Part 3
The book What the Master Would Not Discuss (Zi Bu Yu) once mentioned a ‘Path to the Netherworld’ where a farmer’s soul left his body: “The soul burst from the crown of the head, a pain beyond endurance.” Some underworld emissaries who disliked a person would intentionally pull the soul from the head as a form of torture.
Qiu Lingling coughed dryly. “Regardless, thank you. Now that I’m okay, what about Sister Yun Shu? What exactly is this Head-flying Hex?”
Jiang Si looked at the woman on the bed. “You’d have to ask her. What temple did she visit that made her provoke an evil deity?”
“Hiss—” Qiu Lingling’s eyes widened. “Visiting a temple? But she’s visited so many at home and abroad. She visits almost every temple she sees; she calls it ‘casting a wide net.'”
“…” Jiang Si was speechless.
Luo Shannü laughed without mercy. “Sincerity is what makes it work. It’s useless to visit anything with that kind of mindset.”
Seeing Qiu Lingling lower her head in shame, Jiang Si offered some dry comfort. “Normally, visiting a temple is just for psychological comfort; it wouldn’t be fatal.”
“What’s truly fatal is entering a ‘Yin’ temple.” He used this as an example to educate the adventurous fifty-something Tong Yong.
“Temples, whether Buddhist or Taoist, are divided into Yin and Yang temples. Yang temples house righteous deities like Taishang Laojun, Guanyin, or the Buddha; visiting them won’t cause trouble. Yin temples house evil deities. Calling them deities is a stretch; they are just powerful ghosts and spirits. Even worshipping Immortal Families could be considered a form of Yin temple worship. Some of these spirits, fearing the laws of heaven and seeking to advance their cultivation, won’t harm people; in fact, having more believers helps their cultivation.”
“The truly harmful ones are those evil deities from unorthodox paths. Their origins are corrupt, and those who provide offerings to them are not on the right path. They bring only harm to the ignorant who worship them. So when you’re visiting temples abroad, don’t just enter everything you see. Check who is being worshipped first.”
“Ah? Then can Yun Shu still be saved?” Tong Yong was incredibly worried.
“It isn’t too late yet.” Jiang Si said. “Did she bring back any ritual items from State D? Think carefully.”
Qiu Lingling hadn’t accompanied her to State D at the time, so she knew nothing. Tong Yong, as a male director, wouldn’t have paid much attention to his female lead’s belongings. He could only call her manager, telling her to set aside the public relations issues and come save her.
The manager remembered something after hearing Tong Yong’s words.
Jiang Si saw that Luo Shannü was boredly crouching in the corner playing games. He walked over and asked quietly, “Do you have a solution?”
Luo Shannü shot him a sidelong glance and said casually, “It’s just a minor evil spirit. I could tear it apart in two seconds.”
“That’s great.”
Luo Shannü’s face went blank. “You’re celebrating too early.”
“…” Jiang Si looked toward Tong Yong and continued, “I’ll pay for that game console of yours.”
“?” Luo Shannü was shocked. “You’re getting two million and you’re only giving me one game console?”
“Don’t be greedy. Without me, you wouldn’t even have met them. Besides, doesn’t your association forbid private jobs?”
Luo Shannü mused. “I want ten game consoles.”
“Deal.” Jiang Si agreed instantly.
“Wait, couldn’t you handle this yourself? Why pull me into it?” Luo Shannü realized, looking at him suspiciously.
“Ahem.” Jiang Si pursed his lips, trying not to look too smug. “My partner is waiting for me at home. I need to go back early to be with him.”
“Damn.” Luo Shannü realized for the first time that humans could be such ‘dogs.’ “No wonder you aren’t a Taoist; a Taoist can’t date.”
Jiang Si said matter-of-factly, “It’s just dating; it’s no big deal.”
Luo Shannü turned her head away. “Fine, stop talking about it.”
Jiang Si shrugged innocently and took out his phone to report his itinerary to Hai Di. If things went smoothly here, he could be back by tomorrow afternoon and still make it for dinner with Hai Di.
Perfect!
The traffic in Sijiucheng was still congested even in the early hours. By the time the manager arrived with the item, it was already past 3:00 AM.
“It should be this.” After being introduced by Tong Yong and shaking hands with Jiang Si, she took out a dark green gift box. It was tied with a red ribbon—a very common design.
She opened the box, which contained only a bracelet.
“I was with Yun Shu in State D. She loved wandering around, and there were two days when I was busy with meetings and couldn’t go with her. During those two days, she went to a remote mountain and stayed overnight. I scolded her when I found out. After all, the general environment in Southeast Asia isn’t very safe; what if she’d been kidnapped and sold?”
“She showed off this bracelet to me, saying she got it from a kind monk. She’d gotten lost on the mountain and found her way after the monk gave her directions. The monk said they shared a ‘fate’ and gave her the bracelet. Because he’d helped her, Yun Shu was very grateful and never suspected there was a problem. But I felt something was off—please, take a look.”
Jiang Si took the bracelet into his palm. It felt cool and a bit oily from being handled, like ordinary wood.
However, after examining it, he said, “This thing is indeed wrong.”
He held the bracelet up by a finger for them to see. “Since it was a strand of prayer beads given by a monk, tell me—what kind of monk would wear an ornament made of severed Buddha heads?”
The bracelet had eighteen beads, each carved into the shape of a Buddha’s head.
And these weren’t the eighteen Arhats or Sakyamuni Buddha; they were Buddha faces that were twisted and distorted. A third eye was carved into the forehead, while the other two eyes were closed. Even a normal person would feel incredibly uncomfortable just looking at it.
Translator’s Note:
- Head-flying Hex (飞頭降 – Fēitóu Jiàng): A legendary curse originating from Southeast Asian folklore (often Thailand or Malaysia). It is believed that a sorcerer’s head detaches from their body at night, often with the internal organs trailing behind, to hunt for blood or flesh.
- Rakshasa (罗刹 – Luóchà): Buddhist demons known for being fierce and sometimes beautiful (females). In many stories, they are shapeshifters who can wear human skins.
- Sijiucheng (四九城 – Sìjiǔchéng): A nickname for Beijing, referring to the four gates of the inner city and the nine gates of the outer city during the Qing Dynasty.
- Pavilion of Clarity (清明臺 – Qīngmíng Tái): A poetic or metaphysical term for the eyes, suggesting they are the “windows to the soul” or a place where internal clarity is reflected.
- Lord Ye Loving Dragons (叶公好龙 – Yè Gōng hào lóng): A famous idiom about a man named Lord Ye who claimed to love dragons but was terrified when a real dragon actually visited him. It refers to a superficial love for something one doesn’t truly understand or fear.
- Yin and Yang Temples: In Chinese folk religion, “Yang” temples are for orthodox, state-sanctioned, or benevolent deities. “Yin” temples are for “wandering spirits,” “un-consecrated deities,” or local spirits that are not part of the official celestial bureaucracy.
- Sandalwood (紫檀 – Zǐtán): Often specifically refers to Red Sandalwood, highly prized in China for furniture and ritual items, believed to have protective properties.
See you in the next chapter!
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