Chen Shi felt uneasy.
He had a simple belief: if his grandpa was an evil spirit, then as his grandson, he must be one too.
But if I am an evil spirit, why don't I know it?
Suppressing his strange thoughts, he followed his grandpa into the deserted house.
Inside, the place was dim and desolate, but as the moonlight shone down, the house transformed. Suddenly, it was vibrant with lights and colors, filled with graceful girls bustling about. Some carried flower baskets, others held exquisite dishes, all laughing and preparing for a grand banquet.
After a while, Chen Shi and his grandpa sat in the grand and luxurious hall.
Grandpa still held his green umbrella, while a burly man sat in the main seat, surrounded by wives and concubines.
"Chen Yindu, you're not here to kill evil spirits, are you?" the burly man laughed carelessly. "Though I've become a spirit, I don't cause trouble unless provoked. You have no reason to harm me."
Grandpa shook his head. "Old Hu, I'm not here to kill you. I need a favor."
"Little Shi, greet Uncle Hu."
Chen Shi sweetly said, "Hello, Uncle Hu. Nephew greets Uncle Hu."
The burly man grunted, seemingly displeased with Chen Shi.
Grandpa smiled. "Old Hu, I'm getting old and might not live much longer. I want Little Shi to acknowledge you as his godmother. As his godmother, Little Shi will honor you with incense offerings and gifts during festivals, so you won't be a lonely ghost."
Upon hearing this, the burly man's face changed. He sneered, "Old Man Chen, I admire your ability to bring him back to life. But you've also caused a huge disaster! I owe you from the past, but I repaid it when we saved him! My Fox Clan risked everything to help! You want him to acknowledge me as his godmother? Are you trying to get me killed?"
Grandpa sighed. "Old Hu, I'm dying. After I'm gone, Little Shi won't survive."
"Then kill him! Do it before you die!" The burly man slammed the table, spittle flying in his excitement. "You're dying anyway, why not kill him? Leave him to harm the world? Chen Yindu, kill him now, and I'll respect you as a hero!"
Chen Shi's head buzzed. Clearly, Old Hu and Grandpa were old friends who once risked their lives to save him. But Old Hu's talk of killing him was shocking.
Why save me then, only to want to kill me now?
From his tone, it seemed Grandpa's death would lead to Chen Shi causing chaos, but Chen Shi knew he would never do that. He was a kind person.
He could have easily subdued the villagers to get what he wanted, but he chose to sneak around and steal instead, avoiding violence.
He had protected the villagers of Yellow Slope Village, even killing many to do so.
He tricked hundreds into the Spirit Realm, turning them into porcelain dolls, yet he didn't shatter them. Wasn't that merciful?
How could someone so kind cause chaos?
Besides, he didn't have the power to do so.
What angered Chen Shi more was Old Hu thinking Grandpa should kill him personally.
Old Hu seemed to suggest that saving Chen Shi was Grandpa's great mistake!
Ridiculous!
What kind of fair-weather friend was this?
Grandpa looked sad as he got up to leave.
Old Hu quickly said, "It's dark outside, aren't you worried about evil spirits? Stay for a meal before you go. Otherwise, people will say I don't know how to treat guests. Are you really leaving? Then I won't see you out."
Though he spoke nicely, he didn't move from his seat.
Grandpa waved and walked out of the deserted house.
Chen Shi called for Heiguo and followed quickly.
Old Hu sat there, his face changing, losing interest in the delicacies and his concubines.
A delicate concubine leaned against him, laughing, "What's troubling you, master?"
"Isn't it Chen Yindu?" Old Hu sighed, feeling guilty. "He's always been strong, never asking for help. This was his first time, and I refused. I feel bad about it. When he asked, I remembered our old days together. He treated me well."
"I once told him, if I became an evil spirit, he should kill me himself. He was always strong-willed, able to overcome friendship to stop me from causing harm."
He smiled, "But when I woke from my daze, I found I hadn't lost my mind. I could live here like a human."
"Do you know what he did?"
He stood, excited, waving his sleeves, "He used his life's wealth, treasures, and knowledge to build this house!"
As he waved, countless beautiful talismans and treasures appeared from the walls, floor, ceiling, pillars, garden, plants, doors, and bricks, glowing brightly!
Old Hu cried but laughed loudly, "He created a man-made Spirit Realm for me, so I could keep my mind! He didn't kill me; he let me live! He let me stay in luxury while he became poor! His kindness, I can never repay, not even in another life!"
The concubine asked, "If you feel bad, why refuse him?"
Old Hu's tears vanished. He snorted, "I didn't like his attitude when asking. He never asked for help before, didn't know how to be humble. He sat here like he was saying, 'Old Hu, kneel, I need a favor.' Who asks like that? When he sat down, I almost slipped from my chair to kneel."
"Master is harsh but kind," the concubine laughed. "You refused him, but in your heart, you agreed."
Old Hu slapped her playfully, his face twitching, looking scared, "Even if he has great kindness to me, I won't agree! Becoming Little Shi's godmother... I can't, I really can't! I don't want to die and be killed again, bearing a bad name! Our Fox Clan already has a bad reputation. If I bear a bad name, the clan is doomed! I can't risk the clan's future!"
The cart was covered with Peachwood Talismans. It was Chen Shi's first time traveling at night with Grandpa.
Under the moonlight, strange sounds came from the woods, rivers, and rocks. Shadows moved.
Fog sometimes rushed at the cart, but the Peachwood Talismans glowed, forming a Golden Armored Deity, blocking the fog.
When the fog retreated, the light faded, and the deity disappeared.
The talismans were Door Guardian Talismans, preventing evil spirits from approaching.
But at night, there were still spirits lurking, beyond the talismans' power.
Grandpa lit a lantern, calling for the black dog. Heiguo held the lantern's handle, running ahead of the cart.
"Old Hu is a good spirit, very warm-hearted," Grandpa said after a long silence, watching his compass. "He's the most timid but kindest of my friends. Though he refused, he'll protect you after I'm gone."
Chen Shi's eyes widened, asking, "Where are you going, Grandpa?"
"Nowhere. I'll always be here," Grandpa said, rubbing Chen Shi's head with a rough hand, smiling. "Little Shi, I'm just saying, just in case..."
The cart continued through the night. Chen Shi looked into the darkness, seeing a shadow in the fields.
He quickly looked up, puzzled, "Is that the spirit of the Great Black Serpent? Why is it following us?"
Grandpa called Heiguo, and the cart changed direction. Heiguo followed with the lantern, sometimes on the left, sometimes on the right, sometimes ahead, sometimes behind.
The red eyes in the dark shrank back from the lantern's light.
The cart twisted and turned. Chen Shi didn't know where they were.
He napped on the cart, dreaming Grandpa was gone, searching desperately. He awoke to Heiguo's barking, finding the cart stopped, the moon closing its eyes.
Dawn was near.
"Why are we stopping here?" Chen Shi asked.
"Waiting for daylight."
Chen Shi sat by Grandpa, waiting quietly for dawn.
Ahead, a mile away, was a village. The circular settlement's houses were unclear in the moonlight.
"Who is Grandpa meeting this time?"
"Another spirit."
"Meeting it at night, it can't control itself. But by day, it's much calmer," Grandpa said.
The sky split into two long cracks, like great canyons. Huge eyes slowly opened, becoming two suns lighting the world.
The sun rose.
The surrounding forests returned to normal in the sunlight.
The cart moved forward, soon reaching the village. The houses were old, but the people were kind, polite, and prosperous, with a peaceful atmosphere.
Chen Shi looked around, unsure who Grandpa's spirit friend was.
Grandpa went to the central Divine Tree. Chen Shi observed, seeing it covered with wish plaques and banners, offerings and incense still burning.
He looked around but saw no sign of a tree spirit.
Suddenly, the sound of hooves came. A green-haired goat happily walked from behind the tree, with a white beard and golden eyes, sniffing the incense. It stood on two legs, grabbing a sugarcane offered by villagers and taking a bite.
Chen Shi stared at the two-legged green goat, taller than Grandpa. It chewed the sugarcane, spitting out the pulp.
Its hooves looked more like sharp claws, with scales, able to grip the sugarcane easily.
"Chen Yindu, Old Man Chen!" The goat saw them, smiling broadly, one claw on Grandpa's shoulder. "You haven't visited for ages! I heard you died, was happy for a while, now I'm sad seeing you alive! You brought Little Shi! Little Shi, remember Uncle Goat? When you were little, I helped you pee and teased you!"
Chen Shi blushed, covering himself.
The goat laughed, "Old Man Chen, bringing Little Shi, planning to offer him to me? You're old, dying, can't control Little Shi, right? If you can't, who knows how many will die."
It laughed, "After you die, you'll be cursed, wonderful... Doggie! Come to Uncle Yang! Old Man Chen is too polite, bringing a living one. Stay tonight, we'll have dog meat."
Heiguo shivered.
Grandpa couldn't get a word in. When the goat paused, he explained, "I'm leaving soon."
The goat looked excited, as if Grandpa would die any moment.
Grandpa said, "But not yet. Listen, I'm going away, but Little Shi needs care. Among our friends, only you can do it. I want to entrust him to you."
The goat was thrilled, "Offer him to me, feast today?"
"No, be Little Shi's godmother," Grandpa said.
The goat lost interest, yawned, dropped the sugarcane, went on all fours, wagging its short tail, walking behind the tree, lazily saying, "Only you, Chen Yindu, enjoy such chores. Here, I pretend to be a tree spirit by day, absorbing incense, and at night, I'm a spirit, causing mischief, enjoying myself. Why be your family's servant? Get lost!"
It threatened, "Old Man Chen, you're old, not as strong as before. Annoy me, and I'll eat you both!"
Grandpa sighed, "Goat, I might not be here long. Take care. I'll send you a dream when I leave."
The goat shivered, paused, then snorted, raising its head, walking into the tree hole, "Who cares about your dream!"
After they left, the goat in the tree hole cried.
"Damn Old Man Chen, die if you want, why tell me? If you didn't say, I'd forget you in ten days. Now, can I stay out of it?"
A tribute to an old friend and author, "1879 America: Call Me Boss," guaranteed quality and updates. It's about traveling to 1879 America, becoming a godfather. Some Hongmen rituals are interesting. Check it out if interested.