Chapter 2 The 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'..."