Chapter Six: A Second Visit to the Ancestral Hall

After listening to my words, Master wore a look of sudden realization, smiled as he patted my head, then turned to Uncle Dazhuang and said, “The little chubby is fine now. Listen carefully: have him rest quietly for three days. Each night, tie a big rooster by his bedside, and bathe him with mugwort. He’ll soon recover, but he mustn’t be frightened in any way. He’s still very young, and after being disturbed by these things, his soul is a bit unstable. If he gets scared again, it will be even harder to deal with. After three days, he’ll wake up, and then everything will be truly fine.”

After giving these instructions, Master took me and left. Uncle Dazhuang escorted us all the way home before returning to his own. When we arrived, my grandpa was lounging in his rocking chair, listening to opera, looking as content as could be.

As soon as he saw us come in, Grandpa switched off the radio, sat up straight, and asked, “So, how is Fatty? Is the boy alright?”

“He’s fine. That little chubby was just possessed by a jar ghost, nothing serious now,” Master replied.

Grandpa nodded, “Good, as long as everyone is alright.”

But just as he finished, he froze, as if doubting his own ears. He looked at Master in disbelief and asked, “You said Fatty was possessed by a jar ghost? A jar ghost? How could such a thing appear all of a sudden? Has the seal on the Yin Jar weakened? That shouldn’t be possible.”

Master nodded. “I thought too that the jar ghost broke free on its own, but then Xuan told me that last night, when they were at the coffin house and running away, they kicked a jar. If I’m not mistaken, that must’ve been the Yin Jar. That’s why I want to go back there with Xuan. I have a feeling something big is lurking in that place, just hasn’t revealed itself yet. If we don’t deal with it, we might be in serious trouble. There’s been a lot of turmoil lately, even many underworld kings have grown restless.”

Grandpa listened, stood up, and paced the living room several times, muttering to himself. After a while, he went into the bedroom and returned with a wooden box. Setting it on the table, he said, “If there really is something at the coffin house, then for the safety of the villagers, we have no choice but to go. Inside this box is a jade pendant, the Lin family heirloom, and it’s time for Lin Xuan to have it.”

With that, Grandpa took out the jade pendant. I looked closely—it was quite beautiful, always aglow with a gentle light. On both sides, two fish of equal size were inlaid. For some reason, when my eyes rested on it, it felt as if some sound echoed faintly beside my ears. I couldn’t hear it clearly. Shaking my head, the sound faded away.

Master saw the jade pendant and looked at Grandpa in astonishment. “Old Lin, am I seeing it right? Is that the Jade?”

Grandpa nodded silently, a mysterious smile on his lips, then handed the pendant to me. I accepted it and asked, “Grandpa, what does this jade pendant do?”

Grandpa smiled. “This is the Yangming Jade, the only family treasure of the Lin clan, passed down for centuries. It can divine fate above and ward off evil spirits below. As for its other uses, you’ll find out as your power grows. Take good care of it, don’t lose it.”

I nodded, examining the pendant like a newfound toy, turning it over and over. When I touched one of the fish, a purple light suddenly flared, a tingling pain shot through my hand, and I was so startled I flung the pendant onto the table.

Grandpa, seeing this, placed his hand above the pendant and lightly brushed it; the light disappeared at once. I clutched my pounding heart and looked at Grandpa. He shook his head. “You, such a coward. Boqing, you must help him toughen up.”

When Master heard Grandpa call his name, he shot me a mischievous look but said nothing. I quickly shook my head. “It’s not that I’m timid, Grandpa. When I touched the left fish on the pendant, there was a stabbing pain in my finger; that’s why I dropped it.”

Master laughed and patted my head. Grandpa, having heard me, frowned. “A stabbing pain? Show me your hand.”

I was stunned. Master, sitting beside me, also froze for a moment, but soon seemed to realize something, and said, “Old Lin, are you suggesting the jade has chosen its master?”

“I’m only guessing. Come on, show me your hand,” Grandpa urged, frowning.

I hurriedly stretched out my hand on the table. Grandpa and Master leaned in to look, both gasping in astonishment, Grandpa most of all. He stared at me in disbelief. “No way… You’re this lucky? This jade has been in the Lin family for generations, yet no one has ever truly become its master. And you, just after receiving it, are recognized by the Yangming Jade? Could the prophecy in the genealogy be true?”

I looked at them, then down at my hand—and was stunned. Two faint fish were circling my whole right arm, swimming up and down. I tried shaking them off, but no matter how I shook, they wouldn’t go away. Grandpa said, “Stop shaking. The Yangming Jade has two ways of recognizing its master: one, by being subjugated; two, by choosing on its own. Each has different effects. You’ve got the second, which is even more powerful. For the jade to willingly choose you, that’s really quite the encounter.”

When Grandpa finished, Master added, “Indeed, you’re lucky. In all these centuries, this is the first time I’ve seen the Yangming Jade choose its own master.”

I was startled and looked at Master with confusion. Centuries? What did he mean by centuries? Noticing my gaze, Master awkwardly said, “What are you staring at? Daydreaming again?”

Grandpa, seemingly on the same wavelength, quickly said, “Well, Xuan, keep that pendant safe. As for the fish on your arm, normal folk won’t see them. I’m getting old, can’t keep up with you youngsters. I’ll go rest a while. Oh, Boqing, aren’t you taking Xuan back to the coffin house? Go on, and be sure to come back for dinner.”

I watched the two of them, baffled, and touched the two fish on my arm. I could clearly sense a power swirling around me, though I couldn’t quite describe the feeling.

Grandpa walked back to his rocking chair and turned on the radio. Master let out a long sigh and led me out of the yard. On the way, neither of us spoke. When we reached the wild graveyard, the wailing and murmuring I’d heard before vanished, though my right arm still tingled faintly. (Note: The wild graveyard is in a small forest where sunlight rarely reaches, making the yin energy especially heavy. Many wandering spirits and fierce ghosts linger here even during the day.)

Looking down, I saw the two fish on my right arm circling faster, emitting a faint light. Master noticed too, and patted my shoulder. “Don’t worry, the jade spirit inside the Yangming Jade senses nearby ghosts and is protecting you. This is normal.”

I nodded. “Master, why don’t you collect all these wandering spirits? Why let them roam?”

But before I finished, Master tapped my head and frowned. “What kind of thinking is that? These lonely souls haven’t harmed anyone; why would I destroy them? Becoming a wandering ghost after death is pitiful enough. We’re not ruthless people. There’s a line between the living and the dead, but mercy is a virtue. Not all ghosts are evil; some are kind, though rare. Remember: vengeful ones are called fierce ghosts, the muddled, mindless ones are just spirits. They’re different. The former must be dealt with, the latter can be ignored—doing so earns you merit. And one more thing: never trust the words of a fierce ghost. Remember that.”

I rubbed my tingling scalp and nodded, committing all his words to memory.

We walked for quite a while before reaching the coffin house. Standing outside, I nudged Master’s arm and said, “Master, look—there’s so much black mist above the coffin house.”

Master saw it too and nodded. “I see it. That’s ghostly miasma. Odd, I didn’t notice any here last night. For it to be so dense in broad daylight means there really is something big inside—possibly even a ghost deity.”

After circling the area, Master led me back the way we came. I was puzzled. “Master, why are we leaving? Aren’t we going inside?”

He shook his head. “It’s not time yet. If I’m right, the ghost deity inside is wounded. Judging by the withered plants outside, many ghostly soldiers have been guarding the place. If we go in now, we won’t find anything. We’ll have to wait until nightfall.”

I nodded, and we headed home. Along the way, I kept asking Master about all sorts of supernatural matters, and he patiently explained each one. At one point, I asked, “Master, if I can’t become a hero or grow strong, and people in the circle look down on me, would you be embarrassed?”

He was taken aback, turned to look at me, and said, “I don’t know if you’ll embarrass me, but I can tell you for sure—nobody dares mess with my apprentice. Hey—why are you asking such strange questions anyway?”

I laughed, shrugged, and said nothing more. After we got home and finished lunch, I stayed there for a few more hours. At six in the evening, we said our goodbyes to Grandpa and Grandma and set off again for the coffin house.

The trip back and forth was exhausting. By the time we arrived, night had begun to fall. Master found a big stone for us to crouch behind. I asked, “Master, why are we squatting here?”

Staring at the pitch-dark coffin house ahead, Master replied with just three words: “We keep waiting.” Then silence settled all around.