My parents were truly terrified by what the Priest said at the time. First, they didn’t know if the unborn child in my mother’s belly was really, as the Priest claimed, a debt-collecting ghost come to claim debts from a previous life. Second, they didn’t know if, after the child was born, ghost messengers would really come to take its soul. So, they anxiously begged the Priest for guidance, hoping he could show them a clear path.

The Priest nodded and said that since he had eaten their white rice, he would naturally help them. He then told my parents, “Although the child in your womb is a debt-collecting ghost, since these are karmic debts from a previous life, they must eventually be repaid. So even if he has come to collect debts in this life, it’s best for you to keep this child, lest he return in the next life to collect again.”

My parents nodded in agreement. Regardless of the debt, the child in the womb was their own flesh and blood, carried for ten months—how could they just abandon it? Of course, my parents couldn’t bear to do so. But the Priest had also said that as soon as the child was born, ghost messengers would come to claim its soul. If it were a person coming to take the child’s life, they could fight back, but how could ordinary people stop ghost messengers? So they asked the Priest, “How can we keep the child safe?”

The Priest smiled and said, “Earlier, I saw a well in your yard. As soon as the child is born, place the baby in a bamboo basket and hang it in the well. Wait until the ghost messengers have left, then bring the child out. In this way, the child can avoid having its soul taken by the ghost messengers.”

Although my parents were completely confused, they nodded repeatedly and thanked the Priest profusely.

The Priest waved his hand and smiled, “Don’t thank me yet, because even if the child escapes the ghost messengers, after birth he will bring you endless trouble—your family fortune will be lost, and you’ll have no home to live in. These are all karmic debts you owe this child from a previous life, and he will surely reclaim them. Are you willing?”

My parents were stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, “We are willing. As long as the child is safe, even if it costs us our lives, we are willing.”

When the Priest heard my parents say this, he nodded in satisfaction and continued, “Good, that’s for the best. However, when this child turns eighteen, he will reclaim the karmic debts from his previous life, and then he will leave. This will be a difficult hurdle, and it will be hard for you to keep him.”

This time, my parents were dumbfounded. They had thought that as long as they kept the child safe at birth and repaid the debts, everything would be fine. Who would have thought that after the debts were repaid at eighteen, the child would have to leave? Wasn’t this taking their lives?

My mother immediately began to cry, lamenting her bitter fate. Seeing my mother so heartbroken, my father hurriedly begged the Priest to show mercy and offer a way to resolve the situation.

The Priest sighed, shook his head slightly, and said that debt-collecting ghosts are illusory children—once the debts are repaid, they will return, and no matter how hard you try, you cannot keep them.

Hearing this, my mother cried even harder, utterly heartbroken, her tears falling like rain.

Seeing my mother so distraught, the Priest seemed to feel pity. He calculated again with his fingers and then said, “Don’t cry, madam. I have just figured out a possible solution, but I can’t guarantee it will work. Do you want to hear it?”

Of course my parents wanted to hear it. They quickly wiped away their tears and begged the Priest to explain.

The Priest said, “I have calculated that when this child turns eighteen, there will be a ‘Yima’ choice. ‘Yima’ refers to a long journey, and the child’s calamity will occur during this journey. So you must remember: if you want to save his life, when he is eighteen and has the chance to travel, you must have him go to Jiangxi. As long as he comes to Jiangxi, I will surely meet him, and there will be a sliver of hope.”

Although my parents didn’t know if this was true—after all, it was something that would happen eighteen years later—they still nodded and remembered it firmly. But they were still a bit doubtful, so they asked the Priest, if they simply didn’t let him travel, could he avoid this calamity?

The Priest shook his head and said, “No, this calamity will occur in a foreign place; it is his fate, and you cannot stop it. That’s all I have to say—remember it well!”

With that, the Priest swept his sleeves and walked out of the house.

My parents hurried after him, wanting to keep him, but this time the Priest ignored their pleas and left the courtyard without looking back...

After the Priest left, my parents were filled with anxiety and unease. Just as my mother was about to ask my father what they should do, she suddenly felt a pain in her belly before she could speak.

Counting the days, it was indeed time for the baby to be born, and the Priest had also said the child would be born today. My father was terrified when he saw my mother really about to give birth. He quickly helped her lie down on the bed and went to find the midwife.

Strangely enough, it had been a cloudless, sunny day, but suddenly dark clouds gathered, thunder rumbled, and torrential rain poured down. It was as if some demon was being born into the world, and the thunder was there to strike it down. Lightning flashed again and again, striking the ground and turning my father’s face pale with fear.

But no matter how frightening the thunder and how heavy the rain, my father dared not delay. He threw on a raincoat and rushed out.

Braving the thunder and rain, my father finally brought the midwife home. By then, my mother was in unbearable pain. The midwife took one look and said the baby was coming soon. She hurriedly told my father to go boil a basin of hot water, while she prepared to deliver the baby herself.