Chapter 4: Ghost Marriage

I did not immediately understand what my grandmother meant by those words, nor did I ask further. I opened my eyes and began to examine the statue. It depicted a woman, resembling an ancient person, holding an umbrella and wearing a long red robe

It drew closer, even closer, and that hand seemed about to grasp my grandmother's foot. In despair, I closed my eyes, too afraid to look. But at that moment, I suddenly heard a scream, and when I opened my eyes, I saw that a pair of scissors had appeared on the back of the female ghost's hand. Her face began to twist and contort, her mouth started to tear apart, becoming as large as a bowl.

I shifted my body inward, not daring to breathe. Soon, it crawled to my grandmother's feet; just a little further, and it would grab her foot! I gently tugged at my grandmother, but she merely gestured for me to stop and gave me a resolute look. I felt a pang of anxiety for her; I only knew that she could communicate with spirits, but I had never seen her confront one. What if that thing discovered her? That would be quite dangerous

I will never forget the gaze of that female ghost before she turned away from us, although she had no pupils, her sclera was filled with sorrow and hatred. It was only when the rooster crowed that my grandmother told me the danger had passed

It was a ghostly woman with disheveled hair, crawling in through the doorway. However, her movements were quite eerie, as she was crawling in with her back facing down, in the opposite direction. Her face was upside down, with her chin at the top, and her long hair trailing on the ground. She crawled step by step, searching around with her eyes that lacked pupils.

I held the clay figure and began to cry uncontrollably. For a moment, I found it difficult to accept this reality. My grandmother said that after the ghost marriage, I was now a married man and could no longer have any ambiguous relationships with other girls. I thought of the girl I had secretly loved for a long time. Is this really my fate? Is this how heaven truly treats me?

Grandma cried, and I cried as well. Grandma said that my fate is peculiar. The Taoist once said that if I can endure this, I will either have great fortune or bring harm to the world

I suddenly collapsed, a wave of weakness washed over me, and my head began to feel a bit dizzy. My grandmother said to me, "You must not fall asleep, or you won't be able to wake up. My soul is currently with the statue, and until my soul returns, I will feel very weak. If I fall asleep, my soul will not be able to come back.

With the book "My Lord, it's late at night, what are you still thinking about?" suddenly, a woman's voice rang out. I was startled and turned to look, only to find that the clay figure in my hand was moving its mouth, opening and closing.

The window was blown open by the wind, and the two lamps at the head and foot of the bed instantly went out. The lamp in my hand flickered uncertainly, threatening to extinguish at any moment. My grandmother helped shield me from the wind with her hand and told me that no matter what I saw, I must not make a sound, for those evil spirits would leave if they could not find anyone.

I was unwilling to wear it, and it was then that my grandmother revealed the truth to me. It turned out that what was enshrined behind the altar was not a deity, but an evil spirit. My grandmother said that I had been frail since childhood, and on the day I was born, there was an unusual phenomenon in the sky. An old Taoist priest came to my home and gave my grandmother a clay figure, which was the evil spirit enshrined behind the altar. The old priest had said that on the first day of each month, I must burn incense and worship it, as it would ensure my safety for seventeen years. My grandmother believed the old priest's words and, using an ancestral book of wonders, found a way to break the curse, which was to find a female ghost to marry me. Coincidentally, this evil spirit was actually the soul of someone who had died over a thousand years ago, and it had been bound within the statue. Only by marrying a living person could it be released.

After my grandmother pinned the ghost's hand to the ground with scissors, she did not stop. I saw her take a piece of yellow talisman paper from her pocket and then recite a spell that I could not understand. The yellow talisman paper ignited by itself. My grandmother then placed the burning talisman paper into the ghost's mouth and quickly pulled out the scissors. The ghost let out a terrible scream, turned its head, and began to crawl out. Just as it crawled out of the house, a muffled sound suddenly echoed outside, flames shot up to the sky, and the screams abruptly ceased.

Grandmother did not say much to me; she simply went into the room and brought out a set of clothes. She handed the clothes to me and asked me to change into them. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a black long robe, and the patterns embroidered on it looked somewhat strange. Suddenly, it dawned on me that this was not the funeral attire worn by the deceased. What did it mean for Grandmother to ask me to wear the funeral robe

Grandma, oh Grandma, how many things are you still hiding from me? This is truly unfair to me!

I only just realized that not only my grandmother knew about these matters, but my family members were also aware. The reason they were able to bear leaving me in my grandmother's care was that they had listened to the words of that Taoist priest. That priest is very powerful; my grandmother said he made them see the cause and effect. I am destined to be a great villain in this life, and I am here to atone for my sins. Only by doing good deeds can I cleanse my wrongdoings, so this ghost marriage must take place

Oh dear! My lord, what are you doing? I will be yours from now on, you cannot treat me like this!

In these years since I was thirteen, I have not committed any immoral acts. I do not believe that heaven would punish me in this way. Today, even if you are a ghost, I will still dismiss you; go back to where you came from! ... Gritting my teeth, I threw off the blanket, intending to slap her a few times without any hesitation. However, my hand was raised in the air, yet I could not bring myself to strike; she was too beautiful.

The name of Bai Chuyi also comes from this. My grandmother never allowed me to see the statue, fearing that I would do something irreparable. She was right to do so. When I found out later, I was very angry, threw my clothes on the ground, and picked up the statue intending to smash it on the floor. If I hadn't seen my grandmother kneeling on the ground, pleading desperately, I would have definitely smashed it to pieces

I always thought that the statue my grandmother had worshipped for so many years represented a formidable figure, such as Guan Yu, a Taoist patriarch, or a household deity, but I never expected it to be a woman

I hurriedly threw it on the ground and wrapped myself up with a blanket and a book.

My grandmother called me to the main room, where I knelt on the ground to perform four bows and four prostrations, and offered incense. Then she lifted the curtain of the shrine. I had never seen my grandmother unveil the black cloth in front of me before, and I hurriedly covered my face with my hands. My grandmother had said that I must not look at the deity; seeing it would bring great misfortune, and I have always adhered to this, not daring to forget.

Having cried, the ghost marriage must continue. I put on the funeral attire, and after performing the rites with the 'bride', I was pushed into the room by my grandmother

In theory, the wedding night is the happiest moment of a person's life, one that is worth reminiscing for a lifetime; yet here I am, holding a clay figurine, sitting on the bed in a state of confusion

Grandmother removed my hand and said to me: "You can look at it now, and you will see it every day in the future"

It is true that words can be said this way, but what I have seen is truly terrifying, making it difficult not to let out a sound. I bit my tongue hard, trying to suppress the fear within me, yet my eyes, driven by curiosity, would occasionally glance at the thing lying on the ground.

The sound continued, and I had already started to break out in a cold sweat... After waiting for a while, it fell silent. Just as I was about to lift the blanket to take a look, I suddenly felt a hand reaching through the blanket to touch me, sending chills all over my body.