Chapter 2: How Could A Mortal Blade Kill A Ghost?

“Holy shit!”

Li Chaosheng was so frightened by the woman that he plopped down onto the execution platform, then felt waves of weakness sweep his body and his heart pounding faster. He’d cut off so many heads, but never met such a strange criminal. Her head fell and she could still smile at him. Now his mind was full of that woman’s smiling face, like a nightmare he couldn’t shake.

“I’ll come for you, I’ll come for you…”

The woman’s eerie words lingered in his ears and wouldn’t go away, like a curse.

“We’re done here!”

Seeing the criminal executed, the middle-aged man in black sitting in the execution shelter stood and gave the order. At his words a group of black-clad men stepped forward. One walked over and lifted the woman’s head, two others went to carry her corpse, but the two parties did not then move in the same direction.

The black-clad man carrying the head went south, while the ones carrying the body went north. This was the special treatment for the gravest criminals. According to the Great Gan Dynasty’s rules, those guilty of the worst crimes shall have their head and body separated after death. Only ordinary criminals could have their heads sewn up by a cobbler after beheading and thus have an intact corpse.

The black-clad men left one after another. No one noticed that the pool of black blood where the head had fallen suddenly began to move, and in a moment it became a black snake that slithered over to Li Chaosheng and then wriggled into the sole of his shoe.

Li Chaosheng felt as if he had been pulled out of water. Sweating profusely, utterly drained, his face was waxy and paler than a sheet of paper. Wang Er, seeing this, immediately ran up onto the platform and asked with concern, “Brother Li, are you all right?”

Li Chaosheng was at his weakest. He wiped his sweat and said, “I’m fine, just got hit by something evil. Give me a swig of wine.”

Wang Er immediately found a half jar of wine nearby and handed it to Li Chaosheng. Li Chaosheng took a gulp. The spicy liquor burned his throat and instantly lessened his weakness. After all, wine steadies the nerves and can drive away evil.

With a bit more strength Li Chaosheng stood up, and saw the county magistrate, his clerk and some officers stumbling over. Seeing Li Chaosheng’s state, the magistrate said guiltily, “Brother Li, it was an order from above, I couldn’t just do as I pleased. I promised to let you sheathe your blade, but didn’t expect you’d have to break the rules…”

The magistrate felt guilty. Li Chaosheng waved his hand and said, “Sir, no need to apologize. There are always times in the workplace when you have to do things you don’t want to, I understand. But could you tell me who they were?”

Li Chaosheng glanced at the busy black-clad men. The magistrate’s face turned bitter as he said, “Don’t ask anything. Come to the office tomorrow to collect your transfer papers, then go far away from this place of trouble.”

The magistrate waved, and the clerk hurriedly brought over a tray covered with red cloth.

“Brother Li, this is your hanging-red!”

Hanging-red was an executioner’s term referring generally to the reward money the authorities give after a beheading.

The clerk presented the hanging-red, then hurried away with the magistrate. Before leaving, Li Chaosheng noticed the magistrate seemed to be summoned by one of the black-clad men and spoke with him. While speaking, the magistrate kept glancing back at Li Chaosheng.

“Brother Li, you okay? Come on, let’s go rest in the little room beside the execution ground!”

Wang Er supported Li into a small room by the execution ground. The room was small, meant specifically for executioners to prepare before carrying out a sentence.

Inside, Li Chaosheng sat and used water from a nearby bucket to clean the ghost-head blade. After washing it, he placed the knife on a stand on the table. Behind the stand on the wall was a poem: “The ghost-head long blade startles men, a cold-faced butcher calms ghosts and gods. If one lives upright and stands correct, why fear becoming a soul under the blade?”

Li Chaosheng read the verse and felt a momentary clarity in his mind. The poem was true indeed. If he had no guilty conscience, the souls under his blade shouldn’t seek revenge on him!

Thinking so, Wang Er pulled a clay bowl from under the table, took out some yellow papers, and lit them in the bowl.

“Come on, Brother Li, say a few words to our ancestors, get rid of the bad luck on you.”

Wang Er said this and the two of them knelt before the bowl. It was an executioner custom: after killing, they would burn some special yellow paper and tell their ancestors about it. They would say what crime the prisoner committed and that they executed him to uphold heaven’s law. These were just to comfort their own conscience.

Li Chaosheng followed suit and burned the papers. Just as he was about to report the deed to the ancestors, the two stared at each other blankly because they themselves didn’t know what crime the woman executed had commited, leaving them speechless. After a long pause Wang Er blurted, “Ancestors, I’m a small and humble man and don’t know who we killed. Your mighty powers can investigate it, so please bless us!”

Li Chaosheng was stunned. Could one really report to the ancestors like that? Whether the ancestors truly heard their words or it was just psychological, after burning the papers Li Chaosheng felt somewhat lighter, so he took the blade and hurried home.

On the way Li Chaosheng took out his reward money and had Wang Er buy a roast chicken and a jar of wine for dinner. After hustling about, Li Chaosheng was indeed a bit hungry.

…

That night Li Chaosheng’s room was dim, the oil lamp flickered faintly. In the dark Li Chaosheng wrapped himself in a blanket and sat on his bed. On his bed sat a table with a roast chicken wrapped in lotus leaf, a jar of wine, and at the corner of the table a palm-sized turtle.

Executioners were surrounded by heavy yin, so they needed to keep small animals at home to balance the energy, but most animals couldn’t survive in that environment, so whatever he kept would die. Of a whole litter of animals, only this little turtle survived, and from then on it accompanied Li Chaosheng day and night. He affectionately called it “Turtle Son”. (Chinese for son of a bitch)

It wasn’t to insult the little fellow but to protect it. Folk belief says cheap names help animals survive. If you give them grand names they tend to die young. For example, a rooster called Wucai (good luck/blessings/longevity), a duck named Yuanbao (big money), and a pig named Fugui (luxury life/high status) all couldn’t outlive his lucky Turtle Son!

“Turtle Son, do you believe in curses?”

Li Chaosheng took a sip of wine, ate a chicken drumstick and tore a piece off for the turtle. The turtle stuck out its head and ate without answering, so Li Chaosheng went on aloud, “I think the curse is real. Today I cut off my 100th head, and that woman’s head actually smiled at me and won’t leave my mind. Now that terrifying smiling face is still in my head.”

Li Chaosheng tore another piece and continued, “Whenever I close my eyes, that woman’s eerie smile appears. Why does she keep following me?”

Li Chaosheng grabbed the wine jar and gulped some, hoping the booze would help him forget her face, but he couldn’t.

“There is a cause for every grievance, a lender for every debt. I killed her on the king’s order, so what’s wrong with that? Ah… it never ends.”

Li Chaosheng kept talking. The turtle, which had been eating, suddenly stopped and slowly turned its head toward the door.

Knock knock knock…

Li Chaosheng drank another mouthful of wine and suddenly heard someone knocking at the door. But the sound was strange, as if they were banging with their head rather than a hand.

Knock knock knock…

After three more knocks, Li Chaosheng rubbed his eyes and, looking at the motionless turtle on the table, asked, “Is someone knocking on the door?”

The turtle didn’t respond. Li Chaosheng drank again, his head hazy, when Wang Er’s voice suddenly rang outside, “Brother Li~ open up, the magistrate’s looking for you!”

“Brother Er?”

Li Chaosheng was startled, rubbed his muddled head, pulled on his shoes and went to open the door. He was a bit drunk, otherwise normally he wouldn’t open the door so late at night, especially after what had happened at noon.

“Open up quick~ Brother Li~”

Wang Er’s voice outside sounded urgent.

“What’s the hurry? You wouldn’t come drink with me earlier, saying your wife was home alone and you were worried, now you’ve snuck out? What happened, did your wife chase you out at midnight?”

Li Chaosheng opened the door jokingly, but the instant his hand touched the latch the tiny soybean-sized flame of the oil lamp leapt up half a foot with a pop and the flame turned green.

Seeing that, the turtle immediately withdrew its head into its shell, abandoning the chicken before it. Li Chaosheng shivered and his hand froze on the latch.

Knock knock knock…

“Brother Li~ open up!”

Listening to the knocks, Li Chaosheng slowly pulled his hand back. Such strange knocking in the dead of night, coupled with the noon incident… Li Chaosheng felt the atmosphere was eerie.

“Brother Er, it’s late—if there’s something, we can talk tomorrow.”

Li Chaosheng mustered his courage and called out. The voice outside vanished instantly. Noticing the silence, he crept to the door and peered through the crack…

There was nothing. Outside was pitch black. For some reason the moonlight was hidden by clouds and not a glimmer was visible.

“They’ve gone, right?”

Li Chaosheng murmured softly and his heart eased. He straightened up and turned around.

The room was silent, the oil lamp flickered and became slightly brighter, while the turtle remained hidden in its shell.

“Phew…”

Li Chaosheng exhaled, returned to the table, drank another gulp and tapped the turtle’s shell, but Turtle Son didn’t move. Li Chaosheng couldn’t help cursing loudly, “You actual son of a bitch~”

He continued drinking, intending to get himself drunk. Whenever Li Chaosheng closed his eyes the woman’s smiling head appeared, so if he didn’t get drunk he probably wouldn’t sleep tonight.

Thinking this, Li Chaosheng drank again and drowsiness crept in. When he closed his eyes the woman’s smiling head surfaced in his mind. He muttered irritably, “Why won’t you leave? I’m not the one who wronged you… Who did? Who are you after? Why do you keep harassing me?”

“Because you killed me~”

Li Chaosheng had been talking to himself, but someone actually answered him right in his ear and he felt a cold breath beside his ear!

“Who’s there!”

Li Chaosheng was terrified and nearly died of fright when he opened his eyes: a blood-soaked head floated in the air, almost face to face with him, so close their noses nearly touched. Li Chaosheng stared into the other’s blood-red eyes and could even see his own reflection in them!

“Brother Li, I’m here to find you, kekekeke…”

“I—fuck your mother!”

Li Chaosheng was terrified and, acting on instinct, raised the wine jar and hurled it at the floating head. With a crack the jar shattered. Wine mixed with head blood splattered down, and the woman’s smile only grew more radiant…

“Kekekeke… Brother Li, that’s an interesting way to say hello, but I don’t like people hitting my head, ah~”

The woman’s head suddenly roared, then gaped open. Her teeth transformed into beastlike fangs and lunged straight at Li Chaosheng.

Seeing this, what choice did Li Chaosheng have? Goddamn, for heaven’s sake, run!

With a crash Li Chaosheng flipped the table and leapt up to run, but when he reached the door it wouldn’t budge.

“Kekekeke… It’s useless. No one can save you today!”

The head began chasing Li Chaosheng. He ran around the room, everything clattered as it was overturned. The brass basin, the teapot were all smashed into pieces.

After a long commotion the head cornered Li Chaosheng. Then it let out a shrill laugh, “Kekekeke… Give me your life!”

Despite being cornered, Li Chaosheng surprisingly didn’t lose his nerve. Instead his inner bloodlust flared. After all, Li Chaosheng was an executioner who had killed dozens. Bloodthirst ran in his bones. They say even a cornered rabbit will bite, let alone an executioner!

“Damn it, if I can’t get through today alive, you won’t either!”

Saying that, Li Chaosheng grabbed the ghost-head blade from the cabinet and swung at the woman’s flying head.

“Kekekeke… It’s useless! How could a mortal blade slay a ghost?”

“Fuck your granny! I don’t care if I can kill you or not, I’ll hack you to pieces!”

Li Chaosheng ’s fury erupted. He struck, and the ghost-head blade’s edge emitted a faint red glow with a swish!

“Ah~”

At Li Chaosheng’s strike the woman let out an inhuman wail. When Li Chaosheng opened his eyes again, her head had split in two from the crown.

“You—your blade… has killed, killed over a hundred people?” the woman asked tremblingly.

Li Chaosheng, breathing hard and holding the blade, said, “Including you, it’s exactly one hundred!”

“A hundred—a hundred-person slaughter blade, with blood malice…blood malice condensed can cut ghosts and gods, kekekeke… A clever plan, Brother Li, a clever plan indeed. But it’s not over… it’s not over… The Queen Mother of the West (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Queen_Mother_of_the_West ) is above, I, the disciple, shall turn my soul over to the dark side to take your wretched life today and sacrifice your soul to the Queen Mother in the future! Brother Li, it’s time to meet the Queen Mother!”

Huff huff…

As she spoke, black smoke spewed from her mouth and shot straight at Li Chaosheng’s face!