Chapter 106

Ah... When the silver needle pierced the Ghost Seal, Shishi let out an extremely painful, sky‑shaking howl, and waves of resentment emanated from her body.

"You... you really aren't afraid of cutting off descendants?" the old ghost who called himself the family shouted in disbelief, his proudest reliance shattered into pieces by Pangzi's single needle.

"I was wrong..." the howl eventually turned into a wail, the voice grew softer and softer, finally fading to nothing, slowly disappearing in Granny Zhao's house.

Meanwhile, Shishi, who had been pressed onto the chair by me, suddenly began to twitch rapidly, her eyelids flipped upward, her body curled up, and she twitched with chills.

"Hai Sheng, quickly pinch her philtrum, Yao Yirong, go get the chopsticks. Her body is too weak; this is the aftereffect left after that thing left."

I dared not hesitate, pressing my thumb firmly on Shishi's philtrum point. When the chopsticks arrived, Pangzi used them to clamp Shishi's tongue, preventing her from biting her tongue and committing suicide.

Afterwards, everyone laid her flat on the ground, kneading her whole body to promote circulation of her blood.

This tense feeling accompanied us for a long time, and with our unremitting efforts Shishi finally returned to normal. However, after returning to normal Shishi did not immediately wake up; she remained lying on the ground with her eyes tightly shut.

"She's fine; she's just too weak. Hold her back to bed to rest awhile, and she'll wake up soon."

Seeing Granny Zhao grow increasingly anxious, crying and fussing, Pangzi hurriedly explained and comforted her anxious feelings.

Yao Yirong carried Shishi back into the house; Granny Zhao and Silijing, not reassured, followed them inside.

Only I and Pangzi remained in the hall; at that moment Pangzi was wiping the sweat from his forehead and, after cleaning the silver needle, put it back in its box.

"Pangzi, can you tell me why the Thirteen Needles of Ghost Gate also invoke the Five Declines and Three Deficiencies?" Shishi had been saved, but I felt an indescribable gloom. "Ghost Seal, karma..." those words had also been spoken by the Hun Yuan Great Immortal; why would the Ghost Seal be tainted by karma, and isn't the Thirteen Needles of Ghost Gate meant to save people?

Looking at my doubtful eyes, Pangzi shook his head: "Sit down, I'll explain it clearly to you."

I grunted in acknowledgement, then fetched a chair beside Pangzi and sat down.

After I sat down, Pangzi paused for a moment, took a sip of water, and then began to explain the reasons in detail.

Actually, the Thirteen Needles of Ghost Gate had long been called the karma needles. Moreover, the Thirteen Needles of Ghost Gate have a strict procedure; it's not that you can just needle whenever you want. If you don't follow the procedure, the needle becomes a deadly one, and the practitioner usually ends up with the fate of cutting off descendants.

The so‑called procedure says in the Thirteen Needles of Ghost Gate: first persuade, then intimidate, then needle; choose two points and needle yourself; after needling, ask carefully about the cause, then persuade three times to send it away; only if there is truly no alternative should you needle the philtrum, the perineum, or the Ghost Seal. These three points all connect to karma; if you accept it, you must pay it back. May the practitioner be cautious, cautious indeed.

The meaning of this saying is that the inheritor of the Thirteen Needles of Ghost Gate, when facing hysteria, must patiently and kindly persuade, using both soft and hard tactics; only if both fail may you needle to save the person. When needling points, aside from the philtrum, perineum, and Ghost Seal, you should select two other points to needle. After the needle enters the patient's body, you must carefully inquire about the cause and then kindly send it away; if it is not a situation of having no recourse or being extremely urgent, you must not needle the philtrum, perineum, or Ghost Seal.

Although ghosts are intangible, they are still one of the beings in the six realms; heaven possesses the virtue of cherishing life and treats all beings in any realm fairly. If one does not inquire into the cause, does not kindly persuade, and upon encountering hysteria simply needles arbitrarily, caring only for the result and not for good or evil, then the practitioner will incur heavenly punishment for recklessly applying the Thirteen Needles.

As for how severe that heavenly punishment is, I have never used the Thirteen Needles of Ghost Gate, so I am not sure; however, Pangzi told me a story in which there was a practitioner of the Thirteen Needles who sought results without regard for karma.

This practitioner's name was Song Baizhi; he was very famous in his hometown, skilled at acupuncture, curing many difficult miscellaneous ailments that even big hospitals couldn't treat—anyone who came to see him would be cured after a few needles. It is said that Song Baizhi also had a special skill: he knew the Thirteen Needles of Ghost Gate, specializing in treating serious illnesses caused by invasion of the Five Poisons.

This is one of the miraculous effects of the Thirteen Needles of Ghost Gate: it can not only cure hysteria but also expel the Five Poisons. And in the hometown where Song Baizhi lived, for a long time the Five Poisons were rampant, harming ordinary people for no reason.

Naturally, Song Baizhi's miraculous ability attracted many patients suffering from stubborn ailments caused by the Five Poisons; as a doctor, he responded to every request and treated every illness. His technique was steady, accurate, and ruthless; after he applied the Thirteen Needles of Ghost Gate, the Five Poison demons would surely die, and the patients' bodies would naturally recover quickly. Over time, Song Baizhi unintentionally forged a deep grudge against the Five Poisons.

One evening in a certain year, after Song Baizhi finished washing up and was about to sleep, he suddenly heard a knock at the door. Opening it, he saw a bodyguard‑type young man. The young man said: "Mr. Song, our boss is ill and wishes to invite you to have a look."

Song Baizhi asked: "Where does your boss live?"

The employee replied: "In the suburbs outside the city."

Song Baizhi thought to himself: I am in the city, the patient is in the suburbs, the distance is too great, and it's dark night, which would be inconvenient; so he said: "How about I come tomorrow morning?"

The bodyguard young man anxiously replied: "Trouble, Mr. Song—our boss is critically ill; if we wait until tomorrow, it will be delayed."

As a doctor ought to practice medicine to save lives, Song Baizhi nodded in agreement. He returned indoors, picked up his medicine case, and deliberately took along thirteen silver needles. Stepping outside, he saw a brand‑new BMW parked by the gate. Song Baizhi got in the car, and the employee pressed the horn and drove off.

The BMW drove through the city, speeding eastward for a long while; Song Baizhi felt strange and asked: "Have we arrived at your boss's home?"

The bodyguard young man said: "We'll be there shortly."

The BMW continued to race forward, going even farther, still showing no sign of stopping; Song Baizhi grew uneasy and asked again: "Still not there?!"

The bodyguard young man said: "It's just ahead, not far."

The BMW then drove even farther. Song Baizhi felt something was wrong, picked up his medicine case, and said: "Turn the car around; I'm not going."

The bodyguard young man suddenly slammed the brakes and said: "Mr. Song, don't be angry—we have already arrived."

Song Baizhi stepped out of the BMW and saw before him a grand, antiquated courtyard. He entered the gate; shadows flitted about inside, several men and women busily doing something unknown. Passing through the dim corridor, he came to the master bedroom in the rear courtyard. There, on a large red‑wood bed, lay half‑reclined a sixty‑ or seventy‑year‑old man with a sallow complexion and listless spirit. Song Baizhi approached, took his pulse, examined his tongue coating, performed the four diagnostic methods, and then knew: this man had been afflicted by the Five Poisons. He then took from his medicine case the thirteen silver needles, about a foot long, sterilized them over candlelight, and, according to the meridians, inserted them into the man's face, chest, etc. Only after an hour did he withdraw them. The old man's complexion immediately turned ruddy and his spirit greatly improved.

The old man was delighted and insisted on inviting Song Baizhi to a meal. Unable to refuse, Song Baizhi went to their dining hall. There stood a zitan square table laden with a full spread of delicious dishes. Song Baizhi's appetite surged, and he ate heartily. The old man, keeping him company, offered a toast; Song Baizhi could not hold back and drank to the point of being somewhat intoxicated.

Seeing his state, the old man further invited Song Baizhi to stay overnight. Song Baizhi readily agreed. After a quick wash, he went to the guest room, where he saw an ornately carved and inlaid large bed, with a thick cotton quilt rolled up in red waves. Lying upon it, Song Baizhi felt as if he were in an ancient palace and soon fell into a deep sleep.

The night passed without incident. The next day, while Song Baizhi was still enjoying a beautiful dream, he suddenly felt someone pushing him: "Mr. Song, why are you sleeping here?"

Song Baizhi opened his eyes to see a blue sky, and felt his whole body turn cold. He tried to roll over and sit up, but his arms and legs were stiff and immobile. After a while, with others' help he managed to sit up with effort, and discovered he was actually lying in the wilderness, surrounded everywhere by the bones and remains of green snakes, centipedes, scorpions, geckos, and toads. Recalling the delicious feast he had devoured the night before at the table, he suddenly realized it must have been those very green snakes, centipedes, scorpions, geckos, and toads. Song Baizhi felt his intestines churning, and involuntarily he vomited, bringing up only filthy black water and rotten, foul‑smelling tissue.

After returning home, Song Baizhi lay in bed for three months before recovering, but he had not repented. Following this ordeal, his hatred for the Five Poisons grew to the bone; whenever he encountered them again, his technique became more vicious, and without any preamble he would needle to kill the Five Poisons that were causing harm in a person's body.

Three years later, Song Baizhi's son was born.

Though he had a son in his old age, Song Baizhi was naturally overjoyed. Yet he never expected that his son would die of a serious illness before reaching a hundred days, leaving even the physician Song Baizhi helpless.

After another year, a second daughter was born; likewise she died before reaching a hundred days. Before these two children's deaths, a strange occurrence happened: Song Baizhi's wife, shortly before each child's demise, had dreamed of countless green snakes, centipedes, scorpions, and similar animals weeping toward her.

At this point Song Baizhi finally awakened, realizing he had been wrong. The Five Poisons that had initially possessed people and wrought havoc were truly malevolent, unforgivable sins. Killing them was an act of virtue, fulfilling his duty. Yet he had not considered that, amidst these scattered events, some causes lay within people themselves; some Five Poisons were merely tools manipulated by humans, and they too had their own pitiable aspects.

But his killing intent was too strong, too obsessive; upon encountering a stubborn ailment he would not inquire into the cause and would strike to kill, thereby sowing the seed of unforgivable sins, for which he must inevitably reap the bitter fruit.

From then on, Song Baizhi understood a principle: whether dealing with people, ghosts, or the Five Poisons, in all worldly affairs one must always keep a reserve, and this reserve is also an escape route for oneself.