"Are you sure it's a zombie?" Grandpa asked again.
Examining the half finger, I was certain it was freshly swallowed. Only a live, bloodied rat would be eager; rotting flesh stank too much, and rats wouldn't touch it unless desperate.
I confirmed it to Grandpa. He seethed, "In this day and age, such wickedness! Wait for me to deal with this Rat Resentment. A rat eating a zombie is a fierce formation; you can't handle it alone."
I asked when he'd be back. "At least two weeks," he replied. My heart sank—by then, someone might die. I voiced my concern. After a moment of silence, Grandpa said, "Check their main door for Reverse Bow Sha. A Rat Resentment that ate a zombie has high intelligence and might try to escape. The Reverse Bow Sha keeps it trapped. There must be yin trees behind the building attracting ghosts. Cut down the trees, invite door gods, and tell the family to stay home until I return to break the curse."
According to Grandpa, this house had become a haunted mansion: a wandering Rat Resentment inside, Reverse Bow Sha outside, and yin trees attracting ghosts. Trapped spirits would eventually cause chaos.
I rushed to the window and saw a drainage ditch in front of the villa. It curved sharply at the door, forming a bow shape. Worse, the pointed fence behind the "bow" resembled ready arrows—classic Reverse Bow Sha, a deadly feng shui curse.
Looking behind the building, two prominent pagoda trees stood beneath the window. "When did these trees appear?" I asked.
"I don't know. They weren't here when I left for school," Zhao Na replied. "What's wrong with them?"
I explained that pagoda trees were yin trees, attracting ghosts—bad luck for home feng shui.
I realized the caster was a master. Doubts crept in, but with Grandpa committed, I couldn't back out.
"Master, what should we do?" Zhao Na asked nervously.
"Break the Reverse Bow Sha first. Do you have a hammer?"
"Yes, but it's in the warehouse. I'm scared to go alone," she said. We fetched the hammer and headed for the ditch. Just as I was about to strike, a middle - aged man and a pregnant woman entered.
The man glared at Zhao Na. "Nana, you're out of control, bringing strangers home! Have some decency!"
I turned to see a square - faced man with a woman in her early 30s. Her stepmother was even more beautiful than Zhao Na. The man's red eyes, sallow complexion, and twitching fingers showed he was barely holding on against the curse.
Now, with Zhao Na looking disheveled, her father naturally suspected the worst. Without a word, he punched me in the face. "What did you do to her?"
Furious, I tried to leave, but he blocked me. "Stay until the police come!"
Zhao Na stepped between us, pushing her father. "Dad, stop! I told you the house is haunted. He's a fortune - teller I hired to help."
"Him?" Her father scoffed. "Since when do fortune - tellers dig ditches and undress women?"