Chapter Nineteen: The Violet Aura

At that moment, on the opposite bank of the river, my elder brother slowly walked over and stood there, watching us from across the water. When Chen Qingshan saw my brother, he greeted him, then turned to the fat man and said, “Master Pang, that’s Sun Zhongmou, Yezi’s brother.”

The fat man looked at my brother, and my brother looked back at him. It was as if the two were sizing each other up across the river. After a while, my brother gave us a faint smile, said nothing, and turned to leave.

“Hey, buddy, tonight I’m going to the river to demand a soul from whatever’s lurking in there. Want to come and watch?” the fat man called out in my brother’s direction.

My brother glanced back at him, shook his head, and walked on, disappearing into the woods ahead until his figure was lost from sight.

“Master Pang, Yezi’s brother isn’t much of a talker, just his way. Are you really going to demand a soul from the thing in the river tonight?” asked Chen Qingshan.

The fat man nodded. “Old Lady Wang served as the local magistrate. She should’ve had one soul and one spirit follow the City God to cultivate and accumulate merit after death. But she offended something in the river. Now all three souls and seven spirits of hers have been seized by a river ghost. The local City God is a coward who doesn’t dare retrieve her. Since I’m here, I’ll see justice done for Old Lady Wang. What I don’t understand is, all she did was help deal with the matter of that mad woman’s corpse coming back to life—why would that offend the thing in the river so badly? And to seize her very soul—what kind of hatred is that?”

The way the fat man spoke was like reciting a cryptic scripture. Even the City God was dismissed as useless in his mouth. That frightened Chen Qingshan, who asked, “Master Pang, is the thing in the river a river god?”

“Is there only a river god in the river? There are river demons too!” the fat man scoffed.

I interjected, “Master Pang, judging from your tone, it seems you don’t take the City God seriously. Isn’t he a deity of the underworld? What was that talisman you burned for the City God?”

“My good man, you don’t understand. It’s not that I don’t take him seriously, it’s just that my lineage is unique. Anyway, it’s not something I can explain to you. As for the thing I burned, that’s a visiting card—like a business card, you could say. I introduced myself and my credentials, so naturally, the City God had to come out and meet me,” the fat man replied. He yawned and added, “Let me get some rest. Tonight you’ll see for yourselves.”

Chen Qingshan and I exchanged glances. To this day, we still couldn’t tell whether the fat man was speaking truth or fiction. Sometimes he seemed full of nonsense; yet there was always an undercurrent suggesting real ability. Chen Qingshan arranged for the fat man to stay at the village committee office. The man loved oranges, so he bought more than a hundred yuan’s worth and had them delivered—enough to startle the orange seller. He even asked the restaurant at the east end of the village to prepare a lavish meal for the fat man.

After we parted ways, I went straight to Sanlitun to find my brother. These days, he was quite free; when I arrived, he was hoeing the earth in the yard, seemingly getting ready to grow his own vegetables. When he saw me, he put down the hoe and said, “Come on in, let’s talk inside.”

Once we were indoors, I asked, “Did you see the fat man today?”

“I did. There was a purple aura behind him. Seems he comes from a distinguished lineage—he has real cultivation,” my brother replied.

“A purple aura? Why didn’t I notice anything?”

“If you had, that would be strange,” he said with a smile.

I thought about it—it was true. Insiders see the subtleties, outsiders just watch the commotion. I’d been doubting the fat man, but if my brother said he had real skill, then he must.

“He was brought here by Tang Ranjie, supposedly to help Chen Qingshan with the madwoman’s issue. But the fat man said he’s really here to challenge you. Brother, are you confident?” I asked, probing.

He picked up his teacup, smiled, and said, “It’s nothing.”

His tone was as calm as ever. Watching him, I realized how different he and the fat man were—one was brash and blunt, the other steady and contained. I almost blurted out that the fat man might have been sent by Tang Ranjie to cause trouble, but my brother’s demeanor remained utterly unruffled.

Was this just his nature, or did he truly have such deep reserves of confidence?

“That fat man’s sect seems powerful—even the City God doesn’t faze him. He presented his card and bossed the City God around. Be careful. Tonight, he said he’d demand a soul from the river—the soul of Old Lady Wang, who drowned herself after helping Chen Shitou years ago,” I said.

“Oh?” For the first time, my brother straightened with interest.

“Interesting,” he smiled.

“I know you’re quietly making plans to find the one who killed our father. I’m just worried the fat man will mess up your arrangements,” I said, hoping to draw out more from him.

He waved his hand. “Don’t worry. The fat man is a bit unpredictable, but that’s exactly what I need—someone to stir the waters. The more chaotic, the better.”

He gave nothing away. I lit a cigarette and crossed my legs, hesitating whether to bring up the real reason I’d come. At last, I rubbed my left shoulder and asked, “Brother, my left shoulder’s been aching for twenty years. Doctors can’t fix it. Can you tell me what’s wrong?”

He looked at me, a faint, knowing smile on his lips.

“What are you smiling about?” I asked.

“The fat man told you, didn’t he? That the soul lamp in your left shoulder is extinguished?” He saw right through me, as always.

“So it’s true? My soul lamp is out? He said I’m okay while I’m young, but when I’m older, my arm might be useless. Why didn’t you tell me before?” I blurted out in alarm.

He looked at me and said, “Don’t panic. I won’t let you be crippled. But now is not the time to relight your lamp.”

“When will that be?”

“You’ll know when the time comes. Yezi, don’t be afraid of anything. Remember, I am your brother—your real brother.”

My nose tingled, and I nodded. What more needed to be said?

As I was leaving, I suddenly thought of something and asked, “Brother, when you said someone powerful was involved in the madwoman’s matter, did you mean the fat man?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“Was it someone with a painted face?”

His expression changed, eyes wide. “You saw him?”

“Yes, last night. He followed the madwoman, and Han Xue caught him on her camcorder.”

His look returned to normal. He nodded, “It’s alright. I know. Go on, now.”

I didn’t press further; if he didn’t want to talk, asking would be pointless.

After leaving my brother, I went to the school to find Han Xue. I had to admit, things had grown so complicated since this all began that my head was spinning. Yet I’d gained a lot too—my life was fuller, and my relationship with Han Xue had progressed rapidly.

Han Xue’s determination was no empty talk. Although the madwoman had come again last night, today Han Xue was in much better spirits. Taking advantage of a break between classes, I told her about the fat sorcerer Chen Qingshan had brought in. “This fat man was recommended by Tang Ranjie. Because of some friction between Tang Ranjie and me, I didn’t tell him everything, like the man with the painted face we caught on camera last night. I’m going to wait and see. The fat man is going to perform a soul-summoning ritual tonight—do you want to watch?”

“Sure. But he’s not another fraud like the Daoist Chen Qingshan brought last time, is he?” Han Xue asked.

“No, this one’s actually capable. My brother said he has real skill, so I trust him.” I invited Han Xue mainly to reassure her—a high-level expert in the village would make her feel safer, like knowing there’s a cop nearby when you’re being chased by a criminal.

Some things spread like wildfire. Chen Qingshan told a few village officials, who told their families, and soon most of the village knew: tonight the fat man would go to the Luo River to confront the river demon for Old Lady Wang’s lost soul, avenging her tragic death. As for what the river demon was, the villagers understood well enough—it had to be one of those things living in the Twelve Ghost Caverns.

That afternoon was rare leisure for me, so I basked in the sun at home, dozing in preparation for another sleepless night. But peace was fleeting—just as I drifted off, my mother woke me. When I opened my eyes, Uncle Zhuzi was standing in front of me.

Seeing me awake, Uncle Zhuzi smiled at my mother. “Jinzhi, you go ahead. I want a word with Yezi.”

She nodded. “You two chat. I’ll pick some rapeseed greens. Don’t go anywhere—eat at home before you head out to see the excitement.”

Uncle Zhuzi nodded. “Alright.”

Watching them, I wished Uncle Zhuzi could just be the simple uncle I’d always known. Since our talk that day, he’d been avoiding me, perhaps out of awkwardness. I felt our relationship would never return to what it once was.

“Yezi, go and tell that fat man not to stir up trouble. The thing in the river is untouchable—if angered, the whole village will suffer!” Uncle Zhuzi said.

“Are these your words, or is someone else asking you to say this?” I replied.

“Does it matter, Yezi?” he sighed.

“There’s nothing I can do. I didn’t bring him here. Even if Chen Qingshan and I tried, we couldn’t stop him now—the fat man’s temper is unpredictable,” I said.

Uncle Zhuzi gave a bitter smile. “Alright. I just hope nothing goes terribly wrong. There’s a reason no one’s touched the Twelve Ghost Caverns for so many years.”

With that, he stood up and left—didn’t even stay for a meal.

Watching him go, I suddenly felt that Uncle Zhuzi had grown old.