Chapter Twenty-Four: The Tree Fiend (Part One)

At midday, the sunlight flooded the courtyard behind the noodle shop, surrounded on all sides by chambers. Jiang Pingchuan watched Daoist Master Wu step into the courtyard, squinting mysteriously and muttering something under his breath.

But no matter what Master Wu was chanting, Jiang Pingchuan didn't believe anything supernatural would happen in this courtyard. Even a child knows that ghosts and spirits favor the shadows, avoid the sun, roam by moonlight, and retreat by day.

There was something odd about the courtyard, but Jiang Pingchuan thought that even the boldest of spirits wouldn't dare to wreak havoc under the blazing sun.

“Hey, tell me, do you really know how to exorcise ghosts?” Xiao Wu stood beside Jiang Pingchuan, watching the mysterious Daoist with a skeptical curl of his lips, whispering his question.

Jiang Pingchuan smiled and nodded, earning a dramatic eye roll from Xiao Wu.

“Master Wu is famous in Sanjiang County, but I’ve heard he’s just a charlatan, always mumbling about banishing evil and exorcising ghosts—though I’ve never seen him do anything remarkable.”

Xiao Wu wiped his forehead incessantly with a cloth. Jiang Pingchuan watched, curious, for the weather was not hot enough to warrant such heavy sweating, and yet Xiao Wu stood beside him, beads of sweat rolling down his face.

“Brother Xiao Wu, have you lately felt a strange heat from your knees down while your abdomen feels cold and clammy? Do you sense a faint, rotten odor when you breathe?”

Jiang Pingchuan frowned slightly as he spoke softly to Xiao Wu. The words startled Xiao Wu; he quickly removed the cloth from his forehead, his eyes wide, fingers trembling, lips quivering, unable to utter a single word.

“So, am I right?” Jiang Pingchuan asked, seeing the odd expression on Xiao Wu’s face.

Xiao Wu slapped his thigh and nodded vigorously, his eyelids battling each other, his face twisted in pain.

“Do you now feel as if something is clutching your heart, kneading and wringing it?” Jiang Pingchuan continued, seeing the pain on Xiao Wu’s face but not rushing to act.

Xiao Wu stuck out his tongue, nodding and shaking his head in turn. Jiang Pingchuan smiled, grasped Xiao Wu’s wrist, and began pressing along his veins with shifting fingers.

Xiao Wu’s eyes rolled back, a low humming escaping his lips. The sound was so faint that neither Manager Zhou nor Master Wu, who was still chanting scripture, noticed anything amiss.

Seeing Xiao Wu’s eyes nearly all white and his eyelids rolling upward, Jiang Pingchuan raised his other hand, holding up his middle finger and waving it before Xiao Wu’s face with a gentle smile.

“Command the Great Path, gather all spirits, forge my will, break evil, decree!”

Reciting a mantra, Jiang Pingchuan pointed his middle finger at Xiao Wu’s brow. At once, a silver light flashed and vanished into Xiao Wu’s forehead.

Xiao Wu immediately clutched his chest and coughed twice. Manager Zhou glanced at him, but Xiao Wu gave an awkward smile and waved, signaling he was fine.

After Manager Zhou turned away, Xiao Wu grabbed Jiang Pingchuan’s hand, swallowed hard, his gaze cleared of its earlier hostility.

“Brother Pingchuan, you truly have a gift! How did you know I was afflicted? At first, I thought I was just overtired and paid no mind, but since meeting you today, I’ve been sweating nonstop, and chills keep sweeping over me.”

Still shaken, Xiao Wu rubbed his chest. If Jiang Pingchuan hadn’t intervened just now, his heart might have been crushed by whatever was tormenting him.

“Pingchuan was born with a spirit-calming aura. The shadow parasite in your body sensed my presence and panicked, which set off your symptoms. When I questioned your recent state, it tried to bind your heart and prevent you from communicating with me, hoping to escape my attention. Unfortunately, such things are foolish.”

Jiang Pingchuan chuckled. Xiao Wu, now earnest, looked at him in awe. The skepticism in his expression had vanished, replaced by reverence and admiration.

“Brother Pingchuan, so… am I completely cured?” Xiao Wu’s voice was low, his eyes darting around the courtyard anxiously.

Perhaps he feared the shadow parasite would return. Jiang Pingchuan smiled and shook his head. Xiao Wu grew tense, nearly jumping with worry.

“Don’t worry, Brother Xiao Wu. The one inside you has dissipated, but I must visit your home to ensure no others remain.”

Jiang Pingchuan pondered for a moment. Shadow parasites usually dwell in groups, so he suspected others might be concealed in Xiao Wu’s house.

“That’s a relief. With you here, I feel secure. Oh, Brother Pingchuan, you must help my young mistress! Recently, some evil force has invaded this old mansion, haunting her day and night. She behaves as if possessed, uttering eerie low growls every night.”

As Xiao Wu spoke, he glanced at one chamber in the courtyard. Jiang Pingchuan noticed the door plastered with talismans meant to ward off evil.

But the symbols made him nearly laugh aloud. As Maoqiu would say, these talismans were pure nonsense—scribbles that not even ghosts could decipher.

“Let’s take a look. Isn’t Master Wu still here?” Jiang Pingchuan said, following Xiao Wu’s lead.

Manager Zhou’s daughter was plagued by evil, growling nightly. Jiang Pingchuan stepped forward, circling the courtyard, noting its carefully arranged feng shui.

The layout promised prosperity, with chambers in all four directions—an auspicious configuration. Facing the sun, with the east and west aligned three inches askew to gather yang and suppress yin, this was the ideal residence for good fortune.

Yet Jiang Pingchuan could not pinpoint the flaw that had turned this auspicious courtyard into a nest of shadows.

While he puzzled over the cause, Master Wu coughed twice, nodded, and began mumbling anew.

Suddenly, Master Wu acted as if struck by revelation. Manager Zhou watched his shifting expressions, his own mood rising and falling with every change.

“Master Wu, what deity have I offended? Is there… is there a solution? Money is no object…” Manager Zhou asked anxiously.

Master Wu stroked his whiskers and smiled, shaking his head. Xiao Wu tugged Jiang Pingchuan’s sleeve, glanced at Master Wu, and Jiang Pingchuan smiled but said nothing, still adjusting to Xiao Wu’s sudden shift in attitude.

“Manager Zhou, you know well that dealing with spirits and demons is troublesome. Persuading them to leave willingly is no easy feat, and the necessary items are costly. My instruments today are not sufficient, so I cannot act yet. However, the mystery here is clear to me, and tomorrow I shall prepare an altar and perform the ritual.”

Master Wu twisted his little mustache meaningfully. Manager Zhou hesitated; he had already given Master Wu much money and was not stingy, but seeing his uncertainty left him uneasy.