We arrived at the Wang's homestead shortly after whatever ghostly influence had been broken. Wang Qi's father opened the door for us.
"Oh!" Cried the elder Wang, "I thought you were my son. He went into town a bit ago. Welcome! Come in, come in."
Master Liu entered the house first. The green man, my father, and I trailed in behind him. "Brother Wang," The master started, "Could you ask the younger members of the other two families to join us. If possible I'd like to deal with this in one go."
Elder Wang agreed with him happily then called to his wife, "Dear, will you fetch Wang Yumin and Wang Yushan?"
The men traded pleasantries as we waited. When all of the Wangs had arrived we sat together around a low desk. Master Liu raised a cup of tea he'd been offered and asked, "Did you place the yellow paper amulets?"
A chorus of nods and affirmations came back to him.
We'd checked the doorways before we had knocked on their door, but I'm sure it's always wise to double check.
Master Liu went on, "We know about the traffic accident in the spring. One man died. We also know about the business with the dog. The way I see it, a man dies and his spirit lingers. Your dog," he pointed an accusatory finger at Elder Wang, "Consumed a part of the dead man's body. And you," Another finger jab, "Consumed the dog." He paused to let the dots connect.
"What I mean to say is you ate a part of the man, a man whose spirit was already lingering on our plane. It appears that he's transferred the blame to your whole family."
The Wangs looked at him dumbfounded. Wang Yushan opened his mouth to speak, but Elder Wang was ahead of him.
"I follow your logic Master Liu, but that was months ago! Surely the dog would have…passed whatever part of the man it had eaten. And well before it died. Plus we boiled the meat! Rid it of any decay…"
Master Liu shook his head and said, "This is not an illness that can be boiled away! A spirit doesn't choose what upsets it. It's instinct! Your family has dragged this soul through an accumulation of torment. The dog wronged the man's land soul, your family wronged his life soul, and now the two have combined to bring its wrath back on you."
The stares that landed on the master were doubtful, vacant, and lost. He heaved a sigh and began to explain, "Each human has three souls; a heaven soul, a land soul, and a life soul. Only through all three can human beings have consciousness. When someone dies, the heaven soul returns to heaven. The land soul goes to hell. The life soul, what makes up most ghosts," He put 'ghosts' in air quotes and sounded positively annoyed. "Usually lingers between our plane and the others." He nodded his head and went on when the Wangs nodded in return.
"If all three souls come together again, human beings have a chance to be reincarnated. But if a man dies a ferocious death, his land soul does not abandon his life soul. From this combination comes powerful, and often angry spirits. If a land soul does not return to hell, it'll never be reincarnated."
He leaned back in his seat and put his fingers together, making a pyramid in front of his face. "Some Buddhists can release land souls from purgatory with chanted scriptures. We Taoists have our own methods of separating bound souls." He sighed, "Despite the method, we must send this man's land soul back to hell."
The vacant expressions had turned to one of attentive and frustrated students.
Master Liu continued, "The foul spirit at the cliff base holds a deep enmity towards you. I don't say this to frighten you, but if you don't treat it well, you'll all be in trouble."
The studious expressions turned to fright anyway. Elder Wang spoke first, "Master Liu, save us. If you can, save us, I'll give you anything."
It was well known in the village that the Wangs were rich. They had ties in the neighboring towns and made lots of money from the transportation business.
Master Liu didn't reply. He looked at me and asked "Xiao Yong. How much do you think is appropriate?"
My father balked at this, "Master Liu, he's only a kid. He doesn't know anything about money."
Master Liu waved his hand to interrupt, "I work for the good of Xiao Yong. The amount will represent his goodness. No arguments, it'll depend on the boy." His gaze never faltered.
"Godfather, how much money does it cost to buy ten ice cream cones?" I asked him.
Master Liu said, "Five yuan."
I nodded and said, "Okay, five yuan."
Elder Wang smiled at the number. "Come now, Master Liu, this is no time to joke. How about five hundred yuan?"
It would take a regular family three months to earn five hundred yuan! It was a great deal of money.
Master Liu shook his head, "Five yuan, you heard the boy. I will not help you if you give me more."
"Master Liu..." Elder Wang protested. He raised his hands and then let them fall to his lap awkwardly.
Master Liu's voice firmed, "I do not lack money, and I do not work for it. Don't worry, I'm still taking this matter seriously."
The Wangs simply looked at him uncomfortably.
"Let's continue then," The master clapped his hands together and gestured towards the green man, who was standing silently by the door. Elder Wang looked at him and wrinkled his nose in disgust. "What time does he knock on your door at night?"
Silence as the family considered. Wang Yumin spoke first, "In the beginning, he knocked on my door at 12 o'clock, and next Wang Qi's. Finally, he went to Wang Yushan's."
The other Wangs agreed.
Master Liu thought for a moment and said, "It's been in his body during the days..."
Eyes darted uneasily towards the green man as if waiting for him to explode.
"Take it easy." Master Liu said dryly, "Its foul presence has been run off for now. The man is still mad, but relatively harmless." He put a finger to his temple and went on. "If I'm right, it will come to your door again tonight, even without the help of our friendly lunatic." He smiled at the crazy green man. "It will be here at midnight."
The Wangs' faces paled. Wang Yushan dropped to his knees before Master Liu and begged, "Please help us!"
Master Liu soothed him, "Since I am here tonight, I will help you. Don't worry. The amulets will safeguard your houses. As long as they are on your doors the ghost can't get close to you."
Wang Yushan asked Master Liu, "What about the daytime, if we want to go outside?"
Master Liu shook his head. "The ghost shouldn't come out in the daylight. He was not born to be a spirit. His land soul is from hell. The Yin air it is composed of will not be able to tolerate the Yang air of our plane. Even if you do spy it in the daylight, it will have no entity, no substance."
I later came to understand that some ghosts, Xiao Chun's mother for example, were capable of manipulation during the daytime. There was the slightest difference between the way they became ghosts and the Yang that they absorbed from living relatives. Xiao Chun's mother had been feeding off of her son as well as my friends and I.
My mind drifted through memories while Master Liu explained and I wondered whether there were kind ghosts that grew powerful without becoming monsters.
Elder Wang finally spoke, "So if we stay inside at night, behind the amulets we will be safe?" Master Liu nodded. "If it comes tonight will you kill it?"
Master Liu thought for a moment then said, "It depends on the opportunity."
A self-serving outrage appeared on Elder Wang's face. "But…" His voice dropped at Master Liu's expression.
I sat back on my feet and looked around the house while Master Liu instructed the Wangs to prepare a room for the green man to rest. The master barked orders that the Wangs weren't used to following, but they did as he asked without argument.
The lunatic too, followed orders. He entered into the room and Master Liu closed the door behind him. He took out another yellow paper amulet and adhered it to the door.
"Why are you putting one there too?" I asked, "Is he a ghost?"
Master Liu said with a smile, "No, but it's better to be safe than to be sorry. We should do all we can to distinguish between the lunatic and the spirit. And we need to be very careful."
Master Liu turned to my dad with further instructions. "Take this amulet back to your home. Xiao Yong will stay with me and we will do our duty."
Master Liu passed a paper amulet to my father. He seemed hesitant to walk back alone and I couldn't blame him. Master Liu continued on, "Don't worry. The amulet in your hand is a universal rite. It will dissuade any number of foul things. As long as you have it with you, nothing can get close to you."
My dad looked at him absurdly, "But… it was in your pocket when we came here..."
Master Liu laughed, "The teacher is very astute! I had not yet blessed it. The amulet is now a force of Taoism itself. Nothing will go wrong."
Master Liu would not cheat my father. Dad nodded his head firmly and knelt down to me. "Be strong tonight. Have no fear. I will see you tomorrow my boy." He bowed again to Master Liu and went out into the night.
Elder Wang brought out two sleeping mats and pillows for us. Master Liu dragged them outside the front door and then popped his head in to request mosquito-repellent incense. It was burning fragrantly next to us within a few minutes. We set up our things on the porch and made to rest for the night. I was giddy with excitement and fear. The conflicting feelings rolled like butterflies in my stomach, giant hairy butterflies that sometimes made my heart skip a beat.
Elder Wang came outside. "You can sleep in the house you know. We've got plenty of space."
Master Liu looked up at him like a mother looks at her disobedient child. "If I sleep inside, who will keep out the ghosts?"
Elder Wang's eyes went large, showing off the whites that had turned a pale yellow with age.
I hadn't realized why we were setting up on the porch. This wasn't some camping game! I cried out "Godfather, I want to go home." My eyes bounced around the porch and the darkness that started just beyond the crosswalk.
Master Liu said quietly, "You're a good lad, Xiao Yong. I am here. Don't be scared. Tomorrow, we'll get loads of cake and ice cream, more than you can ever want."
I gaped at him through eyes beginning to tear up, "Really?"
A muffled "Yes" came from his pillow as he rolled over.
"Working with you is terrifying…" I thought. "But delicious."