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The person the old man wanted to take me to meet was named Big Mouth Lee.
According to the old man's introduction, Big Mouth Lee, known as the Iron-Mouthed Golden Immortal, was quite famous in the Rongcheng area. He was skilled in Fortune Telling and Feng Shui. By observing a person's aura, he could predict life and death. However, this man was not only sharp-tongued but also greedy for money; he would make judgments about people regardless of whether they were good or bad, which earned him the nickname " Big Mouth Lee." I heard that a few unreliable customers even presented him with a banner proclaiming "Miraculous Healing," which he gladly accepted.
Since Big Mouth Lee operated mainly at night, it was rare to see him during the day; those who did often found themselves shivering in the cold. So, the old man and I agreed to visit him around eight or nine in the evening.
Soon night fell, and the old man and I arrived at Twisted Alley. This place didn’t originally have an alley; during the Qing Dynasty, Guangxu Era, it was a graveyard. One year, it became haunted, resulting in the deaths of seven or eight people. After guidance from an Old Taoist, a Zhong Kui Temple was built at the intersection of yin and yang. Sure enough, after the temple was constructed, the ghosts were suppressed. Due to its effectiveness, it became a bustling site for worship and gradually turned into an alley.
Twisted Alley is now an antique street where fortune-telling occupies half of it; it is known as Rongcheng's famous "quack" street. With someone like the old man around, who is not very reliable himself, one has to wonder what kind of expert he could possibly know—he might just be a big fraud!
The old man led me to a rather inconspicuous spot where there was even a public restroom behind it, emitting a foul odor. On the roadside in front of the restroom stood a casually propped-up sunshade. Underneath it was a table covered with a Tai Chi tablecloth, adorned with divination sticks and coins that glowed orange. What particularly caught my attention was a copper coin.
Behind the stall lay a large recliner where a thin man in his forties lounged lazily with his feet resting on the stall. With his hair parted down the middle and skin stretched tightly over bones, he chewed on a toothpick while wearing large headphones, humming along to “I’m gazing at mountain views from the city tower, hearing chaos outside as flags flutter in the wind…”
The old man called out “Li Baoya!” several times before the thin man lazily turned his head, removed his headphones, and with bleary eyes finally jumped up saying, “Oh! Big spender! What brings you here on such a fine day?” The old man's face darkened as he glanced at me sideways, implying that I had brought this dark wind upon him!
The thin man understood and merely glanced at me before shuddering and shaking his head repeatedly. He looked at the old man and waved his hand dismissively while muttering something unintelligible. The old man's face darkened further as he retorted, “We’re all in this together; let’s share whatever comes our way!” Hearing this left me confused; I knew it was some kind of street slang. Not long after that, the thin man fixed his gaze on me again and finally spoke plainly: “I’m Li Bansian; I never give face to Dead Man's Face!”
I froze for a moment before realizing he meant me! I was furious and about to explode when the old man tugged at my sleeve, signaling me not to act rashly! However, I couldn’t help but ask.
“Excuse me! I’m standing right here alive before you; how can you curse me to death?”
“You won’t last long; don’t doubt it!”
This Big Mouth Lee truly lived up to his notorious reputation for being sharp-tongued; no wonder he was over forty yet still living in such squalor. I suppressed my anger and smiled coldly.
“I understand! People in your line of work have their old rules: scare people first, then open their wallets to avert disaster!”
"Better save your money for a coffin; I can't take your money!"
"Alright, alright... stop with the nonsense, let's talk!" The old man's face darkened even more.
"Isn't he just a charlatan?" I retorted defiantly.
In the business of fortune-telling and divination, you could dismiss him as ineffective or even destroy his stall. But you absolutely could not call him a fraud or a swindler; he would feel deeply insulted, his temper flaring, and he might draw a knife on the spot. Sure enough, the thin man was furious, hands on his hips, fuming: "Looking at your beauty, the imprint on your forehead shows a life of misfortune and failure. Recently, dark energy has been pressing down on you, destined for a bumpy road ahead! You have the appearance of a short life!"
The old man seized the opportunity to add fuel to the fire: "What it means is that you may have money but no life to spend it! You may have a wife but no life to enjoy her!"
"Not only that," Big Mouth Lee continued, "your Dread Palace is faintly darkened, filled with ominous energy. You are likely haunted by spirits, burdened with countless debts from the underworld. Your death is imminent!" Big Mouth Lee paced around me with his hands behind his back, pointing at my forehead: "From what I see, June sixth is your deadline! Whether you can pass this hurdle depends on your fate!" With that, Big Mouth Lee sighed and fell silent.
My face turned pale as I thought, "This guy really knows his stuff!"
The old man was sweating profusely; he took out a handkerchief to wipe his brow and asked in disbelief, "Li Baoya, we have known each other for many years. Is this child really about to meet his end?"
Big Mouth Lee shook his head. "Uncle Li, I've been reading faces for over ten years and have never seen such a dangerous countenance! By rights, this child should have died long ago!"
I felt a chill run down my spine. Was I really not meant to live?
"This isn't the place to talk; that thing has come too!" Big Mouth Lee seemed somewhat panicked now, his voice trembling slightly. "I don't know what sins this child has committed to attract such things; his life hangs by a thread!"
The three of us—me, the old man, and Big Mouth Lee —hurriedly packed up the stall, rolled up a cloth bundle, and quickly made our way deeper into the alley. I felt an eerie wind blowing behind me along with faint footsteps. The old man and Big Mouth Lee were also drenched in sweat; none of us dared to look back.
"Xia Ji!"
A voice called out from behind me, sending chills down my spine as I thought I had encountered that thing again! The old man seemed to sense it too and moved behind me. He traced some symbols on my back with his finger, and the voice abruptly stopped. Big Mouth Lee lived just behind Zhong Kui Temple, about three or four minutes away.
A row of ancient-style houses lined the street behind the temple. One of them had a sign hanging that read "Can Cut Life and Death." Two mirrors hung high on the doorframe, and a bunch of mugwort was stuck in the doorframe. The entrance was adorned with images of Shentu and Yulei. Inside was a chaotic mess; in the center stood an altar dedicated to Sanmao Zhenjun. Upon entering the main room, Big Mouth Lee bowed three times at the altar before hurriedly taking out a Bagua, hanging it in the room, then pulling out several Yellow Talismans to seal off the doors and windows! Only then did he sit down and catch his breath!
The three of them sat in silence, quietly contemplating. After a long while, the old man spoke up, "If it weren't for the old master's kindness, we wouldn't know how many times we've been reincarnated by now!"
"Alas! This child brings too much misfortune; now I've been dragged into it as well!"
"What are you saying? Is there anything greater than the debt of saving a life?"
Upon hearing this, I felt there was something hidden beneath the surface. "Old man, how many stories does my grandfather have?"
The old man and Big Mouth Lee quickly shook their heads, lowering their voices even further as they buried themselves in thought.
"No way, no way! I'm not married yet; I can't be dragged down with you!"
Li Baoya's ambiguous words irritated me. I thought to myself, "Although I'm not a saint, I shouldn't have to die just to be a scapegoat!" The old man seemed to sense my thoughts and quickly shook his head, indicating we should keep moving.
"This Demon is quite fierce; all I can do is draw a talisman and strike a few thunderbolts. To deal with this Demon, it might just be like sending a meat bun to a dog—gone without a trace!" I stared at the old man, who appeared even more anxious than I was, his eyes wide open. "What is yours?"
"What else could it be? That thing from earlier! It's vicious!"
"Li Baoya, I've misjudged! A Ghost Infant can scare you silly?" Li Baoya looked confused and asked, "Ghost Infant?"
"This child has recently been haunted by a Ghost Infant," I quickly filled in the details about what had happened recently to Big Mouth Lee.
"Oh! Then you're in big trouble! That thing has its sights set on you too!"
"What is that?"
"Could it be that thing?" The old man looked shocked, completely flustered!
"Alas! Xia Youfang was harmed by it for decades, and it still won't let up?"
"Uncle Li, we've been tricked by this child! Even if the two of us join forces, we're no match for it!"
"Can you tell me what this is?"
"If you can get past this hurdle in front of you, I will naturally explain everything to you."
I was completely baffled, lost in confusion. It wasn't until later that I learned they were overly fearful of that guy, to the point that even mentioning his name would make them tremble in terror. Since they felt that way, there must be a reason for it, and I didn't need to pry further. So, I got straight to the point.
"Ghost Infant, why do you want to use me for your cultivation?"
Big Mouth Lee pondered for a long time, then got up and peeked out the window and through the door crack. After a full ten minutes, he walked over to me with a serious expression and said each word slowly.
"Debts from a past life must be repaid in this life!"
"What kind of reasoning is that? Just because one did wrong in a past life means they have to repay it in this life? Is there any justice in that?" I felt indignant inside. But outwardly, I asked, "Master, could you explain this in detail?"
"Actually, I don't know either!" Big Mouth Lee replied awkwardly. "However, my master can tell you everything!" Wasn't that just nonsense? An unreliable old man introducing me to another unreliable fortune teller! I couldn't help but ask, "Who is your master?"
Big Mouth Lee pointed at the deity statue in the shrine—Sanmao Zhenjun. I was furious: "Are you kidding me? That's clearly just a statue of three deities!" Big Mouth Lee noticed my change in expression and decided not to keep me in suspense. "Just wait a moment; my master will possess me, and you can ask any questions you have!"
Fortunately, Big Mouth Lee had invited Sanmao Zhenjun, giving me a glimmer of hope!
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