Grandpa didn't understand the relationship between me and Grandpa Wang, nor was he aware that Grandpa Wang had slapped me twice earlier that day. Perhaps this matter had little to do with those slaps.
Maybe Grandpa Wang thought that my loud scream had frightened the donkey, causing him to fall off the cart and eventually die, which led to his restless spirit clinging to me.
In any case, this was the most serious incident in my nine years of life so far.
Grandpa woke my parents as well. Just like Grandpa and the others, they were heavily affected by the death aura emanating from Grandpa Wang, sleeping deeply and taking a long time to rouse.
Back at the hospital, Liu Granny and I had noticed the thick death aura around Grandpa Wang; by then, it had likely already started affecting us.
Now, the whole family gathered around me, worried sick about my condition and begging Liu Granny to find a way to help.
Liu Granny had never encountered anything like this before and didn't understand why Grandpa Wang's spirit, so freshly dead, was so fierce and had possessed me so quickly. She feared I wouldn't survive the night in this state.
Everyone was crestfallen—this third trial was unavoidable after all.
"Little sister, this child has grown up so much; you can't just let him go. You have to think of something to save him," Grandpa said, eyes red with worry.
"This child is someone I've watched grow since he was young. If there's even a little chance, I will save him. But this situation… I've never seen anything like it. Who exactly was this Grandpa Wang? Why is he so powerful even just after death, able to possess Little Jie immediately?" Liu Granny sighed in frustration.
"My dad wondered why Grandpa Wang, who was a lifelong bachelor with no children and no remarkable traits, would haunt Little Jie," I added, puzzled.
"You said Grandpa Wang never married?" Liu Granny suddenly asked with some agitation.
"Yes. Everyone in the village knew. His family was so poor, not even mice visited his home. During a famine, his parents starved to death. How is this connected to Little Jie?" Grandpa asked.
"Wu, do you know Grandpa Wang's exact birthdate and full name?" Liu Granny asked seriously.
Grandpa, who was about the same age and played with Grandpa Wang as a child, knew this and shared the information with Liu Granny.
After hearing it, Liu Granny's expression fluctuated. She said solemnly, "Long ago, I studied some Yin-Yang divination and Ziwei Doushu astrology with a wandering Taoist. I've never used it much, but today, I'll try to read his fate."
She then analyzed Grandpa Wang's birth data. After a pause, she gasped, "That's it… exactly what I thought. Grandpa Wang is no ordinary man."
"Liu Granny, what do you mean?" Dad asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
"This old man was born in a yang year, yang month, yang day, and yang hour—one of the rare 'Four Yang' destinies. His fate is purely yang, classified as a 'Killing Breaking Wolf' constellation. This means his life is full of turmoil and ups and downs. While alive, he seemed normal, but upon death, his grudges are extremely strong. Especially if he died resentfully and recently, his soul force is enormous—ten times stronger than a typical vengeful spirit. Anyone he clings to is doomed to die within a day."
"Actually, people with such a fate can be saved if they marry and have children—yin and yang balance can dissolve their pure yang fate. Then, after death, their grudges lessen. But Grandpa Wang never married, so he remained a pure yang fate, leading to such a powerful grudge after death. That's why Little Jie was caught in it," Liu Granny explained helplessly.
"Why did Grandpa Wang cling to our Little Jie? And why wasn't Little Pang, who shared the same hospital room, affected?" Grandpa asked.
"We can't be sure Little Pang is safe. Today is Little Jie's third trial day, so it's no surprise Grandpa Wang targeted him. Little Jie's fate is very special—I tried to read it before but saw only blurriness. Maybe my skills are too weak," Liu Granny said.
"Liu Granny, you said if Grandpa Wang clings to Little Jie, he'll die in a day. Is there really no way to save him?" Dad asked again.
Liu Granny sighed, "Maybe there is a way, but I'm not skilled enough. Even the celestial spirit I serve is powerless because Grandpa Wang's pure yang fate naturally suppresses evil. Not only my spirit but also the celestial spirit inside Little Jie is weakened and helpless."
That was the harsh truth—no solution in sight.
As Liu Granny said, this third trial was my greatest challenge. If I couldn't overcome it, my life was doomed.
Hearing this, the family was overwhelmed with sorrow. Mother wept uncontrollably over me, while Grandpa and Dad sighed deeply.
Liu Granny, burdened by the oppressive atmosphere, stepped outside alone to smoke a cigarette.
She glanced upward and widened her eyes in shock.
The crescent moon above had somehow turned blood-red. The Big Dipper stars converged, and the Ziwei star flickered uncertainly.
Even stranger, a large group of yellow-skinned spirits and foxes had gathered on our roof, worshipping the blood-red moon with three deep bows and nine kowtows.
Yellow spirits worship the moon, the red moon presides.
Liu Granny had never seen anything so eerie.
As the saying goes, "Abnormal events mean demons; celestial phenomena indicate great changes."
Staring at the ominous sky and the worshipping spirits, Liu Granny was stunned.
My condition worsened overnight, fever unrelenting, rambling incoherently, coughing with an old man's voice. No one in the family nor Liu Granny slept a wink.
By her reckoning, I wouldn't survive until midnight.
However, at noon the next day, a surprising turn of events brought unexpected activity to our quiet village—over ten vehicles suddenly arrived at once.