Chapter 8: The Child Fate Haunted by a Hundred Ghosts

My mother did not try to stop him anymore. After all, the chicken and snake had been provided by someone else. No matter what, our family had to show enough sincerity. If he wanted to get some eels, then let him get some eels.

That day, it was not until midnight that my father came rushing back, covered in mud. He had actually managed to catch several eels.

My mother felt sorry for him and quickly heated water for him to wash up, but my father was still complaining, “If this were summer, by the time I stayed out this late, I’d have caught several kilograms of eels! I’d let Master Jiang eat his fill!”

“Alright, alright. We still have to get up early tomorrow. Stop getting so excited,” my mother scolded affectionately, unable to understand why my father was so worked up.

How could she understand the pressure a man carried on his shoulders? All these days, my father had been clinging to hope while trying to cure me, but inwardly he had been suffering. It was as if a heavy stone had been pressing on his heart. This appearance of Old Man Jiang had given him the exhilarating feeling of that pressure finally being released.

Everything was being prepared for tomorrow.

A little after eleven-thirty the next morning, Old Man Jiang arrived exactly as promised.

He was still as unkempt as ever, still giving off that same carefree and lazy impression. With his hands clasped behind his back, he strolled into our house as if he were an old acquaintance. Waiting for him were my enthusiastic parents, a table laden with dishes, and my two sisters, who were staring at the table and swallowing their saliva.

After entering the house, Old Man Jiang did not even glance at the table of food. Instead, he wandered through every room in our home. He looked as leisurely as someone sightseeing. My parents did not dare neglect him and followed closely behind.

After making a full circuit, Old Man Jiang shook his head and inexplicably said, “Quite ordinary. Not very wealthy.”

My parents nearly fell over after hearing that. What did he mean? Had he come to our house for a tour?

Old Man Jiang did not explain further. At the time, how could he have explained to my parents that there was nothing wrong with the layout of our house? He simply brushed it aside with a casual remark.

“Come on, let’s eat.”

After finishing his inspection, Old Man Jiang headed straight for the dining table.

Without the slightest politeness, he sat in the seat of honor. When he saw the dishes spread across the table, he could not help swallowing twice.

In the center sat the pheasant-and-snake stew. Snow-white, crisp winter bamboo shoots had been added, and the broth had been simmered to perfection. The aroma rising in curling wisps was enough to tempt even immortals.

Several large porcelain bowls sat beside it. One contained glossy cured pork, another held twice-cooked pork, and a third was filled with stir-fried eel. Beside them was a large bowl containing steaming hot, spicy douban fish.

These were authentic Sichuan farmhouse dishes prepared in the traditional rural style. Everything was as fresh as could be. Just looking at the bright red chili peppers and the vibrant green chopped scallions in those spicy dishes was enough to make one’s mouth water.

Afraid that Old Man Jiang might find the food too rich, my mother had also prepared a cold shredded radish salad and a plate of pickled vegetables.

My father wasted no time bringing out the fine rice wine as well. He had exchanged goods with the villager most skilled at brewing rice wine to obtain it.

Old Man Jiang showed no restraint whatsoever. Once my father had filled his cup, he grabbed his chopsticks and started devouring the food. Before he had even swallowed one mouthful, he took a long gulp of wine. He ate like a whirlwind sweeping through the table, though the spiciness still made him stick out his tongue repeatedly.

My father noticed something and directly asked, “Master Jiang isn’t from Sichuan?”

If he were from Sichuan, the food might still be spicy, but not enough to make him stick out his tongue like that.

Old Man Jiang did not answer. He remained busy eating.

My father laughed awkwardly and did not press the matter. He knew that whenever Old Man Jiang did not wish to answer a question, he would simply avoid it.

Yet no matter how hard my parents tried to start a conversation during the meal, Old Man Jiang refused to respond. He only ate and drank.

Nearly an hour later, Old Man Jiang finally finished eating and drinking his fill. He tossed down his chopsticks, set aside his cup, and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. This time, before my parents could say anything, he spoke first.

“Bring your son over. Let me have a look at him.”

An immortal. A real immortal.

My parents were overjoyed. Without another word, my mother led my two sisters outside while my father immediately went to fetch me.

But in truth, it was not nearly as miraculous as my parents imagined.

Years later, my Master told me that his physiognomy and divination skills were far inferior to those of another person. Meeting my father in the mountains had truly been a chance encounter dictated by fate. Although face-reading was not one of his primary specialties, he could still tell at a glance that my father was seeking help.

As for during the meal, after carefully examining my parents’ faces, he already had a rough idea that the problem involved their children. My two sisters had been sitting at the table, and after observing them carefully, he found nothing wrong. That meant the problem could only be with me.

There were only so many households in the village. My Master had wandered around the area for years, so he naturally knew when a family had a new child. Besides, while touring the rooms earlier, he had already seen me lying on the large bed.

That was the entire story.

Yet fate worked in mysterious ways. Back then, my Master had divined the location where he would encounter a destined disciple. Combined with certain special and historical reasons, he had deliberately come to this region and stayed for several years. Yet he never actively searched. The Daoist way values naturalness. If someone truly was his disciple, fate would bring them together eventually. What was destined could never escape.

In less than a minute, my father carried me before Old Man Jiang.

Old Man Jiang examined me carefully. His brows furrowed slightly, and he let out a soft sound of surprise.

Before my Master could speak, my father became anxious. He quickly turned me around and pointed at the birthmark on the back of my head.

“Master Jiang, do you think there’s something wrong with this?”

Then my father mysteriously added, “I’ve heard this is the mark left by those things after they’ve set their eyes on someone.”

Those words seemed to snap Old Man Jiang out of his thoughts.

“Nonsense!” he barked. “Tell me the child’s Eight Characters!”

“Yes, yes...”

My father hurriedly recited my birth details.

Old Man Jiang stood up and began pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back, muttering words that my father could not understand.

“Born in sixty-seven... Heavenly River Water... day branch... and this hour... tsk... could it really be such a coincidence?”

Toward the end, Old Man Jiang even slipped into a Beijing accent, showing how deeply absorbed he had become.

“No, no... that’s only the surface interpretation...”

At the end of his muttering, Old Man Jiang had my father bring me over again. He carefully examined my facial features, paying particular attention to my eyebrows and the bridge of my nose.

Still not satisfied, he picked up my hand and inspected it. Finally, he carefully felt my little arms and legs.

After completing all that, he could no longer take his eyes off me.

He stared at me intently for a while before finally saying to my father in a solemn tone, “This child truly possesses a Child Fate. And not just any Child Fate, but a Dao Child Fate. He is destined to have little affinity with his parents. Can you bear that?”

“What are you saying? Do you mean my son is going to die?” My father did not understand anything about fates or destinies. The moment he heard that I lacked affinity with my parents, he panicked.

“No. Not while I’m here. He won’t die. There are some things I’ll explain to you later. Right now I need to ask you a question. Think carefully before answering.”

“What question? Ask whatever you want, Master Jiang.”

Hearing that I would not lose my life while Old Man Jiang was around greatly reassured my father, allowing him to focus on the question.

“When your son was born, was it exactly twelve o’clock?”

“That... how exactly do you count that?”

My father was confused. What counted as the precise moment of birth? When the baby’s head emerged? When the whole body came out? Pinning it down to an exact instant was not so easy.

“The moment the fetus touches the ground, when the entire body has separated from the mother’s body.”

My Master was extremely serious now, even speaking in a more scholarly manner.

“Master Jiang, then I really don’t know. I can’t be sure whether it was exactly on the hour. Is it that important?” my father asked cautiously.

Old Man Jiang had expected that answer. He waved his hand and ignored my father. With his hands clasped behind his back, he continued pacing around the room.

When calculating something, divination is not always necessary. It is like solving a mathematics problem. Sometimes, once you have the required conditions, the answer can be worked out directly. Not every problem requires a formula.

My situation had already provided Old Man Jiang with all the conditions he needed.

After pondering for quite a while, he finally said, “I’ve worked it out. Your son was born exactly on the hour. The problem lies in the combination of his Child Fate and his birth occurring precisely at that moment.”

“Noon? Twelve o’clock? Master Jiang, that’s broad daylight, the brightest time of the day. How could he attract those things then?”

My father’s thinking was simple. According to folk beliefs, that should have been the most yang time of day. How could it possibly attract spirits?

Without saying anything, Old Man Jiang walked outside. In the courtyard, he casually picked up a tree branch and began drawing on the ground. Coincidentally, my mother had just finished sending my sisters off to play and saw the scene.

My parents thought he was about to draw some profound formation, but after a few quick strokes, he was done.

It turned out to be a Taiji diagram.

“Master Jiang, what is this?” my father asked.

“The brightest time of day? Who told you that? Noon is when yin energy is at its heaviest! The most yang moment is actually the darkest time before dawn, when the rooster gives its first crow.”

He spoke calmly.

“Why?” My mother could not understand it either. How could midday possibly be the time of strongest yin energy?

“You wouldn’t understand the detailed explanation, so I’ll keep it simple. Look at this diagram. These two yin-yang fish...” Old Man Jiang pointed at the place where the two halves of the Taiji diagram met, specifically the two sharp points.

“What I want to explain isn’t anything about the union of yin and yang. It’s the principle that when something reaches its peak, it begins to decline. Everything that reaches an extreme starts moving toward its opposite. The yin-yang fish contain that meaning as well. Twelve o’clock is an extreme point. It is the moment when the strongest daytime yang abruptly begins turning into yin. Tell me, isn’t that yin? There’s not even a transition. It simply changes. Anyone born exactly at that turning point is effectively born at the most yin moment.”

Old Man Jiang explained as plainly as possible.

The idea was astonishing. At least, my parents had never heard such a theory before.

Old Man Jiang did not insist that they believe him. He tossed aside the branch and dusted off his hands.

“Who says people only run into ghosts at night? It’s just as easy to encounter them at midday. Especially during that time period, because it’s the only time of day when they can move about. They were people before they died, so naturally they prefer daylight too.”