Grandpa had always been fiercely righteous and hated evil, never fearing those mysterious spirits or ghosts. This time, he was particularly angry because he felt those Yellow Skins had gone too far. Zhang family's fifth brother had merely slapped me once—though he was wrong to do so, it certainly didn't warrant losing his life.
But instead, Zhang family's fifth brother had his life exchanged by that Yellow Skin spirit, and even his corpse wasn't spared—it was still being tormented.
"There's an old saying: once a person dies, they should be at peace." Seeing that Yellow Skin still showing off like that, Grandpa could hardly contain his anger.
Old Lady Liu hurriedly said, "Brother Wu, tell the Zhang family to bring some chickens over."
"Give that troublemaker some chickens to eat?" Grandpa's eyes narrowed in disbelief.
"Don't worry, old man, I know what I'm doing," the one-eyed Liu said mysteriously, winking at Grandpa.
Reluctantly, Grandpa went outside and told the Zhang family. Zhang family's eldest brother quickly ran home to catch some chickens.
As a Daoist exorcist, Old Lady Liu was no stranger to the Yellow Skins. They were the most mysterious of the five great spiritual beings.
In fact, Liu had encountered cases of possession by Yellow Skins several times. In our region, Yellow Skin possession often happens during vigils held to watch over the dead. It's taboo for animals with "fur" to approach the corpse, because they might cause the dead to 'rise' again.
But this "rising" is not zombies jumping and chasing people—it means the spirit of an animal, especially a Yellow Skin, has taken control of the corpse. The possessed corpse will sit cross-legged on the coffin and demand conditions from the living.
If the demands are unmet, the corpse will writhe violently and refuse to leave the body, causing endless trouble.
Whenever this happens, villagers usually call on Old Lady Liu to expel the Yellow Skin.
Because Yellow Skins possess corpses, forceful measures don't work. If someone, like Grandpa, tried to slap the spirit away, it might cause the corpse to attack the living under the spirit's control.
Before a Daoist exorcist arrives, the mourners can only plead sincerely and try to satisfy all of the spirit's demands.
Most of the time, Yellow Skins just want food—usually chickens, ducks, or other livestock. Once fed and sated, they leave, and the corpse falls still again.
But there are exceptions. Like this Yellow Skin attached to Zhang family's fifth brother—it wasn't only after food but aimed to ruin the Zhang family's peace and bring ruin.
That's when a Daoist exorcist must negotiate with the Yellow Skin—like haggling at a marketplace—while also gauging its power and planning how to deal with it.
How to judge a Yellow Skin's power? By what it demands.
Higher-level Yellow Skins want rare medicinal herbs, like wild ginseng, to boost their cultivation.
Lower-level ones mostly want food—live chickens, ducks, even fish.
Some very low-level Yellow Skins can't even speak human language. They mimic hen calls, "cluck cluck," to hint at their wishes, and people interpret these signals to figure out what to offer.
Old Lady Liu couldn't immediately tell the cultivation level of the Yellow Skin possessing Zhang family's fifth brother. So she started by meeting its basic demands, hoping to find some room to ease the situation.
Liu worships the "Changxian"—a spirit snake—and thus had no great taboo against Yellow Skins.
Soon, Zhang family's eldest brother returned with a few chickens. He handed them to Grandpa but didn't dare enter the yard. Grandpa took the chickens inside and passed them to Liu.
Grandpa was curious about what Liu would do next and stayed to watch.
What happened next almost made Grandpa sick.
Liu handed the live chickens to Zhang family's fifth brother, who sat cross-legged on the bed.
"Yellow Second Lord, here are the chickens. Once you've eaten your fill, will you leave?" Liu asked, placing the chickens on the bed.
"Heh heh… I'll eat first," Zhang family's fifth brother replied. He grabbed one lively hen and bit its neck hard, killing it instantly and gulping down the blood.
Grandpa watched in horror as feathers flew and the spirit gorged on the raw chicken. His stomach churned in disgust.
Before long, one hen was devoured alive.
Zhang family's fifth brother grabbed another hen and shoved it in his mouth.
Liu quietly lit her pipe and smoked thoughtfully, her face darkening.
This Yellow Skin demanded food right away and could speak human words, indicating it wasn't very powerful.
Watching the spirit feast, Liu prepared to act.
After several puffs, Liu suddenly stood, stepped forward, and blew smoke directly into Zhang family's fifth brother's face.
Then, with a swift motion, she struck the spirit's head with the pipe.
The possessed corpse shook violently, emitting a shrill, agonizing scream.
In a flash, Liu grabbed the spirit's neck with one hand, her eyes glowing an eerie green.
"Bold Yellow Second Lord, I am here—leave quickly!" she commanded in a voice now young and fierce.
The spirit's eyes rolled wildly as if seizing with epilepsy. It trembled and shouted sharply, "I won't leave… I won't leave…"
"If you don't leave, I'll send you off!" Liu warned, then used her finger to draw ash from the pipe onto the spirit's forehead.