Chapter 11: The Hungry Ghost Realm

Old man Jiang turned his head away, as if he didn’t want to face the two old men’s gaze, and said, “It’s very difficult to replenish this kind of essence. In the future… if you take good care of him, there may be hope.”

The two old men thanked him and insisted on giving him money to thank us, but he refused. He sighed and looked as if he wanted to say something, but I didn’t know what he was thinking.

“Sanwa, you go back to the mountain first. I have something to take care of with Huizhuo. I’ll probably be back in the evening.” As I walked out of Guo’s courtyard, the old man told me to go.

“Master, I can’t go?” I actually had a vague feeling that what the old man was going to do next might be very interesting, and I really wanted to go.

“No, not today. Let’s talk about it after today.” Jiang Laoren’s words were a bit inexplicable.

At this time, Su Rou looked at Jiang Laoren with a somewhat flattering expression and said, “Master Jiang, can I stay on the mountain tonight?”

“Why?” The old man’s gaze at Su Rou was not really searching, but rather had a kind of understanding. This “why” seemed to be waiting for an answer.

“Well…” Su Rou scratched the back of his head and then said with some embarrassment, “Master Jiang, I know you are not ordinary people. I saw what happened today. I can’t sleep until I find out what happened. I… I have seen some things since I was a child anyway.”

“You want to wait until we come back tonight and ask us what happened to the hungry ghost?” Old Jiang narrowed his eyes, like an old fox.

Su Rou showed his trademark “smile” again, but he didn’t answer.

The old man and Hui Jue looked at each other and said inexplicably, “Well, you and Sanwa still have a long relationship, so go.”

Su Rou cheered, not caring about the length of our relationship, just urging me to hurry. I was a little confused. I would be leaving here in six months at the most, and I didn’t know where I would be or what I would be doing. How could I have a relationship with Su Rou? Could it be that in the future, Su Rou and I would have a relationship, and my family and I would be apart more often than together?

But old Jiang likes to play mysterious, he won’t tell me much. After saying this, he and Huijue floated away, not knowing where they were going next.

That night, a waning crescent moon hung in the night sky, and the faint moonlight shone down on the snow, creating a quiet and beautiful scene.

The bamboo forest was blown by the cold winter night wind, making a unique rustling sound. Together with the sound of the babbling brook, it was like a unique dirge of the mountains and forests.

On such a night, it is suitable for lovers to stroll through the forest and whisper to each other. Unfortunately, there are only four men in this bamboo forest.

We were sitting around a pot of winter bamboo shoot and mushroom soup that was bubbling away. Everyone’s faces were heavy, except for the crispy pork.

Old Master Jiang and the old monk Huijue have been in a heavy mood since they returned from the mountain. They haven’t said a word since they got back, and I’ve been infected by this atmosphere and have become heavy-hearted. I know that things are not simple.

As for the crispy pork, he was also startled at first, but he likes the fresh food unique to the mountains. As soon as he smelled the delicious winter bamboo and mushroom soup, he couldn’t help but burst into a greedy look.

The soup was already ready, and the aroma was overflowing. Su Rou carefully served a large bowl of it, took two dishes of vegetables, and added a large bowl of rice to the front of the old monk Hui Jue: “Master Hui, you eat it.”

Before Huijue had even picked up his chopsticks, Su Rou looked at the old man and said, “Master Jiang, can we add the fish now?”

The fish were raised in a small pool dug by the old man and me. When we had time, we would catch fish in the pool and the stream and throw them into the small pool. It was a way to preserve meat.

The fresh fish in the mountains is full of flavor, but not much fishy smell. At this time, the fish is sliced into thin slices that are almost transparent, which is very tempting. No wonder Su Rou is so eager.

On weekdays, Old Man Jiang would inevitably tease Crispy Meat for being greedy, but today he only said, “Put it in.”

I understood his mood and sighed. As for the crispy meat, I didn’t care. I threw in a piece of ginger and waited for the ginger flavor to come out. Then I put the fish slices in one by one and made a small dish of the sauce that I had prepared for dipping the fish.

The soup after adding the fish meat was even more delicious, but our expressions were still heavy. Su Rou couldn’t bear to watch anymore and said, “Master Jiang, Master Hui, Sanwa, I’m not being nosy, but when there’s good food in front of you, don’t waste it. It’s the same after you’ve eaten. After all, this troublesome thing won’t get better just because you’re bothered for a little longer, will it?”

Hui Jue was originally drinking soup, but after hearing this, he looked up at Su Rou in surprise. Old man Jiang couldn’t help but say, “I didn’t expect you to have such insight at such a young age. You are a broad-minded child, which is good. In the future, you should persuade Sanwa more often. This child has a lot of anger, but he is actually very sensitive.”

After saying this, he was no longer bored and said, “Let’s eat. We’ll finish this meal happily and then think about those annoying things.”

The atmosphere finally improved, and we had a happy meal. After we finished eating and tidied up, Old Jiang asked me to build a small charcoal stove, put a pot of water on it, and the four of us gathered around the charcoal stove. Next, I knew that Old Jiang would have a lot to say.

But I was the first to break the silence.

“Master, you said that my tiger claws were washed with medicinal water. What kind of water is it?” I asked this question in the afternoon, but unfortunately, the old man was angry with me at the time and did not have time to answer me.

“A decoction of mugwort and cinnabar, to cleanse the evil spirits.” Old Master Jiang replied in a light tone.

“Master, tell me about the hungry ghost bug. I clearly saw a ghost face, but I never thought that a bug would come out in the end.” I asked the question I had been wanting to ask. To be honest, this question had been bothering me all afternoon.

“Let the old man Huijue tell you about this. In their Buddhist teachings, there is a theory of the hungry ghost realm. Let me give you some basic knowledge first.” While he was talking, the old man Jiang brought out four teacups. In the meantime, the spring water was almost boiling.

When the boiling mountain spring water was poured in, the green tea leaves floated to the top. I don’t know what kind of good tea my master has hidden, but when the water is brewed, the mists of fragrance fill the entire room.

Hui Jue picked up the teacup, took a deep breath, sipped the tea, and then began to speak in a standard Beijing dialect about the hungry ghost realm.

“There are six realms of existence, and the realm of hungry ghosts is one of them. In the world of hungry ghosts, their lives are miserable. Can you imagine the taste of being hungry for a hundred years without being able to eat? They experience this feeling all the time. There are many types of hungry ghosts. I won’t go into detail here, but the most special thing about hungry ghosts is that they are different from other ghosts because they have a physical body.”

“What is a physical body?” Su Rou drank a sip of tea, and his teeth were chattering from the heat. No wonder, he wasn’t a tea drinker to begin with. If he drank it like that, who else would be hot?

“Ghosts are intangible and ethereal, and they wander the world in the form of spirits. Having a physical body means that they have a physical body! This is very related to the special nature of the morality of hungry ghosts. The souls of people can fall into the hungry ghost realm, but the hungry ghost realm itself can also reproduce. There are ghosts in the hungry ghost realm, and one birth often results in hundreds of demons. Some demons are born as hungry ghosts, while others are human souls that fall into the hungry ghost realm and become hungry ghosts by attaching themselves to it. The hungry ghosts are miserable, but some of them can be born with great magical power. However, in such a cruel environment, it is too rare for someone to become a great magical power. The person who built the hungry ghost tomb on this rural market has a suspicious purpose.

I was listening with my heart hanging in the air, full of questions, and before I had a chance to ask, Su Rou was already ahead of me: “To have a physical body is to have the body of a giant bug? This is too disgusting, isn’t it? Could it be that the ghost mother is just a giant bug?”

Old Jiang smiled and said, “Hungry ghosts can take on a thousand different forms, so what’s so special about appearing as a worm? Do you know about the Miaojiang Gu technique? Well, you certainly don’t. Some women who are vain use it to control hungry ghosts in a special way to maintain their beautiful figures. It’s a pity that the world mistakenly thinks it’s a roundworm or something, which is ridiculous. And no matter what form it appears in, it will always turn into a ghost, just like the image on the relief on the tomb of the hungry ghost you saw.”

Huijue added, “The hungry ghost realm is originally in its own hungry ghost world. This is the human world, and it is subject to special restrictions. It is impossible for them to be born as hungry ghosts. But the human world is like heaven to them. The hungry ghosts who are lucky enough to appear in the human world are unwilling to go back, but…”

“Okay, Huijue, let’s not talk about it.” Old Jiang coughed, as if to remind Huijue.

Huijue did indeed shut up.

Both Su Rou and I were junior high school students, and we knew the basics of geography. When it comes to the earth, it is a sphere with several continents and oceans. Where is the hungry ghost world? Which continent? Which ocean? Nonsense.

I wanted to ask, and so did Su Rou. We asked, but all we got was silence.

I knew that the old man Jiang would not say anything, and I would never get an answer. I had to ask, “Master, what are you worried about? Hasn’t Guo Er’s problem been solved? By the way, what is essence blood?”

“Essence and blood? Essence and blood are the mother of blood, the key to maintaining a steady supply of blood. There are people with abundant blood and others with anemia. This is the difference between having a lot of essence and blood and having little. It is very difficult to replenish essence and blood. In addition to precious medicines, one must practice and cultivate every day. How can ordinary people replenish it so easily? As for what I am worried about, the matter of Guo Er has been resolved?” Old Master Jiang’s brows were furrowed tightly.

Or the monk Huijue was straightforward and said directly, “Guo Er dug a hole in the Hungry Ghost Tomb!”