Chapter 006: Disenchantment

Hello!

I reached out with a hand towards the bamboo basket, hoping to catch a large loach to examine it closely. However, Uncle Lai swiftly pushed my hand away.

Zhang Qiao is somewhat stronger than I am, yet it seems he has no room to resist in the hands of the Rib Daoist. Daoist Qiu seizes his hand and pulls out a knife, the blade slicing across Zhang Qiao's fingers, causing a few drops of fresh blood to fall into the water vat.

Come out, let me take a look

I am very eager to get to the bottom of this, but neither Daoist Qiu nor Uncle Lai has the time to waste on me. They returned to the small house they had previously tidied up, carrying a bamboo basket with three-eyed loaches. According to Uncle Lai's plan, he wanted me to wait outside and keep watch. I refused, saying that I needed to take care of Zhang Qiao, but in reality, I wanted to witness the specific process with my own eyes.

At the moment the lid of the stove was removed, a shadow, nearly one foot long and black and slimy, darted out from the copper stove. The Taoist priest Qiu was emaciated, yet his reaction was swift. I could tell that this shadow was likely a fish, its body very slippery. However, with a quick motion, Qiu reached out and accurately caught the fish, casually stuffing it into a bamboo basket

The Taoist Qiu caught several fish in succession, then replaced the lid on the furnace. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of fish these were, raised in a copper furnace?

"This is not a fish." Uncle Lai appeared particularly generous this time, lifting the bamboo basket for me to see

He wasn't speaking nonsense. The Taoist Qiu emerged from the water again, picking up on Uncle Lai's words and said to me: "This thing is not produced here; it is on the verge of extinction"

The so-called "substitute death" is a practice that is said to be quite mysterious and is passed down in certain regions. However, it lacks a fixed explanation, with each area having its own customs. The extent to which this phenomenon is based on solid evidence is uncertain, and for this reason, I feel that Uncle Lai may be treating Zhang Qiao's life too lightly, as if it were not a life at all

Before I could fully stand up, the calm water tank suddenly erupted as if it had been disturbed, and several loaches that had been lying in wait for hours began to stir, struggling to jump out. The already "asleep" Daoist Qiu swiftly leaped over and directly grabbed Zhang Qiao's hand

However, upon a moment's reflection, I thought of the person in the iron cage who did not resemble a human. The fact that Daoist Qiu was able to preserve the life of this person afflicted by the ghostly curse indicates that he possesses certain abilities

The Taoist Qiu pulled Zhang Qiao and pushed open the door of the small room. It was already dark outside. Uncle Lai sat motionless outside the door; upon seeing us come out, he turned and entered, standing next to Taoist Qiu. Taking advantage of the light above, Taoist Qiu lifted Zhang Qiao's eyelid. I also stared into Zhang Qiao's eyes and had to say, this was an inexplicable phenomenon, for I saw the emaciated ghostly shadow in Zhang Qiao's eyes seemed to have vanished.

You should confirm once more. The Taoist priest asked twice, still appearing somewhat uneasy: "There is only one opportunity"

After receiving a positive response from the book, Daoist Qiu wrote all these things on a yellow sheet of paper, with densely packed characters arranged in a very orderly manner. Then, he folded the yellow paper and tore it a few times at random. When he unfolded the yellow paper again, the entire sheet had been torn into a little figure with all four limbs.

Uncle Lai, Zhang Qiao, and I pulled the rope with all our might to keep the bronze furnace in place. Daoist Qiu, drenched and dripping with water, walked over carrying a bamboo basket. The lid of the bronze furnace was stuck to the body and had already rusted from soaking. Daoist Qiu used a hammer to knock off the latch and slowly removed the lid.

After completing these tasks, Daoist Qiu directly tossed Zhang Qiao aside and stood by the water tank, holding a candle and observing. At that moment, I suddenly felt that Daoist Qiu's expression had become solemn and serious. It was because of this that I realized what he had shown us upon our arrival was merely superficial; perhaps at this very moment, he was the true version of himself.

The waiting process exceeded my expectations; seven or eight hours passed in the blink of an eye. It seemed that the Taoist priest Qiu had fallen asleep against the wall. My body ached all over from sitting, and I wanted to stand up and ask him how much longer we would have to wait

The three-eyed loaches in the bamboo basket were poured into a water tank, totaling nine. The tank was not large, and with nine loaches, each nearly one foot long, it immediately appeared crowded. The plump three-eyed loaches splashed about, creating a cacophony of sounds. Daoist Qiu moved swiftly; after all the three-eyed loaches had entered the tank, he took the torn yellow paper figurine and ignited it over the candle flame.

I turned back to look; the doors and windows of the small house were tightly shut. Uncle Lai was probably outside keeping watch. I thought to take this opportunity to extract some information from Daoist Qiu, but that old fellow was as cunning as a monkey. Whenever I asked him substantive questions, he would give me a look of senile dementia. I simply ignored him and smoked a cigarette with Zhang Qiao.

In that moment, I experienced a kind of illusion that I could not even fathom myself. I felt that in the flickering candlelight, the water tank was filled with the shadows of Zhang Qiao swimming, struggling within the tank.

"Uncle Lai, let's talk outside." I pulled Uncle Lai along until we reached the side of the fish pond, then let go of his hand: "Now can you tell me about my father?"

"Do not touch it." Uncle Lai's expression was neither joking nor intentionally trying to scare me: "This thing is extremely evil"

"It's about time; there's only so much we can do," Uncle Lai said, shaking off his clothes. "The rest depends on his own luck."

It's nothing, I'm happy to do it

I switched places with Uncle Lai. After Uncle Lai went out, Daoist Qiu closed the door of the small room. There was no light bulb in the room, only a single candle was lit. I suspected that Daoist Qiu was about to perform a ritual. He took out a piece of yellow paper and then asked Zhang Qiao for his name, age, and date of birth, in great detail. Zhang Qiao glanced at me, and I gave him an affirmative look, so he began to answer, responding with equal meticulousness. I suspected that Daoist Qiu was about to perform a ritual. He took out a piece of yellow paper and then asked Zhang Qiao for his name, age, and date of birth, in great detail. Zhang Qiao glanced at me, and I gave him an affirmative look, so he began to answer, responding with equal meticulousness.

While speaking with Uncle Lai, we both pulled vigorously on the bronze incense burner that had been retrieved from the bottom of the water. It was only at this moment that I was able to see its full appearance clearly. I suddenly realized that this object was not an incense burner; its outer patterns were quite peculiar, and the intricate carvings were very fine, suggesting it might be a specially cast container. Once the incense burner was pulled out of the water more than halfway, it became hollow inside, and the sound of clashing became clearer, buzzing continuously, as if someone inside was incessantly striking it.

I cannot understand what he is saying or trying to express. Zhang Qiao might be on edge due to the series of events, and listening to Daoist Qiu mumble is becoming a bit unbearable. However, neither of us has had the chance to say much more. A three-eyed loach in the water tank struggled a few times before turning over. Daoist Qiu reached out to fish it out, and the loach was completely dead.

My illusion has not yet faded; one by one, the three-eyed loaches are flipping over. Daoist Qiu scoops them all up and tosses them aside. The loaches die very quickly; perhaps all nine of them perish within two or three minutes. I do not know what to think, but I vaguely sense that my father, perhaps several years ago, retrieved his life from the curse of the ghostly shadow in this very manner

The little figure was burning, and bits of paper ash fell into the water tank. This paper ash resembled fragrant bait, and several three-eyed loaches vied for it. Once the little figure had completely burned away, Daoist Qiu clapped his hands and beckoned us to sit down. He said that the entire process was roughly like this, and what we needed to do next was to wait

Then you go in and take a look, I will keep watch

Zhang Qiao's complexion kept changing, trembling with fear, as if he were watching an old sorcerer cast a spell on him

The sound of rustling...

It is just an eel, is it really that extraordinary

"There really isn't much to see, it's quite dull," Uncle Lai advised, "You'll end up with a sore backside from sitting."

"Die die die die die ... ... " The Taoist Qiu looked on with increasing excitement, continuously muttering, calm and composed.

What are you doing

I was stunned by Uncle Lai's words; what on earth is this about

It is considered strange because there is a vertical eye, resembling that of Erlang Shen, slightly above the position between the two fish eyes. I immediately became interested in this three-eyed loach

I focused my gaze inside and realized that Uncle Lai was indeed correct; upon closer inspection, it became evident that the items in the bamboo basket were not fish, but rather something resembling loaches. Moreover, as I continued to observe, I suddenly noticed that this thing was somewhat peculiar

"That's about it, you can let go now." The Taoist Qiu handed the bamboo basket to Uncle Lai. As soon as we released our grip, the bronze furnace began to sink into the water. The Taoist Qiu had exceptional swimming skills; he maneuvered the furnace in the water, likely intending to return it to its original position

The three of us have temporarily been liberated. Uncle Lai took a few steps back with the bamboo basket. No matter how I think about it, I cannot understand what kind of relationship could exist between a few fish and Zhang Qiao's eyes. I told Uncle Lai that I wanted to see what the fish looked like.