The Taoist, immediately embarrassed by my reaction, shuffled backwards awkwardly. My mom comforted me the best she could in such a situation, "Silly boy, this is a master, not a Lao Beizi."

​

My tear-streamed eyes met hers, "Then what kind of monster is this master?"

​

The Taoist coughed loudly, drawing everyone’s gaze. He changed the topic smoothly and said, "Come here Zhao Laohei and introduce me to this lady."

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Zhao Laohei hurried over, carving through the awkward air like a cudgel. "This is my uncle. I met him when I left the village to learn Taoism. He is called Master Liu." Zhao Laohei bowed reverently.

​

My mom blushed a little at this man’s obvious importance, "Master Liu, My son..."

​

Master Liu interrupted her, "I know about your child's condition. I will tell you more about it later. As for now, I want to perform the religious rites to expel the dirty thing inside your child's body." He spoke with his nose in the air, not quite looking at anyone in the circle and gestured towards me like I was a dirty rag that he couldn’t avoid.

​

Frightened by his words, my mother looked to Zhao Laohei. "Don't tell me you didn’t expel Xiao Chun’s mother?"

​

Zhao Laohei blushed a deep red and said, "I am a jack of all trades. I cannot be sure that the ritual was successful. It’s…” He looked down at his feet. “Unclear. Taoism teaches that it is normal for a soul to show remnants of possession because a  soul is composed of many spiritual elements." He looked to Master Liu for reinforcement.

​

Master Liu stretched a hand from behind his back and knocked sharply on Zhao Laohei’s forehead. "Did my senior apprentice tell you that was normal?"

​

Zhao Laohei looked around the circle of people ashamedly and kept silent. His wife, my mother, Zhao Jie, and I kept silent as well.

“I don’t blame you,” said Master Liu, “Nor should any of you. Let’s get this boy inside the room. You,” He gestured to my mother, “Control him while he is on the bed. He cannot move no matter what happens.”

​

She nodded intently. Master Liu turned to Zhao Jie as we went into the room, "Son of Zhao Laohei, stay out of the room. Do you have to pee?" The boy blushed and looked just like his father.

​

"I just peed in the doorway." Zhao Jie said, shaking his head wildly.

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Master Liu pulled a bowl of clean water, seemingly from nowhere, and passed it to Zhao Jie. “Drink it. And when you have to pee, use this bowl. We will need it."

​

Zhao Jie looked hesitantly at his parents. They would have beaten him senseless if he ever peed in one of their bowls.

Zhao Laohei nodded at his boy gently, "Xiao Jie, my good boy, do as Master Liu says."

​

Zhao Jie nodded and promptly downed the bowl of water. His mother stared at him abashed. Zhao Laohei leaned and whispered to her, "Honey, don't worry. Master Liu will not hurt our son."

​

Zhao Laohei comforted her, but she still didn't enter the room. She went with Zhao Jie worriedly and Master Liu didn't stop her. The master made a circle of incense ashes around them and said, "You and your son stay here. Do not leave the circle no matter what happens." The boy and his mother looked terrified at him.

​

I was reminded of a circle in “Journey to the West” that could dissuade monsters. Had he learn his tricks from the Monkey King?

Although I was in the room, I could not stop looking out the window. “What is he doing in the yard?” I thought.

​

Master Liu took a paper amulet out of his priest frock. He murmured with the paper amulet in his hand, though it didn’t feel like a religious rite.

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Bored, my eyes began searching the room. The windows and doors were covered with yellow papers that were full of red characters. A basin of water sat behind the door. There were some willow leaves floating inside the clean water.

​

I saw mom’s eyes fall on the water as well. Zhao Laohei saw us examining it and explained, “All was prepared by Master Liu. Willow leaves and clean water is helpful for cleaning his eyes. He will be able to fight that dirty thing inside you." Zhao Laohei poked at my stomach and my mother glowered at him.

​

Granny Hong Rong followed, "The tea on the desk is used to clean Master Liu’s mouth. Only with clean eyes and mouth, can he successfully catch the ghost."

​

Zhao Laohei and Granny Hong Rong were showing off. The two most famous for being versed in mystical ways, in our village at least, were gloating before us. Mom rolled her eyes at me and I smiled back at her.

​

The master had begun to perform conjure footwork when Zhao Laohei and Granny Hong Rong were talking. I didn't know the name of steps at the time. Maybe if I had known, I wouldn’t have laughed.

​

I giggled quietly and climbed towards the window. "Look, mom, Lao Beizi is a lunatic."

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She rapped on my forehead with one knuckle and said, "Shush. Watch quietly."

​

Master Liu used his left hand to save the paper amulet that had been flying towards a flame on the desk. Suddenly, the paper amulet was flaming and popped with a haughty bang. It seemed that it was not simply paper, but gunpowder too.

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"Ah" I shouted and wiggled my body. "That was a good one!"

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Mom glared at me strangely and whispered, “It’s no game, sweet one.”

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The paper amulet had extinguished itself. It became a wisp of smoke that was floating towards me. I caught the scent of something off and began to choke. Without warning, I was retching.

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"Um..."

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“Ugh!” Mom cried, "What's wrong with you, Xiao Yong?"

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"It’s smelly..."

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She looked at me curiously, "What is?"

​

Master Liu was scolding his peach wood sword. Though I didn’t at the time, I now know that my mother couldn’t smell it.

"I will give you several minutes,” Master Liu spoke, not looking at us. “If you leave now, I will let you go. But if you insist on hurting this boy, you cannot blame me when I send you back to the hell."

​

My eyes widened when I realized he was talking to something inside of me. A shiver broke over my skin at the sound of his voice. A horror crept fiercely up from the bottom of my heart. “What am I scared of?” I thought. A horrible consciousness welled in my belly. Something was still in me.

​

I quickly sat down on the bed and my mom looked at me, then Master Liu, then back to me. He nodded at her and she put her hands firmly on my right arm and leg.

​

Master Liu went silent and my retching became vomit that fell on my lap and turned the bed a sickly yellow. I screamed out painfully between gags and spittle, "Ah..."

​

I began to struggle and press against the wall. My mom was frightened to death, but held me tightly. Zhao Laohei and Granny Hong Rong moved to my left side and each grasped a limb.

​

My consciousness was clear, I remember thinking, “I’m fine,” and “I’m okay!” At the same time, I felt like something inside of me was gnawing on my blood vessels, muscles, and organs.

​

“I’m being eaten again.” I thought.

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I suddenly became furious at the way my mother was looking at me. Zhao Laohei spoke softly to her, "Don't worry, Xiao Yong feels bad because the dirty thing is being parted from his soul. Everything will be okay soon."

​

Master Liu was scolding something in the yard, "Bastard, why are you looking for trouble? You think I cannot kill you?”

Master Liu began chanting something. After a minute, he shouted out one resounding word in a voice that sounded as if it came from the bottom of a chasm, "Control."

​

With a blinding pain, I felt a shadow flying from my body. I couldn’t see it clearly at the speed it was moving. I caught a glimpse of its shape as it landed on the wall by the window. It looked like a thirty-year-old man in Chinese tunic suit.

​

The shadow flew out of the window and I flew out with him. Not me, my mother, Granny, and Zhao Laohei were still holding my body in place. But it looked like me. It had to have been me. My eyes followed my back as it flew from were I lay and followed the shadow man.

​

Master Liu’s eyes fell on the me in the window and he waved his peach wood sword. "Go back!" he said. “Now is not your time!”

My soul, which fled my body with the shadow, collided with the paper amulet on the window. It shuddered heavily for what felt like years then fell down back to my body.

​

I gasped as I regained myself.

​

Kicking the bed in Zhao Jie's home with all my strength. It was like I had fallen from the top of a mountain. My back arched and I was momentarily suspended.

​

Then all at once, I was exhausted.

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Listening to my breathing as it slowly steadied, my mother leaned over my sweat-covered face and asked in an almost jovial tone, "Xiao Yong, you feel better?"

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I nodded and said, "Um, I’m fine. Quick question though… did Zhao Jie pee yet?"

​

The three adults peering down at my face stared with open mouths, and I began to laugh.