Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts - Chapter 16

After I ran out with the Old fortune-teller, I saw that Han Si Fan had already passed out on the ground, and Brother Xiang was standing nearby, hesitating over whether he should give her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

When I asked them what happened, it turned out that after they had chased out, Zhao Chen Yang had suddenly used some kind of spell to knock out the stronger Han Si Fan. Zhao Chen Yang was fearing that the Old fortune-teller would catch up, immediately turned and ran away.

Brother Xiang had originally wanted to chase after him, but after comparing their combat abilities, he decisively chose to stay behind and protect Han Si Fan.

The Old fortune-teller didn’t look surprised when he heard that Zhao Chen Yang had escaped, he just casually said, “You guys are still too young. Although Si Fan is good at fighting, she’s no match for his underhanded tricks. It’s normal. I just hope that after he gets his revenge, he can be careful moving forward.”

Since the Old fortune-teller had said that, we had no intention of pursuing that guy. After all, I had no grudge with Zhao Chen Yang. The Old fortune-teller had Brother Xiang carry Han Si Fan back while I stayed behind to handle the two zombies.

Actually, those two weren’t even real zombies. The Old fortune-teller said that real zombies were far more powerful and not something these two could compare to. The Old Wang had turned into a Black Corpse, a low-level corpse monster, while the later appearance of the jumping corpse was far stronger.

“These two corpse monsters need to be burned with peach wood,” the Old fortune-teller said, then without saying more, he picked up the jumping corpse, pointed at Old Wang, and said, “Carry him. There’s a cave on the east side of the village. We’ll dispose of them there.”

Reluctantly, I walked over and immediately smelled a foul stench. I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Damn it, Brother Xiang gets to carry a delicate beauty like Han Si Fan, and I get to carry dead bodies… What the hell?”

Complaints aside, work still had to be done. I followed the Old fortune-teller as we carried the two bodies to the cave in the village’s east. There, we gathered some peach wood and set the two old men on fire. Then the Old fortune-teller dug a hole in the cave and buried them, even carving two gravestones with wooden boards.

At that time, I was really confused. These two old guys had caused us so much trouble, and now we were burying them and setting up gravestones? Isn’t that a little too much? the Old fortune-teller just said, “There’s a higher power at work. Do more good deeds, sow good seeds, and you’ll reap good results.”

Honestly, I didn’t understand what good results he was talking about. After he finished messing with the bodies, the Old fortune-teller led me back toward the town.

It was around midnight, and it was pitch dark. We were walking along a narrow path. The Old fortune-teller was leading the way with his hands behind his back, humming a song. After walking for a while, he suddenly spoke, “Xiao Hui, I’ve watched you grow up, haven’t I?”

“You old man used to take me and Brother Xiang to spy on widows bathing when we were kids. Looks like it’s true,” I nodded, and the Old fortune-teller coughed before saying, “Nonsense. You’re remembering it wrong. I’m being serious here, listen up.”

“Oh, go ahead,” I casually replied. I’d known this old man for years, and I could tell he was being serious now, but he usually acted like an old child.

“You know, I was quite something back in the day,” the Old fortune-teller started, and I immediately interrupted, “Hold up, don’t start bragging. Have you ever caught a Zombie King or fought against the Black and White Impermanence?”

“Hey, those are all things of the past,” he sighed. “I remember I once knew a kid just like you—carefree and mischievous. He had a lot of trials, but he made it through. You, though, let me tell you something. Originally, I didn’t want to tell you this, and your mom didn’t want me to either. But since you’re a person born under the Si Chen of Destiny, you know your fate is low, right? You were born in the year, month, day, and time of the Dragon, and seven years from now—when you turn 25—you’ll face a huge calamity. If you don’t overcome it, you’re dead. To get through it, you need to study these spiritual arts. Don’t take it lightly.”

When the Old fortune-teller finished, I didn’t really take his words seriously. I just said, “That’s still seven years away.”

the Old fortune-teller suddenly turned around and looked at me. He was close enough that I could see all the wrinkles on his skin and the white hairs on his head. He reached out and touched my forehead, like an elder patting a child’s head.

Honestly, without realizing it, I had come to think of this old man as a grandfather. When I was little, he took me and Brother Xiang around all the time. I never had a father to look up to, let alone a grandfather. When the Old fortune-teller patted my forehead, I couldn’t help but feel warm inside.

the Old fortune-teller looked at me, shook his head, and said, “Forget it. You’re still not awake. When you finally get it, come find me. I’ll teach you everything I know. I hope you can overcome the calamity.”

“Where’s that stupid master of mine?” I suddenly remembered that my master hadn’t really taught me anything. the Old fortune-teller smiled and said, “Don’t count on him. He’s too busy. He won’t bother with you. Alright, go back now. It’s so late, your mom must be worried about you.”

“Mm.” I was only eighteen at the time, so I didn’t think much of it. I didn’t really understand the whole calamity thing either.

When I entered the town and separated from the Old fortune-teller, I headed toward my house. I opened the door and saw my mom kneeling in front of the strange stone statue in the house, her eyes closed, doing who knows what.

If this had happened before, I might have been scared, but now, with Menma still with me, I wasn’t afraid. I walked over to my mom. Considering what had happened last time, I didn’t dare say anything. About three minutes later, my mom opened her eyes and turned around. Seeing that I had returned, she pointed to the sofa and said, “Xiao Hui, we need to have a serious talk.”

“Oh,” I nodded. My mom had always talked to me when I came back, so I didn’t think much of it. I sat down on the sofa, and she brought me a cup of tea, then took out some talisman papers—those same ones I had brought back from the Old fortune-teller’s house. She looked at me and said, “Xiao Hui, you’re already this old. I shouldn’t have to tell you this, but you really shouldn’t be involved in this superstition stuff. I want you to pass the civil service exam and lead a normal life. Why do you have to study these things?”

“It’s fun,” I said without thinking, but the next thing I knew, my left cheek was stinging from a slap. My mom glared at me, her voice filled with anger, “Fun? I don’t care if you learn it or not! Whatever you’ve learned, forget it right now! Understand?!”

I was genuinely shocked. My mom had never hit me much growing up. She was always very fond of me, and she only scolded me occasionally. This kind of anger was very unusual.

Feeling wronged, I said, “I was just learning for fun. Is it really necessary to get this angry?”

She glared at me and, out of breath, stormed off to her room, slamming the door behind her. I felt wronged too. I hadn’t done anything wrong, so why was she so angry?

T/L Notes:

1. Black and White Impermanence: The Heibai Wuchang, or Hak Bak Mo Seong, literally “Black and White Impermanence”, are two deities in Chinese folk religion in charge of escorting the spirits of the dead to the underworld. As their names suggest, they are dressed in black and white respectively. They are subordinates of King Yan, the Supreme Judge of the Underworld in Chinese mythology, alongside the Ox-Headed and Horse-Faced Hell Guards. They are worshipped as fortune deities and are also worshipped in City God Temples in some countries.