Chapter 7: Greedy Liang Meets a Female Ghost

  After I recovered from my illness, I quickly regained my strength. Since Zhang Daoye saved me, I felt quite close to him and would often go to his place to play. He sometimes taught me some spells to ward off evil spirits. At that time, it was already summer, and there was no electricity, so we didn't use lamps or anything like that. My father thought it was a waste of oil, so every evening we would go out to find a cool place. In the middle of our village, there was a mound, which was said to be a tomb tower. A tomb tower is a place where people think it's a good location for feng shui, and many layers of tombs were buried there. However, that place had one advantage - it was shady. On top of the mound, there were many stone slabs, but older people said that was where the dead slept, and the living couldn't sleep there. Generally, people would sleep in the surrounding areas.

  That day I shouted at the silly egg thin monkey to go there and cool off, when we got there, everywhere was full of sleeping people, not a single spot to put our feet down, so I said: "Silly egg, thin monkey, let's go sleep upstairs."

  The thin monkey said: "That place can't be slept in. I heard the old man say that those stone slabs are tombstones, and they're very eerie."

  "I said: 'That tree is shady and cool on top, let's go up there to sleep, stupid.'"

  So my friend Da Dan and I went up, the stone slab on top was very smooth and cool, we slept on it and felt extremely comfortable. The two of us chatted for a while, then closed our eyes and fell asleep. At midnight, I was woken up by the urge to pee, got up and took a few steps, then stood there peeing. As I was peeing, I heard someone shouting loudly: "Which family's naughty kid is it, how dare you pee on my head!"

  The voice was a woman's, and it scared me so much that I lost all desire to pee. The water I had just urinated out seemed to be choked back in. Where did this woman come from? It was a group of big men who were cooling off, when suddenly a woman appeared. My brain didn't react quickly enough, and I stood there stupidly for a moment. I rubbed my eyes and looked around, but didn't see anyone. At that time, the woman said from under my feet, "You little rascal, where are you looking?"

  I quickly followed the sound and looked over, only to see a woman's head planted at my feet. It really did look like it had been planted there. I took a closer look at the head, and almost got scared to death. The head was disheveled, with blood flowing from its mouth. My first thought was to run away, but the disheveled female ghost grabbed my foot and pulled me down with great force. I struggled desperately, but the ghost's strength was too much for me. I could only shout for help at the top of my lungs. At this point, the idiot next to me shook me awake and asked what was wrong. When I opened my eyes, I realized it had all been a dream. But when I felt the dampness in my crotch, I knew I had just had a terrifying nightmare.

  I no longer dare to sleep on the stone slab, so I quickly get down from it and shout "stupid egg" and "thin monkey" as I run towards home. My house is the farthest away, and thin monkey and stupid egg have both returned home, leaving only me alone. To get back home, I need to pass through our own alleyway entrance. This alleyway is very deep and narrow, but fortunately there's moonlight in the sky. As I walk, suddenly everything in front of me becomes invisible. There isn't a single ray of light. Luckily, I'm familiar with this road, so I continue walking forward in the dark. As I walk, I suddenly feel a gust of cool wind blowing from behind my back. It's a kind of wind that makes you feel chilled to the bone. I involuntarily shiver and feel like there's someone behind me, leaning on my shoulder and blowing cold air onto my neck.

  I was startled and thought I had encountered a ghost, as many people did at that time. I knew that at this moment, one couldn't turn back, or the three life-saving lanterns would be blown out, and I would be done for. So I didn't dare look back, but kept walking forward with all my might. At this point, the person behind me said: "Look at my hair, it's all wet from your urine, take a look back."

  As I turned around, oh my mother, it was that female ghost. I don't know what's going on, but the female ghost saw clearly, with a pair of eyes emitting a faint green glow and blood flowing from her mouth. Looking at those eyes, I suddenly felt something was off, as if I was sucked in by those eyes and couldn't turn my head away.

  "Just listen to that female ghost say: 'Follow me, I'll take you to a good place.'"

  I don't know why, but I followed that female ghost obediently, not knowing where we went. As I walked, my foot suddenly sank, and my head hit something, making me suddenly clear-headed. Subconsciously, I grabbed a rope-like thing, and my body fell straight down, finally splashing into the water with a loud "plop". Luckily there was water, so it didn't hurt too much. The icy cold water made me completely wake up. When I looked around, I found that I had fallen into the ancient well of our village.

  This ancient well is unknown what year it was built, on top of it is a huge stone slab, and on the stone slab is dug a well mouth. Above the well mouth is the well pulley. The structure of the well pulley is very simple, with a vertical stone on the side, a hole drilled at the top, and a horizontal wooden beam inserted inside. On the wooden beam is a pulley, and at the end of the pulley is an arc-shaped handle called a shaking handle. Around the pulley are wrapped several centimeters thick ropes. When drawing water, turn the shaking handle to wind the rope on the pulley. To maintain balance, a huge millstone is hung in the opposite direction of the pulley, pressing down on the horizontal wooden beam, thus forming a stable well pulley.

  I was in the water when I suddenly felt something pulling my foot, I looked down and saw two snow-white arms sticking out of the water. I knew this was those vengeful spirits who jumped into the well. Actually, nobody knows that in that era, old feudalism was prevalent, and new daughters-in-law were bullied by their mothers-in-law. They had to get up before dawn, push the millstone, carry water on their shoulders, and suffer beatings from time to time, so many of them jumped into the well or hanged themselves. Since I can remember, several people have drowned in this well, I felt that this must be those vengeful spirits who died unjustly and were not reincarnated.

  I was scared when I felt a chill under my feet, and when I looked down, a hand grabbed my ankle. I quickly climbed up, but then I felt an extremely strong force pulling me underwater. I struggled with all my might in the water, feeling like the ghosts in the water were sliding back and forth around me, trying to pull me down. I couldn't catch my breath.

  Just when I was about to drown, I suddenly remembered the incantations that Zhang Daoye taught me to ward off evil spirits. So, like grasping a lifesaving straw, I silently recited in my heart: "I am Tianmu, Tianxiangzhui, Qingrurulei, Guangyao Bagjie, Chejianbiaoli, Wumuwufu, Jijirulvling." After finishing the incantation, I felt a sudden release of tension in my hands, and whatever was holding me underwater let go. I quickly grabbed onto the rope and started climbing up. When people are desperate, their potential is still enormous; amazingly, I slowly climbed out. Just as I emerged from the well, someone happened to be carrying a bucket to fetch water, saw me climb out of the well, shouted "Ghost!" and was so frightened that he dropped his bucket and ran away.

  I didn't care about the person who ran away, I climbed out of the well by myself and lay on the edge of the well, not wanting to move at all. It was warmer outside. After resting for a while, I stumbled back home, just a few steps away, when I heard someone coming over, footsteps were chaotic, many people talking and walking towards here.

  I was curious and thought of going forward to see who it was, at this time a woman shouted: "Ghost, the ghost is out."

  Some of them ran back, some touched the stone, and at this time my father suddenly came running over and shouted: "How dare you! What's wrong with you? Why are you soaked all over?"

  I took a look and it was my dad, I quickly hugged my dad and told him about the events of the evening in a confused manner. My dad didn't listen at first, but after hearing me out, he became furious and slapped my butt, shouting: "You little rabbit bastard only knows how to cause trouble, I'll beat you to death, you little rabbit bastard."

  I quickly ran to the back of someone else and hid, my father didn't continue beating me. Then I followed my father home with a quivering heart, when we got home, my father told my mother what had happened, she immediately hugged me tightly and wouldn't let go. After experiencing this incident, I realized the wonder of Taoist magic. So I admired Zhang Daoye even more.

  The next day, my father specially made two liters of wine and asked me to send it to Zhang Daoye's place. Zhang Daoye was standing at the door, looking up at the sky with his head raised. When I arrived at Zhang Daoye's place, I quickly knelt down and kowtowed to him. Zhang Daoye turned around, saw me kowtowing to him, and hurried over. I thought he would help me up, but instead, he took the wine jug from me with a smile and said: "You're such an impulsive child, you almost spilled the wine! Now you can properly kowtow and thank old Dao."