Chapter 10: Father Goes to a Distant Land

  I was shocked and terrified, the female ghost's eyes were too frightening, and I had a guilty conscience, fearing my father would scold me, so I didn't have time to think and turned around to run.

  Suddenly, a hurried footsteps came from behind, I didn't know if it was my father or someone else, anyway, I didn't dare to look back, and ran all the way to the door of my house. Before I could catch my breath, I rushed in and tried to close the door, only to find that my father was already standing outside. I was startled and stared at my father speechlessly.

  My father's face was extremely ugly, he stepped into the house and closed the door, staring at me and asking: "What did you just see?" I was completely scared, stuttering: "N... nothing." My father obviously didn't believe it, continuing to ask: "What did you see?" I was forced to answer truthfully: "I saw a woman wearing red clothes..."

  "Ah......" His father's face suddenly turned pale, and after a long while, he asked: "Did you really see it?"

  I nodded.

  "How is it possible?" My father grabbed my shoulder and asked, "How can you see it?"

  My father's strength was immense, and his grip hurt me so much that I couldn't help but furrow my brow. Timidly, I replied, "I don't know either..." My father let go of me and stared into my eyes for a while, muttering to himself, "Impossible, how could this be..."

  Because I was at home, my courage grew a bit, and I carefully asked: "Dad, the woman in red clothes... is she a ghost?" My father nodded, his emotions had also stabilized, and he asked me when I started being able to see ghosts. I thought for a moment, and suddenly remembered the man who came last night, didn't my mother say she didn't see him? Could he also be a ghost? And what were these ghosts coming to find my father for? Was it to ask my father to treat their illness?

  Thinking of Father treating ghosts as patients, I felt a chill run down my spine.

  I said it seems like after I get married in the underworld, I can see ghosts. Then I asked: "Dad, will you... diagnose ghosts?"

  "My father let out a heavy sigh and said, 'Since you already know, I won't hide it from you either. Actually, I'm a witch doctor, specializing in treating ghosts. Treating humans is just my sideline.'"

  "What?" I was shocked, a witch doctor... treating ghosts... can ghosts get sick too?

  My father also warned me not to tell anyone about this, nor to tell my mother. Although it's not a shameful thing, ordinary people who hear about it will inevitably feel uncomfortable.

  I always thought this matter was a bit unbelievable, if I hadn't followed that female ghost to the wilderness just now, I would have suspected that my father had an affair and made up such a ridiculous lie to fool me.

  "What about the illness of that female ghost just now?" I asked my father. My father said lightly that this matter didn't need me to worry about it, and repeatedly reminded me that this matter must be kept secret, and in the future if I saw a ghost again, I shouldn't make a sound or look directly at them, but rather pretend I hadn't seen them.

  The next day I woke up and my body was fine, without any discomfort. I reckon the red-clothed female ghost won't come to bother me for a while since Father treated her illness.

  Arriving at Dahei's home, this guy still hasn't woken up. I asked his mother, Li Shenpo, what she said. Dahei's mother looked gloomy, and in just one day, she seemed to have aged ten years. It was clear that because of Dahei's situation, she was both worried and heartbroken.

  Li the fortune teller looked at Dahei's birth chart and calculated with her fingers, saying that Dahei had a calamity in his fate. If he was kind-hearted, he could overcome it; otherwise, he would be unable to escape it. Dahei's mother was shocked and asked what to do, Li said that the only way was to do good deeds and not kill living things. This is something everyone understands, but can Dahei wake up now?

  Humans have seven souls and six spirits. One of Da Hei's souls was led away by Huang Pizi when he hanged himself, and Li Shenpo said that the lost soul must be found for him to wake up. That soul is now in a very dark place, probably a cave.

  "A cave?" I exclaimed: "Isn't there a cave in Fengmen Valley? Will the big black soul be there?"

  Dahei's mother said that Dahei's father went to look for him yesterday, but couldn't find him. I said that the soul is not a human being, how can it be seen? Dahei's mother said that she followed Li Shenpo's guidance and took Dahei's hat from his lifetime, and also lit a kerosene lamp, Li Shenpo said that the hat and the kerosene lamp could bring back Dahei's soul, as long as the kerosene lamp kept burning.

  "What about after that?" I asked hastily: "Has Dahei's soul come back?"

  "Da Hei's mother said heavily: 'No, the kerosene lamp was blown out by the wind as soon as it entered the cave!'"

  I said use a kerosene lamp, of course, coal oil lamps won't work. The mother of the big black one said her family didn't have a kerosene lamp.

  At this time, my mother called me back home for dinner. I took a glance at Da Hei and said to his mother: "Auntie, don't worry, after I finish eating, I'll go find Da Hei's soul and bring him back. Da Hei and I are good brothers, he will definitely come back with me."

  Dahai's mother kept wiping away tears.

  After returning home, at the dinner table, I was about to tell my parents that I wanted to go to the mountain cave in Fengmen Valley to find Dahei's soul. However, my father spoke up first, saying that he would be going out on a long trip later and told me not to run around recklessly at home for the next few days, and not to cause any trouble. I swallowed those words hard and then asked him where he was going. My father gave an ambiguous answer, just saying he was going far away, and estimated that it would take about ten days or half a month to return. I asked what kind of matter needed so long? My father didn't respond, his face looked very solemn, I reckon it won't be anything good.

  My mother is very dissatisfied with my father leaving home now, because I've just recovered from illness, who knows if it will relapse? What to do if it relapses? Moreover, Dahei has not woken up yet, and Father's departure makes him suspect of evading treatment. But Father's mind is made up, no matter what Mother says, he remains unmoved.

  I quietly reminded my father that the illness of the red-clothed female ghost had not been cured yet. My father said that there was no yin-yang knife for that illness, and he was powerless to do anything about it. I asked my father what a yin-yang knife was, and he said it was similar to a surgical knife, but very thin, and could cut the flesh of ghosts and monsters. However, this knife only existed in legend, and almost no one had ever seen it - whether or not it actually existed was unknown. I asked my father where he had learned about this knife, and he said it was from an old medical book that had been passed down through our ancestors. I wanted to take a look at the book, but my father refused.

  Before I left, my father gave me an amulet and repeatedly warned me to think thrice before acting. Especially when seeing strange things, don't be surprised or frightened, just pretend you didn't see anything. If you encounter any trouble, such as the red-clothed female ghost coming to find fault, go find Li Godmother.

  I also wanted to ask my father if he had company on this trip to a distant place, and his phone rang. I saw the incoming call display "Old Song", and my father answered the phone saying: "I'll be there right away, wait ten minutes." After finishing speaking, he told me and my mother that he was leaving. I said I would send him off on my motorcycle, but my father said no need, there's a car waiting at the village entrance, I reckon the driver should be Old Song.

  As soon as my father left, the parents of Dahei rushed over and asked where he was going. My mother replied, "He's going to a distant place, there's something very important, alas!" Dahei's mother exclaimed anxiously, "But Dahei hasn't woken up yet! What...what can we do now?" I quickly comforted her, saying that for the time being, Dahei was fine, it's just that his spirit hadn't returned. I'll go find his spirit today and bring it back.

  It wasn't easy to coax Big Hei's parents back, and my mother asked me if I really wanted to go find Big Hei's soul. I said yes, and earlier Big Hei's parents had repeated what Li Shenpo had said again, so naturally my mother also knew that Big Hei's soul might be in the cave at Fengmen Valley. She stiffened her face and said: "You are not allowed to go to the cave at Fengmen Valley!"

  I felt wronged and said that the soul of Da Hei might be there, I have to go find... but before I could finish speaking, my mother interrupted me, angrily saying: "If you dare to go, I'll break your legs!"

  The reason why Mother is so angry is that the mountain cave in Fengmen Valley is very evil. It's said that a long time ago, several bandits were chased by government soldiers and finally hid in the cave. The cave was not big, only three people could enter at the same time. Those bandits had high martial arts skills, and every soldier who entered was killed. Later, the soldiers didn't dare to enter again, so they just guarded the entrance for a month. It's said that those bandits never came out again, and there was no water or food in the cave, you can imagine what happened to them inside.

  Places where people have died are always eerie, and to make matters worse, the ones who died were extremely vicious bandits. From a young age, adults would warn children that every place in the village was safe to visit, except for one place - the forbidden area of the village, which was the cave in Wind Gate Valley!