Chapter 161
Chapter 161
Curious as ever, Chen Daji scratched his wind-tangled hair and asked, “E-Eldest Master Hu, what exactly is an Ox Ghost?”
“You can raise one of those things?!”
Hu Qingshan wanted to test Hua Jiunan’s knowledge, so he merely smiled instead of answering.
Hua Jiunan set down his bowl and chopsticks and began explaining the origin of the phrase “ox ghosts and snake spirits.”
It had originally been a Buddhist term for ghostly guards, divine beings, and other entities of the netherworld.
Only later had it gradually evolved into the modern idiom.
According to legend, an Ox Ghost was an ox-headed guard in hell, also known as Abang or Afang.
The Iron City Hell Sutra recorded:
“While living in the mortal world, he was unfilial to his parents. After death, he became a ghost guard with an ox’s head and a human body.”
In some Buddhist sutras, the Ox Ghost was also called a “patrolling arrester,” meaning one who patrolled the realm and captured escaped prisoners.
The Iron City Hell Sutra was a scripture describing the conditions within hell.
People often misunderstood the passage in question.
The scripture actually meant that the ox-headed Abang served as a jailer, escorting sinners before Yama, the Son of Heaven, and reporting their crimes.
It was the sinners who had been unfilial to their parents, not the Ox Ghost serving as a jailer.
The “snake spirit” referred to Mahoraga, the great python deity counted among Buddhism’s Eight Classes of Celestial Beings.
Legend described him as a music deity with a human body and a serpent’s head who protected the Dharma.
At Puji Temple, statues of Mahoraga depicted a nobleman crowned with several snakes.
Other statues gave him a serpent’s face and showed him either holding a reed pipe or wearing a flower drum at his waist with a drumstick in hand.
Volume Two of the Brief Commentary on the Vimalakirti Sutra called him an earth dragon, a footless deity who crawled on his belly.
He accepted offerings of wine and meat from mortal temples. (That is not a typo. The scripture really does say wine and meat, so don’t come after the author.)
Those who broke the precepts and practiced deceit, who were quick to anger and stingy with charity, who craved wine and meat and grew lax in discipline, would fall among such spirits. Because of their rage, insects entered their bodies and devoured them from within.
At this point, Hua Jiunan added, “The ‘raising of an Ox Ghost’ that Senior Hu discovered naturally has nothing to do with the bailiffs of the Underworld Court.”
“It’s a harmful practice found primarily in Southeast Asia.”
“Something like raising a child ghost.”
Hu Qingshan could not help clapping his hands and laughing delightedly at Hua Jiunan’s explanation.
“Good, good, good! As expected of someone with Jiunan’s profound family learning-born with knowledge beyond his years!”
Chen Daji gazed at Hua Jiunan with stars of admiration in his eyes.
He even made a firm resolution.
Apparently, knowing how to use a dictionary was not enough. He needed to read a few more books!
Unfortunately, Hu Wa had used all his textbooks as toilet paper. He would have to make his father buy him another set…
As his thoughts wandered, Chen Daji came up with another question.
“If the young monk already returned Xu Fangcao’s souls, why did she still lose her memory?”
Deaf Granny placed a piece of meat in Chen Daji’s bowl and smiled.
“You silly boy. Let Grandma explain.”
“Whenever an ordinary person’s souls leave the body, exposure to yin wind and yin qi inevitably damages them to some degree.”
“After a few days, once the three ethereal souls and seven corporeal souls become stable again, she will naturally recover.”
Quick-witted Hu Fei’er had already pieced together most of what had happened.
“It seems the owner of the ski resort offended someone.”
“Those people tried to harm him by raising an Ox Ghost.”
“And Xu Fangcao… Miss Xu merely stumbled across it by accident…”
As Hu Fei’er reached that point, Deaf Granny suddenly slapped the table and gave a cold snort.
“Whether it was deliberate or accidental, anyone who dares offend my eldest grandson or someone close to him will be punished severely!”
Hua Jiunan and Chen Daji stared in surprise.
They could not understand why their grandmother, who was always compassionate, strict with herself, and forgiving toward others, had become so furious.
The two Hu Family immortals, grandfather and granddaughter, lowered their heads in thought.
Seeing the confusion in Hua Jiunan’s eyes, Deaf Granny calmed herself before speaking gently.
“Eldest Grandson, Second Grandson, Brother Hu, and Fei’er, come with this old woman to the side room.”
“The rest of you can take your time eating. Go to bed when you’re finished.”
Just then, Chang Huaiyuan and Old Sixth Hui arrived together.
“Hahaha! It seems we’ve come at precisely the right time.”
The sight of his Eldest Brother made Eighth Master Chang shudder in fright.
Then he immediately put on a fawning smile, curled his tail around the pot of instant noodles he had just cooked, and offered it to Chang Huaiyuan.
“Eldest Brother, try some while they’re hot. They’re delicious!”
Chang Huaiyuan had meant to scold him.
But when he saw Eighth Master Chang’s ingratiating expression, he could not bring himself to do it.
“Sigh.”
“Eighth Brother, if you enjoy them, eat as much as you like.”
“Your Eldest Brother no longer cares for such pleasures of the appetite.”
After saying that, Chang Huaiyuan even gently patted Eighth Master Chang on the head to show his affection.
“Eighth Brother, once… once you’ve eaten your fill, remember to cultivate diligently…”
Watching Chang Huaiyuan enter the room, Eighth Master Chang felt emotions churning inside him!
How long had it been?
A hundred years? Two hundred? Three hundred?
Eighth Master Chang could no longer remember how long it had been since his Eldest Brother had last spoken to him so kindly.
The last time the two brothers had been that close was after a wild boar beat him half to death.
Eighth Master Chang had been grievously wounded, covered in injuries and barely breathing.
After finally crawling back to the clan, he had been mocked by his other six brothers.
Only his Eldest Brother, Chang Huaiyuan, had flown into a rage!
Not only had he furiously berated the other six brothers, he had immediately captured the wild boar.
Then, before every animal that had awakened its intelligence, he had hacked the boar into minced flesh one cut at a time!
Afterward, he made Eighth Master Chang slowly devour it, mouthful by mouthful.
That was the Chang Family’s Eldest Master establishing his younger brother’s authority.
It was also a warning to everyone:
Anyone who dared bully Eighth Master Chang would meet that same end!
That day, Chang Huaiyuan had applied medicine to the dying Eighth Master Chang with tears in his eyes.
At the same time, he gently instructed him, “Old Eighth, if you fight someone in the future and can’t beat them, remember to run. Understand?”
“Don’t foolishly stand there and fight them head-on.”
“Run home and tell your Eldest Brother. Whoever dares bully you, your Eldest Brother will tear them apart alive!”
Ever since that day, Eighth Master Chang had always wished he could run faster-and faster still.
In his heart, as long as he ran fast enough, he would never be hurt.
And as long as he was not hurt, his Eldest Brother would never again shed tears because of him…