Tales of Folk Feng Shui Mysteries

The driver's hands were shaking terribly from nervousness. I told him he could rest for five minutes every half-hour—but the moment those five minutes were up, he had to keep driving.If I hadn't been sitting beside him, he probably would've passed out from fear. He didn't pick up a single passenger that entire night. As soon as dawn broke, he rushed to take me to his home.

His name was Hao Zhuang—and like his name implied, he was a burly man.As soon as he walked through the door, he shouted, "Wake up! Something's wrong!"

His wife stirred groggily. "What happened? You hit someone?"

She glanced at me warily, and immediately assumed I was there to accuse them. Hao Zhuang, however, urgently pulled her aside, asking, "Honey, where's that coat you picked up the other day? Quick, bring it out!"

"What coat?" she snapped, casting a warning glance at him, then turned toward me sharply:"Let me tell you, we've never picked up any coat. People lose things in taxis all the time. Who knows where you dropped it? It's got nothing to do with us. If you don't believe it, go ahead and sue us!"

I smiled. She thought I was just here to retrieve a lost item.

Hao Zhuang tried again to explain. "Wife, I saw a ghost last night!" He recounted everything in detail.

But his wife was a fierce one—a real tigress. She insisted Hao Zhuang must've lost money gambling with his buddies and now he was teaming up with me to scam her. She scolded him so hard he had no words left, and her voice—like a rusty gong—was probably heard across the neighborhood.

I tried to calm the situation. "Why don't you two talk it over? I'll wait outside."

But Hao Zhuang quickly stopped me. "No, stay. Listen, we've been married for over twenty years. When have I ever lied to you? This is serious. Please, just give me the coat."

Seeing his desperation, his wife begrudgingly went into the room and retrieved a brand-new women's trench coat.The moment it touched my hands, I knew—the spirit was indeed inside. No wonder this house had been plagued by misfortune.

"I trust you believe me now?" I asked.

"Of course I do!" Hao Zhuang said, nearly in tears.

I explained, "The girl who wore this coat had bad luck that day—her fate clashed with malevolent energy, so the ghost followed her into your cab. But because you had a Caishen talisman in your car, the ghost was repelled. It ended up hiding inside the coat. Once you found it, it became attached—and turned into an evil object."

"What do we do now?" Hao Zhuang asked in panic. "Take it with you, please!"

I advised them both to carry a small stone in their pocket for protection—earth absorbs all, and it's especially effective against residual evil energy.More importantly, I told him to sell the taxi as soon as possible. He was no longer suited for this job—picking up too many random things had worn down his luck and spiritual merit. If he kept driving, he'd be trading life for money.

After some final instructions, I left their home—this time leaving my number. Just in case any aftereffects came up in the next seven days.

I placed the coat into a spiritual satchel, securely buried among other protective items—it wouldn't stir.

Back home, I drew the curtains shut, laid the coat out from the satchel, and took out silver needles, pinning them at five key points: hands, feet, heart, and navel.

Then I lit a red candle.As the flame rose, I spoke:

"Come out now. Don't hide."

No response.I warned:

"If you don't show yourself, I'll burn this coat."

As soon as I finished, the coat began to swell like a balloon, then deflated—repeating four or five times.

I continued calmly:

"Don't struggle. You can't escape. These are Soul-Pinning Needles.I'll give you three breaths. If you're still hiding, I'll light the fire."

Holding the red candle, I stepped forward, bending over:

"I didn't want to kill you. But if you won't cooperate, don't blame me."

Just as I was about to touch flame to fabric, a sharp female voice shrieked from inside:

"No! Don't burn me! I was wrong!"

And then—She appeared.

A young woman in her twenties, not the grotesque form I expected. Unlike most resentful spirits who retain the horrific look of death, she looked… almost normal. Even beautiful.

I said sternly:

"Since you've admitted your wrongdoing, I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself.I will seal you into this talisman.Help one hundred people, and you'll be eligible for reincarnation."

Tearfully, she pleaded:

"My husband was a taxi driver… He poisoned me and dumped my body in a river.It was so cold… I only stayed in people's homes to find warmth.I never meant to hurt anyone. Please, have mercy."

I remained stern:

"The living and the dead must remain separate.Your presence harmed the household.I won't destroy you—but you must enter this talisman so you don't hurt anyone else."

Spirits aren't inherently terrifying—they're like people.If your heart is righteous, they will fear you.Most are pitiful souls—without injustice, there are no vengeful ghosts.As a Taoist, my job is to guide—not judge. The cycle of cause and effect is Heaven's domain.

I gritted my teeth:

"This is your last chance. Enter—or perish."

She saw I meant it. Finally, she knelt down and entered the talisman.I sealed the paper and prepared to hand it over to the old Taoist master later.

Three spirits remained. Time was tight, so I prepared to act.

But just as I opened my door, I was stunned:

A giant figure loomed like a wall—Master Yicheng was standing there, one arm missing, his remaining hand in a Buddhist mudra, bowing solemnly.

"Amitabha, Layman Zhang. We meet again."

He scared the hell out of me. I tiptoed to peek around—no sign of Jiang Shiyu.Only then did I relax.

"Master Yicheng, I'm busy. Let's talk later."

He replied calmly:

"No need. Those three spirits you were tracking—I've already vanquished them."

"You what?" I shouted.

He nodded.I lost it.

"What's wrong with you?! Monks are supposed to be compassionate!Killing them just solidified their karma!I've spent days preparing rites and talismans—you just wiped it all out!Do you know how hard it is to earn yin virtue?!"

I was furious. I almost went back in to grab a kitchen knife.

Yicheng replied:

"It is our duty to uphold righteousness. Evil spirits must be eliminated."

There was no getting through to him.Since the six-spirit case was now resolved, I had no reason to stay in Fengtian City.

My next destination: Changbai Mountains, Jilin.

Why?Because that region is the origin of the Northeast dragon veins.And that's also where my grandfather vanished.

I also remembered a report—1982, Heilongjiang: a black dragon fell from the sky into the river.Villagers covered it with straw mats, poured water, and it eventually ascended again.

If that story was real, some witnesses might still be alive.

My goal: uncover the 24 dragon veins of China within two years.

But just as I started down the stairs, Yicheng called out:

"Jiang Shiyu… is in trouble."

My heart stopped.

In trouble?Impossible. The Night Roaming Deity promised to assign two guardian spirits to protect her. No one should've been able to harm her!

I snapped—rushing to Yicheng and grabbing his collar:

"What happened?! You were with her not long ago!Isn't she your friend? Why didn't you protect her?!"

He calmly met my eyes:

"She was taken… by the Princess.I was powerless to stop it."

He undid his robe—revealing a hideous, charred palm mark on his chest.

Sweat rolled down my forehead.I knew Yicheng's strength. If he was badly hurt, what hope did Jiang Shiyu have?

"Tell me everything!" I demanded.

Yicheng chanted a Buddhist verse, then spoke:

"That Princess is no ordinary ghost…She was the third daughter of Emperor Huangtaiji.Even before the Manchus entered the Central Plains, she lived in the Shenyang Imperial Palace.

She was obsessed with beauty—fanatically so.A wandering Taoist once told her: to gain immortality, she must eat the hearts and livers of children—twenty boys and twenty girls each month.

The Princess believed him.While the Emperor was off at war, she and the Taoist kidnapped children and murdered them—carving out organs.

The people had nowhere to appeal.

When Huangtaiji returned from conquering Beijing, he discovered the truth.He beheaded them both, displaying their corpses for three days.

But her mother secretly switched the corpse with a palace maid's.She buried the real Princess inside the sleeping chambers.

One night, Huangtaiji fell and hit his head—a dragon's blood touched the earth during a rare lunar eclipse.That blood awakened dormant dragon energy in the palace—and merged with the Princess's spirit.

Ever since, she's wandered the palace as a ghost overlord.Not even underworld enforcers dare arrest her."

"But she had changed—sometimes helping lost souls.So Hell left her alone."

"Until recently. For some reason, she saw Jiang Shiyu…And sent her ghost soldiers to abduct her—dragging her soul into the Imperial Palace."