Otherworldly Merchant

At first, He Kui shook his head. But when he saw the bloodstain on the hoe, his eyes opened wide. He couldn’t believe what he saw and burst into tears. “I remember now.” 

This hoe was the tool Mr. He used to use when he was alive, and the bloodstain on it was from Mr. He himself. 

He Kui told us that his father was working in the field one day. Little He Kui was playing with marbles in front of his house when a human smuggler passed by his house and tried to kidnap him. 

His father came home just in time. He was enraged when he saw the smuggler and furiously hit him with his hoe. Although Mr. He managed to save his son and killed the smuggler, he was hurt. His blood dripped on his hoe. 

“At that time, we hadn’t built this house yet. So my father buried the hoe here. It was during the olden days, and we were in a rural area that didn’t have police. Moreover, the victim was a human smuggler. That was why my father wasn’t arrested for the crime.” 

After talking, He Kui wept louder. With a perplexed face, he said, “Is it because my father killed someone? Is that why he couldn’t rest even after he died?” 

“There’s always a cause-effect relationship. But no matter what, your father is gone. He shouldn’t endure torment.” 

I comforted He Kui and poured gasoline on the hoe and the fabric, burning them into ashes. 

Mr. He wasn’t the one attached to this hoe. It was his anger that had stayed behind from the time he killed the human smuggler. That was why I didn’t show mercy to the hoe. 

And, as the old man’s body had been affected by the hoe, he had troubled his daughter-in-law. Now that the hoe was burned, she could sleep well at night. 

“Little Brother Zhang, since you’ve burned the hoe, will Mr. He return?” Li Mazi reacted, patting his thigh with a dispirited face. 

I nodded and explained, “If he was just a soul, he wouldn’t come now that the hoe is destroyed. But he’s a walking corpse now. That’s why he will return with or without the otherworldly item.” 

He Kui knew that his father would come back at night, so he went to buy a lot of offerings. At nightfall, he set up an altar by the hole and offered three joss sticks and two candles. 

At around midnight, the sounds of footsteps came from the hole. He Kui stood up and looked as though he wanted to jump into the hole. 

Li Mazi hurried to stop him. “What should we do? Will Mr. He be mad now that the hoe is gone?” 

I made an OK sign and took out the Emei Piercer, waiting. Soon, a shadow appeared in the hole. He was bending his body here and there. It seemed he was looking for the hoe. 

A moment later, he slowly turned as though he was about to leave. I wouldn’t let him leave, of course. From a distance, I stabbed him with the Emei Piercer. 

“Ah…” The shadow turned and screamed strangely. He thrust his hands toward me. I jumped aside and tried to lure him up. 

The old man had no color on his face, but his eyes were strangely red. He looked at me maliciously. However, he didn’t do anything. 

I was worried. If he didn’t jump up here, it would be hard to get him. To provoke him, I boldly came near him to stab him again. This time, the old man was completely enraged. He grunted and jumped up, landing on the floor. Then, he crazily aimed at me. 

I turned to Li Mazi and screamed, “Mazi, light up the candles!”

At the same time, I used the Emei Piercer to anger Mr. He, making him swing his arms toward me. Every time he moved, he created a waft of wind. However, as his body was stiff, he couldn’t reach me easily. 

Soon, Li Mazi lit up the candles. With the flickering candlelight, I saw Mr. He’s features clearly. He was wearing a black shroud. His back was hunched, and his fingernails were around five or six centimeters long. 

When He Kui saw his father, he cried again and rushed toward him. I wanted to stop him, but it was too late. 

The old man sneered evilly and grabbed He Kui by his neck, lifting him off the floor. 

“Dad, I’m He Kui, your son! Cough! Cough!” 

He Kui’s face turned red. I cursed under my breath and stormed forward. I used all my strength to stab the Emei Piercer into the old man’s arm. The old man retracted his arms as though he got an electric shock. Li Mazi seized the chance to pull He Kui away. 

He Kui gasped for his breath and said, “Master Zhang, don’t hurt my father.” 

Li Mazi panted for breath. “Are you nuts? He’s not your father anymore! Do you not understand?” 

The old man was aiming at me, but when he heard Li Mazi and He Kui talking, his malicious eyes dimmed. With a puzzled face, he turned to He Kui. 

I didn’t expect that the old man would still be sensitive to his son’s voice. I gestured and asked He Kui to talk more. 

He Kui moved away from Li Mazi and pointed at the offerings on the makeshift altar. He said to his father, “Dad, I’ve prepared the food you loved the most. I’m going to burn a lot of paper money for you. You shouldn’t be stingy. If you want to eat something, just buy it.” 

The old man was still bewildered, but he was listening to He Kui and looking at the offerings. The evil energy around him scattered quite a lot. I exhaled and thrust the Emei Piercer right at his throat. 

Puff! 

Along with the wind’s tearing noise, black mist emitted from the old man’s throat. He slowly slumped onto the ground like a deflating balloon. His long fingernails retreated into his skin. 

He Kui knew his father was gone for real this time. He got on his knees and cried. His wife rushed in from the living room. She gave kowtows to her father-in-law’s body on the ground. 

A moment later, I thought they had cried enough, so I pulled them up. We spent the rest of the night preparing another grave for Mr. He.

The reason Mr. He had become a walking dead was his grave. I checked the geomancy and chose a medium-quality grave for him. I wanted to ensure that the old man wouldn’t be tortured again. 

However, what made me happy was that after the incident, He Kui and his wife seemed to have changed completely. Every weekend, they would take their daughter to visit Mr. He’s grave. They would burn joss sticks to him and tell him about some random family affairs. He Kui’s wife had changed her attitude toward her father-in-law and husband. She often complimented her husband in front of her father’s grave, too. 

When he was alive, even though his stomach was growling, he gave the best eggs to his son. 

When he was alive, he stumbled his way through snows and winds just to take a look at his son. 

And after he died, he crawled out of his grave just to pluck the grass and take care of his son’s vegetable garden. How could they find a nice father like that? 

The father had brought up his son, and his son left him for a faraway place. It was one of the greatest pains in this world. 

If one day, you find that your parents cannot walk anymore,

If one day, you find that your parents lost their appetite, 

If one day, your parents ask you to visit them more,  

Please throw aside anything that burdens your mind and take your parents to watch a movie, have a nice dinner with them, and hold their hands just as they did with you when you were a child, because you’re the only thing they have in their last days.