Chapter Fourteen: Five Vices and Three Deficiencies

When I awoke, the first thing I saw was a floor strewn with yellow paper, and I found myself lying in the center of a vast, empty room. Above me loomed a massive, antique altar table, upon which incense, ritual paper money, and other offerings were laid.

"You're awake?"

Someone approached from not far away—it was none other than Chen Chuyi. He wore a long coat and had a cigarette dangling from his lips.

"You ought to thank that big red rooster I bought for a thousand yuan. If not for it, you'd have ended up as a wandering ghost by now!"

His words left me confused, so Chen Chuyi explained the perilous moment when I narrowly returned to the world of the living. As I drew near Wooden Cabinet Street, terrifying spirits clung to me from behind. In that final instant, I caught sight of Chen Chuyi and turned my head slightly. At that moment, although Zhao Shiwuw forcibly pulled my body back, one of my souls and one spirit were ensnared by the ghosts and dragged onto the ghostly path. The two were helpless; no matter their prowess, they could not defy the rules of Ghost City. All they could do was fret. Unexpectedly, as Zhao Shiwuw stepped off the rooster, the bird seemed instantly possessed by intelligence, charging at the cluster of spirits and devouring them utterly.

A chill ran through me; I quickly sat up and saw the two big red roosters lying not far away, lifeless now, their entire heads pitch black. Looking at them at my feet, my heart was filled with emotion.

"All right, you're safe now. Go take a bath—you stink," Zhao Shiwuw said, entering and waving at me.

I nodded and rose, still clad in the unnerving black burial garb I'd worn. I hurried to shed it and immediately a foul stench assaulted me. Without delay, I rushed to the bathroom.

After bathing, Chen Chuyi found a white shirt for me, and the pants were his own sportswear. Though my attire was far from stylish, it was decent enough.

When I came out, I found Chen Chuyi and Zhao Shiwuw sitting upright at the tea table.

"Come, sit," they said.

I nodded.

"I…"

"You ought to believe me now, about what I told you before—not fiction," Chen Chuyi interjected.

I nodded; now I truly believed. I believed that besides humanity, there were other beings in this world—such as demons and ghosts.

Chen Chuyi handed me a cigarette.

I accepted it, though I seldom smoked—never had the habit.

After lighting it, Zhao Shiwuw spoke.

"Xiao Dong, we rushed back so urgently to help you out. The grand array of vital blood on you has begun to show cracks. If we don't reinforce it with yin-yang arts soon, you may face even greater dangers ahead. But you were born with the fate of a yin-yang master. If you don't take this path, neither we nor any of the experts of Azure Dragon Mountain can save you. Your lifespan won’t reach beyond thirty."

I glanced at Chen Chuyi, who nodded solemnly.

Hearing this, my heart sank. People always seek to know their future, but the truth often isn’t as comforting as imagined. To put it plainly, if you knew you’d contract an incurable disease within the year, negative thoughts would gnaw at you daily, and you might not even make it to the next year.

The revelation that I could only live to thirty startled me.

"But don't worry. As long as you walk the path of the yin-yang master, you can exploit loopholes in fate. This secret is known to all practitioners now."

"Loopholes in fate?" I asked. I’d always heard that fate was decreed by heaven. In the past, I never believed in destiny; my philosophy was that my fate was mine to shape, not heaven’s. Yet after tonight’s ordeal, my worldview had shifted.

"That's right. It’s common now for yin-yang masters to borrow from the 'shadow fate.' Anyone who takes up this profession faces inherent drawbacks—this is fate, immutable. Every yin-yang master must endure the Five Calamities and Three Deficits."

"The Five Calamities and Three Deficits?" I’d heard the terms before; I loved books and was familiar with the concept.

"The Five Calamities refer to being widowed, orphaned, solitary, isolated, or disabled. The Three Deficits are simply money, life, and power. Those who peer into heaven’s secrets suffer its punishment, so it’s said that anyone who studies the path must bear at least one of these."

Having majored in Chinese language and literature in university, I was no stranger to the concept.

"So you both know which calamities and deficits you bear?" I asked.

Chen Chuyi and Zhao Shiwuw nodded.

"Anyone versed in divination can figure it out, though it costs a great deal of lifespan. Those who can divine are closest to fate, so most diviners are those with a deficit in life. I am one such person. My senior, who walks the yin-yang path, was born with the fate of solitude."

Their words left me stunned. What kind of mindset must such people possess?

"As for you, we can’t ascertain it. You carry the grand array of vital blood and harbor a great secret. In time, you’ll understand. Even if we told you now, you wouldn’t grasp it."

Lighting a cigarette, Zhao Shiwuw exhaled smoke and smiled. "Now, we brothers ask you one thing: will you become a yin-yang master?"

"Yes. Originally, according to my calculations two years ago, the array would break in five years. But now, it has accelerated by two years. This means someone powerful in Ghost City is manipulating matters."

"In sum, if you choose to become a yin-yang master now, my brother and I will teach you all we know. With society’s progress, these matters are becoming rarer. In noisy cities built of steel and concrete, most evil spirits cannot approach. But that does not mean they do not exist. In fact, those that survive in today’s cities are exceptionally formidable. There are some even we brothers cannot handle."

I listened in silence to Zhao Shiwuw, my mind whirling. Though I’d never truly encountered a yin-yang master, I was aware of such professions. Rural geomancers and fortune-tellers fell under this category.

Yet I never imagined they possessed such abilities, and ironically, I seemed to have no other choice.

Thirty years old? That meant if I refused, I’d die by thirty.

Both Chen Chuyi and Zhao Shiwuw, men well past fifty, watched me expectantly, waiting for my answer.

In such circumstances, I could only nod.

"All right. But I have one condition—my parents must not know."

Chen Chuyi nodded and chuckled. "Of course. Your family is blessed with powerful figures, so you needn't worry. If your parents have been safe until now, then once you master the yin-yang arts, seek advantage and avoid harm, and accumulate virtue, your family’s fortune will be secure."

I nodded.

Thus, I agreed with Chen Chuyi to begin working here. Though I’d never heard of Longevity Agency before, with two genuine experts present, my livelihood was assured.

"Good, it's settled. Go rest well tonight. Tomorrow, you’ll officially start work. I’ll pay you four thousand a month plus commission. Your main task is to learn the yin-yang arts. If we get jobs, we’ll take you along so you can apply what you’ve learned. How does that sound?"

I nodded, feeling a little excited. Four thousand plus commissions—in Chengdu, that was a decent salary for a university graduate.

When I returned home, my parents were out. I lay on my bed, planning my future.

I stood at a crossroads in life, with no clear direction ahead. So many unknowns awaited me...

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