Chapter 1: The Calamity of Unforeseen Misfortune

Liu Fu, upon seeing the tragic scene in the room, felt a chill run down his spine. He noticed the old woman’s terrifying death, her palm tightly gripping three gold ingots. As the saying goes, a person's death is of great significance; Liu Fu did not dare to press his uncle too hard and could only instruct someone to carry the old woman's corpse out. Perhaps once his uncle's emotions settled, he could uncover some clues. ... Just as everyone was still in fear, a heart-wrenching wail echoed from the courtyard ...

The old woman, feeling anxious, lifted the corner of the blanket and saw the woman in the mortuary staring at her with grayish-white eyes. The woman's purple face, devoid of expression, said: "Return to me... the golden armor... return to me... the golden armor..."

Help! ... Help! ... That woman has come to collect her debt ... Please spare me ... I haven't taken anything ... Help! ... The old uncle sat outside the courtyard, wailing and crying out in despair, causing Liu Fu's heart to skip a beat. Liu Fu asked several times what had happened to the old uncle, but the old uncle could only shout for help, having been frightened into a stupor.

The Book of Rites states: When a nation is on the verge of collapse, it will inevitably give rise to calamities. Since the sixth year of the Xianfeng era, disasters have been continuous and wars have not ceased, leading to widespread grievances among the common people, who are struggling to survive. In the harsh winter of the thirteenth year of the Tongzhi era, a shocking event occurred in a small town called Jima Town, located thirty miles east of Huzhou Prefecture. Jima Town is under the jurisdiction of Huzhou Prefecture, and most of the villagers in the town are surnamed Liu, honest people who rely on fishing for their livelihood

Strangely enough, that woman, who appeared to be small and frail, was as heavy as iron. It took seven or eight strong men to barely lift her. Nearby, someone was holding a lantern, trying to see who this woman was. However, in the flickering light, her face was a deep purple, almost like ink, and her swollen, grayish-white eyes were glaring at the crowd. Thick, black liquid was oozing from her mouth and nose, making anyone who smelled it feel utterly nauseated

The middle-aged man nodded and replied with a picture book: "Master, please make yourself at home. As the head of this town, I will ensure everything is arranged properly..."

I see she must be the daughter of a wealthy family; in this area of several dozen miles, only the affluent families of Huzhou can afford to wear such a silk satin embroidered jacket. Did you not notice? Just the gold ring on her hand could sustain us for several years.

Master Kucha Zen continued to swim towards the drowning woman, seemingly ignoring everything around him. Upon seeing his disciple trying to dissuade him, he angrily exclaimed: "Amitabha, is it not a principle of the Buddhist teachings to save those in peril? Do not speak further; return to the temple and meditate facing the wall for three days"

The old woman stared at the female corpse, her hands gleaming with gold, and laughed heartily: "You foolish old man with a pig's brain, this woman is a golden bodhisattva fallen from the heavens. What are you still dawdling for? Hurry up and come help take the gold off her body; even the gold armor on her hands is worth quite a bit of silver"

"Come quickly! Someone has fallen into the water! Hurry and save them! Someone has fallen into the water! Come quickly!" The urgent cries startled the entire Jima Town. Niu Er, the night watchman, was patrolling the town as usual, but when he reached the banks of the Tiao Creek, he suddenly saw a shadowy figure in the water, still moving and causing ripples. That figure appeared to be an exceptionally beautiful woman.

The old uncle was moved by the words of the woman. In folk culture, some musicians who play string instruments use prosthetic nails to protect their own nails from being cut by the strings. Simply put, a gold prosthetic nail is a finger cover inlaid with jewels and crafted from gold. Depending on the instrument being played, the finger covers are categorized into ten-finger covers and eight-finger covers, among others. The price of gold prosthetic nails is exorbitant, and only the homes of high-ranking officials and nobility possess these gold-crafted items. The old woman grabbed and - picture - book and forcefully pulled off three gold prosthetic nails from the woman's left hand.

At this moment, it is the bitterly cold days of the third nine days of winter, and no one dares to easily enter the river, which is over a yard wide. Suddenly, a person floats up in the water, uncertain whether they are alive or dead. A few strong men furrow their brows, twisting their braids around their necks, preparing to warm themselves before entering the water. Just as people are hesitating, a thunderous voice suddenly erupts from behind: "Amitabha, well done! Well done! Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda, Amitabha!"

The old uncle said nervously, "It seems... it seems that someone is playing the piano in the room..."

Master Kucha furrowed his brow and raised the prayer beads in his hand, shouting: "Om Mani Padme Hum!" Instantly, a five-colored halo appeared in the water, lifting the unconscious Changsheng. The Great Ming Mantra's six-character true words stirred the dark currents at the riverbed, which vanished in the blink of an eye. No one knew what had just happened; they only saw Master Kucha slowly pulling the woman from the river towards the shore. At that moment, everyone disregarded the distinction between men and women, jumping into the water to assist Master Kucha in bringing the woman ashore. No one knew what had just happened; they only saw Master Kucha slowly pulling the woman from the river towards the shore. At that moment, everyone disregarded the distinction between men and women, jumping into the water to assist Master Kucha in bringing the woman ashore

Master... Master... This woman is beyond salvation, and one day Master will surely be harmed by her... This woman is a Rakshasa from the Avici Hell... The young monk desperately paddled his hands and feet, trying to catch up with Master Ku Cha, but suddenly it seemed as if an invisible hand from the water had dragged him down, and in an instant, he vanished from sight

The middle-aged man pondered for a moment and said, "Let us do as Master Ku Cha suggested. Jima Town has been peaceful for many years. I hope it is not because of this foreign dead guest that chaos ensues. Alas..." The man's long sigh elicited murmurs of sympathy from those around him. Ten years ago, the Qing army forcibly conscripted the able-bodied men of Jima Town to serve as rowers for their ships in order to capture Huzhou Prefecture. The casualties were heavy, with hundreds and thousands of corpses staining the entire Tiao Creek red.

At long last, as dawn broke, the people of Jima Town saw the old man, disheveled and shouting: "Help... Help... Quickly... Quickly, someone come, help... Help... Quickly... Quickly, someone come..."

Niu Er gasped and shook his head, saying: "This... this... I dare not take care of this. I only called for help when I saw this woman still moving in the water. I didn't expect that in the blink of an eye, this... this woman turned out to be a corpse... She... she... she was still looking at me..." Niu Er trembled as he pointed at the woman's grayish-white bulging eyes, screaming in terror, his whole body shaking like a sieve as he hurriedly shrank back into the crowd.

Oh no... Master... Master... Please come back... I can't save him... As the people on the shore were anxiously sweating for Master Ku Cha, they suddenly heard his disciple Chang Sheng let out a terrible scream. Everyone thought it was because Chang Sheng was worried about his master going into the water, but upon closer inspection, the little monk's expression was unusual. The people on the shore quickly made way for the little monk, who said little and stepped into the water, intending to enter the river. Everyone thought it was because Chang Sheng was worried about his master going into the water, but upon closer inspection, the little monk's expression was unusual. The people on the shore quickly made way for the little monk, who said little and stepped into the water, intending to enter the river

The woman's corpse was carried into the mortuary, and the crowd gradually dispersed. Only the uncle and aunt remained in the mortuary along with an unknown female corpse. After everyone else had left, Uncle Liu An and the others couldn't help but start to complain: "What are you doing? You took on this matter for no reason; do you enjoy watching the chaos?"

"Shut up! Everyone, be quiet! In my opinion, this woman is either a wealthy official's daughter or the top courtesan in a brothel. Master Ku Cha, what do you think?" A middle-aged man stepped out of the crowd and respectfully asked the old monk.

As the sound of the Buddhist chant from the *Picture* book faded, an elderly man with a white beard leaped into the icy water. On the shore, a young monk of about ten years old anxiously watched the old monk. Someone in the crowd immediately recognized that this was Master Ku Cha from the Guandi Temple at the town's entrance, along with his disciple, Chang Sheng. ... It was unclear whose daughter or daughter-in-law had fallen into the water; in this freezing weather, not to mention a woman, even a strong man fishing by the water would struggle to endure such conditions ...

Who is this? I have never seen such a person in the surrounding villages. It is truly a pity that someone so beautiful has drowned

Master Kucha raised his head to the sky and sighed: "Amitabha, a person lives but a single lifetime, like grass and trees in autumn. Regardless of the circumstances, this woman is also someone's child. It would be better to first place her in the charity graveyard. If someone comes looking for her in the future, it would not be in vain for her to become a wandering soul or a ghost."

Liu Fu, you are the appointed village chief by the court. I suggest that you do not make things difficult for Niu Er. Tonight, let your aunt and your uncle Liu An keep watch over her. You may attend to your own matters first, and tomorrow at dawn, you can find someone to take over for us

The woman numbly extended her left hand towards the old woman's neck, and in a panic, the old woman cried out with a sobbing voice: "Oh my mother, great immortal, spare my life... It was just a moment of confusion... I... I... I will return it to you... I will return it to you..." Before the old woman could finish her words, she collapsed straight onto the bed. The old uncle, hiding under the blanket, trembled and did not dare to look at what was happening.

The middle-aged man, referred to as Liu Fu by the old woman, bowed and said: "Since Uncle and Aunt are willing to take care of her, I will gather people to pack our belongings overnight, and as soon as dawn breaks, we will head to Huzhou Prefecture to report to Lord Wu and seek his assistance in gathering information..."

"Old man, let us go home. This ancestral hall is filled with a chilling atmosphere, and I truly fear that something might happen. With these three golden talismans, we will not have to worry for the rest of our lives." The old woman tightly clutched the golden talismans, pushing and shoving the old man as they left the ancestral hall. Upon returning home, the two immediately locked the door and anxiously went to bed, covering their heads to sleep deeply.

Master Kucha joined his hands in prayer and chanted the Buddha's teachings three times towards the woman lying down, after which he allowed the villagers to carry her corpse to the mortuary. Master Kucha shook off the icicles clinging to him and said to the middle-aged man: "Amitabha, my young disciple, unaware of the depths, has been harmed by the cold water. I must return immediately to treat him; I leave the matters here to you, Mr. Liu, the great benefactor."

When the townspeople rushed into the old uncle's house, they saw the elderly woman with wide-open eyes, already lifeless. Her face was contorted in a grotesque manner, and there was a mixture of excrement and urine flowing from her, which was terrifying to behold. A nimble young man quickly went to fetch the village head, Liu Fu, who had originally been preparing to head to Huzhou Prefecture with his belongings but was forcibly dragged to the old uncle's house.

Around five in the morning, a mysterious sound of a piano suddenly echoed through the house. The old woman, terrified, hid under the covers and dared not make a sound. She shook her old husband beside her and said, "Old man, did you hear any sound?"

The old monk said little as he picked up the young monk and returned to the Guandi Temple. The middle-aged man waved his hand at the bell-ringer, Niu Er, and said: "It is already nearly the third watch of the night; you are responsible for guarding this woman's corpse. When dawn breaks tomorrow, I will send someone to inquire about this woman's identity."

The old uncle suddenly shouted, "She... she... her hand seemed to move just now..." Although the old woman was greedy, her heart was also racing with anxiety. Upon hearing the uncle's scream, she dared not act recklessly, dropping the woman's hand and shrinking back, afraid to approach again.