Chapter 19: The Straw Effigy Substitute

"The paths of the living and the dead do not cross"—that is the meaning of the saying. No matter how kind a person may have been in life, once they die, they no longer possess human nature. If a living person stays with a ghost for too long, they will inevitably be killed by that ghost; there is absolutely no other possibility.

This was the situation between Zhao Yong and his girlfriend. Even if she had no intention of harming him, her inability to control herself would eventually lead to his death if she continued to follow him.

It was three in the morning when I hung up the phone with Old Five Xie. I put down my phone and drifted into an uneasy sleep. According to what Old Five Xie said, Zhao Yong might meet his end before the second-seven ceremony. Early the next morning, I rushed to the police station to see him.

Zhao Yong was soon brought to the visitation window. His complexion was noticeably paler than the day before, drained of all color. These were symptoms of having his vital energy (yang) drained. Generally speaking, if a ghost follows someone, it will sap the living person’s vital energy, even if the ghost is not doing so intentionally.

I greeted him and then looked him over carefully. To my shock, I saw a faint, dark handprint on his neck. It was not very distinct, yet it was clearly visible.

I didn't say much during the visit. The truth is, my goal in coming today was to see if his girlfriend was still following him. Yesterday was the "Return of the Soul" night; the underworld allows the newly deceased to return home to visit their loved ones on the seventh day after death, but they must return by a set time, or they will never be able to go back. I had been clinging to the faint hope that Zhao Yong’s girlfriend had already returned to the underworld, but seeing that handprint on his neck, I knew for certain that she had not.

After leaving the police station, I immediately called Old Five Xie to report the situation. On the other end of the line, he said, "There's no other way. Prepare for a ritual to catch the ghost."

A ritual? How would I know how to perform a ritual? I immediately retorted, "Aren't you coming? How could I possibly manage this?"

"I am a very busy man! Do you think I have time to deal with the trivial matters of your friend?" Old Five Xie snapped.

My temper flared. "Trivial? A human life is at stake! Fine, I know you want money, but I don't have any. I’ll find someone else, won't I?"

I hung up on him immediately. If it was a ghost-catching I needed, I refused to believe I couldn't find anyone else. I rummaged through my pockets and found a business card—the one belonging to the old man who had jumped into the lake.

I felt a surge of joy. How could I have forgotten him? The old man was a true veteran, with far more spiritual cultivation than Old Five Xie. I dialed his number, and he answered quickly.

I greeted him and recounted Zhao Yong’s situation in one breath. The old man sighed. "I cannot step in personally. Since my encounter with that ghost master last time, my legs haven't been quite right."

I grew anxious. "Then what should I do? I can't find anyone else."

"Hmm, let me think. Ah, I have it. I can teach you a method to lure the female ghost out. If you can lure her to me, I can step in and help you catch her."

"What is the method?"

"First, you need to find a few things: grass from a grave mound, the blood from a rooster's comb, and your friend's old clothes—the older, the better. Bind these into a straw effigy. When you visit him, hand this effigy to your friend, and then have him hand it back to you. That should do it."

The old man explained everything in one go, and I found him even more mysterious and profound than before. Without even asking why, I nodded and agreed. "I'll do it. I'll go right now."

"Remember, the sooner, the better. Every second you waste is a second of his life slipping away." With that, he hung up.

I rushed out of the house and hailed a taxi to the outskirts of town. There was a graveyard there, dating back to the 60s and 70s. All the burials were earthen, and the grass on the mounds grew exceptionally thick. I knew why the old man wanted the grave grass; it had absorbed the essence of the decomposing bodies, allowing it to act as a realistic surrogate for a living body. As for the rooster blood, I wasn't sure of its purpose.

I quickly reached the graveyard, found a particularly dense patch of grass, and pulled it up. In no time, I had a bag full. I returned to the county town, bought the largest rooster I could find at the market, and took it home along with the grass.

Now, with the grass and the blood secured, all that remained were Zhao Yong’s old clothes. I rushed to his house. The front door was still wide open, but his parents were nowhere to be seen. I didn't stand on ceremony and pushed my way inside. The place was a disaster; bowls, chopsticks, and tables were smashed on the floor.

In his room, the chaos continued, and I could see faint, mottled bloodstains on the bedding. It seemed that after his parents had locked him in, he had truly gone mad. I scanned the room and picked up a shirt from the floor. My heart leaped—I had seen him wear this many times, always when he was with his girlfriend. There could be no better choice.

With all the materials ready, only the final step remained. Back home, I began crafting the effigy. I threw the grave grass onto the floor, my hands moving quickly to weave the model. I splashed the rooster blood over it and dressed the effigy in Zhao Yong’s clothes.

The effigy was complete. I was both nervous and excited. I couldn't help but call the old man again. His voice was flat. "The effigy is done. Go to the prison, hand it to your friend, and make sure he hands it back to you. Remember, he must hand it back to you."

"What if I give it to him, and he doesn't hand it back?" I asked.

"Then your friend will be dead by nightfall. Therefore, you must make him hand it back to you, by any means necessary."

"What exactly is this effigy for?" I couldn't help but ask.

"You'll know when the time comes."

The day was still young, and visiting hours were not over. I looked at the effigy with satisfaction and hailed a taxi back to the prison. I soon saw Zhao Yong again. He looked impatient. "Why are you back?"

I didn't say a word. I simply picked up the effigy and handed it to him. "This is very important. I’m giving it to you, and then you must hand it back to me."

Zhao Yong snatched it from my hands and looked at me coldly. "Is it really that important?"

"Yes, it really is."

Zhao Yong kept staring at me, and then, suddenly, he turned on his heel with the effigy. "Well, I think I just won't give it back to you."