Chapter 12
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“Selling ghosts?!”
Li Yuelin’s face stiffened slightly. There were all sorts of trades in this world, but he had never heard of anyone selling ghosts. His heart was filled with both anxiety and confusion, and he quickly urged: “What is going on, speak quickly.”
Li Yixian took a sip of tea, paused as if recalling the past, and then slowly began to narrate.
It was a night on a desolate road. I had been conducting business near the capital.
I had calculated everything carefully, always thinking that even if I didn’t make much profit, at the very least, I would make connections with those important figures. There was no way I would lose everything.
But alas, I still lost it all.
I was too foolish, far too foolish.
Those important figures in the imperial court—on the surface, they seem friendly and polite, but when they strike, their actions are darker and more ruthless than anyone. They drain the bone marrow and strip away flesh and blood, leaving not even a scrap behind.
I lost all the money, with no face left to return home.
So, I wandered aimlessly, thinking, thinking if there was any way I could turn my luck around. But no matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t come up with anything. The idea of going home crossed my mind, but the thought of returning in such disgrace weighed heavily on my heart. I couldn’t accept it—I couldn’t.
I wandered, and somehow, without realizing it, I found myself standing beneath an old locust tree, three li outside the city.
That’s when I encountered the ghost.
It appeared suddenly at that moment.
I gathered my courage to ask who it was.
He replied: “I am a ghost!”
Then it asked me: “And who are you?”
At that time, I was dirt poor and on the verge of death, but still, I feared dying. So I gritted my teeth and thought, everyone has to die someday. In desperation, I said: “I too am a ghost!”
The ghost looked at me, confused. It circled me for a long while before asking:
“Then where are you headed?”
I answered him: “I’m going to the great market in Wancheng.”
The ghost was overjoyed and said: “I’m also going to the great market in Wancheng!”
Instantly, my whole body went cold. I knew the market he was referring to was likely not the same as mine, but since the words had already left my mouth, there was no way to swallow them back.
And so, the ghost followed me.
I had no choice but to walk with him.
With a ghost behind me, my entire body stiffened in fear, but the ghost seemed completely at ease. It said: “Walking like this is too slow and too tiring. How about we take turns carrying each other?”
The ghost stared at me with those glowing green eyes. I didn’t dare refuse, fearing he’d see through me.
So I clenched my teeth and agreed.
The ghost carried me first, walking ten li in one breath.
[TL_Note: li = 500 meters]
Then it asked, “Why are you so heavy? You aren’t really a ghost, are you?”
As it spoke, its eyes glowed green, fangs extended from its mouth, and drool dripped from the corners.
My heart nearly stopped at that moment, but I forced myself to respond:
“I just recently died, so I’m heavier. Don’t think too much of it.”
Then it was my turn to carry him. The ghost was incredibly light, so I was able to quicken my pace. We took turns carrying each other like this for three times. My fear lessened slightly, but I knew that if this went on for too long, my secret would be exposed and eventually eaten by the ghost. So I tricked him, saying:
“I’ve only just died and become a ghost. Are there any taboos for being a ghost?”
The ghost replied: “The only thing I despise is the blood from the tip of the tongue.”
As we continued on, we came across a river. When the ghost crossed, it floated silently over the water, but when I crossed, the noise I made was loud.
The ghost started to grow suspicious again.
This time, its eyes glowed red, drool pouring from its mouth. Its fingernails had turned black and curled like hooks, while its fingers took on a ghastly green hue.
“Why did you make such loud noises?!”
My heart felt like it would leap out of my chest, but it seemed the ghost hadn’t fully realized the truth.
So I put on a brave face and said:
“I’ve just died, remember? I’m still not used to crossing rivers the ghostly way. Don’t mind it.”
The ghost stared at me from head to toe, remaining silent.
I felt that he didn’t fail to recognize me; rather, he regarded me as livestock, a mount he intended to sell at the ghost market, where they would carve out my heart and liver, pull out my tendons, and extract my marrow…
As expected, he didn’t go to the regular big market, but went to a large locust tree outside of Wancheng. He knocked on the wood three times and shouted several times to open the door. Then a road appeared. I was ruthless and took advantage of the opportunity to carry him on my back to lift him up.
I ran inside as fast as I could, shouting: “Selling ghosts, selling ghosts!”
The ghost never expected—
When a man is poor enough, he’ll even sell a ghost.
The ghost, while still on my back, started shouting and tried to climb down. In that moment, it used a transformation technique and turned into a sheep, slipping free from my grip. I quickly bit my tongue, drawing blood, and sprayed the blood from the tip of my tongue onto him. With the tongue-tip blood on him, the ghost could no longer change forms.
But I was worried that given time, he might revert back. So, I quickly sold him to an old Daoist priest. The old Daoist led the sheep away with a rope inlaid with jade.
He gave me a bundle in exchange. My heart was pounding as I ran to a safe place. When I finally opened it, the sight nearly blinded me.
Inside were one hundred and fifty taels of gold.
The pot of tea had been finished.
Li Yixian’s story had come to an end. As he spoke, his hands trembled, and only after some effort did he manage to calm himself down. It was clear that even though he could now recount the events with clarity, the terror he felt back then had been overwhelming.
One wrong step, just one, and he would likely have died.
Li Yuelin had been so engrossed in the story that he nearly forgot to drink his tea. Afterward, he kindly comforted his brother, while Li Yixian let out a long sigh and said: “But now, it’s all good. We have so much gold now, so much gold!”
“Our family can not only establish itself here…”
“We can expand, to the provincial capital, to the county seat!”
“To even greater places!”
“To bring honor to our ancestors. I haven’t let them down, nor our parents!”
Li Yixian’s words began to get jumbled again.
Li Yuelin comforted his brother but suddenly thought of something. Looking at the gold on the table, he asked: “But these gold taels, after all, came from the ghost market, earned by selling that evil ghost. Could they attract more malevolent ghosts?”
Li Yixian shook his head. “Rest easy, big brother.”
“I was worried about the same thing, which is why I made a special trip to the capital. There, I went to a Daoist temple, where I sincerely prayed and also requested the Daoist master to drive away evil and ward off calamity. Only then did I feel at peace and return home to Zhongzhou.”
“This time, I don’t plan on leaving again.”
“I’ll marry, settle down, and start a family.”
“Don’t worry.”
Li Yixian smiled and reassured him,
“Absolutely, absolutely nothing will happen.”
Crack!
An axe fell, splitting a log of firewood cleanly.
Qi Wuhuo lifted the axe and glanced at the pile of chopped wood stacked beside him. Then, he raised his head to look at the distant mountain—bathed in sunlight, the mountain exuded a sense of peace and tranquility.
“The snow isn’t heavy, the mountain isn’t sealed off.”
“That’s good.”
Speaking of which, tomorrow was the day Li Puyu had invited him to visit the Li family.
PS:
The inspiration for this chapter’s story comes from Cao Pi’s [Lie Yi Zhuan] , specifically the tale of Ding Bo Selling a Ghost.