The Ou family could never have imagined that the price of keeping Ou Miaonan from ever seeing those terrifying yin entities again would be the loss of her sight altogether. Blindness — how could that be accepted?
Especially when she was still only a twelve-year-old girl, with such a long road of life yet ahead. If she were to go blind, what hope would remain?
Ou Furen was the one who could least accept it. She dared not even imagine whether her daughter could go on living without the gift of sight.
“No. No, that can’t be.” She shook her head, holding Ou Miaonan tightly, and looked at Lang Jiuchuan with eyes full of pleading. “Is there truly no other way?”
“There is one more path — entering the Dao and cultivating.” Lang Jiuchuan said, “Once you enter the Dao, you may study Daoist arts to protect yourself, so that neither those ghostly entities nor other people may threaten you. But it will require enormous effort. You must study these arts thoroughly and learn to use them with skill. If you fail to do so, you will remain weak, and continue living each day in dread as you do now. And once you enter the Dao, you will have to face the far greater terror that these yin entities bring.”
Lang Jiuchuan paused, then continued, “In truth, compared to the dread brought by yin entities and demonic creatures, the fear you must overcome most of all is the one you create for yourself. After all, the greatest enemy a person has is themselves. If you were fearless, what would there be to dread in those creatures, no matter what they look like?”
Hope flared in Ou Miaonan’s eyes. “Then could I learn from you, elder sister?”
Both Ou Furen and Ou Luozhong looked over as well — yes, if she entered the Dao, could she follow alongside her?
“Do you wish to follow me in learning the Dao,” Lang Jiuchuan asked, cutting straight to the heart of it, “or do you simply wish to stay by my side and seek shelter under my protection?”
Ou Miaonan’s face went ashen.
Lang Jiuchuan continued, “I am not, in truth, as powerful and capable as you imagine. I myself am searching for a way to survive. Look at this body of mine — who can say how much longer I have to live? I am also straining with everything I have just to preserve my own life.”
Everyone felt a flicker of shame. Lang Jiuchuan’s health was indeed poor — even the physician had said her years were not long.
“Elder sister, I’m sorry, I—”
“It’s nothing. I don’t blame you. It is simply that I have not yet the strength to protect anyone, because I must first find a way to extend my own life. I still have many things I must do.” Lang Jiuchuan said evenly, “You may think me cold or selfish if you wish. If I lack the ability, I will not make promises I cannot keep. I can guide you onto the path of the Dao, but I cannot watch over you constantly, for there are times when I am stretched beyond my limits — just as now, if another pair of mother-and-child ghosts were to appear, I might not be able to fight them off.”
It couldn’t be helped. With her body so constrained, to grow stronger she would first need to reforge her flesh, reclaim her missing soul fragments, before she could truly spread her wings and reach the heights she sought.
“If you cannot come to a decision yet, I can seal your five senses with acupuncture and talisman-craft, so you may experience what the world is like without light. Once you’ve tried it, you will know what it is you truly want.” Lang Jiuchuan said.
Ou Luozhong asked, “If the eye is simply never sealed at all, what would happen?”
“That depends on her. As I said, a person’s fears are often born from themselves — the greatest terror comes from within.” Lang Jiuchuan said, “If you truly do not wish to seal it, I can craft a ritual vessel for you that will keep ghostly entities from drawing near. But what you see and hear will remain unchanged. If the vessel is damaged and loses its power, something like today’s incident may occur again. Without someone to save you at the right moment… at most, the vessel can protect you once or twice. Whether a Tianshi arrives in time to rescue you — that is a matter of fate.”
In other words, a gamble — wagering her own life. And in the meantime, the ghostly entities she would continue to see and hear would remain unchanged.
Ou Luozhong felt as though his heart were splitting open. He looked at his wife in helpless anguish.
Ou Furen was equally lost.
“There is no need to decide whether to seal it just yet. Take your time and think it through carefully.” Lang Jiuchuan turned to Ou Luozhong and said, “The mother-and-child ghost from before had been refined through dark arts — their grievance and malevolent energy were extreme. Those who were struck by that malevolent energy will likely fall ill these next few days. I will give you a medicinal talisman — brew it open in ashes from before a Buddha statue and have them drink it, and they will recover. Your younger daughter-in-law has suffered the most. She risked her life in childbirth, and then had a ghost child attempt to seize her infant’s life-force. Her body has taken the worst of it — I need to examine her.”
Ou Luozhong said quickly, “Yes, yes, of course. My lady—”
Ou Furen glanced at her daughter. Ou Miaonan said, “Mother, please go look in on Second Sister-in-law first. Second Brother isn’t home, so Second Sister-in-law’s side needs an elder to manage things more urgently.”
What a thoughtful child. Ou Furen nearly wept again, and only after calling maidservants to watch over her daughter without leaving her side for a single moment did she finally dare to leave.
Ou Miaonan sat huddled under the coverlet for a while, then suddenly said to her maidservant, “Go fetch a sash for me.”
The maidservant was puzzled but retrieved it nonetheless. To everyone’s alarm, Ou Miaonan took the sash and tied it over her eyes, then felt her way out of bed.
The moment she got out of bed, she stumbled and fell. The pain made tears seep from her eyes, but she bit back any sound, then waved the maidservant away and once again felt her way toward the table in the room.
Jiangche was still in the room, watching her knock into this and bump against that as she moved about the chamber like someone truly blind, and let out a long sigh.
Across the way, Lang Jiuchuan had already learned of Ou Miaonan’s movements through Jiangche’s relay, and the expression on her face did not change.
She was not the Buddha, nor a bodhisattva, nor a god. She could not accomplish everything with a single technique and grant everyone’s heart’s desire — at least not yet.
Ou Luozhong led Lang Jiuchuan to the courtyard of his second daughter-in-law. They were immediately met with a gust of wind from a swinging fist. Lang Jiuchuan, who was walking behind him, swiftly yanked him backward, stumbling herself in the process and nearly falling to the ground.
Ou Luozhong felt as though his old lower back had truly given out this time — the pain was no small matter.
But before he could say a word, a thunderous bellow, instantly familiar, assaulted his ears.
“Listen here, Ou Luozhong, you miserable old fool! You came begging me to marry my Qionger off to that worthless brat Ou Po, swearing you’d treat her like your own daughter. Is this how you raise a daughter?! Ou Po — that useless wretch — not being here when his own wife gives birth is bad enough, but she nearly lost her life delivering his child. And now? The child is born, she’s lying in bed with a face as white as a ghost’s, my grandson is as frail as a little kitten, can barely open his eyes — mother and child both wretched and weak! And you lot — there wasn’t a single elder present to manage things and look after her!”
Ou Luozhong felt his head throbbing. Sure enough — fear what you dread the most. Ning Dashun, his hotheaded in-law, had arrived.
“Affinal kinsman—”
“Kinsman my foot! You can’t keep my daughter safe in your household, so I’ll take her and the child back with me. I refuse to believe my General’s Manor can’t provide for them both! In fact, it works out perfectly — my General’s Manor is still lacking an heir. The little one can take his mother’s surname, Ning, and become the successor of my General’s Manor!” Ning Dashun was nearly spitting in Ou Luozhong’s face. He threw out a broad hand. “Men! Go escort the young lady and the little young master home!”
“Yes, sir!”
Ou Luozhong rushed to block them. “Affinal kinsman, let’s talk this through calmly.”
Ou Furen was equally distraught and spoke with practiced patience. “Affinal kinsman, our household suffered a tremendous ordeal today — please hear us out…”
“I don’t want to hear it! Are you all dead?! Move!”
Lang Jiuchuan stepped forward, and said evenly, “A newborn should not be exposed to drafts. The mother’s body is weak, and she has yin poison within her. With the weather this cold and biting, if you insist on moving them by force, you will only harm her.”