White paper flowers were hanging everywhere within the spacious room.
Everyone in the living room, as seen by Sun Yan, had a strip of black cloth tied around their arm and wore expressions of grief.
Following Wang Qiang through the living room and into the backyard, Sun Yan saw a coffin placed in the temporary cloth shed constructed in the backyard. On the wall were black-and-white photos, white curtains, and wreaths and flower baskets made of paper, piled everywhere.
Sun Yan couldn't help but nod slightly: "This is a classic Chinese seven-day memorial hall."
"Mom, this is the cemetery manager introduced by Ah Fei, talk to him about Dad's burial," Wang Qiang said to an elderly woman, pointing at Sun Yan beside him.
"Hello, Ma'am, I am the manager of Evangelical Town Cemetery. I came here today mainly to introduce our cemetery to you. The feng shui of Evangelical Town Cemetery is excellent, beneficial for the health and long life of descendants, successful business, and our cemetery undergoes maintenance every year, with rich greenery. Moreover, it's only a few kilometers from Dongmu Town, making it the best choice for your husband's burial," Sun Yan said, handing over a brochure he had prepared in advance to the elderly woman.
However, the elderly woman didn't care about these things and instead asked in a complex tone, "Since you are a cemetery manager, do you happen to know any masters who can perform exorcisms?"
"Exorcism?" Sun Yan looked puzzled, "Didn't the deceased in your family receive exorcism before being placed in the coffin?"
The process of a Chinese funeral emphasizes first dressing and grooming the deceased, calling in a priest, Daoist, monk, witch, or similar figure to perform exorcism after they are cleaned, and only upon completion of the ritual can they be placed in the coffin.
The purpose of this step is to help the deceased let go of their obsessions from life, their attachment to family, and their longing for the human world, so that they have no more concerns, thus avoiding the soul from lingering in the house after death.
After sealing the coffin, the family and relatives stay up overnight for the vigil, and then the deceased can be carried for burial.
Sun Yan saw that the coffin was already sealed, indicating the process of placing in the coffin was complete, so why was there talk of needing exorcism? This was completely abnormal.
"My husband... he passed away unexpectedly. Just last night he came to me in a dream, saying he is trapped and cannot leave, asking for my help. Though it's just a dream, I feel something must be wrong, maybe he hasn't been truly exorcised, and he's in pain," the elderly woman said quietly.
Beside her, Wang Qiang also had a complex expression: "My dad drowned accidentally while fishing by the river. That river had a history of incidents where people had drowned. We'd always advised him not to fish there, but he wouldn't listen. There is a saying in our hometown that drowning is an unlucky death, and the deceased may become a water ghost. Although I don't fully believe in such superstitions, a few days ago someone experienced something strange while night fishing at that river, so we think it's better to have a master to exorcise him again."
Curious, Sun Yan asked, "I can handle the exorcism of wandering souls. Can you tell me about the strange occurrences?"
Wang Qiang's expression turned serious immediately; glancing around cautiously, he whispered, "Someone said they saw my dad in the water while night fishing by the river."
"I see..." Sun Yan pondered, rubbing his chin, "May I ask, was your father able to close his eyes before being placed into the coffin?"
Upon hearing this question from Sun Yan, Wang Qiang and the elderly woman exchanged a surprised glance, whispering incredulously, "How did you know? He indeed couldn't close his eyes. Despite all the methods used by the witch we invited, he couldn't rest his eyes, and we had no choice but to place him in the coffin like that."
The "Mountain Chasing Manual" records that all who form from blood have souls and spirits, with three souls and seven spirits.
The three souls are Tai Guang, Shuang Ling, and You Jing, and the seven spirits are the Corpse Dog, Fuxi, Sparrow Shadow, Swallow Thieves, Non-Poison, Remove Filth, and Stinky Lung.
Souls control the body's energy, information, thoughts, consciousness, emotions, feelings, and intelligence, which is why a person devoid of a soul becomes an idiot or mentally ill.
Souls control the body and affect perception, hunger, needs, temperature, and other major instincts.
In ancient rural areas, there was a concept of "calling the soul," where they would shout the person's name to call back the wandering soul and spirit.
The Qing Dynasty literati Yuan Mei, in his work "Strange Tales," tells the story of a scholar who caught a cold and lay in bed in a coma.
One hazy night, he saw several figures lying on the bed, pressing down on him, making it hard for him to move. After a night's sleep, as his cold improved, those figures slowly shrank back into his body.
When souls wander in the wilderness for too long, they transform into evil spirits, drifting in the remote forests and wilds where no one goes.
They become lonely ghosts, and the deceased surely resents their condition, seeking exorcism, evident from the fact that they can't rest in peace, showing an unwillingness in their spirit.
Sun Yan shared his perspective: "If I'm not mistaken, your father had a soul detachment when he drowned, trapped in the river due to the weak earth energy causing water misfortunes, thus becoming a water ghost unable to reincarnate, which is why he sought help from your mother in a dream."
"Ah! What should we do then? Please find a solution; as long as my father can rest in peace, I will definitely bury him in your cemetery," Wang Qiang said anxiously.
As a son, how could he bear his father lonely as a ghost in the cold river? That's something others would gossip about.
Although Dongmu Town doesn't have a Chinatown, the Chinese population here accounts for a quarter of the total population, making it a fairly significant group.
Thinking about the possibility of his father's ghost scaring someone night fishing by the river, and the ensuing curses, Wang Qiang couldn't imagine what terrible words might be said.
It's utterly disgraceful if the deceased continues to be subjected to curses and disrespect. Wang Qiang certainly wouldn't want his father to endure that even in death.
"Mr. Wang, our cemetery counts the services of exorcism and burial separately, so you'll need to pay an additional fee for exorcism, which I need to inform you about in advance," Sun Yan explained, taking out a POS machine from his bag.
"I'll give you a discount here, a thousand US dollars."
In America, the mainstream payment method is still card swiping. Digital payments are dominated by companies like Paypal, Venmo, and Apple Pay, making it hard for foreign firms like WeChat and Alipay to establish roots, so using a POS machine for in-person transactions is very common.
Wang Qiang agreed readily: "Money is not an issue, but I hope you truly have the ability to help exorcise my father rather than deceitfully taking my money."
Sun Yan revealed a confident smile: "Rest assured, Mr. Wang, I'm a professional in exorcism."
The so-called exorcism is about ensuring the soul, supposed to leave the human world, does not linger here anymore.
When a person dies and only the soul remains, it becomes a special kind of existence. Remaining in the human world for too long can gradually breed hostility towards humans, even evolving into evil spirits and evil entities.
Thus, a spirit that hasn't dissipated post-death must be dealt with.
"When would you like to start?"
"I'll take action tonight."