Folklore and Strange Tales: At the Start, You Retrieve the Sea-Suppressing Black Iron

Red fluid began to seep from under Cheng Xiaojin's fingernails.

Tong Kexin was tying a red rope around his ankle when she looked up and saw that the knot in her hand had stopped halfway through.

"What happened to your hand again?"

Cheng Xiaojin hid his right hand in his sleeve.

"It's alright, it's cold. The small river has its sluice gates open."

Tong Kexin raised her hand and grabbed his sleeve.

"Try saying another sarcastic remark to me."

With her tug, the gauze unfurled halfway, and a drop of red fluid from under her nail dripped into the copper basin beside the table.

The basin originally contained warm water that Aunt Zhang had just brought for him to wipe his hands. When the red water fell in, it left a thin red shadow on the surface of the water.

The red shadow stood up and transformed into the shape of a small chopstick.

Then the second one, and the third one.

Thin red chopsticks floated in the copper basin, their tips all pointing towards Cheng Xiaojin's hand.

A gurgling sound came from the bottom of the basin, and no one spoke in the main room.

The leaves of the old locust tree outside the courtyard rustled in the wind, and a gurgling sound came from under the stone slab at the wellhead.

Zhou Banxian glanced down at the copper basin. "The Red Chopsticks Resentful Powder has recognized its place."

Cheng Xiaojin frowned.

"What door do you need to recognize?"

Tang Wanqing pressed the compass onto the table, and the needle pointed to the copper basin, circled halfway around, and then stopped on Cheng Xiaojin's right hand.

"I will recognize your palm print."

Tong Kexin's face tightened.

"What do you mean?"

Tang Wanqing looked at Cheng Xiaojin's nail seams.

"He rubbed the resentment powder into his fingernails and sent it into Tie Chi's tactile channels with the Xin Jin Qi. The resentment Qi passed through his hands and remembered the way."

The red chopsticks in the copper basin touched the water, causing red ripples to appear on the surface.

Tang Wanqing continued, "Now that his Xin metal energy is weak, the Yin water evil energy is coming along the water, and the resentment in the red chopsticks has also been awakened."

Cheng Xiaojin pulled her hand back and stared at the red spot under her nail.

"If she's awake, she's awake. The girl is quite wronged."

Tang Wanqing glanced at him.

"If you delay any longer, it will crawl along the lines of your palm into the gaps in your bones. Then, with this hand, you'll touch the water tank first."

Upon hearing this, Tong Kexin tightened her grip on the red string.

Cheng Xiaojin's ankles were aching from the tightness of the straps, and she looked down at her.

"Boss lady, are you saving me or tying up a pig?"

Tong Kexin didn't look up. "Even pigs know pain, you know that?"

Cheng Xiaojin's lips moved, but she didn't retort.

The shadows of the red chopsticks in the copper basin began to collide.

Boom, boom, boom.

Each time, the water was submerged at the bottom of the basin, and a ring of red ripples appeared on the surface.

Master Ma put the half-sheet of rubbing paper into the white cotton cloth, then placed a paperweight on top before looking at Cheng Xiaojin.

"We can't put off until tomorrow about the red chopsticks."

Tieguai Li wiped the clockwork knife clean and asked in a low voice, "Should we seal it?"

Zhou Banxian shook his head.

"The resentment hasn't dissipated, it can't be sealed away. If you forcibly seal it into the vessel, it will cause trouble sooner or later."

Tong Kexin stood up, her eyes blazing with anger.

"I asked Aunt Zhang and Sister Zhou (who makes pancakes) to inquire, and they just got back the news."

Cheng Xiaojin looked at her.

Tong Kexin held her phone tightly in her hand. The screen was lit up, displaying several voice-to-text messages, interspersed with the names and addresses of several old neighbors.

Another sound of water choking came from the bottom of the basin.

Tong Kexin placed her phone face down on the table, her voice very low.

"The girl's name is He Xiaoman. She lives in an old house behind Huguo Temple. She is seventeen years old. Her father, He Laosan, is in debt from gambling. Her mother, Liu Guilan, works as a sewer at home. She also has a son who is two years younger than her."

Cheng Xiaojin's hand remained inside her sleeve.

Tong Kexin continued, "Two years ago, her father bought her an accident insurance policy, saying it was sold by a neighbor. That winter, He Xiaoman fell into the family's water tank and was reported as an accidental drowning. They received 200,000 yuan in compensation."

Tieguai Li placed the clock-shaped knife on the table, the back of the blade making a soft sound as it touched the wooden surface.

"Fell into a water vat at seventeen?"

Zhou Banxian closed his eyes.

Tang Wanqing remained silent, the compass needle swaying gently.

Tong Kexin gritted her teeth.

"Some people said something was wrong. The water vat was about half a person's height and was usually covered with a wooden lid. The girl had worked at home since she was a child. How could she have fallen in by herself? But her parents cried more than anyone else, saying that their daughter was unlucky. The neighbors didn't say much."

Aunt Zhang chimed in from the doorway.

"Later, He Laosan even hired someone to perform a Buddhist ritual, saying he was afraid his daughter would miss home. Before the ritual had even lasted three days, the betrothal gifts for his son's engagement had already been sent out."

A red chopstick cast a broken shadow in the copper basin.

With a snap, a large patch of water turned red.

Tong Kexin pushed the phone to Master Ma.

"Sister Zhou said that the day before He Xiaoman died, she bought a bowl of tofu pudding on credit from her stall, saying she would pay her back when she got paid. That day, she had bruises on her wrists and a cut on the corner of her mouth. When Sister Zhou asked her, she said she fell."

Cheng Xiaojin looked down at her right hand, where red fluid was seeping out from under her nail again.

He reached out and pressed down on the edge of the table, leaving a damp mark on the wood from his fingertips.

"The living don't keep accounts with ghosts."

No one inside the room responded.

Cheng Xiaojin looked up, his usual roguishness lessening somewhat.

"I'll send her on the road to the dead first."

Tong Kexin looked at him.

"She's been seen off. What about her parents?"

Cheng Xiaojin took out the Qianlong Tongbao coin and placed it next to the copper basin.

As soon as the copper coin landed on the table, the shadows of the red chopsticks in the basin receded an inch.

"If she doesn't leave, she'll be carried around the city by the Yin Water Fiend, and in the end she won't even remember her own name, He Xiaoman. All that will be left is the water vat and counting. We'll slowly flip through the ledger of the living."

Tang Wanqing looked at him.

"You don't have the strength to avenge her now."

"Who said I was going to pay for her?"

Cheng Xiaojin pressed the copper coin down.

"She didn't ask me to kill anyone. She kept asking if the water tank was full. This shows that she was still trapped in the last breath before she died. Let her know that the water tank doesn't have to be full to let her have a hot meal."

After he finished speaking, the gurgling sound in the copper basin subsided a little.

A little white foam floated to the surface of the basin, with tiny black mud particles mixed in with it.

Master Ma picked up the teacup lid and rubbed it against the rim of the cup a couple of times.

"Do it that night."

Aunt Zhang immediately asked, "What rules are there?"

Master Ma looked at the copper basin.

"Delivering meals."

Zhou Banxian nodded.

"It's a desperate measure, but it works. Vengeful ghosts can't leave when they're hungry, especially those that died in the water, whose bellies are full of cold water. Give them a bowl of hot water, a pair of clean chopsticks, and burn a road pass."

Tang Wanqing frowned. "She harbors deep resentment; ordinary meals might not be enough."

Master Ma looked at Cheng Xiaojin.

"So Xiao Jin should sit on the side."

Tong Kexin immediately objected.

"no."

Tong Kexin pointed to his hand.

"Your hand is already like this, if you sit down there, what if she actually crawls into it following the lines of your palm?"

Master Ma put the lid of the teacup down.

"Xiao Jin won't sit down, she won't accept food, the red chopsticks and the resentful powder have passed through his hands, now she only recognizes this door of his."

Tang Wanqing also said, "We can use a red string to lock his wrist and use a copper coin to press down on the rim of the bowl to prevent him from aggravating the metal element."

Zhou Banxian added, "You should have some blood on your tongue."

Cheng Xiaojin immediately looked at him.

"Old Zhou, you really know how to live frugally. Others burn paper money for the deceased, but you bleed me for the deceased."

Zhou Banxian glared at him, "Your blood has a strong metallic aura, which is more effective than cinnabar. Besides, can biting your tongue kill you?"

Tieguai Li took out the half of the deadly chopsticks.

The broken chopstick had been sealed in the tin box. As soon as the lid was opened, the temperature in the room dropped a level.

The broken chopstick was a dark red, with fine teeth marks on its body, indicating that He Xiaoman had bitten it before she died.

When Tong Kexin saw the teeth marks, her eyes reddened, and she turned and went to the kitchen.

"I'll go downstairs."

Cheng Xiaojin called out from behind, "Add more chopped green onions."

Tong Kexin stopped at the door and looked back at him.

"Who will eat it, you or she?"

Aunt Zhang went to find red paper, while Grandpa Ma pulled out a stack of old yellow paper. Zhou the fortune teller circled the well in the yard to determine the orientation.

Tang Wanqing opened the compass box, took out three copper coins and a roll of red thread, while Tieguai Li sat down at the table and flattened the new chopsticks.

The new chopsticks were the bamboo chopsticks that Aunt Zhang used for meals; they were ordinary and clean, and he shaved them very slowly.

Cheng Xiaojin sat in the chair, looking at his right hand.

The red powder from under the nail was drawn out by the blood and dripped into the copper basin little by little.

The sound of boiling water came from the kitchen.

Glug, glug... The sound mingled with the bubbling in the water tank.

Cheng Xiaojin took the cigarette from behind his ear, tapped it twice on the edge of the table, and then put it back.

When Master Ma saw this action, his eyes held a hidden meaning.

"Shouyi was like this before."

Cheng Xiaojin didn't look up.

"Genetics? Poor families don't have much to pass on, just some bad habits."

Master Ma picked up the ashtray and placed it in front of him.

"It'll be on display tonight too."

Cheng Xiaojin looked at the brass ashtray. "My dad also suffered because of this food delivery service?"

Master Ma shook his head.

"He's not as gossipy as you."

"Then he'll suffer an even greater loss, without even a buffer period."

After those words were spoken, the oppressive atmosphere in the main room eased a little.

But the next moment, Tong Kexin's voice came from the kitchen.

"Cheng Xiaojin".

Cheng Xiaojin stood up, holding onto the table, his red ankle rope making him walk awkwardly.

"What's wrong?"

At the kitchen doorway, Tong Kexin held a bowl of freshly cooked hot noodles.

The noodle soup was clear, with scallions floating on top, and a poached egg lying in the middle of the bowl.

The fried egg cracked open by itself, the egg white flipped to both sides, and a little girl's pale face floated out of the yolk.

Her eyes were closed, and her lips moved slightly.

"Is the water tank full?"