Volume 1 Young and inexperienced - Chapter 1 Man versus Ghost

"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!"