Chapter 58: Bewitched

The "Sixth Lady" that Ren Junlin mentioned was his father, Master Ren's, sixth concubine. Though Master Ren was advanced in years, his heart remained youthful—just last year he had taken this sixth young concubine, forming the classic match of an old man with a young bride, and doted on her with great affection.

However, not long ago, this young concubine began to suffer from strange episodes. Without warning, she would drift into a trance-like state, sitting motionless for long stretches, unresponsive to calls or shouts, and would sometimes suddenly struggle and cry out for help. Once she regained her senses, she seemed utterly bewildered and unable to explain what had happened.

The Ren family concluded she must be possessed by some evil spirit and had fallen into a soul-losing sickness.

Fang Yue asked in surprise, "Is such a thing possible? But if she's possessed, why come to me instead of seeking out monks or priests? Isn't Priest Tian Yangzi in the county?"

Ren Junlin shook his head with a click of his tongue. "You don't understand. This Priest Tian Yangzi isn’t as he appears. He may wear the garb of a righteous Taoist, but in truth, he’s nothing more than a lecher. Everyone hoped he would drive away evil and restore peace to our county, but all he did was stay holed up in his room for days, indulging in debauchery with the pretty maids sent to care for him. He even started seducing the wives and daughters of the town’s wealthy families. Yet, because he looks like an immortal sage with his white hair and youthful face, some sheltered ladies easily fell for his act. If not for the official documents proving he was sent by the authorities to deal with the supernatural disturbances, everyone would have taken him for a charlatan. And his female disciple is no less troublesome, let me tell you.

"My father cherishes his young concubine too dearly to risk asking Tian Yangzi for help—he’d sooner see his head adorned with green horns!"

Ren Junlin seemed to take a certain schadenfreude in his father’s predicament, clearly not fond of this new stepmother, which was only natural; who would appreciate a "mother" their own age?

"But when all the town’s doctors failed to find a cause or cure, my father had no choice but to seek out Tian Yangzi. Of course, he dared not invite him to our house directly. Instead, he paid a go-between to purchase two beautiful maids and sent them to Tian Yangzi’s residence, then begged him for a talisman.

"Say what you will about the lecherous priest, his skills are real—otherwise, he wouldn’t be in the imperial service. Whenever Sixth Lady fell into her stupor, sticking the talisman to her forehead and shouting would instantly rouse her.

Fang Yue listened closely. "So did something change after that?"

If nothing further had happened, the matter would have ended there, and Ren Junlin wouldn’t have been forced by his father to come seeking Fang Yue today.

Ren Junlin clapped his hands. "You guessed right. The talisman worked twice, and Sixth Lady stopped having her spells altogether, when before she’d have one every day. A few days passed without incident, and we thought the ordeal was over.

But just last night, on our first night back in town, her symptoms returned. My father was staying in her room that night, and, well, in the middle of the night, he found her unresponsive again. He quickly fetched the talisman, stuck it to her head, and shouted, but this time it was useless—the paper burst into flames and burned to ash. Sixth Lady only came to her senses at dawn, dazed and weeping, refusing to say what had happened. My father’s heart nearly broke. When he heard people in town saying you’d killed a demon hound, he forced me out in the rain first thing this morning to beg you to come."

Fang Yue replied helplessly, "Killing that demon hound was pure luck. I asked around afterward and learned it had only transformed about a month before; it was just an ordinary black dog before then, large but nothing more. Even so, I barely escaped with my life. As for your Sixth Lady, I know nothing of possession or exorcism—there’s really nothing I can do to help."

Ren Junlin nodded. "That’s what I told my father too—this isn’t your field at all. But he insists I just don’t want to go out in the rain and am making excuses. I had no choice but to come. I was going to wait for the rain to stop tomorrow and visit you for a chat. My father is desperate and grasping at straws; you needn’t feel pressured, just go and take a look."

Fang Yue considered that, after accepting such a generous gift, he really couldn't refuse outright. He could at least go and see what was wrong.

The two men stepped outside, where Fang Yue saw a coachman in a straw raincoat huddled under the eaves for shelter.

"Why are you standing here and not inside out of the rain?" Fang Yue asked.

The coachman pointed to his ears and waved his hand, muttering a few incoherent sounds.

Ren Junlin explained, "That’s Old Li—he’s mute and hard of hearing. Unless you shout, he can’t make out a word."

Fang Yue glanced at Old Li but said nothing more.

The carriage was parked outside the courtyard. The night of the fight, the old locust tree that once sheltered the place had been smashed flat by the demon hound, so the poor horse was left standing in the rain, whinnying in distress.

"You rich folk," Fang Yue said, "even in the rain you insist on a carriage for a short trip—living in comfort, aren’t you?"

Ren Junlin protested, "Don’t blame me—it was my father’s idea. He wanted to make it look important, so he sent Old Li with the carriage to fetch you."

With that, the two climbed aboard and put away their umbrellas.

Though the carriage was cramped, it was dry and comfortable—the rainproofing was well done. Old Li donned his bamboo hat, took his seat, cracked the whip, and the horse started forward. It was clear Old Li was an expert driver.

……

The Ren family’s residence in Fishhead Town wasn’t especially large. They hadn't planned to stay long, so the house they bought was only big enough to make do for a while. Fishhead Town was a poor, remote place with no grand estates for sale. The largest belonged to Qian Daguai, but he would never part with it.

So the Ren family purchased several neighboring houses and joined them together for temporary use, housing their maids, servants, and the whole extended family—several dozen people in all.

When Fang Yue and Ren Junlin alighted from the carriage, they found Ren Junlin’s father already waiting for them.

"Scholar Fang, thank you for braving the rain to come," Master Ren greeted them. He bore a strong resemblance to his son—fair, plump, with a perpetual warm smile that made him seem kindly and approachable.

But Master Ren was no ordinary man. It was under his hand that the Ren family rose to prominence. When Fang Yue was a boy, the Rens were just common villagers; he and Ren Junlin had even studied together at the same private school. Unlike Qian Daguai, who made his fortune through force and bullying, Master Ren had relied on shrewd business sense and expert management—making his start in maritime trade of rare woods, rising from a commoner to a wealthy patriarch.

He was truly a model of self-made success. Fang Yue thought that if he ever set up a workshop and ventured into business in Fishhead Town, he would do well to take lessons from Master Ren.