Chapter Forty-Four: Entering the Sedan, Entering the Coffin

I nodded, thanking him for the warning.

At the same time, another concern occurred to me. Back then, many people from our village had relocated. I asked Daoist Li if those people might also be persecuted by the underworld.

Daoist Li replied that it was certainly a possibility. They would rather make mistakes than let anyone go; they would stop at nothing to capture everyone from our village.

But what worried me most was Er Pang and his mother. I had no idea how they were faring now.

After that, I led Daoist Li to my home. On the way, the night wind swept by from time to time, making the poplar leaves rustle. The pale moonlight at the tips of the branches added to the desolation.

Such a large village, and now it was utterly empty.

On the way back, I asked Daoist Li why he had come here so suddenly. He told me that my grandfather had burned an urgent talisman, which was how he learned something had happened in our village. It just so happened he was taking care of affairs at a nearby temple, so he hurried over without delay.

I asked him if the nearby temple was the White Purity Temple.

He shook his head and said it wasn’t the White Purity Temple, but rather the Mist and Smoke Temple in Xiashi Village, which wasn’t far from us. I’d heard of that temple too; there’s a famous grove of thousand-year-old ginkgo trees outside.

Then I asked if my grandfather had told him where he was after burning the urgent talisman. Daoist Li said no, but then immediately added, “If I’m not mistaken, your grandfather should be in the mountains.”

“The mountains?” I echoed in confusion.

But thinking it over, it made sense. The mountains are vast, and if he wanted to hide from the underworld soldiers, escaping into the mountains would be a wise choice. Still, the mountains are so large—who knows where he might be hiding, or how we’d ever find him.

Seeing my confusion, Daoist Li said, “Lin Yi, just get a good night’s rest. Don’t worry. Tomorrow I’ll take you to him—I know where he is!”

“Really?” I exclaimed in delight.

He nodded.

Then I arranged a room for him to rest.

As for myself, I lay in my room for a long time without sleep. Knowing my grandfather was hiding in the mountains brought some relief. But Er Pang and his mother—who knew if they were alive or dead? These thoughts plagued me until late into the night. Eventually, exhaustion overtook me and I fell asleep without realizing it.

I didn’t know how much time had passed when, in a daze, I suddenly heard joyous wedding music being played outside. I was startled, immediately sat up, and squinted out the window. It was still pitch dark.

Who would be playing wedding music in the dead of night? Who had the leisure for such a thing?

Never mind, being woken up at this hour always made me sleepy. I didn’t think much of it and pulled the covers over my head to go back to sleep. But just as I did, a whisper came from beside my bed.

“Lin Yi, wake up!”

The voice was familiar. I recognized it—it was Weiyang.

I was stunned and sat up at once. Sure enough, it was her, sitting by my bedside. I was delighted and asked why she’d come. She smiled gently and said, “Lin Yi, have you forgotten? We’re newlyweds. Today is the day we return to my family home!”

When she said that, I slapped my forehead—she was right, I had completely forgotten. I looked at Weiyang carefully, and she gave me a smile I’d never seen before—like a sweet, clear spring flowing through my heart, utterly enchanting.

“Hurry up, I’ll be waiting outside for you. Don’t miss the auspicious hour!” she said.

Then she got up and left.

I scrambled to get dressed. My grandfather had said Weiyang lived at the Thirteen Streams of Yunmeng. I’d always wondered how I’d ever find her home. Now, with this return visit, I could finally figure out the way. In the future, if I missed her, I could go to her anytime.

I opened the door and went outside. The main gate was wide open, and in the distance, I saw a palanquin. Several people by its side were puffing their cheeks, playing wedding music with great effort.

But this palanquin was unlike the ones used for weddings—it was pitch black and looked rather odd. Still, I thought perhaps the wedding palanquin I’d seen before was different from this one, so I didn’t dwell on it.

Weiyang waited for me by the door. When she saw me, she waved. I walked over, and she gave me a gentle smile before personally lifting the palanquin curtain for me.

Just as I was about to step inside, a voice called out from behind.

“Wait!”

It was Daoist Li, his voice resounding and powerful, sending a shiver through me.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded, his expression stern and commanding.

I glanced at Weiyang and replied, “Senior Li, to tell you the truth, Weiyang and I just got married. Today is the day for our return visit, so I need to go with her.”

“Lin Yi, look closely. Are you getting into a palanquin, or stepping into a coffin?” Daoist Li said.

His words stunned me. I was clearly about to enter a palanquin—how could he say it was a coffin? Daoist Li spoke again, telling me to look carefully! His voice was like thunder, shaking me to my core. I felt a wave of force sweep through the air around me.

When I looked again, the black palanquin was gone. Somehow, I already had one foot on a black coffin.

One more step and I’d be inside.

I looked at Weiyang, bewildered, but her face suddenly changed. She shoved me hard, sending me tumbling into the coffin. The lid slammed down with a crash, and they lifted me up and began to run.

In the instant before the lid closed, I saw Weiyang’s face turn deathly pale. She was no longer Weiyang at all, but had become a paper effigy.

I landed in the coffin as if glued to the bottom, unable to move. They didn’t get far before the coffin seemed to crash to the ground.

As soon as the coffin touched earth, I felt a sudden lightness, able to sit up again.

Gritting my teeth, I shoved off the coffin lid and saw Daoist Li already standing at the side. The pallbearers and the fake Weiyang—the paper effigies—were now nothing but scraps littering the ground.

Daoist Li had already taken care of them.

“Well, how comfortable was it lying in that coffin?” he teased.

I didn’t answer, just pursed my lips and asked where those paper effigies had come from and why they wanted to trick me into the coffin.

Daoist Li said it was obvious—they were sent by the underworld. When the underworld soldiers couldn’t capture me, they tried other means. He reminded me that I’d been warned: they were skilled at luring souls in dreams, and I hadn’t been careful.

I gave a sheepish smile. He pressed a finger to my forehead and said, “The soul mustn’t be kept separate from the body for too long. Lin Yi’s soul, return at once!”

With a whoosh, a strong wind swept over me.

I felt myself being carried away, then after a dizzying spin, I landed somewhere and opened my eyes.

I found myself lying on the floor of my room. Nearby lay scraps of paper effigies and a coffin the size of a pencil box.

I stood up. Daoist Li was there beside me. He said, “Burn this coffin, and you’ll sleep soundly with no more dreams.”

I fetched a brazier and, as he instructed, burned the little coffin.

Daoist Li explained that someone had thrown it in through my window—it was a soul-calling curse, meant to harm me. From now on, I must remember to close my windows at night, never being careless or leaving an opening.

With the village empty, who could have thrown that little coffin into my house?

After the small coffin was burned, I did sleep soundly through the night without dreams. The next morning, before I had even gotten up, Daoist Li was already awake.

He was meditating in the courtyard. When he saw me, he said there was food in the kitchen, and after breakfast, we should set out. Yesterday, he’d promised to take me into the mountains to find my grandfather. The thought filled me with excitement.

After eating, the two of us headed into the mountains.

It was sunny outside, but in the mountains, a faint mist lingered. In the deeper, denser parts of the forest, it even looked like rain might fall, with mountain fog swirling all around.

I asked Daoist Li where my grandfather might be hiding in the mountains.

Daoist Li replied, “Your grandfather is the Mountain God. Naturally, he has a Mountain God’s Mansion. We’ll find him there.”

His casual words stunned me—I wondered if I’d misheard, so I asked again, “Senior Li, did I hear you right? You said my grandfather is... the Mountain God?”

“You heard right. Your grandfather is the Mountain God here, the very guardian of Old Jieling. What, he never told you this over all these years?” Daoist Li asked in return.

I shook my head. My grandfather never mentioned it. I always thought he was just a fortune-teller. Never did I imagine he was the Mountain God of Old Jieling. Still, though Daoist Li had said so, I found it hard to believe.

I had so many questions. If my grandfather was the Mountain God, why did he live in the village and work as a fortune-teller?

“It seems your grandfather has kept a great deal hidden from you,” Daoist Li said. After a pause, he asked, “Did he ever tell you where you came from?”

I nodded, saying he had, and repeated my grandfather’s words to him.

After listening, Daoist Li chuckled and said, “Your grandfather didn’t lie to you about that. But he only told you half the truth.”