In the 1970s and 1980s, a group of people suddenly appeared in the folk communities, traveling across the country with various knives and whetstones, calling out their wares in villages and towns.
They didn't just carry kitchen knives; they also brought scissors, choppers, sickles, and anything else related to blades.
What was strange was that they only sold knives on credit, never for cash, and whenever they left a knife, they would also leave behind some kind of prophecy.
They would make an agreement with the buyer: if the prophecy didn't come true, the knife would be gifted to them; but if it did, they would return to collect payment or the initially agreed-upon favor.
These prophecies varied greatly. Sometimes they foretold natural disasters, sometimes man-made calamities, but occasionally they were predictions of wealth, having children, and the like.
These individuals were known in folk circles as—She Dao Ren, or Credit-Knife Peddlers!
The meaning of She Dao Ren was easily understood; they only sold knives on credit, with no fixed repayment period. When they left, they would utter a prophecy, what ancient people called a 'chen yu' or ominous saying.
This profession first appeared in the Song Dynasty, and these peddlers claimed to be descendants of Guiguzi. The common folk initially called them 'Bu Mai' or Fortune-Telling Sellers.
In general, She Dao Ren belonged to folk sects. On the surface, they were knife sellers, but in reality, they were a group who told fortunes and sold karma.
If their predictions were wrong, they would disappear;
If their predictions were right, they would collect their due according to the agreement.
Using knives to establish trust, and trust to practice their path—this was the code of conduct for She Dao Ren traveling the Jianghu.
When Yan Shouyi saw the "She" (credit) character on the cleaver, he understood the identity of the visitor.
However, Long Feicheng didn't understand the meaning of She Dao Ren and kept pestering Yan Shouyi with questions. Fearing he would never stop, Yan Shouyi explained it to him.
After hearing the explanation, Long Feicheng recalled that he seemed to have seen a She Dao Ren in his childhood.
Upon hearing this, Yan Shouyi and Ye Chengfu asked Long Feicheng to recount the story of the She Dao Ren he had seen as a child.
It turned out that when Long Feicheng was a child, he lived in an old alley in Rongcheng. At that time, an alley could house over a hundred people, and any news in one household would immediately be known throughout the alley.
In that alley, there was a couple. The husband was a doctor who ran a clinic, and the wife was a worker in a garment factory. They had been married for eight years but hadn't had a child.
Both had undergone examinations and were perfectly healthy, yet no matter what they did, a child simply wouldn't come.
One day, a She Dao Ren suddenly appeared and left a pair of scissors, stating that the couple had a destined tribulation. If they couldn't pass this tribulation, Yama, the King of Hell, wouldn't allow a child to be reincarnated into their family. The She Dao Ren said that the wife should stay at home obediently for the next seven days, while the husband must stay away from home for seven days, otherwise, he would attract malevolent energy and bring misfortune.
As long as the couple stayed apart and didn't see each other during these seven days, they could safely pass this destined tribulation, and a child would naturally come.
The She Dao Ren then left, promising to fulfill his end of the bargain after seven days.
Both husband and wife desperately wanted a child and also feared the tribulation foretold by the She Dao Ren. So, that very night, the husband packed his bags and went back to his hometown to stay.
The first few days were fine, nothing happened. But after arriving home, the husband felt uneasy, as if something bad was about to happen.
At that time, ordinary people no longer believed much in feudal superstitions. Coupled with the fact that his fellow villagers looked at him strangely, the husband couldn't bear it anymore.
So, on the sixth night, he secretly returned to the city and quietly went to the alley, content just to see his wife from a distance.
Hearing this, Yan Shouyi sighed, "Why is it that in these stories, there's always a self-destructive male protagonist?"
Ye Chengfu also commented, "This man didn't follow the rules and brought trouble upon himself!"
Long Feicheng agreed wholeheartedly, "Exactly, this man brought it all on himself! That night, he quietly returned to the alley, climbed up to his own window, and the sight terrified him. Do you know what he saw?"
The atmosphere had been built up, and even Yan Shouyi was curious, "What did he see?"
Long Feicheng slammed the table, startling both of them:
"He saw his wife having an affair with that She Dao Ren! In reality, that wasn't a real She Dao Ren at all, but his wife's former lover, who deliberately pretended to be a She Dao Ren to get the husband out of the way so they could be together! The reason his villagers looked at him strangely was that they had heard some whispers but were too embarrassed to tell him!"
Yan Shouyi: "..."
Ye Chengfu: "..."
They had expected a legendary tale about She Dao Ren, but it turned out to be a story of marital infidelity.
Truly, that's just like you, Long Feicheng!
Yan Shouyi glared at Long Feicheng, "Next time you have nothing to say, don't spread your butt in the air and waste my time!"
Ye Chengfu clutched his chest and said, "Don't startle me like that when telling stories. I'm old, I can't handle being scared..."
Long Feicheng chuckled, then sighed:
"Later, in his rage, that man used the scissors given by the She Dao Ren and stabbed the adulterous couple to death. The incident caused quite a stir back then. The neighbors in our alley were so frightened that they moved away. Afterwards, there were rumors that new residents always saw the light on in that room at midnight, and some even heard the screams of men and women."
Thinking about it now, those people who claimed to have encountered ghosts might have been telling the truth.
Long Feicheng sat back in his chair, leaned forward, and said:
"Brother Yan, why would the She Dao Ren bother with us?"
Yan Shouyi shook his head, "I don't know. But She Dao Ren are among the most reasonable of the folk sects. They wouldn't provoke or bully others without reason. This means that if this She Dao Ren sought us out, it must be because there's a karmic connection between us. Until this karma is resolved, they won't give up."
Ye Chengfu also understood why Luo Ning had directly told them to find Yan Shouyi after seeing the cleaver.
The one who tied the knot must untie it. None of them could deal with this She Dao Ren; only Yan Shouyi could resolve the matter by returning personally.
"Dinner's ready!"
At this moment, Lin Zitong and Jiang Ting arrived in the courtyard with steaming hot dishes. The aroma made everyone's appetites soar.
"What were you talking about?" Lin Zitong asked after sitting down.
Yan Shouyi explained the matter of the She Dao Ren to Lin Zitong, who also realized the seriousness of the situation.
So, after a brief discussion, they decided to stay one last night at the Chen family village and set off for Rongcheng the next morning.
They had stayed in Chenjia Village for a full month, and they were starting to feel a bit unfamiliar with the people and affairs of Rongcheng.
But they also understood that Chenjia Village was not their final destination, at least not yet. No matter how happy they were in Chenjia Village, they ultimately had to return to Rongcheng and face those troublesome matters again.