The Destined End of “Xianren Shou”

In life, one must always take steps forward, just as I joined the organization—whether right or wrong, you only know after you’ve walked the path. I knew Zu Ye had been wracking his brains over the organization’s fate these past days, and I was just about to say a few words to help share his worries when suddenly there came urgent knocking from outside. Before long, the butler led someone running in. The moment that person entered, he shouted: “Zu Ye, something’s happened! Something’s happened!”

I looked and saw it was a Xiao Jiao under Er Batou’s command called “Zei Mao.” He was over ten years old at the time, serving both as Er Batou’s foot soldier and as a doorboy for Er Batou’s household. This kid, because his legs and feet were nimble and he did climbing walls and scaling trees beautifully, everyone called him Zei Mao.

Zu Ye was very displeased with his panicked appearance, his face darkening: “Don’t panic! Speak slowly!”

Zei Mao said breathlessly: “Zu Ye, please go quickly and see, Second Master and Qi Ye have started fighting!”

My heart skipped a beat, thinking: This isn’t right. Qi Ye was someone Second Master recommended as talent, and he’s only been in his position a short while—does he dare to rebel already?

Zu Ye stared hard at Zei Mao, “What exactly happened?”

Zei Mao said trembling: “Second Master was drinking with Qi Ye when suddenly Qi Ye went crazy, flipped the table over, and went at Second Master with bared fangs and claws trying to bite him. Fortunately Second Master dodged quickly, grabbed a stool and knocked him down. Several servants tied him up and lashed him to a tree!”

Zu Ye stood up, “Let’s go have a look.”

Soon we accompanied Zu Ye to Er Batou’s home. The courtyard was brightly lit, the other brothers had arrived too, and it was quite chaotic.

I looked and saw “Xianren Shou” tied to an elm tree in the middle of the courtyard. He was struggling madly, his eyes full of bloodshot veins, his eyeballs looking ready to burst, two cold lights shooting from his eye sockets as he swept his gaze over the crowd with terror and rage. His mouth was stuffed with cloth, but you could still hear his muffled roars. He was chewing hard on that wad of cloth, drool flowing from the corners of his mouth, dripping puddle by puddle onto the ground.

Er Batou stood in the courtyard holding a stick. I quietly walked over and asked: “Second Master, what’s going on?”

Er Batou said indignantly: “The bastard’s pretending to be crazy, trying to kill me!” Then he walked up to “Xianren Shou,” raised his stick, and roared: “Speak! Who made you do this?”

At this moment, “Xianren Shou” became even more frantic and restless, making hooting sounds from his mouth, struggling desperately, shaking the big tree along with him. Er Batou casually gave him a blow with the stick: “I’ll let you keep pretending! I’ll let you keep pretending!”

“Xianren Shou” became greatly agitated, howling and lunging forward, the ropes cutting into his flesh until he bled. Er Batou raised his stick to strike again.

“Stop!”

When Er Batou heard it was Zu Ye’s voice, he immediately held back.

Zu Ye walked up to “Xianren Shou.” “Xianren Shou” tilted his head looking at Zu Ye, his eyes full of wretchedness. Following Zu Ye’s movements, his head would tilt to the left for a moment, then tilt to the right.

After watching for a while, Zu Ye said to Er Batou: “Come here.”

The two walked to a corner. Zu Ye asked Er Batou: “Has Qi Ye been bitten by a dog recently?”

Er Batou didn’t understand what Zu Ye meant and asked: “A dog?”

Zu Ye said: “At a glance it’s clearly rabies! What are you beating him with a stick for!”

Only then did Er Batou suddenly realize, slapping his forehead: “Oh, no wonder this fellow doesn’t care about his life, even daring to attack me… But he hasn’t been bitten by a dog. Killing dogs and slaughtering pigs is all done on Da Batou’s side, we don’t come into contact with them.”

This statement from Er Batou was honest truth. The batous all had their own divisions of labor. The organization frequently needed pig blood, chicken blood, dog blood, pig bladders and such for running “zha fei” scams—all these things were handled by Da Batou. Of course, when the organization had external conflicts requiring assassination, or internal matters requiring cutting people, he was even more the one to do it. I don’t know how much animal and human blood stained those hands of his.

I once witnessed his entire pig-slaughtering process firsthand, to the point that for a long time afterward I didn’t want to eat pork—just thinking of that scene made me want to vomit.

He would first have several Xiao Jiaos pin the pig down. When pinning it, some would grab the pig’s ears, others its tail, and the pig would squeal loudly. After pinning it down, they’d bind it with coarse hemp rope, tying the two front hooves together and the two back hooves together, while the pig continued squealing. At this point, Da Batou would pick up a pole, raise it high, and strike hard at the pig’s head. Generally after three blows, the pig wouldn’t cry out so fiercely. After the pig was dazed, several people would carry it onto a millstone, place a large basin under the pig’s neck, and Da Batou would pick up a sharpened pointed knife and stab it into the pig’s neck—this was called bloodletting. With one stroke, the pig’s neck would open with a huge gash, steaming hot pig blood flowing out in torrents into the basin below. An adult sow could generally fill more than half a basin with blood. As the blood flowed out, the pig’s grunting sounds would grow smaller and smaller until finally it stopped making any sound at all.

After the blood was drained, they would begin gutting it. Da Batou would flip the pig over face-up, and from top to bottom, slice the pig’s belly open with one cut. At that moment a fishy, foul-smelling hot vapor would disperse out, fumigating people until they felt waves of nausea. After slicing it open, they’d begin pulling out the internal organs, especially needing to preserve the bladder well for future use in zha fei scams.

The first time I witnessed this scene, my legs went soft. Seeing the others watching with high spirits, I felt they had all become numb. San Batou even composed a jingle on this theme that went like this: “What are life’s four great reds? The butchering knife, the pig-killing basin, a young lady’s undergarments, and burning clouds.”

When I first heard it, I didn’t understand. Later, after explanations from the Xiao Jiaos, I finally got it: the butchering knife and pig-killing basin needless to say were stained with blood and thus red, burning clouds could burn half the sky red, also red, but this business about the young lady’s undergarments—not until the Xiao Jiaos mentioned women’s menstruation did I suddenly understand. Truly, swindlers aren’t scary—what’s scary is when swindlers have culture!

I asked the other Xiao Jiaos whether Da Batou had been born this ruthless. They said yes, and even more so since his wife died. I asked how his wife died. The Xiao Jiaos said she was chewed up by pigs.

It turned out that several years ago, Da Batou married a female A’Bao from the organization. That woman also had a vicious-looking face and was skilled at zha fei. Because pig blood and pig bladders were frequently needed, Zu Ye had people raise over a dozen pigs in a secluded courtyard for use in zha fei scams.

Once, Da Batou’s wife took a Xiao Jiao there to select pigs when she suddenly had an epileptic seizure and fell headfirst into the pigpen, her whole body convulsing, unable to move. Over a dozen pigs rushed over together trying to tear her apart. That Xiao Jiao quickly grabbed a stick to beat them, but it was completely useless. Those pigs went crazy, clamping down and not letting go. Very quickly they chewed her to pieces. That Xiao Jiao fled back in terror to report, and by the time people arrived, only a few bones remained. Although pigs are omnivores, cases of pigs eating people are still very rare. The Xiao Jiaos all privately said this was karmic retribution, because Da Batou and his wife worked scams together and constantly killed pigs, they had killing energy on their bodies. The pigs sensed it and attacked her.

In his rage, Da Batou killed all dozen-plus pigs and from then on became addicted to killing. Every few days if he didn’t kill something, he felt uncomfortable. People who frequently take lives probably truly do have killing energy on them. Once when we went out together on business, we encountered a large snake on a mountain path. No matter how everyone tried to drive it away, it wouldn’t move. Later Da Batou came up from behind—before he even arrived, the snake slithered away in a flash.

When Da Batou killed dogs, ordinary people didn’t dare be present, because dogs were much more agile than pigs. They had to first be chained up, then Da Batou would walk over holding a stick. At that moment the dog would bark madly like crazy, assuming a desperate fighting stance. Sometimes the dog would bite Da Batou, but in the end it would still be beaten down by Da Batou. Actually there was another method for killing dogs—directly putting a slip noose on them and strangling them to death with rope—but Da Batou felt that wasn’t satisfying enough. He liked the taste of blood. Only when he’d smashed a dog’s head until its brains splattered did he feel happy.

Killing chickens goes without saying—generally one stroke would chop the chicken’s head off. A headless chicken, riding on its body, could still run more than ten meters, then blood would gush like a fountain, it would flop around a few times and stop moving.

Having witnessed these bloody scenes, I often had nightmares at night. The “Three Lives Cause and Effect Sutra” has a line: “Why is this life short? Because in past lives you slaughtered living beings.” The six realms of sentient beings all have spiritual nature. How terrified humans are facing death is how terrified animals are. Just thinking of those eyes before death is frightening. In my eyes, meat was just animal corpses—nothing worth eating.

After New China was established, Da Batou was sentenced to death. Actually even if the government hadn’t sentenced him to death, Heaven had already sentenced him to death. In 1950, he suddenly contracted a strange disease, a strange skin disease where his whole body cracked, skin peeling off in layers like fish scales, very itchy. When scratched it would break open, flowing yellow fluid, stinking terribly. Over time his whole body festered. Zu Ye invited the best local physician for him, but still couldn’t cure it.

Normally Zu Ye always warned Da Batou to be careful not to get bitten by dogs when killing them, so today seeing “Xianren Shou” in this state, Zu Ye first thought of rabies.

Zu Ye said coldly: “When encountering matters, stay calm. Don’t always resort to beating and killing, especially with your own brothers.”

Er Batou said with a forced smile: “I thought he was putting on an act!”

Zu Ye said: “I think you’ve gotten too used to putting on acts—you think of everything in those terms! Think carefully, has ‘Xianren Shou’ had any accidents recently?”

Er Batou thought for a long time. “Accidents? No accidents… Oh!” Er Batou cried out, remembering something. “Not long ago when running the ‘bat scam,’ he was bitten by a bat!”

Everyone knew about this bat scam—it was Zu Ye’s recent masterpiece. Two feuding families were fighting, and we ran a double scam in the middle.

The First Double Scam in Fortune-Telling History

The Zhang Family and Li Family were both major households in a neighboring town. The two families had always had enmity, reportedly fighting for three generations already. Recently tensions escalated because when Zhang Family’s patriarch Zhang Er’gou moved graves during Qingming Festival, he discovered something in his grandfather’s grave mound—a “suppression stone.”

A so-called “suppression stone” was a stone pressed on the “wealth head” position of a coffin. The “wealth head” was the position at the top of the coffin where the dead person’s head was located. Ancient people most emphasized the placement position of coffins during burial and whether anything was on top. If when a family member died and was buried, someone secretly played a trick and used a “suppression stone” to suppress the “wealth head,” then that family was finished—three consecutive generations would have constant bad luck until the day the “suppression stone” was discovered and dug out.

To put a “suppression stone” on a coffin required many people’s cooperation, because when burying, the deceased’s relatives would all be present. Generally they would first perform filial rites, then lower the coffin into the dug pit. After that, all relatives would circle around the earth pit, while circling they’d grab earth and sprinkle it on the coffin—this was called “rounding the grave,” indicating the deceased’s descendants were all filial people. After rounding the grave, the surrounding laborers would then wield spades and bury earth in large chunks. So to place a “suppression stone,” several laborers all had to be bribed. Taking advantage of people’s inattention, they’d toss a granite stone onto the “wealth head,” then quickly bury it—job done.

After Zhang Er’gou discovered this “suppression stone,” he immediately started cursing. He believed this must have been done by the Li Family. The reason was his father had once schemed against the Li Family. In the 22nd year of the Republic, when the Li Family had rebuilt their house, Er’gou’s father had seized this opportunity, bribed a tile mason, and used a “Luban Gate” technique, wanting to make the Li Family lose everything.

Houses at that time were mostly quadrangle courtyards, with the main residence tallest and largest, facing south. The structure differed from current residential houses. Current “ridge-raising” houses have roofs high in the middle with slopes on both sides. Houses back then had flat roofs with walls built around the perimeter, with two drainage channels on each of the four directions—east, south, west, and north—used for drainage.

“Luban Gate” techniques were many. One involved using wood to make a small flowing-water horse cart. Wind holes were drilled in the horse’s belly. Taking advantage of people’s inattention, when laying bricks, they’d sandwich the small horse cart into the brick channel above the drainage channel. This way, every time it rained, water would flow under the small horse cart, air would circulate, and the wind holes on the horse’s belly would make whooshing sounds. This sound was very subtle—unless you were an insider, you fundamentally couldn’t hear it. This was called “wealth flows away to utter poverty, the horse falls and fortune collapses bringing bad luck home”—in feng shui studies this was extremely inauspicious! Generally without deep enmity and great hatred, one wouldn’t use this damaging trick!

What enmity did the two families have? It’s a long story. Zhang Er’gou’s grandfather was a Qing Dynasty juren, surnamed Zhang, given name He, courtesy name Zhongjin. Before Zhang Zhongjin passed the juren examination, he and Li Family’s young master Li Wencai were close buddies. The two played together from childhood, attended private school together, took the children’s examination together, and later fell in love with the same girl. But neither would pierce through this layer of window paper, because childhood playmate brothers, once you pierce through this matter, you can’t be brothers anymore. Between men, everything can be shared—only wives are the exception.

That girl was Miss Zhao from the Zhao Family. Proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, generally she “never went out the main gate, never stepped out the second gate.” One year, when an old master from Yuelu Academy came locally to help print Buddhist sutras and opened an altar to preach dharma, Miss Zhao accompanied her mother to listen. By coincidence Zhang Zhongjin and Li Wencai also went, and these two fellows immediately spotted Miss Zhao in the crowd.

But ancient people liked to act refined, especially literati—opening and closing their mouths were always about benevolence and morality. After the two returned from the dharma assembly, they each composed a poem in flowery language, lavishly praising Miss Zhao. Then they started playing false courtesies. The younger Zhang Zhongjin said: “Elder Brother has the looks of Pan’an and feelings like Liu Lang. If this lady could be betrothed to you, it would truly be a heaven-sent marriage, certain to become a widely-told tale of romance in the countryside!”

Li Wencai immediately returned the courtesy: “Not at all, not at all. Dear Brother is full of learning and highly talented. If you could form a union with Miss Zhao, it would be a perfect match of handsome man and beautiful woman!” Then the two deeply bowed to each other, making gestures of yielding, though in their hearts both were cursing: “Why don’t you just die!”

Later, both the Zhang Family and Li Family sent matchmakers to seek marriage, and both brought their birth charts. Matching birth charts for marriage was a procedure ancient people had to go through when forming unions. If the charts didn’t match, even if two people loved each other to death, basically it couldn’t happen. Coincidentally, both Zhang Zhongjin’s and Li Wencai’s birth charts matched with the young lady’s. For a time the Zhao Family also had difficulty choosing.

Thus Zhang Zhongjin and Li Wencai began secretly competing. They came and went less frequently in daily life, and when they met it was all forced smiles as they performed courtesy. Just at this critical juncture, the provincial examination began. The two took the exam simultaneously. As a result, Zhang Zhongjin passed as a juren while Li Wencai failed. Originally the two were evenly matched, neither superior nor inferior, but now the gap immediately widened. In the end, Zhang Zhongjin got his wish and married Miss Zhao, while Li Wencai could only sigh once and give up.

But this grudge was formed. From then on the two became strangers, not even maintaining basic face.

Li Wencai liked fortune-telling. When he had nothing to do normally, he’d chat with a few fortune-tellers. After this incident, he even invited a Daoist priest to his home to see if there was any way to break it. Who knew the person invited was a fake Daoist priest—his real identity was an A’Bao of the “Jiang Xiang Sect.”

That Daoist priest said: “Alas, she’s already married over there—what’s to break!”

Li Wencai said: “Then I can’t let him have peace!”

That Daoist priest said: “I won’t do this!”

Li Wencai directly slammed a silver ingot on the table: “As long as this marriage can be broken, name your price!”

That Daoist priest said: “What kind of talk is this! Better to demolish ten temples than break one marriage! Looks like I’m going to hell again!” These words clearly meant he’d agreed—silver evidently had more killing power than hell.

That Daoist priest had Li Wencai bring out Miss Zhao’s birthday. Because they’d exchanged birth charts before, Li Wencai had the young lady’s birthday. After spreading out the chart and looking, the Daoist priest smiled: “Young Master needn’t worry. This chart has mixed officials and killings—it’s a chart prone to adultery. As long as this poor priest slightly applies magic arts, I guarantee she’ll come to your side! As long as you don’t mind that she’s damaged goods, you can take her!”

“Damaged goods” was fortune-telling terminology, meaning the young lady’s virginity was broken—she was no longer a virgin. So in ancient times if someone said a man married “damaged goods,” it was tremendous shame! In that society of three obediences and four virtues, men only demanded how women should preserve chastity but never reflected on their own licentiousness.

Li Wencai smiled deviously: “Damaged goods I’ll enter, but I won’t keep!”

The Daoist priest was stunned, thinking: Is this even human?

So the Daoist priest played “zha fei,” making two straw figures, dressing them in small clothes cut from red paper, writing two names on their backs respectively: Zhang Zhongjin, Zhao Yue’e.

That Daoist priest also used sorghum stalks to prop up a small building structure, placing one figure inside the building and one outside, separating them with an apricot branch in the middle. Then he made another straw figure, wrote Li Wencai’s name on it, and had this figure stand on the apricot branch, beckoning toward “Zhao Yue’e” inside the building.

Seeing everything that Daoist priest was doing, Li Wencai was amused: “Master, can this thing work? Why does it feel so ridiculous!”

Seeing the scam was about to break, that Daoist priest immediately said seriously: “This is only part of it! The key is the incantation. I’ll tell you the incantation. At midnight each day, stand before the building and silently recite it. Within seven times seven, forty-nine days, I guarantee Zhao Yue’e will deliver herself to your door!”

Li Wencai quickly bowed his head, listening as the Daoist priest explained the incantation clearly, deeply memorizing it in his heart.

After everything was done, the Daoist priest ate dinner and was about to leave. Li Wencai said: “Thank you, Master! If this matter succeeds, Wencai will definitely reward you handsomely!”

When that Daoist priest heard this, he nearly died of anger! After the matter succeeds? This fellow is too cunning! Not even an advance payment? He’s trying to get something for nothing! Besides, when would the matter ever succeed? It was all “zha fei” anyway! That Daoist priest forcibly suppressed his fire, smiling and saying: “I and Young Master have a friendship transcending age—how can we discuss such worldly matters! This poor priest only hopes that after Young Master obtains Miss Zhao, you can treat her well!”

Li Wencai said smiling: “Master truly has a compassionate heart!”

That Daoist priest left in a huff. But the A’Baos were not to be trifled with—this losing deal couldn’t be swallowed. Within a few days that Daoist priest went to the Zhang Family, then tearfully explained how the Li Family had forced him to cast spells, how his conscience was deeply condemned, how he couldn’t sleep at night, so he’d come to confess, requesting forgiveness.

The young couple Zhang Zhongjin and his wife were both dumbfounded, asking: “Is this true?”

The Daoist priest said: “Go to his east wing room—that building structure and small straw figures are right there. If he lets you in, it means I’m lying. If he won’t let you in, it means something’s up.”

Zhang Zhongjin thought this made sense, but he and Li Wencai were on such bad terms now, there was fundamentally no way to enter the door. That Daoist priest saw Zhang Zhongjin hesitating and said to him: “This poor priest has a plan.”

Zhang Zhongjin said: “What plan?”

The Daoist priest said: “Fight scheme with scheme!”

The next day, Zhang Zhongjin wrote a letter and had a servant deliver it to Li Wencai. When Li Wencai looked, it was inviting him to drink wine. The letter roughly said: “This younger brother’s heart has been quite unsettled recently. Originally thought that marrying Miss Zhao from the Zhao Family would allow enjoyment of family happiness, but unexpectedly this woman is absent-minded every day, unconcerned with moral principles, constantly thinking of strange techniques and lewd cunning…”

Li Wencai was delighted—looks like the Master’s magic arts were taking effect. So wanting to also probe the real situation, he came to the appointment. The two found a tavern, ordered a few small dishes. After a few cups of wine, tears fell from Zhang Zhongjin’s eyes: “Dear Brother, this younger brother’s heart aches! Thinking back to when we brothers in those years composed poetry and matched verses—what intimacy, what happiness! For the sake of a lowly woman, to become like strangers—is it worth it?”

Li Wencai’s belly was about to explode with joy. He bit his tongue hard before it hurt enough to squeeze out two tears: “Alas, Dear Brother, let’s not speak of it. Surviving countless tribulations brothers remain, meeting with a smile erases all grudges! We brothers for so long—although I too was infatuated with Miss Zhao, since Dear Brother was first to succeed, honestly speaking, at first my heart hurt, but later thinking it over, as long as Dear Brother is happy, how could this foolish brother not be happy?”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhongjin lay on the table covering his face with his sleeve, crying loudly—actually secretly rubbing wine spilled on the table into his eyes, otherwise he really couldn’t cry.

The two drank facing each other for an hour. Zhang Zhongjin said drunkenly: “Dear Brother, since this younger brother married, I haven’t once gone to play at elder brother’s home! I miss the days when we brothers were together! Thinking back, we would drink at dusk, recite the ‘Book of Songs’ at night, and when tired, share the same bed with the same quilt—how happy!”

Li Wencai said: “Dear Brother! Let’s go! Tonight come to my place! We’ll drink under the moon as before, then fall drunkenly asleep!”

So the two wobbled their way toward the Li Family home. Upon entering the door, the Li Family’s servants were startled. Seeing these two fellows with little red faces from drink—how would they know both men’s minds were extremely clear.

After entering the main gate, Zhang Zhongjin wobbled directly toward the east wing room: “Venerable Mother, Zhang He has come to pay respects!”

Li Wencai grabbed him: “Dear Brother, wrong, wrong, Venerable Mother is in the main hall!”

Zhang Zhongjin pretended confusion, pointing at the east wing room: “Isn’t this the main hall!” As he spoke, he plunged toward it.

Li Wencai followed with several steps, grabbing him tightly: “Dear Brother, you’re drunk, you’re drunk!”

Zhang Zhongjin said laughing: “I’m not drunk, I want to pay respects to Venerable Mother! Come, let’s go together!” As he spoke, pulling Li Wencai, they were about to push the door open.

Li Wencai shot a fierce look at a servant, seeming to say: “Are you stupid? Just standing there watching without moving?” The servant quickly rushed over, and together with Li Wencai they carried Zhang Zhongjin to the main hall.

At this moment Li Wencai’s mother and father also heard the commotion and hurriedly came out from the inner room, smiling and saying: “Zhongjin has come, quickly come in, quickly come in!”

Zhang Zhongjin laughed toward the sky, his laughter making everyone in the room shudder. Then he embraced Li Wencai, bringing his mouth close to Li Wencai’s ear, quietly saying: “Miss Zhao and I won’t last long. If Dear Brother doesn’t mind, this younger brother will yield her to you.”

The muscles in Li Wencai’s face twitched: “Dear Brother, you’ve drunk too much.”

Zhang Zhongjin said laughing: “No, I’m going home right now to write a letter of divorce. You wait for me.” Having said this, he shook off Li Wencai and walked straight out the door. Li Wencai stood there stunned, somewhat at a loss.

Zhang Zhongjin returned home where that Daoist priest was waiting. He asked Zhang Zhongjin: “How did it go?”

Zhang Zhongjin waved his hand and pulled out a handful of silver from his sleeve: “Master, I beseech you to cast magic arts again. If I don’t destroy his family completely, I swear I’m not human!”

Zhao Yue’e came out from the inner room saying: “There’s no need for that. Live your own life. Harmony in the family brings prosperity to all—it’s fine not to believe in these things!”

Zhang Zhongjin said: “No!”

The Daoist priest looked at the silver on the table, thinking this time he’d better negotiate the price first—don’t be like that fellow last time who just waved it around, then in the end didn’t get a single coin. So he said calmly: “Young Master Zhang does this poor priest too much honor! We who have left home are compassionate! I told you this matter because my conscience was condemned. Now you want to turn the tables and make me do the same—how can my conscience rest?”

Zhang Zhongjin said: “Using evil to restrain evil is not doing bad! Could Master just watch evildoers act evil without caring?”

The Daoist priest said: “This…”

Zhang Zhongjin went into the room and brought out several more silver ingots, stuffing them all before the Master: “Please Master display your magic arts!” Seeing this was real and not playing around, that Master began “zha fei” again—drawing talismans, chanting incantations, setting up feng shui formations, making a great commotion. Finally he took the silver and fled.

The next day at dusk, the Daoist priest quietly went to Li Wencai’s home again. Actually Li Wencai was just wanting to find him. The Daoist priest said: “Has it taken effect?” Li Wencai said smiling: “Master’s Daoist arts are profound—in just a few days, results are already showing. Can Master add more effort?”

The Master squinted his eyes: “Alas, this shortens one’s lifespan!”

Li Wencai caught on and immediately stuffed several silver ingots into the Daoist priest’s hands. Only then did that Daoist priest make a great show of going through the motions. The old Daoist, coming out from the Li home, felt he’d swindled both sides about equally, so he quietly disappeared, vanishing without a trace from then on.

But both Zhang Zhongjin and Li Wencai believed this was genuine magic arts, thinking that Master didn’t wish to interfere further in worldly affairs and had gone into seclusion.

Later events proved that Zhang Zhongjin and Zhao Yue’e always had excellent feelings for each other. Li Wencai never knew what exactly went wrong. After waiting several years, he never saw Zhao Yue’e commit adultery.

Later Zhang Zhongjin was once drinking with a heap of friends. After drinking heartily, he momentarily misspoke and actually spilled out this old affair. As it turned out, the speaker was careless but the listener took it to heart. At the drinking table there happened to be someone with good relations to Li Wencai, and the matter was exposed. Only then did Li Wencai suddenly realize: “No wonder the magic arts failed!”

From then on, the two began exchanging letters cursing each other! The enmity between the two families deepened further, greatly taking on the momentum of swearing not to rest until playing the other to death!

Later in Zhang Er’gou’s father’s generation, because Er’gou’s father was making revolution, when Yuan Shikai was arresting revolutionaries, the Li Family was first to come forward and inform on him. As a result they arrested Er’gou’s father and sentenced him to execution after the autumn assizes. Er’gou’s family spent until they were bankrupted, finally finding a substitute to take his place and stealing the person out of prison. From then on Er’gou’s father fled to Xinjiang, living under an assumed name.

Although Er’gou’s father was far away in Xinjiang, he never forgot revenge, secretly maintaining contact with Er’gou—as long as there was opportunity, they would definitely take revenge! As a result in the 22nd year of the Republic, when the Li Family was rebuilding their house, Er’gou’s father invited a master of “Luban Gate,” made the flowing-water wooden horse, bribed a tile mason planning to use underhanded tricks on the Li Family.

As a result that tile mason had a guilty conscience. When placing the small horse cart into the brick cavity, he was flustered and discovered! He was chased and beaten by Li Family people from the rooftop to the ground, his leg even broke. Later he was tied up to be sent to the authorities, and only then did that tile mason confess truthfully. The Zhang Family, knowing the scheme had leaked, also prepared to fight to the death. A bloody battle was on the verge of breaking out. But nothing whatsoever happened. The Li Family was surprisingly calm.

Several years passed like this until Er’gou’s grandfather at age 82 died of natural causes. On the funeral day, the Li Family’s patriarch—Li Wencai’s son Li Qiming—ran to the Zhang home to pay condolences. This was too unexpected. Li Qiming prostrated himself before Old Master Zhang’s spirit, weeping bitter tears: “Old Master Zhang, starting from you and my father, our two families have fought for three generations. For several decades, our two families schemed exhaustively, each using poisonous plans, fighting until both were defeated and injured, families destroyed and people dead—what’s the point! They say enmity should be resolved not deepened. Now you’ve departed on a crane westward. May your spirit in heaven let our two families end this hatred! Qiming kowtows to you! May your spirit in heaven bless our two families’ future descendants to live in harmony! Never to fight again!” Having said this, he kowtowed repeatedly.

These words made everyone present shed tears. The two families had fought so many years—perhaps today should be the end of it. Er’gou was also quite moved, inviting Li Qiming inside. The two again expressed much sighing.

During the funeral procession, Li Qiming brought his children and grandchildren, all kneeling at the side helping out. Later when Er’gou moved the grave, he discovered the “suppression stone.” Recalling scene after scene from when his grandfather was buried, he realized the Li Family had been running a scam—that was a cat crying false tears over a mouse, first using sincerity to confuse you, then using a heap of people in chaos to disturb the line of sight, taking advantage of people’s inattention to place the “suppression stone”!

Er’gou wanted revenge. Through an informant’s introduction he found Er Batou. After explaining the three generations of fighting between his family and the Li Family, Er Batou was delighted upon hearing this. This matter was recorded in the “Jiang Xiang Case Records.” He’d even discussed it with Zu Ye and marveled at the double scam that “Daoist priest” predecessor had done. This Er’gou before him was a super fat roe deer—superstitious thinking deep in his bones, too easy to trick. Er Batou immediately reported this matter to Zu Ye. After hearing it, Zu Ye only said one sentence to Er Batou: also make it a double scam.

Er Batou had followed Zu Ye so long, he understood Zu Ye best. Zu Ye was someone who pursued perfection—running a scam had to be done brilliantly and perfectly before he was happy. He wanted to glorify his achievements in Jiang Xiang annals.

The Opium Business Inside Corpses

Er Batou was the organization’s “zha fei” expert. Zu Ye was at ease leaving this scam to him. Zu Ye rarely felt at ease with anyone. Er Batou had also gone through some tempering before gaining Zu Ye’s trust. Especially the “corpse-driving scam” he’d coordinated with Zu Ye—the entire process could be called thrilling and fraught with danger. It was also that time when Zu Ye completely subdued Er Batou.

In 1932, the Japanese Navy Marine Corps attacked Shanghai. The 19th Route Army rose up to resist. The fighting was brutal with many deaths.

Zu Ye hadn’t expected this incident would bring him money-making opportunities.

Not long after the 19th Route Army withdrew, a “special merchant” found Zu Ye. “Special merchant” was underworld slang meaning people who sold opium. Although after the Nanjing Provisional Government was established they issued an opium prohibition order, the opium business was still extremely rampant because this trade was truly too profitable. Even later when the National Government currency depreciated, high officials and wealthy merchants actually hoarded opium privately to deal with inflation.

That “special merchant” was surnamed Jia, people called him Fourth Master Jia. He’d always had dealings with warlords and gangs, also an old friend of Zu Ye for many years.

Fourth Master Jia mysteriously told Zu Ye there was big business, asking whether he was willing to do it.

Zu Ye asked what business. Fourth Master Jia said: “Calling the dead!”

Zu Ye was startled. “Calling the dead” was an old custom in certain Central Plains regions—bringing those who died in foreign lands, especially those who died on battlefields, back to their hometowns through soul-summoning arts so they wouldn’t become lonely wandering ghosts. In western Hunan this was also called “corpse driving.”

Zu Ye deeply understood the tricks of this “calling the dead”—actually it was all done by living people. First they’d wash the corpse clean, use a knife to cut open the belly, scoop out all the internal organs, then soak it in medicinal water to prevent the body from rotting. Then one person would carry the corpse on their back, put on a large funeral robe covering both the corpse and themselves together, then wear a straw hat themselves, stick talismans on their face, pretending to be a corpse. Another person would walk ahead shaking a soul-summoning bell while scattering paper money. The two would work together until carrying the corpse all the way home.

If there were many corpses, they’d use iron wire to thread through the corpses’ collarbones, then tie them to poles, stringing them together. With all the internal organs scooped out, leaving only an empty shell, it wasn’t too heavy. Finding two people with great strength, they’d put the poles on their shoulders and carry them front and back while walking.

Corpse driving was hard physical labor, even more so labor requiring courage—ordinary people couldn’t do it. Especially walking mountain paths at night, under moonlight on small mountain roads, carrying dead people while hopping along, mountain winds suddenly rising, crows crying mournfully, paper money flying everywhere—even clearly knowing there’s a dead person on your back, you always feel there’s a pair of eyes behind your head staring straight at you.

Zu Ye spoke up: “This work is both exhausting and has no profit. Why has Fourth Master thought of this work?”

Fourth Master Jia whispered a few words in Zu Ye’s ear. After hearing, Zu Ye’s expression slowly relaxed.

Fourth Master Jia continued: “Only this method—officials don’t care, citizens don’t ask, even cats and dogs avoid it. You have many people under you playing ‘zha fei’—you can pretend to be a soul-summoning master. A match made in heaven!”

Zu Ye looked at Fourth Master Jia’s confident appearance and asked: “Are the military people reliable?”

Fourth Master Jia said: “Adjutant Yao—you’ve met him. All many years of friendship.”

Zu Ye thought for a while: “Good.”

Zu Ye made careful plans and assigned Er Batou to implement them. Before departure, Zu Ye instructed: “You must be careful, absolutely don’t make any mistakes!”

Er Batou slapped his chest: “Rest assured! I’m expert at playing with dead people!”

It turned out Fourth Master Jia wanted to transport a batch of opium to the south. At that time the situation was too tense, and with war and chaos everywhere, he didn’t dare go openly for fear of variables. So he consulted with a confidential secretary of the Kuomintang—through the “calling the dead” method, deceiving heaven and crossing the sea. Nominally it was for warriors who died heroically in the Songhu War of Resistance to return their souls to their hometowns. Actually it was borrowing these corpses to transport opium. For money, people can lose all conscience—actually people are more frightening than ghosts.

After Er Batou received the order, he set out with five “Xiao Jiaos.” After finding the contact person, they first hollowed out five corpses with military ranks, wrapped the opium in oil paper, wrapped another layer with small cowhide, placed it into the corpses’ empty bellies. After stuffing them full, they used thread to sew the belly skin up. Human flesh is layered—they had to sew layer by layer, otherwise it would leak out.

After finishing, the Xiao Jiaos shouldered the corpses and set out. Er Batou played the soul-summoning master in front, left hand holding a copper bell, right hand scattering paper money. Wherever they passed, people all avoided them.

After walking just one day, the Xiao Jiaos began crying out they were tired. Carrying a dead person—moreover a dead person whose belly was full of opium, up and down seventy to eighty pounds—over time, the corpse’s funeral smell, medicinal water smell, and the living person’s freshly-produced sweat smell mixed together, fumigating people until nauseous.

Er Batou, eager for achievement, shouted loudly: “Hurry, hurry!”

The Xiao Jiaos timidly said: “Second Master, this is too heavy, really can’t walk anymore.”

Er Batou was so angry smoke came from his nose: “A bunch of trash!”

Although Er Batou continuously cursed and scolded, the team walked slower and slower. Er Batou began thinking of ideas: “I have a method that can lighten your load…”

The Xiao Jiaos looked at each other, asking: “Second Master… what method?”

Er Batou smiled slightly and spoke out the method.

After the Xiao Jiaos heard, they looked at each other: “The idea is good, but if something goes wrong and Zu Ye investigates…”

Er Batou shouted: “If something goes wrong, I’ll take responsibility!”

So the Xiao Jiaos all followed the plan. Two days later they easily reached the destination. After Er Batou handed over the opium to the contact person, he went to the inn. Zu Ye and Fourth Master Jia were already waiting there.

“No accidents?” Zu Ye asked.

Er Batou said: “Everything went smoothly!”

Zu Ye glanced at Fourth Master Jia. Fourth Master Jia smiled with satisfaction. Zu Ye also smiled.

The next day at the coffin viewing, the deceased’s families and Adjutant Yao were all present. Er Batou in a full Daoist robe, leading several Xiao Jiaos, circled around the coffins several times, again scattering paper money, again chanting spells. Finally he stuffed copper coins into the deceased’s mouths—reportedly this was for the deceased to deal with little ghosts on the Yellow Springs road. After everything was arranged, Er Batou said: “The coffins may be viewed.”

Those family members, suppressing tremendous grief, surrounded the coffins, staring vacantly at their relatives. But who would have thought their relatives all only had one head left!

After viewing the coffins and recognizing the relatives, next came burial. At this moment, an accident occurred!

An old lady truly couldn’t bear the inner pain of losing her son and actually threw herself at the coffin, going to touch her son’s body. After grabbing a few times, she nearly pulled the entire funeral garment off. Er Batou quickly pulled her back, saying: “Madam! This absolutely cannot be done!”

But it was too late—that corpse’s “leg” was already exposed. It was a tree branch. The old lady cried out in shock: “Where are my son’s legs?”

This cry shocked everyone present! These were all corpses designated by Adjutant Yao, only hit by a few bullets, leaving complete corpses! Adjutant Yao quickly stepped forward wanting to examine the corpse. Zu Ye’s eyes and hands were quick—he grabbed and pulled him back, eyes staring hard at him! Adjutant Yao saw there was meaning in Zu Ye’s eyes and stopped.

The air at the scene froze. At this moment, only Zu Ye was heard saying loudly: “Battlefield fighting, bullets and shells like rain—these several officers died for the country. Some had legs blown off by artillery shells, some had bellies blasted open. Before placing them in coffins, these several disciples of mine arranged them, the purpose being not wanting the families to be excessively grieved!”

Adjutant Yao glared viciously at Zu Ye once: “Hmph!” But he didn’t dare make a scene because he had a share in it too.

Zu Ye continued: “Everyone knows the rules of soul summoning. If everyone continues crying and wailing, then the deceased’s souls will be uneasy, souls flying out of the body, becoming lonely wandering ghosts—that would waste everyone’s painstaking efforts!”

When the old lady heard this, she gradually quieted down and stopped crying.

Er Batou quickly said to the Xiao Jiaos: “Let’s bury them.”

After the coffins entered the earth, Er Batou drew a circle in front of the cemetery, placed prepared stacks of paper money in the circle and lit them, mouth reciting: “Came naked, leave naked, past life doesn’t know present life matters, born of parents muddling through the days; karmic creditors no longer continue, after death in Yellow Springs no enemies; send—off—the—funeral—”

The suona players blew their suonas, relatives wept bitterly. Adjutant Yao couldn’t help but also shed tears—after all these were anti-Japanese brothers whose blood stained the battlefield. People, although always having their eyes covered by material desires, yet that thread of virtuous mind at the bottom of their hearts would always unconsciously flow out.

After the funeral ended, Zu Ye, Adjutant Yao, and Fourth Master Jia returned to the inn.

“Er Batou!” Zu Ye called Er Batou into the room. “What happened?”

Er Batou glanced at Adjutant Yao and Fourth Master Jia, lowered his head. After a long time, he only made an “mm” sound.

“Speak!” Zu Ye’s roar shook the room buzzing.

Er Batou quickly poured out the whole story.

“Calling the dead” had rules. The corpses summoned back home—the family wouldn’t see them first. After the corpse-driving artisan finished the ritual and arranged the bodies into coffins, only then could the family view the coffins. And they absolutely couldn’t cry, even more couldn’t touch the bodies, otherwise the wronged souls would be uneasy and leave their bodies. Only after burial in the earth could they cry. Er Batou seized on this pattern and actually dared to have everyone cut off the corpses’ heads, throw away the bodies, then get several back baskets, put all the opium in the baskets with the heads on top of the opium, still covering them with large funeral robes imitating zombie walking—this greatly lightened the Xiao Jiaos’ burden. The team walked much faster.

Reaching the destination, Er Batou arranged overnight for the Xiao Jiaos to get five wooden stakes, dressed each stake in brand new funeral garments, also stuffed in much cotton to create a human form. The sleeves and trouser legs were also propped up with tree branches. Finally using thick iron wire they stuck the heads on the wooden stakes, wrapping cloth at the joints, combining with the funeral garments—seamless. Anyway those families only needed to see the deceased’s faces—no one would examine the deceased’s bodies. This was the “corpse driving” rule.

After hearing, Zu Ye said coldly: “Do you do it yourself, or do I do it?”

Er Batou looked at Zu Ye, then looked at the expressionless Adjutant Yao and Fourth Master Jia, saying in a low voice: “I’ll do it myself!”

Having said this, he placed his left hand’s pinky finger on the table edge. His right hand wielded a knife—crack! Without hesitation he chopped the finger off! Fresh blood quickly sprayed all over the floor. Er Batou hurt so much sweat covered his forehead, but he didn’t make a sound.

From then on Er Batou became nine-fingered. Zu Ye doing this was also unavoidable—first, to give Fourth Master Jia and Adjutant Yao an explanation; second, also to dampen Er Batou’s sharpness, otherwise he’d be difficult to lead in the future.

Many years later when Zu Ye again chatted about this matter, he still had lingering fears. If this scam had been exposed then, the Kuomintang higher-ups would definitely have been furious. Zu Ye, Adjutant Yao, Fourth Master Jia, plus Er Batou and those Xiao Jiaos—all would have died!

Ghost Marriage

Er Batou studied “zha fei arts” all day, from time to time discussing with Zu Ye. Zu Ye very much appreciated his ideas. Sometimes when everyone drank wine together, Zu Ye would praise him in front of the other batous. Er Batou always dealt with dead people, paper money, incense, and cinnabar, to the point we could always smell funeral odor emanating from his body—this kind of smell seemingly couldn’t be washed off. So when visiting brothels, the girls didn’t much like getting close to him. Every time this happened, the other batous would feel psychologically balanced.

Er Batou played zha fei, and once he tricked himself. Speaking of this matter, it was truly very strange…

In the 25th year of the Republic, a cloth shop proprietor’s daughter died—died for love. She fell in love with a progressive youth, the kind of intellectual youth who stood on the street every day handing out flyers and making speeches. The old proprietor feared this kind of person would cause trouble, plus he was dirt poor, so he absolutely wouldn’t agree to this marriage. That girl begged her father, but the old proprietor just wouldn’t nod. The girl then consulted with that man, wanting that man to personally talk with her father. If it really didn’t work, they’d both kneel before her father together, kneeling until he agreed. As a result that man got stubborn, saying: “A man’s knees have gold beneath them. I kneel to heaven, kneel to earth, kneel to parents—other people I don’t kneel to!”

The woman said tearfully: “He’ll be your father-in-law in the future.”

The man said: “He’s not now. He looks down on me, belittles me, belittles the pure love between us! He’s just comprador bourgeoisie!”

The woman said: “Then let’s elope. Let’s go, go far away, go to the ends of the earth where no one can ever find us!”

The man said: “Why go? A real man always acts openly and above board! How can we do furtive things!”

The woman said: “Aren’t you two forcing me to death?”

The man said: “If you die, I’ll die immediately too. If we can’t be husband and wife in life, we must be together in death.”

When the man said this, he didn’t expect the girl would take it seriously. That night the girl left a suicide note and at midnight threw herself down a well to her death. When the corpse was fished up, her entire face was already swollen from suffocation.

The old proprietor nearly cried himself to death. He felt he’d wronged his daughter. But his daughter was already dead. He decided to hold a grand funeral for her! People around quietly discussed: “This kind of violent death—it’s not appropriate to hold a grand funeral. Best would be to arrange a ghost marriage, that would be worthy of the dead girl.”

In that era, ghost marriages were a very popular funeral arrangement. The meaning was that young men and women who hadn’t married—if they died, then they would be lonely in the underworld. If they had no companion, they’d become lonely wandering ghosts. At this time they needed to find a companion, bury the two together, and only then could the deceased rest in peace. Of course, this kind of joint burial opportunity wasn’t always available. Some deceased waited several years before a similarly-aged newly-dead person of the opposite sex would appear.

Er Batou sniffed out this information, knowing this was a money-making opportunity. He requested instructions from Zu Ye. After Zu Ye carefully analyzed this matter, he allowed Er Batou to take the lead in running the scam.

So informants began instigating that proprietor, saying there was a Daoist master who could summon souls. The girl died unjustly—her soul wandered uncertainly. They had to perform a ritual to summon her soul, stabilize the soul, then arrange a ghost marriage and it would be “complete.”

The old proprietor’s head was full of guilt. He quickly accepted this suggestion. This was actually a “trick.” If you directly approached about marriage, they might be suspicious. Er Batou appearing in the identity of a Daoist master would give people a sense of trust.

Er Batou said to the old proprietor: “Before leaving home, my family circumstances were good. I had a younger brother. Later he got sick and died—died at 18. My younger brother these years has also been alone in a solitary grave. If the old gentleman doesn’t mind, we can arrange a ghost marriage.”

The old proprietor saw hope and asked Er Batou: “What other people are in the Daoist Master’s family, what are the parents’ opinions?”

Er Batou said: “My parents, from excessive melancholy, also successively passed away. Now only I remain, so I saw through the red dust, donated my vast wealth, wholeheartedly left home for the Dao.”

The old proprietor felt this household was well-matched, so he said: “The Daoist Master’s opportunity truly saves this old man!”

Actually Er Batou had no younger brother at all. He sent Xiao Jiaos to find a long-neglected, unworshipped solitary grave in the wilderness, dug the person out—not even knowing if male or female, old or young—changed the coffin and carried it to the old proprietor’s home. This was truly swindling all the way to the ghosts!

Actually for this kind of violently-dead person’s ritual, ordinary Daoist priests wouldn’t dare accept it, especially women who died at midnight—reportedly they would all become fierce ghosts. But the A’Baos weren’t afraid.

On the night of the ghost marriage, Er Batou led over a dozen Xiao Jiaos to perform the ritual. In the courtyard sat a large red coffin containing the remains of his so-called “younger brother.” The girl’s corpse in funeral garments lay on a wooden couch. After finishing the ritual they’d be placed in coffins together for burial.

Er Batou lit incense, took prepared talismans and pasted them all over the girl. Then with disheveled hair he swayed back and forth, mouth muttering words.

The moon in the sky was bright. Suddenly a black shadow whooshed and darted onto the big tree in the courtyard. Everyone was startled. Looking, they didn’t know where a wild cat had run from, climbing to the treetop position, crouching on a tree branch, eyes emitting green light, watching below.

Er Batou continued casting the spell. At this time, a house dog the girl had raised when alive crawled out from the doghouse, quietly strolled under the wooden couch where the girl’s corpse was placed, and lay down.

Er Batou had once discussed with Zu Ye the “Zha Fei Secret Manual,” which contained one sentence: “Clouds cover the moon, cat, dog, and corpse hearts on the same line—the corpse will surely rise!” This referred to when A’Baos performed rituals, they absolutely had to watch for one situation—when clouds covered the moon, if at that moment the cat’s heart, the dog’s heart, and the dead person’s heart were positioned on the same straight line, the phenomenon of corpse-rising would occur. Corpse-rising meant the corpse suddenly came back to life, jumped up, and like an evil ghost wildly chased and bit people—extremely terrifying.

The ritual was still proceeding. When a Xiao Jiao circled around the corpse, he suddenly discovered that dog under the corpse bed. An ominous premonition filled his entire body. He looked at that cat in the treetop, staring with ghostly eyes watching everything. These three hearts seemed to be on a straight line. He patted Er Batou’s shoulder, just about to warn him, when a mass of dark clouds moved and the moon was seen sinking into the cloud layer.

Before Er Batou could react, that female corpse suddenly sat upright, abruptly opened her eyes, opened her mouth wide, and lunged at Er Batou. Er Batou was dumbfounded. With a shiver, terrified, he threw down his peachwood sword and ran outside. That female corpse seemed to recognize people, crying “ah ah,” propping herself up with both hands, chasing after Er Batou.

Several Xiao Jiaos quickly picked up sticks and chased from behind, forcefully beating the female corpse’s back. The female corpse took several heavy blows and finally couldn’t hold up. With an “eh” sound, her body stiffened and she fell to the side. Her vital yang energy completely dissipated—she was thoroughly dead, but died with eyes wide open, staring hard at Er Batou.

After Zu Ye learned of this matter, he immediately told Er Batou: “Don’t do this scam anymore! Heaven is angry! We fight with people, not with ghosts!”

Medical science wasn’t so advanced at that time. Everyone didn’t know that occasionally after people died, there were situations of coming back around. Zu Ye believed that Heaven was angry.

Later the Xiao Jiaos carried back that coffin containing who-knows-whose corpse. The old proprietor no longer requested joint burial and buried his daughter alone.

Zu Ye ordered the Xiao Jiaos to carry that coffin together with the remains to the back mountain, re-established a grave, and buried the remains. They burned much paper money and also placed pig head meat, rice wine and such on the offering table before the grave. When Zu Ye led all the brothers in three bows, yin winds arose from all directions, paper money and ash flew up together, soaring very high…

Blood-Sucking Bats

This time, Zu Ye again selected Er Batou.

But Er Batou didn’t personally run this scam. He gave this job to “Xianren Shou” because “Xianren Shou” had just become Qi Batou—his foundation wasn’t solid. A new official’s first three fires—he wanted to use this scam to let “Xianren Shou” establish himself in the organization.

“Xianren Shou” naturally understood the stakes involved! He analyzed this matter with Er Batou. Zhang Er’gou wanted revenge, wanted to utterly destroy the Li Family, but the Zhang Family had already declined and couldn’t produce too much silver. Truly as Zu Ye said, if they could make it a double scam, collecting the Zhang family’s silver while also collecting the Li family’s silver—this was brilliant scamming technique, just like that Daoist priest predecessor.

Later events proved “Xianren Shou” was ruthless enough, cunning enough, poisonous enough! This scam activated the “killing” method—moreover it was “absolute killing,” getting people killed.

After “Xianren Shou” received orders he began laying out the scam. He first did a “ghost knocking” bat scam, creating a terrifying atmosphere to frighten the Li Family people. The scamming technique was also very brilliant—all “zha fei” special skills personally transmitted by Er Batou. This required using one kind of prop—eels.

Eel blood had an extremely strong fishy smell that could attract bats from several li around. At night if eel blood was smeared on a family’s front gate, then surrounding bats would smell the scent and come, continuously flapping their wings, crashing into the front gate. The family’s people would think someone was knocking, put on clothes, carry a lantern and come out. Upon opening the door, the lantern would flash—bats liked darkness and most feared light—with a whoosh they’d all disappear. When the family looked outside the door and saw nothing there, they’d think they heard wrong, return inside, and just as they were about to sleep, they’d hear the same knocking sound again. Getting up again, opening the door to look—still nothing there. After several rounds of this torment, the family would collapse! After dawn when they went out to look, still nothing was there, because at first light the bats would fly away. The only thing they could see was bloody big handprints on the front gate, like ghost hands slapping the door—actually all deliberately drawn shapes when the scam-runners smeared eel blood.

To ensure this scam was foolproof, “Xianren Shou” personally carried the eel blood, leading two Xiao Jiaos, groping in the dark to the Li Family’s front gate to smear it. When they came, the small bucket holding eel blood was covered with a lid. After opening it, the fishy smell rushed to their noses. “Xianren Shou” used a brush dipped in eel blood to personally smear it. In less than half an incense stick’s time, the smearing was finished.

On the return journey, the several people were exceptionally relaxed. Having walked barely half a li, they felt a group of things following them, circling above their heads. Just as they were about to raise their heads to look, that group of things suddenly swooped over. The several people immediately realized: blood-sucking bats! Everyone quickly swatted their heads, fleeing all the way. After running more than a li, they entered a blacksmith shop and were finally safe.

Actually, bat teeth are very small. The wound they can bite open in human skin is also very small—not like legends say they can suck dry all the blood in a person’s body at once. They suck blood very slowly. Only when people are sound asleep or drunk, happening to be unlucky, will they be sucked a tiny bit. And once a person feels pain they immediately wake up, and the bat can no longer continue sucking. The reason “Xianren Shou” and the others fled with heads covered like rats was still feeling these things were too dirty, like ghosts, making people uncomfortable.

Returning to the organization, “Xianren Shou” discovered his forehead had been broken by a bat, bleeding a bit. He carefully recalled why the bats came. Before running the scam he was careful. After running it those props were all thrown away—how could bats still follow?

Later those two Xiao Jiaos who went along reminded him: “When you were smearing eel blood on the door, you might have been nervous and sweating. You wiped your forehead with your hand—probably at that time you accidentally smeared eel blood on your forehead. Or maybe the eel blood’s fishy smell was too strong. When smearing the gate, the smell soaked into your clothes and couldn’t dissipate for a while, attracting the bats.”

“Xianren Shou” smiled: “No problem! What’s this little injury!”

This “bat scam” truly took effect. The Li Family people were frightened. Originally a family with extremely heavy superstitious thinking, after this torment, the Li Family again began “seeking medical treatment and medicine” everywhere. At this time, the informants responsible by Liu Batou “Fengzi Shou” began playing their role, telling the Li Family that in a neighboring town there was a master who specialized in dealing with this kind of evil ghostly things. His Daoist arts were profound—they could invite him to have a look. Very soon, “Xianren Shou” came forward by invitation.

The Li Family’s patriarch Li Qiming described to “Xianren Shou” the entire process of the incident, also showing “Xianren Shou” the ghostly bloody handprints on the gate. “Xianren Shou” inwardly laughed, pretending to shake a copper bell, turned a circuit around the Li Family’s big courtyard, then solemnly said: “A ghost has entered your house!”

When Li Qiming heard this, he was so scared he shuddered: “May I ask Master, where did this thing come from?”

“Xianren Shou” said he needed to look at incense. Li Qiming quickly found the incense burner. “Xianren Shou” lit a bunch of incense and stuck it in the incense burner. After a while, that bunch of incense burned into a round well shape—low in the middle, high around the edges. “Xianren Shou” pondered for a moment and said: “Mr. Li, speaking words that shouldn’t be spoken—you’ve done immoral deeds!”

Li Qiming’s whole body shook: “Master, why do you say this?”

“Xianren Shou” glanced at him and said: “This incense burned low in the middle, high around the edges, suppressing the incense head. You must have committed great evil, suppressed someone’s incense head, or suppressed someone’s grave head…” Having said this, his eyes stared straight at Li Qiming.

Li Qiming’s forehead broke out in sweat, trembling as he said: “Master… truly formidable… I… I’ll tell you the honest truth…”

So, just like Zhang Er’gou, Li Qiming recounted the entire story of the fighting between the Zhang and Li families from beginning to end. “Xianren Shou” listened with such joy in his heart, thinking: These two fools!

Finally, Li Qiming asked, what method could break it?

“Xianren Shou” stroked his fake beard and said: “Buy your life with money! You used a suppression stone to suppress them for over a decade, suppressing the dead so they couldn’t transcend, becoming lonely wandering ghosts. The living had continuous bad luck, disaster after disaster—your evil is too great! Didn’t you say it yourself just now? Recently they moved the grave and discovered the suppression stone. Once the suppression stone was removed, Zhang Zhongjin’s lonely ghost drilled out and came to demand his life!”

When Li Qiming heard this, he was terrified: “Master, save my life!”

“Xianren Shou” said: “Buy your life with money. Part of this money will be used to repair the Zhang Family’s ancestral grave! Build a big ancestral hall! Another part will be used for me helping you perform rituals! You build the ancestral hall, I drive out the ghost—working from inside and outside together, we’ll invite Zhang Zhongjin’s lonely ghost back!”

Li Qiming was startled: “Build him an ancestral hall? He’s committed plenty of evil too! Who will punish him?”

“Xianren Shou” suddenly stopped talking, eyes staring behind Li Qiming’s back. He put his index finger to his lips: “Shhh—” gesturing for Li Qiming not to make a sound.

Li Qiming was startled: “What’s wrong?”

“Xianren Shou” said with staring eyes: “He’s right behind you!”

When Li Qiming heard this, he was so scared he nearly jumped up, quickly turning around: “Where? Master, don’t frighten me.”

“Xianren Shou” continued: “You can’t see him, but I can see him. Don’t speak badly of him anymore! He’s looking at you viciously.”

Suddenly, “Xianren Shou” pulled out a yellow cloth bag from his waist, roaring: “Evil creature, Supreme Lord Lao Jun urgently commands by law—dare to harm people, I’ll capture you right now!”

Then he leaped onto the table, waved his hand, opened the cloth bag. Inside fire flashed. Then he pinched the bag opening closed, tied it with red string, jumped down from the table, saying: “Don’t be afraid, I’ve temporarily captured it inside!”

Before the words fell, suddenly the cloth bag shook. “Xianren Shou” desperately gripped the bag but couldn’t hold it. Inside the bag something seemed to be pushing outward. With a whoosh, the bag flew out, the bag opening opened. “Xianren Shou” cried out: “It escaped, it escaped!”

Li Qiming was dazed by this scene before him, not knowing if it was real or fake. But matters are often like this—too real, and conversely it becomes fake. That incense had been tampered with from the start. The middle was all made from superior incense wood—burned fast, burned steady. The surroundings were mixed with earth, naturally burned slowly, so that’s why it burned into a well shape. That demon-subduing cloth bag had luminous agent designed by Si Batou painted inside—opening to meet wind it would glow. And later that scene of the bag breaking free from “Xianren Shou”—actually it was just sleight of hand. Magic performers all know it. Common ones involve making a handkerchief like a mouse placed in the hand, thumb up, four fingers circling, darting here and there, lifelike. Only “Xianren Shou” played it more smoothly—otherwise why would people call him “Xianren Shou”!

Li Qiming inherited his father Li Wencai’s style from back then—don’t see results, don’t give money; don’t see the rabbit, don’t release the hawk. At this moment his eyes rolled cunningly, looking like he somewhat doubted what was before him. “Xianren Shou” and Er Batou had long thought of countermeasures for this scene. They immediately activated the second program. This time they’d give him “won’t shed tears until seeing the coffin”!

“Xianren Shou” said: “Mr. Li, please consider it. This disaster relief is not a small amount. Anyway it’s a matter of life and death—caution is best. But I must remind you, recently pay attention to family safety, be careful of ghosts demanding lives. I’ll first give you several spirit talismans. You and your family wear them on your bodies first—they can temporarily hold things off, but it’s not a long-term plan!” As he spoke, he took out five spirit talismans and gave them to Li Qiming.

Li Qiming thanked him profusely but just didn’t mention money. “Xianren Shou” wasn’t anxious. He knew in his heart the good show was about to begin.

Because informants had previously provided information—how many people total were in the Li Family—these talismans “Xianren Shou” gave definitely couldn’t be distributed to everyone. Then those servants definitely wouldn’t have any. At this time if some servant suddenly had an incident, this matter would seem too real.

Iron Injection Murder

“Xianren Shou” began “killing.” According to past habits, when the organization killed people, it was all implemented by Da Batou’s side. But “Xianren Shou” was eager for achievement. He too much wanted to show himself off. He requested instructions from Zu Ye to do it himself!

“Xianren Shou” first analyzed this matter to Zu Ye: This killing was different from the past. They had to kill bizarrely, kill mysteriously, kill seamlessly, kill silently—just like truly having one’s life quietly taken by an evil ghost. They had to make it an eternally unbreakable bizarre strange scam! How to kill this person? Shooting definitely wouldn’t work—there’d be a bullet hole. Stabbing to death with a knife? There’d be a knife wound. Strangling with rope? There’d be strangulation marks. Poisoning to death? A silver needle could detect it! This person’s death must be peaceful, without any external injuries or poison injuries!

Zu Ye asked: “Then what do you do?”

“Xianren Shou” said: “Iron injection!”

This method—not mentioning it was fine, but once mentioned it also shocked Zu Ye. The specific operational method was: get an iron rod about a foot long, approximately as thick as a pinky finger, sharpen one end to a point, use furnace fire to heat the entire iron rod until red-hot, pry open the person’s anus, use iron tongs to clamp the red-hot iron rod, thrust it in from the anus. The iron rod would follow the rectum, breaking the dantian qi, piercing through the nine-curved intestines, going straight to the stomach, until the entire iron rod was inserted into the anus. Then use an awl to push it in further. At this time the person prying the anus would release their hands—the anus would shrink inward a bit. This way the entire iron rod would be completely invisible.

This murder method only appeared once in the Song Dynasty, when it was solved by Bao Zheng. This technique was truly too covert, too bizarre! Imagine, if you directly thrust in an iron rod that hadn’t been heated red, blood would definitely flow directly, feces would come out horizontally, and moreover it would be very difficult to thrust in. But a red-hot iron rod was different. A red-hot iron rod had over 700 degrees. After entering the human body it would burn the intestinal tract and internal flesh. Fundamentally no blood would flow out. Where blood and flesh connected, after high-temperature burning, there would be no resistance. The iron rod could easily go straight in. The entire person from the external appearance—no wounds whatsoever, but inside was already charred.

Ancient times didn’t have autopsy methods based on modern anatomy, so even famous constables and county magistrates at the time found it very difficult to perceive the mystery within. That Song Dynasty case was an adulterous woman murdering her husband. Because of nervousness, the iron rod wasn’t thrust deep enough, the anus wasn’t wrapped strictly enough. Lord Bao Zheng also meditated and pondered bitterly for several days before discovering the clues in that buttocks. Now, with war and chaos—who would exhaust their thoughts helping to deduce the death of a servant?

Of course, to use the “iron injection” technique to kill someone, the prerequisite was this person must be in a comatose state—either knocked out by knockout powder, or drunk to stupor, otherwise directly thrusting an iron rod into his anus—wouldn’t he hurt enough to bite off his tongue!

This matter ultimately wasn’t completed by “Xianren Shou” alone. Zu Ye feared his hands and feet weren’t nimble, so he still sent several true martial arts masters from the organization. At night they infiltrated the Li home, blew knockout powder, rolled a servant in a quilt and carried him out. Taking advantage of his unconsciousness, two Xiao Jiaos each held one butt cheek, pried open the anus. “Xianren Shou” personally inserted the red-hot iron rod, then placed the corpse back in the Li home. An innocent person just died silently like this.

The next day, the sun rose high. After the Li Family people woke, they exploded. They searched for people, reported to officials. As a result several officers from the station came, wandered around for half a day but couldn’t see any pattern. Finally they determined it was “heart disease”—what modern people call sudden heart attack! But Li Qiming didn’t think so. This servant’s face was deathly pale, his entire body without a single hair damaged. He involuntarily associated this with what “Xianren Shou” said about wronged ghosts demanding lives. He immediately sent people to invite “Xianren Shou.” So naturally, everything went according to the trap “Xianren Shou” set. They spent until bankruptcy—both performing rituals and building an ancestral hall for the Zhang Family.

This time Zhang Er’gou was happy—that joy in his heart! How would he know this was the last proud moment of his life? He was about to be finished. After he took his only family fortune to lavishly thank “Xianren Shou,” “Xianren Shou” should also use poison tactics on him! Why do this? Because they feared the scam would leak. This kind of double scam—once the two families met up one day, or Er’gou one day like his grandfather drank too much and spoke out, it would be finished. So “Xianren Shou” wanted to seal his mouth. Originally they wanted to create a fire or something, burn the whole family to death and be done with it. But Zu Ye didn’t agree. Finally Er Batou said: “Don’t kill them, make them mute! Mutes can’t speak!”

“Xianren Shou” said: “Can’t speak, but he can write.”

Er Batou said: “Then make them idiots!”

Zu Ye thought again and again, saying: “Leave the children, don’t harm the children.”

So when Er’gou’s family’s ancestral hall was completed, the whole family happily hosted a banquet for “Xianren Shou.” “Xianren Shou” brought “Carefree Powder” secretly made by Si Batou using oleander juice and pufferfish poison juice to attend the banquet. This was a poison that injured the human brain. After people ate it, the toxicity was absorbed through the oral cavity and digestive tract. First was fainting—dazed several times daily. Ordinary people all thought it was caused by exhaustion. Within half a month, the toxicity would spread, both the cerebrum and cerebellum would atrophy together, and the person would become demented.

After Er’gou’s family became demented, the Li Family still asked “Xianren Shou” whether this was heavenly retribution. “Xianren Shou” said: “Of course. You took money to save your life, they didn’t. They also used bad tactics against your family. Whoever does evil, pays for it themselves—heaven’s punishment!” At this moment, the Li Family also felt much more comfortable inside. Originally spending a large sum of money to build an ancestral hall for enemies—somewhat awkward in their hearts. Now seeing the Zhang Family’s family defeated and people demented, the hatred at the bottom of their hearts also completely dissipated.

“Xianren Shou” relied on “zha fei” to settle the enmity between the two families, earning the organization bowls and pots full. Those two families fought for three generations, each using poisonous schemes—in the end both fell into the A’Baos’ hands. “Xianren Shou” could have used this to become famous in one move, firmly sitting in the Qi Batou position. But man’s plans are inferior to heaven’s plans. Using his own words, it was “heaven’s punishment”—he went crazy and died several days later. Although Zu Ye determined he had rabies, they never found the source of the disease.

Not until after New China was established in the 1980s—after my son and daughter went to middle school, once when school started and new books were distributed, my children both carried schoolbags full of new books home to show off to me—only then did I see in their biology textbooks that bats, this kind of animal, also carried rabies virus, but the probability was very low—0.5%. It was this probability that “Xianren Shou” encountered. Heaven wanted to destroy him—no way around it.

This scam was done very perfectly, also very tragically. After finishing it, Zu Ye didn’t hold a celebration meeting like before. He shut himself in his room for a long time. No one knew what he was thinking. Was he repenting? Or was he contemplating how to once again expound before his brothers his “carrying out the way on heaven’s behalf” philosophy? All these years, he’d never killed the innocent, but this time he broke his vow. Speaking of lacking money? Although business hadn’t been good these past two years, Zu Ye had controlled “Mu Zi Lian” for over twenty years, carefully scheming, seizing opportunities to swindle. Large and small scams also numbered over a thousand. The four great organizations of East, South, West, and North—even if we had savings, as long as we lived frugally, getting through three to five years wouldn’t be a problem.

What happened next was even more puzzling to the various batous. Even the Xiao Jiaos had complaints. That is, at the just-convened great hall meeting, Zu Ye donated large quantities of the organization’s gold and silver without compensation to other organizations. The batous all didn’t understand why Zu Ye wanted to take so much of the organization’s hard-earned money to aid other organizations, making his own brothers struggle with difficulty! Get some silver, put on a show—wouldn’t that be enough?

Zu Ye said: “When you joined the organization, you all took oaths. How is it at the critical moment you’ve all forgotten? Although not from the same organization, everyone belongs to the Hong Gate, all are ‘Jiang Xiang Sect’ disciples, all are brothers!”

These words scared everyone into silence. What Zu Ye said wasn’t wrong. When each person drank chicken blood wine, they all shouted forgetting themselves: “This evening’s alliance unites the world, recruiting from all seas all surnamed Hong, golden needles draw blood together making oaths, brothers of one heart want unity!” In past thrilling and soul-stirring years, everyone relied on these oaths to cohere, support each other, and mutually comfort each other.

Although what Zu Ye said wasn’t false, with his style of leaving backup moves in everything he did, it still made people feel something was wrong. Emptying his own organization’s pockets to aid other organizations—wasn’t he afraid his subordinate brothers’ hearts would turn cold?

Mortals ultimately are mortals—their vision wasn’t as far as Zu Ye’s. Later events proved Zu Ye was playing a grand chess game. Zu Ye wanted to become the nation’s greatest “Da Shi Ba,” moreover the only “Da Shi Ba”! This was the truth!

For several decades, Zu Ye had long discovered the “Jiang Xiang Sect’s” ills—the four great organizations each acting independently. Although there was a great hall meeting once a year where some compromises would be reached at the meeting, the entire “Jiang Xiang Sect” had no unified leader and no strong execution power. This was also the reason it always couldn’t become great!

Now was precisely the moment of wind and rain swaying. Zu Ye was buying people’s hearts. To bring the entire “Jiang Xiang Sect” under his own control, he had to not miss any single A’Bao. Stepping on white silver and the fresh blood of wrongly-dead ghosts, Zu Ye wanted to climb to the “Jiang Xiang Sect’s” highest peak!