Chapter 55: Master and Disciple

"Alright, alright, I'll go!" Bai Xiaoli agreed without a moment’s hesitation, her face alight with genuine happiness.

Seeing her so delighted, I could not share her joy. I told Bai Xiaoli very seriously about the dangers of what we were about to do, even exaggerating the risks, saying we only had a thirty percent chance of success and that failure would mean death for us both.

Bai Xiaoli's smile faded. Just as I thought this little girl might shrink back in fear, she looked at me with utmost sincerity and said, "Xu Yingying and I are both women. Though I’ve never had a child, I understand the greatness of a mother’s love. Even if there’s only a ten percent chance, I want to help Xu Yingying deliver her baby."

I hadn’t expected Bai Xiaoli to say this. Beyond gratitude, I felt a deep admiration for her.

At noon, after we finished lunch outside, I took Bai Xiaoli to Granny Wan’s shop and told Granny Wan that Bai Xiaoli had agreed to assist with the delivery.

Granny Wan was not surprised. She began to explain to Bai Xiaoli all the things she needed to pay attention to that night.

The knowledge Granny Wan imparted to Bai Xiaoli today was far more detailed than what she had taught me before. For a moment, I felt as if Granny Wan had always intended to take Bai Xiaoli as her disciple, not me.

Granny Wan told Bai Xiaoli that delivering a baby for the dead was actually not complicated—indeed, it was even easier than helping the living. If the ghostly fetus could not be delivered naturally, she said, you simply took scissors and cut open the mother's belly to retrieve the child.

Bai Xiaoli asked if the mother’s corpse would be angry about that.

Granny Wan shook her head. "No," she said. "All mothers are the same. For their children, they are willing to die. Why would they care about their belly being cut open?"

"Are there any special precautions?" Bai Xiaoli listened attentively, even taking out a notebook to write things down. Her studious attitude, honestly, put mine to shame.

Then Granny Wan told Bai Xiaoli, "The most complicated part is reciting the Rebirth Mantra. After the baby is born, you must recite the mantra for them. If you make a mistake, the child will never reincarnate and will resent us forever."

Hearing this, I was even more certain that Granny Wan had never intended me to be her disciple. Such an important detail—she had never told me.

I silently observed Granny Wan, this silver-haired old woman, her eyes shining as she looked at Bai Xiaoli. She shared with Bai Xiaoli all the things she never told me, and she showed no sign of stopping, even as the night grew deep. Bai Xiaoli, for her part, never grew weary—one teaching seriously, the other listening with full attention.

I, the supposed apprentice, had become the outsider. I gave a bitter laugh. So I’d been overthinking it all along. The legendary “Wan the One-Handed” of the geomancy world had never lacked for disciples; she’d simply been waiting for Bai Xiaoli.

Midnight soon fell again. This night was different from the last—thick clouds blotted out the sky, and there was no moonlight at all.

Fortunately, Granny Wan’s shop was well-equipped. I borrowed a large lantern from her house and set off on the fishing boat once more.

We had nearly the same tools as the previous night—a straw mat, and a white sheet spread upon it. That night, Bai Xiaoli wore a plain white dress. She told me that delivering a baby was a solemn matter and that red clothing was inappropriate. At that moment, she was squatting by the side of the boat, quietly reviewing her notes from that afternoon with uncommon seriousness.

Worried that she might fall into the water, I cautioned her not to squat too close to the edge.

A cool breeze swept over the river. The faint fragrance of Bai Xiaoli’s hair lingered at the tip of my nose.

“Oh no, not again! They’re back—the ghosts!” It was the same group of night fishermen from the riverbank. Seeing our boat approach once more, they panicked and fled. Judging by their reaction, I doubted they would ever come night fishing again.

“Hehe, look, we’ve scared them off again,” Bai Xiaoli said, putting down her notes and breaking into laughter.

Granny Wan cast a stern glance at Bai Xiaoli. “Don’t say the word ‘scare’ at night. It brings bad luck.”

Bai Xiaoli quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

Soon, we arrived at Longtou Canal again. The water’s surface was as calm as ever. Just as the night before, Granny Wan tossed some sour plums into the water, and Xu Yingying’s body floated up.

This time, I noticed a difference—Xu Yingying’s belly was even larger, and the pulsing beneath it was much more rapid.

Imitating what I’d done the night before, I reached out to retrieve Xu Yingying. Suddenly, she grabbed my arm with a swift motion. Her tightly shut eyes flew open, fixing me with a fierce glare, as if to accuse me: Why did you bring Bai Xiaoli here?