Chapter 3, the remarkable prowess of Lady Li the Shaman
In the same year, the old scholar who taught at the private school in the village passed away, having lived for over seventy years. It is said that reaching seventy is rare in life, and this old academic certainly lived a life worth its while. Many people in the village had learned to write under his tutelage during their youth, and most of the men in the village had their names written with his guidance. On the day of the funeral, both men and women from the village gathered together, spontaneously forming a procession, a large group making their way to the burial mound on the back mountain of the village. This burial site has been where the deceased from the village have been laid to rest since the time of my grandfather's grandfather. Perhaps the place where the dead are buried is heavy with yin energy, leading to the overgrowth of wild grass, creating an eerily silent atmosphere. I tightly held my grandfather's hand, trailing behind the crowd, feeling as if someone was watching us from within the grass, frequently glancing back over my shoulder.
This child is just timid and honest, not at all like his father's character, please forgive me, Granny Li. Grandfather said to the shaman with a cheerful smile, and after that, he walked towards me, pulling me from the crowd to the front. I always felt that the shaman's gaze upon me pierced through my entire being like hands, leaving the young me in a state of confusion and pale-faced. After a while, the shaman withdrew her gaze, gave me a slight smile, and then walked towards my home with Grandfather, leaving me alone, feeling anxious and at a loss. I always felt that the shaman's gaze upon me pierced through my entire being like hands, leaving the young me in a state of confusion and pale-faced. After a while, the shaman withdrew her gaze, gave me a slight smile, and then walked towards my home with Grandfather, leaving me alone, feeling anxious and at a loss.
The shaman crouched down and carefully searched at the cave entrance for a while. Standing up, she spread her hands, revealing several strands of white hair that swayed in the wind. "It seems this is the source of the trouble. When I came here, I noticed your grandson's complexion was poor, indicating he has been disturbed by malevolent spirits. Coupled with his weakened state, his current situation is dire," she said to his grandfather.
Grandfather and the shamaness Li were politely conversing, when the crowd of onlookers suddenly became chaotic. Everyone had spent the entire morning hoping to see the shamaness perform her rituals, but they witnessed neither the summoning of winds and rain nor the transformation of beans into soldiers. They only saw her kill a rooster, draw a couple of talismans, burn them, and declare the matter concluded. The consensus among the crowd was that the shamaness was nothing remarkable, merely a figurehead. Except for a few who were relatively close to my family, the rest of the crowd dispersed in small groups to go home and sleep. The consensus among the crowd was that the shamaness was nothing remarkable, merely a figurehead. Except for a few who were relatively close to my family, the rest of the crowd dispersed in small groups to go home and sleep.
This scene left my grandfather extremely angry. In the afternoon, he brought twenty heavy silver dollars to the fortune teller and took the little donkey to send her back to town. My grandfather entrusted me to play at Uncle Lu's house along the way.
As the sun rose high in the sky, noon arrived in the blink of an eye. The onlookers, as if invigorated by a surge of energy, shook off their earlier drowsiness and widened their eyes to watch the shaman perform her rituals. The shaman instructed the crowd to step back to the outer yard, then arranged three sheets of yellow paper on a table within the courtyard. She took a knife and slashed the neck of a large white rooster, which squawked loudly, flapping its wings in defiance, blood splattering across the yard. This scene left me trembling with fear. The crowd had no time to pay attention to me; even my grandfather was completely focused on the shaman's actions.
This time, my grandfather invited a medium to our home, but the expected results were not achieved. The neighbors not only did not stop gossiping about our family, but instead, they talked even more enthusiastically about the disturbances caused by the evil spirits in our home. This left my grandfather with a stern face all day, and among my peers, I was bullied and called a little monster.
After a moment of hesitation, I quickened my pace to catch up with my grandfather and the others as we ran home. Behind us, a group of villagers trailed at a distance, eager to witness the shaman's rituals.
Upon hearing these words, my grandfather's expression changed dramatically, and the onlooking villagers quickly distanced themselves from my home, as if fearing to be tainted by our family's misfortune. The shaman discovered a small hole, about the thickness of an arm, in the back wall of our house, which led directly into our courtyard. She asked my grandfather when this hole had been made, and he stammered, unable to provide a clear answer, stating that he had not noticed this hole last year, indicating that it must have appeared this year.
After preparing everything, everyone began to arrange lunch, with chicken, duck, fish, meat, and the wild game they had hunted. Granny Li was enjoying herself immensely, repeatedly saying that she would definitely help her grandfather ward off disasters, which made him laugh heartily. After the meal, Granny suggested that Grandfather move a table to the center of the courtyard to serve as an offering table for the upcoming ritual. Those who needed to eat went home for their meals, and after eating, everyone gathered back at my house. It was precisely the time when the sun was high and people felt drowsy, and everyone appeared to be in a sleepy state.
After drawing three talismans, she raised them towards the sun and chanted a spell for a long time. Finally, she ignited the talismans in a fire basin and placed them on several strands of white fox fur she had found in the morning. The fox fur and the talismans were burned to ashes. The shaman sprinkled the ashes along the base of the wall and said: "The ritual is complete. I chose to perform it at noon when the yang energy is at its peak, and I also drew a demon-repelling talisman on yellow paper using the blood of a rooster. The rooster heralds the dawn, signaling the arrival of daylight and the retreat of night; it is an animal that ghosts and demons fear, and its blood is the blood of the most vigorous yang creature. I have chosen items that are all rich in yang energy, specifically to counteract evil spirits. Now that the evil spirit's fur has been completely burned along with the talismans and scattered at the base of the wall, your home is now safe, and no malevolent beings dare to intrude."
Grandfather lowered his head and recalled for a moment, saying: "Recently, there have been no unusual occurrences at home, nor have I seen any traces of white-haired animals coming to our house"
About half a bowl of chicken blood was spilled. She picked up a brush and dipped it in the chicken blood, drawing runes and incantations on three sheets of yellow paper, resembling ghostly symbols. These bright red characters deeply captivated my gaze, and I stared at them for a long time, until my eyes felt sore and uncomfortable
Lying in my mother's arms at night, she would lull me to sleep. In a daze, half-asleep, I heard her mumbling to herself, "It startled me; it turns out it was just a lack of skill, nothing serious, nothing serious." The next day, I asked my mother what she had said the night before, but she adamantly denied it, insisting that I was dreaming.
The shaman looked around the village and, accompanied by my grandfather, walked towards my home. My grandfather called out my nickname as he walked, "Huwai, Huwai, come out quickly." Because I was frail as a child, my grandfather gave me a humble name, Huwai. In those rural times, it was customary to give humble names to ensure the child would thrive. Children with poor health often received names like "Gousheng," which was a way of expressing hope for their robust growth. It is well known that tiger bones are the strongest, so my grandfather named me Huwai. I was called this throughout my childhood, and even into my teenage years, I still did not have a formal name.
In my memory, after finishing her household chores, my mother often picked me up and taught me to read. Although the feudal dynasty had long been overthrown by that time, the Confucian ideology remained deeply rooted in our remote mountain village, advocating that a woman's lack of talent is a virtue. My mother's literacy sparked whispers in the village, with everyone speculating that she must have been born into a wealthy family and had fled to this impoverished valley due to the chaos of war, making the old Zhang family feel fortunate to have found a treasure.
After listening, Grandfather let out a long sigh and told Li Shenpo that there would surely be a generous reward afterwards
Grandfather hurried to gather the items instructed by the shaman, while Uncle Lu next door quickly brought out his large white rooster. Grandfather ran to the scholar's house at the village entrance to borrow a brush, and after asking half the village, he finally collected a stack of yellow paper. He hurried back home.
Hearing my grandfather's incessant calls, I timidly poked my head out from the crowd. I felt a deep sense of fear when I looked at the old lady beside my grandfather. I sensed that when the old lady saw me, her eyes suddenly lit up, and that gaze was chillingly bright, causing me to retreat back into the crowd.
"Uncle Zhang, have you forgotten those white-haired foxes that came to the house when Tiger Baby was born?" shouted the village slacker Chen San loudly. The crowd immediately erupted into a buzz of whispers.
Li Shenpo raised her hand to help her grandfather up and asked, "Have there been any unusual occurrences in your home recently? Have you seen any animals with white fur appearing in your house?"
After the shaman finished speaking, my grandfather hurriedly bowed and said: "Thank you for your great kindness in saving my entire family. When you leave, I will certainly present you with twenty silver dollars as a token of respect"
Grandfather turned his head and glared at him, seemingly reproaching him for speaking out of turn. It appeared that Grandfather did not wish to mention that matter, perhaps fearing that such strange and ominous things would tarnish my reputation
Upon hearing that I was about to be in a dire situation, my grandfather, who is over sixty years old, instantly became flustered. He bowed deeply to the shamaness, fervently pleading for the great deity to save our family. As the sole descendant in three generations, if anything were to happen to me, my grandfather would surely go mad. I stood by, watching my grandfather's actions in a daze, feeling utterly at a loss. I realized that ever since this shamaness Li arrived in the village, my mind has been in a state of confusion.
She said to her grandfather: "Please prepare some yellow paper, a brush, a live white rooster, and a brazier as soon as possible. I intend to perform a ritual at noon when the yang energy is at its peak, to dispel misfortunes and exorcise evil spirits for your family"
The village has always relied on the mountains for sustenance, primarily consisting of hardworking men, with very few individuals engaged in literary pursuits. My grandfather served in the military and held relatively progressive views, strongly supporting my mother in teaching me to read and write. He often urged my father to hunt more game to nourish the brains of the two of us.
Upon hearing Chen San's words, Li Shenpo immediately turned to look at her grandfather. Under the intense gaze, her grandfather recounted the strange incident that occurred when I was born, when dozens of white-haired foxes appeared in the courtyard. After pondering for a moment, she said to her grandfather: "Your family comes from a hunting background, so you must have caught many foxes. Moreover, the fur of white foxes is highly valuable. It seems that either you or your son has offended this family of white foxes. Among this group of white foxes, there must be one that has lived for many years and possesses some magical powers. But rest assured, since I am here, I will not allow any evil spirits to harm your family."
After she let the blood from the rooster's neck drip into a bowl, the rooster was tossed aside, convulsing in the yard, clearly on the verge of death
Early in the morning, the village was filled with people, all waiting to catch a glimpse of the shaman's presence. After a while, the crowd began to stir as they saw my grandfather leading a small donkey towards the village. On the donkey sat an elderly woman, approximately sixty years old, with her silver hair meticulously styled. She wore a white floral coat with a blue background, black lantern pants, and on her feet were a pair of self-made cloth shoes with layered soles. Although she did not wear gold or silver, her bright, piercing eyes revealed an extraordinary aura that set her apart from ordinary people. The crowd gradually quieted down, all eyes fixed on the two approaching the village.
In the evening, my mother and father came to the neighbor's house to pick me up. My mother looked as beautiful as ever, completely free of the pale complexion she had when she was ill. It was only at night that my grandfather returned home, driving the donkey. During dinner, the four of us gathered around the table, and my grandfather recounted the events of the day to my parents, causing my father to exclaim in surprise, while my mother quietly ate her meal, seemingly indifferent and not inquiring about the details.
Upon reaching her doorstep, she did not enter the courtyard directly but instead walked around the outer wall of the yard several times in a mysterious manner. With her left hand, she curled her four fingers towards her thumb, raising her eyes to the sky with an air of mystique. After closing her eyes and calculating for a while, she said that our home was surrounded by heavy阴气, and the sunlight could not penetrate the阴气 within the courtyard, indicating that there must be malevolent spirits at work. She insisted that an urgent exorcism was necessary; otherwise, the family would face great calamity.