“Look here, Elder, tell me first how you know your old man is heading to the underworld, and then give me the specifics of your situation. I’ll see if I can help you figure out a good solution. As for the money…” Zhou Huan paused: “As for the money, let’s forget it!” Seeing the elder’s attire, the color of her skin, and her bearing, he decided to help this old woman for free.

At that moment, Dongzi intercepted Zhou Huan, giving him a thumbs-up. “Aunty, you truly are a formidable woman, willing to risk your old man’s life for him. But you’re the first customer at our Fushou Hall, so you’re technically entitled to a discount. However, it seems this is all the money you have, so I suggest we just take it all!”

“Who told you to think and say things like that? Go back and write talismans. If you don’t finish tonight, you’re not sleeping!” Zhou Huan’s words were severe yet earnest.

Dongzi recoiled and backed away nervously.

“Master Zhou Shou, I knew you were a good person and would certainly help us. My surname is Yu, my name is Yu Xia. My old man died early. A few days ago, someone said a lay disciple came down from Mount Wutai. After divining for me, he said my old man is in hell, not lingering in the Intermediate State at all, and thus has a chance for reincarnation!” Old Madam Yu explained her situation.

Hearing this name made Zhou Huan very uncomfortable, as it was too similar to Yu Qiu. This strengthened his resolve to help the old woman; perhaps she truly had some connection or tie to Yu Qiu.

“Old Madam Yu, alright then, I’ll do this favor for you. Where do you live? I can go with you right now.” With that, Zhou Huan slung his Hundred Treasures Pouch over his back, then pulled a stack of joss paper from the shelf and tucked it into the bag as well.

“Cough, cough, ah, yes, that’s wonderful! Master Zhou is here, my old man is saved! That brat simply refuses to help us!” Old Madam Yu coughed as she walked unsteadily ahead of Zhou Huan.

Zhou Huan walked beside her. “Old Madam Yu, let’s just take a taxi. I’ll pay!”

The moment he said this, the old woman suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, her expression growing tense, her face filled with panic as she exclaimed loudly, “No, absolutely not! We mustn’t take a vehicle; that’s terrifying!”

This statement stunned Zhou Huan. Just then, Dongzi came running up from behind. “Brother, wait for me!” Since Zhou Huan and the old woman hadn’t gone far, Dongzi rushed forward to help Zhou Huan with his bag. “Here, Brother, let me carry your bag for you!”

“Did you finish the talismans I told you to write? Who told you to follow us!” Zhou Huan was very stern.

Dongzi bared his teeth. “Brother, I’ve written more than half of them. If I don’t finish the rest when we get back, you can punish me. Look, even if I can’t help much by coming, I can at least carry your bag or something.”

As Dongzi rambled on, Old Madam Yu’s panic gradually subsided. She looked at Dongzi, then at Zhou Huan, and finally spoke in her slightly hoarse and aged voice, “Master Zhou, just let this young man come along. Since we’re walking anyway, it’s good to have someone for company.”

Zhou Huan appeared somewhat helpless and could only comply with the old lady. “Very well, Elder, walk slowly. If you get tired, rest a while; don’t rush and hurt yourself!”

“Cough, cough, ah!” The old lady’s reply was simple and sincere.

The three of them proceeded, stopping to rest intermittently. The elder led Zhou Huan and Dongzi to the foot of a mountain on the outskirts of Andong City. This mountain was a connecting vein of the city's Yuanbao Mountain, but the moment Zhou Huan saw it, his heart gave a jolt: Isn't this the local Islamic cemetery? He slowly turned his head to look at the old lady.

“Master Zhou, come on, my home is right at the foot of the mountain. Don’t you see? There’s a small house at the base of the mountain, right there!” The old woman pointed towards a brick-and-tile house at the base of the hill. The tile house was surrounded by a fence of large blue stones—it looked like an old dwelling.

Guided by the old lady, Zhou Huan and Dongzi arrived outside the courtyard. The old lady reached out and pushed open the large iron gate, allowing Zhou Huan and Dongzi to enter.

The small courtyard didn't look large, but it was utilized quite thoroughly. The front structure was a three-bay house with a tile roof. To the left upon entering was an outhouse toilet. Further in was a small vegetable patch. To the right was a large millstone, and beyond that, a corn crib made of wire mesh. Stretching before Zhou Huan was a straight path of blue bricks leading to the steps in front of the rooms. Although it was deep into the night, Zhou Huan could still clearly see that the courtyard had been kept very tidy, thanks to the faint moonlight.

“Elder, your place is kept so clean!” Zhou Huan couldn't help but exclaim.

Old Madam Yu smiled faintly. “Ah, when people get old, they become useless. My daughter used to clean this place. But now it’s just me, yet I insist on tidying the yard every day. It’s my way of remembering my family!”

“Your daughter? Did your daughter also pass away?” Zhou Huan immediately followed up on the old lady’s words.

“Yes, she died three years ago in a car accident. That’s why I didn’t want you to take a car. My old man followed her to death less than half a year after our daughter died, because he missed her so much. Now there’s only this old woman left.” The faintly smiling face of Old Madam Yu suddenly became sorrowful.

Zhou Huan comforted her. “Aunty, the dead cannot be brought back to life. Let go of your sorrow and live well!”

This time, Dongzi actually said something useful. He carried the bag over to the old lady. “Aunty, don’t be sad. My brother is a Shou Master, he’s incredibly capable. He guarantees that your husband and daughter will have a good reincarnation.”

“Oh, that would be best! But the last person who came said…” The old lady’s expression became somewhat confused.

Zhou Huan smiled faintly. “Don’t worry, Old Madam, I will do my utmost. Please take me to see the resting place of your deceased husband now!”

“Ah!” Old Madam Yu walked ahead, going to the easternmost room of the three-bay structure. The old lady knocked gently on the door: “Old man, daughter, I’ve invited Master Zhou here to help you return to your place!”

“What? They’re not dead? What’s going on?” Dongzi asked casually, but Zhou Huan raised a hand to silence him.

Old Madam Yu slowly pushed open the door to that room. The deathly silence of the deep night, and the creaking sound the door made when opening, were truly terrifying. Entering the room, the old lady switched on the light, and the dim illumination revealed the furnishings inside. Directly opposite the entrance was an offering table with two memorial tablets. One read, “Spirit Tablet of the Late Husband Yu Liwei,” and the other, “Spirit Tablet of the Beloved Daughter Yu Qiu.”

The words “Yu Qiu” instantly stunned Zhou Huan and Dongzi where they stood. Both stared wide-eyed, fixed on the two tablets.

In Zhou Huan’s mind, he had only been trying his luck and was stunned because of the old lady’s sincerity. Dongzi, however, realized that the person he held affection for was already dead. This made it impossible for him to comprehend—was Heaven playing a trick on him? Dongzi looked crestfallen, unable to accept the reality before him. He then asked Old Madam Yu again, “Is Yu Qiu really your daughter?”

“She is!” The old lady then walked to the altar, picked up a small jar from the table, which was sealed with a piece of yellow paper. She handed the small jar to Zhou Huan. “Master Zhou, this is my old man’s ashes. Because we had no money to buy a grave plot, and I didn’t dare bury him randomly in the back mountain, I have kept his ashes here at home!”

“En.” Zhou Huan took the urn of ashes, examined it carefully, and then respectfully placed it back on the offering table. “Old Madam, there is only one jar on this altar. Where are your daughter Yu Qiu’s ashes?”

Zhou Huan’s question caused the old woman to suddenly burst into painful sobs. “Wuwuwu! Master Zhou, I won’t lie to you. Three years ago, my son-in-law took my daughter and my grandson on a trip by car. When they returned, there was an accident. The bodies of my son-in-law and the driver were burned black. But my daughter’s and grandson’s bodies could never be found! I only have this one daughter. Tell me, how could they possibly have survived when you see how wrecked that car was?”

“Oh, okay, Elder, please don’t cry first. How about this: I’ll first examine the territory where your husband resides, and then I’ll help you look into your daughter’s whereabouts, alright?” Zhou Huan was moved by the old lady’s tears. To be honest, Zhou Huan could not stand tears; when people cried, his heart softened instantly.

Dongzi was still in a daze. When Zhou Huan turned to ask Dongzi for his tools, Dongzi was squatting on the ground clutching his head, muttering, “How could I… have fallen for a ghost that isn’t even human?”

Slap! Zhou Huan smacked the back of Dongzi’s head. “We don’t even know what’s going on yet, why are you suffering? Besides, even if you say you like a ghost, what do you mean, a ghost that isn’t human?”

Dongzi narrowed his small eyes into a slit, his look of innocence making Zhou Huan feel unnerved. Then, he dropped his bag, turned, and walked out of the room, sitting down heavily on the steps by the door. He remained there, suffering.

Zhou Huan shook his head silently. “Ah, such a simple-minded fellow!” He squatted down and rummaged through his bag for a copy of the Diamond Sutra. Then, Zhou Huan took out a sheet of yellow Xuan paper, dipped his brush into gold powder mixed with ink, and wrote the mantra for rebirth upon the paper, finishing it with a talisman for rebirth.

“Elder, place this Diamond Sutra on top of the ashes and seal it. This rebirth talisman will be burned shortly. I believe your old man should avoid the journey to the underworld.” As he spoke, Zhou Huan handed the scripture to the old lady, then pulled a box of matches from his pocket and lit the rebirth talisman.

The old lady followed Zhou Huan’s instructions, removing the yellow paper from the ash urn and replacing it with the scripture. After watching Zhou Huan burn the paper, she tentatively asked him, “Master Zhou, is that enough? Can you tell me what happened to my old man?”