With a smile across my face, I explained, "It's normal that you do not understand, Mr. Liu. There are people who think that we of this trade command immense power and authority over foul beings and evil spirits. But there is a reason why this agency is named 'De Chang' (Virtuous and Prosperity). It's a reminder that we have to be accountable for everything we do. I can expel the female spirit from Mr. Yang's body, but the female spirit has an intense grudge even after her death. Setting her loose here might endanger the lives of other innocents around here. Moreover, to completely restrain her or eliminate her contradicts our principles to exact justice, not to take lives indiscriminately. There must be a reason to which the female ghost had chosen to remain so long at the farm. It's only right that we send her back there and find out the truth behind everything so that we could fully resolve the whole matter!" Mr. Liu flashed a thumb and exclaimed. "Well said! Very w
That night, we had dinner at a lakeside restaurant. Mr. Liu treated us to a meal of barbeque fish, followed by a trip to the karaoke. With Lin Feng's little disciple's class rescheduled to the evening, we had fun until about four or five when Mr. Liu invited us to a game of mahjong, which we declined. It was already a little more than five when we got back to the center. But there was another visitor that night whose arrival we hardly expect: it was the superintendent that I encountered that morning at the haunted farm. Only this time, he came in civilian clothing. I ushered him in and made him tea. As I slipped him a cigarette, he asked if we could meet up for coffee that night. The man was here for help, but he could not dare openly ask. "You can speak freely here. Everyone here is family, including..." I said, gesturing to both Lin Feng and Yuan Chongxi, "My friends here. We're like brothers. Rest assured that what you say today will not be repeated elsewh
The Taoist priest bowed, and I returned the same courtesy to him before I led him to our sitting place and poured him some tea. The priest was direct, saying, "I am here today, to implore for your help to join me in ridding evil and foul beings!" "You, yourself, command great powers, Master Priest," I replied modestly. "We can only plead incompetence in comparison to one as great as you!" The priest heaved a long breath and sighed. "To tell you the truth, your name was recommended to me by a colleague. There have been whispers of a powerful person at the National Studies Institute around here. I had gone there to try to meet that great man, only to have my requests for a meeting rejected. But a lady there told me that the Head Person of the Institute rarely shows himself to strangers. But his son had just started a paranormal investigative firm here, she told me; and here I am." It must have been Aunt Fen who had recommended us to him
My head jerked back to look for the origin of the voice and found an unruly brat, clutching a plastic toy rifle in his arms, running towards us. My third aunt was chasing after him from behind, gasping for breath. "I'm breathless just by chasing this rascal!" She managed through her infrequent pants. Seeing us, she came to us and greeted us. "You have graduated, have you, Shiyan?" She asked. "I have. In fact, the three of us here have started our own paranormal investigative firm. We specialized in looking into supernatural incidents and some counseling too. But we have hit a snag; hence we're here today. I heard that Third Uncle knows a man who commands certain authority even over deities and immortals. There were rumors that he could even move mountains and shift the oceans!" My third uncle guffawed hilariously. "What is this you're talking about? From where do I find somebody with such powers!" The boy scurried over and leaped into the arms
For reasons unknown, I was able to neglect his abrupt laughter. In a strange moment of clarity despite his bellowing chortles, it dawned upon me that this old man hardly looked like the gnarly, frail old man that we would have imagined a person of a hundred years old would look like. Instead, he looked as if he was only in his seventies. Shallow creases lined across his weather-worn face although they were hardly the deep wrinkles most old men had. Through his jovial grin, I could see his neat, white teeth which I suspected were dentures. As he and Third Uncle continued their talk, his movements and gestures were agile and rapid; hardly fitting the image of a feeble and sickly old man with long, flowing mane and beard. Like Third Uncle himself, the old man was also a garrulous and effusive person whose loquaciousness would never cease unless bidden to. His caretaker appeared with more teacups minutes later and poured us tea. We sat down too, realizing that there were
Bian Dashou, hearing the whispers on the streets that the townsfolk were plotting against him, escaped back to his hometown in Renqiu County of Hebei Province. Dissatisfied with another defeat at the victorious Manchurian forces, Li Zicheng sent forth a detachment of troops to Renqiu to arrest him. But he decided to stay and await his fate, despite the desperate urges by the villagers in Renqiu for him to flee. "This is all my doing alone. I cannot leave my relatives and the townspeople here go suffer in my place. I will gladly face the consequences of my deeds!" And so the soldiers of the rebel forces came and took Bian Dashou. But Bian Dashou was blessed with extraordinary fate; before the troop sent to take him reached Li Zicheng's camp, Bian Dashou escaped. This time, the Manchurians were closing in on Li Zicheng, eager to eliminate him once and for all; thus the renegade leader ignored Bian Dashou's flight and focused solely on his own wellbeing. Still, with his destiny disrupt
The man walked slowly into the house and studied us both. "Who drew the sword? What is your purpose of summoning me?" he asked. The then-Chen Yixuan stood forth and greeted him. "And you are..." The immortal cut him off, saying curtly, "You can call me Master Six, for I am the sixth in my family." Immediately Chen Yixuan muttered reverently, "So it is thus, Master Six..." and he began telling the immortal of his story. At the end of his story, Master Six pondered quietly. "The promise I had made so many a year ago to the founder of your order was that I will help to the best of my abilities if your order is in grave peril," said the immortal at last. "Which is it you want, for me to help you with the case or to cure him of his sickness?" Chen Yixuan began bickering with his junior; he wanted the immortal's help to cure his junior, but his junior insisted that the immortal should be helping him with his case. Master Six watched them quietly, until he spoke up. "How ab
The atmosphere turned strange and awkward and Chen Yixuan failed to summon any courage to further ask any more questions. Master Six was busy filling their cups, bellowing loudly for toasts after toasts with a reckless abandon to get drunk and wasted. After drinking for some time, Master Six's hand slipped into his pocket and took out the small bundle wrapped with his handkerchief. Only now Chen Yixuan finally saw what it was: a bullet round, one which had been a dud. There were scorch marks at its end, the sign of being struck by a firing pin when the bullet was fired from a gun. Master Six handled the opened bundled to the old man. "Grandfather, look! Is this one of ours?" The old man took the bullet and peered at it closely. At last, he handed it back, saying, "Indeed. It is one of ours; my cousin's in fact!" "Your cousin?" Master Six blurted loudly, as he quickly remarked, "Is he not at the cotton factory?" "He is," said the old man, nodding. "He has been there f
As he stepped out of the textile factory, Master Six told Chen Yixuan, "Hurry, we need to reach Wu Zhong County before nightfall!" Chen Yixuan took his instructions seriously and steered his warhorse in the direction the county. They did not speak, finally arriving at the Southern Pass of Wu Zhong County just as it was nearly dusk. Master Six dismounted before a sundry shop and told the assistant to get the shopkeeper. The assistant did not dare dally, upon noticing that they were police officers. After a short while, the shopkeeper emerged, and he hurriedly greeted the lawmen. "What orders do you have for me, officers?" he asked. Master Six wasted no time on pleasantries. "Tell your boss that we want to go up the mountain! We'll be back here tomorrow at eight a.m., and you should make the necessary arrangements!" he ordered before turning to leave after speaking, unconcerned if the shopkeeper had any questions. That night, as they were in the reception area, Chen Yi