My name's Wang Xiaofeng, but everyone calls me Gouwa. Since I was a kid, folks have always called me a jinx.

　　So, why the nickname? Well, that story starts right at my birth.

　　The moment I was born, I was tossed into a filthy ditch and found by my grandpa. Grandpa, who had never married or had children, saw me as a treasure sent by fate. He believed I was destined to be his.

　　Grandpa used to tell me that when he found me, I was barely hanging on, sick and frail. Lots of people told him not to bother with me, saying that a baby dumped in a stinky ditch must be seriously ill.

　　But Grandpa had his heart set on me. He took me home and, playing the roles of both dad and mom, poured his heart and soul into taking care of me. He stayed up for days on end, and by some miracle, he saved my life.

　　Then, the year after Grandpa found me, the youngest son of the village carpenter, Lao Chen, drowned. Normally, a death wouldn’t cause too much of a stir, but the eerie part was that Chen’s son drowned in the exact same ditch where Grandpa had found me.

　　From that moment on, Lao Chen, who had always been friendly with Grandpa, stopped talking to him. And ever since, whenever something weird or tragic happened in the village, people would point at me and whisper that I was the jinx of Yao Village.

　　I never bought into the whole jinx thing until something happened that made me rethink it all.

　　When I was nine, I fell seriously ill and was stuck in bed for over two months. Grandpa was worried sick, scared out of his mind that I might not make it. He kept rushing over to Wu Changgui’s place, desperate for some help.Wu Changgui, just like my grandpa, was in his sixties and served as the village's barefoot doctor, known far and wide around our parts.

　　That day, Grandpa brought Wu Changgui over to our place. Wu stared at me for a long while, checked my pulse, peered into my eyes, poked here, and prodded there, and finally came out with, “This boy isn’t sick.”

　　“Lao Hu, you’ve got to check him again!” Grandpa pleaded.

　　Wu Changgui sighed. “Lao Wang, I think Gouwa is probably possessed.”

　　“Possessed?” Grandpa exclaimed.

　　“Yeah, that's what it seems like to me.”

　　“What do we do now?” Grandpa was in a panic, not knowing what to do.

　　“Don’t worry. I’ll go get Sister Lan to take a look!”

　　“Sister Lan?” Grandpa was taken aback. Sister Lan was a clairvoyant known for her abilities. Folks from all over the nearby villages would come to her for help with all sorts of problems.

　　“She’s probably the only one who can save your precious grandson now!” Wu Changgui said as he rushed out the door, not even bothering to take his medicine box.

　　Grandpa stroked my forehead, tears welling up in his eyes. “Gouwa, you have to be okay!”

　　“Grandpa...” I mumbled. Grandpa wiped his tears away as soon as he heard me.

　　“I want to eat some porridge...”

　　“Alright, just hold on a bit, Gouwa. Grandpa will make it for you right now.”

　　Seeing me wake up, Grandpa was overjoyed. He hurried to the stove and started bustling around. Before long, he brought over a bowl of cornmeal porridge and a small plate of pickled vegetables.

　　“Gouwa, the porridge is ready!”

　　Meanwhile, several miles away, Wu Changgui was panting as he reached Sister Lan's door.

　　“Sister Lan! Sister Lan!”

　　He pushed open the rickety gate and dashed into the rundown thatched house.

　　“Lao Wu, what’s got you in such a rush?” Sister Lan asked. Her hair was half white, and her blind eyes rolled back as she spoke. Her coarse clothes were wrinkled and worn.“Gouwa’s been out of it for days. I think he might be possessed. You need to have a look!”

　　Sister Lan sat on the kang, staring blankly, not saying a word, and she looked a bit apprehensive at first glance.

　　“Sister Lan?”

　　“Is Gouwa nine years old now?”

　　“…”

　　“Yes, Gouwa has been with Old Wang for nine years.”

　　Wu Changgui didn’t understand why Sister Lan was asking this but answered her anyway.

　　“Hmm…”

　　Sister Lan picked up the cane resting by the kang and stood up.

　　“Go back. I can’t help Gouwa.”

　　“This is a matter of life and death, Sister Lan. You can’t just ignore it. You’re the only one who can save him!”

　　“Don’t worry. Gouwa won’t die.”

　　Sister Lan leaned on her cane and walked to the window. Even though she was blind, she still faced the window.

　　“He’ll be fine in a couple of days.”

　　“Really?”

　　“Hmm?” Sister Lan turned back to Wu Changgui.

　　Wu Changgui opened his mouth to say something but, seeing her impatient look, decided to keep quiet.

　　Everyone around here knew about Sister Lan’s temper and didn’t dare cross her.

　　After leaving Sister Lan’s house, a gust of cold wind hit Wu Changgui, making him shiver as he hurried back.

　　Soon, at Old Wang’s house.

　　“Is she coming?”

　　“Sister Lan isn’t coming, but she said Gouwa will be fine. He’ll get better in a couple of days.”

　　“In a couple of days?” Grandpa stood up, setting aside his bowl, and looked at Wu Changgui. “What do we do now?”

　　“Grandpa...” I mumbled, half-dreaming, having eaten only a couple of bites of porridge.“Gouwa, are you feeling any better?”

　　“Better, better...” I managed to mumble before slipping back into unconsciousness.

　　In my dream, I wandered through a lush meadow, with a gentle breeze and fragrant flowers all around.

　　I had no idea how long I’d been walking when suddenly an old woman appeared, approaching me slowly with a cane. Her hair was as white as snow, her back was bent, and she wore a kind, welcoming expression.

　　“Grandma, who are you?” I asked, my curiosity piqued.

　　“Come here, dear,” she said gently, taking my hand and leading me to a stone table where she settled down.

　　I looked around in wonder, mesmerized by the beauty of the place.

　　“Do you not remember who I am?” the old woman asked with a warm smile.

　　I shook my head, feeling lost.

　　She wasn’t surprised or impatient; she just smiled reassuringly. “That’s alright, you’ll remember in time. Just call me Grandma Hu.”

　　“Grandma Hu,” I repeated, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.

　　“Ah, what a good boy!” Grandma Hu patted my cheek, her face glowing with kindness.

　　“What is this place? It’s so beautiful.”

　　“Silly child, this is Wuxian Mountain!”

　　“Wuxian Mountain?”

　　I was taken aback. Wuxian Mountain was only a dozen miles from Yao Village, a place everyone knew about. The legend was clear: Wuxian Mountain was sacred ground where mortals weren’t supposed to tread.

　　Yet, the more mysterious something was, the more people seemed drawn to it, often sneaking in only to either disappear or return as different people.

　　“Yes,” Grandma Hu said, still smiling.

　　I didn’t know how to respond, feeling a bit uneasy.

　　Seeing my discomfort, Grandma Hu said, “Don’t be afraid, Gouwa. I’m grateful to you, and I mean you no harm.”

　　“Grandma Hu, are you one of the deities of the mountain?”

　　At the time, I didn’t fully grasp it, but since this was Wuxian Mountain, I figured the old woman in my dream must be some sort of deity.

　　“Kind of.”

　　“Why am I here?”

　　Grandma Hu chuckled softly. “Oh, I almost forgot the important part.”

　　With that, she swung her cane, and a swirl of white mist shot out and entered my body.

　　“Uh...”

　　I looked at my body, bewildered by what Grandma Hu had done.

　　“Don’t worry, I’m helping you.”

　　Suddenly, the ground shook with a deep rumble, and the entire dream began to quake violently.

　　“It looks like you’re about to wake up!” Grandma Hu said.

　　“I…”

　　“Don’t worry, we’ll meet again!”

　　With a final sweep of her hand, the dream flashed brightly, turning into a blinding white light.

　　I jolted awake, sitting up in bed, drenched in sweat.“Gouwa, you’re awake!”

　　Grandpa’s hand rested on my forehead, his voice trembling with worry. “How do you feel? Any better?”

　　I took deep breaths, trying to steady myself. “Yes, I’m feeling a lot better.”

　　Grandpa let out a relieved sigh, marveling quietly at Sister Lan’s apparent abilities—Gouwa was truly okay.

　　“How long was I out?”

　　“Three days!”

　　“Is that so...” I slowly came to my senses and gave Grandpa a reassuring smile.

　　Seeing me awake and well, Grandpa’s anxiety melted away. He hugged me tightly, his relief palpable.

　　I thought the ordeal was over, but as it turned out, this was only the beginning of what was to come.