Chapter 001: The Marriage of the Daughter of the Underworld
In the realm of the living, joyous occasions are to be avoided by the deceased; in the underworld, a daughter is married off amidst the rain at midnight. Joyous events in the realm of the living are most feared to encounter sinister matters, while joyous events in the underworld equally dread the presence of the living. This is a most inauspicious affair, and thus this joyous occasion was ruined. In the end, the female ghost, enraged, claimed the soul of Wang Jiandang.
On the fourth day, someone came to the Wang family saying that a tiger had appeared in the Xishan area, asking if Wang Jiandang had been taken away by the tiger
The next day, after Mr. Chen woke up, he spoke to the Wang family about it. The female ghost turned out to be an old woman who had died nearby. This old woman had been ugly since childhood, and no one was willing to marry her. After her death, she harbored deep resentment. Later, a skilled practitioner helped her perform a ritual to marry another deceased person. As long as she got married, she would be able to be reborn. However, she was encountered by the drunken Wang Jiandang.
What should we do? This old master Wang has only three sons, and now two of them are gone, which naturally makes him extremely anxious
The Western Mountain is essentially a high earthen mound, covered with numerous trees. Upon returning from the town, one path leads to a farmhouse, while another is a main road that comes from the Western Mountain. Upon hearing about their son’s situation, the Wang family promptly entrusted their second son to investigate what was happening.
"Sir, please help me. I only have these two sons. If you help me, I will marry my granddaughter to you. What do you think?" This old man Wang seemed either too anxious or confused, and his eldest son did not have time to stop him. The granddaughter mentioned by old man Wang is naturally the youngest daughter of Wang Jianguo, who is only eighteen years old. Wang Jianguo has two daughters; one is about twenty-five or twenty-six and is already married, while the youngest daughter is beautiful and has countless suitors.
Wang Jianguo and his entire family were hiding in a room, while outside, the sound of bells rang out, accompanied by Mr. Chen reciting a spell, intermittently chanting a bitter incantation. Suddenly, the piercing screams of a woman echoed from outside.
It is quite troublesome. As the saying goes, if a person does not offend a ghost, the ghost will not offend the person. Your third son has encountered a ghost marrying into the family, which is inherently his fault. In this situation, Mr. Chen shook his head, appearing utterly helpless.
Wang Jianmin agreed and then hurried to Xishan. By that time, the sky had already darkened slightly. Unexpectedly, Wang Jianmin went and never returned. Three days passed without any news, and now no one dared to go to Xishan.
"This is unacceptable," Mr. Chen hurriedly shook his head, while Old Master Wang stubbornly insisted, "Why is it unacceptable? Mr. Chen, rest assured, I have arranged this marriage for you!"
After the Wang family helped Mr. Chen onto the bed, they discovered that both Wang Jianmin and Wang Jiandang were lying at the door.
The last character of these three sons combined is none other than the Kuomintang. Of course, these are all digressions; the real issue lies with the third son of the old master Wang.
Where does this story begin? Let me start with the story my mother told me since I was little.
The elder of the Wang family is in his seventies and has three sons. The eldest son is named Wang Jianguo, the second son is named Wang Jianmin, and the youngest son is named Wang Jiandang. These names caused the family quite a bit of trouble at that time. Although the elder Wang was a landlord, he was a good person and did not like to oppress the common people. Logically, even during the Cultural Revolution, he would have only faced house searches, but due to the names of his three sons, he was actually imprisoned for several months.
Upon hearing this, the Wang family quickly thanked Mr. Chen. However, Mr. Chen waved his hand and said: "Do not thank me; this matter is not yet resolved. I promised that female ghost that Wang Jiandang would marry her in seven days, and only then would she leave. If Wang Jiandang does not agree, your entire family will suffer the consequences"
The origin of this matter can be traced back to the 1990s. It involves the Wang family in our village, which was a prominent household. It is said that they were a landlord family, but during the Cultural Revolution, they were targeted by the Red Guards. However, the elder of the Wang family secretly buried some of the family's wealth at that time. Later, relying on this wealth, the family managed to live quite comfortably.
That was in the 1990s, when the rural countryside was quite chaotic, and there were frequent incidents of robbery. This family sought help from various sources to find out more, inquiring about any nearby bandits, but they had no leads.
This gentleman is quite young, only in his early twenties. He is a young man who claims to be surnamed Chen, so you can simply call him Mr. Chen. The Wang family invited Mr. Chen to sit down and explained the general situation. Mr. Chen then said: "A few days ago, it rained at midnight. I calculated, as the saying goes, 'In the human realm, the joyful deceased avoid, while in the underworld, a daughter is married off during the midnight rain.' It seems that your third son must have encountered a ghostly bride, leading to his soul being taken away. Naturally, the second son went to look for him and was also taken away by the soul."
Although Wang Jianguo strongly opposed it, the elder of the Wang family nodded and said: "The third son brought this upon himself and cannot be allowed to live; let us follow Mr. Chen's words."
Although under Mr. Chen's presiding, a ghost marriage was conducted between Wang Jiandang and that female ghost, the subsequent events remain unclear. It seems that shortly after their marriage, Wang Jiandang became foolish and erratic. Meanwhile, Old Master Wang also fulfilled his promise by marrying his granddaughter to Mr. Chen
Mr. Chen instructed the Wang family to prepare glutinous rice, black dog blood, a brush, and talisman paper. The family quickly made the preparations, and then Mr. Chen began to draw talismans, affixing them to their door and windows. When midnight struck, Mr. Chen told the Wang family: "You must stay inside the house and do not open the door, no matter what sounds you hear from outside"
Regarding the three sons of Mr. Wang, the eldest son is around fifty years old, and he has two daughters and several grandsons; it is time for him to enjoy his later years. The second son is in his thirties, refined and cultured. The third son, however, is quite different from the first two; he is in his twenties, has never liked studying since childhood, and spends his days idly, occasionally stealing chickens or teasing dogs, not out of financial need, but simply for amusement.
However, do not think that the story ends here; the real story has only just begun
At this time, someone in the village said to the Wang family, "Let’s not encounter any monsters that might capture us, right? Even a tiger cannot catch them all one by one"
Mr. Chen could only nod in response. Although the profession of a Yin-Yang master is quite popular, there are not many families of scholars willing to marry off their daughters to a Yin-Yang master. This is also the reason why Mr. Chen, at the age of twenty, remains single
Moreover, a woman's shadow appeared at the wooden window, vigorously banging on it, while continuously cursing the Wang family, as if harboring an irreconcilable hatred against them
Someone informed the Wang family that there was a master in the neighboring Li family village who was very skilled at fortune-telling, suggesting that they should invite this master to take a look. The Wang family quickly arranged for someone to contact this master.
Wang Jiandang's favorite pastime was to go to the town for a few drinks, often returning home in the early hours of the morning. However, one day, he went out and did not come back that night. Although his family felt a bit puzzled, they did not think much of it since Wang Jiandang was an adult. But on the second and third days, he still did not return, causing his family to grow anxious, fearing that he might have encountered robbers.
The Wang family members were too frightened to make a sound, as the noise continued to call out, causing anxiety in everyone's hearts. However, no one dared to muster the courage to push open the door and check the situation outside. After half an hour, the noise finally began to quiet down, and the door was pushed open. Mr. Chen walked in with a pale face and said, "It’s all right now; the female ghost has been persuaded to leave." After saying this, Mr. Chen collapsed onto the ground and fainted.