Chapter 14

Chapter 14

My thoughts raced…

Often, the instant you notice one suspicious detail, a whole succession of others reveals itself!

Second Aunt, for example, had always been very sensible. Aunt Qin repeatedly told her not to come out no matter what she heard. She would never disobey simply because the house had run out of water.

Then there was the bucket. It seemed to have come from its usual place, but when I thought carefully, I remembered my father moving it after I drew water that afternoon.

More and more details failed to make sense!

Finally, all those tiny contradictions assembled into an increasingly clear realization.

“Damn it! This must be that cursed weasel’s glamour spell.”

I drew a deep breath and forced myself to calm down.

Everything before me had to be an illusion. None of it was real!

The beast had bewitched me.

“Aunt Qin said that as a Featherborn, I have greater resistance to glamour spells and illusions than ordinary people.”

With that thought, I hurled myself at the hard, icy wall of the well… My head did not split open. I did not even strike anything solid. There was only empty nothingness before me.

Then I opened my eyes and saw a scene completely different from everything I had just experienced!

I was not at the bottom of a dark, freezing well.

I stood beside the well in the corner of the yard, my entire body leaning forward as though I were about to throw myself in.

Not far away, in another corner of the yard, stood a weasel spirit only slightly larger than a cat. It stared fixedly at me. Beneath the moon, its vicious eyes glowed an eerie green.

Everything that had just happened was an illusion!

The moment I heard a noise outside the house and came to investigate, I had already fallen under its spell!

The empty yard, my return to Aunt Qin, her lighting the kerosene lamp, Second Aunt asking me to fetch water… all of it was false.

The weasel spirit had prepared well in advance. The instant I emerged and looked into its eyes, I became entranced.

In reality, I had walked blankly toward the well, ready to fall in under its influence!

The danger made me shudder.

If I had not spotted the flaws in the glamour spell at the final moment, things might have become troublesome. Even if I had shouted after truly falling in and Aunt Qin rescued me, the weasel would have escaped.

All our effort would have been wasted!

If it fled back into the mountains, it would remain a serious threat. Aunt Qin could not guard Second Uncle’s house forever. No one could defend against a thief every day for a thousand days.

But everything was fine now.

I had seen through the cursed creature’s glamour spell, so I would not let it escape!

Pretending I was still entranced, I kept my gaze empty and my body stiff as I leaned farther over the well. Out of the corner of my eye, however, I watched the hateful weasel spirit the entire time.

It seemed delighted to see me on the verge of throwing myself in. It bared its white teeth in something resembling a smile.

Perhaps it believed it had won. Or perhaps the plump chickens in the coop were simply too tempting.

Whatever the reason, it did not wait for me to fall. The green glow left its eyes as it stopped staring at me and crept toward the chicken coop.

When it crossed the stones Aunt Qin had arranged and slipped into the coop, I knew we had succeeded!

I dropped the pretense.

It was time to show my hand!

Spinning away from the well, I shouted, “Aunt Qin, the weasel is inside the chicken coop!”

Then I led the charge, snatching up the pole ordinarily used to stir the manure pit and rushing straight at the coop!

Aunt Qin had told me that creatures like this relied on sinister tricks. Once you conquered your fear and broke their illusions, they were not especially formidable in a direct fight.

It made sense. How much damage could something barely larger than a cat really do?

The weasel had just seized a fat hen, which trembled too badly even to cry out. Before it could bite, my shout rang through the yard.

Apparently startled, it released the chicken and turned toward me.

Perhaps it was my imagination, but I saw surprise in its savage green eyes!

Then came rage.

The weasel spirit sprang from the coop and reared onto its hind legs like a person, probably intending to bewitch me again.

Truth be told, panic fluttered in my chest!

My greater resistance to glamour spells did not make me immune. If it entranced me again, its teeth and claws were sharp enough to tear out my throat!
But the instant it stood, it began swaying like a drunk. It could not keep its balance at all.

A moment later, it dropped to all fours and staggered in circles, thoroughly dizzy!

I stared in amazement.

Inside the arrangement of stones, the weasel spirit itself had truly been bewildered.

“Aunt Qin’s bewildering formation is incredible! And she said this was only the crudest, simplest application of an incomplete version of Qimen Dunjia. How powerful must the complete Qimen Dunjia be?”

I marveled aloud.

The weasel spirit specialized in confusing the mind and trapping people in illusions with its glamour spell. Anyone with a weak will, or who was mentally exhausted and frail, was also especially vulnerable to spirit possession!

Now the weasel spirit had been bewildered by the bewildering formation. Was this karmic debt coming full circle?

It had been repaid in its own coin!

As I gaped, Aunt Qin’s voice sounded behind me.

“Why are you still standing there, Little Wu? Hurry over and finish the beast with your pole. My bewildering formation can’t trap it forever. Once it recovers, it’ll flee, and I may not be able to catch it.”

“Oh! Right!”

I finally came to my senses and tightened my grip on the manure pole. In several quick strides, I rushed forward.

Raising it high, I brought the pole down on the dazed weasel spirit in front of the chicken coop!

Thud!

The blow landed squarely and viciously on its skull.

The weasel spirit gave a muffled grunt and collapsed. Its body convulsed as the green glow in its eyes gradually dimmed and emptied…

I raised the pole and struck several more times with all my strength. At last, it stopped moving, and the green light in its eyes went out.

Whew!

I exhaled deeply, hardly able to believe that I had personally killed a weasel spirit capable of entrancing people!

In ancient times, wouldn’t this have been considered a demon?

The thought filled me with excitement!

Aunt Qin smiled and stroked my head. “You did very well, Little Wu. Aunt Qin wasn’t wrong about you. Impressive! You truly resisted the weasel spirit’s glamour spell, and now look–you dealt with it yourself. Your Second Uncle owes you his life.”

Her praise delighted me.

But I answered modestly, “You’re the one Second Uncle should thank, Aunt Qin. What did I do? Besides, he’s family. Helping him is only right. You’re the one who helped even though you aren’t related to us. That makes you the true benefactor.”

“Ha-ha-ha!”

She threw back her head and laughed with delight.

I secretly studied her chin. It was quite beautiful. But her long hair still hid her face, and I regretted that I could not see her features.

“When will I ever see what Aunt Qin truly looks like?”

I was intensely curious.

With a sweep of her sleeve, Aunt Qin sent a small ball of fire flying out!

I had no idea what she ignited. It did not resemble a match.

Whatever it was, the flame landed on the weasel spirit and erupted with a roar, leaping more than a foot high.

The acrid stink of burning fur spread around us.

Pinching my nose, I said, “Aunt Qin, a weasel pelt could fetch good money in town or the county seat. We could at least keep it as a cushion. Burning it seems wasteful.”

Aunt Qin slapped the back of my head. “You greedy little miser! This wasn’t an ordinary weasel. It cultivated into a spirit. If you skinned it and kept the pelt, the weasel spirit’s soul would remain attached to it instead of dispersing. Then we’d face even worse trouble.”

“Oh…”

I nodded, shaken.

Fortunately, Aunt Qin understood such matters. Otherwise, I might truly have skinned the weasel spirit to keep or sell its pelt. Either choice would have ended badly.

We stood there until the fire reduced it to ashes, then returned to the house together.

Aunt Qin led me to knock on the bedroom door.

“Second Aunt, Second Uncle, Aunt Qin and I killed the weasel spirit. The problem should be solved. Open the door.”

The door soon creaked open.

Second Aunt’s joyful face appeared. “Thank you, Immortal Lady! Thank you so much!”

She thanked the Immortal Lady repeatedly, tears of excitement in her eyes.

But Aunt Qin told her to thank me instead, saying I deserved the credit for defeating the weasel spirit. That left me terribly embarrassed.

…

The morning after the weasel spirit was destroyed, Second Uncle could get out of bed and eat normally.

Within three days, he had completely recovered.
He was vigorous once again and could do plenty of farm work every day!

From then on, Second Uncle became Aunt Qin’s staunchest devotee. Every day, without fail, he went to the ruined house and bowed from a distance.

Even during the half of each year he spent working in the city, he instructed Second Aunt to visit every day in his place.

Second Uncle said people needed to show gratitude and that the Immortal Lady was a true master.

Whenever he said that, I reminded him that Aunt Qin called me his great savior too, so perhaps he should secretly give me a little extra spending money.

He would only smile without answering.

Then, after we returned home, my father would scold me. I thought Second Uncle thoroughly dishonorable. Refusing the spending money was one thing, but did he have to tattle on me?

Hmph. Miser!

Of course, it was all in fun.

Our relationship remained warm and harmonious.

That strange incident brought Aunt Qin and me together against an uncanny evil entity once more, and our bond seemed to deepen.

Naturally, as soon as the matter ended, she returned to her usual cackling, madcap self.

Now for the second strange incident.

It was far more terrifying and troublesome than the weasel spirit’s possession!

And it changed the course of my life forever!

Because the central figure in this second incident was me.

It happened during the same summer vacation.

Our hens had laid a large number of eggs. Several old ducks had reached the end of their useful years too, so my mother planned to sell them in town.

At the time, my father was trying to open a brick kiln in the village. He was exhausted and had no time for such errands.

Then my mother suddenly fell ill the previous afternoon.

There was no alternative. I had to take everything to town myself.

Markets in the countryside of southwestern China generally began very early. We called them market days: on designated dates, people from all the nearby villages gathered in town to sell goods.

Those markets drew the most people and made goods easiest to sell.

And business was best early in the morning!

The townspeople considered the produce fresher then, and it was convenient for them. They could rise early because the market was right on the eastern side of town.

People from villages like ours generally woke before dawn and walked to town.

In theory, I could have taken a boat. But I did not know how to row, and ever since the incident with Wang Fei and the river-log years earlier, I had been uneasy around the river.

I absolutely refused to approach it alone before daylight!

So I naturally took the dirt road.

I remember clearly that I rose at five in the morning. After dressing, I prepared a back basket containing three old ducks, which supposedly fetched a good price in town.

Carrying a large basket of eggs in one hand, I set out.

Even in summer, the sun was not fully up at five. Darkness lingered outside, and I saw no one as I walked the village path.

Occasionally, I passed a household and saw its watchdog raise its head.

They all knew me, so naturally they did not bark. They merely glanced my way and went back to sleep.

Inside the village, things were not so bad. Only after I left did true darkness begin!

Perhaps it was my imagination, but anyone who has lived in the countryside might understand: even without any lamps, a populated village seems brighter than the land beyond it under otherwise identical conditions.

I was not particularly afraid. A gentle breeze passed over me as I walked.

Instead of the oppressive heat of summer, the air felt pleasantly cool.

I walked quickly and soon left the village behind.

Then I reached a bend.

Beyond it lay a narrow mountain hollow.

Low hills rose on both sides, leaving only a cramped path through the middle. The place felt oppressive.

Someone from another village might have become nervous there.

But I had been born and raised nearby, so I was not terribly afraid.

Besides, I had recently defeated a weasel and felt extremely confident. If I could kill a “demon,” what did I have to fear?

Truth be told, that confidence was an important reason I dared leave for town alone at five in the morning.

In today’s language, it had gone to my head.

I even hummed a song as I walked.

Near the far end of the mountain hollow, I suddenly saw a red sedan chair stopped on the road ahead!

It resembled the bridal sedan chair used at weddings, standing squarely in the middle of the path.