Dad burst out of the house, his eyes bloodshot and his head covered in blood, but the broad blade in his hand gleamed coldly. He looked ready to kill.
"You dared lay a hand on my wife and kid? I'll hack you bastards to death!"
Even the most mild-mannered man couldn't stand by while his wife and child were bullied.
So when Dad came out with the blade raised, murderous fury rolled off him. Seeing him like that, the five Zhang Family brothers had no doubt that he would cut them down. In an instant, they turned into cowards and fled. Dad chased them all the way to the gate with the blade in his hand. Mom finally snapped out of her shock and threw her arms around him from behind, barely managing to stop him.
In truth, Dad had little strength left by then. The five brothers had beaten him badly, leaving his head split and bleeding. After struggling for a moment, he ran out of strength.
Mom really didn't dare let him chase them outside. If he lost his head and actually killed someone, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Afterward, Mom helped Dad back inside and dressed his wounds as best she could. Not long after, Grandpa returned with Granny Liu.
The moment Grandpa saw the mess in the house and how badly Dad had been beaten, his anger flared.
Grandpa had an even fiercer temper than Dad. If he'd been home, the five Zhang Family brothers would never have dared come over and beat anyone up.
Everyone in the village knew Grandpa had served in the army and fought in a war, and that he had a fiery temper. He picked up the blade and was about to confront the Zhang Family, but Granny Liu called him back.
She had noticed the clear handprint on my face.
"Brother Wu, don't go looking for them. Even if you leave them alone, the Zhang Family is in for terrible trouble," Granny Liu said.
Puzzled, Grandpa asked what she meant.
"What else could I mean? Someone laid a hand on your grandson. They're bound to suffer for it," Granny Liu said, shaking her head with a sigh.
That only made things worse. When Grandpa saw the handprint on my face, his fury grew. "Those little bastards! They even hit a six-year-old child! Have they got any humanity left? I'm going to demand an explanation!"
"Brother Wu, listen to this old woman's advice. Whatever you do, don't go. If you do, it'll only make things harder to explain. The man who hit your grandson won't live through tonight," Granny Liu said gravely.
Grandpa froze at those words and asked why.
Granny Liu brought up what had happened to Ma Laosan's wife. Because she had kicked me several times, she had died on the hill behind the village the next day.
The Zhang Family could have come at any other time, yet they had chosen the very day of the calamity I faced every three years. Weren't they practically lining up to die?
The powerful soul of an Immortal dwelled inside me, and for the past six years, I had been protected by those Yellow Weasels and foxes. Hitting me was an insult to the Immortal within me. Those Yellow Weasels and foxes certainly wouldn't spare the Zhang Family.
Grandpa's heart trembled when he heard that. This is serious trouble.
The Zhang Family had been in the wrong, but surely a slap across my face didn't warrant losing a life.
They were all from the same village, and Grandpa didn't want anyone in the Zhang Family to die over this. He asked Granny Liu whether there was any way to resolve it.
Granny Liu kept shaking her head. "There's nothing to be done. From the moment Wu Jie was born, he was destined for a troubled life, full of hardship and calamity. He can't escape the calamity that comes every three years. Either he dies or someone else does. All we can do is leave the Zhang Family to their fate."
Even knowing that, Grandpa still felt uneasy. He asked Granny Liu whether whoever hit me would have to die.
Granny Liu nodded.
Then Grandpa asked Mom who had hit me.
Mom said it was the youngest Zhang brother.
Grandpa thought for a while, then asked Granny Liu if she could find some way to help the Zhang Family. At the very least, they ought to be warned.
Left with little choice, Granny Liu told him, "It'll certainly be those Yellow Immortals and Fox Immortals taking revenge on the Zhang Family. They'll probably go after the youngest Zhang brother tonight. Tell him to put several village dogs in his yard tonight, and under no circumstances should he tether them. He should also keep several big white geese in his bedroom. Before putting them inside, he must feed them well so they'll leave plenty of droppings around the room. That might let him escape this calamity."
There were reasons for doing this. First, the dogs kept in the countryside were highly perceptive and excellent at guarding a home. If they discovered a weasel entering the house, they would chase it relentlessly. Yellow Weasels were no match for village dogs in size, either. Usually, when they encountered a village dog, they came off worse.
Big white geese worked much the same way as village dogs, since they could also guard a home. They were fiercely territorial, larger than Yellow Weasels, and capable of vicious bites. Sometimes even village dogs were too frightened to approach a big white goose, let alone Yellow Weasels. More importantly, Yellow Weasels were extremely afraid of white goose droppings. Any part of their bodies that touched the droppings, especially their paws, would quickly begin to rot.
Granny Liu had been reluctant to reveal any of this. After all, she was a Spirit-Calling Disciple, and those Yellow Weasels and foxes were all Immortals she couldn't afford to offend.
But Grandpa kept pleading with her, until she finally told him about this method.
Still, Granny Liu couldn't guarantee that it would save the youngest Zhang brother's life.
Those Yellow Weasels and foxes had done our Wu family an immense kindness. Without them, I wouldn't have survived.
But a human life was at stake, and Grandpa was softhearted. We were all neighbors from the same village, and he'd watched all five Zhang Family brothers grow up. Though they were reckless troublemakers and had beaten our family-something that was inexcusable-surely that wasn't a crime deserving death? Did they really have to pay with their lives?
Whether it would work or not, Grandpa had to warn the youngest Zhang brother. So before dark, he went alone to the man's house, his hands clasped behind his back. When he arrived, he found the gate tightly shut. He knocked for a long time, but no one answered.
The youngest Zhang brother was actually home that day. He knew Grandpa would come after him, so he was too scared to come out. Grandpa couldn't very well break down the gate.
Grandpa had watched all five Zhang Family brothers grow up. He had always commanded great respect in the village, and every one of the brothers quailed at the sight of him.
They had attacked Dad in the heat of the moment, but now that they thought about it, they were all frightened by what they'd done. They were even more afraid of Grandpa's big blade.
Still worried, Grandpa went to find the youngest Zhang brother's other brothers. But some were too scared to come out, while others had been too frightened even to stay home. One sent his wife out to apologize to Grandpa.
After making the rounds, Grandpa returned empty-handed. All he could do was shake his head and sigh.
Perhaps that was simply the youngest Zhang brother's fate. The next day, the eldest Zhang brother found his body at home, hanging from a roof beam.
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