Thinking of this, I dared not delay. If I really let him continue causing trouble like this, someone might actually get killed. So I rushed forward and shouted loudly, “You audacious fiend! Yin and yang are separate paths—how dare you linger in the world of the living and commit evil!”

　　My shout actually startled him; his body clearly jolted, then he turned his head and looked me up and down with interest. Soon, a look of disdain appeared on his face as he sneered, “Where did this little brat come from, daring to shout at this general!”

　　When facing evil spirits and ghosts, you must show momentum. If you show weakness, the other side will think you’re afraid and see you as an easy target—then you’ll only be at their mercy, let alone hope to drive them away, because you won’t even have the right to negotiate.

　　Hearing this, I became even more convinced that Secretary Baker was possessed by a ghost. You see, Secretary Baker was just a high school graduate who became the village secretary by riding the wave of the Red Guards—how could he possibly be a general? Yet he called himself “this general,” which clearly meant he was claiming to be one. What’s more, Secretary Baker’s voice had changed; it was no longer his original voice, but that of a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties. Whether by voice or demeanor, the Secretary Baker before me was no longer the same person as before.

　　At that moment, I guessed that the ghost possessing Secretary Baker was likely a general. Thinking of how many people such a person must have killed in life, I couldn’t help but feel afraid. Isn’t there an old saying, “For every general’s success, ten thousand bones wither”? Anyone who becomes a general does so at the cost of others’ lives. Such a bloodthirsty person in life would hardly become a benevolent spirit in death.

　　Though I was quite fearful inside—after all, I had no confidence, and this was my first time encountering a possession, and by a general no less—to be honest, I was panicking. But I couldn’t let my fear show. Without wasting words, I directly questioned, “Who are you, and why have you possessed him?”

　　I was trying to get to the bottom of things. If he just wanted some incense and paper offerings, that would be simple enough—we’d give him whatever he wanted.

　　“This general is Samuel Lewis, styled Henry Wood, a general who campaigned in the west during the Jiaqing era of the Ming dynasty.” As he said this, Secretary Baker’s face was full of pride.

　　As soon as he finished speaking, everyone present was stunned. After all, Secretary Baker was a native of Chenjia Town—when did he change his name? And now he was claiming to be a general from the Ming dynasty—what was going on? Of course, some of the older folks immediately caught on and shouted that Secretary Baker must have encountered something supernatural.

　　Hearing the elders say this, everyone immediately took several steps back, starting to feel afraid. Before, they just thought Secretary Baker had gone mad, but now that they heard he was possessed, who would dare get close? What if that thing latched onto them? The dozen or so villagers who had been thrown to the ground by Secretary Baker didn’t dare try to tie him up again either; they just stood far off to the side, and everyone’s eyes turned to me, clearly waiting to see how I would handle things.

Chapter 9: Reasoning (Part 1)

　　I said to Secretary Baker, “General Lewis, no matter how impressive you were in life, the paths of the living and the dead are different. Why don’t you go reincarnate properly? Why come here to torment the living? Aren’t you afraid of the punishments of hell?”

　　I was trying to reason with him. Since ancient times, yin and yang are separate, the living and the dead walk different roads—the living take the sunlit path, the dead the dark underworld. Harming the living without cause will bring punishment in hell. Both the underworld and the world of the living have their own laws and rules.

　　But as soon as I finished, his face turned cold and he shouted angrily, “What a cheeky brat! You dare put on airs in front of this general? Do you really think your words can scare me?”

　　Seeing him get angry, I grew worried. If he lost his temper and attacked, I really didn’t know if I could handle him. So I quickly changed my tone: “General, you misunderstand. I’m only reminding you out of kindness—after all, the laws of the underworld are strict. Normally, we mind our own business and don’t cross each other; there’s no need to break those laws. I just want to know, is there something you want from him?”

　　By “him,” I naturally meant Secretary Baker. Only if he told me why he’d possessed Secretary Baker could I find a way to resolve this trouble.

　　But to my surprise, his anger only grew, his voice rising as he shouted, “Mind our own business? For a hundred years, this general has lived here peacefully, never troubling you people, yet you come to dig up my roof, smash the head marker in front of my house, and commit such evil deeds—shouldn’t you be punished for that?”