Chapter 26: Hearts of Men, Hearts of Greens (Sixth Update)

If Niu Dahuang had simply stayed behind closed doors, even if those dozen or so villagers had tried to break in together, our high gatehouse and sturdy door would have held out for a while. But instead, after just one attempt at the door, Niu Dahuang opened it himself and stepped outside. I couldn't understand why he would throw himself into the net like that. Was it possible that he wasn't aware of the villagers' odd behavior, or that their purpose was to seize him and force him to drink that so-called Meritorious Soup?

Yet, his reaction after coming out didn't seem like someone completely in the dark. If he hadn't known, he probably would have opened the door as soon as Ma Weiguo called out. Now, in the bleak night breeze, Niu Dahuang stood at the doorway, a pipe in one hand, taking a puff that briefly illuminated his face, while in the other, he held a bunch of leafy greens.

These past few days, he'd been staying at my house, helping look after my grandfather, and he mentioned that the water spinach in his plot had grown, so he'd been cooking it every day. No doubt, the greens in his hand now were water spinach, meaning he must have been in the middle of cooking when he came out, probably without realizing what was happening outside.

I sighed to myself, thinking I was a step too late. Had I known, I should have come to warn him first. I’d thought our house was far enough from the main square, but these people had come here ahead of me.

“Old Niu, come with us to the assembly hall. The Taoist masters have a reward for you!” Ma Weiguo said, fiddling with the gold chain around his neck. As he spoke, he motioned to a few villagers to come grab Niu Dahuang.

“Wait a moment, I haven’t even eaten yet! Look, I haven’t finished cooking these greens!” Niu Dahuang replied, waving his handful of vegetables.

“Cut the nonsense. The masters have a reward. Just drink a bowl of Meritorious Soup and you can eat later,” Ma Weiguo snapped, while the others moved to seize him.

But Niu Dahuang, unhurried, said, “Hey now, what’s the rush? I can walk on my own.” He paused, fixing his eyes on the two villagers about to grab him. “Do you know what vegetable this is in my hand? There’s plenty more in my plot—anyone want some? It’s delicious!”

The two villagers looked confused and couldn’t answer.

“They don’t know. Captain Ma, do you know what this green is called?” Niu Dahuang asked.

Ma Weiguo hesitated, moving his mouth but saying nothing. It seemed he didn’t know either.

Niu Dahuang took a drag on his pipe, chuckled, and said, “You all really don’t know? Well then, let me tell you. This is called water spinach.”

At the mention of “water spinach,” Ma Weiguo and several others stiffened. Something seemed to occur to them, but they couldn’t quite grasp it. Their pupils dilated, their eyes growing vacant.

“The heart of a vegetable is its core; these greens live without a heart—what about people, then?” Niu Dahuang smiled at Ma Weiguo, his eyes crinkling.

Ma Weiguo opened his mouth, trying to speak, but instead found himself muttering Niu Dahuang’s words: “The heart of a vegetable… greens live without a heart… what about people? If people have no heart…” Suddenly, as if understanding, he clutched his chest, his face turning ashen, and managed to croak, “If… if a person has no heart… they’re doomed!”

And with that, he collapsed to the ground.

Ma Weiguo’s cry—“If a person has no heart, they’re doomed!”—was heard by the surrounding villagers. They each clutched their chests, searching for something they couldn’t find, and then all fell to the ground as well.

I stood by, utterly dumbfounded.

I hadn’t expected Niu Dahuang to have such a method. With nothing but a handful of water spinach and a few well-placed questions, he’d managed to deal with all the villagers who’d fallen under the control of the rat demon.

I walked over, and Niu Dahuang seemed a little surprised to see me return. He asked how things were at my uncle’s house, and I told him the truth: the peddler had gone there, and it seemed he’d taken my uncle’s body. The funeral would be held the next day, but it would only be a cenotaph.

Niu Dahuang thought for a moment and said the funeral should be postponed—things were too chaotic in the village now, and it wasn’t the right time. Then he asked why the peddler had taken my uncle’s body. I could only shrug; only the peddler himself could answer that.

Glancing at the villagers sprawled on the ground, I asked Niu Dahuang what had happened.

He said it was just a minor trick he’d learned from hearing tales of the Investiture of the Gods. When King Zhou’s loyal subject Bi Gan had his heart cut out, Jiang Ziya taught him a way to survive, but an old woman selling vegetables—really Daji in disguise—asked him a riddle, and upon realizing he had no heart, Bi Gan collapsed and died, blood pouring from his orifices. So Niu Dahuang thought he’d give it a try, never expecting it to actually work.

But I didn’t think his earlier confidence seemed like someone just taking a chance.

Niu Dahuang explained that the villagers hadn’t really lost their hearts; their hearts were being controlled by the Taoists, so they couldn’t sense them. That’s why, when he brought out the water spinach and asked, they grew confused, couldn’t feel their own hearts, and thus collapsed.

They weren’t truly dead, he said. As long as the Taoists who held their hearts willed it, these villagers could wake up at any time.

“Niu Grandpa, what should we do now? All the villagers are under the Taoists’ control. We probably can’t stay here any longer,” I said.

But Niu Dahuang shook his head. “Child, Old Jieling Village is my root—and your grandfather’s too. Whether it’s my wish or his, neither of us would ever leave. Even if it means death, we won’t go.”

His words were firm. “Can’t we just lay low somewhere else for a while?” I asked.

“No,” he replied.

I couldn’t understand. “Is it because of the Old Grave Slope?”

“Yes… and no,” Niu Dahuang said after a pause. “Child, there are things you need to prepare yourself for. Jieling Village has been peaceful for hundreds of years, but now, I fear it will become a place where storms converge. These rat demons selling Meritorious Soup are just the beginning.”

Clearly, Niu Dahuang knew the village’s secrets. I guessed this was what the shaman Wang had meant when she said things could no longer be suppressed.

Just as he finished speaking, Niu Dahuang looked past me, a kindly smile on his face. “This little girl is an unfamiliar face.”

Behind me stood He Xiaojing. She was a ghost, and I hadn’t expected Niu Dahuang would be able to see her. “Niu Grandpa, can you see her too?” I asked.

He nodded. “Are you one of Granny Wang’s people?” he inquired.

He Xiaojing nodded. “My name is He Xiaojing. I used to be Lin Yi’s classmate.”

Niu Dahuang nodded again, then looked at me and drew me aside. In a low voice, he asked, “Child, when did this little ghost girl start following you?”

“Not long ago,” I replied.

“Let me give you some advice: a pretty face can bring trouble. I don’t like the way she looks at you. And that bride you haven’t married yet—she’s no ordinary girl. She won’t tolerate any rivals. If she finds out you’re close with another girl, you’ll be in real trouble!”

He grumbled to himself, “That old shaman Wang, what was she thinking? Bringing extra trouble for no reason.”

His words left me speechless. Having one ghost bride was more than enough—did he expect me to accept two? With my frail body, one ghost would be enough to drain me dry!

After his admonition, Niu Dahuang gestured to He Xiaojing. “Come in, child. It’s not safe outside at night.”

I hadn’t expected him to be so composed in the face of a female ghost. Clearly, he was far more than I’d imagined.

But He Xiaojing shook her head. “I… I only came to deliver a message. I have to go back now, or it’ll arouse suspicion.”

“A message?” I repeated, puzzled.

She nodded, glancing at the door but not coming in. “Tomorrow night, Ma the Cripple will act. Lin Yi, you must be careful.”

“What is he planning?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I only heard that a Taoist family named Ma is coming. That family has many powerful wandering Taoists. Lin Yi, you must protect yourself,” she said. Her eyes, as she looked at me, were those of a gentle young woman, not a fearsome ghost.

“All right,” I said.

“Then I’ll go, Lin Yi. If I stay any longer, he’ll get suspicious.” With that, she turned to leave. I was about to tell her to be careful, but Niu Dahuang stopped me.

He Xiaojing’s form drifted a few steps away before vanishing into the darkness.

Niu Dahuang closed the door and turned to me. “Child, sometimes words have meaning beyond their surface. She came only to deliver a message, but she stayed with you until now. You ought to know what that means.”

“Niu Grandpa, you’re reading too much into it. She’s just following Granny Wang’s instructions to protect me while delivering her message. It’s not as complicated as you think,” I replied.

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