The Unremarkable Little Taoist Master

Not daring to stop for a moment, I ran out of the villa community as fast as I could, feeling a sense of relief wash over me.

Suddenly, I felt a warmth in my arms. The little girl holding the doll appeared ominously behind me. I shouted and grabbed the bronze mirror, aiming it at her.

Then, the little girl began to slowly transform into a mist, disappearing right before my eyes. I noticed the bronze mirror vibrating and was shocked to see that the little girl was being drawn into it.

“This bronze mirror has that kind of function?” I stared at the mirror in confusion.

At that moment, I heard a panting sound behind me. A fat police officer appeared at my side.

He grabbed my sleeve and asked anxiously, “Where did that female ghost go?”

I didn’t tell the fat officer the truth. I simply said everything was fine and tucked the mirror into my jacket.

The fat officer looked at me with a puzzled expression as I shoved the shabby bronze mirror into my pocket.

He seemed like he wanted to ask me something, but he held back.

Just then, my phone rang again. I took it out and saw that the caller was the old daoist priest. The moment I recognized his call, I knew something was wrong again.

I answered the phone, and the old daoist priest gave me an address. His tone was urgent, which I could feel through the call. I quickly pulled the fat officer and we got in the car. He drove the police car, speeding toward the destination.

The address given by the old daoist priest led to a very desolate and secluded countryside. As I chatted with the fat officer, filling the silence, we had already been away from the city for quite a while, and the sky was gradually darkening.

Surrounding us was barren land, and we still had some distance to cover to reach our destination. The fat officer accelerated, as this area had little traffic, allowing him to drive at high speed. He turned on the car stereo and blasted music, the rhythm shaking through the vehicle.

The nearby road was a dirt road typical of rural areas, bumpy and uneven. With the fat officer driving so fast, the car jolted forward almost violently.

I suddenly spotted an old man with a child ahead of us. The old man turned around and flashed us a strange smile. I sensed an overwhelming yin energy coming from him-this wasn’t a human; it was a ghost.

The fat police officer saw him too, and he nervously slammed on the brakes, the screeching of the tires on the ground piercing my ears. He looked at the dark, shadowy road ahead, his body trembling, and then he shakily asked me, “Did I hit someone?”

I stared coldly at the dark road ahead and replied, “You didn’t hit anyone. That wasn’t a person; we’ve encountered something unclean. This desolate place is indeed not safe.”

The fat officer seemed to be terrified. Just the mention of ghosts seemed to rattle him. I noticed his face turn pale and his whole body shake; it was clear he was scared. I placed my hand on his shoulder, offering him a reassuring look.

I opened the car door and slowly stepped out, walking towards the dark, empty night. Suddenly, I felt a chilling yin energy approach from behind. I turned around and saw the old woman from before, holding the little girl, smiling at me.

I let out a cold snort before unleashing an angry shout toward the old woman. She looked like an ordinary wandering ghost, and my yell nearly sent her spirit fleeing. She looked at me in terror, hurriedly bowing with the little girl and pleading, “Grandmaster, spare us! We know we were wrong! We know we were wrong!”

I remained unmoved, saying, “Why are you two here, harming passersby? Why didn’t you reincarnate instead of causing trouble for others? Don’t you know this will land you in the eighteen layers of hell¹?”

I didn’t want to waste words on two ghosts, so I took out the bronze mirror from my pocket and sucked the two of them into it. The car continued to run smoothly, and before long, we reached the small town the old daoist priest had mentioned. The fat officer and I got out of the car.

As soon as I stepped out, I caught a whiff of something burnt. I furrowed my brows. After seeing me arrive, the old daoist priest quickly explained the situation to me. Once he finished, confusion washed over my face.

This is a story about a haunted house, a concept that has existed since ancient times. The term can be found in legends, stories, novels, and dramas; many people have come across this expression. Moreover, it is often associated with horror and death.

In the past, “haunted house” referred to premises deemed inauspicious or haunted by spirits.

Houses and courtyards labeled as “haunted houses” in feng shui often have a history of multiple unfortunate events. This means that such unlucky incidents, particularly those involving unnatural deaths, don’t merely happen by chance, nor do they affect just one person. It suggests that the feng shui of that property presents severe issues, which can undermine the physical and mental well-being and safety of its inhabitants.

Poor feng shui can be detrimental to the master of the house, whether due to catastrophic events that have occurred there or ghostly disturbances; thus, it is referred to as a haunted house.

Generally speaking, these properties have experienced cases of unnatural deaths.

What about houses associated with misfortune or frequent accidents? Those who lived in such places have often met unnatural ends.

Haunted houses have existed from ancient times to the present, and some are indeed quite vicious and terrifying. It appeared that the haunted house in this town wasn’t as simple as I had imagined. I could sense a heavy air of death surrounding it, indicating that this house, reduced to ashes by a great fire, was truly malevolent.

I casually asked around in the small town for information. Unsurprisingly, whenever I inquired about the haunted house, all the residents hurriedly fled, shouting, “I don’t know, don’t ask me!”

It seemed the townspeople were extremely frightened of this haunted house and unwilling to discuss it.

I looked helplessly at the old daoist priest, who was just as helpless as he returned my gaze and said, “We encountered the same situation just now. No one would tell us what actually happened. We’re just as perplexed.”

I forced a smile that was more painful than crying and didn’t give up. I continued to ask questions. When an old man heard us mention the haunted house, he immediately looked panicked. He slowly spoke, “It’s not that I don’t want to talk; I’m afraid you’ll get hurt. You should leave quickly, leave the town, and don’t meddle in the haunted house business. Otherwise, you’ll end up in trouble too.”

I shook my head at the old man and said, “It’s okay. Please tell us about the haunted house. We came here specifically for that.”

The old man pondered for a long time, seeming to grapple with a difficult decision. Finally, he slowly said, “Alright, I’ll tell you what I know.”

Then he took a deep breath and began to speak.

Footnote:

Eighteen Layers of Hell(十八层地狱): The “Eighteen Layers of Hell” in Chinese mythology is a concept of the afterlife where sinners are punished in various levels for their misdeeds. Each layer represents a different type of punishment for specific sins, with the severity increasing as one descends through the layers.