The Night Ghost Walks

“Yitian, your old man’s time is almost up. I don’t think I’ll make it through tonight. You’ll have to walk the road ahead on your own. I can’t go with you anymore. There’s something I’ve kept from you all this time. I didn’t tell you because I thought it was for your own good, but now it’s time you knew the truth. Our family isn’t ordinary. Starting with your great-grandfather, every man in our family has been a yin-yang master. That’s how I know exactly how long I have to live. We also have a book called The Ghost Arts, passed down through the generations. It records all kinds of yin-yang techniques. I’ve put it in the iron box in the cupboard. Take it and practice hard. You must master everything in it, or you won’t live to see thirty. All right, enough talk. For my funeral arrangements, go to the Town God Temple in town. There’s an old beggar living there. Find him and tell him you’re Yitian. He’ll know what to do. If he doesn’t believe you, show him the Guanyin statue I gave you. All right, your old man’s leaving now. Don’t dwell on it. You’ve got a long road ahead and plenty of things to face. You’ve got to see them through.”

After reading the letter, my eyes filled with tears. It had all happened so suddenly.