Chapter Three: Worshipping the Immortal as a Father

Although my grandfather understood what was happening, at this point he had no choice but to go. The man in white led him to the entrance of a cave. "My wife is inside," he said. "Don’t be afraid."

My grandfather glanced into the cave and saw, lying weakly on a wooden bed, a white fox with a swollen belly, barely clinging to life.

A chill ran down his spine. The man who brought him here bore the surname "Hu"—this was a fox spirit!

His wife was in difficult labor; was this not the tribulation of a fox immortal?

The man in white tried to comfort my grandfather: "Don’t be afraid. Just do your best."

My grandfather forced himself to calm down and entered the cave.

But he had arrived too late. Despite his best efforts, he could not save the white vixen.

My grandfather didn’t know how to explain himself, but before he could speak, the man in white rasped, "Go home. No matter what, thank you. If your family ever faces trouble, you may come to me."

My grandfather dared not linger on the mountain. Without looking back, he ran home and told no one of this, keeping it buried in his heart.

Strangely enough, from that day on, everything my grandfather did went smoothly; he even made quite a bit of money. He knew it was the fox immortal who was watching over him. He had burned incense in gratitude, but the fox spirit never appeared again in the decades that followed, and gradually he forgot the spirit’s face.

Only when my grandmother got into trouble did my grandfather recall the fox immortal.

He knew that the fox spirit valued loyalty and would always honor a promise. Believing that the immortal would certainly lend a hand, he took me up the mountain.

The fox spirit did indeed save me, but my grandfather could sense his gravity.

Without hesitation, my grandfather knelt before the fox immortal. "Great Immortal, you saved this child’s life. If you do not mind, I ask that he become your godson, so he may honor you for all his days."

There was calculation in his words. To my grandfather, the bond between father and son was the most reliable in the world; a father would never abandon his child, no matter the circumstances. Moreover, if I became the fox spirit’s godson, I would no longer be part of the Xie family, and the fox immortal need not trouble himself with my grandfather’s status.

The fox spirit turned to my grandfather and said, "I am fond of this child, but there are matters that must be made clear."

"Years ago, I swore an oath: if ever again I helped humans avert disaster, I would only offer words, never take action. If he truly encounters danger in the future, I can only guide him as I did just now, not intervene directly."

My grandfather’s heart sank at these words. But the fox immortal continued, "This child, apart from the remnants of yin energy on his body, also carries the karma of sixteen ghosts and spirits. He cannot become a shaman, nor can he cultivate magic. Even with my guidance, I may not be able to save his life."

"Are you still willing to let him take me as his godfather?"

My grandfather gritted his teeth and knelt again. "I am willing. If you agree, he is yours."

The fox spirit turned, picked me up, and played with me for a moment. "I accept this child."

"My name is Hu Sanqi. When you return, set up a shrine for me. Your family—I will protect."

"The child will stay with me for a few days to recover. In seven days, I will return him to you."

Overjoyed, my grandfather rolled up the fox immortal’s portrait from the temple, cradled it in his hands, and left. When he turned back at the gate, the temple had vanished; only a barren hillside remained.

Only then did my grandfather realize that Hu Sanqi was no ordinary immortal—otherwise, he would not have hidden his temple so well.

My grandfather hurried home and established a spirit tablet for Hu Sanqi. True to his word, seven days later, Hu Sanqi brought me back and gave me the name Xie Yun.

Yet what he said next chilled my grandfather’s heart.

Hu Sanqi told him: this child bears the karma of sixteen ghosts and spirits. Until these karmic ties are resolved, he must not enter the city. The city was full of mixed energies, and those ghosts might approach Xie Yun in unpredictable ways; it would be far harder to guard against them there. In the countryside, at least, he stood a chance.

"I have informed all the other immortals: no one is to intervene on Xie Yun’s behalf."

"One must resolve one’s own karma by one’s own hand, survive one’s own tribulations by one’s own strength. Otherwise, it will never end."

"If you do not wish disaster upon your entire family, you had best make arrangements now."

After Hu Sanqi departed, my grandfather and my father discussed it deep into the night. In the end, they decided that my parents would take my grandmother and their accumulated savings to the city to start a business, while my grandfather would remain in the village to look after me. Only when I had survived my tribulations would he come to join them.

My grandfather told my father, "If you don’t earn a legacy for Xie Yun in the city, I’ll never forgive you."

At first, my parents often returned to see me, but over time, their visits grew less frequent, until they stopped coming altogether. Instead, it was my godfather Hu Sanqi who stayed by my side.

Though Hu Sanqi claimed he would not interfere, in truth he always watched over me. From childhood, whenever anyone tried to bully me, they would inevitably suffer misfortune—before I could even say a word.

I knew it was Hu Sanqi’s doing. Every time I told him, "Don’t worry, I can handle it myself," he would just give me a cold look and say, "A child should be calm, steady, and kind. Don’t always think of fighting back." Yet after he said this, the offender would suffer again soon after.

Thus, Hu Sanqi protected me until I turned fourteen. Then, for the first time, he announced he had some matters to attend to and would be gone for a month. I was to obey my grandfather in his absence.

His words left a bitter taste in my grandfather’s mouth. Even my godfather cared for me, but not a word from my father in the city?

In those days, schools were scarce; most children farmed at home. Over the years, it was always Hu Sanqi who taught me to read and write, while my own father never once reached out.

Afterward, my grandfather made a special trip to the village phone booth to call my parents, asking them to come home for a meal with me.

By then, my parents had not returned for three or four years. When my grandfather called, their answer was, "Business is busy, we don’t have the time."

Infuriated, my grandfather cursed them out, and finally my father reluctantly agreed to return.

On the day they were meant to arrive, my father had promised to be home for dinner, but as night fell, there was still no sign of them. My grandfather nearly overturned the table in anger. At last, he looked at me and said, "Let’s eat, just the two of us. Whatever’s left, we’ll feed to the dog. If they want to eat, let them dig it out of the slop bucket."

I knew he was just venting, so I said nothing.

To be honest, I barely cared whether my parents came back or not. I’d long since grown used to it. Even when we saw each other, there wasn’t much to say.

As my grandfather and I were eating, we heard the main gate creak open. My grandfather stood up and looked out the window—the familiar Tianjin van my father drove was pulling into the yard, and the family dog was barking madly.

My grandfather, scowling, went to open the door, but a sudden unease swept over me.

Something was wrong. It was already dark, yet my father drove in without turning on the headlights.

There were no streetlights on the village road—had he used the headlights, we’d have seen them from inside. But we’d noticed nothing.

And then the family dog—normally, even when strangers came, it never barked so fiercely. Now, even after my grandfather came out and called several times, the dog wouldn’t stop.

Normally, when the master comes out to greet guests, the dog quiets down. But this time it just kept barking.

Already simmering with anger, my grandfather snapped and kicked the dog. With a whimper, it collapsed and lay still.

My grandfather was stunned; he hadn’t expected to kill the dog with a single kick, and he stood there in shock for a long time.

My parents and grandmother stood motionless in the yard, just watching, as if waiting for my grandfather to invite them in.

Seeing this, my scalp tingled with dread.

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