Once Upon a Time-

It was the year 1934, Sexagenary Year of the Wood Element, Zodiac Year of the Dog on the Chinese Calendar, in the first month of autumn, when it all began. At the tomb of the Bian Clan alongside Huan Xiang River which flowed at the foot of Mount Yan, the swift galloping of horses broke the silence of the night. Horse bandits were riding fast, holding flaming torches in their hands.

One of the bandits was barking hoarsely, ordering his men to round up the family, who had been the keepers to the graves, before restraining them with ropes, gagging them and covering their heads with black bags. A few of the men tied a thick rope to a tree before lighting it on fire. Some of the rest ran for the cluster of graves in the mausoleum of the Bian Clan, with shovels, pickaxes, and other tools.

Not far away, a large man, with a face covered by a beard, sat on his horse. With proud eyes and a stern gaze, the man, who seemed to be the leader of the bandits, pointed to a mound and spoke to the man who was barking orders:

"Send some of our men to take that vantage point. Fire some shots and warn the villagers off. We do not need curious onlookers crowding around here!"

The man with a hoarse voice replied meekly to his chief, "But sir, won't the gunshots attract the nearby soldiers?"

The chief waved off his subordinate's fear dismissively and replied, "No. This area is the demilitarized zone as sanctioned by the Tanggu Truce. Neither the Japanese or the Chinese military will be within a hundred miles from here. Tell the men to relax and do as they will!"

"Yes, sir!" His lieutenant croaked an assent and ran off, heading towards the clump of graves.

"Wait!" called the chief again. "Have men guarding every road that leads here. They are to drive away anyone who comes near. Shoot them if they must!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Three gunshot sounds were heard from a distance. The people from the village nearby all slammed their doors shut, fearing that trouble would come knocking. The light spots shuttled through the cluster of graves and the smoke of the burning rope filled the air.

"Boss, this is not the one!"

"This one too!"

Numerous reports came from the bandits who were plundering the graves. They had not found the one they were after.

The chief took out a pocket watch and looked at it in the firelight. He leaped down his horse and walked quickly to his men still digging the graves.

"Time is running short! We must find it before dawn!" The chief shouted to his lieutenant.

Just then, another bandit came over to him, looking more mild-mannered than the others, although he carried a holstered pistol. He seemed to be the strategist of the group. The man spoke to his chief, "At this rate, Boss, we will not find it even when daybreak comes. The item we're looking for is ancient, so if we filter out newer coffins, we can find the oldest graves as soon as possible."

The band of robbers then split into groups, moving in several directions as directed by the strategist who checked the age of the coffins to decide which tomb would be further dug up.

"There's a stone tablet here!" One of the robbers cried out. The strategist hurried over and dusted off the dirt from the tablet. "It's an epitaph! Let's see the date..."

"It's among these graves here, Boss! The year inscribed here is not more than thirty years from the year of the item we're looking for."

They kept digging.

Time passed and the chief grew more restless.

"We've found it!"

A few of the men whisked off the soot from the burial items in the grave and placed them into a bag. The men then lifted a coffin from the grave and threw it outside. Another man, tall and large, hopped into the hole and pulled a knife out of his pants to test the earth beneath the coffin. He rose to his feet, saying, "This is it."

A few more men leaped into the hole.

"Enlarge it, but do not damage the item!" Their leader warned.

Carefully, the men slowly shoveled off the earth, revealing a trench filled with fresh soil. Digging further, they found the item that they had been seeking: an old and gnarly casket made of wood.

The casket was cautiously removed from the hole. Once opened, they found a bundle of silk wrapped around a sheathed sword.

"We've got it!" One of the men presented the sword to his chief.

He drew the sword for just a little to examine its blade, his eyes glimmering from the reflection off the steel blade. Satisfied, the chief chuckled and called for his lieutenant, signaling for the men to get ready to leave.

The lieutenant barked, "Let us go, brothers!" and the bandits left on their horses, fleeing the vicinity with the bounties they had found from the graves.

"You just don't know! A ghost put me up to this!" The man panted.

I handed him a cup of tea and said, "Relax. Have a drink and tell me everything slowly."

The man took a swig of tea and wiped the sweat off his forehead before he set off on his tale:

"My name is Hao. I'm a construction worker. I am known for my courage, hence my nickname, Fearless Hao. I was out many miles away last month, working on some construction job and the patron of the project I was working brought us out for dinner.

"I had a voracious appetite, so I returned home late that night. It was really dark outside. The roads were rough, and my electric scooter had run out of power! I could do nothing but slowly push it.

"Normally I would not be afraid. But I felt someone, or something, was following me. When I looked back, there was no one!

"I continued on. Still, I could not shake off the feeling that someone was following me. When I turned back again, there was no one there! Feeling uneasy, I quickened my pace from time to time. But no matter what, the fear that I was being followed lingered. Whenever I stopped, I found nothing behind me.

"Finally I told myself, 'Enough!' I threw aside my scooter and turned quickly! There stood a person not far behind: a woman. Her hair covered her face so I could not see her clearly. Loudly, I shouted, 'Who are you! Why are you following me?' She replied, 'Please do not be afraid...' 'Who's afraid?' I barked at her, 'Why are you following me?' 'To be honest,' the ghost answered, 'I am the ghost of a woman who died by drowning. I do not dare walk past the Jing Jue Temple up ahead, so I hope to follow just behind you.'

"After listening to her pleadings, I said, 'Hah! Is that so? Hop on the backseat of my scooter; I'll give you a lift.'

"And there the ghost sat, light as a feather. With no more fear in me, I began to talk to her, 'Where are you going to?' The ghost answered, 'I am looking for a replacement!' 'From where do you intend to find one?" I asked, and she answered, 'The Bridge of the Zhu Clan.'

"I stopped in my tracks and said, 'Then you will not have to go anymore. The Bridge of the Zhu Clan is about twenty miles from here. The flowers would have withered by the time you reach there. The replacement you are seeking would have long been snatched by the other wandering souls!'

"But she giggled and replied, 'That could hardly be the case. The Deity of the Land has a register of anyone who is going to drown. I have a pass from him. No one will take away my claim.' Her tale somehow made me felt interested and hence I continued asking, 'So where is the person who is going to drown? There would hardly be anyone around here, except for the flood that occurred at the vicinity of Huang Xiang River this year!'

"Hearing this, the female ghost then explained, 'You might not know that there is a Gao Manor there. The master of the manor, Gao Yuzhu has a wife who received a call one day; a call from a friend she met online. The friend told her that he was in town and would like to meet up with her. Without thinking much, Gao Yuzhu's wife immediately went to see him, only to find that the man was trying to seduce her by leading her towards a hotel. Knowing that something was not right, the woman immediately hailed a trishaw that took her home.

"'Little did she know that the person was in truth a repeated villain who uses such ways to extort for money. He has an assistant who is always waiting to record the footage of his trysts with married women to extort money from his prey later. Seeing that his approach had failed, the man then moved on to another target; only this time luck was not on his side: the husband of the woman was trying to follow them and had him beaten up fiercely before the police came and scooped him up.

"'At the police station, the vile man remained tight-lipped, trying his best not to divulge anything of his criminal acts. The police then resorted to digging through his phone for information and then found the contact number of Gao Yuzhu's wife. With additional information from the telecommunications provider, the police then went to visit Gao Yuzhu's wife at their manor.

"'The arrival of the police caused quite a commotion at his home and everyone in the village crowded around his home, filled with curiosity. Feeling ashamed, Gao Yushu gave his wife two slaps on her cheek. His wife, angered with embarrassment, left for her parents' home immediately.

"'Gao Yuzhu then gave a call to his wife's parents, complaining that their daughter was unfaithful to him. Gao Yuzhu's wife then reached her parents' home, only to find that her parents, equally distraught by the incident, now considered her the black sheep of the family! With no other choice, she left again.

"'Now, no one but I knows that she is crying alone in a small tent by the river! Feeling wronged, she keeps thinking, 'I kept my chastity for you, but you slapped me...' And when she jumps later, I will only have to pull her leg from below.'

"By then, we reached a junction. I spoke to the ghost, 'I am turning here. Goodbye!' The female ghost waved to me too, saying, 'Have a safe trip home! I'll hope we'll meet again in my next life!'

"When I reached home, suddenly I remembered: my wife has a relative in that same village. Hence, I asked my wife, 'Do you know a Gao Yuzhu from the Gao Manor?' My wife then replied, 'Do you not know him? He's the second son of my cousin!' The revelation struck me with horror!

"Without further ado, I quickly handed a mobile phone to my wife and said, 'Quick! Call your cousin!' When the call was connected, I immediately snatched the phone and yelled into the mouthpiece, 'Cousin! I'm Fearless Hao! Quick! Send some people to the river to save your daughter-in-law! She's trying to kill herself!'

"After more than an hour later, the cousin of my wife called back to us, saying, 'Fearless! Thank God for your warning! She was already in the water when my people reached her. For some reason, they had to try really hard to pull her from the water-as if she were as heavy as a mountain! Cough! By the way, Fearless, how do you know about this?'

"And I said, 'We'll talk about that later. How is the couple? Are they well now?' My cousin then replied, 'Yeah. They have talked about everything and have cleared up the misunderstanding. They are well now, all thanks to you. They're talking about inviting you for dinner.' I then said, 'No need for a ceremony! We are family!'

"And so I thought everything had ended with a happy ending. But when I finished my work the following evening, the female ghost was waiting for me beside the road! At the very sight of me, she turned angry and yelled, 'How dare you foil my plan, Fearless Hao!'

"I replied, 'But she's family... Surely you do not expect me to sit still and watch...' But the female ghost lunged at me and attacked me! But it turned out that ghosts do not have much physical strength. With only a few struggles, I managed to throw her into a drain.

"The female ghost then clambered back up and spat bitterly before she left, saying, 'Beware! This is not the end of this!' At that moment, I assumed that there would be nothing that she'll be able to do towards me. I am not afraid of her, so she could hardly scare me to death. I'm not called Fearless Hao for nothing, see?

"Moreover, she did not have enough physical strength to threaten me. I would trounce her soundly if she's up for another fight. But never would I expect that her schemes would ensnare me.

"I was riding on my scooter to work yesterday through the town when I heard a loud 'clang' behind me. But I did not stop, knowing the sound did not come from me. But someone came for me today, saying that I had hit his Mercedes Benz. A look at the security footage of the incident showed that the driver had left his car for five minutes, and I was the only person who had passed by his car..."

I opened a bottle of Coke and looked at the person before me. "What a brazen man he is!" I thought, "Not many could have been able to defeat a ghost in a struggle without the necessary skills in these days!"

I could not help but feel troubled by the anxiety that this Fearless Hao now faced. This is a matter of dispute between humans, not the usual quandaries between mortals and ghosts that I am accustomed to. I have no authority nor jurisdiction in handling the case of the vehicle accident!

I placed down my drink and told Fearless Hao, "I'm sorry, my friend. I'm afraid I am unable to help you with this affair. I am an exorcist. This is a vehicle accident. Surely you do not expect me to help you pay for the damage you incurred?"

Upon hearing this, Fearless Hao hardly looked like he was living up to his nickname. He begged miserably, "Please, my friend. Please help me! Surely you can help me with my dispute with the ghost, even if the matter of the accident is out of your hands."

I might be gifted with skills to catch ghosts, but looking for a ghost of a person who had drowned was still an errand beyond my abilities and skills. Shaking my head, I spoke to him. "Errr... What was it... Brother Hao! Yes... Still, I'm afraid it would still be impossible for me to locate the ghost. I will be able to help if the ghost has possessed a person. But now that she's missing, looking for her is like searching for a needle from a haystack! She's a ghost of a person who's drowned; a ghost without a grave!"

Well, I might have been too nice to this Fearless Hao. He began to unabashedly plea and pester for my help, saying, "Please, brother! Help another brother in need! I have no one else to go to! She just implicated me in an accident with a Mercedes! Where am I to find the money to pay for the damage? What if she were to cause another accident with a tank? I might even die then! I have looked for numerous other people for help; priests, shamans, and others, but no one was able to take my case! Finally, someone directed me to you."

Looking at the large, six-foot-tall man before me, so distressed that even his face was flushed red with anxiety, filled me with compassion. I said, "Very well then. I might not be able to help you, but my father might!"

With that, I looked at my watch which showed the time: twenty-seven minutes past three. "It is still early now. I'm afraid my father is still busy. Let us wait till my father is back from work and we'll meet him. He might have an idea!"

Hearing this, Fearless Hao thanked me profusely as he retook his seat.

However, he had just sat down when the sounds of hurried footsteps came from outside the door. A woman rushed into the reception room and asked nervously, "Is the Head Person in?"

"My father is busy at the moment," I said, noting her worried and apprehensive expression, "Can I help you?"

The woman then said, "Ah! I see. What time would your father be available then?" But she was fidgeting with so much restlessness that I barely understood her.

Knowing that she was in distress, I asked again, "How can I help you?"

The woman was hesitant to reveal the reason for her anxiety. Reluctantly, she then confessed. "I need the Head Person's help. My husband had a bump-in with a ghost!"

Even Fearless Hao displayed a hint of sympathy at the woman's plight.

Looking at her, I said, "Please calm down and tell me what kind of ghost it is."

The woman blurted, "A white fiend!"

A sudden disappointment filled me as soon as I heard the woman mention that her husband had encountered a "white fiend". I thought I would have an opportunity to demonstrate my skills, but it was only a "white fiend".

"White fiends" were different from "black fiends". "Black fiends" sought to endanger humans but "white fiends" did not.

I spoke to the woman, "Lady, 'white fiends' do not harm humans. Are you trying to say that your husband is bothered by one?"

The woman grew worried. "No. No. Well, it's my husband himself..."

The discrepancies of her statements somehow annoyed me. I bellowed, "Please be frank, lady. What has happened and how is your husband now!"

The woman became stunned by my sudden uproar. With no other way, I invited the woman to sit and poured her a cup of water. "Be calm and tell me everything slowly."

The woman swallowed a gulp of water and relaxed before she began. "My family lives in Yellow Soil Ridge, and there is this shoe factory five miles to the east from my home where my husband works as a maker of shoe soles.

"He was coming home late from work one night in the winter last year. He walks to work because the road to his factory is a path through the hills. On his journey home that night, he saw something. According to my husband, it was as large as a basketball, with no limbs and no head, and completely white.

"Sitting three feet away from my husband, this thing threw itself at him. Out of panic, my husband struck at it with his flashlight, but he missed. He ran straight home without stopping that night.

"Once home, he told me everything. My heart tells me that he must have encountered a 'white fiend'. That's why I did not pay much attention to the matter at first, knowing that 'white fiends' do not harm humans. But little did I expect that the incident had frightened my husband so badly that he refused to go to work the next day, not being able to walk the path anymore."

The woman looked more at ease now, finally being able to confess the fear that had been tormenting her. Still, she looked even more pained with distress and concern for her husband.

She drank from her glass again before she continued with her tale, "He quit his job. Then things got even worse. He began to fear to go to the bathroom on his own at night. Now, he needs somebody to accompany him whenever he uses the toilet, even in the day."

Finally, I understood the woman's predicament. However, I grew curious. How did she come to know of my father's capabilities?

The woman might have noticed the change in my expression and guessed my reservation, for she then spoke, "Please, young sir. We depend on my husband's income from his work at the shoe factory; our living expenses, the children's schooling fees, among others... But he has quit his job.

"For the last six months, I have been searching for doctors to help him. I have travelled from Yellow Soil Ridge to the capital in vain, but no one had been able to remedy my husband's condition. Finally, a doctor at the capital told me about a certain Head Person of the Wen Chang National Studies Institute in the Wu Zhong County who might be the one person who will have the solution to all this, so here am I..."

It was five in the evening. At the front of the Wen Chang National Studies Institute, a crowd of children poured out of the doors of the Institute, looking leave at the end of their classes. My father was the Head Person of this Institute, whose primary duty was to educate the younger generations about the nation's historical culture that they would inherit in the future.

Together with Fearless Hao and this woman, I waited for my father. I led them into the head person's room. There we found my father, having a light smoke after finishing his lectures. Without delay, I immediately told my father of the purposes of their visit. Raising his head, my father studied the two guests and they, too, peered closely at him.

Fearless Hao regarded my father suspiciously, turning to me incredulously. His eyes bore into me as if saying, "Is this your father or your brother?" But his doubts were not without reason. My father looked younger than his age. Even now, he looked as if he was still in his early twenties, even though he was very much older. It was obvious that the woman harbored the very same skepticism, for she shared the same look as Fearless Hao.

Hearing that they were here to plead for his help, my father said to them, "Have a seat, both of you. I will help you one by one. Which of you was the first here?"

Both Fearless Hao and the woman were overjoyed; they have found the right person for help!

The woman then spoke, "First come, first served. This man is first before me."

Seeing that the woman was being courteous, Fearless Hao sprang to his feet and began, "Head Person... I was..." And so he repeated his tale once more to my father.

Throughout his story, my father had his eyes remained closed while he listened closely, smiling as he puffed at his cigarette every now and then. When Fearless Hao ended his tale with the incident involving the owner of the Mercedes Benz, a Mr. Lee, my father giggled and said, "Very well. This issue is a simple matter. How much are you willing to pay to settle this problem?"

Fearless Hao was astounded for moments before he managed to speak. "I am but only a mere construction worker. Through pain and sweat, I only earn four thousand each month. But with just a simple bump, I'm being billed hundreds of thousands just for that luxury car! Where am I to find such money! Even though I try my best to raise money, I can't afford it..."

However, my father waved him off dismissively. "No no no... I'm not asking how much you're willing to pay for the accident. I'm asking how much you're going to pay me."

Surprised, Fearless Hao could only utter, "Ah?"

My father then went on, "Look. You make four thousand a month from your construction work. How about two thousand and I'll settle the entire problem for you?"

Feeling overwhelmed, Fearless Hao pleaded, "But Head Person... I still have to pay for the reparation of the car... I'm afraid I am not unable to pay you that much..."

My father cut him short impatiently with another wave of his hand and said, "No. What I mean is that you will only have to pay me two thousand. You will not have to pay for the repairs of the car. I'll settle the entire problem: both the ghost and the car accident for you. Why would you need me if you are still going to pay for the repairs? This institute is a place of learning about national studies and I can only offer you an invoice for tuition. A lesson of mine costs two-thousand renminbi. That is to say, I'll give you a two-thousand renminbi lesson. I'll say the same words to others."

Fearless Hao was overjoyed to hear this, saying, "Oh my God! That's great!"

"That goes without saying," I thought. My father was going to help him with the entire fracas for just two thousand. A regular shaman elsewhere would have charged him several times over.

With Fearless Hao's agreement, my father then said, "To tell you the truth, I am old friends with the owner of the Mercedes Benz, that Mr. Lee. He is a lively figure; a most well-disposed person. There shall be no need for worry."

He took out his mobile phone, tapped on it and put it to his ears. As soon as he was connected, my father spoke into the mouthpiece, "Hi, Lee. Yeah, it's me. Where are you now? Are you at home or work? Ah, you're away. When will you be back? I see. All right then. Let's have dinner together."

My father then ended the called and spoke to Fearless Hao, "I have made an appointment with that Mr. Lee. But he is not available now. He'll be back at six. We'll meet him at his office in one hour. Just you wait a moment."

My father then cast his gaze to the woman beside Fearless Hao, "Well, now. What about you? What is your tale?"

Like Fearless Hao earlier, the woman also retold her story about her husband. Same as before my father listened with a serene smile on his face, his eyes shut as he listened intently to every detail.

When the woman had ended her story, my father opened his eyes and smiled at her, saying, "Well... I cannot fully conclude my examination since your husband is not present. How about you bring your husband along the next time you visit? We'll be able to figure out a solution then."

The woman too was delighted to hear this. Immediately she exclaimed, "He's here! He's here! He's just outside; waiting in the car. I'll go and get him right now!"

My father nodded and said nothing, still smiling brightly. It turned out that the woman had taken a cab from Yellow Soil Ridge to this city with her husband. But due to his fright, he did not dare to get out of the car.

Moments later, the woman came back with a middle-aged man with her. Fear was evident in his trembling eyes, despite his apparent robust health. His condition struck me as a strange and puzzling quandary.

But my father, still placid and laidback as ever, smiled at the man, "Come. Have a seat. Can you tell me everything about your incident again in great detail? I have heard it from your wife, but I would need to hear everything from a first-person perspective."

The man looked around as if he was expecting to see a supernatural being peeking from the corners of the room. Finally, when he was certain that he was not being watched, he heaved a sigh of relief and began, "It was in the winter last year; a night where I had finished work late. A north-west wind was blowing strongly that night. Fighting through the winds lashing at me, I slowly worked my way home. Suddenly, I saw something white drifting through the air, flowing towards me!"

By now, the man's expression was beginning to change. Noticing this, my father tried to calm him. "Have no fear! Continue."

As he spoke, he offered the man a cigarette. The man took it and lighted it. After having a few drags on the cigarette, he looked noticeably better; even his quivering hands began to rest.

The man looked at his cigarette, as if the cigarette had cast a calming spell on him, and continued the recollections of his ordeal:

"It floated through the air at me; this 'thing' which has no limbs and no head, shaped like a ball of this size..."

His hands were swinging as he tried to demonstrate the size of the 'thing' before he continued:

"It was gliding at about three feet over the air, slowly and gracefully, and before long, it came to me. At that moment, one thing was clear to me: it was coming for me. I tried to use my flashlight to take a better look at it, but it was not working! With panic sweeping through me, I could barely stand. Somehow a fit of insanity took me. I took up my flashlight and I tried to hit the 'thing'..."