Chapter 152: Old Woman Hu

Early in the morning on the third day of the ninth month, Gu Xiulan took Lady Li and Lady Xu, carrying two parcels of pastries and two boxes of tea leaves, to the residence of the Daoist nun Hu. This Daoist nun Hu lived in a secluded spot west of the county town, in a very neat and orderly courtyard. She was quite famous in the county town, and many people came to seek her out.

Lady Li and the others arrived early, and since there were fewer people at this hour, the Daoist nun Hu received them very quickly. Upon entering the house, they presented their gifts, and then the three of them sat down in the east room.

This Daoist nun Hu was in her forties, with a scabbard-like face, triangular eyes, thin lips, and a slightly hooked nose. To be honest, her entire appearance was quite unappealing. Not only was she ugly, but more importantly, her facial features carried a fierce and ominous aura at first glance. When Lady Li first laid eyes on Daoist nun Hu and took in her appearance, her heart truly skipped a beat.

Daoist nun Hu looked at the three people opposite her, twitched the corner of her mouth, and asked, "You've come to see me—what is the matter? Speak."

Lady Li hurriedly stood up. "Immortal Fairy, we have come to seek your guidance because things have not been going smoothly in our household recently. We wish to see if we have offended some deity, and we beg the Immortal Fairy to give us some insight and help us break this spell."

Daoist nun Hu nodded. "That is easily done. Just slowly tell me about the matters in your home, and I will explain them to you."

With that, Lady Li babbled on, recounting all the recent unpleasant events in the household. In her view, ever since Gu Chengyong’s family returned, nothing had gone well for the Gu family. As she spoke, resentment naturally welled up within her, directed entirely at Gu Chengyong’s family. Especially concerning Jiao Yan, Lady Li harbored gnashing, bitter hatred toward her, making it impossible for her to say a single kind word.

Daoist nun Hu listened to Lady Li's words, her eyes flashing a few times before she said, "Wait a moment, I must go burn a stick of incense first. I cannot see matters on my own; I must enlist the aid of the immortals. Just wait here while I go invite my master to assist you." As she spoke, Daoist nun Hu went into the inner room of the east wing, which served as a separate shrine. She lit a stick of incense, inserted it before the plaques of several deities worshipped within the shrine, muttered to herself for a while, and only then returned.

When Daoist nun Hu came back from the shrine, her demeanor had completely changed. Sitting on the kang, her neck was slightly retracted, her arms were somewhat curled inward, her withered hands formed a strange gesture, and her pair of triangular eyes seemed even smaller than before. Her body also trembled incessantly.

"It is not easy for this Great Immortal to descend the mountain. If you have matters to discuss, speak quickly and make it clear, for this Great Immortal must return to the mountains for quiet cultivation." Daoist nun Hu’s voice had also changed, becoming very shrill and somewhat chillingly cold.

Lady Li felt a sudden pang of fear in her heart. With a trembling voice, she said, "I beg the Great Immortal to show mercy and help us see what my son has offended! And as for our family, what kind of fortune has befell us?"

"State your son's birth characters (eight characters of destiny)," Daoist nun Hu said, extending her hand. After Lady Li recited Gu Chengren's birth characters, the nun began to calculate on her fingers. A short while later, Daoist nun Hu exclaimed, "Oh my, this is extraordinary! This is the reincarnation of the Star of Literature descending to the mortal realm! Extraordinary indeed! Your son has a boundless future and will surely pass the imperial examinations to become a zhuangyuan, bringing great glory to his ancestors!"

"It is only a pity that there is currently a monster wreaking havoc in your household. This monster possesses profound cultivation—it is a thousand-year-old white-furred fox spirit from the mountains that has descended to make trouble this time. It is precisely because of her mischief that your son fell ill and failed to pass the xiucai examinations this time. If this monster is not eradicated, I fear your family will never know peace, and a great disaster awaits you in the future."

Daoist nun Hu's words filled Lady Li and Lady Xu with profound terror. Lady Xu hurriedly asked, "Will the Great Immortal please instruct us? In which direction of our house is this monster located right now, and how can we drive her away?"

Daoist nun Hu calculated again. "This monster has already possessed a human body. Is there a six-year-old girl in your household? Was this girl born in the third month? If so, she is undoubtedly possessed by the spirit. Is this girl exceptionally intelligent, unlike a normal six-year-old child? That is the fox demon making mischief; otherwise, how could an ordinary little girl possess such abilities?"

Upon hearing this, Lady Xu immediately cried out, "Yes, yes! Isn't that precisely the case? That child is preternaturally uncanny; she speaks more fluently than grown adults. At such a tender age, she can figure out one recipe after another, and I've heard she can even cure people's illnesses. Whenever she speaks, there is always an eerie aura about her."

Among the six-year-old girls in the Gu family, Jiao Yan was the only one, and moreover, Jiao Yan was indeed born in the third month. Hearing Daoist nun Hu put it this way, Lady Li and Lady Xu were both utterly shocked, and Lady Xu cried out directly. As for Lady Li, the more she thought about it, the more abnormal Jiao Yan seemed—her behavior was simply not that of a normal little girl.

"Yes, yes, the Great Immortal sees all with clarity. There is indeed such a little girl in our family. But Great Immortal, how should this be handled? What must we do to drive that monster out of our house?" Lady Li felt immense terror in her heart. With such a monster in the house, it was no wonder so many things had gone wrong. If this monster weren't eliminated, wouldn't it eventually take the lives of everyone in their family?

"This monster's cultivation is not shallow; getting rid of her will not be easy," the Daoist nun Hu said, her body still trembling as she slowly uttered those words. "Even if this Great Immortal wishes to get rid of her, it will require no small amount of magical power. For this matter, you had better seek someone else." As she spoke, she continuously shook her head.

Upon hearing this, Lady Li dropped to her knees right in front of Daoist nun Hu with a dull thud. "I beg the Great Immortal to show compassion and save our family! As long as the Great Immortal is willing to act, this old woman is willing to offer twenty taels of silver to incense the Great Immortal." Lady Li had always been quite superstitious about these matters, and having had several things accurately predicted by Daoist nun Hu, she now trusted the nun implicitly and readily offered money as a reward.

"No, no, this Great Immortal's spiritual cultivation is hard-won; I truly do not wish to provoke that monster," Daoist nun Hu said, shaking her head unceasingly.

Lady Li knelt on the ground and kowtowed once more. "Great Immortal, I will offer fifty taels! Fifty taels—will that do?" She was already terrified to the core and convinced that this Daoist nun Hu undoubtedly possessed the means to eliminate the monster in her home, so she hardened her heart and named fifty taels.

Yet Daoist nun Hu still shook her head. Lady Li gritted her teeth and hardened her resolve further. "Eighty taels! That is all this old woman can possibly offer."

Daoist nun Hu sighed. "Sigh, seeing that you are so sincere, I shall help you then. Come forward, and I will tell you what to do. Once you return and follow the method I prescribe, I guarantee your household will enjoy peace and quiet from now on."

Lady Li stepped forward to listen carefully, her face occasionally registering surprise and fear. After a long while, Lady Li finally spoke. "Great Immortal, will this really work? That child... but she is a member of the Gu family! If we do this, won't that child—" The rest of the words remained unspoken.

"That child has already been possessed by the monster for too long, and her vital essence has long since been sucked dry. She is no longer your family's child," Daoist nun Hu said, waving her hand. "If you do not believe me, then there is nothing I can do. You may leave at once."

"No, no, we believe! We naturally believe the Great Immortal! Very well, I shall follow the Great Immortal's instructions and go prepare. I only beg the Great Immortal to bestow the spirit talismans upon us." Hearing that Daoist nun Hu was displeased, Lady Li hurriedly nodded and said.

Daoist nun Hu nodded. "The spirit talismans are in the hands of my disciple. You need only ask her for them. This Great Immortal must now depart; once you have made all preparations, you may invite me back to subdue the demon." As she spoke, Daoist nun Hu closed her eyes and her body shuddered violently. After about a quarter of an hour, the trembling subsided, and countless beads of sweat could be seen covering Daoist nun Hu's forehead.

"Oh, my heavens, that completely exhausted me!" Daoist nun Hu let out a long breath. Only then did she open her eyes and look at Lady Li and the other two. "Did you all hear and understand what my master said? If you want peace and tranquility in your household, you must follow my master's instructions."

Lady Li nodded hastily. "We understood, we understood! We will certainly follow them, we will certainly follow them."

With this matter temporarily brought to a close, Daoist nun Hu re-entered the shrine hall and subsequently emerged carrying several small packages wrapped in yellow paper. "These are the spirit talismans. When you return, follow my master's instructions. Once everything is prepared, just come back to find me."

Lady Li took the spirit talismans, then withdrew a ingot of silver and placed it into Daoist nun Hu's hand. "Immortal Fairy, this silver is a token of my gratitude for the talismans. The payment for the formal proceedings will certainly be delivered another day. I only ask the Immortal Fairy to help us, and by all means use your magic to save our family!"

Daoist nun Hu accepted the silver and nodded in great satisfaction. "Very well, very well. Since my master has promised you, she will not go back on her word. Go back and make your preparations carefully. This matter is of grave importance and must not be delayed. Otherwise, disaster will still befall your household."

Lady Li nodded repeatedly in agreement and, after showering Daoist nun Hu with further assurances, finally led her daughter-in-law and daughter out of the residence. As the three of them walked down the street, Lady Li finally let out the breath she had been holding back in her chest. "I knew it! Why else would everything in our house go wrong? So it was because of this! That accursed hussy has opposed me at every turn, yet who would have thought she is actually a monster come specifically to plague our family?" Lady Li said, gritting her teeth with bitter resentment.

"Indeed! Mother, I said it before—that girl is uncanny, but Father wouldn't let us talk about it. Look at how it turned out now! Didn't the Great Immortal say so herself? Mother, this time you must not soften your heart. We simply must get rid of that monster! Otherwise, what on earth would we do if something else happens to our family?"

Lady Xu had never gotten along with Jiao Yan to begin with, and coupled with the melon seed incident, she had long since loathed Jiao Yan to the core. Now that such an opportunity presented itself, how could she let it slip away? Naturally, she kept speaking ill of Jiao Yan to harden Lady Li's resolve to deal with her.

"Mother, Fourth Sister-in-law, isn't something wrong here? I've seen that girl Jiaoniang too, and I didn't think she looked like any monster at all? The child is bright, clever, and as pretty as carved jade. Mother, I always feel like this Daoist nun Hu's words are somewhat intentionally frightening. You'd better not believe this." Gu Xiulan had only ever heard of Daoist nun Hu's reputation and had never seen her in person before. Having seen her today, she felt as though something wasn't quite right.