Chapter 16: Inviting You into the Urn

  I stopped in my tracks and looked at Second Uncle, but he didn't turn his head to look at me. I secretly felt pleased with myself, thinking that I had taken another step closer to success. Time was of the essence, as Second Uncle hadn't eaten for days and would go straight to his room to sleep after returning home. However, the ghost-catching formation was set up in the main hall, so I needed to find a way to lure him there in order to activate it. But what reason could I use to get him to go over there? For a moment, I panicked and couldn't think of anything.

  The main hall of Second Uncle's house is very large, with the ancestral altar in the center. On the wall hangs a hall painting depicting the story of Zhong Kui exorcising demons. Since returning from Old Master Hong's funeral parlor at Shiya Dam last time, Second Uncle has not come to the main hall again. Before this, Second Uncle would often come to the main hall to offer incense to the ancestors and to Lord Zhong Kui.

  At this time, the sky had already darkened, and Erniang and Xiaomei went out to close the big gate.

  "His mother, why did you close the gate so early? You usually don't close it until just before bedtime?" Second Uncle looked at Second Aunt with a hint of alertness.

  "Oh, wasn't it the day before yesterday that a weasel came in and killed many chickens? I closed the door early to prevent it from coming in and killing the big rooster I just bought." Second Aunt didn't dare lift her head because she knew very well that those chickens were actually bitten to death by Second Uncle, who had also sucked their blood dry. The purpose of closing the big door was to catch the evil spirit attached to Second Uncle's body.

  "Second Uncle, I had a stomachache this morning and it's possible that something is bothering me. Let's go burn some incense and pray to Zhong Kui!" Since there was no good excuse to bring Second Uncle in, he made up a forced reason and they went in anyway.

  "What's wrong with you?" Second Uncle stared at me, I didn't dare meet his gaze.

  "Yes, Second Uncle. Ever since I went to the haunted cave a few days ago, I've been feeling stomach pain all the time and can't sleep well at night. Second Uncle, please take the divination tool and incense to the main hall and check for me, I took some medicine just now but my stomach doesn't feel any better, help me calculate if something has possessed me."

  My second uncle didn't look at me, his gaze was fixed on the inside of the main house. Master Xuancheng was lying in a paper coffin, waiting for me to take him in. It was pitch black inside, I reckon he couldn't see anything. But I don't know when he became a ghost, and my heart grew even more fearful.

  My mind racing quickly, I must cheat him into it, one plan fails, another plan is implemented.

  At this time, Erniang also walked over, and I gave Erniang a wink. Although Erniang was very afraid that Ershu would become a ghost, at this moment she also let go, Erniang saw my idea, hesitated for a moment.

  "Uncle, aren't you going to eat anymore?" Erniang asked softly, summoning up her courage.

  "I'm not eating anymore, there's nothing good to eat anyway. Besides, I was already full at noon." Second Uncle's eyes were dull and he seemed like a different person now. Second Aunt's hands were shaking again, probably she was so scared that she was about to faint.

  "Hey, old man, do you still remember? Since you and Xiao Yu came back from Shiya Dam last time, you've been sleeping in the side room all along. Is it that you don't care about me anymore or is there someone else?"

  "What? What are you talking about?" He seemed to be taken aback by the sudden question. If I had another woman, I would still be staying at home every day.

  "So you just slept by yourself? Are you tired of me? Don't want to see me? Am I bothering you?" At this time, Erniang suddenly gained courage and asked several questions in a row. I secretly admired her, Erniang's courage was really big, if Second Uncle went crazy, we would be dead for sure.

  "You said you, running around all day, leaving in the morning and returning home when it's dark at night, with a cold face every day. I saw that and my heart felt extremely uncomfortable." The second wife said, tears streaming down her face.

  "You're the one who's talking, after decades of marriage, when have we ever slept in separate beds? Now you've blown up over nothing and want to sleep alone, are you thinking of some other woman?" The second wife cried even harder after saying this.

  To be honest, Erniang is now thinking of deceiving Ershu. However, the few words Erniang said were all sincere. They have been married for decades and have experienced all sorts of things. The feelings between the couple have always been good, and they have never even had a quarrel or blushed. Now such an unexpected thing has happened, it's hard to describe how much pain is in Erniang's heart, I deeply feel the sorrow in Erniang's heart.

  "What's wrong with you, woman? When have I ever done something like this? What's gotten into you today? You didn't seem right earlier and now you've gone and smashed a bowl over this?" Second Uncle was getting angry, and I secretly felt anxious for Second Aunt.

  "Are you okay? Alright, let's go to the main hall and make a poisonous oath in front of our ancestors. If you dare to swear, I'll believe you." Second Aunt said while crying and pulling Second Uncle's hand towards the inside.

  "Get out! You stinky old woman, fabricating things out of thin air. Go back to your own house and sleep, stop bothering me!" Second Uncle seemed like he was about to go mad, but didn't turn into a ghost. Second Uncle also didn't realize how much strength he used, and ended up knocking Second Aunt down. Second Aunt sat on the ground crying by herself, and he just ignored her.

  "Not right, not right, not..." Second Uncle's eyes seemed to be fixed, staring intently at the main house, muttering incessantly as if possessed. My heart rose to my throat, if Second Uncle saw through our trap, we'd be in trouble.

  I hastily ran over and helped Erniang up, patting the dirt off her body. Xiaomei heard Erniang crying and also came running over.

  At this time, Second Uncle turned around dazedly and was about to leave.

  Suddenly a strong gust of wind blew, causing the leaves to rustle loudly. My sister-in-law, younger sister and I quickly distanced ourselves from my uncle, thinking he was going to turn into a ghost.

  "Come here, come quickly......!" Suddenly, a low and powerful voice came from the main hall, Master Xuancheng was constantly calling out Ershu's name. The sound was sonorous and forceful, shaking the entire courtyard as if it were trembling.

  Second Uncle heard someone calling him and suddenly looked towards the main house. At this time, Second Uncle's face suddenly lost all its blood color, like a sheet of white paper. His eyes turned red, and his black pupils also turned red. His whole body was trembling, and it seemed as if wisps of green smoke were rising from his head. He raised both hands as if grasping for something in front of him with great force, seemingly having already lost control.

  "Second sister, little sister come quickly!" Second uncle has gone mad, I hastily called to stop little sister and second sister fearing they would be in danger. Second sister hastily hugged little sister and hid behind me. I quickly took out the talisman given by Daoist priest, preparing to defend against the evil spirit's attack.

  At this time, Second Uncle suddenly turned around and stretched out his hands to grab Little Sister.

  "Ah! Help!" My little sister screamed and covered her eyes, I hastily blocked Second Uncle. At this time, Second Uncle grabbed me, his hands tightly pinching my neck. Second Aunt and my little sister desperately pulled at Second Uncle's arm, I also used all my strength to support Second Uncle's body. But Second Uncle's body was really too heavy, no matter how hard we pushed, we couldn't push him away. In just a few seconds, everything in front of me had turned black, and I almost fainted.

  At this time, Erniang also used all her strength to pull Erbo's arm, but Erbo's arm was like a steel bar, no matter how hard she pulled, it wouldn't budge. Erniang panicked and bit Erbo's arm with all her might, but Erbo didn't feel anything, he was no longer human.

  "You beast, come and meet your death! Infinite Heavenly Lord!" At this time, the voice of Xuán Qīng Dào Cháng became even louder, and Second Uncle's hands suddenly loosened their grip on my neck. Second Uncle's eyes were wide with shock, and a strange howl shot straight towards the main gate of the hall.

  The powerful impact and the huge sound shocked me, Erniang, and Xiaomei to a standstill. The main hall of Erbo's house had solid wooden doors, which were also passed down from his ancestors. The door was over 10 cm thick, but it still couldn't withstand Erbo's impact. The door was almost shattered, and Erniang and I rushed over to push it shut, fearing that Erbo would run out again.

  Through the gate, I could see Second Uncle's every move inside. Perhaps it was because he had drunk the magic potion, but every time Master Xuansheng called out his name, he would jump in surprise and slowly make his way towards him, following the sound of his voice. Second Aunt and I had stuck the talismans given by Master Xuansheng onto our bodies, blocking the gate. To be on the safe side, I also stuck several more talismans on the outside of the main hall's gate.

  Second Uncle stepped into the main hall and trod on the ink line on the ground, which was made from a mixture of chicken blood and dog blood. Second Uncle yelped in pain as he stood on it, and by now he had completely transformed into a ghostly appearance. His skin had turned green, his facial features had changed, and this face was truly that of a ghost.

  At this time, the formation set up by Xuan Qing was activated, and the 49 star lamps hanging on the windows of the hall suddenly lit up. The enchanting star lamps were painted with talismans, and the strong light shone into Er Shu's eyes, causing him to hurriedly cover his eyes with both hands.

  "Evil beast! Why don't you report your name? Who are you, anyway? Why have you come to wreak havoc on the human world?" Xuan Qing Daozhang was still hiding in the coffin, asking in a low voice. He seemed to be waiting for the best moment.

  At this time, the fierce ghost possessed my second uncle and rushed towards the main gate of the hall, wanting to run out. My second aunt and I used force to hold it back. The evil spirit touched the talisman on the door and suddenly jumped up in pain as if it had touched an electric door. The gate could not be opened, so he walked towards the window. There was a line of ink drawn by me and Daozhang on the window, and when my second uncle came into contact with the ink line, there were bursts of explosions, and my second uncle let out bursts of strange cries.

  Suddenly, I remembered the things that Master Xu Qing had entrusted to me. When the evil spirit comes in, I must use dog blood to splash his face, only then can I suppress his evil energy. I let Erniang lock the main gate of the hall and followed him in, emboldening myself. Possibly due to the talisman, my second uncle didn't notice me; his eyes seemed to be dazzled by the star lamp and couldn't see. After all, I had learned methods for driving out evil spirits from Second Uncle for many years, and I had experienced and seen what it's like when a ghost possesses someone. For the sake of Second Uncle, Erniang, and Little Sister, I made up my mind to fight this ghost today.

  I've got the dog blood that I prepared with Dao Chang this afternoon, this dog blood is different from others, there's a lot of rooster blood in it, mixed with Chinese spirits so even after several hours it still hasn't coagulated. Second Uncle was still wildly grabbing and colliding around in the main room, I waited for the right moment and smashed a bowl of it fiercely towards his head. A full bowl of dog blood splattered onto his face with a loud "pa" sound.

  "Little Yu, be careful!" After pouring out the dog's blood, I quickly turned around and wanted to rush out, but Second Uncle suddenly grabbed my collar, scaring me so much that I hurriedly squatted down. Second Aunt reacted quickly and stretched out her arm, surprisingly pulling out a talisman and sticking it onto Second Uncle's face. As soon as he loosened his grip, I took the opportunity to crawl out of the main hall. At this moment, I heard a sudden loud noise behind me, and without looking back, I hastily drilled out.