, having narrowly escaped death, let out a long breath. Granny Fan’s figure flickered, and she slapped several talismans down in quick succession. Black smoke billowed across the ground, accompanied by continuous ghostly cries. Ma Sandao praised from the side, “Granny Fan, you truly are an immortal!”

Before he finished speaking, Granny Fan addressed him: “Young Master Liu, you watch your side. I only brought ten of these Six Jia Evil-Expelling Talismans; once they’re used up, I’ll rely on you to cover us.” Young Master Liu hadn't quite understood when a ghostly figure drifted towards him, both hands reaching for his neck. Wait, this ghost looked awfully familiar—wasn’t this Old Man Zhao, who died of a stroke? His head was dangling by a single thread of skin and flesh attached to his neck, and his ten fingers were stabbing forward like daggers. In desperation, Young Master Liu shouted, “Wait! Wait, Elder Zhao, Ancestor Zhao! I even played cards with you once!”

Surprisingly, this shout seemed to elicit a response. Old Man Zhao’s dangling head tilted slightly, as if sizing up Young Master Liu. At that moment, only three shadowy figures remained in the field, all motionless, looking at him just like Old Man Zhao. Old Man Zhao let out a sigh of relief. Since he recognized the acquaintances now, he started trying to be friendly: “Ancestor, we were neighbors… uh…”

Before he could finish speaking, Young Master Liu noticed Granny Fan staring at him with an expression of extreme terror, as if he himself were a monstrous demon. Just as he was about to ask, he felt a chill down his spine. Knowing something was terribly wrong, he turned around: That flower, that donkey, that young wife…

This sight startled Young Master Liu so much he jumped three feet high in the air like a frightened toad. He jumped twice more, bounding straight to Granny Fan’s side. Alarmed, he noticed Granny Fan trembling all over and couldn't help his own voice from shaking slightly: “Granny, why are you so scared…” Granny Fan swallowed hard and said, “These things are so frightened when they see her that they dare not move. Do you think I’m not scared…”

Hearing this, Young Master Liu finally grasped the extent of the other party's abilities. He heard ghostly wails all around him. The three shadowy figures were trying desperately to flee, but they couldn't break out of the circle of ash. So, they weren't trying to get friendly with him after all? Just then, he heard the woman on the donkey let out a sinister, low laugh that sent a chill through Granny Fan, Young Master Liu, and the others. “This old woman has some skill.” As the words fell, she suddenly let out a sharp cackle, and with a sweep of the eerie wind, all the joss paper on the ground was blown completely clean.

Granny Fan’s teeth rattled: “She can talk, and laugh too?”

Ma Sandao chimed in, “She can talk, alright. She even asked me for an apricot last night!”