Maiyi Onmyoji

A Close Call

In truth, I am not courageous at all; rather, I am quite timid.The reason I dared to charge forward with a ruler was because my grandfather had instructed me to do so.Additionally, the medicinal liquor made me feel warm and slightly euphoric, giving me a sense of fearlessness.He seemed terribly afraid of the ruler in my hand, dodging me throughout the small room.Although the room wasn't large, the creature moved exceedingly fast.In a moment of desperation, I sprayed the liquor from my mouth; he was drenched, momentarily pausing, allowing me to strike him hard with the ruler.As the ruler landed on his waist, a cold flash appeared before my eyes; the figure vanished, replaced by a white shadow darting toward the door.Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a white-haired weasel.Damn!Cursed yellow weasel, I'll finish you off!I rushed towards the door, seeing the weasel trying to squeeze through a crack at the bottom. I quickly shut the solid wooden door, trapping it. The weasel let out a series of pitiful cries.Its lower half and tail remained inside the room. I stomped and crushed it underfoot, but before I could do much, the weasel let out a "gu" sound, releasing an unbearably foul stench that made me dizzy. I hastily opened the door and fled outside.Taking advantage of the moment, the weasel hobbled away.By the time I regained my senses and tried to chase it, it had disappeared.As the odor dissipated, I hurried back inside and lit the kerosene lamp.After a while, my grandfather hurried back.I quickly recounted the events that had just transpired.Upon hearing this, my grandfather was shocked and asked urgently, "Da Lei, are you absolutely sure it was a white-haired weasel?""No mistake about it. I even stomped on it several times. Right, there should be some of its fur on the ground."I checked the doorway and found a dozen white hairs.Grandfather took a look at the white hairs and muttered to himself, "I've only ever seen one entirely white-haired weasel before, at Old Fang's house. Could it be that the one causing trouble for our family is Old Fang?"I know Old Fang; he's the oldest bachelor in the village.It is said that Old Fang once had a wife. Shortly after their marriage, they had an argument, and he beat her to death.He served time in prison and came back with a strange temperament, often cursing people without provocation, making him very unpopular in the village."Grandfather, have you ever offended Old Fang?" I wondered if it was really Old Fang causing trouble, I'd have no qualms about confronting him. The villagers may fear him, but I do not.Grandfather shook his head. "I never speak with him and rarely even mention him in conversation. How could I possibly offend him?"Grandfather closed the doors and windows, then brought out the compass, ink line, talismans, and copper bell from the chest.Placing these items around the bed, he instructed me to sleep, saying we would go see Old Fang first thing in the morning.As I lay in bed, I couldn't sleep, tossing and turning.Grandfather remained fully dressed, sitting by the bed, deep in thought.I couldn't help but ask, "Grandfather, where was my ghost bride from when she was alive?""She was an orphan I took in. She died of an incurable disease before her time," Grandfather said, lying down. "I found her by the city dump, barely alive. I brought her back and she lived for two more years."So my ghost bride had such a tragic fate!I quickly asked, "Then, Grandfather, what would others do with my ghost bride's body if they dug it up?""Well..."Grandfather pondered, "Besides depriving you of her protection, there's not much else. Wicked people like to use infant corpses to cultivate ghost bugs, but that requires knowing the person's birth details, which I don't know. How could anyone else know?"This left us with no clues.Grandfather had never wronged anyone, so he shouldn't have such enemies.After a pause, Grandfather suddenly sat up, tense. "Da Lei, maybe someone knows your birth details; they're targeting you!""My birth details?"I quickly sat up. "Grandfather, could my birth details be special?"Grandfather nodded, lowering his voice. "You are a yang life with a yin soul. People with such birth details are ideal for soul displacement, where someone expels your soul and takes over your body."Oh no...A wave of anxiety swept over me. No wonder Grandfather married me to a ghost bride; my fate was indeed tempting trouble!Grandfather paused. "However, I altered your birth certificate, changing the time. Besides, I've never revealed your birth details to anyone, except the old village chief. Could it be... Could it be the old village chief who's behind this?"I wasn't familiar with the old village chief, but I'd seen him twice. He was over seventy, with dark skin, a hooked nose, and a sinister look.The more I thought about it, the more suspicious the old village chief seemed. "Grandfather, I also think the old village chief is involved.""From his appearance, he has a heavy yin aura and a deep mind. People with hooked noses are selfish and unscrupulous in achieving their goals," Grandfather sighed. "Forget it, forget it. If we can't provoke him, we can avoid him. Tomorrow morning, we'll go to your great-aunt's house in Suzhou. Once you've passed your birthday, your fate will stabilize."Grandfather was known for avoiding trouble, something everyone in the village was aware of.But I felt that Grandfather's approach was wrong. "Grandfather, I'm not leaving. Sun Xue'e has protected me silently for eighteen years; I can't just abandon her. No matter what, a person must have feelings and loyalty. So I must stay and find her, and bring her along.""Well, this..."Grandfather looked at me with some difficulty, then thought for a moment. "Da Lei, you're right. Honestly, I'm also reluctant to leave Xue'e behind. But if we forcefully stay, there might be unforeseen consequences. Let's do this: I'll teach you the art of Ma Yi Ghost Divination now, so you can foresee things and won't be caught off guard.""Sure, Grandfather, tell me, what is Ma Yi Ghost Divination?"I was thrilled; my drowsiness disappeared.Only later did I realize that Grandfather's decision was his way of preparing me for life after he was gone."One's fate, luck, and feng shui are the three most influential aspects of life. Among them, fate, determined by one's birth time or 'eight characters,' is immutable.""After birth, only thirty percent of one's fate is fixed, while seventy percent can be altered.""Thus, fate changes, and so does appearance, as it is born from the heart.""Physiognomy can decode a person's fate by observing their features, first noting the bone structure, then examining the five elements. The Ma Yi Divination includes assessing the three stops' lengths, the fullness of the face, the clarity of the eyes, the vitality of the spirit, the thickness of the hands and feet, the clarity of the beard and hair, the length of the stature, the formation of the five senses, the fullness of the six palaces, the abundance of the storehouses, the prosperity of yin and yang, the dignity of bearing, the robustness of the form, and the clarity of color, along with the roundness of the head, the rise and fall of the skull, the coarseness or fineness of the bones, the breath's depth, the resonance of the voice, and the quality of the mind, all based on the age and location."When Grandfather said this, I interrupted, "Grandfather, can you explain in more detail? I'm not quite grasping it.""Da Lei, don't rush.""Grandfather is laying the groundwork, then he'll properly teach you the Ma Yi Ghost Divination for you to study.""In simple terms, Ma Yi Divination observes a person's spirit, bone structure, five mountains, three stops, six palaces, and then considers the five elements and yin-yang to determine one's fate, character, and virtues, accurately and unmistakably.""But mastering Ma Yi Divination is only the beginning for us.""Patriarch Chen Tuan founded Ma Yi Divination and also wrote about Ma Yi Qigong and Sleep Technique. By practicing either with the yin-yang attribute, one can open the yin-yang eyes to see the spirits.""In layman's terms, Ma Yi Divination is about reading people; Ma Yi Ghost Divination not only reads people but also spirits."With that, Grandfather took out a wooden pillow, opened it, and retrieved an ancient, yellowed book.I quickly took the book and asked, "Grandfather, why read spirits? They won't pay us, will they?""Ah!"Grandfather sighed deeply, "What kind of talk is that? This is why I insisted on teaching you Ma Yi Ghost Divination only after you turn thirty. Not everything in this world can be measured by money. Learning divination helps you recognize both people and spirits, to foresee events, and to avert misfortune and ensure safety.""Of course, practicing Ma Yi Qigong to a certain level not only strengthens the body but can also control energy to ward off ghosts, though it's not easy to master."As he spoke, Grandfather began explaining the Twelve Houses, the Five Senses, the Three Stops, the Six Palaces, and other terms, detailing their locations and meanings.That night, sleep eluded us.The more I listened, the more excited and amazed I became.Comparing the appearance and personality of my classmates, they matched the descriptions in the book exactly!Grandfather spoke until midnight, finally succumbing to exhaustion and dozing off.I held the ancient book and studied it carefully. Thanks to Grandfather's explanations, I understood it thoroughly, engraving the knowledge in my heart.Reaching the section on Qigong, I couldn't resist following the steps, sitting cross-legged and closing my eyes, attempting to practice.After about ten minutes, I suddenly felt a cold air envelop me...Something was wrong; another malevolent entity had arrived!Startled, I stopped practicing and opened my eyes, only to see a ghostly woman in white, her tongue hanging out, eyes wide open, disheveled hair, floating through the wall into the room, staring straight at me...