Traveling Through Those Years Of Farming (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 16

“You look familiar.” Hua Yingpo’s heart rings alarm bells, and her brows furrow as she tries to think, but she can’t remember.

How could the county Official’s secretary appear at their door?

There’s a black-and-white TV at home, and the man occasionally appears on the city TV news. How could Hua Yingpo not recognize him?

“Hello, let me introduce myself. My name is Yan Sheng. You may have seen me on TV.”

The middle-aged man speaks with pride, his smile like a mask hanging on his face—friendly but distant.

An aspiring politician! Hua Yingpo labels him in her heart.

“What are you doing here? I still have to send my children to school.” She looks at the couple blocking the door and asks.

Yesterday, Sheng Wukun heard that the town livestock station would slaughter a yellow cow this morning. Beef is much rarer than pork and mutton, so Sheng Wukun goes to town with money before dawn, preparing to buy more beef to make beef jerky and beef sauce.

Today, it’s Mother Hua who takes Baobao to school.

In the past few days, Little Monk Chunming has learned to ride a bicycle. Sheng Wukun finds an old bicycle, passed down for several generations, just for him to use. Technically, Chunming could take Baobao to and from school, but Sheng Wukun believes that sending his daughter to school is a father’s duty. He enjoys this parent-child time so much that he can’t bear to let the little monk do it instead.

Now, the Hua family’s school routine is that Sheng Wukun rides a bicycle with his daughter, while Little Monk Chunming follows behind on his own bike.

It’s not easy for Hua Yingpo to snatch the opportunity to take her daughter to school from Sheng Wukun, so when she’s stopped and delayed, her patience wears thin.

“Lady Hua, do you still recognize this?” Jiang Huiling takes out a handful of talisman ash.

How could Hua Yingpo recognize something that has turned into ash? However, to keep up appearances, she pretends to understand.

“How did you get this?” Hua Yingpo frowns, trying to figure out what it is.

Yan Sheng and Jiang Huiling exchange anxious glances before Jiang Huiling speaks first.

“We came today because of this matter,” she says.

“This talisman paper was requested from you by my friend Lin Yaping. It’s strange—when we brought this talisman paper to my mother twice, it burned directly to ashes. And wherever we touched her with it, several black and purple wounds appeared on her body. They smelled foul. Lady Hua, did my mother encounter an evil spirit?”

“Are they black and purple blisters? After drying, do they look like rotten flesh?”

Chunming, who has been silent, suddenly speaks. He seems to recognize the symptoms Jiang Huiling describes.

“Yes, yes, exactly!” Jiang Huiling turns toward the voice. When she sees that it’s a young, shaven-headed boy, her expression shifts to disappointment.

Chunming is too young—just a child.

“This is a symptom of a spirit being possessed by an evil spirit.”

During his years of hard training with his master, Chunming has seen people possessed by evil spirits. Whenever they come into contact with holy objects or exorcism tools, they develop “ghost sores,” just like the ones Jiang Huiling describes.

Hua Yingpo nods repeatedly, looking pleased that he knows these things at such a young age.

In reality, her mind is racing. Evil spirits possessing a human? What is this? Is it written in the books left behind by the old Taoist?

The little monk is so impressive—it’s hard for her to keep up with this act!

“Are you talking about ghost possession?”

After hearing Chunming’s explanation, Sheng Baobao suddenly remembers a story from one of the classics. It seems similar to what they’ve just described.

In the story, a person becomes possessed by a ghost, experiences all the sufferings the ghost endured in life, and is eventually tortured to death. The master who recorded the event watches everything but does not intervene to save him. Instead, he turns it into a lesson to educate his disciples on the symptoms of ghost possession.

Sheng Baobao had only read it as a short story before, but recalling it now, she wonders—why didn’t the master save the possessed person?

“It should be the same kind of spiritual karma phenomenon, right?”

Chunming is very surprised that Benefactor Bao knows about this. During his time at the Hua family, he has never seen Benefactor Hua or Benefactor Kun teach their daughter Taoism and assumed that Baobao knew nothing about such matters.

Lady Hua, standing nearby, has a thousand questions in her heart but still manages to show a kind, motherly smile, relieved that her children are so smart.

Speaking of ghost possession, she vaguely remembers something, but before her daughter mentions it, she doesn’t connect it with the evil ghost possession Chunming describes.

Yan Sheng and Jiang Huiling, watching the two children of Lady Hua’s family speak so fluently about the matter, believe more and more that Lady Hua can save their mother.

“Lady Hua, what exactly is this evil ghost possession you’re talking about? Does it mean that a ghost possesses someone? How can I drive the ghost out of my mother’s body?” Yan Sheng asks anxiously. At this point, he no longer cares about maintaining the airs of the county official’s secretary.

Hua Yingpo knows nothing. She turns to Chunming with an extremely kind expression.

“Chunming, let me test you on behalf of your master. Tell me, what is the phenomenon of evil spirit possession, and what causes it?”

Her expression is very natural, like a teacher randomly checking students.

Little Monk Chunming becomes excited. Benefactor Hua is a master respected by all masters, and now that she’s testing him, does this mean Benefactor Hua truly recognizes him?

Facing Hua Yingpo’s trusting gaze, Chunming blushes and explains evil spirit possession as he knows it, his breath slightly hurried.

“Evil ghosts never possess spirits without reason. They must have extreme resentment and hatred toward the living human they possessed before they died, so they can truly take over their body. The possessed will feel the pain the deceased endured in life, day and night, until they die of physical and mental exhaustion. The black and purple, rotten flesh-like wounds you just mentioned are actually ghost sores.”

Chunming pauses before continuing. “The exorcism talisman drawn by Benefactor Hua is the nemesis of ghosts and monsters. When you touched your mother-in-law with the talisman, you harmed the evil ghosts possessing her, which is why the rotten flesh-like wounds appeared on her body.”

The little monk doesn’t know that the talismans were all drawn by Sheng Baobao. At this moment, he looks at Hua Yingpo with admiration.

“This is impossible. My mother never made enemies with anyone. Who would hate her so much that they refuse to let her go, even after death?”

Yan Sheng finds Chunming’s explanation ridiculous. He has never seen his mother get angry with anyone. When he lived in the countryside, even the most talkative gossips couldn’t say a bad word about her.

“Yes, my mother-in-law is truly a very good person,” Jiang Huiling agrees.

For some reason, she suddenly recalls her mother-in-law’s words when she had contact with the talisman.

“Mom, it hurts—”

Jiang Huiling feels a sharp pain in her heart and almost bursts into tears.

“This…”

Chunming’s experience is limited. He turns to Hua Yingpo beside him. Seeing that she still has an encouraging smile, as if supporting him to continue, he steadies himself and goes on.

“My master told me that evil spirits usually possess people who had great grudges in their lifetime, but there are exceptions. It’s possible that the deceased hated your mother unilaterally, and your mother didn’t actually do anything wrong.”

But this possibility is very small.

Hearing this, Sheng Baobao basically understands why the master who recorded the story of ghost possession didn’t intervene to save the possessed person. The person was probably sinful, and the ghost had come to collect a debt.

It seems the master of their lineage is also a rather casual person.

“It doesn’t make sense. My mother has a bunch of red spots on her body. She says it feels like being pricked by needles. Could it be that the ghost was pricked to death by needles before? How could someone die that way?”

Yan Sheng still finds all of this illogical, but now, whether he believes it or not, even the best doctors in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou couldn’t cure his mother’s strange illness. Right now, the only ones he can rely on are these Xuanmen sorcerers.

“Lady Hua, I would like to ask you to come see my mother. Don’t worry, I will never treat you unfairly.”

He takes a deep breath. He has already spent nearly 10,000 yuan on treating his mother, and he and his wife still have nearly 2,000 yuan in savings. As long as he can cure his mother’s strange disease, he will give it all away.

Anyway, the couple doesn’t have any children now. They are still young and can make more money later.

“It’s not that I don’t want to help you, but I’ve decided to retire and don’t want to interfere in the affairs of the Yin and Yang worlds anymore.” Hua Yingpo shakes her head. She doesn’t even know what evil spirits are. He’s probably dreaming if he expects her to exorcise the old lady.

Jiang Huiling has also tried the exorcism talisman, but it seems to have no effect other than causing the old lady to develop more sores. Hua Yingpo has limited methods, so she doesn’t dare to accept such an assignment lightly.

“Lady Hua, I will owe you a favor. Please save my mother.”

Before coming, Yan Sheng has heard about Lady Hua’s retirement, but he hopes that as the county official’s secretary, Lady Hua will still be willing to help him.

“I really can’t help you with this matter.” Lady Hua shakes her head. “But I know someone who may be able to help you.”

As she speaks, Hua Yingpo looks at the young monk, Chunming, standing nearby.

When the old monk Jikong left, he once told her that his disciple was a profound Buddhist, and that ordinary ghosts were no match for him. If necessary, he could be sent at any time for training.

However, the old monk fails to mention that while the young monk Chunming is powerful, he is also a master who is afraid of ghosts.

“I…”

Chunming is timid and wants to say that he can’t do it. But when faced with Hua Shizhu’s trusting eyes, he can’t bring himself to refuse.

With his master gone, he has no choice but to rely on himself. Maybe he should give it a try?

The little monk purses his lips, deep in thought.

“You may have heard that the previous rape and murder case was solved by me and an old master. Chunming is the disciple of that master.”

Yan Sheng, being the secretary of the county official, probably knows the full story behind the rape and murder case.

“Is it that master?” Yan Sheng looks at Chunming’s bald head, feeling relieved, and a little more confident.

Anyway, things are already at this point. Why not let him try? Maybe, just maybe, the blind cat will meet the dead mouse.

Yan Sheng wants to take Chunming away immediately, but Hua Yingpo insists that the child attend school first.

Yan Sheng has no choice but to step back and suggests picking up the child during the lunch break. The lunch break in elementary school is two and a half hours long, and he will drive to pick the child up, which won’t take long.

Neither Chunming nor Hua Yingpo object to this arrangement.

Sheng Baobao, who is standing by, starts fidgeting and thinking of something mischievous.

When Yan Sheng arrives to pick them up at the agreed time that afternoon, an unexpected little tail follows Chunming.

“It’s upstairs.”

Yan Sheng parks the car downstairs and prepares to take the two children upstairs.

Chunming and Sheng Baobao look up at the window of the Yan house at the same time, their expressions serious.

Sheng Baobao can see a mass of condensed resentment.

“Hmm–“

After walking a few steps, Chunming covers his ears and kneels to the ground.

He hears a hysterical wail.

“Mom, it hurts! Mom, it hurts!”

The resentment, which can almost drive a person mad, makes it hard for Chunming to keep his balance. He recoils again.

A memory comes flooding back from eight years ago, when the evil spirit devoured his parents, grandparents, and newborn sister right in front of him. Their cries were so tragic. His mother had half of her body bitten off but still pointed to the door, shouting at Mingming to run.

When his master arrives, he only has time to save him.

The evil ghost is drawn to him. The old monk says that he is a “spiritual boy.” When he is five years old, he opens his spiritual power, allowing him to hear and see things others can’t. Taoists call this the “heavenly eye.” He is considered a rare talent for practicing Buddhism and Taoism.

But at the same time, he is also the perfect prey for evil ghosts.

He is the cause of his family’s death. It would be more accurate to say that Chunming hates himself than to say he is afraid of ghosts.

After taking him in, the old monk gives him a string of sandalwood Buddhist beads, which can hide his spiritual presence and prevent him from being haunted by evil spirits. The old monk also teaches him Buddhism, so that even if he encounters an evil spirit in the future, he can subdue it.

“I hear her crying.”

Chunming holds Baobao’s hand tightly. His mind is filled with that voice, as if it is about to explode. But strangely, when he touches Sheng Baobao, the suppressed resentment that almost drives him mad seems to leave his body.

He feels like he has grabbed onto a lifeline and holds Baobao tighter.

In his heart, Chunming still despises himself. He is still a coward.

Yan Sheng is confused. Who is crying? Is it his mother?