Maiyi Onmyoji

Ghost Marriage, Fleeing for Life

In our rural village, arranging child marriages and taking in child brides were common practices.To put it in crude terms, marrying a child bride older than one's own son served a dual purpose: she could both act as a wife and take care of the boy, a truly beneficial arrangement.However, the bride my grandfather arranged for me was a ghost.My grandfather was a renowned feng shui master in the area. Because I was born at the hour of the rat—when the yin energy was at its peak despite the summer season—I was easily startled by thunder, which destabilized my yang spirit. As a result, I was susceptible to wandering spirits, and thus required a ghost bride to protect me, ensuring that nothing untoward would approach and thus preserving my life.Additionally, I lacked the elements of water and earth in my Five Elements chart. Hence, I was named Shui Lei, with the nickname Run Tu.When I was about ten, I asked my grandfather about this matter.He didn't hide the truth and confirmed that indeed, he had arranged a ghost marriage for me.Curious, I asked why I couldn't see this ghost bride.Grandfather chuckled and said it was a good thing; seeing her before the age of eighteen could be troublesome.I then asked whether the ghost bride would truly marry me when I turned eighteen.He pinched my cheek and asked why I wasn't embarrassed by such thoughts.From that point on, I remained vigilant.Many strange occurrences began happening around me.For instance, whenever classmates bullied me without reason, they would soon be reprimanded by teachers or beaten by other students.I remember once during an exam, I suddenly felt dazed and ended up scoring a perfect score, even though I couldn't answer several questions.The most terrifying incident occurred when I was playing with friends. We dashed across the road, and a speeding car plunged into the river. The terrified driver later claimed she saw a female ghost perched on my shoulder.Though there were pleasant surprises, there were also disheartening moments.For instance, at school, I never dared speak to girls, especially the pretty ones. Whenever I did, I would get a stomach ache—an infallible outcome.Over time, I grew accustomed to this.I knew she was protecting me, so I felt at ease.When I entered middle school, the campus was located at an old mass grave site left by the Japanese. Consequently, I often sensed the presence of wandering spirits. When I was about to bump into them, I felt a chilling sensation, roughly the size of a palm, on my chest. I would immediately stop until the cold dissipated.As my eighteenth birthday approached, during the summer vacation, I felt an unshakable coldness. At night, upon closing my eyes, I saw terrifying specters drifting around the dormitory, some disheveled female ghosts sitting by my bed staring at me.I suspected that my ghost bride was no longer by my side.If she were still around, such things would never happen.As soon as the vacation started, I rushed back to my grandfather's house.Upon seeing me, his face changed instantly.He hurriedly pulled out yellow paper cut into coin shapes from his pocket, scattering them behind me while murmuring thanks for returning me safely, then swiftly led me inside.Once indoors, he asked about everything.Seeing that I was unharmed, he finally let out a long sigh of relief. He grabbed his bicycle, saying he was going to the city to buy some groceries and hung a jade pendant around my neck, sternly warning me not to wander around at night and not to speak to strangers.After he left, I felt bored staying at home alone.It was around four in the afternoon, still early.I thought of my childhood friends, Fatty and Er Gou, and quickly washed my face to go find them.To my dismay, they were all out.I returned home, cooked rice, and just as the rice was ready, the landline rang.It was my grandfather, saying that Uncle Zhang from the antique shop had invited him for dinner and he would be back late, instructing me once again not to go out.As I put down the phone, I heard someone calling my name outside.From the voice, it was clearly Fatty and his gang.I rushed outside to see that they had grown taller and more mature, though their smiles remained as innocent as ever.Fatty's father was a butcher; he had stolen over a pound of pork. Er Gou's father was a fisherman; he brought several pounds of crayfish. Xiao Qiang's family owned a grocery store; his stingy parents only let him bring four bottles of beer.It was perfect timing as I had just cooked the rice.We all got to work, and soon enough, the crayfish were boiled.As the pork simmered, we eagerly began eating and chatting.There were many things my grandfather forbade me from mentioning, so I mostly listened to everyone talk about the latest happenings.Before long, the beer was gone.The pork was ready, and we served ourselves with rice, devouring the large chunks of braised meat. But Fatty was a big eater, and most of the food was gone before the rest of us had our fill.Er Gou, still unsatisfied, suggested we go hunting for wild chickens and ducks at night.Due to recent demolitions, the neighboring village was deserted, teeming with wildlife.Everyone agreed, but I hesitated, knowing my grandfather had forbidden me from going out. Yet, I didn't want to be mocked for being cowardly.So, I agreed, on the condition that we return before ten at night.After finishing our meal and cleaning up, we set out at seven-thirty.Our luck was good; we soon spotted a wild rabbit. We chased after it and eventually saw lights ahead.Puzzled, I thought, wasn't this village abandoned?Er Gou and the others continued pursuing the rabbit. As we approached the lights, we saw the area festively decorated with red lanterns, teeming with people, including vendors selling candied fruits and clay figurines. It was bustling.We also noticed many people dressed in ancient clothing. Er Gou scratched his head and said, "Is someone in Putian Village performing a traditional opera? How did my grandma not know? She loves watching these.""It's strange; these days, people usually hold weddings in big city hotels. Who still follows such old-fashioned customs?" Fatty rubbed his belly, clearly stuffed from dinner."Stop gawking; we're here to catch a rabbit," said Xiao Qiang, scanning around, but the rabbit had long vanished.As we were about to leave, a plump old man dressed like an ancient landlord approached, smiling and holding Er Gou's hand. "Oh, there you are, gentlemen. We've been waiting for you! Today is my son's wedding, a day of great joy. Guests are welcome! Come, join the feast.""Grandpa, you must be mistaken," Er Gou replied, puzzled, glancing at us.The old man smacked his lips and said, "No mistake. You're Er Gou, that's Fatty, there's Xiao Qiang, and Lei Zi. It's you guys! We have plenty of tables. Come, have a drink."The old man eagerly grabbed my hand.Even before he reached me, I felt an overwhelming chill.I'm all too familiar with the coldness of ghostly presences.Terrified, I quickly stepped back, too scared to speak.Seeing me retreat, the old man clicked his tongue, "This boy, shy like a girl! If you don't want to drink, at least have some wedding candies. I also have red envelopes."He pulled out red envelopes and a handful of candies, offering them to me.Unable to resist, I reached out for the red envelope.The old man stopped inviting me and led Er Gou and the others to the feast.Unable to resist the temptation, they all followed him.Standing alone, I observed the crowd. I noticed their faces were eerily pale, almost ghastly.Something felt off.Why was there such a heavy presence of yin energy around these people?No, I needed to check on them.I followed in the direction Er Gou and the others had gone, but before I got far, I noticed the old man and a few tall, thin men in black robes pointing at me from the shadows.The light seemed to dim suddenly...Looking back, I saw that the rows of red lanterns had dwindled to just two.This isn't good; I might have encountered something evil!Panicking, I decided not to call out for Er Gou and the others and instead ran back the way we came.As I ran, I heard the sound of leaves rustling in the wind behind me, as if someone was closely following.Terrified, I dared not look back, sprinting for my life.Suddenly, I tripped over something and fell hard.The elders always said not to glance around when walking at night, especially not to turn your head suddenly.They believed that everyone has three "yang flames" on their shoulders and head, which should never be extinguished by turning suddenly or looking back, as this would give wandering spirits a chance.In my panic, I had forgotten these warnings.At that moment, a cold air pressed against my back. Frightened, I turned my head to find a fallen tree branch. Nearby, a small tomb emanated an eerie chill.A figure crouched in front of the tombstone, resembling an old woman.She turned towards me, smiled, and waved!I squinted and gasped in shock—it was my grandmother!My mind went blank; my grandmother had passed away years ago, and her grave wasn't here...She wasn't my grandmother...I scrambled to my feet and bolted.As I ran, I heard her voice, "Child, don't run, don't run! I am your grandmother!"The voice grew closer and closer...