Chapter 112: Rewarding the Art of Exorcism, the Head of the Zhou Family Shows Unusual Behavior

If malice takes root, even the sickle’s blade cannot reap it.

One-Eyed Snake, a carpenter, had allowed such malice to sprout within him. Whenever someone hired him for woodwork, he would employ the "Yansheng" technique—a form of dark sorcery—to cast a curse upon the house. Whether by unsettling the inhabitants, draining their wealth, or afflicting their bodies, he would make their lives a misery. One-Eyed Snake would then seize the opportunity to extort them; if the owners paid, the torment ceased, but if they refused, he would devise increasingly cruel ways to torture them until they relented.

He lived by this extortion. As time passed, a man named Zhou Da decided to renovate his ancestral home. By ill fortune, among all the carpenters in Jian'an Capital, Zhou Da happened to hire One-Eyed Snake. As a businessman, Zhou Da did not dare neglect the man, fearing he might tamper with the construction. Yet, his fears were realized, for One-Eyed Snake had no intention of working honestly.

The renovation was in full swing. The brick walls were rebuilt, and the timber—purlins, rafters, and pillars—lay ready alongside the bricks, tiles, and lime. One afternoon, One-Eyed Snake sent away the apprentice who had been assisting him, then stealthily pulled a carving knife from his robe. He, whose name was Yang Shen, looked around; finding the site deserted, he ventured into the rear hall where the main beam lay.

The beam was crafted from pine, an expensive, slow-growing wood that only the wealthy could afford. The sheer size of the timber—thick enough for a man to wrap his arms around—testified to the Zhou family’s prosperity. Naturally, this only solidified One-Eyed Snake’s resolve to extort a fortune from them. Seeing no one, he hurriedly and meticulously carved a symbol into the main beam. He did not linger, returning to the front of the house to enjoy the banquet as if nothing had happened.

How wicked a man he was! The Zhou family had treated him with fine wine and meat, yet for the sake of greed, he chose to curse them. A few days later, the renovation was complete, and One-Eyed Snake helped hoist the main beam into place. The Zhou family, grateful, paid the agreed-upon ten taels of silver and offered a generous red envelope for good luck. But then, One-Eyed Snake bared his fangs, smirking as he said, "The price has gone up. It’s thirty taels now."

How could the Zhou family accept such injustice or play the fool? Zhou Da refused, to which One-Eyed Snake coldly sneered, "Wait and see. Once your family has suffered enough, thirty taels won't be enough to fix it." With that, he left without a backward glance.

Zhou Da was filled with dread, knowing a curse had been laid, yet he could not tear down a newly renovated house. He moved in, but within days, disaster struck. His youngest son lost a fortune in salt trade to a storm, and his eldest son was robbed by bandits from the Northwest. Zhou Da confronted One-Eyed Snake, but the rogue remained unmoved, insisting that without thirty taels, the Zhou family would lose everything. Their argument escalated into the back streets, leading to the moment where Zhou Da killed him in a fit of rage.

...

The lantern of life flickered out, and the life of the corpse was recorded in the Book of Soul Guidance.

Return, O Soul, into the record.

Heaven, Earth, Profound, Yellow—four tiers, nine grades. The Book of Soul Guidance gave the final verdict: Profound Tier, Second Grade. A bamboo scroll containing the Yansheng technique.

The *Canon of Wood* states: "The Yansheng technique was originally intended to seek fortune and avoid calamity. Yet, the ignorant often use it to harm others, knowing only how to ruin fortunes—causing domestic unrest, injury, or legal trouble. At its worst, it brings disease, disaster, and the death of children, forgetting that it can also be used to bring promotion, prosperity, and peace."

Song Mo flipped through the scroll, finding it filled only with curses and methods of harm. By coincidence, he found the very curse Yang Shen had laid upon the Zhou house. It was still early in the third watch; Song Mo yawned, cleaned his tools, washed his hands, and climbed into bed.

...

Mist dissipates, the jade beast fades; in the northern lands, who can endure the day?

The next day, Song Mo rose early. Sparrows in the south of the city chirped, flitting about in the late autumn chill to pick at fallen grains. "Winter is coming," Song Mo muttered, stepping out of the Office of Corpse Inspection.

On the old street, shops were already setting up. A lamb soup stall boiled a vat as large as a cistern over a mountain of firewood. The skinless lamb and its offal were tossed into the pot. The fire might have been burning since last night, or even longer. The aroma of the soup was rich, and the crisp, flaky oil cakes laid out on the table made Song Mo pause.

"A bowl of lamb soup and an oil cake." He chose a quiet corner. Soon, the waiter served him. The soup had no gamey odor, but a mysterious, fragrant spice. The oil cake was a masterpiece, lacking the taste of stale oil, possessing instead the crispness of tea oil. After filling his belly, Song Mo left four copper coins and wiped his mouth, satisfied.

...

Four Spinning Street, the Zhou ancestral home. Song Mo looked at the estate; it was indeed wealthy, though having seen the extravagance of the Zhang family in Changning County, he found this merely ordinary. The gatekeeper was a man over sixty, wearing a dog-skin hat and heavy clothing, yet he still shivered uncontrollably.

Song Mo bowed. "Elder, could you please announce my arrival? I have business with Master Zhou."

The old man coughed violently and spat a glob of thick phlegm near Song Mo’s feet. Song Mo frowned, but out of respect for the man’s age, he said nothing. The old man pulled his hat down and asked listlessly, "Boy, what do you want with my master?"

Song Mo replied directly, "I heard your master’s ancestral home was cursed. I am here to break it."

The old man’s expression darkened. "You? With fuzz barely on your chin, you want to pose as a master of the Yao Sect?" He was using underworld slang, calling Song Mo a swindler.

Song Mo remained calm. "Believe it or not, go tell Zhou Da to check the main beam. He will know whether I am a fraud."

Seeing Song Mo’s composed and dignified air, the old man hesitated before entering the house. Zhou Da, desperate, immediately sent men to inspect the beam installed by One-Eyed Snake. When they checked, they found something hidden there.